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Tuesday 22 March 2016, 10:20 | By Andy Malt
Lambeth’s David Bowie mural to be listed
Artist News
A mural of David Bowie in Lambeth that became a shrine to the musician following his death is to be granted listed status. As well as protecting the artwork, the local council is considering renaming Tunstall Place where it is situated.
Lambeth Council leader Lib Peck said in a statement: “It is ultimately the family’s decision as to what may be appropriate [regarding renaming the street]. We must respect that and be patient. Lambeth residents have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection visibly demonstrated by floral tributes, messages and people visiting the Bowie mural to pay their respects to this unique ‘Brixton boy'”.
“We are also in contact with the Bowie fan club and other Brixton organisations who want to honour the memory and legacy of this extraordinary artist”, she continued. “We will share any word we get from his family that will determine what we do next”.
The council’s street cleaning team has been maintaining the floral tributes that sit around a mural since Bowie’s death in January. However, these will be removed next week. Morleys departments store, upon whose wall the mural is painted, has committed to preserve messages written on the wall, while items such as drawings and cards will be stored in the council archives.
No word yet on whether a mural in Sheffield will receive similar protection.
READ MORE ABOUT: David Bowie
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 10:18 | By Andy Malt
Prince to publish memoir
Artist News
Prince is writing his autobiography, which should be an interesting read. It will, according to its publisher, Random House’s Speigel & Grau, be “an unconventional and poetic journey through his life and creative work”. He’s not finished writing it yet though, so that might not be true.
The musician first announced that he was working on the book with The Paris Review’s Dan Piepenbring at a small show in New York last week. “The good people of Random House have made me an offer that I can’t refuse”, he told the audience, according to the New York Times. “You all still read books, right?”
Of working with Peipenberg, he added: “He’s a good critic. That’s what I need. He’s not a yes man at all. We’re starting right at the beginning – my first memory – and hopefully we can move all the way to the Super Bowl’.
That would take us all the way to 2007, assuming he means his Super Bowl half time performance, and not just watching this year’s sporting event on TV.
In a statement, Spiegel & Grau Executive Editor Chris Jackson said: “Prince is a towering figure in global culture and his music has been the soundtrack for untold numbers of people – including me – for more than a generation; his creative genius has provided the musical landscape of our lives. Millions of words have been written about Prince – books and articles, essays and criticism – but we’re THRILLED to be publishing Prince’s powerful reflections on his own life in his own incandescently vivid, witty, and poetic voice”.
Tentatively titled ‘The Beautiful Ones’, the book is due to be published next year.
READ MORE ABOUT: Prince
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 10:17 | By Andy Malt
The Cribs announce Leeds homecoming show
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
The Cribs have announced a big old homecoming show at Millennium Square in Leeds on 22 Jul. The open air show, which will also feature performances from Thurston Moore, Pulled Apart By Horses and Menace Beach, will, they promise, be “the Cribs show to end all Cribs shows”.
Announcing the gig, the band said on Facebook: “Over the last couple of years, whenever someone asked us when we would be playing in Leeds again, we always said that we were saving something special for our hometown show – after the Cribsmas shows of 2007 and 2013 we got to the point where we didn’t feel like we could just show up and play a regular show. We felt an obligation and expectation to come back and try to top those gigs”.
“The idea that we kept coming back to, was to curate and stage our own mini-festival, with bands and artists that we love, and put it in the centre of Leeds in the open air”, they continued. “Just like the original Cribsmas, we wanted this to be the kind of show that people feel is worth traveling for – where Cribs fans old and new can stage meet-ups and reunions and all converge in the same place. That was a big part of the magic of those original gigs, so that intangible feeling is something that we have been looking to capture again ever since”.
“So there you have it”, they concluded. “This is what everything has been building towards: The Cribs show to end all Cribs shows. This is gonna be our Live Aid/Wembley 86/Reading 92/Spike Island/Knebworth (delete as applicable). It’s been three years in the making, and finally everything has come together. A summer’s night out under the stars in our favourite town, with our favourite artists, and hopefully all of our favourite people (you guys, of course)”.
Tickets for the show will go on sale tomorrow.
READ MORE ABOUT: The Cribs
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 10:09 | By Andy Malt
We Are Scientists announce UK tour
Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases
We Are Scientists will be in the UK in April and May to play some shows in the wake of the release of their fifth studio album, ‘Helter Selzer’, on 22 Apr.
Commenting on the shows, frontman Keith Murray said: “I’m excited to bust these new songs out for the UK fans. I worry about them when we’re gone – many of them have a damn hard time taking care of themselves”.
Bassist Chris Cain added: “It’s always great to get back in the venue, since playing music is fun. Of course, everything is fun – eating dinner, going to movies, operating a motor vehicle. It’s all great, but certainly music is right up there”.
It certainly is. Here are those dates:
24 Apr: Bristol, Bierkeller
25 Apr: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
26 Apr: Newcastle, Riverside
27 Apr: Birmingham, Library
29 Apr: Leicester, Handmade Festival
30 Apr: Live At Leeds Festival
1 May: Glasgow, Stag & Dagger Festival
3 May: Manchester, Academy 2
4 May: London, Koko
5 May: Brighton, Concorde 2
READ MORE ABOUT: We Are Scientists
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 10:06 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Sony Red, AIM, Radiohead, more
Artist News Business News Education & Events Gigs & Festivals Industry People Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Sony Music’s label services business Red has a new VP of Promotion & Artist Development over there in the US of A. Sony has nabbed Trina Tombrink from Universal’s Republic Records, though they nabbed her from Sony’s Columbia Records eight years ago, so it probably serves them right.
• The Association Of Independent Music is launching a new series of events under the banner AIM Academy, kicking off with a masterclass from Hospital Records chief Chris Goss and Virgin EMI business affairs guy Mark Furman tomorrow. But it’s already sold out, so I don’t really know why I’m telling you.
• The new Radiohead album is “a work of art”, their longtime artwork collaborator Stanley Donwood has told DIY. Albeit a work of art that is not yet finished.
• Biffy Clyro will release new album, ‘Ellipsis’, on 8 Jul. They’ve also announced that they’ll play a big outdoor show at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow in 27 Aug. Here’s a trailer for the album.
• Mike Posner will release his new studio album, ‘At Night, Alone’, on 6 May. It features that single, ‘I Took A Pill In Ibiza’. Other songs may or may not be called ‘My Dad’s Harder Than Your Dad’, ‘Yeah I Do Have A Girlfriend, She Doesn’t Live Near Here’, and ‘I Drank 73 Pints Last Night’.
• Speech Debelle is back with a new single, ‘The Work’, featuring Miss Baby Sol. Listen here.
