Wednesday 29 July 2015, 10:43 | By Chris Cooke

Russian musicians hit out at proposal to take major radio firm into State ownership

Business News Media

A group of popular singers and musicians in Russia have appealed to the country’s President, Vladimir Putin, to halt moves to put a major radio operator in the country into state hands, fearing it is part of a plan to prioritise Russian artists – and especially “patriotic” Russian artists – over Western talent on the airwaves.

The singers seemingly wrote a letter to Putin following the news that the state owned Goskontsert, which reports into Russia’s Ministry Of Culture, was in talks to buy a majority share in the Russkaya Media Group, which owns several popular radio stations in the country as well as TV station RU.TV.

Although the Russian government controls all the major news channels in the country, it doesn’t currently exert its power over music radio. But the move to put RMG into state ownership is – according to Moscow-based business paper Vedomosti – part of a wider initiative supported by both Goskontsert and some directors at the radio firm to develop and support “ideologically correct” pop idols with the goal of ensuring popular support for Russia’s leadership.

The singers opposing the deal point out that RMG’s flagship station Russkoye Radio already plays only Russian language songs, meanwhile many big names within the country’s music community are plenty patriotic enough already, some performing in both the annexed Crimea and areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia-backed rebels, despite the threat of being boycotted in Western countries by doing so.

A spokesman for Putin said he didn’t have the power to intervene on a deal of this kind.

READ MORE ABOUT: Goskontsert | Russkaya Media Group

Wednesday 29 July 2015, 10:38 | By Chris Cooke

New Chair at BASCA

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

The British Academy Of Songwriters, Composers & Authors has itself a brand new Chair. Note the capital letter there. That’s why this is news. Although I like to think they’ve bought Stephen McNeff a new chair too. He is an award-winning composer after all, he deserves something fully ergonomic.

McNeff takes over as Chair of BASCA from Simon Darlow, who has stepped down after two and half years in the job. Confirming McNeff’s appointment, the association’s CEO Vick Bain said: “It is my pleasure to welcome Stephen McNeff as the new Chair of BASCA. He brings with him gravitas, considered thinking and good humour. I look forward to working closely with him supporting his vision for composers and songwriters”.

READ MORE ABOUT: British Academy of Songwriters Composers & Authors (BASCA) | Simon Darlow | Stephen McNeff

Wednesday 29 July 2015, 10:36 | By Andy Malt

CMU’s One Liners: Bond theme betting, Game Music Connect keynote, new Kate Boy, and more

And Finally Artist News Business News Education & Events Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• William Hill has suspended bets on who will perform the new James Bond film for upcoming film ‘Spectre’ after someone placed £15,000 on Radiohead yesterday. This puts the band ahead of Ellie Goulding, who yesterday posted a picture of herself leaving Abbey Road Studios to Instagram with the caption, “that’s a wrap”, which many are taking to mean the song is hers.

• This year’s Game Music Connect conference will feature a keynote speech from Director Of Music for Sony Computer Entertainment America Worldwide Studios, Chuck Doud. The event takes place at the Southbank Centre in London on 15 Sep. Details here.

• Kate Boy have posted a new track, ‘Midnight Sun’.

• Following the recent release of his new album ‘I Aubade’, Elvis Perkins will head out on a short tour of the UK in November, finishing up at the Victoria in Dalston on 24 Nov. Info here.

• Grass House have announced a three week residency at The Waiting Room in Stoke Newington. They will play shows on 11, 19 and 28 Aug, the last coinciding with the release of new single, ‘Unknown In The Scene’. Listen to that here.

• Iggy Azalea has been bitten by a cat. This raises a surprising number of questions.

READ MORE ABOUT: Ellie Goulding | Elvis Perkins | Game Music Connect | Grass House | Iggy Azalea | Kate Boy | Radiohead

Wednesday 29 July 2015, 10:32 | By Andy Malt

Grandmaster Flash has rare vinyl stolen after car park mix up

And Finally Artist News

Grandmaster Flash has lost three crates of rare vinyl (and his car) after a mix up at a car park in New York when a valet gave the vehicle to another person.

The DJ told the BBC: “I came back and I proceeded to have the same guy who gave me the same ticket two hours ago and his eyes went as big as saucers and he says to me, ‘I’ve given your car to the wrong person. He looked like you!'”

He said in an Instagram post that while the man who took his car had been dressed like him, he had no ticket and no ID to show that he owned the vehicle. Or the records inside.

READ MORE ABOUT: Grandmaster Flash

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:56 | By Andy Malt

Approved: GJan – One More Drink

CMU Approved

Initially approved two years ago, GJan has fallen a little quiet since then. Though things seem to be moving into action again now, with one new single, ‘Nobody Around’, released in April, and another out this week, ‘One More Drink’.

The new track continues her line in bold pop delivery, this time a little Sia-esque. It also sees her briefly venture into rapping, which, while a risk, comes off surprisingly well. With ‘One More Drink’, she brings her back catalogue up to half of a strong debut album. Hopefully the other half is revealed soon.

Watch the video for ‘One More Drink’ here:

READ MORE ABOUT: GJan

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:53 | By Chris Cooke

Amazon Prime Music arrives in the UK

Business News Digital Top Stories

There has been lots of debate this year about the music industry needing to develop a mid-market streaming service, with less content and/or functionality and a lower price point than Spotify et al, yet somehow more attractive than the freemium channels. But arguably such a service has been available in the US since June last year in the form of Amazon Prime Music. And now it’s going live here in the UK.

