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TODAY'S CMU APPROVED: Susanne Sundfør is back. Newly signed to Bella Union, she will release her seventh studio album, 'Music For People In Trouble', on 25 Aug. As ever, a new LP sees her move in a new sonic direction. Following the theatrical, densely produced pop of 2015's 'Ten Love Songs', new single 'Undercover' sees her shift back towards the more piano-focussed music she made at the beginning of her career. [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 Spotify settling the big mechanical royalties class action lawsuit that has been hanging over its plans to list on the stock market, arguments from both sides of the safe harbours debate in Europe hotting up, and Theresa May's assault on the charts. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital. [READ MORE] |
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LATEST CMU TRENDS: While the challenges faced by the music industry since the mainstream adoption of the internet in the early 2000s have been widely documented, the music media has faced many of the same challenges too. CMU Trends reviews recent developments and trends in the music media business, and the ongoing challenges faced by media owners. CMU Trends articles are available to premium subscribers. [READ MORE] |
| TOP STORIES | Two charged over deadly fire at Ghost Ship party READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Outgoing boss of Hollywood trade group praises European web-blocking READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LIVE BUSINESS | Glastonbury urges festival-goers to travel light, confirms extra security checks READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES | SoundCloud licensing guy moves to YouTube READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| THE GREAT ESCAPE | CMU@TGE 2017: A Beginners Guide To Brexit READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Ariana Grande's One Love Manchester show released on Spotify Nine Inch Nails announce new EP Alvvays announce second album READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Capitol, Björk, She Makes War, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Theresa May "doesn’t much like" that song about her READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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TROXY - FREELANCE DUTY TECHNICAL MANAGER (LONDON) Troxy is looking for an experienced technical manager to join the team at our busy East London venue. You will be responsible for assisting the technical department and ensuring the technical operations within the venue are managed to the high specifications required. For more information and to apply click here. |
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WARP PUBLISHING – INCOME TRACKING MANAGER (LONDON) Warp Publishing, an independent music publishing company with offices in London and Los Angeles, is looking for an experienced Income Tracking Manager, with a strong focus on data analysis and reporting, to be based in the North London office. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MPA GROUP OF COMPANIES - COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE (LONDON) The Music Publishers Association Group of Companies (MPA, MCPS, IMPEL and PMLL) is seeking a dynamic Marketing & Communications Executive to be the gateway to communications on its work to its members, industry stakeholders and the general public. For more information and to apply click here. |
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BELIEVE DISTRIBUTION SERVICES - OFFICE MANAGER / ASSISTANT (LONDON) Believe Distribution Services is looking for an Office Manager / Assistant to join our UK team based in London. The candidate will be managing the day-to-day of the UK office and assisting Believe’s CIO. For more information and to apply click here. |
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CR2 RECORDS - DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER (LONDON) Cr2 Records is looking for an experienced Digital Content Manager to manage the scheduling and direct delivery for all our digital releases to all DSP’s ensuring quality control and accurate, timely delivery. For more information and to apply click here. |
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YOUR ARMY - CLUB PROMOTIONS ASSISTANT (LONDON) Your Army Promotions is looking for someone with a deep understanding of dance music. Your role will involve researching and building relationships with taste maker DJs, database maintenance and reporting back to clients. Some industry experience preferable. For more information and to apply click here. |
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YOUR ARMY - SPECIALIST RADIO PLUGGER (LONDON) Your Army Promotions is seeking a highly motivated, hardworking individual with a strong passion for dance music to lead on specialist campaigns at radio. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - DIRECTOR, NEIGHBOURING RIGHTS LABEL COLLECTIONS (LONDON) Joining a growing Neighbouring Rights team in London, the Director of Label Collections will manage the Label Collections team and ensure a smooth running of the department. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - SOCIETY RELATIONSHIP MANAGER (LONDON) Joining a growing Neighbouring Rights team in London, the Society Relationship Manager will manage our client roster at Neighbouring Rights societies around the world. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - SOCIETY RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, LABEL COLLECTIONS (LONDON) Joining a growing Neighbouring Rights team in London, the Society Relationship Manager, Label Collections will the first point of contact for the label societies and responsible for streamlining processes in existing business territories. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - CLIENT RELATIONSHIP MANAGER (LONDON) Joining a growing Neighbouring Rights team in London, the Client Relationship Manager will the first point of contact for the client roster and responsible for identifying and signing new client as well as co-ordinate the onboarding. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - LABEL COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT (LONDON) Joining a growing Neighbouring Rights team in London, the Label Collections Assistant will work closely with the Society Relationship Label Collections Manager to ensure delivery of the annual operational plan. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - DISCOGRAPHIES & CLAIMS ASSISTANT (LONDON) Joining a growing Neighbouring Rights team in London, the Discographies & Claims Assistant will research and create detailed, accurate discographies for new clients making sure there’s a completeness and accuracy of ‘historically’ entered artist discographies. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - ROYALTY ASSISTANT (LONDON) Kobalt Neighbouring Rights (KNR) is looking for an exceptional individual to assist with our royalty and accounting responsibilities within our Neighbouring Rights department. This is a junior, office-based role that will require a hardworking, self-managing, detail-oriented and organised individual. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MEXICAN SUMMER/ANTHOLOGY - JUNIOR PROJECT MANAGER (LONDON) Mexican Summer and Anthology are looking for a junior project manager for our London based office to assist the Director of International Marketing. For more information and to apply click here. |
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TICKET ARENA/EVENT GENIUS - CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER (LEEDS) Ticket Arena is looking for an experienced Client Services Director to oversee our organisation’s ongoing operations and procedures. You will be a key member of the companies leadership responsible for the efficiency and progress of the business. For more information and to apply click here. |
| 7 Jun 2017 | CMU's Chris Cooke moderates a session on the Chinese market at MIDEM CLICK FOR INFO |
| 8 Jun 2017 | CMU's Chris Cooke moderates a safe harbours session at MIDEM CLICK FOR INFO |
| 10 Jun 2017 | CMU and Meltdown present Where Next For Music? CLICK FOR INFO |
| 17 Jun 2017 | CMU:DIY x TuneCore's Blueprint CLICK FOR INFO |
| 20 Jun 2017 | CMU:DIY x Urban Development: Where Labels & Publishers Fit In CLICK FOR INFO |
| weekly from 25 Sep 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: The How The Music Business Works Programme CLICK FOR INFO |
| 25 Sep 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Making Money From Music CLICK FOR INFO |
| 2 Oct 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: How Music Rights Work CLICK FOR INFO |
| 9 Oct 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: How Music Licensing Works CLICK FOR INFO |
| 16 Oct 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: The Music Rights Sector CLICK FOR INFO |
| 23 Oct 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Merch, Live & Brands CLICK FOR INFO |
| 30 Oct 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Building A Fanbase – Social Media Tools CLICK FOR INFO |
| 6 Nov 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Building A Fanbase – Music Media CLICK FOR INFO |
| 13 Nov 2017 | CMU Insights Seminar: Building A Fan-Orientated Business CLICK FOR INFO |
Two charged over deadly fire at Ghost Ship party
Two people have been charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to the fire that occurred at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, California last December, which took place during a party headlined by electronic group Golden Donna.
A total of 36 people died in the blaze, including artists Cherushii, Joey Casio, Nackt, and Cash Askew from dream-pop band Them Are Us Too.
According to the New York Times, the two men who have been charged - Derick Almena, who leased the warehouse, and Max Harris, who had a supervisory role at the building - are accused of failing to put in place basic safety measures at the informal arts complex they ran.
District Attorney of Alameda County, Nancy E O'Malley, who has brought the charges against the two men, told reporters that Almena and Harris had "knowingly created a fire trap with inadequate means of escape [and] then filled that area with human beings and are now facing the consequences of their actions".
The DA continued: "The paying guests at the event were faced with a nearly impossible labyrinth of the defendants' making. They allowed individuals to live in the warehouse and deceived the police, the fire department and the owner of the building to that fact. They allowed large groups to assemble in the warehouse for unpermitted and unsafe musical events in that space".
A spokesman for the DA's office, Teresa Drenick, added that the actual cause of the fire had not been identified and probably never would "because of the nature of the fire and its consumption of nearly all of the evidence". The investigation into the blaze was now complete, she added, and no additional people would be charged.
Outgoing boss of Hollywood trade group praises European web-blocking
The outgoing boss of the Motion Picture Association Of America, Chris Dodd, who announced he was departing the Hollywood trade group in April, has praised web-blocking efforts against copyright infringing websites in Europe.
Speaking at an event in Italy, Dodd noted how a number of European countries now provided systems via which copyright owners - including movie studios and record companies - can seek injunctions forcing internet service providers to block their customers from accessing piracy platforms.
Web-blocking is not currently available in the US - and proposals to introduce such measures there in 2011 and 2012 proved very controversial - though the MPAA has been quietly trying to put the anti-piracy tactic back on the agenda Stateside.
The event where Dodd was speaking reviewed the current state of play regarding online piracy in Italy, which remains an issue despite measures such as web-blocking now being available there. According to Torrentfreak, the boss of local anti-piracy organisation FAPAV said: "The research tells us we cannot lower our guard - we always have to work harder and with greater determination". He added that: "The pillars of anti-piracy protection are: the judicial authority, self-regulatory agreements, communication and educational activities".