• The very cool Specific Recordings has announced that its latest release will be ‘Noisy Killer’ by Hatsune Kaidan – a covers album recorded by noise band Bijokaidan with vocals from virtual popstar Hatsune Miku. Listen to the album here.
• Fetty Wap will be playing two live dates in the UK in May. You can catch him at the Insitute in Birmingham on 27 May and then the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 29 May.
• Sumac, fronted by former Isis member Aaron Turner, will release their new album, ‘What One Becomes’, through Thrill Jockey on 10 Jun. Here’s first single, ‘Rigid Man’.
• At The Drive In begin a new tour tonight. They just remembered that guitarist Jim Ward has quit and won’t be joining them.
• Sarah Blasko has announced UK tour dates in May, kicking off with a show at Union Chapel in London on 10 May. Tickets are on sale now, the full list of dates is here.
• Ekkah will play Oslo in Hackney on 17 Apr. Go along, why don’t you.
• The fifth edition of the ‘Rumble In The Jumble’ charity jumble sale takes place at Hackney’s Oval Space on 14 May. Before that, you can also get the ball rolling by bidding for two gold palm trees from Paloma Faith’s stage set.
READ MORE ABOUT: At The Drive-In | Biffy Clyro | Bijokaidan | Ekkah | Fetty Wap | Hatsune Kaidan | Hatsune Miku | Mike Posner | Paloma Faith | Radiohead | Rumble In The Jumble | Sarah Blasko | Sony Music | Sony RED | Speech Debelle | Sumac | Trina Tombrink
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 10:01 | By Andy Malt
Bloc distances itself from co-founder’s anti-young people stance
And Finally Business News Gigs & Festivals Live Business
Bloc has distanced itself from an article written by co-founder George Hull for The Spectator, in which he accused young people today of being “too safe and boring”. The article came after the final ever Bloc festival earlier this month.
As previously reported, Bloc announced in February that this year’s festival would be the last, with plans to focus on developing a new club and studio space in London. In his article, Hull claimed that the reason for winding up the weekender events was that “young people these days just don’t know how to rave. They are too safe and boring”.
“Under the hipsters’ watch, dance music has become tedious and diluted”, he added. “A monstrous cabal of overpaid circuit DJs titillating a precious and unimaginative bunch of wimpy pseudo-hedonists at a carefully designed ‘safe space’. In broad daylight. If that’s your idea of raving, you can keep it. I’m out”.
In a statement posted on Twitter yesterday afternoon, Bloc said: “Bloc is a collective. One guy from it wrote an article, and that doesn’t represent Bloc. Bloc extends a welcoming vibe to everyone who comes together to share in the experience. The vibe at every single rave, big or small, over the past ten years is testament to that. The kind of people who choose to go is testament to that”.
Of this year’s festival, they added: “We were blown away by the crowd at this year’s weekender and want to sincerely thank you all”.
So, there you go young people, I think you just about got away with it. But just to be on the safe side, you’d best mark yourselves with one of these t-shirts.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bloc
Tuesday 22 March 2016, 09:58 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Le Voir
CMU Approved
Producer Gillian Chase has been slowly eeking out music under the name Le Voir for the last couple of years. Next week that work will culminate in the release of her debut album, ‘Dualities’. A blend of contemporary pop with analogue synths, the record benefits from big sounding production and strong songwriting.
Songs like ‘Tides’ and ‘Gravity’ particularly stand out among the record’s nine tracks, partly because they are the most immediately attention-grabbing. Though other quieter tracks, like ‘Lost & Found’, creep up more slowly and bring extra texture to the album as a whole.
If you happen to be in Salt Lake City this Friday (I don’t know, you might be), you can catch the album launch party at The Complex. For a quick intro to Le Voir’s sound, listen to ‘Gravity’ here:
Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column in 2016 by subscribing to our Spotify playlist.
READ MORE ABOUT: Le Voir
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:45 | By Chris Cooke
Paul McCartney has filed the paperwork to reclaim his Sony/ATV-controlled songs
Business News Labels & Publishers Top Stories
Last week it was announced that Sony Corp is buying the Michael Jackson Estate out of its music publishing joint venture Sony/ATV – at which point every journalist in the world noted that the Lennon/McCartney repertoire is amongst the most prized of that company’s possessions. However, Billboard has followed the paper trail in relation to Paul McCartney’s plan to reclaim control of his songs in the US, confirming that initial paper work was filed last December to begin the process of rights reversion.
Aside from the Lennon and McCartney songs being such a valuable asset for Sony/ATV, the latter Beatle has another association with the publisher, of course, thanks to that popular music publishing story that it was McCartney who advised a then young Michael Jackson to invest his growing wealth in song rights. Only to see the king of pop take control of the famous Beatles songs by buying up ATV, which had in turn outbid Lennon and McCartney when they tried to buy the fab four’s original publisher Northern Songs.
This soured McCartney’s friendship with Jackson, with the one time Beatle, on occasion, complaining about having to pay the popstar to perform his own songs, though Macca insists he got over that frustration long ago. That’s possibly because McCartney’s reversion right dates started to appear on the horizon. Because, thanks to a change to American copyright law in the 1970s, songwriters who assigned their rights to publishers get a one-off chance to claim their copyrights back.
The reversion right usually kicks in at 35 years after assignment, though for songs published before 1978 it is 56 years after the original deal was done. Which means old man McCartney’s reversion rights are still to kick in, but the dates are now looming pretty close. To exercise this right, a songwriter must file paperwork with the US Copyright Office no later than two years before the reversion right date. And, according to Billboard, McCartney – who has talked about exercising his reversion rights with the media in the past – has now filed the paperwork for 32 of his Sony/ATV published songs.
Many of the songs listed in that paperwork won’t actually revert until 2025, though given the works will have another 70 years of protection after McCartney’s death, it’s certainly worth taking the copyrights back. Once the rights have reverted, McCartney could negotiate a new deal with Sony/ATV, or with another publisher, or keep the copyrights for himself and hire a rights administrator.
The reversion only applies to the US, and only covers McCartney’s share in the songs he co-wrote with John Lennon. Yoko Ono seemingly reached a new deal with Sony/ATV years back over Lennon’s share in the songs, which means the reversion right at 56 years no longer applies.
As for the impact McCartney exercising his reversion rights has on the publishing company Sony just spent $750 million to wholly own, well, the firm has known for decades that this is coming, and it won’t affect their existing rights in the famous Beatles songs outside the US. Plus the company could still try to negotiate a new deal with McCartney, perhaps offering better terms on the rest of the world to continue repping the works in America.
READ MORE ABOUT: Michael Jackson | Paul McCartney | Sony Music Publishing
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:41 | By Andy Malt
Sainsbury’s stores now stocking vinyl
Business News Retail
When I say “vinyl”, you say “revival”. Vinyl! (Revival!) Vinyl! (Revival!) That was fun, wasn’t it? And it wasn’t for nothing either. The vinyl revival is real, people. And it’s happening in Sainsbury’s.
