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Wednesday 28 January 2015, 10:44 | By Chris Cooke
Snapchat adds content channel
Business News Digital
The Snapchatters added a new element to their app yesterday called Discover that pulls content from various partners into the service.
It’s seemingly part of the popular picture and video messaging app’s plan to diversify, in no small part to drive new revenues via the “gorgeous advertising” which the tech company promises will appear in the Discover channel.
For content owners it provides an opportunity to tap into Snapchat’s large network of users (especially ‘The Kids’). While some have dabbled with using Snapchat as a marketing channel before, doing so hasn’t been as straightforward as with many other social network type flim flams.
Amongst the partners providing content at launch are Vice, Comedy Central, Yahoo!, National Geographic, Cosmopolitan and the Daily Mail, which is certainly eclectic. On the music side the first partner is Warner Music, which seems to have been transformed from the major that says “nooooooooooooo!” to all things new and digital into the major that says “yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!” to everything.
Though who cares about all those has-beens, I’m going to crack open my Snapchat app and seek out all that “gorgeous advertising”. It’s the future, don’t you know.
READ MORE ABOUT: Snapchat
Wednesday 28 January 2015, 10:43 | By Chris Cooke
Artist And Manager Awards to return
Awards Business News
Those of you who had Wednesday 25 Mar in the sweepstake for the date of the next edition of the Artist And Manager Awards are going to be mightily pissed off. Because after many weeks of in-depth judging by some of the best in the awards-staging industry, the Music Managers Forum and Featured Artist Coalition have decided that Thursday 26 Mar is the most deserving date for this most esteemed event. A controversial decision I know, but sometimes awards shows have to break the mould and think big.
Let’s just hope that this avant garde approach to award night date choosing fits in with the schedule of one Imogen Heap, because she’s already down to get the Pioneer Award in recognition of “her consistently bold and novel approach to writing, production and performance, as well as her outstanding creative output and innovative fan engagement”. The artist and manager community will be heaping – yeah? – the praise on to Imogen herself come the 26 Mar, providing she can locate East London’s The Troxy.
The event, by the way, in case you wondered, is sponsored by tickets app Dice, the co-founder of which, Phil Hutcheon, said these words: “The MMF and FAC represent the most influential and innovative managers and artists. We have a shared mission to grow the music industry by embracing new technology and transparency and we’re honoured to be a part of the awards”.
Tickets here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Artist And Manager Awards
Wednesday 28 January 2015, 10:42 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Katy Perry parody, Tom Petty clarity, How To Dress Well and Tālā collabrity (shut up), and other things that don’t fit this pattern
Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• East India Youth will release his second album though XL, the label has announced. ‘Culture Of Volume’ will be out on 6 Apr.
• I’ve never seen Ultimate Painting do any painting. But before today I’d never seen one of their music videos either. That’s because they hadn’t made one. But now they have! Here it is. Now get painting, boys.
• One component required in the construction of the PC Music empire, GFOTY, has released a new mix. And that’s always a good thing. It’s called ‘Cake Mix’ (see what she did there?) and features a cover of ‘All The Small Things’ by Blink 182.
• I don’t much care for How To Dress Well but I really like Tālā, so it’s a confusing experience listening to their new collaboration. Especially as there are two versions of it. Here’s one, and here’s the other. And here’s a video showing how they created it in one day, as part of Your’s Truly’s Songs From Scratch thing.
• The CMU approved Yumi Zouma will release their second EP, ‘EP II’, on 10 Mar. There are five songs on it. One of them (the third one) is called ‘Catastrophe’. This is its video.
• Will The Leisure Society release a new album called ‘The Fine Art of Hanging On’ on 13 Apr through Full Time Hobby? Yes. And will they also be touring the UK that same month? Yes. And is this a SoundCloud link to a song from the album called, ‘Tall Black Cabins’? Why don’t you just fucking find out for yourself for once?
• The Charlatans will headline Brooklyn Bowl under the O2 Dome on 20 Feb. Part of that whole BRITs Week thing, the show will feature support from We Are The Ocean and Superfood.
• Purity Ring are going to be touring the UK around end of April/beginning of May sort of time. So that’s good. The London show will be at the Shempire (aka the Shepherds Bush Empire, which is a name too long to say or think, let alone type out in full) on 30 Apr. New album in March. Track here.
• “Wait a minute”, you screamed in the middle of the night last night. “Now that Tom Petty has a songwriting credit on Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’, does that mean he could potentially win a Grammy for Best Song as a result?” No. Come on, that song isn’t going to win. Also, the rules say Petty’s not eligible.
• It’s OK, someone has created a Katy Perry Super Bowl parody song. Tim & Eric’s Tim Heidecker, to be exact. Please do remember, it’s not actually a legal requirement of parodies to be funny. It would have been preferable in this case though.
READ MORE ABOUT: East India Youth | GFOTY | How To Dress Well | Katy Perry | PC Music | Purity Ring | Sam Smith | Tālā | The Charlatans | The Leisure Society | Tom Petty | Ultimate Painting | Yumi Zouma
Wednesday 28 January 2015, 10:41 | By Chris Cooke
Brian Harvey Radio 1 remarks “absurd and offensive”, say BBC
And Finally Artist News Media
To be fair, they’d probably rather not have been asked to comment at all, but comment they have at the NME’s request, and the BBC’s opinion of former East 17 member Brian Harvey’s recent comments on their top pop radio channel? “These comments are clearly absurd and offensive”.
To recap, initially beneath of video of Rae Morris doing an East 17 cover on Radio 1’s ‘Live Lounge’, and subsequently on Twitter, Harvey wrote last weekend: “You will play anyone else as long as it’s not me eh. Well done Rae Morris, but Radio 1 you suck fucking arse you bunch of wankers. Everyone is scared to tell you but I’m not. You fucking paedo protecting, shit music playing, corporate wankstain fuck heads. Fuck you. Fuck your radio station. Fuck your staff. Stick your shitty commercial poo bag station up your peado protecting arse”.
To be fair, in return, to Harvey, while his remarks may have been a little “offensive”, his mission was clearly to “offend”, so that’s hardly a criticism.
As for “absurd”, well, his comments were mainly opinion surely? Assuming the “arse sucking” and “wanker” allegations were intended to be metaphorical, and the big bad ‘c’ word near the end was meant to imply Radio 1 is ‘commercial’ in style rather than status. OK, the “paedo protecting” bit is contentious and unproven, but it’s not an especially new allegation in the historic sense.
And I know for a fact that there’s at least two corporate wankstain fuck heads still working within the Corporation, so his use of the plural in that regard certainly wasn’t absurd. Though I’ll concede that it would indeed be more or less impossible to stick a shitty commercial poo bag station up any kind of arse, let alone one busy protecting peados.
But it’s possible I’m giving all this rather more consideration than was actually required. I’m mainly killing time really, while we await Harvey’s response to the BBC’s response, which I reckon will be YouTube gold. In fact, there’s an entire BBC Three series in all this. Or there would be if the wankstain fuck heads at the Beeb weren’t busy all but killing the channel off.
READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | BBC Radio 1 | Brian Harvey
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:51 | By Chris Cooke
IMPALA launches Digital Action Plan as digital single market plan discussed by European culture committee
Business News Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories
As European Commissioner Günther Oettinger heads into the European Parliament later today to discuss plans for a ‘Digital Single Market’ with the legislature’s Culture & Education Committee, pan-European indie label trade group IMPALA has this morning launched its own Digital Action Plan, with the strap line “making Europe the best place to be a creator and a culture enthusiast”.
The Digital Single Market initiative is part of the European Commission’s Digital Agenda and sets out to “update EU single market rules for the digital era”.
