Wednesday 26 November 2014, 11:35 | By Aly Barchi

Cheryl’s vanity label not for kids

Artist News Labels & Publishers

Leading singles-releaser and ‘X-Factor’ sweetheart Cheryl Ann Fernandez-Versini has confirmed she has designs on starting a label, a move that was first hinted at earlier this year. So that’s undeniably a thing.

Speaking to The Mirror this week, ‘Chezza’ said the one condition of her imprint will be that she’ll only sign artists aged over eighteen (and that only after an eighteen month training programme) so as not to throw wide-eyed and potentially fragile pop minors straight into the glare of the media spotlight. Like they do occasionally/all the time on ‘X-Factor’.

Which doesn’t exactly cast the aspiring likes of, say, Cheryl’s one remaining act in this year’s ‘X’ – the seventeen year old Lauren Platt – in a great light now, does it? Hear that, kids? Stop dreaming, be patient and go and… I don’t know, learn to drive a car, or join the army, or something. And only then is it OK to try having a career in pop.

Anyway, the one-time Girl Aloud told The Mirror’s 3am (and the Lauren Platts of this world might want to look away now): “Look around at the child stars – the record’s not exactly promising. It’s too much pressure. They would have to be over eighteen. But I would develop them while they’re in school”.

She adds: “I would nurture the artist before they put anything out there. I would ensure my girls do a preparation course. I love the aspect of ‘X-Factor’ where I’m nurturing talent. Watching the sparkle in someone else’s eye and remembering you having that dream, it’s such a buzz”.

Retailers call for a Monday global release day

Business News Retail

Music retail groups from around the world yesterday announced that they were now officially lobbying for Monday to become the ‘global release day’, and are therefore opposing plans by the major record companies to start putting out new releases on Fridays worldwide.

As previously reported, the majors’ global trade body the IFPI is currently pushing for all the labels and entertainment retailers of the world to release new music on the same day. Currently release days are spread across the week globally, with the UK taking Monday, the US Tuesday and Australia going all the way down to Friday. And the majors seem set on adopting the Aussie release day worldwide.

For their part, the retailers pretty much all agree that a global release day makes sense in the web age where artists routinely speak to their fans around the world as one, but they are not so convinced by the labels’ choice of Friday. The US-based Department Of Record Stores was first to question the logic of the week-end release day, while the UK’s Entertainment Retailers Association called on the labels to provide evidence that a shift to Friday worldwide could result in a sales uplift sufficient to compensate for the disruption the move would cause.

Presumably said evidence is yet to materialise, because yesterday ERA and the Department Of Record Stores joined up with other US-based retail groups like the Alliance of Independent Media Stores and Coalition Of Independent Music Stores, as well as some key indie retailers and distributors and, perhaps most interestingly, the US and UK’s indie label trade groups to call for Monday to be adopted as the global release day.

The various groups said: “We agree that aligning new music releases on a single day around the world could be beneficial for the music business, sending a clear message to consumers, enabling more coordinated and powerful marketing and promotions and combating release week piracy resulting from different street dates. Agreeing to the concept of a Global Release Day is a separate issue to the decision as to which day it should be, however. We do not agree that Friday is the best day for such a move”.

It goes on: “A move to a Friday would unfortunately entail additional costs for many in the industry. We believe that while these costs are easily calculable, tangible costs, the forecasted beneficial revenue effects of a Global Release Day are inconclusive and subject to a range of opinions. More and more global releases have been coming out on a Monday and the industry has proven that it can handle these with no additional cost. Based on a detailed review of the challenges and opportunities of the shift to a single day, we strongly endorse a worldwide Monday street date for music and reject the proposed move to Friday”.

Lending her group’s support to the Monday release day proposal, Kim Bayley of ERA told reporters: “The evidence suggests that virtually all the benefits of a Global Release Date can be captured on a Monday without any additional costs. It is a no-brainer. The potential to create a New Music Monday focusing all of the industry’s marketing efforts at the beginning of the week is very exciting”.