Tesco having decided that vinyl was a product of interest to its demographic last year, rival supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is now following suit. From today, 171 Sainsbury’s stores in the UK will begin stocking selected vinyl titles by the likes of Adele, The Beatles and Amy Winehouse.
The retailer’s Head Of Music & Books Pete Selby told Music Week: “We don’t see this as a novelty gifting fad but a complementary part of our existing music offer with a long term future in our stores. Vinyl is definitely experiencing a revival with demand growing stronger year on year. It is our aim to make the vinyl experience easy and pleasurable for our customers who are ready to re-engage with a format that resonates with them on an emotional level”.
Yeah, sure. Of course, some Sainsbury’s customers might not actually own a turntable. Not to worry, the supermarket will also be selling £80 Crossley Cruisers in store. A turntable of which What Hi-Fi? said: “The tinny sound quality is hardly worth paying the sub-£100 price. More worryingly, though, the Cruiser will wear your records down faster than a typical turntable, due to an unusually high tracking weight on the cartridge”.
So, good to see a world of warm, high quality audio is being opened up to the wider public.
READ MORE ABOUT: Sainsbury's
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:35 | By Chris Cooke
Universal Music announces partnership with watchmaker Raymond Weil
Brands & Merch Business News Deals Digital
Sometimes press releases are worth quoting verbatim. “Just a few days before the opening of the most important watchmaking event of the year, Raymond Weil is proud to announce its partnership with music industry leader Universal Music Group”, says watchmaker Raymond Weil of its new partnership with the Universal Music Group. “With this new collaboration, the Swiss watchmaker again pays tribute to its dear source of inspiration and further emphasises its wish to support and promote music of all kinds”.
Hmm, good times. And how will the watch people pay tribute to its “dear source of inspiration”? With its own digital music service developed with, no doubt, to-the-second precision, by the time-keepers in chief over at Universal HQ. Oh, and a “multi-channel campaign” including lovely adverts and marvellous cross-promotional activities.
How fucking thrilling. “We are THRILLED to partner with Universal Music, the world’s leading music company, and to associate our brand’s name to such an iconic actor of the industry”, says Raymond Weil CEO Elie Bernheim. “[We have] always been strongly committed to promoting music of all kinds. With this exclusive entertainment service, we offer our clients access to the best music artists and an undisputable added-value”.
And, if you’re still not convinced, just think about. Watchmaking and music-making are basically the same thing. “Fine watch making is about precision, harmony, elegance, good taste, trendsetting, heritage and innovation, just like great music”, adds Universal Music’s Adrien Garrault. Ah, of course! “Universal Music is delighted to work with Raymond Weil, a company that shares the same passion for music and artists”.
Brilliant. Though I’d bank that cheque quick if I was you, Adrien. Just in case the watchmakers find another “dear source of inspiration” and call time on this partnership deal.
READ MORE ABOUT: Raymond Weil | Universal Music
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:33 | By Chris Cooke
Sony and SoundCloud confirm and comment on licensing deal
Business News Deals Digital Labels & Publishers
If you’ve been pining all weekend for quotes in relation to Sony Music’s licensing deal with SoundCloud – and I know I’ve been a shivering wreck ever since it became clear no quotage was going to be forthcoming in time for Friday’s CMU Daily – well, pine and shiver no more one and all. The quotes are in. And people are pleased. And people are excited. Though no one is “THRILLED”. Which is highly suspicious.
So yes, Sony Music’s long awaited deal with SoundCloud has now been confirmed, and it’s a “landmark agreement”, according to both the major and the streaming platform. Which is nice. Though isn’t that a bit of a slur on SoundCloud’s previous deal partners?
I suppose the Warner deal was a “landmark” because it was the first with a major rights owner. And the Merlin deal was “landmark” because it covered so many indies. And the Universal deal was “landmark” because it’s the biggest record company. And the Sony deal is “landmark” because it means all the majors are now on board. So many landmarks. We should try to monetise them somehow.
The deal covers Sony Music itself, its label services division RED, and its distribution company The Orchard. SoundCloud gets music owned and distributed by Sony for its evolving ad platform and in-development streaming service. Sony artists get insights and promo tools and lots of lovely money. And some equity. Some lovely equity.
“We are pleased to be making content from Sony Music Entertainment available to SoundCloud’s large userbase of highly-engaged, passionate music fans”, said Sony’s President of digital gubbins and Amercian sales, Dennis Kooker, on Friday night. Which, technically speaking, is when I stopped shivering. But that wouldn’t have sounded so dramatic in the intro to this story.
“This agreement creates a business framework for the use of Sony Music songs on the SoundCloud platform that meets the needs of our artists and labels”, Kooker continued. “And supports the growth of SoundCloud through its new premium on-demand music tier”.
Meanwhile SoundCloud chief Alexander Ljung, declared that: “Today is of particular significance to us as a company, as the addition of SME means we now have deals in place with all of the major music labels”. That’s Sony Music Entertainment he’s referring to there. Not a “small and medium-sized enterprise”. Sony Music isn’t a “small and medium-sized enterprise”. SoundCloud has no interest in them.
Ljung continued: “With SME now on board, we continue on our journey building a unique platform, empowering our community of more than eighteen million artists at every stage of their careers to share their work and connect with their fans, and enabling listeners to discover and be inspired by new music and audio. We are very excited to be working with SME and cannot wait to see what we can achieve together as we continue to transform the future of music online”.
Ah, the future of music online. That old thing. I look forward to it, everybody. Will there be cheese? If so, can it be Cheshire cheese?
READ MORE ABOUT: Sony Music | SoundCloud
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:31 | By Chris Cooke
Drip not closing following alliance with Kickstarter
Business News Deals Digital Labels & Publishers
Direct-to-fan digital-fan-club platform Drip has wound down its plans to wind down, with the help of Kickstarter. And we’re not talking about some delusional attempt to revive the company through a Kickstarter campaign here. No, the crowdfunding company has bloody well bought the Drip company, providing more of a kick-continue than a kick-start.
The Drip business announced it was planning to wind down its operations last month, with Friday due to be the final day. At the time, the people behind the company said: “At the top of the year we took a hard look at Drip, our future, and the various routes we could take to get there. Between timing, funding, and everything needed to realise this future, we made the decision that now was the time for Drip to come to a conclusion. For now, we’ll be taking this moment to regroup and refocus”.
But there’s no time to regroup or refocus following the announcement on Friday that “Drip is joining Kickstarter today”.
The boss of the crowdfunding set up, Yancey Strickler, wrote in a blog post that: “Many of us at Kickstarter have admired Drip over the years. At heart, we’ve been on similar paths. Strengthening the bonds between artists and audiences, and fostering the conditions for a more vibrant creative culture is at the core of our work at Kickstarter too”.