It’s amongst a list of priorities set out by the current EC President Jean-Claude Juncker, and in the Commission’s own blurb for the project, alongside ambitions to “establish a single area for online payments and further protect EU consumers in cyberspace”, is the strangely specific and already-sounding-rather-dated objective to “boost the music download business”.
In a bid to inform the debate, IMPALA has published a ten-point plan, though unsurprisingly two key themes run throughout, strengthening copyright and ensuring a level playing field for smaller players in the market. In the former domain the indies will likely find themselves speaking in unison with the content industries’ own major players, though the big tech companies and those who think copyright rules, if anything, should be relaxed, will lobby against them.
On the copyright front, IMPALA calls for more to be done about piracy, arguing that jobs and revenues would grow significantly if “structurally infringing websites were tackled properly”.
The ‘follow the money’ approach, which is advocated by Mike Weatherley MP and the UK’s City Of London Police IP Crime Unit, should be furthered, IMPALA says, while search engines and internet service providers should be more proactive in steering web-users away from unlicensed sources of content. And when it comes to the web-block injunctions now employed against copyright infringing websites in an increasing number of European countries “cross-border application of rulings should be improved”.
Though perhaps the most interesting copyright point made in IMPALA’s plan is that “abuse of the ‘safe harbour’ exemption and takedown procedures must stop for the Digital Single Market to function properly”. That could be seen in part as a dig at YouTube, which IMPALA accused of anti-competitive practices when the Google service was trying to strong-arm the Merlin-repped indie labels to sign up to its Music Key platform last year.
YouTube, of course, is an ‘opt-out’ rather than ‘opt-in’ digital content service, in that if you are a rights owner, the chances are a user has already uploaded your content to its platform, you then have to decide whether to monetise it or demand its removal.
This arguably improves the negotiating hand of services like YouTube, because if you don’t licence your content to it then you are required to monitor their networks for people uploading your content (so to demand a takedown) at your own cost, even though you aren’t making any money out of them. And while YouTube’s Content-ID system helps to an extent, that’s still quite a commitment.
YouTube can get away with that arrangement, and not run the risk of liability for copyright infringement for the unlicensed content it routinely hosts, because of the so called ‘safe harbours’, mainly in America’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act, though there are parallels in European law too.
Some argue that companies like YouTube (and many more) have exploited safe harbours that were actually put in place to protect ISPs and server hosting companies rather than commercial content platforms; though test cases in the US courts have usually sided with the tech companies on this point.
Some in the content industries see this as a battle lost, and have accepted that monitoring sites like YouTube is now a routine part of the copyright management game, so it’ll be interesting to see if IMPALA manage to get this matter discussed anew as European politicians again review copyright laws and the digital economy.
Though rights owners may have to give a little if they are to get any favours from the Digital Single Market plan, in particular by enabling more cross-border licensing and content consumption, something that is sure to be on Oettinger’s agenda, and which is part of Pirate Party MEP Julia Reda’s previously reported copyright review.
But enough pondering, how about some quotes? IMPALA Executive Chair Helen Smith told reporters this morning: “An industrial policy for culture is a pre-requisite for Europe’s digital economy. This involves reinforcing copyright and clarifying what operators like YouTube can and can’t do. Ensuring a successful digital single market also implies a host of other measures such as promoting diversity in a measurable way and devising a new regulatory, competition, social and fiscal framework for smaller actors”.
Meanwhile IMPALA board member and [PIAS] Co-President Michel Lambot added: “A healthy licensing environment is fundamental. We look to the EU to take away distortions to the digital single market. It must be clear that ‘safe harbour’ is no place to hide in Europe if you are running a music service. Let’s couple that with a serious industrial policy that boosts smaller players, gets more investment, provides more exposure for all artists, and then of course quantifies the results. This is what our Action Plan is about”.
You can read IMPALA’s ten point plan here.
READ MORE ABOUT: The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA)
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:50 | By Andy Malt
Sam Smith gives Tom Petty songwriting credit, despite ‘coincidental’ song similarities
Business News Labels & Publishers
Sam Smith has changed the credits on his hit ‘Stay With Me’ to include Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne as co-songwriters, following a copyright dispute.
Petty and Lynne’s publishers Wixen Music and EMI Music Publishing recently raised questions over similarities between ‘Stay With Me’ – originally credited to Smith, James Napier and William Phillips – and Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down, which was co-written with Lynne.
In a statement, a rep for Smith confirmed the change to Rolling Stone, saying: “Not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne song, the writers of ‘Stay With Me’ listened to ‘I Won’t Back Down’ and [nonetheless] acknowledged the similarity. Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of ‘Stay With Me’ along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips”.
If the similarities were indeed ‘coincidental’, you might ask why Smith and his publisher, Sony/ATV would back down so quickly. It may be to do with what’s known as ‘sub-conscious infringement’, in that it’s possible to infringe copyright without actively realising it.
Which means that if the matter had gone to court, there would have been a focus on whether Smith, Napier or Phillips may have inadvertently heard the song at any point and subconsciously adapted it. It’s a tricky area of copyright law, but it’s how they got Elastica. So I guess, if you can, settle now and avoid falling foul to ambiguous law.
READ MORE ABOUT: EMI Music Publishing | Jeff Lynne | Sam Smith | Sony Music Publishing | Tom Petty | Wixen Music
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:49 | By Andy Malt
FAC joins UK Music
Business News Management & Funding
The Featured Artists Coalition has joined UK Music, which gets the trade body of trade bodies a step closer to its claim of representing the entire music industry. One day, guys. One day.
Says UK Music CEO Jo Dipple: “With the Featured Artists Coalition joining us, the collective that is UK Music will truly represent the view of industry. Featured artists are an integral part of the music we love. The board and I will work hard to ensure the FAC voice helps shape future policy. It is an exciting time for UK Music. The stronger we are, and the more united we can be as an industry, the better placed we are to meet any challenges and opportunities. Our board unanimously agreed that the FAC take its seat at UK Music’s table”.
FAC CEO Paul Pacifico adds: “The Featured Artists Coalition board voted unanimously to join UK Music. Our interest is in helping shape a sustainable music industry, fit for the digital world and UK Music provides a unique opportunity for our industry to speak with one voice on key issues. We will work with the UK Music board to ensure that artists’ rights are respected and reflected in all policy making that impacts our industry”.
For those interested, the ten members that make up UK Music are now, BPI, AIM, MPA, PPL, PRS, MPG, MMF, BASCA and the MU. And the FAC, of course. While the live sector feeds into the proceedings via the UK Live Music Group and its chair Paul Latham.
READ MORE ABOUT: Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) | UK Music
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:48 | By Andy Malt
Woo! More Momentum funding announced! Hoo!
Business News Management & Funding
Can it be that time again already? Apparently it can, because I am writing a lazy introduction to a story about it. YES! The latest line-up of beneficiaries form the Momentum Music Fund has been announced. Contemporary musicians! Free money! Good times!
Momentum, of course, is the fund launched by Arts Council England at The Great Escape in 2013, which provides grants of £5000 to £15,000 to help emerging acts get to the next stage of their careers.
These, would you believe it, are the latest ten to benefit:
Adult Jazz (EP recording, touring and marketing)
Arrows Of Love (Recording)
Jessica Agombar (Single release, marketing and live show)
Lonelady (Touring)
Matt Woods (Recording, releasing, marketing and live launch)
Money (Second album)
Night Works (Second album)
Then Thickens (Marketing)
Tropics (Live show development)
We Were Evergreen (Recording and marketing)
Want money? The deadline to apply for the next round of funding is 10 Feb. Do so here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Adult Jazz | Arrows Of Love | Arts Council England | Jessica Agombar | LoneLady | Matt Woods | Momentum Music Fund | Money | Night Works | PRS For Music | Then Thickens | Tropics | We Were Evergreen
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:47 | By Chris Cooke
Eddy Temple-Morris and CALM call for help to kill January
Artist News Education & Events
After an extended break, Eddy Temple-Morris returns to CMU today with an Eddy Says column announcing a Campaign Against Living Miserably initiative which aims to “kill January” from next year.