As previously reported, the Amazon streaming service is made available to subscribers to the firm’s Prime service, who already enjoy video-on-demand, free delivery and other benefits from being in the online retailer’s club. Users have access to a smaller library of music than with the Spotifys of this world, and without all the latest releases, though the argument is that for more casual music consumers, that’s sufficient. And users can always access their MP3s through the platform’s app, so can get the handful of new releases they want to play by paying a little extra through Amazon’s existing music store.

In the UK, there will be about a million tracks at launch, and in the region of 500 curated playlists to choose from. This is available under the existing £79 a year Prime subscription, which obviously also includes all the other gubbins, with music really a side service rather than the core proposition. As a result, Amazon Prime Music isn’t really competing with Spotify and Apple Music etc, instead aiming at a different demographic. Though it could help further escalate the slide in download sales, especially of catalogue tracks.

Confirming the launch, Amazon UK’s Head Of Music, Paul Firth, told the BBC that the way people are consuming music is evolving, and, with all the hype around Apple Music, consumer awareness of streaming is at an all time high. Amazon, he thinks, can now take streaming “to the masses”, not least by just adding it in to the existing Prime service. He added: “The best music streaming service is the one you already have”.

Licensing deals are seemingly in place with both majors and indies for the new service. Obviously what those deals look like in terms of royalties and revenue is not known, but payments will be considerably lower than with the music-only platforms.

Amazon, of course, offers scale, and will argue that while income per user will be much lower, there can be many, many more users this way, and users who wouldn’t otherwise sign up to a Spotify-type service. Rights owners, let alone artists and songwriters, may or may not agree.

READ MORE ABOUT: Amazon | Amazon Prime | Amazon Prime Music

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:52 | By Chris Cooke

Wixen deal allows Neil Young et al back onto the BBC’s airwaves

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers Media

Neil Young may be busy trying to stop you from listening to his music anywhere that is concurrently legal and convenient, but you will be able to hear his oeuvre on BBC radio once again. Programmer preferences depending, of course.

As previously reported, it emerged earlier this month that songs by Young, Journey, The Doors and Bonnie Raitt were being banned from the BBC airwaves because of an upgrade to the Corporation’s iPlayer Radio app, which now allows users to download programmes to their smartphones for offline listening.

As all fans of music copyright technicalities quickly noted, that would require the making of a ‘mechanical copy’ of the programme and all the music contained within, in addition to the ‘communication to the public’ every radio broadcast involves. Which is a very relevant point when it comes to song licensing, because the music publishing sector in the UK appoints different collecting societies for each set of rights – MCPS controlling mechanicals, and PRS performing rights (which include communication to the public).

Now, in theory that’s not a problem, because the red blob that is PRS For Music represents both MCPS and PRS rights, but not all publishers are members of both societies. Namely, reps for Young, Journey, The Doors and Raitt are not allied with MCPS, seemingly because the artists don’t want to opt in to the society’s blanket licence for TV sync, just in case that results in their music soundtracking some tedious report on ‘The One Show’.

But as a side effect, it meant BBC Radio – whose shows automatically pass through to the iPlayer Radio app – couldn’t play the four acts’ songs, on the off chance that it then facilitated some mechanical copies without licence. And so the ban began.

Worry not though, because a deal has been done – at least for the songs of Young, Journey and The Doors – via their publisher, a wing of Wixen Music, with MCPS somehow involved too. So, songs from all three can return to the BBC airwaves, and then slip through into the iPlayer Radio app for offline listening without any copyright problems whatsoever.

Said the Beeb in a statement yesterday: “The BBC has been able to find a licensing solution by working together with the music publisher Wixen Music UK and with the MCPS. Works composed by The Doors, Journey and Neil Young are now mechanically licensed under an arrangement via MCPS and are available for use on BBC Radio and for the consequent download on BBC Radio iPlayer. The licensing solution enables us to include the works on both BBC radio and the BBC’s radio catch-up services”.

So, everything is well once again. Until the Tories push the BBC into the North Sea, then all of this will kind of be redundant. Though any producers of mediocre ‘One Show’ reports reading this, please note: this does not – repeat, does not – mean The Doors, Journey and Neil Young are now covered by the MCPS TV sync blanket licence, because they’re not. So don’t go using their stuff, OK? In fact, can we not just push ‘The One Show’ into the North Sea? Then that won’t happen by mistake.

READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | BBC Radio | Bonnie Raitt | Journey | MCPS | Neil Young | PRS For Music | The Doors | Wixen Music

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:50 | By Chris Cooke

Plaintiffs present “smoking gun” in Happy Birthday case

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

So, we have a smoking gun. Well, there’s smoke. Perhaps someone just put too many candles on the birthday cake. Because yes, it’s the ‘Happy Birthday To You’ copyright case.

And lawyers for the film company suing Warner/Chappell, owner of the ‘Happy Birthday’ copyright, say they have discovered a “proverbial smoking gun” that proves the song is out of copyright in the US, so that movie makers and such like should not have to pay any royalties for using the popular song.

As previously reported, a film company which made a documentary about the famous ditty – and which needed a licence to include the song in the film – filed litigation in the US arguing that, actually, the work is no longer protected by copyright in America, even though the Warner music publisher continues to control its use.

Whereas in Europe, the copyright in ‘Happy Birthday’ will expire at the end of next year, 70 years after the death of Patty Smith Hill, who wrote the song with her sister Mildred Hill, in the US the term of the copyright is more complicated, because of American copyright rules in the early 20th century, and the fact that those rules changed in 1923.

Warner/Chappell’s claim to the copyright in ‘Happy Birthday’ relates to copyright registrations that occurred in 1924 and especially 1935. But film company Good Morning To You Productions Corp reckons that any copyright in the song predates the 1923 rule change, which would mean different regulations applied and the song would, therefore, be out of copyright.