Although Dodd, the MPAA and FAPAV all advocate web-blocking and other legislative measures to try to combat piracy online, the outgoing movie industry chief also conceded that education was a key element too. "Today's youth are the future of the audiovisual industry. Young people must learn to respect the people who work in film and television that in 96% of cases never appear [in front of camera] but still work behind the scenes".
He added: "It is important to educate and direct them towards legal consumption, which creates jobs and encourages investment".
Glastonbury urges festival-goers to travel light, confirms extra security checks
Organisers of the Glastonbury Festival have confirmed that there will additional security checks this year in the wake of recent events in Manchester and London.
In a post on the event's website, organisers say: "We wanted to update you with some extra information about entrance to this year's festival, in light of the recent tragic events in Manchester and London. As always, we have put in place all necessary measures to maximise public safety, working closely with the authorities".
They go on: "For security reasons, all ticketholders will be subject to extra searches of their vehicles, their bags and their person at this year's festival. This will make entrance slower than in previous years. Please be patient if there are queues, and please co-operate with any security requests and all searches".
Given the extra security measures, festival-goers are encouraged to travel as light as possible and, if possible, to try and arrive at the site at less busy times.
The message continues: "We do appreciate that you're going to be staying on the farm for several days, but the less you bring, the quicker you'll get through the gates. As a general rule, we would ask you to only bring as much as you can carry yourself. It really will make things quicker. There will be separate search lanes for those with large luggage and trolleys, and we anticipate that these lanes will be significantly slower".
SoundCloud licensing guy moves to YouTube
Stephen Bryan - Chief Content Officer at SoundCloud until last month - has only gone and rocked up at YouTube as Head Of Label Relations. Glutton for punishment is Stephen.
He joins his former Warner Music colleague Lyor Cohen at the Google video site, who confirmed the hire yesterday. "At YouTube, we have over a billion viewers and thousands of label partners and Stephen is going to be the bridge that brings them together", Cohen told reporters. "As that crucial link, he's going to help labels and artists dream up new opportunities to reach fans around the world".
Hurrah! Meanwhile, labels across Europe are ramping up their "YouTube is evil" rhetoric as EU law-makers consider amendments to the draft European Copyright Directive, including the article that seeks to limit the so called safe harbour which music companies argue YouTube exploits in order to under-pay for the music it streams.
For more safe harbour good times, check out the value gap panel moderated by CMU at MIDEM in Cannes tomorrow. Free "YouTube is evil" t-shirts for everyone. We're just getting them reprinted with "but Steve's alright" on the back.
CMU@TGE 2017: A Beginners Guide To Brexit
Look out for more reports throughout June on key sessions that took place at the CMU Insights conferences at The Great Escape last month. Today, we look at the final session of our Export Conference, A Beginners Guide To Brexit.
With export under the spotlight as part of CMU Insights @ The Great Escape this year, it was impossible to ignore bloody Brexit. Ian Moss - Director Of Public Affairs at record industry trade body BPI - led the debate, with Proper Music's Vangel Vlaski, the Musicians' Union's Naomi Pohl, FAC's Lucie Caswell and music export expert Anna Hildur among those considering the challenges Brexit poses the music industry.
"All the meetings I've gone to since the referendum have had Brexit on the agenda", began the MU's Noami Pohl. "We're totally obsessed with it, and it's probably taken a lot of people away from doing more valuable work, frankly".
A key topic at many of those Brexit discussions has been the future of copyright, she added, with concerns about what might happen to UK copyright law once it is cut free from the European copyright regime. "We are reassured again and again by the government and the Intellectual Property Office that there's no planned overhaul of copyright [post-Brexit]", said Pohl. "We hope that is indeed the case, because we believe the current copyright regime in the UK basically works well".
Pohl added that she hoped the UK would continue to work closely with the EU on copyright matters post-Brexit, to keep our copyright system in tandem with that on the continent. Noting the current copyright review in the EU as part of the digital single market project, she noted: "There are various copyright changes that are planned at an EU level to make it easier for people to trade in the digital single market and we still want to be part of that".
Beyond copyright law itself, what about British recorded music? It is assumed that there will still be a demand for UK artists across Europe and beyond, but could Brexit impact on how records are sold? Especially when it comes to physical product which - while still in decline - nevertheless continues to make up a decent slice of UK record industry revenues.
A lot of the CDs and vinyl records sold in the UK are actually pressed in Eastern Europe, while British labels need to get their physical stock into EU markets. If new tariffs or bureaucracy occur once the UK is outside the European Union, that will impact on the manufacture and distribution of all those discs.
"There are real concerns about how it will impact on the logistics of physical product", said Proper Music's Vangel Vlaski. "Things like manufacturing timelines are going to change. The cost of production is going to change. The free movement of goods and stock is going to change, and in a way that we can't really predict right now. Our main clients - the labels - are concerned and we're in constant discussion about the possible implications".