Eddy has written before about his support for CALM, a charity that exists to prevent male suicide in the UK. As he’s noted in past columns, while depression is, of course, a condition that can effect anyone, whatever their age, gender or background, suicide is the single biggest cause of death amongst men aged 20-45 in England and Wales.
After recalling his own recent experiences with depression, Eddy explains in his new column that January can be a particular low-point for many. “January is, if all statistics were piled on top of one another, the worst month of the year”, he writes. “It’s the apex point of couples splitting up in this country. It’s the darkest, most miserable month of them all. We know from the massive spike in calls to the CALM helpline that people, especially men, really suffer at this time of year”.
To that end Eddy and CALM have a plan for 2016: “We are taking over January and banishing it. And here’s how we’ll do it. We have to start reaching out now, firstly to bands, DJs, promoters, party starters, labels, managers, agents, venues, everybody in music…then beyond, to brands, restaurants, bars, shops, anyone, everyone, and say this to them…”
“Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45. Bigger than anything. Cancer, drugs, cars, bikes, you name it. Men are four times more likely to kill themselves than women. And January is the critical time when more men are at risk than any other time, so let’s get together to try to stop it. Or at least staunch it. Stem the flow. Make a difference”.
To find out more about the project and how you can get involved, read the full Eddy Says column here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) | Eddy Temple Morris
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:46 | By Andy Malt
Sony Music’s Doug Morris to deliver Midem keynote
Business News Education & Events Industry People Labels & Publishers
Sony Music Entertainment CEO Doug Morris will deliver a keynote speech at this year’s Midem. It will be titled ‘Lessons Learned’ and will tell anyone who cares to listen how he came to be the man he is today. Or something like that. We’re waiting for someone to hack his email and leak the speech.
Announcing the news yesterday, Morris said in a statement: “I knew very early that I wanted to spend my life in the music business and be part of the rock culture of that time. And that is the life I had, managing talent and creativity, leading change in the music business. It is now the right time to talk about the lessons I learned along the way. And I can’t think of a better occasion than Midem to share such learning with the global music community”.
Midem’s Bruno Crolot added: “Doug Morris is an iconic executive within the music ecosystem represented at Midem. Over the past decades, he has actively contributed to supporting the industry and shaping solutions to the various challenges that our music business has been going through. We’re thrilled that in addition to sharing the insights gained from his successful career and his broad vision of the music industry, Doug will inspire the Midem audience on how to face change and how to create the business opportunities for tomorrow”.
Midem this year takes place from 5-8 Jun. In the event you can afford to stay in Cannes at the height of summer (maybe sleep on the beach), details are here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Doug Morris | MIDEM | Sony Music
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:45 | By Andy Malt
Demis Roussos 1945-2015
Artist News Obituaries
Singer Demis Roussos died in hospital in Greece on Sunday, aged 68. He had been ill for some time.
Born in Egypt in 1945, Roussos and his family later moved to his father’s native Greece, where he began his career in music aged seventeen. He first came to fame with fucking awesome prog rock band Aphrodite’s Child, which he formed in 1967 with Vangelis (should you need confirmation of my claim that they were fucking awesome).
However, he was best known for his later solo career, starting in the 1970s, which set him up as more of a crooner with a reputation for being a bit on the cheesy side. His 1976 single ‘Forever And Ever’ became the song for which he is most remembered. Although his popularity waned in subsequent years, he continued to record and perform until recently – his last album, ‘Demis’, coming out in 2009.
Roussos is survived by his two children, Emily and Cyril, and his fourth wife Marie.
READ MORE ABOUT: Demis Roussos
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:44 | By Andy Malt
Death Cab For Cutie embrace their damage and wear with new album
Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
Death Cab For Cutie have announced their first album since the departure of guitarist Chris Walla, named ‘Kintsugi’. The title “represents a compassionate aesthetic philosophy in which damage and wear are embraced as part of an object’s history”. Which seems, like, symbolic and shit.
What will they sound like without Walla? Could they possibly reach their earlier heights without him? What’s for dinner? Some of these questions may be answered by this new track, taken from the new long player, which is called ‘Black Sun’:
Also possibly good for question answering are the two London shows the band (still minus Walla, remember) will be playing on 8-9 Jun. Tickets for those will go on sale this Friday here.
Oh, the album’s out on 30 Mar.
READ MORE ABOUT: Death Cab For Cutie
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:43 | By Chris Cooke
First round of Great Escape bands announced
Artist News Gigs & Festivals The Great Escape 2015
Oh my Lord, get yourself one of the finest spreadsheets on the market and start planning, because the first line-up announcement has been made by the greatest of all the Escapes, by which we mean The Great Escape, Europe’s leading festival for new music.
Yeah, OK, we programme the core strands of the convention side of all this (check this link for details of this year’s themes) which makes us biased. But shut your face, this is a flipping exciting line-up announcement even when you mix it with some anti-bias fluid.
The first 150 bands to play the tenth anniversary edition of TGE have been unveiled this morning, with Alabama Shakes the first of the Dome Shows to be announced, the band returning to the festival to play its biggest stage (top-up tickets guarantee wristband holders access to this show).
And speaking all happy go lucky as one, the Shakes said: “We are very happy to return to Brighton for The Great Escape. We had a blast last time. We’ve just finished our new record and are very excited to share it with the TGE audience”.
As for the rest of the top new talent on offer, well, we’re not going to get into the messy business of picking out just a few, so here’s the full list. Delegate passes that get you access to both the festival and convention are still available for £145 if you buy them NOW.
First round of TGE bands: 1987, 36?, Acollective, Adam French, Admiral Fallow, Ak/Dk, Alabama Shakes, All Tvvins, Alo Wala, Andrea Balency, Andy Shauf, Apes, April Towers, Aquilo, Aurora, Awesome Tapes From Africa, Bad Breeding, Bad//Dreems, Banoffee, Bella Figura, Black Honey, Black Peaks, Boothroyd, Bully, CAR, Cairobi, Charles Howl, Charlie Straw, Chelou, Choir Of Young Believers, Clarence Clarity, Close Talker, Cosmo Sheldrake, Creeper, Creepoid, Dan Bodan, Dark Moon, Demob Happy, Django Django, Dutch Uncles, Elder Island, Ewert And The Two Dragons, Fantasma, Fismoll, Flo Morrissey, Flyying Colours, Forever Pavot, Formation, Fraser A Gorman, Freddie Dickson & The Guard, From Indian Lakes, Gabrielle Papillon, Gengahr, Girl Band, Groenland, H.Hawkline, Hælos, Happyness, Honne, Human Hair, Ibeyi, Ivy & Gold, Jack Garratt, Jagaara, Jasmine Thompson, Jordan Klassen, Jp Cooper, Kagoule, Kevin Devine, Kiko Bun, Klaus Johann Grobe, Lake Malawai, Lapsley, Laura Doggett, Lazytalk, Le Galaxie, Lee Bains Iii & The Glory Fires, Les Big Byrd, Life, Little Mary, Little Simz, Louis Berry, Louis Mttrs, Low Roar, Loyle Carner, Lubomyr Melnyk, Mapei, Meat Wave, Menace Beach, Monica Heldal, Moumoon, Mt Wolf, My Baby, Nick Brewer, Oceaán, Orla Gartland, Osca, Oscar & The Wolf, Passepied, Pierce Brothers, Pins, Popstrangers, Pretty Vicious, Prom, Rag N Bone Man, Rat Boy, Real Lies, Remi, Rolls Bayce, Saint Motel, Saskwatch, Seinabo Sey, Shelter Point, Silences, Single Mothers, Slaves, Soak, Songhoy Blues, Sunset Sons, Sway Clarke Ii, Tei Shi, Thabo & The Real Deal, The Bohicas, The Garden, The Hearts, The Lytics, The Magic Gang, The Merrylees, The Picturebooks, The Riptide Movement, The St Pierre Snake Invasion, The Young Benjamins, This Be The Verse, Thomston, The Thurston Moore Band, Tobias Jesso Jr, Tops, Tor Miller, Turbowolf, Twerps, Twin Wild, Usa Nails, Vérité, Vilde Tuv, Vodun, Vogue Dots, Walking On Cars, Ward Thomas, Yak, Yosi Horikawa and Zun Zun Egui.
