Prince estate seeks to stop unofficial EP release
The Prince estate has gone legal over the planned release of six previously unheard tracks by the late musician, which are set to be released this Friday by the producer of the recordings.

Producer Ian Boxill plans to put out the six track EP via a company called Rogue Music Alliance, a label services set-up that says it operates a "hub of label-esque services", while "partnering with artists to form their own micro label" in a bid to "inspire other artists to step outside the status quo".

Boxill, who seemingly worked with Prince between 2006 and 2008, reckons that putting out the tracks - which the producer has completed since the musician's untimely death a year ago - via an independent label services operation is what his one-time collaborator would have wanted.

While announcing the planned release of the 'Deliverance' EP, the producer said: "Prince once told me that he would go to bed every night thinking of ways to bypass major labels and get his music directly to the public. When considering how to release this important work, we decided to go independent because that's what Prince would have wanted".

Not so, reckons the Prince estate. What Prince would have wanted, it counters, is for Boxill to honour his contract with the musician. And that contract, the estate claims, said that ownership of any content and copyrights created via the two men's collaborations would sit with Prince.

But, reps for the estate added in a statement to Billboard: "Mr Boxill did not comply with his agreement. Instead, Mr Boxill maintained copies of certain tracks, waited until after Prince's tragic death, and is now attempting to release tracks without the authorisation of the estate and in violation of the agreement and applicable law".

The estate also confirmed that it is now pursuing action through the federal courts to halt the release and distribution of the 'Deliverance' EP, which was set to hit Apple platforms this Friday, with a subsequent physical release also promised.

So that's all fun, isn't it? The legal disputes have been slowly building around Prince's legacy in the year since his death. One potential legal battle that has been garnering much attention this week is the potential falling out between the estate and Universal Music over the latter's $30 million deal to distribute a whole stack of Prince recordings, including some of his most famous albums in the US.

As previously reported, quite which Prince albums Universal can distribute when is dependent on the complicated deal Warner Music agreed with the musician in 2014. And last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Universal execs were now saying that the extent of the limitations the Warner contract places on their distribution deal is much more significant than expected. In a letter to the bank now administrating the estate the major said it believed the music industry experts who negotiated the deal for the Prince side misrepresented what recordings were available when.

Not so, says the entertainment lawyer who was until recently advising the Prince estate, L Londell McMillan. Responding to reports about Universal's letter to Comercia Bank, McMillan has told Billboard: "I was a friend, attorney and manager for Prince for over a decade. Recently, I've been asked by the estate's court approved representative to allow them the freedom to handle this matter; please note, however, there were no misrepresentations on this or any matter".

He went on: "I've been practicing law and advising leading artists, athletes and businesses in entertainment and sports for over 27 years and my record with and outside of Prince speaks for itself. Any suggestion that there was any misrepresentation is false and without merit. There are many motives surrounding my friend Prince's estate. We are proud of the work done with the Prince estate to protect it and monetise the assets in a manner he would approve".

To think, if only McMillan had thought to secure a distribution partner "outside the status quo" which could provide "label-esque services" to Prince's own "micro-label", all this bother might have been avoided.

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Defamation case against former Kesha lawyer allowed to proceed
A New York judge has knocked back efforts by celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos to have a defamation lawsuit filed by producer Dr Luke dismissed.

For a time Geragos was representing Kesha in her long-running legal battle with the producer, and it was during that time that the attorney himself ended up on the receiving end of legal action from Luke's lawyers. The defamation case relates to comments Geragos made on Twitter and to TMZ following an interview Lady Gaga gave to Howard Stern in which she discussed being sexually assaulted.

Allegations of sexual assault are, of course, part of the ongoing legal battle between Kesha and Luke. Linking to a report on the Lady Gaga interview, the lawyer tweeted "Guess who the rapist was?", subsequently tweeting "#bingo" when someone asked if he meant Dr Luke. He later repeated the allegation to TMZ.

Seeking to have the defamation case thrown out of court, Geragos's legal firm put forward various arguments, including that neither his tweets nor TMZ should be taken seriously.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the legal man's request for dismissal argued that: "Posting the provocative comment 'guess the rapist' on Twitter clearly implies the poster's intent to engage in a non-serious, gossipy and hyperbolic interaction. Additionally, the use of the term 'bingo' in and of itself suggests a lack of seriousness".