Meanwhile Association Of Independent Music boss Alison Wenham added: “Supporting independent retailers is a core principal of independent record companies, and we work together very closely. If the retailers’ view is that Monday is the best day for new releases, why would we argue otherwise? They are after all the experts in retail”.

Spotify revenues up in 2013, though operating losses up too

Business News Digital

Spotify’s global revenues were up 73.6% in 2013 to 747 million euros (£593 million), reports The Guardian, 91% of that income coming from paying subscribers rather than users of the streaming service’s ad-funded freemium tier. But before you all high five each other, operating losses also grew by 16.4% to 80 million euros (£63 million).

It was recently confirmed that Spotify’s UK and French businesses actually went into profit in 2013. But no one expected that trend to be followed through on a global level, given the firm’s continued rampant worldwide expansion (plus it’s hard to know what costs are covered at a national and global level). The rising losses were posted by the parent Spotify company based in Luxembourg.

Of course, there’s lots in the global figures for the streaming naysayers to get their teeth into – not least those on Team Swift who argue that artists should be able to withhold their music from freemium users, who are contributing so little of the cash. Though Spotify CEO Daniel Ek recently argued that the free tier was vital for converting people to paid users, which in turn, he claims, has meant that Spotify has been able to pay out $2 billion to the music industry to date

In response to Taylor Swift’s removal of her catalogue from the streaming service, Ek said: “If we want to drive people to pay for music, we have to compete with free [options like piracy, radio and YouTube] to get their attention in the first place. More than 80% of our subscribers started as free users. If you take away only one thing, it should be this: No free, no paid, no $2 billion”.

That Spotify’s operating loss has continued to grow year-on-year will also remain a sticking point for many (even though the firm’s business plan will have likely expected such losses), and the debate over streaming revenues, royalties and sustainability will continue to rumble on throughout 2015.

It will be interesting to see this time next year how the period of rapid growth that has occurred this year – with free and paid subscriber numbers both up considerably in the second and third quarters – will affect the financials for 2014. Spotify’s success is ultimately a matter of scale, but whether that scale is close to being reached remains a question mark.

Speaking of booms though, Spotify this week announced that One Direction had now passed the one billion streams milestone on the service, following the recent release of their fourth album, ‘Four’. In celebration, Spotify this morning announced the arrival of Rammstein’s entire back catalogue on its platform.

Now you may choose between a playlist” target=”_blank”>a playlist of 1D’s ten most popular tracks worldwide and another curated by Rammstein featuring songs that have inspired them. Or ignore both entirely.

Boiler Room hires new editor-in-chief

Business News Industry People Media

Live-streaming platform Boiler Room has hired FACT/The Wire writer Joe Muggs as its Editor-In-Chief. The future (of online music content)’s bright, the future’s… boiled. In a room.

Muggs’ appointment spearheads a new emphasis on in-depth editorial content at the fast-growing London company, which, since it first started in an actual boiler room in 2010, has acted primarily as a straight online broadcaster for live sets by DJs and artists, mainly from private and invite-only locations.

Muggs says: “I’m like a kid in a sweetshop right now. I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of truly great publications and editors in my years freelancing, including ones that have forged new paths in a tough environment. To be given the chance to build something new and try and follow in their footsteps is the sort of chance that doesn’t come along every day, but to be given a resource as insanely awesome as the Boiler Room’s existing audio/video/events machine to build it around is almost incomprehensibly exciting”.

He adds: “We’re in a position to build something unique by bringing all these strands together, in fact. The team here are bang in the middle of everything that’s innovative and hopeful in the music world right now, and if we can reflect that editorially then we’re onto a winner”.

Boiler Room boss Blaise Bellville, meanwhile, says of his company’s new direction: “This is about developing a clear voice for Boiler Room. We do so much great shit, but people might not be aware of the thinking behind the programming, or how it fits into a wider context, because we don’t have that central editorial voice”.

Belville adds: “It’s tough to step into the crowded landscape of editorial sites, and half-assing it was never of interest to us. Now, we’ve got the disciplined team built up and ready, a visionary editor to pull together everything we are doing together, and we can do something that we think is going to be as compelling as everything BR has done before”.

