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Wednesday 25 March 2015, 11:09 | By Chris Cooke
CMU’s One Liners: Tidal countdown, Bloc Party a bassist down, Stewart Lee gets down, and more
Artist News Business News Digital Education & Events Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• If you were wondering what that countdown on the Tidal website is all about, and I’m sure you all were, well, it’s counting down to a big launch bash officially installing Jay-Z as the streaming service’s boss man in New York on 30 Mar. By which point no WiMPs will be allowed in the building.
• Vessel has gone live, offering upfront and brand new video content from various sources – including YouTube stars and some record companies – for a $3 a month subscription. It will be interesting to see if people will pay for short-form video online, and especially content that will quickly become available free elsewhere.
• Edwyn Collins has joined the list of veteran artists who will be in conversation as part of this year’s Liverpool Sound City in May, alongside previously announced conversers Wayne Coyne, Julian Cope, Viv Albertine and the one and only Mark E Smith. More here.
• Bloc Party bassist Gordon Moakes has ruled himself out of the band’s new album, the one announced by frontman Kele Okereke on Australian radio last week. Moakes also suggested, in an update from the Twitter account of his new band Young Legionnaire, that Bloc Party drummer Matt Tong is also not involved.
• Comedian Stewart Lee has recorded a track for a new tribute album to folk musician Shirley Collins. Being released for Record Store Day, the record also features contributions from Graham Coxon, Angel Olsen, Johnny Flynn and more. But, for now, here’s Lee and Stuart Estell’s version of ‘Polly On The Shore’.
• King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard have put out a new track, called ‘God Is In The Rhythm’, from their new album, ‘Quarters!’, which is out in May.
• Approved producer Cuushe is back with a new EP called ‘Night Lines’. It’ll be out next week. So, pretty soon. And – look! – here’s a track from it.
• Soko has shared the video for ‘Lovetrap’, that song she did with Ariel Pink. Here it is.
• Singer-songwriter Martha Bean will release her debut album, ‘When Shadows Return To The Sea’, on 6 Apr. From it, this is ‘Don’t Get Lost In The Dark’.
• Tom Vek has created a video using footage from the film ‘Watch The K Foundation Burn A Million Quid’, in which the K Foundation – aka The KLF’s Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty – burn bank notes amounting to the sum of one million pounds in a fire. So, now you know what you’re looking at when you watch it.
• Thee Oh Sees’ John Dwyer is releasing his second album under the name Damaged Bug on 1 Jun. The Oh Sees also have an album out in May. This is ‘The Mirror’ (by Damaged Bug).
• Oh look, here’s Muse’s new single, ‘Dead Inside’.
• The tedious question of whether or not Death Grips actually split up last year has been answered with the announcement of a US tour. Until they double bluff us all by cancelling it.
• Black Sabbath have announced that they will play their last ever show at Ozzfest Japan on 22 Nov, with an invitation for estranged drummer Bill Ward to join the other three original members apparently still open.
• Zun Zun Egui, who were approved not long ago, have announced that they will tour the United Kingdom in May. Here are the dates.
READ MORE ABOUT: Black Sabbath | Bloc Party | Cuushe | Damaged Bug | Death Grips | King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard | Liverpool Sound City | Martha Bean | Muse | Oh Sees | Shirley Collins | Soko | Stewart Lee | The KLF | Tidal | Tom Vek | Vessel | Young Legionnaire | Zun Zun Egui
Wednesday 25 March 2015, 11:08 | By Andy Malt
Do not question Taylor Swift’s grammar
And Finally Artist News
Taylor Swift has called out American exams company The Princeton Review for citing her lyrics as an example of bad grammar in an SAT test.
The education body listed a number of lyrics in a question, asking students to spot the errors. One line attributed to Swift was, “Somebody tells you they love you, you got to believe em”.
Did you spot it? Yeah? Well, it doesn’t matter, because that’s not the line she wrote. From ‘Fifteen’, it should of course have read: “Because when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you, you’re going to believe them”.
If there’s one thing you can say about Taylor Swift, it’s that she knows how to deploy a pronoun (if not hold a pencil correctly in order to write it down).
“Not the right lyrics at all pssshhhh”, she wrote in response on Tumblr. “You had one job, test people. One job”.
To be fair, the people involved in writing the test almost certainly had more than one job. Like correctly quoting other disastrous lyrics, including Justin Timberlake’s “When you cheated girl, my heart bleeded girl”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Taylor Swift
Wednesday 25 March 2015, 11:07 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Beam
CMU Approved
If you’ve come across Amy MacDougall before, it’s most likely as a collaborator of King Creosote. However, as Beam she is also building up a collection of songs that mark her out as a strong solo presence.
Brought to my attention by Song, By Toad, she plays folk songs layered by samples and loops, alongside traditional instruments, creating an atmosphere that feels close, almost conspiratorial, as you’re welcomed into a world that’s rich with layers but never overwhelming.
Her SoundCloud profile is stocked with a collection of finished tracks, demos and works-in-progress that are all worth your attention. But, for the time-pressed, from a new EP released in February, this is ‘Hex’:
READ MORE ABOUT: Amy MacDougall | Beam | King Creosote
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:16 | By Chris Cooke
Radio 1 Chart Show to move to Friday as global release day kicks in
Business News Labels & Publishers Media Top Stories
As expected, Radio 1’s ‘Official Chart Show’ is moving to a new day so that it can still be the first place that the new UK singles chart is revealed when the much previously reported global release day kicks in and new tracks start to go live on a Friday morning.
