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TODAY'S CMU APPROVED: There's a lot to like in 'El Búho', the first single from Blanco White's new EP, 'Colder Heavens'. Like previous releases, it's an intoxicating blend of genres, carefully balancing everything from folk to flamenco with unlikely precision. But even by his usual standards, this new song is a feat of musical brilliance. [READ MORE] |
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LATEST CMU PODCAST: CMU's Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week, including SoundCloud's new mid-price streaming option, the music industry's failure to agree on transparency and Parliament's views on the matter, plus Vivendi's stern response to Spinal Tap's $400 million lawsuit. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital. [READ MORE] |
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LATEST CMU TRENDS: UK music creatives and their managers have called on the government to assist in their bid to secure more transparency in the digital music market. What do music creatives want to know, why do they need to know it, and can government really help? We review the transparency debate. CMU Trends articles are available to premium subscribers. [READ MORE] |
| TOP STORIES | Government's business rate plans could have big impact on grassroots venues READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Louis Tomlinson arrested after airport altercation with pap and fans READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| MANAGEMENT & FUNDING | Azoffs and Creed join forces READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| INDUSTRY PEOPLE | Tommy Page dies READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ARTIST NEWS | Popular singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is popular The Shins' James Mercer discusses anxiety and depression Rod Stewart apologises for mock beheading video READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Alt-J announce relaxed third album READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Riz MC, James Blunt, Girli, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | YG reportedly loses $60,000 fee after performing Fuck Donald Trump READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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KOBALT - ASSOCIATE, CEO'S OFFICE (NEW YORK) The Associate will work closely with Kobalt's CEO, his Executive Assistant and other senior leadership to execute work plans, projects, and day to day workflow. He or she will ensure streamlined activities within the organisation based on the priorities of the CEO. For more information and to apply click here. |
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RSK ENTERTAINMENT - SALES ACCOUNT ASSISTANT (NEWBURY) Sales, marketing and distribution company, RSK Entertainment, requires a Sales Account Assistant to cover a portfolio of retail accounts and responsible for the solicitation and sales of new releases, as well as back catalogue orders and the proactive instigation of label promotions and campaigns. For more information and to apply click here. |
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BASCA - TEMPORARY AWARDS ADMINISTRATOR (LONDON) BASCA is seeking to employ a temporary events administrator on a short term fixed contract to offer administrative departmental support on the Ivor Novello Awards. We are looking for someone with previous office administration experience who has a ‘can do’ attitude, impeccable attention to detail and can remain calm under pressure. For more information and to apply click here. |
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!K7 MUSIC - DIGITAL MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER (LONDON/BERLIN) !K7 Music is looking for an experienced digital marketing and social media professional to help direct and implement robust online marketing strategies across multiple in-house artist and label projects. Candidates will need to be closely familiar with the components of successful music marketing campaigns, including social media presence, press results, online advertising, viral content spread, and performance metrics. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MELODY VR - PROJECT MANAGER RESEARCH & OUTREACH (LONDON) MelodyVR is the destination for music in virtual reality. Our Project Manager for Research & Outreach is responsible for identifying and connecting with the right artists, partners and opportunities as we continue to build a world-class content portfolio. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SOLD OUT - JUNIOR SOCIAL MEDIA EXEC (LONDON) Sold Out is an independent full service advertising agency, specialising in arts and entertainment for over 25 years. We are looking for two Junior Social Media Execs to support the business through effective implementation of social media campaigns for a variety of clients across the entertainment market. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KUDOS RECORDS - SALES & LABEL MANAGER (LONDON) Kudos Records is an independent music distribution company (est 1992). We provide physical and digital distribution services to a hand-picked selection of quality, independent record labels. Due to continued expansion, there now exists an opportunity to join our sales and label management team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MELODY VR - HEAD OF DIGITAL (LONDON) MelodyVR is the destination for music in virtual reality. The Head of Digital (Content) is responsible for driving the strategic content strategy for MelodyVR, working in close collaboration with artists and our label partners to deliver this. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MPA GROUP - TRAINEE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT (LONDON) The MPA Group of Companies (MPA, MCPS, IMPEL and PMLL) is seeking a trainee financial accountant to assist the Director of Operations with all of the finance functions across the four companies as well as providing assistance with other finance related projects. For more information and to apply click here. |
| 6 Mar 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Building A Fanbase - Music Media CLICK FOR INFO |
| 8 Mar 2017 | CMU:DIY x Barod: Physical, Sync, Merch, Brands & Gigs CLICK FOR INFO |
| 13 Mar 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Building A Fan-Orientated Business CLICK FOR INFO |
Government's business rate plans could have big impact on grassroots venues
Organisers of the previously reported Live Music Census, which is due to take place on Thursday, have warned that another event this week - Wednesday's budget speech by Chancellor Of The Exchequer Philip Hammond - could have a big impact on the country's grassroots venues.