And still babbling excitably on, he adds: “We may be known for dance DJ sets but there’s so much more: we already cover classical music, hip hop, grime, industrial techno, noise and God knows what else and are continually expanding further in all directions in terms of styles. We’ve documented and reported pivotal flashpoints for scenes past and present, and it’s time to build on that, so that as well as our audio and video, our writing will be a valuable archive of music culture”.

Recent evidence of Boiler Room’s new taste for all-things classical, for one, came earlier this week, when the site archived a so-named ‘Modern Classic’ collaboration by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and the London Contemporary Orchestra, taped live at Manchester’s Albert Hall. Watch that via BR now.

Jonny Greenwood & The London Contemporary… by brtvofficial

Wet Nuns’ Alexis Gotts dies

Artist News

Alexis ‘Leki’ Gotts, perhaps most widely known as one half of Yorkshire’s Wet Nuns and latterly of new band Baba Naga, has died having taken his own life.

Confirming the sad news of Gotts’ death in a Facebook post earlier this week, Rob Graham, his one-time collaborator in Wet Nuns, wrote: “It’s with a deep sadness and a heavy heart that I try to find the words to express the deep sense of grief that I feel as I come to terms with the loss of my friend, bandmate and brother Leki. It’s only really the sense of duty to you all as fans of our band that I wrote this now as I think it will take a good while to really understand what has happened”.

Graham added: “Leki took his own life as an end to a long and terribly difficult battle. Obviously we had our difficulties personally, but it’s important that you all know that the last few times we spent together that we were back on good terms. And all was at peace. I miss him. I don’t think I will ever stop missing him”.

Formed in 2009, Wet Nuns self-released a chain of tracks climaxing in 2013’s ‘Broken Teeth’ EP, and, later, their full-length ‘Wet Nuns’ LP. Gotts and Graham punctuated their short but bright-burning career with a string of wild live shows and, as of 2012, their even wilder weekend event Detestival, the latest edition of which ran earlier this year.

For information on coping with suicidal feelings and finding support, read Mind’s guide, or call The Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90. Friend of CMU Eddy Temple-Morris is also involved in CALM, a charitable initiative aiming to reduce suicide rates amongst young men. Click this link to read his various CMU articles on the organisation, and/or visit the CALM site.

Green Day and Red Hot Chilis both cookin something new for 2015

Artist News Releases

I’ve heard tell that Green Day, who’ve been pretty silent all year, are going to ‘make a move’ and do some kind of so-far-unexplained thing in 2015. In fact, it was the band’s Billie Joe Armstrong who went and spilled the proverbial Green (Day) beans, via his Instagram page yesterday, as it happens.

Basically, he got creative in the “hardware store” and made this little ‘found art’ montage of ‘Green Day’ spelled in adhesive lettering and then ’15’ in… the metal numbers you nail on doors.

Sorry, DIY isn’t my strongpoint. And nor is caring about the Red Hot Chili Peppers, still… here goes nothing: the Red Hot Chili Peppers will likely begin recording on their eleventh LP next month!

Or that’s what the Chilis ‘sticksman’ Chad Smith has told Music Radar, anyway. Speaking to the site last week, he said, when asked on the status of a follow-on to 2011’s ‘I’m With You’: “We’re writing our songs, and we’re really close to getting in to start recording. I think we’ll probably go up to December, do a little pre-production on em, and then we’ll take a little Christmas break. I hope to be recording after the first of the year”.

He added that the band have nearly 30 potential tracks ready, adding: “I think last time we overdid it a little, so we’re trying to really hone in on the ones that’ll rise to the top. It won’t be 50 like last time. We always say, ‘Oh, we’re doing to do a Beatles thing and just do ten or eleven songs’, and then it always turns into an epic fucking thing. This time, I thing we’ll focus on the quality and not the quantity”.

Good to know. Thanks Chad!

CMU’s One Liners: The Pop Group, The Rap Monument, Ibeyi and other stories

Artist News Deals Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Australian dance DJ and producer Dro Carey has lately signed to pretty alright label Greco-Roman, and will release a new EP titled ‘Club Injury Handbook’ on 1 Dec. Have a taste of its buoyant title track now via SoundCloud.