From July, the big top 40 countdown will air between 4-6pm on Friday afternoon as part of the Greg James drive time show, though with the slot being an hour shorter than the current Sunday tea time chart programme the focus will fall more on the top 20. That way there’s still an hour free between 6-7pm to play some good old dance anthems, because that’s what the kids really like.
Though those kids who do dig the charts, but who prefer their lists of popular music in a visual form, will be able to tune in to the all new ‘Official Chart Show’ on telly channel CBBC, which will run alongside the radio programme with an “energetic mix of pop, gossip, UGC interactive features and fast-moving entertainment”. So, there’s a thing.
And a good thing, I should add, for the pop pluggers who are constantly seeking new places to push their shiny records and singing stars. Perhaps now they’ll all stop moaning on all the time about “when is the BBC going to bring back ‘Top Of The Pops’?” Never, that’s when, but look, here’s a music-focused kids show instead. Now shut up.
The schedule shift on Radio 1 could also generate a new audience for the chart because, while the Top 40 countdown is basically being subsumed by another radio programme, it’s a show that regular scores ratings four times as high as the standalone chart slot on Sundays. It remains to be seen if that gives the chart a greater listener base and more relevance amongst mainstream music fans. Or if it just scares people away from Radio 1 drive on a Friday.
But whatever, at least it means record label execs will now be able to call it a day at 4pm each Friday afternoon, crack open some beers, turn on the radio, and claim they’re “assessing current market trends” and “investigating the latest consumer engagement analytics”. And given the charts have always been most important to the people who work in the record business, why shouldn’t consuming it fall into the working week?
So, good news all round then. And now some quotes…
Radio 1 boss Ben Cooper: “The days of recording your favourite songs from the chart onto cassette are long gone and Radio 1 now operates in an instant digital world. So when the global release day changes to a Friday we will also move ‘The Official Chart’, continuing our commitment to stay relevant to young music fans of today and tomorrow”.
Future chart show host Greg James: “It’s great that Radio 1 can make big statements like this. Radio has been under scrutiny over the last few years to keep up with the internet, but with the popularity of our content online as well as out of the speakers we are proving that we’re more relevant than ever. We can react quicker than TV and most online outlets so the reality is the oldest medium has become the most vital and strangely the most reactive. ‘The Chart’ must feel like it’s providing news, not just confirmation of something the listeners already knew. It’s a privilege to host it and even better that I don’t have to work Sundays”.
Charts chief Martin Talbot: “This is an exciting new era for the Official Singles Chart – following the integration of streams – with the move to a new, more high profile slot. BBC Radio 1 has been the home of the UK’s Official Singles Chart for more than 40 years and we are delighted that they are as excited about future plans for the chart as we are”.
READ MORE ABOUT: BBC Radio 1 | Official Charts Company | Official Singles Chart
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:15 | By Chris Cooke
Neil Fox charged with nine sex offences
Business News Legal Media
Radio DJ Neil Fox has been charged with nine sex offences involving six people, some of whom were under sixteen at the time of the alleged assaults.
As previously reported, Fox was first arrested over allegations of sexual assault last September, and has since been taken in for questioning on two further occasions, most recently earlier this month.
The charges now made against Fox relate to allegations of an indecent assault against a girl aged under fourteen, two further indecent assaults against a girl aged under sixteen, four against a female over sixteen, and two additional sexual assaults. The most recent alleged incident took place last year.
The DJ, who was working at Magic FM at the time of his first arrest, “categorically denies each and every allegation that has been made against him”, according to his lawyer, who said it would be inappropriate for his client to make any additional comments at this time.
Fox is now due to appear before Westminster magistrates court on 16 Apr.
READ MORE ABOUT: Neil Fox
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:14 | By Chris Cooke
Slipknot guitarist faces charges over brotherly punch up
Artist News Legal
Skipknot guitarist Mick Thomson has been charged in relation to that fight he had with his brother in which he was stabbed in the head.
Both Mick and his brother Andrew Thomson will appear in court on 30 Mar to face charges of disorderly conduct after police were called to their home in Des Moines after an altercation between the two men turned violent. Both required hospital treatment after the fight.
Despite being stabbed in the back of his head during the fracas, the guitarist is expected to make all upcoming Slipknot shows, which begin with a festival booking in Florida next month.
READ MORE ABOUT: Mick Thomson | Slipknot
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:13 | By Chris Cooke
Kobalt to administer John Denver catalogue Stateside
Business News Deals Labels & Publishers
Everyone’s favourite copyright administrator – oh, and super-cool tech start up and saviour of music, apparently – Kobalt has only gone and signed on the dotted line to administer the catalogue of John Denver in the US. If only the great man himself hadn’t gone and died, he’d have really loved that data processing system.
Confirming the deal, Kobalt Music Group President Richard Sanders told reporters: “We feel extremely privileged to be able to work with the Denver Estate and help bring John’s music to a new audience. His gift for songwriting sees his music continue to resonate with both new and old fans, and with record sales in the millions his legacy lives on”.
Meanwhile, speaking for the John Denver Estate – which, presumably, really does care about quick and transparent royalty reporting – Brian Schwartz and Amy Abrams said in a statement: “We’re excited to be working with this forward-thinking and technologically advanced company to continue John’s legacy”.
