Swedish net firms hit out at "disastrous" web-block injunction
Internet firms in Sweden have hit out at a court ruling that will allow a nice big web-block party to get underway in the country, with one going as far as to declare that the judgement in the country's appeals court this week constitutes the "death throes of the copyright industry". Which is rather dramatic.

As previously reported, Sweden's Patent And Market Court Of Appeal has overturned the ruling of a lower court in the country and granted an injunction forcing local internet service provider Bredbandsbolaget to stop its users from accessing The Pirate Bay and another piracy site called Swefilmer.

It's the first web-blocking injunction passed on copyright grounds in Sweden, although such web-blocks are already underway in a number of other European countries – not least the UK – and that fact was cited as one of the reasons why the Swedish courts should interpret the country's copyright law to allow web-blocking there too.

ISPs generally don't like anti-piracy measures that require their involvement, such as web-blocking, though they usually quietly comply once web-block injunctions become routine in any one country, as in the UK. But Bredbandsbolaget remained vocal in opposing the move to web-blocking in Sweden yesterday – despite not being offered any further route of appeal in the courts – while another Swedish net firm Bahnhof, which has a history of being confrontational with the anti-piracy brigade, was even more scathing.

According to Torrentfreak, Bredbandsbolaget said in a statement that it felt that this week's ruling was not compliant with Swedish law, while adding that web-blocking wasn't an effective way of combating piracy. It's no secret that it's relatively easy to circumvent any web-blocks, though rights owners still reckon that they are an effective way to education consumers, and to encourage them to use licensed content services instead of the illegal ones.

Said Bredbandsbolaget yesterday: "The Patent And Market Court Of Appeal has not taken into account the intention of the legislator with Swedish law. Our belief is that this type of blockage is not effective to prevent unlawful distribution of copyrighted work on the internet. Nor is it a good guarantee that creators will get paid for their works. Services must evolve and become more customer orientated".

Meanwhile Bahnhof boss Jon Karlung said of the court ruling: "The entire industry is in shock. It is disastrous in so many ways, the judgment is a deathblow to a free and open internet. We are the postman and the postman does not read people's mail, or take control over the content. [This ruling signals] the death throes of the copyright industry".

Of course, web-blocking is now routine in the UK, with piracy sites regularly blocked, and it has to be said that the free and open internet hasn't been noticeably killed here, nor have the copyright industries died. And, of course, as Karlung himself would no doubt point out, those who want to use their freedom on the open internet to nab other people's content without paying for it can always circumvent the blockades.

This week's injunction only covers Bredbandsbolaget and the two piracy sites specifically listed in the ruling, though it is expected that the Swedish music and movie industries will now seek similar injunctions against an assortment of ISPs and piracy sites.

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Universal Music Publishing hires Walter Jones
Universal Music Publishing in the US has appointed Walter Jones as its new VP Creative, poaching him from rival Sony/ATV, where he was VP Urban A&R.

Speaking about the new hire, UMPG boss and big Walter Jones fan Jody Gerson says: "I'm a big Walter Jones fan. I love his passion for music and his deep relationships with the artist community. I am supportive of his growth as an executive and can't wait to see what he achieves with us at UMPG".

Jones adds: "I am excited to join UMPG's incredible team and inspired by their commitment to the roster and fostering of new talent. I look forward to this exciting new chapter, and thank Jody Gerson for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the company's growth, innovation, and success".

Prior to working at Sony/ATV, Jones led a double life as international DJ and Director Of Membership (Rhythm & Soul) at collecting society ASCAP.

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SoundCloud hires Merritt Farren as General Counsel
Moving on from that "begging for money" article in the good old Financial Times, SoundCloud is back with some recruitment news, it having appointed Merritt Farren as its new General Counsel. Farren joins from Amazon's Audible company.

"Merritt's vast experience guiding the complexities in both large and growth-oriented companies will be instrumental in helping us seize strategic opportunities and advocate on issues most important to the SoundCloud community", said SoundCloud CEO Alex Ljung.

"It's an exciting time at SoundCloud", he added, "as our business rapidly evolves and continues to grows. I'm THRILLED to have Merritt's proven leadership and legal acumen in place to lead us into our next chapter".

Farren replaces Neil Miller, who left earlier this year after six years with the digital music company.