• Having ‘inked’ a deal with Turnstile Music, Bristol indie band Trust Fund are now to release an album called ‘No One’s Coming For Us’ in Feb 2015. Listen to its topmost song ‘Cut Me Out’ right this minute.

• Post-punk lot The Pop Group are back, after a long, long lunch-break of oh, 35 release-free years, give or take. And they’re bringing with them a Paul Epworth-produced new LP titled ‘Citizen Zombie’, which will be available on 23 Feb. Hear one of its eleven tracks, also its title track, via this link.

• A lorry-load of over 30 American rappers (not at all least Pusha T, Killer Mike, Action Bronson and Young Thug) have gone mic-to-mic on a single mega-track, backed by Noisey and Hennessey, titled ‘The Rap Monument’. Scale a preview of it here.

• Bill and Ted’s dream psych-pop star Only Real, aka Niall Galvin, has broken his new single ‘Yesterdays’ to fans ahead of its release via Virgin/Harvest on 26 Jan 2015. Stream it here.

• Still hot from his dip in the ‘CMU approved’ toaster last Monday, Canadian alt-pop artiste Alex Calder has since released the video to his new single ‘Lola’, having put it together in his living room in 30 minutes flat. Watch the ‘Lola’ skate-o-rama now.

• Also approved, Vessels have signalled their new LP ‘Dilate’, which is set to descend on 2 Mar 2015. From it is a track titled ‘On Monos’, which features Leeds singer Snow Fox, the video for which is viewable here.

• Ed ‘Primark pants’ Sheeran has added an extra date at Wembley Stadium on 11 Jul 2015, since that other Wembley Stadium show he’s doing (on 10 Jul 2015) has already shifted what’s clearly a promising quantity of tickets, which went on pre-sale earlier today. Surely now he can afford to get his ‘undies’ in M&S.

• Approved synth-pop band Scarlet Soho have confirmed a host of European shows (the first on 29 Jan in Paris) circling the release of their latest LP, ‘In Cold Blood’, on 13 Feb 2015. The band promise UK dates are on the way, too; so track those updates via the SS Facebook page, if you please.

• Worldly XL-signed twins Ibeyi have confirmed a load of British shows in early 2015, starting at the Bristol Louisiana on 18 Feb. The dates, which act as a live caption to the release of the approved Diaz sisters’ eponymous first LP on 16 Feb, will unfold as listed.

• So here’s a thing; Metallica are headlining next year’s Reading AND Leeds festivals, which take place in tandem over 28-30 Aug. A weird array of acts featuring Jamie T, Run The Jewels, Pierce The Veil, Refused and Wilkinson (live) are also confirmed to play. AND Walls will serve as the festivals’ ‘official’ ice cream sponsor, “serving the old and new favourites including Magnum, Cornetto, Calippo, Twister and Solero”. Now that’s what I call a scoop.

Prince shuts down social media accounts

And Finally Artist News

Oh well, that was fun while it lasted. You remember when Prince suddenly embraced the internet and began tweeting last year? It’s not really been him at the controls for some time now, and any hope that he might start posting selfies again may now be lost. His Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts have been deleted and his Vevo-powered YouTube channel almost wiped clean.

According to the Star Tribune, the shutdown came on Monday. The newspaper speculates that the move may have been timed to coincide with the grand jury decision on the shooting of Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. Though is it was, Prince might want to actually confirm that.

The other theory (probably more likely) is that Prince has decided to move on from his 3RDEYEGIRL project to something new – quite possibly his jazz band NPGQ, with whom Prince performed two songs during a livestreamed release party for 3EG’s ‘PLECTRUMELECTRUM’ and his solo album ‘Art Official Age’ in October.

Or maybe he just couldn’t be bothered anymore.

Approved: FaltyDL – //I\II\\\\ EP

CMU Approved

Last approved back in July, FaltyDL earns a swift return with the reasonably swift follow-up to his ‘In The Wild’ LP, the ridiculously titled ‘//I\II\\\’ EP.