READ MORE ABOUT: John Denver | Kobalt
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:12 | By Chris Cooke
Vivendi investor promotes Universal sell off plan, management board not impressed
Business News Labels & Publishers
You’re not in the cool crowd as a major record company owner if you’ve not got at least one shareholder wanting your music business spun off or sold. So well done Vivendi, which has had to reject a proposal from P Schoenfeld Asset Management that it flog off the Universal Music Group.
The suggestion was seemingly first made by the asset management fund back in December, and has been refloated again this week. According to the Financial Times, the proposal to sell off UMG sits alongside a number of grievances expressed by PSAM – which controls just under 1% of Vivendi stock – mainly relating to dividend payments, uncertainty about future plans, and the impact those things are possibly having on share price.
Oh, and Team PSAM don’t seem to like the influence bigger shareholder and now Vivendi Chairman Vincent Bolloré has over the French entertainment group these days. On a possible Universal sell off, the investor group said: “Strategic acquirers paying a control premium for either UMG, Canal+ or both could be a source of additional upside”.
But Vivendi insists that, with plans to grow the firm’s interests in media and entertainment, current key assets Universal and Canal+ are very much part of the company’s future. “The management board opposes the dismantling of Vivendi”, said, well, the management board of Vivendi.
As previously reported, Vivendi has been doing a lot of denying of any plans to sell Universal of late following reports that US-based Liberty Media had expressed an interest in buying the music company. I’ve counted seven denials so far. Corporate conventions dictate that once there have been eleven denials, a sale quickly follows.
READ MORE ABOUT: P Schoenfeld Asset Management | Universal Music | Vivendi
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:11 | By Andy Malt
Ronnie Wood, Elvis Costello and Johnny Marr announce books
Artist News
Guitarists Ronnie Wood, Elvis Costello and Johnny Marr have all announced new books. Wood will publish his teenage diaries, while Costello and Marr will publish autobiographies.
“I suppose my own private world is in the diary”, says Wood of ‘How Can It Be? A Rock & Roll Diary’, which focuses on 1965, when he was seventeen and his music career was first getting underway (pre-Faces and pre-Stones). It will be published in May.
“This diary shows what an amazing schedule I had. We’d be travelling the length and breadth of the country every day. With youth on our side, it was a continuing adventure. Our overspilling energy was enough to take care of work every night of the week. It was enough to chase the girls, enough to write songs, enough to rehearse and enough to travel. It was all go, all the time”.
Next, Costello will publish his memoir, ‘Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink’, on 13 Oct this year. “This is his story, written himself, rich with anecdotes about family and fellow musicians, introspective about the creation of his famous songs”, says the Penguin website.
Marr’s previously reported autobiography, meanwhile, is set for publication in autumn 2016.
“For the past few years, as I’ve been out on tour promoting my solo work, fans and journalists have been asking me when I’ll write my book”, says Marr. “I’m very happy to say that the time has come to tell my story”.
The book, of course, follows ex-Smiths frontman Morrissey’s autobiography, ‘Autobiography’, which came out in 2013.
READ MORE ABOUT: Elvis Costello | Johnny Marr | Ronnie Wood
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:10 | By Andy Malt
Diplo announces new Major Lazer album
Artist News Releases
Diplo has announced a new Major Lazer album, ‘Peace Is The Mission’, which is set for release on 1 Jun through his own Mad Decent label.
The LP features numerous collaborations with artists such as Ariana Grande, Elliphant, Ellie Goulding, 2Chainz and Pusha T. The news comes alongside the new video for previously released track ‘Leon On’, with MØ and DJ Snake.
Speaking about shooting the video in India, Diplo says: “India is special and its beauty absolutely humbled me. When we toured there as Major Lazer, it was mind blowing to see our fanbase and we wanted to incorporate the attitude and positive vibes into our video and just do something that embodies the essence of Major Lazer”.
He goes on: “Major Lazer has always been a culture mashup and to us, India feels like some kind of special creature with one foot in history and one firmly in the future. The experience is something we’ll never forget”.
Here’s the full tracklist for the album:
1. Be Together (feat Wild Belle)
2. Too Original (feat Elliphant & Jovi Rockwell)
3. Blaze Up The Fire (feat Chronixx)
4. Lean On (feat MØ & DJ Snake)
5. Powerful (feat Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley)
6. Light It Up (feat Nyla)
7. Roll The Bass
8. Night Riders (feat Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T & Mad Cobra)
9. All My Love (feat Ariana Grande & Machel Montano) (Remix)
READ MORE ABOUT: Diplo | Major Lazer
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:09 | By Andy Malt
Brandon Flowers announces UK tour dates
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Brandon Flowers has announced UK tour dates in support of his new solo album, ‘The Desired Effect’, which is set for release on 18 May.
The Killers frontman also premiered ‘Can’t Deny My Love’, the first single from the album last night, and golly, if you can’t just listen to it here.
Tickets for the dates go on sale on Friday. What are the dates? These are the dates:
21 May: London, Brixton Academy
24 May: Manchester, Academy
25 May: Edinburgh, Usher Hall
26 May: Leeds, Academy
28 May: Birmingham, Academy
READ MORE ABOUT: Brandon Flowers
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:07 | By Andy Malt
YouTube premieres thirteen new music videos as part of awards show
Artist News Awards
YouTube yesterday slapped a playlist of thirteen brand new videos featuring the 50 winners of this year’s YouTube Music Awards. They all fit together into “a new kind of awards show”. I don’t really get it, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?