READ MORE ABOUT: The Great Escape
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:42 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Unilever hires Big Sync Music, Beck working on new album, Mogwai 20th anniversary shows, and more that would just make this headline too long if I were to include them (it is possible that this headline is now too long anyway)
Artist News Brands & Merch Business News Deals Gigs & Festivals Labels & Publishers Marketing & PR One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Unilever has made Big Sync Music its sole music supplier for all of its brands worldwide. So, if you hear music on adverts for Marmite, Persil, Pot Noodle, Lynx, or any of the many other brands Unilever owns, remember that it was Big Sync Music that got it there. Or don’t, I don’t care.
• Pixie Geldof has “finally” signed a recording and publishing contract with Stranger Records. I bet you thought it would never happen. But now it has. The deal was sealed in the traditional manner – an Instagram post.
• Deftones are writing songs for their next album, with studio time booked for next month. Guitarist Steph Carpenter told MusicStoreLive.com: “We’re not all the way ready now, but we’ve still got time and we’re working on it”.
• Beck is currently working on a new album which will be out before the summer. Or so claims the biog posted on the Øya Festival website, which says: “He is currently working on a new album which will be out before the summer”.
• Stornoway’s next album will be called ‘Bonxie’ and will be out on 13 Apr. “The great skua (stercorarius skua) is a large seabird, it is sometimes known by the name bonxie”, they say. So now you know.
• Girlpool, yeah? They’ve announced a new single. A double A-side, no less. One of the songs is called ‘Chinatown’, and has a video here. The other one is called ‘Cut Your Bangs’ and has no video, but don’t let that put you off. It’ll be out on 23 Mar via Wichita. Gigs are happening next month in London, Manchester and Glasgow.
• Now everybody – I mean, every single body – even my mate Jerome – already knew that Belle & Sebastian and The Flaming Lips were headlining the all-new-look Liverpool Sound City this May, but now we know The Vaccines, Roni Size Reprazent, The Thurston Moore Band, Gaz Coombes, Fucked Up and Unknown Mortal Orchestra are also amongst the hundreds of bands due to play. More at www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk.
• Kylie Minogue has been announced as one of the headliners of this year’s British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park. She’ll perform on 21 Jun, as will obligatory festival bookings Grace Jones and Chic Featuring Nile Rodgers.
• Mogwai have been knocking about the place for 20 years now, and to celebrate this fact have announced four shows in London and Glasgow this June. They’ll play Barrowlands in Glasgow on 20-21 Jun and The Roundhouse in London on 24-25 Jun.
• Already heading up the previously reported ‘Hello Terry Riley’ show at The Barbican in April, James Holden will follow that up with a UK tour, details of which I’m willing to bet you will find here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Beck | Big Sync Music | Deftones | Girlpool | James Holden | Kylie Minogue | Liverpool Sound City | Mogwai | Pixie Geldof | Stornoway | Unilever
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:39 | By Andy Malt
Meow The Jewels is not only happening, but will feature Lil Bub
And Finally Artist News Releases
Back in the mists of time (aka last October), CMU Artists Of The Year Run The Jewels bowed to the demands of a $50,000 Kickstarter campaign and agreed to remake their ‘RTJ2’ album using only cat sounds. Because, well, internet.
The duo’s El-P revealed last week that work had begun on the record, and that it will feature celebrity cat Lil Bub. “Thank god the money is going to charity”, he tweeted. “Because ‘Meow The Jewels’ is going to be the single silliest fuckin record ever recorded”.
Here’s a brief snippet of what to expect:
READ MORE ABOUT: Run The Jewels
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:15 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Mikal Cronin
CMU Approved
Mikal Cronin was one of my highlights of The Great Escape in 2013. You probably can’t tell, but between that last sentence and this one I stopped and thought about his show for a second and smiled to myself. That’s how good it was. Did that communicate the quality of the show? No. But at least you know I’m capable of smiling.
Back then, the Ty Segall associate was playing largely songs from his second album, ‘MCII’ (the follow-up to 2011’s ‘Mikal Cronin’). What really shone through on that record, and in his transfixing performance, was the sheer quality of his songwriting. Tracks like, in particular, ‘Change’, display a talent deserving of a much wider audience.
Now he’s back with the first single from his third album, the inventively-titled ‘MCIII’, which is due out on 5 May. ‘Made My Mind Up’ again shows off that songwriting skill, with an infectious guitar riff to worm into your subconscious and an unexpected volume drop early on to really focus the attention.
You can listen to it now below, and you’ll also be about to get the live experience when Cronin plays the 100 Club in London on 1 Jun.
READ MORE ABOUT: Mikal Cronin
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 10:03 | By CMU Editorial
IMPALA’s Digital Action Plan
Business News Labels & Publishers Legal
Pan-European indie label trade group IMPALA this morning unveiled a Digital Action Plan to inform the debate on the Digital Single Market in the European Parliament. Here is IMPALA’s own summary of the plan’s ten key points…
1. Reinforcing the rights that drive the digital market and grow Europe’s copyright capital
A strong digital market implies reinforcing the “content” that drives it. This means strong creators’ rights, including copyright. An enabler and liberator of creativity and economic growth, copyright is a fundamental right and security for young people who choose to pursue a creative career. Proper remuneration from online intermediaries is vital. We need a healthy licensing environment without market distortions. Abuse of the “safe harbour” exemption and take-down procedures must stop for the Digital Single Market to function properly. Europe must also avoid new exceptions which would cut across revenues unnecessarily. It must ensure private copying compensation is paid by those who benefit from the exception and that all private copying schemes are kept up to date and cover all devices used to make private copies. Fundamental principles such as freedom of expression, transparency and freedom for creators to decide what happens to their works, including choosing territorial partners, must be reinforced.
2. Giving citizens the best digital infrastructure in the world
The digital segment of the European music sector grew 3 times faster than the global average in 2013, yet our digital infrastructure is not what it should be. We must make Europe’s internet infrastructure the best, fastest and most accessible in the world, with the best micro-payment systems so that Europeans can use the internet’s full potential to access culture in all its diversity. Increasing competition between telecom operators would also benefit consumers by bringing prices down.
3. Improving pluralism and diversity online as well as offline
Citizens’ appetite for culture and diversity is huge and we need to respond to this through concrete measures to increase pluralism and diversity in traditional and online media, as well as in the supply of creative works. The EC could broker a charter for stakeholders to promote diversity and mobility, two vital components of Europe’s Digital Single Market. Let’s measure performance through specific scoreboards. We should use the power and uniqueness of Europe’s culture to reconnect with citizens and start implementing the European Commission’s New Narrative for Europe.
4. Revisiting the “rules of engagement” online
How we engage online covers a range of issues, from respecting people’s data, property and privacy, to fair search, to ensuring “digital humanism”, as well as other vital “general interest” matters such as citizen trust in the online world and security. It also covers issues such as internet governance and generic top-level domain names (such as .music) which must be run by community led initiatives rather than sold off to the highest bidder. Europe must lead these debates. Further, artists and creative businesses are born equal. Online operators must follow the principles of non-discrimination and “must-carry”. Ensuring choice and innovation will also require regulating and unbundling “essential facilities”, as well as tackling unfair trading practices.