Hammond will announce the details of plans to overhaul commercial property rates this week and academic Matt Brennan of the University Of Edinburgh - who is leading the Live Music Census project - says that small-scale music venues could be particularly vulnerable to the proposed changes.
Brennan said this morning: "Venues around the country have been telling us that they already operate on thin margins, so proposed increases in rateable values of up to 55% in some cases will have a significant impact".
Cross-sector trade group UK Music has also expressed concern about Hammond's business rate changes. Its CEO Jo Dipple has written to the Chancellor declaring: "I am writing to you in advance of the spring budget. This follows concerns expressed at a recent meeting of the UK Live Music Group in relation to the imminent business rates revaluation and the potential negative impact on the live music sector of these changes".
She adds: "We ask that you use the opportunity of your budget to put measures in place to mitigate the worst excesses of the valuation in order to avoid a detrimental impact on culture and creativity in our communities.
Dubbed as being "like a 'Springwatch' for live music", the Live Music Census will see a network of volunteers in cities around the UK note aspects of any gig they attend on Thursday, including the musical genre, the venue, door charge and audience demographic. Venue owners, gig promoters and musicians are also being surveyed.
Brennan adds that he hopes the research project will provide policy makers with more information about the business side of the country's grassroots venues, and therefore make them more aware of the impact their polices might have on these live music operations.
He says: "The census will be very important in identifying challenges that the industry faces, such as rising rates and other issues. It will give us a detailed picture of what exactly it means to be venue owner, a musician, and a live music lover in 2017. Our hope is that the census will be a vital tool in strengthening a much-loved part of the UK's culture".
Dipple agrees, saying: "UK Music is delighted to partner with this ground-breaking UK Live Music Census research. The findings for each of the six cities will inform academics, entrepreneurs and music fans alike. It will also help organisations like UK Music to understand better the pressures on music businesses and venues so we can lobby for the most effective policies in each area. The more we are able to identify threats, the more effective our lobbying for policy change in that area will be".
Louis Tomlinson arrested after airport altercation with pap and fans
One Direction's Louis Tomlinson was released on $20,000 bail this weekend after being arrested following an altercation with a photographer and two fans at LAX airport.
According to the Mirror, Tomlinson has told friends he was simply trying to protect his girlfriend during the incident. The Friday night fracas seemingly began with a light tussle between the singer and the paparazzo, which saw Tomlinson trip and accidentally drag the snapper to the floor with him. As this was occurring, his girlfriend Eleanor Calder got into a physical altercation with two fans who were also taking photos. Tomlinson intervened there too, before airport security arrived and diffused the situation.
Tomlinson was then arrested, amid reports that both the photographer and one of the fans required medical treatment after the incident, for concussion and an eye injury respectively. The singer was bailed and is now due to appear in court on 29 Mar.
However, his legal rep, Martin Singer, insisted his client was not to blame. He told reporters: "The paparazzi provoked and caused the altercation that occurred with Louis. It's not the first time that a paparazzo has created an altercation with a celebrity. While the altercation was going on ... the other individuals were attacking his girlfriend during this incident and he came to her defence".
Meanwhile one source told the Mirror that a video of the LAX run-in backs up the claim that the singer was merely attempting to protect his girlfriend. They said: "The video from the incident shows what really happened and tells the story. Those girls were attacking Eleanor, and Louis rushed in and pushed them away. He is adamant everything he did was to protect his girlfriend and that is what he has been telling his friends".