And now lawyers working for the filmmakers say they have found an old songbook that proves their case. The new evidence was presented at the last minute, as the judge was getting ready to rule on the dispute, after attorneys found ‘Happy Birthday’ in the 1927 fifteenth edition of ‘The Everyday Song Book’ among documents actually belonging to Warner/Chappell. They then searched America for earlier editions, and found one at the University Of Pittsburgh dating from 1922, also including the birthday song. Suggesting it had indeed been published before the 1923 change in copyright rules.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the plaintiffs are urging the judge to consider the new evidence, despite its late submission because, “the documents prove conclusively that the song is in the public domain, thus making it unnecessary for the court to decide the scope or validity of the disputed copyrights, much less whether Patty Hill abandoned any copyright she may have had to the lyrics”.

The next hearing on the dispute is scheduled for tomorrow, and it remains to be seen what impact the new evidence has. It’s commonly reported that Warner/Chappell makes $2 million a year from the ‘Happy Birthday’ copyright, so losing protection in the US would be quite a blow.

READ MORE ABOUT: Good Morning To You Productions Corp | Warner Chappell

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:47 | By Andy Malt

Korn frontman sued over unpaid legal bill

Artist News Legal

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis is being sued over an unpaid legal bill, which relates to work in reaching a settlement on one of two previous lawsuits, which stemmed from a failed serial killer museum project the singer was involved in.

Davis announced plans to open the American Curiosities Museum in 2002 – featuring various pieces of serial killer memorabilia – with artist Joe Coleman and true crime archivist Arthur Rosenblatt. Davis was then sued, separately, by Rosenblatt and an investor when the project failed to come to fruition, reaching a settlement in both cases.

The lawyers that helped him to reach the latter of those two settlements in 2006 are now suing because he never paid the fee owed for that work. According to TMZ, Davis was left with a bill for $158,407, but negotiated a deal to pay back $1000 per month. However, after two months he stopped paying, and now the lawyers want their money with interest – bringing the total up to $256,021.

Good luck to the lawyers working for him on this case.

READ MORE ABOUT: Jonathan Davis

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:44 | By Chris Cooke

Robomagic allies with Nile Rodgers festival

Business News Deals Gigs & Festivals Live Business

Robomagic, the new business of former AEG Live UK man Rob Hallett, just in case you’re not keeping notes of everything we tell you, has announced an alliance with that there Nile Rodgers, which will see the London-based music firm promote the Chic man’s new US-based festival, the Freak Out Let’s Dance Festival, or the FreakOut! Festival if you’re short on time, or the FOLD Festival if you’re now even shorter on time on account of this being a very long sentence.

Beck, Duran Duran, Pharrell Williams, Keith Urban, Chuck D, Paloma Faith and Q-Tip are among the acts set to play the new event next month, which Rodgers himself has been busy booking. He also plans to get some of those artists into a nearby studio to record some exclusive sessions that could be released under the FOLD banner.

Confirming that his company was now on board to help deliver this new event, Hallett told reporters yesterday: “I’ve known Nile for 30 years and it’s an honour and privilege that he’s reached out. It’s such a brilliant idea and has huge potential with Nile using his incredible contacts and reputation to bring in the biggest stars. Once established as a festival, it could very easily transfer to become a tour, an album or even a festival in the UK and in other territories – we have big ambitions”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Freak Out Let's Dance Festival | Nile Rodgers | Robomagic

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:42 | By Chris Cooke

Apple Music has signed up over ten million, say label sources

Business News Digital

While Apple boss Tim Cook was delightfully vague about the uptake to his firm’s new streaming service last week, according to label sources gossiping to Hits Daily Double, over ten million people are now signed up. And, indeed, said label people are seemingly pretty impressed with the figures that are coming through the system, in terms of users and usage.

Of course, the hype that surrounded the launch of Apple Music – and even more so its short-lived Swift-feud – not to mention Apple fans rushing to upgrade to the latest version of the tech firm’s software, would all have aided that rapid sign-up rate at launch. Though more marketing efforts are now reportedly in the pipeline to maintain the momentum, not least around this year’s MTV VMAs in the US.

All that said, the real test for Apple Music will come in October, where those ten million plus users have to start paying to stream. The hope is that they’ll be so in love with the service by then, they won’t mind handing over a tenner a month to continue accessing all that musical goodness (or at least, won’t be bothered to work out how to opt out of paying). Though whether that transpires at a similarly impressive rate, remains to be seen.

READ MORE ABOUT: Apple | Apple Music

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:38 | By Chris Cooke

Warner definitely out and iHeartRadio in at Snapchat Discover

Business News Digital

Warner Music is definitely off the Snapchats, as first indicated last week, as the messaging app had a shake up of its Discover tab, where content and media owners get to push their bits in front of snapchatters.

The major was one of a select bunch of firms participating in the Discover channel when it was launched at the start of the year. Snapchat’s grand plan is to build ad income around the content service, in a bid to actually find a revenue stream.

As expected, BuzzFeed is replacing Warner Music as a content provider on Snapchat Discover, while iHeartRadio is seemingly taking the spot previously held by Yahoo! iHeart will provide artist interviews and features rather than actual music content. Whether that means the iHeart blob will be available beyond the US – unlike the iHeartRadio streaming service itself – remains to be seen.

There has been no official word on Warner’s departure from the messaging app, though there is some gossip that the major is still working with Snapchat on other concepts, it’s just that a presence on the Discover tab didn’t work out.

READ MORE ABOUT: Buzzfeed | iHeart | Snapchat | Warner Music

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:37 | By Andy Malt

Tyler, The Creator not yet banned from Australia

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Tyler, The Creator’s long fought battle with activists in Australia rages on, with the rapper claiming yesterday that he had been banned from the country following renewed action by feminist group Collective Shout.