5. Growing Europe’s “missing middle” by improving conditions for smaller actors
Innovation, diversity, investment and jobs would be enhanced by levelling the playing field for smaller players. We need a new regulatory, competition, social and fiscal environment. Europe must grow its “missing middle” by creating the best possible conditions for smaller cultural actors who contribute the most in terms of jobs and innovation, and by opposing any further concentration in the cultural market.
6. Effectively tackling websites which are structurally infringing
Jobs and revenues would grow significantly if structurally infringing websites were tackled properly. This involves implementing the “follow the money” approach with advertisers, credit card and online payment services, as well as effectively addressing search results. ISPs should take all reasonable measures to comply with court injunctions to stop access to infringing sites. Cross-border application of rulings should be improved. It is also time to review wider internet governance issues such as the balance between anonymity and liability. Europe must lead the world here, as with the “rules of engagement” in point 4.
7. Increase investment through a new financial approach to culture
Investment in culture would increase if intangible assets were properly valued, including through revised accounting standards. Fiscal and other incentives such as loan guarantee schemes are also required, along with sector schemes which share revenues and reward investment in new talent. Allowing a reduced VAT on cultural goods and services online and offline and ending double taxation is also crucial, especially given the new “country of destination” VAT rules on digital products. Those benefitting economically from carrying cultural works must contribute financially to its creation.
8. Introducing greater fairness in taxation
With smaller actors and citizens shouldering the lion’s share of tax, it is time for Europe to make minimum fair and direct taxation of online operators and multinationals a reality. If we want citizens to re-engage with Europe, this would go a long way. This is also a pre-requisite to achieving a meaningful Digital Single Market.
9. Mapping how creativity works and measuring the sectors adequately
A better understanding of the functioning of cultural and creative sectors is needed to deliver the best environment anywhere in the world. Revising statistical measures to make sure they properly identify all relevant cultural sectors is also a fundamental part of mapping Europe’s future priorities. We need to be able to measure each sector separately and ensure relevant statistical codes do their job.
10. Placing culture and diversity at the heart of Europe’s international work
Europe’s lead internationally also means we must ensure that trade agreements respect copyright, the specificities of culture and its importance for development. We also need to see concrete implementation in Europe and internationally of the UNESCO Convention principle of fair and equitable access to the means of production, dissemination and distribution of cultural activities, goods and services.
READ MORE ABOUT: The Independent Music Companies Association (IMPALA)
Tuesday 27 January 2015, 09:20 | By Eddy Temple-Morris
Eddy Says: Killing January
Eddy Says
In his first CMU column for a while, Eddy Temple-Morris returns with news of a new campaign for male suicide prevention charity CALM.
Suicide is the biggest killer of young men under the age of 45 in the UK, with men four times more likely to kill themselves than women. January is the hardest month for many struggling with depression, which is why Eddy and CALM have come up with a plan for the next one.
I know. It’s been a while since I wrote anything here.
I could tell you it was writer’s block. And it sort of was. But it was something deeper than that. Something darker than that. Something people don’t talk about very much. I was suffering from depression. Not ‘being depressed’. That’s different. I was, in the words of a cognitive behavioural therapist, “at the brink of insanity” by the end of 2013. The insomnia I’d had for almost a year had got so bad I was averaging 8-12 hours sleep per week.
Walls became liquid. I was convinced I could hear people’s thoughts. I fell into a downward spiral.
When you regularly spend three or four days awake, your cognitive function goes out of the window. You make really bad decisions. I now saw death as the only way forward.
I thought about killing myself almost every minute of every day. I had a plan. I worked out exactly how do it. Where to do it. I knew the exact parking space I would leave my car in.
I just wanted to push a button that would forever end my miserable existence.
I wanted to die.
There. I said it.
It’s quite rare to see that written down, or hear it spoken. Normally that would be bottled up and saved for a suicide note. “He never told us he was hurting so much”. I’ve heard the same story time and time again, always with a heart-breaking ending, that involves someone beloved found hanging, or in a pool of their own blood, or disappeared with just clothes left on a bridge.
I don’t mind telling people now because while I was ill (and it is just an illness remember), I discovered something so wonderful:When you share these feelings, actually quite incredible things happen.
I’m alive because I talked. To friends, loved ones, colleagues, family, and when I did, I found out that nine out of ten of them had experienced the same thing, or near as damn it. When you admit that you’re really in a bad way, you’d be shocked how many people you know have been through the same thing. It was astonishing. The support and empathy I got from so many people was just soul-huggingly brilliant, so uplifting, so healing.
I became closer to a whole lot of friends during that time. Some of them texted me almost every day, just to see if I was OK, to let me know they were thinking of me, and that is what kept my head above water. They had all been through the same thing. And got through it, to a much better place. But before that happened, it was the build up to Christmas and what most of you call New Year where I hit rock bottom.
Why am I telling you all this? The reason is simple.
It’s January.
January is, if all statistics were piled on top of one another, the worst month of the year.
It’s the apex point of couples splitting up in this country.
It’s the darkest, most miserable month of them all.
We know from the massive spike in calls to the CALM helpline that people, especially men, really suffer at this time of year. You can picture the situations, if you think about it.
The father who lost custody of his kids and spent his first Christmas alone. The man who split up with his girlfriend and lost so many friends in the acrimony of it all. The caring father who spent his entire months salary on Christmas presents, before losing his job, and now doesn’t have enough money to pay the rent or bills. The poor, homeless man who just can’t face another winter being so cold his bones and teeth hurt. The ones that can’t go home at Christmas because home is where the hate is.
January is full of these people, watching the walls or the streets or the tunnels close in around them, stuck in a hole where they can’t see the horizon, refusing to speak to anyone, trying to make sense of the world and failing… miserably.
January needs to be wiped away.
So here’s the thing.
I’m not ill any more. I certainly don’t want to kill myself. And I am so, so lucky I didn’t. But there’s one thing I do want to kill: I want to kill January.
A year from now, we will, once again, be in the first month of a new Christian calendar, but we won’t be in ‘January’… we’ll be in Manuary.
MANUARY.
We are taking over January and banishing it.
When I say we, I mean CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), the male-focused suicide charity that I’m honoured to be Chair of the Music Board for.
And here’s how we’ll do it.
We have to start reaching out now, firstly to bands, DJs, promoters, party starters, labels, managers, agents, venues, everybody in music…then beyond, to brands, restaurants, bars, shops, anyone, everyone, and say this to them…
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45. Bigger than anything. Cancer, drugs, cars, bikes, you name it. Men are four times more likely to kill themselves than women. And January is the critical time when more men are at risk than any other time, so let’s get together to try to stop it. Or at least staunch it. Stem the flow. Make a difference.
Here’s how:
Every event in January, or Manuary, as it will become known from next January onwards, every gig, every club, every event, we’re going to ask if the organisers, sponsors, or hosts can give men a break. Let men in for a reduced fee, or give them a free beer when they get there, or a VIP wristband, anything to get men smiling at this awful time of year. Something to get them talking, going out, communicating, which is the key to all this. Nobody kills themselves when they’re talking to someone.
We’re going to organise a big party and a host of incredible artists have pledged their support, headed by the amazing Professor Green, who you may have seen fronting CALM’s BBC Lifeline Appeal earlier this month.
But it’s not just about the big names and the big events, it’s more about the grass roots. It’s not just clubs and gigs I want to loop together, it’s individuals. An event could be something as intimate as one man saying “I’m going to this pub on this night, and I’m bringing my Scrabble board, seeking a few kindred spirits”.
Or somebody hosting a coffee morning, or a listening session, an album playback, a supper club, a hangover breakfast, nothing is too small, everything counts.