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Government opens consultation on relaxing rules for local radio in the UK
The government's Department Of Culture, Media And Sport has announced a consultation on plans to deregulate the commercial radio sector, which would remove a number of the constraints that cover local AM and FM stations in the UK.

The rules contained within the licences issued by media regulator OfCom to local radio operations have been greatly relaxed over the years, though the commercial broadcasters argue that they need relaxing further as stations compete with an increasing number of rival audio services on the digital networks and online.

The broadcast firms also argue that, with so much more choice for consumers today, the media regulator doesn't need to worry itself so much about exactly what kind of content is airing on the AM and FM networks.

The consultation comes off the back of research done by OfCom at the request of former culture minister Ed Vaizey. The DCMS explains: "At present, commercial radio has to abide by a series of complex rules regarding content which are enforced by OfCom, many of which were devised in the late 1980s before the emergence of digital technologies. But the government has announced today that it is consulting on changes to the rules that govern much of the programming decisions, and is proposing to give greater flexibility to local radio stations in particular, so that they can have a say in their own content".

The revised rules would allow broadcasters to more easily alter the music and programming policies of their stations, and to network in more programmes from central hubs providing that there was still decent local news provision. The latter change would allow the big radio groups that have already networked a lot of programming across their local stations to also run single prime time shows across their networks too, giving their London breakfast show – which usually has the biggest name DJ – an audience elsewhere in the UK.

Or in the words of the DCMS: "It will further mean that DJs will be free to play more of the music and content they and their listeners want, when they want, without their station needing OfCom's permission. Stations will also be able to network more of their services across different stations, allowing them to showcase star presenters throughout the day including at breakfast time".

Although being spun by the government as a move to give radio DJs more musical freedom, critics of the proposed measures will no doubt point out that the changes will actually allow stations that currently have commitments to play a certain amount of music from new acts or niche genres to instead air more shows playing their mainstream core playlist. Meanwhile the promise of celebrity voices over breakfast is code for more local radio stations having no actual local content beyond the headlines on the hour and occasional travel news bulletins.

But, unsurprisingly, the boss of commercial radio trade group Radiocentre, Siobhan Kenny, welcomes the proposed changes, saying earlier this week: "Radiocentre welcomes the government's announcement wholeheartedly as we have been asking for the existing rules on both music output and how and where content is made to be updated. Most of the rules are over 20 years old, so effectively designed for a pre-internet age. With 45% of radio listening now on digital platforms and new competition from streaming services, it is high time legislation caught up. The times have already changed so this is excellent news".

Meanwhile, the minister now in charge of radio, Matt Hancock, waffled on thus: "In a time of extraordinary change, radio has thrived. But the way commercial radio is regulated is increasingly outdated and holding it back from investing in new content, services and platforms. All these things are essential for radio to stay relevant, especially in an age of unregulated internet audio services".

Noting that Monday was World Radio Day, he continued: "So I'm delighted to announce on World Radio Day that we will be asking industry and members of the public for their views on the deregulation of local radio. Under our new proposals we will be giving local radio stations more freedom and flexibility to meet the needs of listeners across the country".

The DCMS's consultation will take submissions until 8 May.

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Entire Ukrainian Eurovision organising team quits
This year's Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine has hit a number of snags lately, but yesterday it hit a major roadblock when the entire team organising the event resigned.

"Hereby we, the Eurovision team, for whom this contest has become not only part of our work but also part of our life, officially inform that we are resigning and stopping work on preparations for the organisation of the contest", reads an open letter signed by the 21 members of the team. Among a number of reasons cited for the mass resignation is a "lack of transparency in making decisions regarding key areas of operations".

In a statement, Eurovision overseer the European Broadcasting Union said: "The group felt they were not able to continue work on the project owing to staffing matters at [Ukrainian public broadcaster] UA:PBC, which the EBU cannot fully comment on".

It continued: "The team have been instrumental in the planning for this year's Eurovision Song Contest, and we thank them for their hard work. We have reiterated to UA:PBC the importance of a speedy and efficient implementation of plans already agreed, despite staff changes, and that we stick to the timeline and milestones that have been established and approved by the Reference Group to ensure a successful Contest in May".

Earlier this month, Eurovision tickets were not put on sale on 6 Feb as planned, due to a controversy over the chosen ticketing partner, Concert.ua. The postponement was apparently the result of protests from rival firms. Tickets for the show eventually went on sale yesterday, with Concert.ua still in place as the provider.