His last run-in came in 2013, when Collective Shout attempted to have his Australian visa blocked on the grounds that his lyrics “promote hate speech against women, perpetuating male entitlement to use women’s bodies, to regard women as ‘bitches’, ‘sluts’ and ‘hoes’ for their sexual use”.

After subsequently being allowed into the country, Tyler then used at least one of those words and some others in a tirade against a member of the group on stage at a show in Sydney, for which she reported him to the police.

Yesterday, the rapper tweeted that he had been “banned from Australia”, tagging Collective Shout’s Director Of Operations Coralie Alison in his post. This resulted in a barrage of abuse from his fans to her account, which hardly helped matters.

And, as it turned out, the statement was not actually true. Promoter Frontier Touring later posted an update to Facebook, saying: “With respect to media reports that Tyler, The Creator’s visa has been refused, Frontier would like to advise that this is not the case. The department for immigration has raised issues with the visa application but it has not been refused and Frontier will update ticket holders as soon as more information comes to hand”.

Meanwhile, Azealia Banks has said that Australian audiences are “terrible” and “violent”, so perhaps Tyler is better off being banned anyway. The rapper was responding to a tweet from a punter joking that she had just “completed her first ever full Australian concert”, the joke being that that counted as an achievement, of course.

She wrote: “You guys are terrible crowds to play for. You’re violent and belligerent and I simply will not put my safety at risk. I would’ve walked off stage had someone thrown something. Plus you guys are too far away and honestly, the show guarantees are never really worth the trip. But I love my fans and will do anything to make them happy”.

So, Australia, make of all that what you will.

READ MORE ABOUT: Tyler The Creator

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:26 | By Andy Malt

CMU’s One Liners: Deafheaven sign to Anti-, NME editor promoted, Mercury entry deadline this week, and more

Artist News Business News Deals Gigs & Festivals Labels & Publishers Media One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Deafheaven have signed to Anti- and will release a new album in October. Announcing this news, the label has put out a trailer for the record.

• NME Editor Mike Williams is now the publication’s Editor-In-Chief, as it prepares to publish its final paid-for edition later this week.

• Considering all the hoo and the haa of his departure from Blink 182 last year, it might surprise you to learn that Tom DeLonge reckons “a few phone calls” could get him back in the band.

• Sky Ferriera has delayed the making/release of a video for a new track called ‘Guardian’. But it is still coming, so don’t be too sad.

• Guitarist DJ Ashba has left Guns N Roses to focus on his other band, Sixx AM. Read his full statement in your choice of five languages here.

• Stornoway will release a new EP, called ‘Unplucked’, on 18 Sep. Among the five acoustic recordings on it is this cover of ‘The Only Way Is Up’.

• Foxes returns with a new album later this year, and will tour the UK in October, including a date at Heaven in London on 27 Oct.

• Former Bad Seed Mick Harvey will tour the UK this autumn, with three dates in London, Glasgow and Newcastle on 30 Jul, 2 Aug and 3 Aug.

• Entries for this year’s Mercury Prize will close at 6pm on 31 Jul. That’s this Friday, people. If you want to have an album considered, you’d better go here and find out how right now.

READ MORE ABOUT: Anti- | Blink 182 | Deafheaven | DJ Ashba | Foxes | Guns N Roses | Mercury Prize | Mick Harvey | Mike Williams | NME | Sixx AM | Sky Ferriera | Stornoway

Tuesday 28 July 2015, 10:21 | By Andy Malt

Florence’s Glastonbury performance made Dave Grohl “cry like a baby”

And Finally Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Dave Grohl has said he “cried like a baby” when he saw Florence And The Machine covering Foo Fighter’s ‘Times Like These’ at Glastonbury. Tears of happiness, before you ask.

Speaking to Q Magazine, reports the NME, Grohl said that he had “prayed” that FloMac would get bumped up the bill after his band pulled out of their headline slot at the festival due to his broken leg.

“I was totally looking forward to playing with them [Flo et al] at Glastonbury”, he said. “When we cancelled and they were searching for a replacement I prayed they’d just move them to the top of the bill because they fucking deserve to be there. I was so excited when they announced they would, I emailed Florence to congratulate her”.

He added: “She gave me great advice for healing broken bones and said they we’re going to cover ‘Times Like These’. The day after the gig, someone sent me a link to the performance and I cried like a fucking baby. It melted my fucking heart. I am forever indebted to them. It meant so much, you have no idea”.

And here is that tearjerking performance for you to sob your way through:

READ MORE ABOUT: Dave Grohl | Florence And The Machine | Foo Fighters | Glastonbury Festival

Monday 27 July 2015, 11:13 | By Andy Malt

Approved: Kiiara

CMU Approved

Have I mentioned that Jon Hillcock’s ‘All Back No Front’ podcast is back? Don’t answer that, I already know I haven’t. But it is. After a bit of a hiatus, Hillcock is now back to bringing new music to your ears every two weeks. New music like ‘Gold’ by Kiiara, which has become something of an internet hit since its release a month ago (but had passed me by entirely until it featured on ‘ABNF’, hence the nod).

Last week Kiiara released her second track, ‘Tennessee’, another collaboration with producer Felix Snow, who is currently best known for his work with SZA. Like ‘Gold’, the new track is an excellent piece of cut up R&B pop, and quickly gaining listeners over on SoundCloud.

Listen to ‘Tennessee’ here:

READ MORE ABOUT: Kiiara

Monday 27 July 2015, 11:12 | By Chris Cooke

UK market tops 500 million streams per week

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Top Stories

The record industry has always been pretty stats-happy, though over the last year or so an ever more steady flow of figures have been coming out of the sector’s trade bodies around the world, presumably because in the digital domain it’s easier to get the numbers together on a more regular basis.