Azoffs and Creed join forces
Irving Azoff, his son Jeffrey Azoff and Brandon Creed of The Creed Company have merged their respective artist management rosters. All three will now operate under Azoff Jr's Full Stop Management company name with immediate effect, according to Billboard.
The newly combined roster includes artists such as Harry Styles, Mark Ronson, Meghan Trainor, The Eagles, Gwen Stefani and Bon Jovi. According to sources who have spoken to Billboard, more managers will join the new entity in the coming days.
Azoff Jr launched Full Stop in March last year, after leaving agency CAA.
Tommy Page dies
Singer-songwriter and music industry exec Tommy Page was found dead on Friday. He was 46.
Page is best known for his 1990 US number one single 'I'll be Your Everything'. He released several albums through Warner's Sire label in the 1990s, before latterly self-releasing a number of records through his website. However, in 1997 he moved over to the other side of the industry, working for Warner Bros Records in A&R for almost fifteen years.
In 2011, he left the label to become a publisher at music industry magazine Billboard. Subsequently, he has held senior roles at Pandora, Cumulus Media and the Village Voice. He also continued to perform live.
No official cause of death has yet been announced, but Billboard reports that it was an apparent suicide.
In a statement, Page's family said: "It is with great sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved Tommy Page who passed away this weekend. Tommy was a devoted father, husband, brother and son. He was loved by all of those he touched and will be sorely missed. Please respect our privacy at this time of deep sorrow".
If you are experiencing suicidal feelings, you can find information on what to do via Mind's website here.
| Approved: Blanco White There's a lot to like in 'El Búho', the first single from Blanco White's new EP, 'Colder Heavens'. Like previous releases, it's an intoxicating blend of genres, carefully balancing everything from folk to flamenco with unlikely precision. But even by his usual standards, this new song is a feat of musical brilliance. A cinematic tone is set from the off, while buried backing vocals provide a stirring friction against project creator Josh Edwards' taut vocal melodies. The Blanco White sound is very much influenced by Edwards' time spent studying guitar in Cádiz, Spain, and later the Andean instrument the charango in Sucre, Bolivia. But the result is not a lesson, more a portrait, turning his studies to something more emotive and personal. 'Colder Heavens' is out on 31 Mar. You can catch Blanco White live at Blacks in Soho tonight, or at the Troubadour in South Kensington on 29 Mar. Listen to 'El Búho' here.Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Popular singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is popular
A handful of renegades in the music industry with nothing to lose are predicting that Ed Sheeran's new long player '÷' will be at number one in the albums chart this Friday. This is based on the flimsy evidence that the record is selling like particularly hot cakes and being streamed like snot out of a toddler's nose. Also, the album was made by Ed Sheeran.
Even by Sheeran's standards this album is doing particularly well, actually. According to the Official Charts Company, '÷' sold 232,000 physical and digital copies in its first 24 hours on sale - surpassing the first week sales of previous LP 'x'. Meanwhile, Spotify has confirmed that the album had 56,727,861 streams in the same period, the highest first day streams ever on the streaming service (close to double that of the previous record holder, The Weeknd's 'Starboy', which racked up 29 million day one streams last November).
"Ed is an artist that inspires a generation, and the release of '÷' is a global event", Atlantic UK President Ben Cook told OfficialCharts.com. "It's great to see so many people across the world respond to this brilliant new work in such an unprecedented manner".
He continued: "As the way we release music changes, Ed continues to shape culture and how it evolves. It's early days, but we're really excited to see what we can achieve alongside Ed and his management on what is an outstanding landmark record".
All in all, it would seem that the only thing that could spoil this for Ed would be if Adele surprise releases a new album this afternoon.
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The Shins' James Mercer discusses anxiety and depression
The Shins' James Mercer has discussed his experience of anxiety and depression in a new interview with the NME.
"When I was a kid, I would have waves of [anxiety] that lasted months and I didn't know what the hell was going on", he says. "Back then you just got told to shut up. It faded into this depression that lasted a while, and I haven't had that for a long while".
He continues: "Sometimes anxieties come in, just from knowing that I have kids and I have to be there. It comes at weird moments in life, too. Like we went for this big meal the other night because The Shins are releasing a new record, and then I realised that it's just me in The Shins so all those people were there for me. It was weird. It was friendly, but I was so anxious".