But how does this change things? That’s what I was wondered. “So how does this change things?” wrote mind-reader Strickler. “In some ways, not at all”, he responded.
Phew. I suppose a commitment to servicing creators is hardcoded into the missions of both Drip and Kickstarter, I then mused, even though that’s a nonsense thing to say. “Our commitment to serving creators is hardcoded into our missions”, Strickler continued, demonstrating we have a common commitment to nonsense. “[And it] continues to guide us”. So, while it’s business as usual, “in other ways, we’re excited to discover where it leads”.
On a more practical level, Drip co-founder Miguel Senquiz will join the Kickstarter team as part of the deal. And however he and Strickler maybe hardcoded, I liked the idea of Drip, so hurrah for Kickstarter stepping in and keeping the whole thing going.
READ MORE ABOUT: Drip.fm | Kickstarter
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:30 | By Andy Malt
Björk announces virtual reality exhibition
Artist News
Björk has announced an exhibition of her recent work with virtual reality. ‘Björk Digital’ will open at Carriageworks in Sydney, Australia on 3 Jun.
“I felt it was time to premiere my recent virtual reality stuff and am delighted to do so in Sydney”, says the musician. “We have made seven 360° videos for ‘Vulnicura’ and I am enthusiastic about this natural continuity of the music video – the intimacy, total merger of surround sound and vision makes VR an ideal home”.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 4-18 Jun. More details here.
And if you’re interested in all things VR, our sister title ThisWeek London spoke to the boss of creative agency Onedotzero ahead of a session it hosted on the topic at the Convergence festival this weekend just gone.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bjork
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:26 | By Chris Cooke
Radar announces new awards for emerging music video talent
Awards Business News Digital
Music video commissioning community Radar – which brings together artists, labels and video directors – has announced the launch of a new awards event to take place in July celebrating emerging video directing talent, and emerging artists who are commissioning great video content.
Both directors and artists are currently being invited to put themselves forward for the awards, which will take place at the YouTube Space in London on 14 Jul. Various media partners will be supporting the event and the nominees selected, including your best mate CMU. Radar chief Caroline Bottomley says she’s “chuffed” about CMU’s involvement. She did say “THRILLED” to wind us up, but we insisted on a more original emotion.
“It’s very exciting to be launching these awards at YouTube”, Bottomley continued. “There’s so much creativity in music video, we want to amplify the best ones and welcome entries from directors, artists, bands, managers and labels from far and wide”.
For more info click here, and to put your work forward click here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Radar Music Creatives
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:23 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Bat For Lashes, Rae Sremmurd, Olga Bell, more
Artist News Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Bat For Lashes has released the video for ‘In God’s House’, taken from her new album ‘The Bride’, which is out on 1 Jul.
• Rae Sremmurd have released a video for new track ‘By Chance’. Have a watch.
• Here’s a new Olga Bell track, ‘Randomness’. It’s taken from her debut album ‘Tempo’, which will be out at some point, I assume.
• Kaytranda will release his debut album, ‘99.9%’, through XL on 6 May. From it, this is ‘Bus Ride’.
• Jonnie Common will release a new album on 9 May. Titled ‘Kitchen Sync’, all sounds on the record are sampled from items in his kitchen. Watch a preview video here.
• Roniia, a trio including Dark Dark Dark’s Nona Marie Invie, will release their debut EP ‘Sisters’ this Friday. From it, this is ‘Love Me’.
• Maths And The Moon are gearing up for the release of their debut album, ‘Familiar Strange’, next month. Here’s new single ‘Futurist’.
• Adele is headlining Glastonbury. Though if you care, you already knew that. So I’m not sure why I’m even telling you. Especially as I don’t particularly care. And yet I know. Which possibly means everyone who doesn’t care also knows. Making this the most pointless one liner ever.
• Thom Yorke is “as fucked off as you are” and is “only human”. This news follows Radiohead tickets going on sale last week.
READ MORE ABOUT: Adele | Bat For Lashes | Glastonbury Festival | Jonnie Common | Kaytranda | Maths And The Moon | Olga Bell | Radiohead | Rae Sremmurd | Roniia | Thom Yorke
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:18 | By Andy Malt
Old man doesn’t understand young people, assumes they’re wrong
And Finally Business News Gigs & Festivals Live Business
Today’s young people are boring, too demanding and go to bed too early. And this is why Bloc Festival is closing down, says co-founder George Hull.
As previously reported, it was announced in February that the 2016 edition of the Bloc weekender at Butlins in Minehead would be the last such event for the company. Speaking to Resident Advisor, the festival’s other co-founder Alex Benson said that operating a venue and providing studio and workspace to a community of artists had become more of an appealing mission to focus on.
Putting things in more blunt terms in an article for The Spectator last week, Hull said that the end of the festival had come about because “young people these days just don’t know how to rave. They are too safe and boring”.
The last generation who actually knew how to have fun are now middle-aged and can’t come out anymore, he added. “Instead we have hipsters – a subculture so spineless that it had to borrow its name from its parents. Hipsters are an uptight bunch. They like dance music, but they lack the sense of abandon that made raving so much fun”.
He then hit out at “regulatory pressures” that mean outdoor dance music events now generally finish, rather than start, at 10pm. And also at ticketing systems that offer cheaper tickets to those who book early, which ensures that spontaneity has been all but removed from nights out. Though the real problem, he mused, is not so much that these problems exist, but that young people quite like them.
“Organised and particular, hipsters know to detest big business”, he writes. “Instead, they fetishise the authenticity of an independent operator. Yet they expect a level of service that can only be delivered by a multinational corporation”.
He concluded: “Under the hipsters’ watch, dance music has become tedious and diluted. A monstrous cabal of overpaid circuit DJs titillating a precious and unimaginative bunch of wimpy pseudo-hedonists at a carefully designed ‘safe space’. In broad daylight. If that’s your idea of raving, you can keep it. I’m out”.
Yeah, fuck off young people. Read Hull’s full article and find out why you/they are idiots here.
UPDATE 21 Mar, 6pm: Bloc has, perhaps unsurprisingly, distanced itself from Hull’s comments.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bloc
Monday 21 March 2016, 11:17 | By Andy Malt
Old man doesn’t understand new music industry, assumes it’s wrong
And Finally Artist News
“The digital thing has destroyed music”, says Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie. Destroyed it. He announced this in an interview promoting the release of his band’s eleventh studio album.
The problem is that no one is buying physical records anymore, he says. Except him. He sometimes listens to stuff on the Spotify premium account he was given for free, but then he will go and buy it later if he likes it. Which is something only he has thought of, apparently
But what about all the young people? His teenage son “streams [music] but he also watches YouTube”, Gillespie told the BBC, as if the two are different. “He loves music but he wouldn’t buy it. It’s just the culture they were born into. You can’t turn it back but as an artist, I have to try and express myself and the best way to do that is to make albums”.