Discussing TMZ, the motion to dismiss added: "TMZ is not CNN, the New York Times, or the Associated Press. Instead it is a website that admits its meteoric rise to popularity followed its coverage of actor Mel Gibson's DUI arrest, comedian Michael Richards' racist and profanity-laced tirade at the Laugh Factor in Los Angeles, and the news of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's divorce. This is not news, it is entertainment".

But the judge overseeing the case didn't think that any of Geragos's arguments were sufficient to dismiss the action, instead ruling that Luke's case was sufficiently strong for the matter to be properly heard in court.

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Steel Banglez signs to Warner/Chappell
British record producer Steel Banglez has signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Warner/Chappell. Having previously worked on tracks for Wiley, Birdman, Krept & Konan, Mist and D Double E, among others, he recently released his debut solo single.

"I feel proud to be signed to Warner/Chappell", says Steel Banglez. "I love the energy in the building and the A&R team have a great vision of how we can work together to further my songwriting career. I know that the next few years will be successful".

Warner/Chappel MD Mike Smith adds: "UK urban music has never been as vibrant as it is right now and I am delighted that we are working with Steel Banglez, who is one of the central songwriter/producers to have emerged from the scene. His music embraces a world of influences and we can't wait to help him expand his career with sync opportunities in films and games, as well as encouraging a thriving solo career".

Now, let's talk about that debut solo single I mentioned. It's called 'Money' and features MoStack, Mist, Haile and Abra Cadabra. Here's the video.

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Mysteryland US cancels
Those of you who've been missing the stories about SFX-owned festivals being cancelled can dry your tiny eyes, because the US edition of SFX-owned Mysteryland has just been cancelled. Although you shouldn't forget that SFX - post-bankruptcy - is now called LiveStyle, which may or may not spoil your enjoyment.

"Dear Nomads", reads a statement on the American festival's website. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, Mysteryland USA will no longer take place in 2017. Since 2014, we have strived to produce the best possible experience for our festival attendees, and are truly humbled by all of the love and support that you, the artists, the beautiful venue of Bethel Woods Center For The Arts and the town of Bethel have shown us as we celebrated life through music, culture and art".

Due to take place in July, the 2017 event was to be headlined by LCD Soundsystem, Major Lazer and G-Eazy. The original version of Mysteryland has been running in the Netherlands since the 1990s. The brand came under SFX control via its 2013 takeover of Dutch promoter ID&T, leading to the launch of a US edition in 2014.

Refunds for the cancelled Mysteryland have already begun to be issued.

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Chris T-T announces departure from music
Chris T-T has announced that he is splitting up. Or whatever the term is for when a solo artist decides to throw in the towel. He's set to release a now more poignant 20th anniversary compilation next month, and will be playing shows up until a big finale this autumn.

Writing on his website, the musician said: "I've decided to give up making and touring music as Chris T-T for the foreseeable future. The UK concerts I'm doing in the next few weeks will be the last T-T tour dates, which is cool because they're 20th Anniversary 'Best Of' shows anyway. After that I'm booked for three summer festivals, including Cambridge Folk. Finally, if we can organise it, I'll do one-off 'farewell' night in London, which will be in autumn".

Of his plans, he adds: "From 1 Jun, I'm hoping to try some new projects. I like audio editing and podcasting, so I'm developing ideas there. Maybe I'll write a book, I don't know. I'll always compose and play piano - but if I return to making music publicly at any point, I feel as if I need to start from scratch and create in an entirely fresh way".

Crikey, we'd best give you those upcoming tour dates again then. Here they are:

28 Apr: Trowbridge, Town Hall Arts
29 Apr: Warwick, Wild Boar
5 May: Leeds, All Hallows Church
6 May: Manchester, The Engine Room
12 May: Aberdeen, The Lemon Tree
19 May: Cambridge, Unitarian Church
20 May: Bristol, Café Kino
23 May: Brighton, Komedia

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Paramore announce new album
Paramore have announced that they will release their new album, 'After Laughter', on 12 May. Pre-ordering it right this very minute will get you an instant grat download of first single 'Hard Times'. Make a note of that. Yes, instant grat's still a thing.

The album makes official the return of former drummer Zac Farro, who announced that he was back recording with the band last year. He and his guitarist brother Josh previously left Paramore somewhat acrimoniously in 2010.