Imagine a map of the UK on the CALM website. You click where you live, and all these events in January come up: Where they are, what they are, what kind of discount or concession you might get, and it could be anything.
We’ll be asking Nandos if they’ll change their name to Mandos for that month and give men discounted chicken. We’ll ask every brand, every shop, if they’ll do something, anything to make men smile in Manuary.
And this all starts now, with you.
Just think about it.
Talk about it.
Spread the word.
Spread the love and the caring and the understanding.
At the end of this month, in just a few days in fact, it’s over.
January is dead.
Forever.
Long live…
Manuary.
To get involved with Manuary 2016, get in touch with CALM through Twitter or www.thecalmzone.net
READ MORE ABOUT: Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) | Eddy Temple Morris | Manuary
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:59 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Lilacs & Champagne
CMU Approved
Originally featured in this column way back in 2012, now is the perfect time for Lilacs & Champagne to have an approval refresher, because their new album, ‘Midnight Features Vol. 2: Made Flesh’, is out in March and it is phenomenal.
Taking their now tried and tested formula, and applying it with more dexterity than ever before, they build tracks out of samples from a vast array of obscure sources. Forgotten film soundtracks, Eastern European private press psych records, fuzzy recordings of radio broadcasts and chopped up library tapes go together to make dreamy instrumental hip hop.
The band will be in the UK for three shows next month, at Birthdays in London on 7 Feb, The Deaf Institute in Manchester on 8 Feb and Birmingham’s Oobleck on 9 Feb. ‘Midnight Features Vol. 2: Made Flesh’ will then be released through Temporary Residence on 17 Mar.
Here’s opening track ‘Roses & Kisses’.
READ MORE ABOUT: Lilacs & Champagne
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:58 | By Chris Cooke
Guvera buys Blinkbox Music
Business News Deals Digital Top Stories
So, as expected, Guvera has bought Blinkbox Music from Tesco, giving the Australian streaming music company a slice of the UK market for the first time.
Tesco started shopping its Blinkbox-branded digital content services last year as the flagging retailer refocused on its core business. And while arguably the most interesting thing about Blinkbox was that it was a combined video, music and e-book platform, it became apparent earlier this month that the three elements of the business would be sold separately. And to that end the video-on-demand bit went to TalkTalk.
Guvera was then quickly tipped as the buyer for Blinkbox Music, which began life as We7. Interestingly, both Guvera and We7 started out as ad-funded download services before moving into the streaming domain. Since its original launch in Australia, Guvera has expanded into a number of territories, especially in the Asian market, though is yet to get established in Europe. Until now.
Confirming the Blinkbox deal, Guvera’s Global COO Michael de Vere told reporters this morning: “The acquisition of Blinkbox Music is an important new chapter in the Guvera story, adding significant firepower to our product – both in terms of technical expertise and an established and loyal audience in the UK”.
Quite how Guvera will use the Blinkbox buy to get its own platform going in the UK isn’t yet clear, though for the time being the message is “business as usual”. In a post on its website this morning Blinkbox Music wrote: “We’re delighted to announce that Blinkbox Music has been purchased by Guvera, a rapidly expanding global music service. Guvera is huge in Australia and nineteen other global markets and alongside Blinkbox Music will be making it even easier to find even more music you love”.
It goes on: “There are really exciting things to come, but right now the most important news for you is that your experience will stay exactly the same. All of your settings remain exactly the same – your username and passwords, your downloaded stations, your likes and dislikes and, also, all your playlists if you’re a premium user. For subscribers, although we will no longer be part of Tesco, please don’t worry about your Clubcard points, these will still be allocated as per our existing commitment to you”.
And finally: “We’ll still be available for free or as a great value subscription service and you don’t need to download a new app. Just carry on as you are, enjoy the same great service and be excited about much more to come – we are!”
READ MORE ABOUT: Blinkbox | Blinkbox Music | Guvera | Tesco
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:57 | By Chris Cooke
BBC signs licensing deal with Welsh-language collecting society
Business News Legal Media
Eos, the collecting society for Welsh-language songwriters and publishers, has signed a licensing deal with the BBC bringing to an end a long-running dispute.
As previously reported, many Welsh-language artists were unhappy when, in 2007, UK-wide collecting society PRS altered the way it distributed royalties received from BBC radio stations. The rejig generally left those writing and publishing Welsh-language songs with lower royalty payments.
After a campaign within PRS to reverse the changes failed, about three hundred songwriters withdrew from the society and formed there own rights organisation called Eos. This meant that anyone wanting to play music from this community of writers – which is primarily Welsh-language broadcasters S4C and BBC Cymru – needed to negotiate a new deal, as their existing PRS licence no longer covered this repertoire.
S4C quickly reached an agreement, but the BBC did not, with the Corporation proposing an annual blanket payment in the region of £100,000, while Eos said it thought something closer to £1.5 million was more appropriate.
The dispute meant that Eos pulled its catalogue from BBC Cymru at the start of 2013, which created a not insignificant problem for a radio station that’s obliged to play Welsh language music. Though it wasn’t an ideal situation for the Welsh language music community either, BBC Cymru being a primary outlet for their songs.
After six weeks an interim agreement was reached – the BBC agreed to pay £120,000 a year – while talks for a long-term arrangement continued, but without resolution. Which meant the whole matter went to copyright tribunal, the court that steps in when collective licensing talks cannot reach an agreement on terms.
At the end of 2013 the tribunal basically sided with the BBC, saying it should pay Eos £100,000 a year not including VAT. At the time an Eos spokesman said: “It’s very sad that the tribunal has failed to recognise the value of these rights to the Welsh music industry. It’s clear that the tribunal has tried to keep the status quo as much as possible, rather than respecting the wishes of the Welsh composers and publishers for a fair rate”.
Nevertheless, at that point talks resumed between Eos and the Beeb, and one year on a formal agreement has now been reached, according to the BBC itself. A spokesman for the broadcaster said: “We welcome the fact that we have come to an agreement with Eos and we look forward to working with them”.
READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | BBC Radio Cymru | Eos
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:56 | By Chris Cooke
New lawsuit extends reach of pre-1972 debate
Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal Media
So the whole pre-1972 thing Stateside was ramped up last Thursday with a new lawsuit on the issue that expands the list of defendants somewhat, and which seeks class action status. So that’s fun, isn’t it?
Quick recap. US-wide federal copyright law in America only covers sound recordings made since 1972. Recordings from before that date get copyright protection from state laws.
Federal law says that AM/FM radio stations do not need to pay royalties to the labels for the recordings they play, but that satellite and online ‘radio’ services, which include Pandora-style streaming set-ups, do. But what about pre-1972 recordings, which aren’t covered by federal law, what’s the rule there?
Well, AM/FM radio has never paid royalties on pre-1972 catalogue either, so many satellite and online radio services decided that – given the specific royalties obligation under federal law surely didn’t apply – they also didn’t need to pay royalties when they played golden oldies.
Which seemed like a logical conclusion to satellite broadcaster Sirius and leading online service Pandora, but the agency that collects the federal royalties (SoundExchange), the major labels (via the Recording Industry Association Of America) and the artist community (mainly Flo & Eddie, formerly of 60s combo The Turtles) did not concur.
They all argue that a general public performance right exists for sound recordings under state laws (specifically in California, New York and Florida), and just because it’s never been enforced against AM/FM radio stations (and anyone playing said recordings in public), that doesn’t mean the right can’t be enforced now. And despite Sirius and Pandora starting off in a bullish mood in this dispute, key court rulings last year in both California and New York went mainly in the music community’s favour.
And now a new lawsuit, filed by the label division of American media firm Zenbu, is accusing a bunch of other Pandora-type services, including Rdio, Slacker, Apple’s iTunes Radio and Google-owned Songza, plus Grooveshark and Sony’s streaming service, of also infringing its rights by streaming the pre-1972 recordings it controls without a licence.