It’s not like in the old days. These days “[major labels] beholden to shareholders … only invest in Ellie Goulding or puppet girl singers or boybands they know they can make a killing on. They’ll never invest in art, they’re not artistically driven people”.
That statement, of course, could definitely not be applied to any other time in music. He continued: “In the 90s and early 2000s, we could sell hundreds of thousands of art rock albums, but it’s not like that anymore”. Yes, remember the 90s when every art rock band was guaranteed to sell at least 100,000 albums?
Although Gillespie does then admit that his band’s biggest successes were with more commercially-minded tracks, saying: “We’re commercial songwriters, ‘Movin On Up’ was a commercial song, ‘Come Together’ was, ‘Rocks’ was written as a commercial rock song, we have got that side. It’s not like a pressure but to fund the band, to fund this art project, you need commercial success. We don’t have a massive label giving us money anymore, so commercial success would be great because it keeps things going”.
Of course, it is possible that the label giving Primal Scream money back in the 1990s – which in turn was backed by a major likely sitting on cash it made from selling records by chart-topping boybands – helped with the hit making. Which then assured Primal Scream a decently sized audience to sell tickets to.
Not that that’s any fun either. “At the level we’re at and a lot of other people are at, you’ve just got to get out and play lots of gigs, but it means the gig circuit is choc-a-block”, he says. So chock-a-block, I imagine, it almost impossible to sell any tickets these days.
Primal Scream will play three sold out shows in Glasgow, London and Manchester starting later this month.
READ MORE ABOUT: Primal Scream
Monday 21 March 2016, 10:38 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Babymetal – Karate
CMU Approved
Since Babymetal stormed to international success in 2014, mashing up metal and pop has, perhaps unsurprisingly, become a bit of a thing in J-pop. Some ramp up the novelty aspect, others take things way darker, but most simply highlight how much better at it Babymetal are.
So, it’s a welcome return for Babymetal, who last week released the video for ‘Karate’, the first single from their second album, ‘Metal Resistance’. A strong comeback, where Babymetal are most successful is in identifying the similarities between metal and pop, rather than trying to play up the differences or giving prominence to one side over the other.
Watch the video for ‘Karate’ here:
Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column in 2016 by subscribing to our Spotify playlist.
READ MORE ABOUT: Babymetal
Sunday 20 March 2016, 13:50 | By Chris Cooke
CMU Podcast: Convergence Sessions Special
Business News Education & Events Media Setlist
Last Thursday, CMU Insights presented a session at the Convergence festival considering the challenges facing the media sector in 2016. This special edition of the CMU Podcast includes highlights from the session, with CMU Business Editor Chris Cooke considering media about music, and interviewing the people behind some of our favourite music magazines and websites. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital.
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iTunes | audioBoom | SoundCloud | Stitcher | Spreaker | TuneIn | Mixcloud | RSS
READ MORE ABOUT: Convergence | DIY | Loud And Quiet | Mahogany Sessions
Friday 18 March 2016, 12:13 | By Chris Cooke
Spotify agrees settlement over mechanicals with NMPA
Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories
As expected, Spotify has announced an agreement with the US National Music Publishers Association over all those unpaid mechanical royalties, and the NMPA is “THRILLED” about the deal. So, that’s all good then.
As much previously reported, the payment of mechanical royalties by on-demand streaming services in the US, to the owners of the songs that have been streamed, has been something of a mess to date.
Services can license the mechanical rights in songs under a compulsory licence in America, which sets a standard rate. But under that licence the digital service must alert the rights owner that their songs are being used and arrange to pay the statutory royalties. In many cases this hasn’t happened, with the streaming firms arguing that they don’t know what songs are embodied in what recordings, because the labels don’t tell them.
In most other countries the publishers have a single collecting society that takes all the monies due from the streaming service and works out who to pay them too. But in the US, that system has never existed. There are middle-men agencies to help with the royalty distribution process, and Spotify hired the biggest, the until recently NMPA-owned Harry Fox Agency. But it proved itself to be somewhat incompetent in distributing the money, meaning a significant amount of royalties were never paid.
Wherever the blame for all that may or may not lie, under the compulsory licence the digital service is liable and – as also previously reported – numerous streaming services have now been sued by songwriters who publish their own works on this very issue. Those lawsuits rightly say that if a digital service does not comply with the terms of the compulsory licence, then the licence doesn’t apply, and therefore any use of those songwriters’ works technically constitutes copyright infringement.
Those lawsuits are seeking class action status, meaning any publisher or self-published songwriter could pursue damages if those actions are successful in court. Spotify’s deal with the NMPA is an attempt to contain the litigation, by offering publishers a speedy solution to getting both unpaid royalties and a bit of compensation, while ensuring for the streaming service that the mechanical royalty lawsuits don’t keep on piling up for the foreseeable future.
Some publishers, while wanting their unpaid royalties, recognise that America’s long inefficient mechanical licensing framework is really behind the unpaid monies, and would therefore rather not punish Spotify et al for failing to comply with the terms of the compulsory licence. Meanwhile the NMPA itself may possibly accept the role its inept music rights agency played in creating this big mess.
Though with this deal and the outstanding class actions now both on the table, we’ll get to see how many publishers – and self-publishing songwriters – are willing to just forgive and forget, and how many want to see the digital firms held accountable in court.
Although we don’t yet know some of the specific figures in the NMPA/Spotify deal, we do know that, as expected, there are three key elements to the arrangement.
First, the streaming service will work with the trade group to distribute the big pile of unpaid mechanical royalties it’s sitting on. Secondly, there will be a separate fund distributed to publishers and songwriters who opt in, a sort of “sorry we screwed up fund”. And thirdly, a system will be put in place to ensure that Spotify gets the data it needs to make more efficient mechanical royalty payments in future.
It’s widely rumoured that the “soz fund” will be $5 million, while the stack of unpaid royalties is anywhere between $15 million and $25 million, depending on who you talk to.
It is thought that publishers will have three months to sign up to the deal, after which a big data collation and money distribution period will begin. Those opting in won’t be able to take any subsequent action against Spotify on the mechanical rights issue, which is the key gain for the streaming service, the aim being to end most of the disputes around these royalties sooner rather than later. Certainly ahead of any IPO for the Spotify company.
Which brings us back to the choice US publishers and songwriters must now make, join the settlement or join one of the class actions, where the prize could be infringement damages of up to $150,000 per song. Spotify will be hoping that, beyond any of the aforementioned goodwill in the publishing community, it can convince even its critics into the deal with the promise of a relatively quick pay day, compared to a long drawn out legal battle.