Artists involved include Ed Sheeran & Rudimental, Usher, Charli XCX, Shamir, FKA Twigs and Action Bronson & Chance The Rapper, with the whole thing produced by Vice and hosted by YouTube star Tyler Oakley.
Watch it here, if you want:
READ MORE ABOUT: YouTube | YouTube Music Awards
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:06 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Florence And The Machine, Sufjan Stevens, Nneka and more
Artist News Awards Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Well, there’s a new FloMac video. It’s apparently “chapter 2 of the ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful’ odyssey”, which is a fancy way of saying it’s the second single from her new album.
• Don’t forget to listen to Sufjan Stevens’ new album over on the Guardian website today. It really is brilliant.
• Singer-songwriter Nneka will release a new album, ‘My Fairy Tales’, on 26 May. Here’s the first single, ‘My Love, My Love’.
• M+A and Dena have clubbed together and recorded a new track, called ‘Habes’. It’s taken from the former’s new EP, ‘Anyway Milkyway’, which is out on 20 Apr.
• Dems have released a new video for their song, ‘Wake’. Have a watch.
• DFA1979 have announced a one-off show at Concorde 2 in Brighton on 28 Jun.
• Iron Maiden and Il Divo will both receive Silver Clef awards at the annual fund-raising lunch for the Nordoff Robbins charity on 3 Jul this year. I’m already lobbying for a collaboration between the two winners.
READ MORE ABOUT: Death From Above 1979 | Dems | Dena | Florence And The Machine | Il Divo | Iron Maiden | M+A | Nneka | Nordoff Robbins | Silver Clef Awards | Sufjan Stevens
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:05 | By Andy Malt
Beyonce working on shoe design
And Finally Artist News
Beyonce is collaborating on a shoe design with Italian designer Giuseppe Zanotti, he has told Forbes. The final product is set to be revealed in the next two weeks.
Commenting on a sketch shown to him by the designer, writer Declan Eytan says of the work-in-progress: “I’m not able to see what the final product will turn out like exactly, but going by the sketch, Beyonce has a thing for ultra thick platform stilettos”.
“Beyonce has very clear ideas – she knows exactly what she wants”, adds Zanotti. “The thing which she then also has over other celebrities, is that she has an amazing voice. She’s incredibly talented and she’s an amazing dancer – she’s complete. Few are like Beyonce. I’m working on finalising the shoe with her stylist right now. And Beyonce will then say what she likes and what she doesn’t like. It will be one shoe only”.
Well that’s going to make it very difficult to walk in.
READ MORE ABOUT: Beyonce | Giuseppe Zanotti
Tuesday 24 March 2015, 11:04 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Zhala
CMU Approved
The words ‘Robyn protégé’ will get you a long way, but only so far. At some point you’ll have to step out on your own, and for Zhala that time is now.
Only the second artist to sign to Robyn’s Konichiwa label – after Robyn herself – nine years after the company was founded, Zhala drew a lot of attention with her ‘Prophet’ EP last year, not least in the CMU office. After that, she got to with producer Mathias Oldén on her debut album, which is due out on 25 May.
The finished record is an exciting trip further into what she describes as ‘cosmic pop’, a high energy, often tense sound, based, she herself says, “on physical reactions”. At times it can feel like she’s holding back, but only so that the shock of the unrestrained run she’s about to make at you has maximum impact.
Listen to ‘Holy Bubbles’, one of the album’s standout tracks, which typifies her style perfectly, here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Zhala
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:20 | By Chris Cooke
WiMP brand to be phased out as Jay-Z takes control of Tidal
Business News Deals Digital Top Stories
So, we can officially stop saying Tidal/WiMP to refer to the streaming service that began in the Nordics as WiMP but launched as Tidal in the US and the UK, where the brand WiMP seemed a little too, well, wimpish.
We can also bring to an end the frequently held CMU HQ debate over whether we should allow WiMP to have its lower case ‘i’. Though from this morning’s press announcement, Tidal seems to want to be known as TIDAL, which is only allowed under the CMU style guide if it stands for something. Maybe we’ll just go with TiDAL and be done with it.
Anyway, the WiMP brand is on its way out now that Aspiro, the company which operated both WiMP and Tidal, is in the hands of that Jay-Z fella (and given that Roc Nation was given as a press contact on this announcement, Team Zee are clearly already hands-on when it comes to their new streaming music toy).
The company said in a statement: “Marking the beginning of a new era of music and video experiences for consumers everywhere, Tidal is now the sole name for the service that was once divided between streaming services Tidal and WiMP”.
It went on: “The next step in the evolution of streaming, Tidal is a global entertainment streaming service and artist hub that delivers content the way the artists intend for fans to experience it: High-fidelity streaming music along with exclusive content, editorial, experiences and merchandise”.
So that’s all very exiting isn’t it? I do like an artist hub. Of course, in its original markets WiMP offered both standard and high quality audio streaming, at 9.99 and 19.99 price points respectively. To date Tidal has been exclusively HD at the higher subscription rate. It’s not clear what this means as the Tidal brand rolls out into WiMP territories.
Though perhaps more interesting than all the HD talk is the promise that Tidal will be “a single destination for artists and fans to share ideas, exclusive content, songs, videos, studio sessions, rough tracks, personal conversations and more”.