It can be hard to keep with them all (we’ll do another speedy summary in the September edition of the CMU Trends Report), though in the main each set of figures is just confirming that ongoing trend, with some regional variations: that streaming is booming in terms of users and revenue, CD sales continue to slowly decline, the nominal vinyl revival is still ongoing, and downloads are still down loads (stolen joke alert, stolen joke alert).

The UK’s BPI – one of the most stat happy of all the trade groups – put out another slew of data this weekend, mainly to big up the fact that British music fans are now streaming more than 500 million tracks a week, and that’s based on Official Charts Company data so doesn’t include YouTube or SoundCloud, which don’t currently chart return in the UK.

According to the latest figures, 11.5 billion streams took place on the subscription-based platforms (so those where you have to sign-up to listen, though this includes freemium and premium) in the first half of this year, compared with 14.8 billion streams for the whole of 2014. And in chart week ending 16 Jul, 505,849,000 tracks were streamed, meaning the industry’s counters-in-chief are now confident that the total figure for 2015 will top 25 billion. Add in the non chart-returning platforms, and the number could exceed 50 billion.

Of course, consumption and revenue are two very different things, and unlike with CD and download sales, in streaming the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand. While streaming services are paying per-play guarantees to rights owners, the overall total number of streams is relevant, but as the market matures it’s the revenue-share arrangements between the DSPs and the labels, publishers and collecting societies that matter. And then, for individual artists and rights owners, what becomes more relevant is what percentage of overall consumption comes from your catalogue.

And, of course, all the debates remain about streaming royalties, quite where freemium fits in, and whether the current subscription models are viable – for both DSP and rights owners – long term. Which makes revenue figures better than consumption figures in order to assess the state of the industry, and even then, what’s really needed to work out whether doom and gloom is justified, is the much less readily accessible (or, where available, dissectible) profit figures. Still, streams will dominate in the future – that seems certain – and so everyone needs to find a way to make this thing work commercially.

Meanwhile, here are the ten most streamed tracks in 2015 so far – these guys are probably doing OK. So there’s that.

1. Mark Ronson feat Bruno Mars – Uptown Funk
2. Omi – Cheerleader (Felix Jaehn Remix)
3. Hozier – Take Me To The Church
4. Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud
5. Ellie Goulding – Love Me Like You Do
6. Wiz Khalifa feat Charlie Puth – See You Again
7. James Bay – Hold Back The River
8. Maroon 5 – Sugar
9. Years & Years – King
10. Major Lazer feat Mo & DJ Snake – Lean On

READ MORE ABOUT: British Phonographic Industry (BPI) | Bruno Mars | Mark Ronson

Monday 27 July 2015, 11:07 | By Chris Cooke

50 Cent ordered to pay another $2 million in sex tape case

Artist News Legal

A New York jury last week ordered 50 Cent to pay another $2 million in punitive damages to the woman whose privacy he violated via a sex tape leak.

As previously reported, earlier this month a court ordered Fiddy to pay Lastonia Leviston $5 million in damages, after he put a sex tape in which she appeared online without her permission. The court heard that the leaking of the tape was part of the rapper’s ongoing feud with Rick Ross, who didn’t appear in the clip, but who has a child with Leviston.

Having handed down the initial $5 million in damages, the court requested to see an overview of 50 Cent’s financial affairs to see if additional punitive damages should be applied too. It was at this point that the rapper applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a move that would normally put all and any matters involving his finances on hold.

But lawyers for Leviston requested that their client’s case not be held up by the bankruptcy proceedings – presumably suspecting that Fiddy had applied for Chapter 11 deliberately to delay or hinder the punitive damages from being calculated – and the bankruptcy courts complied with that request.

And so the case continued last week, with jurors deciding on Friday that an additional $2 million in damages should be applied. Which is another win for Leviston, though her lawyers had been pushing for $15 million, while 50 Cent’s legal reps argued $700,000 was more reasonable.

Any appeals pending, with this case resolved it remains to be seen what happens to 50 Cent’s bankruptcy.

READ MORE ABOUT: 50 Cent

Monday 27 July 2015, 11:05 | By Chris Cooke

Sony Music reportedly signs Enrique Iglesias

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Sony Music has both nabbed and grabbed Enrique Iglesias from rivals Universal, signing him up to a new deal that will likely see his Spanish language output released via Sony Music Latin, while RCA will handle anything he croons in English, according to Billboard.

Iglesias completed his last contract with Universal last year, having worked with the major for over a decade. Earlier this year he appeared on the single ‘El Perdon’ from Sony-signed Nicky Jam, which possibly gave the singer the opportunity to experience first hand just how magnificent all things Sony Music can be. Because I’m sure they are.

And, possibly, to open negotiations for a deal which, word has it, is very generous in terms of advance and royalties, and which sees the major promise lots of international marketing support. Though neither Sony nor Iglesias have actually commented on any of this so far.

READ MORE ABOUT: Enrique Iglesia | Sony Music

Monday 27 July 2015, 11:03 | By Chris Cooke

Imagem signs Oh Wonder

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Indie publisher Imagem has signed one of those worldwide multi-year agreements with London duo Oh Wonder – aka Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht – ahead of the September release, via Universal’s Caroline International label services unit, of an album featuring tracks they have been unveiling online every month since September last year.

Confirming the publishing deal, Imagem Music UK MD Kim Frankiewicz told reporters: “Anthony and Josephine are a one of kind artist proposition. They have a real aura around them, and really embrace innovation. As writers they have a rare knack to create something really different but with the confidence of seasoned songwriters”.