The streaming service’s lawyers are also concurrently trying to have class action status denied to the highest profile of the lawsuits it is fighting, that launched by David Lowery late last year. By setting a deadline for the settlement, and with the class action status of the Lowery litigation still to be determined by the judge, that could provide another incentive for publishers and songwriters to join the settlement party. Even if some feel that the deal as it is currently set up favours the bigger publishers.
Lowery’s lawyers Michelman & Robinson pre-empted the NMPA deal by issuing its own statement to the songwriting community earlier this week. The law firm said: “It is impossible to determine the true benefit to songwriters [of the settlement] because the settlement negotiations between NMPA and Spotify have been conducted without court oversight”.
“In stark contrast, a class action settlement requires the class counsel – the attorneys representing the songwriters – to submit the settlement terms to a court and provide the court with evidence that the settlement was reached in an arms-length transaction”, they went on. “In other words, courts ensure that there was no collusion in the negotiation and that the settlement is fair and reasonable to all class members. Unfortunately those safeguards are absent from the NMPA/Spotify settlement negotiations”.
They were also keen to distinguish this NMPA settlement from one the trade group reached with YouTube back in 2011. “That settlement was reached as part of a class action”, the lawyers said. “As such, that settlement was submitted to and approved by an independent court. In addition to providing an independent third party arbiter, a class action has the further advantage of narrowing the scope of the claims to the case. The NMPA/Spotify settlement will likely require songwriters to waive all rights to future action and compensation beyond the deal”.
Their advice for any self-publishing songwriters now not certain what to do? Get yourself some legal advice, mate. “Before agreeing to be a part of the NMPA/Spotify settlement, you are strongly encouraged to consult with your own counsel, or contact plaintiffs’ counsel on the Spotify class action lawsuit. In order to protect your songs, and your livelihood, it is critical that you carefully consider the long-term benefits of the NMPA/Spotify settlement before attaching yourself to it”.
But did I mention how THRILLED the NMPA is that it reached a settlement. “I am THRILLED that through this agreement both independent and major songwriters will be able to get what is owed to them”, said the organisation’s top man David Israelite. “We must continue to push digital services to properly pay for the musical works that fuel their businesses and after much work together, we have found a way for Spotify to quickly get royalties to the right people. I look forward to all NMPA members being paid what they are owed, and I am excited about the creation of a better process moving forward”.
Spotify’s chief speaking dude Jonathan Prince, meanwhile, said in a statement: “As we have said many times, we have always been committed to paying songwriters and publishers every penny. We appreciate the hard work of everyone at the NMPA to secure this agreement and we look forward to further collaboration with them as we build a comprehensive publishing administration system”.
READ MORE ABOUT: National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) | Spotify
Friday 18 March 2016, 12:12 | By Chris Cooke
Businesses that offer free wi-fi shouldn’t be liable for infringing customers, says European AG Advocate General
Business News Digital Legal
So, here’s a blast from the past, are cafes and shops that provide free wi-fi to their customers then liable if said customers do some of that pesky pirating on the free network?
The wi-fi issue has been part of the online piracy debate since the early days of music and movie companies trying to crack down on illegal file-sharing. What if a pirate uses a neighbour’s wi-fi network, or the free internet at a local coffee shop, in order to access or share unlicensed content? Can the owner of the wi-fi network be held liable? If not, couldn’t any accused pirate just claim someone else tapped into their wi-fi and did the infringing? But if so, wouldn’t that bring an end to businesses making wi-fi available for customers?
According to Torrentfreak, the Advocate General of the European Union’s Courts Of Justice has now provided an opinion on this issue as part of a long-running case focused on publically accessible wi-fi networks, stemming from litigation filed against a German shop owner by Sony Music back in 2010 after one of his customers infringed the major’s copyrights over his network.
A lower German court was inclined to say that the shop owner should be held liable for his customer’s infringement, but with the case having gone up to the European level, Advocate General Maciej Szpunar – whose opinion is not binding but is influential on the ECJ – reckons that the safe harbours enjoyed by internet service providers should extend to companies offering free wi-fi.
Though, adds Szpunar, a local court could in theory issue an injunction ordering a company offering free wi-fi to, in some way, restrict copyright infringing traffic, though any such requests would have to be “fair and balanced”.
And a “make your entire network secure” order shouldn’t qualify for that, he says, because “any general obligation to make access to a wi-fi network secure, as a means of protecting copyright on the internet could be a disadvantage for society as a whole and one that could outweigh the potential benefits for rightsholders”.
It remains to be seen how the ECJ responds, but this could be a landmark ruling on a long running debate.
READ MORE ABOUT: European Union
Friday 18 March 2016, 12:07 | By Andy Malt
Michael Jackson hologram dispute settled
Business News Legal Live Business
A legal dispute stemming from a performance by a hologram version of Michael Jackson at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards has been settled.
As previously reported, Alki David’s Hologram USA accused John Textor’s Pulse Evolution, which staged the Billboard performance, of patent infringement. David claimed that his company was the exclusive licensee of the ‘hologram’ technology employed – really an updated version of the nineteenth century theatre trick ‘Pepper’s Ghost – in the US.
In a countersuit, Pulse claimed that David was a “notorious infringer of intellectual property rights” and, anyway, the German company through with Hologram USA had gained its licensing deal had now gone out of business. Textor also later filed another lawsuit accusing David of cyberstalking.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the settlement between the two companies puts an end to both the infringement and the cyberstalking cases. In a slightly loaded statement, a spokesperson for Hologram USA said: “Though the terms of the agreement are confidential, we were very happy to receive Pulse’s settlement”.
This doesn’t mean a complete end to the controversy around the hologram-esque technology though. THR also reports that Ian O’Connell, a British businessman who was involved in the company that originally built the technology used by Hologram USA, is now suing David’s company for a variety of things, including patent infringement, breach of contract, tortious interference and fraudulent misrepresentation.
READ MORE ABOUT: Alki David | Hologram USA | John Textor | Michael Jackson | Pulse Evolution
Friday 18 March 2016, 12:04 | By Andy Malt
Sony Music signs SoundCloud licensing deal
Business News Deals Digital Labels & Publishers
Sony Music has seemingly got around, finally, to signing a licensing deal with SoundCloud, meaning it now has all three majors on board. Maybe now it can get on with launching that subscription service it keeps banging on about. All the fucking time.
According to The Verge, Sony’s gone for the old classic ‘licensing and a bit of equity’ deal. How much SoundCloud had to give up hasn’t been disclosed, but it’s likely the label drove a hard bargain. With Warner Music and the indie label-repping Merlin already on board, Universal signed up to all things SoundCloud in January, having been awaiting the outcome of the ultimately settled legal action by PRS.