As the freemium debate rumbles on in the music community – and increasingly on the pages of the more mainstream business press – now that the newly freemium-wary Universal is negotiating its next licensing deal with Spotify, many reckon content exclusives are the solution.
That is to say, rather than killing the free level of Spotify – which many reckon would be counterproductive at this point – pile a load of exclusives into premium to make the 9.99 price point more attractive (and perhaps allow a 4.99 level that is ad-free and fully mobile, but without the exclusives). And as a sister company to Roc Nation with its own roster of artists, Tidal now has access to artist exclusives beyond anything the labels can provide.
So, interesting times to come perhaps as Tides By Jay goes live around the world.
READ MORE ABOUT: Aspiro | Jay-Z | Project Panther | Tidal | WiMP
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:19 | By Chris Cooke
Suge Knight collapses as $25 million bail set
Business News Legal
Suge Knight last week left court in an ambulance for the fourth time since being charged with causing the death of Terry Carter back in January.
As previously reported, the one time hip hop mogul killed Carter and injured another man when he hit them with his pick up truck while speeding away from an altercation. He insists the collision was an accident, but stands accused of deliberately driving his vehicle into the two victims.
As is customary for the Deathrow Records founder, the legal wrangling since the incident has been full of drama, with various changes in legal representation and Knight usually being taken ill during court hearings. On Friday he collapsed in the courtroom, with his current lawyer Matthew Fletcher telling reporters that his client hit his head on a chair as he fell unconscious.
Knight has previously complained that he is not receiving appropriate medical treatment in jail, and Fletcher again made that claim last week, saying that Knight is diabetic and has a blood clot but had not had any treatment on the day of the court hearing.
Fletcher also hit out at the $25 million figure that has been set for Knight to post bail. As also previously reported, bail was originally set at the already steep $2.2 million, but that was revoked early on.
The new legal man on the case managed to get bail back on the agenda last week, but the incredibly high $25 million rate was set by the judge after prosecutors pointed out Knight was already on bail in relation to another robbery case. Fletcher called the £25 million figure “absurd” and “clearly excessive”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Suge Knight
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:18 | By Chris Cooke
Jailed Gregg Allman biopic director issues statement
Artist News Legal
The director of the ill-fated Gregg Allman biopic has issued a statement via the Associated Press after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and trespassing.
As previously reported, Randall Miller agreed to a last minute plea deal ahead of his trial after being prosecuted over the on-set death of camera assistant Sarah Jones while filming ‘Midnight Rider’, a movie based on Allman’s autobiography. The crew had been setting up to film on a railway bridge when a train unexpectedly appeared, hitting a bed that had been placed on the tracks, injuring six and killing Jones.
In the unusual case of filmmakers being brought to trial over on-set deaths, director Randall Miller, Executive Producer Jay Sedrin and Producer Jody Savin, who is also Miller’s wife, all faced charges. Miller took a two year jail sentence in return for charges against his wife being dropped, while Sedrin agreed to ten years probation.
Miller’s statement reads…
On 20 Feb 2014, a great number of mistakes were made and the terrible accident occurred which took Sarah Jones’ life. It was a horrible tragedy that will haunt me forever. Although I relied on my team, it is ultimately my responsibility and was my decision to shoot the scripted scene that caused this tragedy.
I pleaded guilty for three reasons: first, to protect my wife and family; second, out of respect for the Jones family and to not put them through a difficult trial; and, third, to take responsibility for my failure in not knowing that every safety measure was in place.
The location manager, the production designer, the unit production manager, the cinematographer, assistant director and others all made mistakes that led to this, but I have taken responsibility because I could have asked more questions, and I was the one in charge. I have worked in the film industry as a director for 25 years and never had a significant accident of any kind on any one of my sets.
I am heartbroken over this. I hope my actions have spared the Jones family more anguish and that the on-set safety measures that were lacking before this terrible tragedy will now take precedence for all in the industry.
READ MORE ABOUT: Gregg Allman | Randal Miller
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:17 | By Andy Malt
Bieber sued by ex-neighbour, doesn’t create great first impression with new neighbour
Artist News Legal
Oh, Justin. It was all going so well. The singer turned over a new leaf recently, quickly establishing himself as the world’s greatest guy. I mean, you don’t go on Ellen DeGeneres’s show to say you’ve changed if you’re not serious, do you? And I for one believe him, but he can’t quite shake off his awful past just yet.
The Biebman’s former neighbour Jeff Schwartz – the one whose house was the recipient of those eggs – is suing the singer for further damages relating to his time living next door to the popstar.
Bieber, of course, already faced criminal charges over the egging incident, pleading no contest and paying just over $80,000 in damages last year. However, according to TMZ, Schwartz has been pushing for further remuneration out of court ever since, demanding up to $1 million.
With no agreement reached, he filed a lawsuit last week claiming that Bieber once spat at him, one of his bodyguards threw anti-Semitic insults at him, and the star tarnished his good name as a car salesman. Team Bieber dispute Schwartz’s claims.
Bieber himself has now moved away from that house and has new neighbours. But lucky for them, Justin is now a super great guy who won’t cause any trouble. So whoever they are, they must be thrilled to have him next door.
Actually, we can find out, because one of his new neighbours is actress Emmy Rossum, who told The Hollywood Reporter: “Justin Bieber just moved in to the house next door to me. He’s my new next-door neighbour, and I went over to kind of offer him a neighborly hello”.