Matt Johnson at Redlight Management, which manages West, said: “We’re over the moon to work with Kim and the Imagem team going forward, and look forward to building a strong career for Anthony for the foreseeable future”; while Steve Ambler of Vander Gucht’s reps SB Management added: “The passion and dedication of Kim and her team filled us with confidence that they are the perfect home for Josephine”.

So, “filled with confidence” and “over the moon”, it’s a great little alliance this one and, most importantly, not one person is “thrilled”. Oh hang on, Ambler adds “we are thrilled to be working with Imagem”. So close.

READ MORE ABOUT: Imagem | Oh Wonder

Monday 27 July 2015, 10:58 | By Chris Cooke

Russian collecting societies set to merge, though the recording rights society doesn’t seem keen

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

While, for the Western music industry, Russia is rarely thought of as the home of efficient collective licensing, collecting societies in the country are doing the one thing that has been much discussed elsewhere but with little action so far, that is to say simplifying music licensing by bringing the record industry and music publishing sector’s performing rights organisations together. Though not everyone is seemingly happy with the move.

RAO, which represents Russian authors and songwriters, has announced that it is merging with VOIS, which represents sound recording owners, and RSP, which collects the private copy levy in Russia, to create one big rights body, seemingly to be known as PDK RAO. Collecting societies in Russia need government approval, but the country’s culture minister has reportedly backed the new combined rights organisation.

However, according to local media reports, the boss of VOIS claims that the merger decision was made a meeting he did not intend, and that he therefore considers the proposal to be illegal. According to Izvestia, the sound recording rights group – which caused controversy itself when the Russian government decided it should be the only record industry collecting society in the country in 2009 (two other societies weren’t impressed) – has complained to the culture ministry about the proposal, and asked the ministry of justice to intervene too.

But a spokesman for the RAO seemed to suggest the merger was already underway, telling Billboard: “Succession will be observed as far as responsibilities before rights holders and relations with licensees and users are concerned, and there will be no interruption of regular royalty collection operations. Distribution and paying out of royalties to rights holders will be done on time and in strict compliance with the law”.

So, that’s all fun isn’t it? Record labels and music publishers in New Zealand were the first to offer joined-up music licenses via their One Music initiative, although the two sectors’ PROs still remain autonomous behind the scenes. Meanwhile, in the UK, PPL and PRS do offer a handful of combined rights licences, though it’s still the exception rather than the norm. But many in political circles reckon that, where users exploit recordings of songs, and therefore need to clear both recording and song rights, more joint licences should be available.

READ MORE ABOUT: Russian Authors' Society (RAO) | Russian Organization for Intellectual Property (VOIS)

Monday 27 July 2015, 10:52 | By Chris Cooke

Meek Mill/Drake squabble continues

Artist News

If you thought rapper Meek Mill sort of possibly maybe apologising to Drake for claiming that his more famous rival and recent track-collaborator uses ghostwriters was the end of this rap squabble, then you were wrong wrong wrong. The good old fashioned diss track is still going strong, it seems.

As previously reported, Mill said last week that Drake “don’t write his own raps”, adding that it was because he had found out about this that Drake was pretty lacklustre in promoting the two rappers’ recent collaboration. And now a new track from Mr Drake himself, which he premiered on his Beats 1 radio show this weekend, seemingly responds to those allegations.

The NME records some of the lyrics of new track ‘Charged Up’ as follows: “I did some charity today for the kids / But I’m used to it cause all y’all charity cases / All y’all stare in my face and hope you could be to replace me / Snitchin on us without no interrogation / I stay silent cause we at war and I’m very patient”.

I’m not sure rapping about the fall out counts as staying silent. And Mill, for certain, has no plans involving silence, seemingly promising a response rap this week, while conceding that Drake almost certainly did write the new diss rap he aired this weekend because it’s “baby lotion soft”.

So, that’s all fun isn’t it? I wonder if this is one of those well-it-gets-us-lots-of-press-doesn’t-it rap beefs, or one of those I’ll-end-up-posting-a-sex-tape-of-your-babymother-and-be-left-with-a-damages-bill-for-seven-million-dollars rap squabbles.

READ MORE ABOUT: Drake | Meek Mill

Monday 27 July 2015, 10:46 | By Chris Cooke

New Haçienda documentary to debut next month

Artist News Releases

A new documentary about legendary Manchester club the Haçienda is set to debut at a charity event at the city’s Royal Northern College Of Music on 5 Aug.

Liam Gallagher, Peter Hook, Clint Boon and former Haçienda DJs Graeme Park, Mike Pickering and Dave Haslam all feature in the film, recalling the role the venue had on the city’s music community of the day.

Director Chris Hughes told the Manchester Evening News last week: “I went to the club a few times but I was never a regular [because] I was mainly an indie kid back then. But I’m fascinated by music culture”.

Making the film in aid of charity helped him get together the people he needed to make the venture happen, he adds, saying: “The club’s story has been well told and all the people who have helped me out wouldn’t have done so if this wasn’t for charity. But, you know, people get very misty eyed when I asked the question: ‘What made The Haçienda so special?’. It’s like I’m taking them back to the best night of their lives”.

Watch the trailer for ‘Do You Own The Dancefloor’ here:

READ MORE ABOUT: Do You Own The Dancefloor? | Haçienda

Monday 27 July 2015, 10:37 | By Chris Cooke

NBC to air TV special of Ed Sheeran’s Wembley shows

Artist News Deals Gigs & Festivals Media

So you know how that Eddy Sheeran played some tunes to a few people recently via a three day stint at Wembley Stadium? Well, if you missed all that, possibly by living in America, and you’d like to see what happened, even though you live in America, and you’d also like some backstage footage, as a result of you living in America, well good news, highlights of the show are being made into an NBC TV special. But only if you live in America.