The Sony deal has been hard fought though, with the label going so far as to start pulling down its content from the website when negotiations weren’t going as it would like last year. It was rumoured that, despite SoundCloud having ad-funded and subscription tiers in the works, Sony felt that neither had the potential to provide much revenue.
Whether or not those concerns have been completely put to rest remains to be seen. But in this make or break year for SoundCloud, this deal is vital.
READ MORE ABOUT: Sony Music | SoundCloud
Friday 18 March 2016, 12:02 | By Andy Malt
Police confirm death of DJ Derek
Artist News
Police have confirmed the death of Derek Serpell-Morris, aka DJ Derek, who went missing from his home in Bristol last summer.
Starting out as a reggae DJ in the late 1970s, DJ Derek performed at venues and festivals around the UK until his retirement in 2013 aged 72. He was reported missing by his family in July last year, prompting a nationwide search. Human remains found in woodland near the Cribbs Causeway shopping centre in Bristol last week were yesterday formally confirmed to be those of Serpell-Morris.
“Derek’s family have been updated and our thoughts remain with them at this very difficult time”, said Avon & Somerset Police in a statement. “A post-mortem examination carried out earlier this week was inconclusive and further tests are being progressed, but we’re not treating Derek’s death as suspicious. We’re continuing to carry out further inquiries on behalf of the coroner’s office”.
Derek’s older brother Gerald told the Bristol Post: “I was amazed how much better I felt when the news came through. The last seven months have been a huge strain, not knowing. The whole family has been affected by what has happened. The worst part was not knowing, the uncertainty and the knowledge that you don’t know where he is and that he may never be found. The sense of relief that his body has been found can only be understood by somebody who has been through what we have”.
An event celebrating the life of the DJ is being planned for the end of April, with full details still to be announced.
READ MORE ABOUT: DJ Derek
Friday 18 March 2016, 11:59 | By Andy Malt
The National curate all-star Grateful Dead tribute album for charity
Artist News Releases
The National’s Aaron and Bryce Dessner have announced their second compilation for AIDS and HIV charity the Red Hot Organisation, the follow-up to 2009’s ‘Dark Was The Night’. Titled ‘Day Of The Dead’, the 59 track compilation features songs originally by The Grateful Dead re-recorded by over 60 different artists.
Due for release through 4AD on 20 May, the six hour long album took over four years to record and will be released digitally, as a five CD set and as a limited edition vinyl boxset. It’s hoped that the release will have similar success to ‘Dark Was The Night’, which has to date raised over $1.5 million for the charity.
“They’re one of the great, ‘do everything’ bands, take from whatever you want and warp it into something new”, says one contributor, TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe, of The Grateful Dead. “I’m sure that some of the space rock and psyche DNA of the band has seeped into what we do”.
“I have worked with a few people whose minds are brilliant and complicated, musically”, adds Will Oldham, aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, who appears on several tracks. “There’s something about the Dead that allows these big-brained pickers to just chill the fuck out and feel good about it. There’s basic types of song forms and melodies that I have an affinity for, and the Grateful Dead have helped other people find their ways into these musics. So it isn’t as hard to establish connections with folks out there that might not otherwise share some of what I am digging into”.
Other artists who feature on the record include Mumford & Sons, Justin Vernon, The Flaming Lips, Courtney Barnett, Fucked Up, Perfume Genius, Sharon Van Etten, The War On Drugs, Kurt Vile, Angel Olsen, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks, and The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir.
Obviously you’ll have to wait to hear the compilation, but you can check out the original versions of the songs on it in this Spotify playlist compiled by 4AD.
READ MORE ABOUT: The Grateful Dead | The National | The Red Hot Organisation
Friday 18 March 2016, 11:54 | By Chris Cooke
Latvia and Lithuania confirmed as featured countries at The Great Escape
Artist News Business News Education & Events Gigs & Festivals
The Great Escape has announced that the music industries of Latvia and Lithuania will be under the spotlight this year, with Music Export Latvia and The Lithuanian Music Business Association the lead international partners of this year’s edition of the showcase festival.
A number of artists from the two countries will appear at TGE as part of the market spotlight programme, with Lithuania’s Without Letters and Alina Orlova, and Carnival Youth and Howling Owl from Latvia, already confirmed. Representatives from both countries’ respective music industries will also be amongst the delegation, looking to connect with TGE’s business audience from across the world.
Confirming the alliance between TGE and the two Eastern European markets, Vaidas Stackevičius, director of the Lithuanian Music Business Association, told reporters: “The Great Escape caught us by surprise offering to focus on our countries, we hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly! But this is what The Great Escape is all about; discovering new talents, exploring new territories and delivering surprises. We are very proud and look forward to being the lead country focus together with Latvia at the festival for new music”.
Meanwhile Agnese Cimuška, CEO of Music Export Latvia, added: “The Great Escape was one of the first music industry events [in which] Music Export Latvia started to take part. It was only three years ago and now to be one of the focus countries shows that we have made our mark very quickly. It was possible because of the open-minded people working at The Great Escape. We appreciate their trust in us, our industries and talents”.
Other announcements from TGE HQ yesterday included an alliance with the Raindance Film Festival, which will see a small programme of music-based movies screened as part of the proceedings. That includes ‘Suede: Night Thoughts’, the film that accompanied the band’s new album earlier this year. The TGE screening will be followed by a conversation between the film’s director Roger Sargent, actor Alex Wilton, who appears in the movie, and Suede frontman Brett Anderson.
TGE 2016 takes place from 19-21 May with, of course, CMU Insights @ TGE in the middle of the convention proceedings. Find out more about what will be happening there here and then get your delegates pass here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Lithuanian Music Business Association | Music Export Latvia | The Great Escape
Friday 18 March 2016, 11:51 | By Andy Malt
Laura Mvula announces UK tour
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Laura Mvula has announced a UK tour to promote her upcoming new album, ‘The Dreaming Room’. Dates kick off in May, following a sold out London show next week.
The first single from the album, ‘Overcome’, which features Nile Rodgers, is out now. Watch the video here.
Tour dates:
14 May: Leeds, Wardrobe
15 May: Liverpool, Academy 2
16 May: Glasgow, Oran Mor
18 May: Manchester, Gorilla
20 May: Gateshead, Sage 2
21 May: Birmingham, Institute 2
22 May: Norwich, Waterfront
23 May: Brighton, Theatre Royal
10 Jul: London, Somerset House
READ MORE ABOUT: Laura Mvula
Friday 18 March 2016, 11:41 | By Andy Malt
CMU’s One Liners: Melodic European Labels, Kendrick Lamar, Zayn Malik, more
Artist News Brands & Merch Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Manchester-based label services business Melodic European Labels has announced the appointment of Natasha Foley as its new Promotions Manager. “I’m delighted”, says Foley. The company currently works with labels including Carpark, Anticon and Bar None.