So that’s nice that they’re all friends. Well, except that she added: “I’m not gonna do that again because he has a ton of bodyguards there and they’re really scary. It was so surreal to me that I was like, ‘I am not going to go ask for a cup of sugar over there'”.
Maybe the bodyguards are actually for Bieber’s sugar.
READ MORE ABOUT: Justin Bieber
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:16 | By Chris Cooke
Manchester’s The Roadhouse to close
Business News Live Business
It was confirmed last week that Manchester gig venue The Roadhouse will close later this year, with the last show due to take place on 31 May. A series of “memorable send-off gigs and club nights” are now planned between now and then.
Announcing that the end was now nigh for her venue, owner Kate Mountain, who first took over the space in 1999, told reporters: “The Roadhouse has championed thousands of local musicians who dreamed of rock n roll stardom. It was a commitment we have always taken seriously, offering a stage and an opportunity to local bands from the first week we opened the doors and will do so until the very last”.
Meanwhile Guy Garvey off of Elbow, who worked at the club before playing some of his earliest gigs there, told the Manchester Evening News: “Kate’s been trying to make it work for so long, and closing it is not a decision she arrived at in any way lightly. She was loathe to shut it for so long because of the sense of duty she felt to young bands”.
He went on: “I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn when I say she was really concerned for her staff. For everyone who worked there, it became the hub of their universe. When we got our record deal, we all left in the same weekend leaving her with no staff. And when we lost our record deal, she took us all back”.
Noting the role the venue has had in the Manchester music scene while under Mountain’s leadership, Garvey added: “She has been one of the caretakers of music in Manchester for so long. If there isn’t a bronze statue of Katy Mountain somewhere in the city soon, I’ll sculpt one myself”.
READ MORE ABOUT: The Roadhouse
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:15 | By Chris Cooke
Kylie Minogue confirms Roc Nation departure
Business News Management & Funding
Kylie Minogue has issued a statement about her decision to part company with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company, which had managed the singer’s career for the last two years.
As previously reported, one of those pesky sources told The Sun last week that Minogue was disappointed with the performance of her most recent record ‘Kiss Me Once’ and that various endorsement and sponsorship deals promised when she joined Roc Nation hadn’t actually materialised. If only Kylie had been a little-used streaming service, then she’d have been Jay-Z’s top, top priority, that’s for sure.
Anyway, the singer was slightly more diplomatic while confirming that she was dumping the Roc-ers last week, focusing on how swell everything had been these last two years, rather than why, given all the swellness, she was now looking at other management options.
Said Minogue: “I’ve had an amazing time with Roc Nation and it’s been fantastic to team up with them over the last two years. We got together at a period in my life when I wanted to shake things up. I loved collaborating with Roc on the ‘Kiss Me Once’ album, world tour and DVD and have made great friends in the process. I’m now looking forward to my upcoming summer gigs and embarking on new adventures. And I want to thank everyone at Roc Nation who have been on this incredible ride with me”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Kylie Minogue | Roc Nation
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:14 | By Chris Cooke
Deezer Elite goes global with same price points as US
Business News Digital
As expected, Deezer’s high quality audio offering Elite went properly global last week, having launched in the US last year, and becoming an upgrade option for existing users elsewhere last month. Though the HD service is exclusively available to Sonos users for now.
In terms of price point, the same rates will be applied in the UK and Europe as in the US, though with pounds and euros instead of dollars (so, actually, not the same rates, we always end up paying more).
So getting Deezer tunes in FLAC quality will cost £14.99 a month, rather than the usual £9.99 for premium, unless you sign up to twelve months in one go, in which case the Elite rate is £9.99 too.
Though, while that’s cheaper than the £19.99 standard set by Tidal for high quality audio (so high quality is double normal quality), technically Deezer’s rates are the same as its main rival in HD, but it is offering discounts to Sonos users for the first year. After that it should go up to £19.99 a month.
But it remains to be seen what happens in a year’s time, and whether HD can retain its double rate premium on premium. If you know what I mean.
READ MORE ABOUT: Deezer
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:13 | By Chris Cooke
MU expresses concerns over live music cutbacks at Radio 1
Business News Media
The Musicians’ Union has expressed concern about the news that Radio 1 plans to cut its live music output in order to meet budget demands caused by the freezing of the licence fee in 2010.
As previously reported, the cutbacks will result in the number of live sessions aired by the BBC pop station dropping from 250 to 160 a year, with the cuts mainly affecting sessions within specialist programming. Radio 1 will also cover fewer large-scale music events. The planned downsizing was revealed in a report by regulator the BBC Trust which reviewed all of the Corporation’s music radio services.
Noting the Union’s continued support for the BBC, and that it will be a vocal supporter of the broadcasting institution as it negotiates a new charter and license fee deal with the next government, MU General Secretary John Smith told reporters on Friday: “These findings from the BBC Trust run the risk of compromising the unique coverage of live music events on the BBC”.
He went on: “The proposal to reduce the number of live sessions on Radio 1 from 250 to 160 is very concerning and the BBC should remember the u-turn it was forced to make over 6 Music when it became clear how much the public valued that station. Without the BBC’s commitment to live music the public would have virtually no opportunity to experience it on broadcast media and the MU believes that Radio 1 must remain distinct from the offer made by commercial broadcasters – namely by maintaining its coverage of live music”.
READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | BBC Radio 1 | Musicians Union (MU)
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:12 | By Chris Cooke
More winners confirmed for Artist And Manager Awards
Awards Business News
Another update from the Artist And Manager Awards? Oh yes, because we don’t yet know who’ll be winning the Artist’s Artist Award or the Industry Champion Award at this week’s MMF/FAC bash.
But now you’re just two paragraphs away from knowing exactly that. Though if you are attending the event itself, perhaps you don’t want to know? Keep a little suspense for the evening, maybe? So, if you don’t want to know that Placebo and agent Paul Fenn have both been added to the winners list, look away now.
So, Placebo will take the Artist’s Artist Award as they head towards the 20th anniversary of their debut long player next year with a series of reissues. Confirming this, FAC Co-Chair Sandie Shaw says: “Placebo represent all that is great about artists today – twenty years of creativity, control of their own destiny, willingness to take risks, all of which has garnered a worldwide sustained career. They are a role model for young artists and an inspiration to us all”.
Asgard owner and veteran booking agent Paul Fenn will be presented with the Industry Champion Award in recognition of his long career in the live sector, and his work with both the Agents Association and the Concert Promoters Association. MMF boss Jon Webster says: “Paul Fenn’s experience has benefited hundreds of artists and managers by making sure legislation about live issues passed by Government has been fit for purpose”.
The Artist And Manager Awards are on Thursday, and here’s a link.
READ MORE ABOUT: Artist And Manager Awards
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:11 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Holy Roar subscriptions, Frankie Knuckles tributes, Brandon Flowers trailers, and more
And Finally Artist News Awards Business News Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Holy Roar Records has launched not one but two label subscriptions for folks who find themselves enjoying a high percentage of the record company’s releases. The first is free, and gets you lots of cool stuff, and the second costs £50, but will get you lots more cool stuff.
• Underworld and The Misterons have released a new track as a tribute to Frankie Knuckles, marking the first anniversary of the house pioneer’s death. Listen here.
• Blur have released two more new songs. One called ‘There Are Too Many Of Us’, and another called ‘Lonesome Street’. Both feature on new album, ‘The Magic Whip’.
• Brandon Flowers has released a trailer for his new solo album, ‘The Desired Effect’. Click here to see if it has the… oh for fuck’s sake. Well, anyway, the first single, ‘Can’t Deny My Love’, will be given its first airing on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show tonight.
• Siinai have released a video for a new single called ‘Jonotus’, with visuals created by visual artist Tuomas A Laitinen. Look at it. Also, go and see them on their UK tour in May.
• The second Faroese Music Awards took place earlier this month. Listen to this interview with one of the organisers, Ronalt Wagg Dam, for an enthusiasm and excitement for music rarely heard.
• Oh God, I’ve just spent about two hours watching this Vine of Iggy Azalea. #pissfonpoin #pappappoom
READ MORE ABOUT: Blue | Brandon Flowers | Faroese Music Awards | Frankie Knuckles | Holy Roar | Iggy Azalea | Siinai | The Misterons | Underworld
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:10 | By Andy Malt
All Will.i.am wants is a London passport and a flat in The Shard. Is that so much to ask?
And Finally Artist News Media
Poor Will.i.am. He may have concurrently successful careers in music, tech and broadcasting, but one of the basic levels on Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs is still not being satisfied for him yet. He doesn’t have a place he can truly call home. Worst of all, he knows exactly the place where he’d be truly happy, but none of his many jobs pay enough for him to live there.
It all seemed so easy back in August 2014. Then he told the Evening Standard: “I want to have an apartment in The Shard. One day I’m gonna live in there, I know it”.
But seven months later, an air of despair had entered his previously sparky tone. “I want to live in the Shard”, he wept on the shoulder of the Standard earlier this month. “Dude, I want to be a citizen and have a London passport. London is the centre of the world”.
Look at us Londoners, all walking around with our passports, free to go over the border into whatever is outside London and back again whenever we want. Not Will though. Will is trapped on a temporary work visa, at risk of being booted out into Wiltshire or somewhere similar at any moment. And all he wants to do is buy a flat in The Shard and live there as a London Citizen, but he can’t. And who is to blame for this? The bloody BBC, that’s who.
“The Shard is expensive and they don’t pay that much at the BBC so I’ll stay in someone’s yard instead of the Shard”.
Are you happy, The BBC? Are you happy that you’re making Will.i.am sleep rough in people’s gardens? Honestly, first sacking Jeremy Clarkson for just punching a guy a little, and now this. Is this what we pay our licence fee for? So that multi-millionaire entrepreneurs can’t afford to buy a flat in one of our capital’s most expensive buildings? You make me sick, The BBC. Sick to my very stomach.
Will.i.am is a more magnanimous man than I though. And he’s got a can-do attitude that’s really going to take him places one of these days. Because last week, having cried out all his tears, and realised that London isn’t actually a country, he was back on the campaign trail.
“I want to become a proper Brit”, he beamed at The Sun. “I have been coming here for years and I just like it. It feels like home. I want to live in the Shard but it is expensive and [‘The Voice’] doesn’t really pay the bill but I’ll figure it out”.
You hear that? He’s going to figure it out! It’s enough to make you well up. You go, Will!
READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | The Voice | Will.i.am
Monday 23 March 2015, 11:09 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Femme
CMU Approved
Vocalist in Nigel Godrich’s Ultraísta, Laura Bettinson has been gaining a lot of traction with her Femme solo persona over the last twelve months, with a series of well-received singles and a US tour with Charli XCX under her belt.