Says Sheeran: “It really doesn’t get any bigger than Wembley in my mind and it was an honour to join the select few that have headlined there. It’s definitely a personal milestone and I’m so glad to share this special moment with all of my fans”.

That’s nice isn’t it? The ‘Ed Sheeran – Live At Wembley Stadium’ special will air Stateside on 16 Aug. Don’t know about here in the UK. Just file-share it. I mean, it’s not like Sheeran needs the money any more. Though poor little old NBC might. So possibly don’t.

READ MORE ABOUT: Ed Sheeran | NBC

Monday 27 July 2015, 10:36 | By Andy Malt

CMU’s One Liners: Chief Keef, Snoop Dogg, Amanda Palmer, and more

Artist News Gigs & Festivals Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Well, here’s a new development in the world of live music. Chief Keef was “switched off” by police one song into a charity show in Indiana on Saturday. The rapper was appearing as a hologram, actually performing on a sound stage in Beverly Hills, due to a number of outstanding arrest warrants. Full story via the Chicago-Tribune here.

• Snoop Dogg has accused Swedish police of racial profiling in a number of Instagram posts, after he was arrested on suspicion of drug possession after a show in Uppsala at the weekend.

• Amanda Palmer was forced to cancel a show supporting Morrissey in San Jose, California last week, after falling ill as the result of a tick bite. Read the full story in minute detail here.

• Imagine if I told you right here and now that Disclosure hadn’t just released the video for ‘Omen’ featuring Sam Smith. That would be such a lie. Look, it’s right here.

• PC Music producer Kane West is putting out an EP through Tiga’s Turbo Recordings on 14 Aug, the label has announced.

READ MORE ABOUT: Amanda Palmer | Chief Keef | Disclosure | Kane West | Morrissey | PC Music | Sam Smith | Snoop Dogg | Turbo Recordings

Monday 27 July 2015, 10:33 | By Chris Cooke

Alesha Dixon on Stereo Kicks: “What’s wrong with these bands?”

And Finally Artist News

Alesha Dixon, officially allowed an opinion on such things in her guise as ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge, and possibly as a one time popstar, isn’t impressed with the unsigned eight-mouths-to-feed Stereo Kicks giving up quite so quickly.

As previously reported, the oversized boy band created by the last series of ‘X-Factor’ announced they were calling it a day earlier this month, having been unable to get a decent record deal signed, and following the somewhat lacklustre performance of their debut single ‘Love Me So’.

But Dixon is not impressed with such little commitment to making it in pop. She told Radio City: “What’s wrong with all these bands? They’ve been together two minutes. It’s not like the old days when people grafted for years and years, and stayed together for years and years. Those days are gone. Well I wish them the best of luck, you know. They’re nice guys and they’re talented. It’s a shame”.

Going in for the double diss after that little big up of the Stereo Kicks boys, she went on: “This industry isn’t easy, but nothing is in life. That’s life, you know. You have to work for all the things that you want and the rewards are great when you put the work in. I think that the boys are going to have a great career whatever they do, because they’re talented, and I think that’s such a shame that they’ve split up. But that’s the nature of bands. They all have a shelf-life and some are shorter than others”.

It’s true you know. Though that was a particularly short shelf stay.

READ MORE ABOUT: Alesha Dixon | Stereo Kicks

Friday 24 July 2015, 11:53 | By Chris Cooke

Flo & Eddie fail to stop Sirius handing over $210 million to the majors

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

One time Turtles, Flo & Eddie, have failed in their bid to get the $210 million that Sirius XM has pledged to pay the US major record companies paid into a third party bank account while their own legal action against the satellite broadcaster goes through the motions. Which is a shame. I was going to offer my bank account for the job.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is all to do with the ‘pre-1972 copyright thing’. You know, the one we explain in great detail in this free-to-access CMU trends report. Basically, on account of copyright law silliness in the US, Sirius reckoned that it didn’t have to pay sound recording owners any royalties when it played music that pre-dated 1972. But the record industry did not agree.

Flo & Eddie, on account of their former life in 1960s group Turtles, led on the litigation front to force Sirius to pay. Lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association Of America and the US record industry rights group that licences Sirius, SoundExchange, both followed. But when Flo & Eddie got a landmark judgement in their favour in the Californian courts last year, the RIAA began out-of-court negotiations with the broadcaster, reached a $210 million settlement last month.

But Flo & Eddie – whose case became a class action after their initial win – are still battling away, not least to secure damages from Sirius. And with their case now a class action, any other artists or indies whose pre-1972 tracks have been played by Sirius could get the right to claim back royalties under any damages arrangement.

Lawyers for Flo & Eddie, from the company Gradstein & Marzano, called the RIAA’s litigation a “coattail action” and the subsequent settlement a “brazen attempt to disrupt and interfere with the class action process”. No money should change hands until Flo & Eddie’s case was fully resolved, they argued.

But the RIAA’s legal reps countered that its deal with Sirius only covered recordings owned by the three majors and ABKCO, and that the rights of any other recording owners – who would be in Flo & Eddie’s ‘class’ – were not affected by the deal. It was also implied that G&M was only acting in this way because the firm was annoyed for being frozen out of the RIAA’s settlement negotiations.

And yesterday a US judge in LA basically sided with the record industry trade group, saying that Universal, Sony, Warner and ABKCO settling with Sirius did not impact on Flo & Eddie’s class. And also, given that G&M had tried to get a seat at the negotiating table after hearing about the RIAA/Sirius talks, and had since started their own direct negotiations after Sirius insisted on keeping the two settlements separate, the time to complain about all this had long gone.