The specifics of the case aren’t yet clear, though a key element is its bid to become a class action. Zenbu itself represents a small catalogue of pre-1972 tunes from the likes of The Flying Burrito Brothers, Hot Tuna and New Riders Of The Purple Sage, but if the lawsuit could become a class action, then many, many more labels and artists could claim damages.
It remains to be seen how this all turns out, but Zenbu’s action assures that the pre-1972 issue will continue to generate some lively debate in the American music and digital communities throughout 2015. For an in-depth overview of the pre-1972 debate check out the most recent issue of the CMU Trends Report.
READ MORE ABOUT: iTunes Radio | Rdio | Slacker Radio | Songza | Zenbu
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:55 | By Andy Malt
Investigation into police response to Ian Watkins accusations continues
Artist News Legal
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has entered the next stage of its investigation into the way police responded to allegations of child abuse made against former Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins prior to his arrest in 2012.
As previously reported, the IPCC’s investigation was launched shortly after Watkins’ arrest amidst claims police had failed to properly respond to earlier reports of the singer’s crimes. The investigation initially focussed only on South Wales Police, but now also covers Bedfordshire Police and South Yorkshire Police, with eight officers currently facing scrutiny. The investigation into Bedfordshire Police is apparently nearing completion, though the IPCC said the examination of the other two forces will take longer to complete.
In a statement, IPCC Commissioner Jan Williams said recently: “There is understandably significant public interest in determining exactly what steps were taken by police in response to the allegations made against Ian Watkins, and whether he could have been brought to justice sooner. While our investigations into the three forces have run separately, there are clearly links between them and probing a substantial number of reports and allegations over a four year period has been a complex process. We are working hard to complete our enquiries as soon as possible”.
As part of its enquiries, the IPCC interviewed Watkins’ former girlfriend Joanne Mjadzelics in February last year. She was recently cleared of sharing indecent images of children with Watkins, after arguing that she had encouraged him to send her pictures in order to expose his crimes.
Speaking outside Cardiff Crown Court earlier this month, she told reporters: “I shouldn’t have even been [taken to trial] just for doing the police’s job that they couldn’t be arsed to do”.
Watkins, of course, was sentenced to 29 years in prison in December 2013 for crimes against children described by the judge presiding as reaching “new depths of depravity”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Ian Watkins | IPCC | Lostprophets
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:54 | By Andy Malt
Nick Jonas signs with Universal Music Publishing
Business News Deals Labels & Publishers
With his debut solo album out in March, Nick Jonas has announced that he’s signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing. Well, the press release actually came from Universal. I don’t think Jonas could be trusted with making the announcement himself, what with him being such a crazy, rule-breaking rebel and all.
“I’m so thrilled to be a part of the Universal family”, said Jonas, in a quote so ‘stock’ you might not believe he actually said it. I have seen video evidence that he did though, so believe it. He doesn’t look thrilled in the video, but he definitely delivered those words. And these ones: “I’m looking forward to being a part of this amazing year to come”.
UMPG CEO Jody Gerson then apparently said (though I’ve seen no video evidence of this): “Nick Jonas has a long future ahead of him, not only as a major popstar but as a really inventive songwriter and producer. We’re delighted to be working with him and our label partners at Island/Republic, and extremely proud of his well-deserved [US] number one [single, ‘Jealous’]”.
That single is out in the UK on 22 Feb, while the album it is taken from, ‘Nick Jonas’, will be out on 2 Mar.
We already linked to the video for ‘Jealous’ last week, so here instead is the Jonas Brother’s version of Busted’s ‘Year 3000’ for no real reason:
READ MORE ABOUT: Nick Jonas | Universal Music | Universal Music Publishing
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:53 | By Andy Malt
Government launches consultation on tax relief for orchestras
Business News
The Government is to introduce new tax relief for orchestras from April 2016, following a public consultation. So that’s good news. For orchestras.
Chancellor George Osborne first announced the move, which mirrors similar reliefs in theatre, film, videogames and animation, in his autumn statement last year, and now wants some help figuring out exactly how it might work. A consultation document published on Friday outlines proposals and calls from input in their implementation.
By manipulating the muscles in his face and throat, which always looks to be something of a feat of co-ordination for him, Osborne said: “I want to make sure our great orchestras continue to thrive. Our new tax relief will encourage orchestras to perform across the whole of the UK – helping secure the future of live performances in the UK”.
Unsurprisingly, Director of the Association of British Orchestras Mark Pemberton thought the move was top bollocks, saying: “We welcome the launch of the consultation. Tax relief will make a big difference to our members’ resilience in these challenging times, helping them to continue to offer the very best in British music-making to audiences both here in the UK and abroad”.
Details on how to respond the consultation are here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Association Of British Orchestras | George Osborne
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:52 | By Chris Cooke
Zoe Keating reignites debate around YouTube’s Music Key negotiating tactics
Business News Digital
So “big bad Google” was the talking point once more in the music community on Friday after independent musician Zoe Keating posted a detailed blog post about her current quandary over YouTube, as the market-leading video platform ploughs on with its Music Key adventure.
It seems that the new subscription streaming service being piloted by YouTube – having finally placated most of the indie labels – is now hoovering up all the self-releasing artists that the Google platform is meant to be super proud about. And as with the indies, the deal on the table is basically “join in with Music Key or say goodbye to YouTube entirely”.
As with the indie label community last summer, Keating isn’t too impressed with this stance on YouTube’s part. Though, whereas you sensed that with the indies the biggest gripe was the royalties being offered by Music Key, which were below the market norm, Keating focuses more on the loss of control over her output that staying with YouTube requires.
Outlining the new YouTube deal as it was explained to her, she wrote:
1. All of my catalogue must be included in both the free and premium music service. Even if I don’t deliver all my music, because I’m a music partner, anything that a third party uploads with my info in the description will be automatically included in the music service too.
2. All songs will be set to “montetise”, meaning there will be ads on them.
3. I will be required to release new music on YouTube at the same time I release it anywhere else. So no more releasing to my core fans first on Bandcamp and then on iTunes.
4. All my catalogue must be uploaded at high resolution, according to Google’s standard which is currently 320 kbps.
5. The contract lasts for five years.
She then adds: “I can’t think of another streaming service that makes such demands. And if I don’t sign? My YouTube channel will be blocked and I will no longer be able to monetise (how I hate that word) third party videos through Content ID”.
Noting her previous life working in the tech start-up domain, Keating reckons that she’s no luddite when its comes to the digital revolution – indeed she has very much capitalised on the potential of online to stay in control of her output in a way that would not have been possible before the web – yet she reckons that the big tech companies remain out of kilter with the artistic community on some key issues. And that’s the problem here.
She reveals that she raised concerns about Music Key from the off, and initially the YouTube product team seemed interested in her opinions and called her in for a meeting. But, she writes, “the meeting was similar to one I had with DA Wallach of Spotify a couple years ago. Similar in that I got the sense that no matter how I explained my hands-on fan-supported anti-corporate niche thing, I was an alien to them. I don’t think they understood me at all”.
“The YouTube music service was introduced to me as a win-win and they don’t understand why I don’t see it that way. A lot of people in the music industry talk about Google as evil. I don’t think they are evil. I think they, like other tech companies, are just idealistic in a way that works best for them. I think this because I used to be one of them”.
“The people who work at Google, Facebook, etc can’t imagine how everything they make is not, like, totally awesome. If it’s not awesome for you it’s because you just don’t understand it yet and you’ll come around. They can’t imagine scenarios outside their reality and that is how they inadvertently unleash things like the algorithmic cruelty of Facebook’s yearly review (which showed me a picture I had posted after a doctor told me my husband had 6-8 weeks to live)”.