The final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest is due to take place on 13 May.

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Passion Pit's Michael Angelakos launches artist support company
Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos is launching a new company called The Wishart Group to provide musicians with legal, educational and healthcare services, according to Mashable.

Primarily focussed on mental health, the company has already raised $250 million in funding to get up and running. Its board reportedly features representatives from various tech sectors, including music distribution and AI.

Since the news broke, Angelakos has shared two new songs via a Wishart Group YouTube account, 'Inner Dialogue' and 'Somewhere Up There'.

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New authorised Notorious BIG documentary announced
A new documentary about Notorious BIG is being made in collaboration with the late rapper's mother Voletta Wallace. The film will reportedly focus on the impact of his music around the world.

"It brings so much joy to my heart that my son Christopher's music has made such an impact on the music community and his stories have positively inspired so many young men and women over the years, and are still influencing the youth all over the world today", said Wallace, according to Variety.

Emmett Malloy, who will direct the film alongside his brother Brendan Malloy, added: "The challenge of making a film about one of the most influential artists of my generation is what I live for as a filmmaker".

Notorious BIG was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997, of course. A film of his life, 'Notorious', also made with the involvement of Voletta Wallace, was released in 2009 to generally lacklustre reviews.

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MTV EMAs coming to London (while they still can)
MTV has announced that it will bring its European Music Awards to London this year, you know, while it still can. OK, we'll still be in Europe post-Brexit, but only until Tezza May relocates the entire country 3000 miles west so she can be closer her mate Trumpy.

This will be the first time the EMA ceremony has taken place in the UK capital for over 20 years. Maybe it's England's rebellious Brexit strop that made London attractive again. So any other countries thinking of leaving the EU might want to note that this is a surefire way to get the EMAs in your town. Though I'm not sure whether that's a reason to leave or remain.

"London is arguably the world's musical epicentre and it's both a huge privilege and opportunity to bring the MTV EMAs 2017 to the UK's capital city", says David Lynn, CEO of MTV's parent company Viacom. "The EMAs create an incredible buzz wherever it lands it; that will be amplified tenfold in London".

London mayor Sadiq Khan adds: "After two decades away, the MTV EMAs are returning to electrify the greatest city in the world once again. It promises to be an absolutely incredible evening, featuring some of the globe's top artists and watched by millions".

He goes on: "London is the natural city to host one of the greatest musical shows on earth – with our exceptional musical history, wealth of creative talent and outstanding venues – we're the entertainment capital of the world. Whether you're a musical superstar, Londoner or visitor to the city – London is open to entertain you!"

The event will take place at Wembley Arena on 12 Nov. Perhaps once we are one of the United States Of Trumpton we'll get the proper VMA show.

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Waxploitation, Amazon, Future

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• BMG has signed a deal with "influential music tastemaker" Waxploitation Records to manage the US firm's publishing rights worldwide. BMG's Zach Katz is feeling "grateful". While Waxploitation's Jeff Antebi is feeling "ambitious".

• Amazon is beefing up its music team, hiring former EMI A&R and Apple label relations guy Alex Luke in the US, and head-hunting BBC Introducing boss Jason Carter in the UK. It's thought it could be part of efforts to boost curation and original programming on the retailer's expanded streaming music platform.

• Future has announced that he will release a new studio album this Friday.

• Little Dragon are back with new single 'High'.

• Japanese rock back The Gazette will release a documentary following them on their 2016 world tour on 24 Mar. Here's the trailer.

• Rina Mushonga has released the video for her new single 'Atalanta'.

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Snapchat gets its helmets out for Daft Punk return
So, those Daft Punkers made a little Grammys cameo over the weekend, with The Weeknd, while also opening one of those pop-up shops in LA last week selling all sorts of Daft Punk themed nonsense.

But how to celebrate? Well, get yourself on the Snapchats and have the app plonk a Daft Punk helmet on your head obviously. I mean, how else were you thinking of celebrating? See, you can't think of anything better can you? And imagine how much more exciting this would be if you actually knew how to use Snapchat.

Videos using the Daft Punk helmet filter on the Snapchat app also get a bit of the duo's 'Doin' It Right' or 'One More Time' in the mix. What a time to be alive!

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