Said the judge, according to Reuters: “G&M’s delay in challenging Sirius XM’s communications with the record companies and even the settlement itself suggests to the court that G&M did not care to enjoin the settlement payment or seek to recover a portion of it until G&M learned the size of the settlement. If class counsel took issue with Sirius XM communicating with the record companies post-certification, it should have moved to restrict such communication after the court certified the class”.

So there you go. Of course, had Sirius been paying for pre-1972 catalogue all along via SoundExchange, 50% of the money would have gone straight to the artists. It’s not clear if the same will apply to the $210 million though. But I’m happy to look after half of it in my bank account while that’s all worked out, if you like.

READ MORE ABOUT: Flo & Eddie | SiriusXM

Friday 24 July 2015, 11:52 | By Chris Cooke

SESAC settles anti-trust dispute with US radio industry

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

As the regulation of the US music publishing sector’s main two performing rights organisations – BMI and ASCAP – continues to be reviewed by the country’s Department Of Justice, the smaller commercially-owned PRO – SESAC – has reached a settlement with the Radio Music Licensing Committee which includes agreeing to allow a third-party arbitration panel to settle future royalty disputes.

Under their so called consent decrees, BMI and ASCAP’s licensing deals with broadcasters, concert promoters, club and bar owners, and so on, are all subject to the intervention of the rate courts, which have the power to set royalty rates when the societies and licensees cannot agree.

The consent decrees are designed to overcome the competition law concerns of collective licensing, ie when large numbers of rights owners license as one. Collective licensing is similarly regulated elsewhere in the world, though the consent decrees in America have been particularly criticised as being inflexible in the rapidly evolving digital music industry.

But SESAC, as a much smaller PRO in the US, has never been subject to a consent decree, though has nevertheless been accused by some licensees of anti-competitive practices. Even though if radio stations had to negotiate directly with the music publishers, the majors would have a much bigger market share than SESAC, so could make similar if not bigger deal demands without any of the anti-trust controversy that surrounds PRO licensing.

But nevertheless, SESAC is always nervous when faced with anti-trust litigation, given the precedent any ruling against it could set, which provides an incentive to settle. And last year it did indeed settle with the Television Music Licensing Committee, while a deal was finalised with the Radio Music Licensing Committee this week.

Both see SESAC agree to third party arbitration on royalties, though the rights body stresses any arbitrator will be very much focused on what is a fair commercial value for the song catalogue SESAC represents; the BMI and ASCAP rate courts having been often accused of ignoring market rates when ruling on what licensees should pay.

Under the deal with the RMLC, SESAC will cover the radio industry group’s legal costs in the dispute to date, though it says that that bill, $3.6 million, is less than what it would have cost to fight the litigation in court. No damages will be paid, so the settlement is more about the two parties agreeing a framework for future licensing negotiations. The RMLC, meanwhile, will kill its lawsuit.

RMLC’s Vice Chairman John VerStandig hailed the settlement as a victory, telling the New York Times: “This settlement effectively bars SESAC from arbitrarily seeking unreasonably high rates from a radio operator at the risk of copyright infringement exposure”.

But SESAC spun the deal as a win too, noting that it “secured commercial arbitration for the next 22 years as the basis for setting SESAC’s license fees for commercial radio stations represented by the RMLC”. CEO John Josephson added: “This guarantees a level playing field in establishing the fair market value of our creators’ musical works for the broadcast radio industry”.

SESAC, of course, is busy getting involved in the mechanical as well as performing rights of the US music publishing and songwriter community by acquiring the Harry Fox Agency. Which will likely make it even more prone to allegations of anti-competitive behaviour, especially if the US publishing sector manages to persuade Congress to reform the various compulsory licenses that cover mechanicals Stateside.

READ MORE ABOUT: Radio Music License Committee (RMLC) | SESAC

Friday 24 July 2015, 11:50 | By Chris Cooke

Grateful Dead finale a big pay-per-view event too

Business News Digital Gigs & Festivals Live Business

Those big finale-come-reunion shows from Grateful Dead in the US earlier this month were not only a rather big success story in terms of ticket sales, but the pay-per-view live streams available via YouTube and a bunch of cable TV companies also constituted “the largest syndication of a live music event in history”.

Well, that’s according to the company behind the pay-per-view web and broadcast of the ‘Fare Thee Well’ concerts, but there were over 400,000 streams, which is impressive for a pay-per-view concert via either web or cable networks.

Billboard notes that only the Backstreet Boys previously reached a six figure audience with a similar pay-per-view concert broadcast in 1999 (they got 160,000 paying viewers, and the Grateful Dead figure could still rise because the content is available via a watch-again option).

Given the concerts were available via cable TV services, the assumption is that the audience tuning in to the live recording was actually way higher, given it’s thought plenty of bars and such like were screening the shows.

READ MORE ABOUT: The Grateful Dead

Friday 24 July 2015, 11:47 | By Chris Cooke

BuzzFeed coming to Snapchat, but Warner dropping off

Business News Media

Hey Snapchatters, BuzzFeed is coming to your snapping and chatting app of choice, as one of three (maybe two) new media providers being added to the Snapchat Discover channel that was launched back in January, according to Re/code.

Snapchat Discover offers a small family of media and content providers with the opportunity to push nuggets of their output into the faces of the kids as they snapchat with friends, and is part of the messaging app’s attempt to build an advertising business, having an actual revenue stream being a useful way for the start-up to justify its nutty valuation.

American newsy website Vox is also set to get a blob in the Snapchat Discover channel, though it seems that the new arrivals will be replacing some of the incumbent Snapchat content partners, with Warner Music, the main musical participant in the experiment (other than MTV, is that still music?), one of those seemingly dropping off.

READ MORE ABOUT: Buzzfeed | Snapchat | Warner Music

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