Last week, she unveiled her latest single, ‘SOS’, which is due out on 4 May through ZTT. Her most engaging release to date, Bettinson dips her toe into experimental waters on the verse, but ensures she’s built up a trust with the listener first with a killer chorus, so that everyone knows everything is going to be fine.
You’ll be able to catch her live at The Lexington in London on 29 Apr, ahead of the single’s release.
Check out ‘SOS’ here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Femme
Friday 20 March 2015, 11:51 | By Paul Vig
Approved: Dies IRÆ with Ø [Phase], Gambo & Tama at Fluido Club, Turin
Club Tip CMU Approved
![Ø [Phase]](https://archive.completemusicupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/0phase.jpg)
It’s not often that the tip leaves London, let-alone the UK, but I’m heading to Italy this weekend, so hell, I’m going to tip a night in Turin. What of it?
Londoner Ashley Burchett , better known as Ø [Phase] takes to the Italian city’s Fluido bar this Saturday. Keeping it mainly minimal techno, but with some Detroit leanings, Ø [Phase] has established himself as a bit of a techno standard bearer.
Recording for Token, his sound could be described as somewhere between Luke Slater and Dave Clarke, and you can check out the diverse journey he takes on the decks with this Boiler Room set. This Saturday he’ll be playing alongside Gambo and Tama.
Saturday 21 Mar, Fluido Club, Viale Cagni 7, 10126 Turin (TO), Italy, 11pm – 5am, €8-10 thereafter. More info here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Ø [Phase]
Friday 20 March 2015, 11:50 | By Chris Cooke
Universal preparing to settle digital royalty class actions
Business News Digital Royalties Timeline Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories
Universal Music is set to follow Sony Music and Warner Music in proposing a settlement to the widespread and long-running dispute – especially in the US – about what royalties artists should be paid on download income.
As much previously reported, numerous heritage artists have cried foul over the years about the way many record companies – including all the majors – have shared download money with their artists.
Record contracts conventionally distinguish between ‘sales’ and ‘licensing’ income, giving artists a much bigger share of the latter than the former (customarily around 15% of sales and 50% of licensing revenue).
As record sales moved from CDs to downloads, labels treated digital income as ‘sales’. But artists argued that in the download space the labels ‘licensed’ Apple to allow users to download copies of their recordings, and therefore download revenue should be classified as licensing income with the higher royalty split paid to talent.
Sony Music was the first major to be hit with litigation on this issue, though that case initially ran aground amidst technicalities. Universal were then sued by early Eminem collaborators FBT Productions, who ultimately won the case, sparking a plethora of lawsuits, some class actions, against all three majors. Though Universal maintained that the FBT case was specific to the producers’ contract and didn’t set a general precedent.
Both Sony Music and Warner Music proposed settlements to kill the class action cases, which, if they went to court and the artists won, would enable all heritage acts with pre-iTunes contracts to claim higher royalties. In the main the settlements propose paying heritage artists a few percent more on downloads than CDs (quite a way off a 50/50 split though), usually with some provision for back-pay on downloads sold to date, which given the download market has now peaked is possibly more important than future income.
Class action settlements need court approval and that process is usually long drawn out. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we know some bigger heritage artists are agreeing their own terms on download income with the labels, usually cloaked in those always fun non-disclosure agreements, so that deals with the big guys can’t influence what everyone else asks for.
Anyway, Universal, which has so far resisted a public settlement, instead trying to have the cases against it dismissed, is now set to attempt a settlement, with the judge overseeing the case instructing both sides in the dispute to submit a motion for approval by 10 Apr, according to Billboard. Universal’s motions to dismiss the original lawsuits are also being terminated now that settlement talks are underway.
Specifics of the new settlement are not known, though will likely follow the lead set by Sony and Warner. It is thought the deal will cover all and any recordings acquired by Universal’s acquisition of EMI in the midst of all this back in 2012.
Of course, most of the settlements to date have focused specifically on downloads, which could result in a whole new round of disputes over streaming income, where the argument for the ‘license’ classification is even stronger, and where artists may push for a higher cut of income than they were able to win on downloads. So that’s fun.
READ MORE ABOUT: Universal Music
Friday 20 March 2015, 11:49 | By Andy Malt
Pharrell warns that Blurred Lines ruling could “kill creativity”
Business News Labels & Publishers Legal
Pharrell Williams has warned of an imminent goldrush of copyright litigation in the wake of the verdict against him and Robin Thicke over ‘Blurred Lines’. As you might expect he would.
Williams and Thicke, of course, were sued by the family of Marvin Gaye, who successfully claimed that ‘Lines’ ripped off Gaye’s ‘Got To Give It Up’. Awarded $7.3 million in damages, the family are now trying to get Universal Music and TI to pay up for their association with the infringing track.
Speaking about the controversial ruling for the first time to the Financial Times, Williams said: “The verdict handicaps any creator out there who is making something that might be inspired by something else. This applies to fashion, music, design… anything”.
He continued: “If we lose our freedom to be inspired, we’re going to look up one day and the entertainment industry as we know it will be frozen in litigation. This is about protecting the intellectual rights of people who have ideas. Everything that’s around you in a room was inspired by something or someone. If you kill that, there’s no creativity”.
As previously reported, Gaye’s family published an open letter this week stating their view on the situation at much greater length.
READ MORE ABOUT: Marvin Gaye | Pharrell Williams | Robin Thicke