The eight track collection features reworks and alternative versions of tracks from ‘In The Wild’, as well as some new experimentations. As well as his own remixes, FaltyDL co-opts Planet Mu boss Mike Paradinas (aka μ-Ziq), Blueberry Records’ beats technician Brrd and newcomer E+E to take his tracks in new directions.

An interesting diverse EP, and if you haven’t checked ‘In The Wild’ it’s well worth it. The sonic path FaltyDL strides sometimes meanders, but is always far from mundane.

One of the highlights of this new EP is FaltyDL’s own rework of ‘Do Me’, from ‘In The Wild’, which you can listen to here:

IFPI report hones in on labels’ investment in music

Business News Labels & Publishers Top Stories

Ah, record companies, remember them? Investing in new artists; helping acts hone their musical style; partnering the best musicians, songwriters and production talent; devising and delivering imaginative marketing campaigns; and then ensuring an artist’s output was seen and heard as widely as humanly possible. Cunts.

So thank the Lord that in this direct-to-fan, social media, streamify age we’ve been able to get rid of those money-grabbing, control-freaking, artist-screwing bastards, right?

Well, hmm, no. Because – while managers, promoters, agents and artist service providers might dispute the claim made by global label trade group the IFPI this morning that its members remain “the engine room of the global music industry” – it is fair to say that when it comes to new talent, good old fashioned record companies do still, more often than not, play a vital role, as investors, product developers, marketers and content distributors.

For its part, the IFPI reckons that labels major and indie worldwide are now investing $4.3 billion a year in artists through A&R and marketing, which accounts for 27% of their revenue, up from 26% back in 2011. And that means that, over the last five years, labels have collectively invested over $20 billion in developing and promoting artists and new music. So shut up your moaning about the labels having a few percent each of Spotify equity.

Well, the IFPI didn’t actually say that last bit. Though, while launching its annual ‘Investing In Music’ report, the trade group did claim that 7500 artists were signed to the three major labels in 2013, with tens of thousands of acts allying with the indies. And a fifth of those signings are new artists.

“Record companies invest a greater proportion of their global revenues in A&R than most other sectors do in research and development”, said the IFPI, a customary though generally accurate claim always made when these kinds of record industry stats are published. “Comparisons show music industry investment in A&R (16%) exceeding the R&D investment of industries including software and computing (9.9%) and the pharmaceutical and biology sector (14.4%)”.

Some other stats and fact nuggets in the report include: the costs of breaking a new artist are between $500,000 and $2 million when advances, content production costs, tour support and marketing are accounted for; and although it’s a global industry, in twelve of the record industry’s leading markets local repertoire accounts for more than 70% of the sales of the top ten albums. The report also cites Unsigned Guide research that shows most new bands still seek a record deal.

Oh, and all you people who say that the record industry is dead and those live music dudes drive everything now. Well, shut up you. Or, in the IFPI’s words: “Live performance has not replaced recordings as the driver of the music industry. While record companies invest $2.5 billion in A&R, there is little evidence of such substantial investment in new music coming from any other source”.

Not only that, but: “All of the five top grossing live tours of 2013 were by artists who first released albums nine or more years previously, with one group having recordings going back 50 years. Few artists can achieve a scalable, sustainable music career without producing recorded music”. So consider yourselves told.

And on the strict condition that you never again claim “it’s all about live these days”, you can each enjoy this quote from IFPI boss Frances Moore: “‘Investing In Music’ highlights the multi-billion dollar investment in artists made every year by major and independent record labels. It is estimated that the investment in A&R and marketing over the last five years has totalled more than $20 billion. That is an impressive measure of the qualities that define the music industry, and which give it its unique value”.

So, to conclude, say what you like about the labels, call them “cunts” if you want, though I wouldn’t approve of such a thing, but you can never – ever – accuse them of failing to publish an annual report telling you how important they all are. OK. As you were.

London’s Madame Jojo’s closed following violent incident

Business News Legal Live Business

The owners of Soho-based London club Madame Jojo’s have had their license revoked following a “serious incident of disorder” last month, in which several staff are implicated.