As with when the indie labels were at war with YouTube last summer, there remains some debate over what is meant by a channel on the Google site being “blocked”. YouTube says that music channels can remain on its platform without artists signing up to Music Key, they just can’t be part of the site’s revenue-earning schemes.
In an update to her original blog, Keating says that – according to the way it was explained to her – to achieve that she’d basically have to set up a new ‘non-music-partner’ channel and start from scratch. So it wouldn’t be as simple as pressing a button, disconnecting from Google’s revenue streams, and then carrying on running her existing channel but without compensation.
Quite what access Keating would then have to the Content-ID system isn’t entirely clear either. Content-ID, of course, monitors the YouTube platform for video uploads that use music belonging to third parties, alerting said third parties to the fact their content has been used in this way. Rights owners can then choose to block the video or to share in the ad revenue it generates.
For Keating, Content-ID is important because there are thousands of third-party videos using her music. YouTube have told her that if she doesn’t sign up to Music Key “the content that you uploaded will be blocked – but anything that we can scan and match from other users will be matched in content ID and you can track it, but won’t be able to participate in revenue sharing”. Which means she’ll either have to allow that music to be used without payment, or request it be blocked.
As for new compositions, presumably Keating – even if outside the Music Key system – will be able to pump those into Content-ID through her blocked partner channel, while making them available to her fans via her non-partner account.
It would be risky for YouTube to deprive non-participating artists of access to the tracking capabilities of Content-ID, given its link to the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act safe-harbours which enabled the entire original YouTube business. Though this fix is messy enough to make it an undesirable solution for both independent artists and bigger rights owners.
Of course, if enough artists withdrew as music-partners but continued to use Content-ID to block third-party videos, it would screw up YouTube’s core user-generated content business. Though few artists would ever go that route, and as Keating notes, if she did this on her own “the usual people will talk about it for a day or two and then it and I will be forgotten”.
Which brings us back to where this debate started when the indies first cried foul last May. YouTube built its audience and business on the back of the artists who used its free video streaming platform as a marketing channel (aided by the aforementioned DMCA), and now it’s exploiting its market power to force the same artists into a draconian contract so it can pursue its subscription service ambitions. While all the time believing it is doing the artist community a big fat favour. Clever YouTube. Bad Google.
READ MORE ABOUT: Google | YouTube | YouTube Music Key | Zoe Keating
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:51 | By Andy Malt
Rihanna releases new single with Paul McCartney and Kayne West
Artist News Releases
At long last, the wait is over. Rihanna has released a new single. It features Kanye West and Paul McCartney.
Wow! What a team! The track must be amazing with three such lauded people all working together on it.
No. It is not.
READ MORE ABOUT: Kanye West | Paul McCartney | Rihanna
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:50 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Pharrell on The Simpsons, a new Jess Glynne single, and a well-stocked cupboard-ful more
Artist News Gigs & Festivals Media One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Jess Glynne is going to be big news this year, so get fucking used to it. You may already have heard her new single, ‘Hold My Hand’. If not, here it is.
• What’s ‘Peter’ Doherty doing? Writing and recording the new Libertines album? Nope. He’s got a solo single called ‘Flags Of The Old Regime’ coming out on 9 Mar. All proceeds will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Foundation. Listen here.
• You already shit your pants when BadBadNotGood recorded with Ghostface Killah and got Doom in on the action. Now get ready for your mind to be blown, because that track has a video with Boom Bip and Odd Future’s Left Brain in it.
• Rex The Dog is back. Sweet Jesus, man. Where have you been? He’s got an EP called ‘Sicko’ out on 2 Mar. And here’s a DJ mix thing he did too, in which is buried the title track of that EP.
• Hey! It’s Toro Y Moi. Back again with another of those album things. ‘What For?’ it’s called. What fucking for? For tracks like this, that’s what.
• Former EMF frontman James Atkin is about to release his debut solo album on 2 Mar. Unbelievable! Oh my god, did I actually just do that? Unbelievable. Here’s the first single, ‘Corresponder’.
• James Lavelle will be presenting Unkle Sounds at Koko on 28 Feb. Not entirely clear what that means, but it sounds like fun. Buy tickets here.
• If you were looking forward to seeing The Black Keys on their European tour then – HA! – bad luck, idiot. They’ve cancelled it. Bit harsh? No, you have to learn. Anyway, the band’s Patrick Carney has injured his shoulder and “needs time to heal”. Lightweight.
• Radio 1’s Big Weekend will be in Norwich this year on 23-24 May. Taylor Swift’s going to be one of the headliners. Programmers of other festivals keen to now which other acts are now off limits as they struggle to compete with the BBC event’s unique funding and free ticket strategy will be pleased to learn that more updates are expected shortly.
• Remember that cartoon we all used to watch years ago, ‘The Simpsons’? Well, it’s still going apparently, and Pharrell’s going to be in an episode.
READ MORE ABOUT: BadBadNotGood | BBC Radio 1 | Boom Bip | Doom | EMF | Ghostface Killah | James Atkin | James Lavelle | Jess Glynne | Left Brain | Pete Doherty | Pharrell Williams | Radio 1's Big Weekend | Rex The Dog | Toro Y Moi | UNKLE
Monday 26 January 2015, 10:49 | By Andy Malt
Brian Harvey releases song about the time he ran himself over with his own car
And Finally Artist News
Brian Harvey’s new YouTube channel has been a veritable treasure trove of intriguing videos so far, with the smashing of his platinum discs, sneak previews of evidence against Sun publishing News UK, an interview with a homeless man, and some new music.
And last week a new song emerged making light of the time Harvey ran himself over with his own car, which he maintains was the result of him leaning out of his vehicle to be sick after a lunch of too many baked potatoes.
Based on Meridian Dan’s ‘German Whip’, the video sees Harvey twist the lyrics of the track, rapping about “jacket potatoes, cheese and that” into a microphone made out of a potato on a fork and tucking into a block of Cathedral City while bent double under a BMW.
Elsewhere on YouTube, Harvey posted a comment on a cover of East 17’s ‘Stay Another Day’ by Rae Morris for Radio 1’s ‘Live Lounge’ over the weekend. While praising Morris, most of the comment – a screengrab of which he posted to Twitter before it was deleted from YouTube – was aimed at the Beeb, saying: “You will play anyone else as long as it’s not me, eh? … BBC Radio 1, you suck fucking arse, you bunch of wankers. Everyone is scared to tell you, but I’m not”.
He accused the station of “protecting” paedophiles, playing shit music and being “corporate wankstain fuckheads”, and then threatened violence against “that lesbian bird” if she “ever comes onto my girlfriend again”.
So that’s kind of soured this, but here’s ‘German Whip’ anyway:
READ MORE ABOUT: Brian Harvey
Friday 23 January 2015, 11:00 | By Paul Vig
Approved: Number 90 presents Jef K, Nail & Phil Asher
Club Tip CMU Approved
This East End canal-side bar – with its restaurant, outdoor terrace and giant disco ball – isn’t quite a year old, but it’s already proving a great addition to London’s dance music scene.
This weekend sees a range of great DJs take to the decks, the most exciting being the highly underrated house head Phil Asher, who works under a plethora of monikers. Here’s a great offering from his Focus project.
Also down on the bill, which kicks off from 4pm, are Jef K from Paris’s Silver Network, 89:Ghost’s Nail, Lamache, Greg Brockmann from Half Baked, Sander Baan and Sami Daik, who’ll be turning in an ambient set.
It’s a proper house all-dayer, so get there early.
Saturday 24 Jan, Number 90, 90 Main Yard, Wallis Road, London E9 5LN, 4pm – 6am, £7-10. More info here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Jef K | Nail | Phil Asher