The new Shins album 'Heartworms' is out on 10 March.
Mind has information on anxiety and depression and how to cope with both. You can also contact music industry helpline Music Support online or at 0800 030 6789.
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Rod Stewart apologises for mock beheading video
Rod Stewart has apologised after his wife posted a video on Instagram of the musician staging what looked like a mock ISIS beheading video in the Abu Dhabi desert. He claims that it was intended as a re-enactment of a scene from 'Game Of Thrones'.
There was outrage after Penny Lancaster posted the now-deleted video, in which Stewart pretended to cut the throat of a companion in front of him on his knees, while flanked by two others dressed in black. Stewart had been in Abu Dhabi to perform his first ever concert in the country, at the Du Arena, last Thursday.
In a statement, Stewart said: "From re-enacting The Beatles' Abbey Road crossing to spontaneously playing out 'Game Of Thrones', we were simply larking about pre-show. Understandably, this has been misinterpreted and I send my deepest apologies to those who have been offended".
Lancaster also posted a statement on Instagram, saying: "Rod and I are both devastated and he is extremely apologetic for the offense caused by his misinterpreted actions".
Alt-J announce relaxed third album
Alt-J have released the first track from their third album. Oh, and they've announced that they're releasing a third album too. Maybe I should have told you that first. Oh well. They'll also play the O2 Arena in June. So that's nice.
Titled 'Relaxer', the new LP will be out on 9 Jun, nearly three years after second album 'This Is All Yours'. Is that a long gap between records? Possibly. Either way, the band - like Southern Trains - are very sorry for the delay. Though Alt-J probably mean it.
"We'd like to thank you for your patience over the last year or so", say the band on Facebook. "After finishing touring 'This Is All Yours' in December 2015 we took a long break. Thom released a solo album; Gus opened a restaurant; Joe has been watching a lot of films. We hadn't set a time limit on our time off but by August 2016 we were ready to get back into the studio. The result is our third album, 'Relaxer', and we are really excited for you to hear it".
Speaking of hearing it, what about that new song I mentioned? Well, it's called '3WW' and you can listen to it here.
The band will play the O2 Arena on 16 Jun. Tickets for the show will go on sale this Friday.
Riz MC, James Blunt, Girli, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
• Riz Ahmed, aka Riz MC, gave a speech to Parliament about diversity and you should bloody well watch it.
• If you're in the market for a new James Blunt song, I've got one right here. True story: I just paused Coldplay in order to listen to it. I don't even know who I am anymore.
• Girli has released a new single, 'Not That Girl'. It's about how "I continue to be who I am and not the girl that others would like me or expect me to be", she says. Which is kind of her thing. Her new EP, 'Feel OK', is out on 21 Apr.
• Meilyr Jones has released a new single, and don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise.
• Non-fakes Sälen have released a new single, 'Pretty, Fake'. "Someone came up to Ellie at a house party and tried to stir a reaction by calling her fake", say the band. "Unluckily for him she was too fucked up to care, but we still wrote a song in ode to the wasteman".
• Freddie Dickson's released a "quite honest and self-reflective" video for new single 'Fuel'.
YG reportedly loses $60,000 fee after performing Fuck Donald Trump
Rapper YG has reportedly done himself out of $60,000. But it was all for a good cause. He apparently breached his contract for a show on Friday night by performing his track 'Fuck Donald Trump'.
The track was released back in March 2016 when Trump was still just a contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Since then it's become something of a calling card for YG. He even offered to perform it at Trump's inauguration for $4 million. Amazingly, he was not taken up on the offer.
On Friday, YG was headlining San Diego State University's annual sustainability event GreenFest. According to reports, it had been stipulated in his contract that he would not be allowed to perform 'Fuck Donald Trump'.
Neither side has commented on the rumours that this means the rapper will miss out on a $60,000 fee for the show, but he did later post a video of the performance noting that he "wasn't supposed to perform" 'FDT'.
Last April, police in LA shut down a video shoot for the track, which to outsiders just looked like a large group of people chanting "Fuck Donald Trump".
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