It is completely possible for you to watch the video for 'Hard Times' here. Instant grat be damned.

There are tour dates too. Who doesn't like tour dates? I fucking love tour dates. Tour dates:

15 Jun: Dublin, Olympia
16 Jun: Belfast, Waterfront
18 Jun: Manchester, Apollo
19 Jun: London, Royal Albert Hall
21 Jun: Bristol, Colston Hall
22 Jun: Edinburgh, Usher Hall

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Ghostpoet releases new single, announces tour dates
Ghostpoet has released new track 'Immigrant Boogie', as well as announcing tour dates for this autumn.

"It's a first person account of a difficult journey across borders, partly intended to ask those who have questioned the arrival of refugees in recent times what they would do in the same situation", says the musician of the new song. "It is written in two halves - the first hopeful for a brighter future, while the second sees hope snatched away by forces beyond the control of the storyteller".

He continues: "There is an important story to be told there, but I wrote the song in a way that aims to capture a broader human truth: that while we are all working for a better life for ourselves, we have to accept that we are not in control of the outcome".

Listen to 'Immigrant Boogie' here.

And here are those live dates:

24 Oct: Dublin, Button Factory
25 Oct: Liverpool, Invisible Wind Factory
26 Oct: Newcastle, Riverside
28 Oct: Glasgow, Stereo
29 Oct: Sheffield, Plug
30 Oct: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
31 Oct: Birmingham, Mama Rouxs
2 Nov: Cambridge, The Junction
3 Nov: Oxford, Academy 2
4 Nov: Dover, The Booking Hall
6 Nov: Leicester, Academy 3
7 Nov: London, Printworks
11 Nov: Manchester, Academy 2
12 Nov: Norwich, Arts Centre
13 Nov: Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
14 Nov: Bristol, Marble Factory

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Royal Blood announce May tour dates
Having just announced the June release of their second album, 'How Did We Get So Dark?', Royal Blood have now announced some tour dates for May. They'll also be playing loads of festivals this summer, obvs.

Tour dates:

17 May: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
18 May: Newcastle, Academy
19 May: Southampton, Guildhall
20 May: Leicester, Academy

Tickets go on sale on 28 Apr, so probably set a reminder on your phone or something.

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Kobalt, Nicki Minaj, Lana Del Rey, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Kobalt has hired former Three Six Zero General Manager and General Counsel Arif Mahmud to lead business affairs for the company's music recordings division outside the US. "I had always been envious", says Mahmud. Kobalt's Paul Hitchman adds: "We have a lot of great things".

• US agent David Klein has left CAA for UTA, it has been announced. "Dave has many amazing qualities", says UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer. "I am THRILLED", adds Klein.

• The PRS Foundation and BASCA Trust have announced a new programme of grants of up to £10,000 for songwriters and writer-producers: The Writer Producer Fund. "Talented music creators who work behind the scenes rather than on stage and in the limelight tend to be overlooked when it comes to funding", says PRS Foundation CEO Vanessa Reed. "Our new initiative responds to that gap".

• Nicki Minaj has released a video for her recent Drake and Lil Wayne featuring single, 'No Frauds'.

• Lana Del Rey has released 'Lust For Life', featuring The Weeknd. Listen, if you want.

• Omar Souleyman will release his new album, 'To Syria, With Love', on 2 Jun.

• Vessels have released new single 'Radiart', the first track from their upcoming new album. They've also announced that they'll headline Village Underground on 4 Oct. Get tickets, they're great.

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Ed Sheeran gets meaty tattoo to celebrate new single
Ed Sheeran's comedy Irish rap 'Galway Girl' now has a comedy tattoo to go with it. He recently got the name of the song inked on his arm, only realising afterwards that the tattoo had a typo in it.

Speaking at a show in Glasgow, Sheeran explained that the error (or perhaps not) was the work of actor Saoirse Ronan, with whom he recently filmed the video for the song.

"When we were filming it, I meant to get a tattoo of her handwriting saying 'Galway Girl'", he said. "It actually says Galway Grill. Like, full on, she really took the piss out of me with this one. It actually says Galway Grill. G-r-i-l-l".

He's not angry though. "I'm actually kind of proud of her", he went on. "It's the kind of thing that I would do".

If there isn't a Kebab shop in Galway called Galway Grill by Tuesday, everyone is letting themselves down. Do remember to proof read the sign though. Proof reading is important.

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