Jojo’s, which was the site of various cabaret nights and ten year old indie franchise White Heat, was closed down in late October after a Friday night fracas involving a number of bouncers, who, according to this police report, were seen on CCTV taking out baseball bats to attack a group of assailants throwing glass bottles after a ‘verbal altercation’ took place. The bats were hidden in black bin bags stored inside the Madame Jojo’s reception area, and were used with the knowledge of the venue’s night manager and security manager, it’s claimed.

Despite venue management having filed an appeal against the October decision and having made several staff changes to appease Westminster Council, the licence suspension was upheld at a hearing last week, with the venue’s Events Manager Walt Utz resigning later that day.

White Heat promoters have reacted to the news by releasing a statement on Facebook that reads: “We’ve been forced to cancel all of our foreseeable shows at the venue and it’s probably going to be impossible to have one last hurrah at Jojo’s for old times sake. Over the ten years we’ve been there we’ve put a lot into how the venue looks and sounds to make it the best live experience possible and to try and be one of the best places to watch new bands in London. So it really is gutting to have to announce that White Heat at Madame Jojo’s is no more”.

The statement adds: “For now we’re going to weigh up our options and try to work out what we can salvage from this. We’ve put on a party every week for the past ten years so it’s in our blood, don’t expect to hear nothing. Thank you all for everything you’ve helped us create so far”.

Independent Venue Week to return

Business News Live Business

Independent Venue Week is back, people. Well, not right now, that would be insane. But it’s coming back for year number two from 26 Jan to 1 Feb, and this time that there Frank Turner will be the event’s Ambassador, which may or may not have something to do with Ferrero Rocher. Does that reference even make sense any more? Confused kids just need to know that Turner will definitely be dishing out free chocolates at every show.

Five times bigger than in year number one, a heady 85 venues will be participating in Indie Venue Week next year, which is a lot of chocolate for Turner to buy, and the likes of BBC Introducing, Xfm, Rough Trade, Domino Records, Noisey, Boiler Room, Communion, 13 Artists, The 405, Fierce Panda, Club Fandango and Huw Stevens will be hosting shows as part of the programme. Stevens will be in charge of the Dip Dabs.

The whole shebang (possibly excluding all those free sweeties) is supported by Arts Council England, whose Director of Music Helen Sprott said: “Independent music venues are an invaluable part of our national music ecology. They are often the places where people across England first experience live music and for many years these venues have also provided the vascular system by which artists have been able to tour the nation”.

She went on: “It is this dual role, nurturing both audiences and talent, that sits at the heart of Independent Venue Week and we are delighted to be supporting this celebration of grassroots music through our Grants For The Arts programme”.

Lovely. The Black Jacks are on Sprott. Turner will play two shows himself as part of the IVW proceedings, including one at 93 Feet East where he played his first ever gig.

New (sort of) Beyonce and Coldplay releases go straight to Spotify

Business News Digital

The whole Taylor Swift v Spotify debate, remember that? I’m mid-way through turning the whole thing into an avant-garde opera. That’ll teach Swifty the meaning of “art”.

But hey, look at this. Music Ally has spotted that brand new releases from Beyonce and Coldplay have gone up straight there on the Spotifys, without even passing go. Which is interesting in the “big artists nervous about the impact streaming has on sales” debate, because both Beyonce and Coldplay have previously called the window makers in and held back big new releases from the streaming service.

Though before you get too God damn excited, you should note that the new Beyonce album is just the “platinum edition” of the old Beyonce album, even if it does have a bunch of new tracks and remixes for you all to enjoy. Meanwhile the new Coldplay record is ‘Ghost Stories Live 2014’, filled with recordings of recent live performances.

And a special edition and live album probably don’t really tell us anything about whether these a-listers would still consider holding back their next albums proper from the streaming platforms in a bid to boost download sales. But hey, we got to talk about Taylor Swift again, and I’ve been missing her being in every single bloody edition of the CMU Daily. So, thanks Music Ally and your diligently paying attention to streaming releases.