• Kendrick Lamar got into a rap battle with some kids in Manchester. This has something to do with shoes. Worth watching anyway.
• Zayn [Malik] has released another new solo track. Get him, eh? Here’s ‘Befour’.
• Slayer have released a seven minute video for new track ‘You Against You’. It’s not for the squeamish.
• That new Adam Lambert track ‘Welcome To The Show’ is out now. Have a listen.
• Massive Attack have put out another new celeb-fronted video. This one, for ‘Ritual Spirit’, stars Kate Moss.
• Wiley announced yesterday that he’ll be releasing new album, ‘Godfather’, on 2 Sep. “I got good features and producers on this album too”, he tweeted. “Ones that make total sense”.
• Shura will release her long-awaited debut album, ‘Nothing’s Real’, on 8 Jul. Here’s Four Tet’s remix of previous single ‘Touch’ to celebrate.
READ MORE ABOUT: Adam Lambert | Kate Moss | Kendrick Lamar | Massive Attack | Melodic European Labels | Shura | Slayer | Wiley | Zayn Malik
Friday 18 March 2016, 11:21 | By Andy Malt
CMU Beef Of The Week #298: Washington DC v PJ Harvey
And Finally Artist News Beef Of The Week Releases
PJ Harvey has been compared to Piers Morgan by a Washington, DC politician who took exception to her assessment of the city’s Ward 7 area on new single ‘The Community Of Hope’. Which seems unnecessarily harsh, whatever he thinks of her lyrics.
As previously reported, Harvey’s new album ‘The Hope Six Demolition Project’ features songs that draw upon journeys to a number of cities around the world over a four year period. And, unlike Taylor Swift on ‘Welcome To New York’, it’s fairly safe to say she’s not going to be accused of writing jingles for the local tourist boards.
The musician previously gave a snapshot of Kosovan capital Pristina on ‘The Wheel’, and last week turned her attention to the capital city of the US with ‘The Community Of Hope’. Specifically one of its poorer districts, Ward 7, in which she describes one of its main streets, Benning Road, as “the well-known pathway of death”, and the area as a whole as “just drug town, just zombies”.
With Washington Council elections coming up, local news outlet DCist hit upon the idea of asking those campaigning for the Ward 7 seat what they thought of Harvey’s song. And, guess what, not one of them said, “She’s right, what a shithole”.
“I will not dignify this inane composition with a response”, said former mayor Vince Gray, getting the ball rolling rather slowly. Meaning the soundbite-giving was really left to his campaign treasurer Chuck Thies, who deigned that “PJ Harvey is to music what Piers Morgan is to cable news”.
Told you it was a bit harsh. I mean, Harvey had at least been and looked at the thing she was having an opinion on. Also, she hasn’t been sacked from music.
“I really didn’t get the song. I didn’t”, said another interviewee, Grant Thompson, adding that he thought Harvey “needs to see more of the city”. Though I’m not sure Harvey wrote about Ward 7 just because it was the only bit of Washington, DC she’d seen.
Thompson did come closest to accepting Harvey’s observations though – picking up her claim that the area only has one sit-down restaurant (apparently it has three, but whatever). “One of the promises I’m making is that we’re going to bring more restaurants to Ward 7. We’re the last frontier in terms of development. We have one grocery store in the entire ward. I attribute that to poor leadership”.
Grocery stores are another subject of Harvey’s song, specifically the refrain of “they’re gonna put a Walmart here”. Some in Washington had seen that as a positive, rather than the negative Harvey presents it as. The US supermarket chain had been offered a deal to build stores in the city, provided two were in poorer areas (one being Ward 7) where there is little provision of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Walmart backed out of that deal in January, reports the Washington Post. Unfortunately, that news came after Harvey had recorded the song, which means at the point of its release the song is already out of date.
Though if the song is about Ward 7 as Harvey observed it when she was actually there, I’m not sure it having a few facts wrong now is that big an issue. I mean, no one complains that ‘Waterloo’ by Abba is incorrect, even though Napoleon didn’t actually surrender at the Battle Of Waterloo but in Rochefort a month later. I’m sure Abba would have got it right if they’d had all the information at the time they wrote the song in mid-1815.
Elsewhere, existing Ward 7 council member Yvette M Alexander was quick to point out that the song didn’t actually focus entirely on that one area, tweeting: “There were several references from both 7 and 8. I respect all artist forms of expression, but this song does not reflect Ward 7!”
No, it’s actually a damning assessment of two areas of the city where US government sits and the president lives. Let’s get some perspective.
A more detailed review of Harvey’s lyrics came from a Ward 7-based charity that shares its name with the song. Unlike the politicians, it was happier to agree with what she had seen, noting that for 35 years it has “been tackling some of the challenges you named in your song”, but added that her “picture is also incomplete”.
“On your tour of DC, I am sure you saw marbled halls of the best institutions in the United States”, said the organisation in an open letter. “I know from your songs that you saw the places where the imperfections of those institutions are most obvious. But we’ve found our neighbours struggling with drugs aren’t zombies – they are living, breathing, feeling humans”.
It adds: “By calling out this picture of poverty in terms of streets and buildings and not the humans who live here, have you not reduced their dignity? Have you not trashed the place that, for better or worse, is home to people who are working to make it better, who take pride in their accomplishments”.
PJ Harvey hasn’t commented on any of this, so we don’t know if that was her intention. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it wasn’t though. However, I would also guess that she had hoped to ignite this sort of debate, having thrown spotlights on areas of the world that might seem forgotten to those that know them. It’ll be interesting to see what further discussion arises as we hear more from the album, which is due for release next month.
Watch the video for ‘The Community Of Hope’, which contains footage of Ward 7 from Harvey’s trip to Washington, DC with filmmaker Seamus Murphy, here:
READ MORE ABOUT: PJ Harvey
Friday 18 March 2016, 10:11 | By Paul Vig
Vigsy’s Club Tip: DJ W!ld at Romy S
Club Tip CMU Approved
At times the Club Tip moves to foreign climes and this week we’ll be checking out this night at the Romy S club in central Stuttgart.
Saturday sees DJ W!ld head into town. Playing the Rex in Paris in his younger days, this guy progressed to Circoloco at DC10 in Ibiza and was part of Sven Vath’s Cocoon party. A long-serving underground househead, he also has a huge production output on 2020, Resonance, and his own Wild label.
He will be joined at Romy S by purveyors of deep and tech house Township Rebellion, plus Wagner, Mürle & Jakubowski, who join together “to conquer the world’s musical landscape”, and also local lads Chronos.
Saturday 19 Mar, Romy S, Langestrasse 7, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany, 11pm-7am. More info here.
READ MORE ABOUT: DJ W!ld