Any increase in costs will hit smaller labels the hardest, he added, because they operate on tighter margins already. "Another implication is at retail", he went on. "The faltering pound since last year's referendum means it is already more difficult to import goods from the EU. Are we prepared to see the retail prices for music rise up?"
And could rising prices increase the decline in physical sales overall?
Away from recordings, what about live? For many artists, the prospect of new restrictions on being able to freely tour and play around the EU will likely be the single biggest concern. Pohl agreed: "You have musicians who freelance for different orchestras across Europe, who are crossing borders independently of any one orchestra, meaning there's not somebody there to do any new paperwork that may be created when we leave the EU. That's a concern".
"And for bands who are touring", she went on. "Especially grassroots bands who don't necessarily have the support and finance behind them - could that be the extra cost that stops the tour from happening?"
Noting that many of the potential extra costs associated with making and selling music post-Brexit will hit grass roots artists and labels the hardest, the recently appointed CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition, Lucie Caswell, said that: "One of my fears for the wider business is very practical. You increase the administrative costs of making music, you increase the need for resources, and you actually reduce the pool of who can become involved in music"
"Does that then restrict the kind of music that you're going to hear produced?", she continued. "That's a far more worrying prospect for me".
With a wide range of concerns having been raised by his panel, BPI's Ian Moss then asked, seeking a positive: "Are we being a bit pessimistic here? Is it possible that the great benefit of not being in the EU is that we'll be in a country that is already a bit ahead of the curve on some key issues - like the anti-piracy injunctions and the duty of care of online intermediaries - and we might be able to take those initiatives further?"
Despite having raised a number of concerns herself earlier in the debate, Anna Hildur did agree that there was an exciting side to travelling into the unknown. "We're living in an experiment", she said. "Which is, in one way, a little bit exciting, even if we would like to avoid the uncomfortable side effects of that excitement sometimes".
She went on: "It's an experiment and I can see that maybe, all this pessimism is... maybe this will be the greatest country in Europe. 'Make Britain Great Again' and we can all be happy ever after". Though achieving that for the music community will definitely require politicians - currently being lobbied hard by every sector - to tackle the various potential issues Brexit poses for musicians and their business partners.
Check out all the reports and resources CMU has published around this year's CMU Insights @ The Great Escape conferences here.
| Approved: Susanne Sundfør - Undercover Susanne Sundfør is back. Newly signed to Bella Union, she will release her seventh studio album, 'Music For People In Trouble', on 25 Aug. As ever, a new LP sees her move in a new sonic direction. Following the theatrical, densely produced pop of 2015's 'Ten Love Songs', new single 'Undercover' sees her shift back towards the more piano-focussed music she made at the beginning of her career. Largely a solo performance for its first half - with just some lightly placed slide guitar over her piano and voice - the song builds to a choral finish. It also finds Sundfør in fairly downbeat mood. One which, it seems, will spread across the rest of the album, as she explains: "We are living in a time of great changes. Everything is moving so rapidly, sometimes violently, sometimes dauntingly. I think a lot of people experience anxiety these days. I wanted to address these emotions on the album". Sundfør will be touring the UK in October, kicking off with a performance at Union Chapel in London that you absolutely must go to. She'll also take part in the BBC Proms Scott Walker Tribute at the Royal Albert Hall on the 25 Jul. Listen to 'Undercover' here.Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Ariana Grande's One Love Manchester show released on Spotify
Ariana Grande's One Love Manchester show is now a Spotify playlist, featuring all the performances from Sunday. Grande is also reportedly planning to push out her version of 'Over The Rainbow', which closed the show, as a charity single.
Already, £2 million was added to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund - which has now raised over £10 million in total - during Grande's benefit concert. The fund was set up by Manchester City Council and the British Red Cross in the wake of the bomb attack which killed 22 people leaving a Grande concert at the Manchester Arena last month.
The popstar is already set to appear highly on this week's UK singles chart, too possibly at number one, with her song 'One Last Time', which fans have been buying since the attack. That single has been repackaged as a charity release, with 76p of every 99p download on iTunes going to the We Love Manchester fund.
Meanwhile, Noel Gallagher is reportedly donating any new song royalties generated by Oasis track 'Don't Look Back In Anger' to the We Love Manchester Fund. The song has become something of an anthem to the city's resilient response to the attacks, and Coldplay's Chris Martin performed it alongside Grande at Sunday's show.
Those royalty reports follow criticism from Gallagher's brother Liam that Noel did not appear at Sunday's concert. However, according to The Sun, Noel was not asked to perform at the show. Chris Martin meanwhile tweeted: "Thank you Noel Gallagher for giving your blessing and encouragement to play 'Don't Look Back In Anger' and 'Live Forever' on Sunday. Everyone knew in advance you couldn't be there physically, so thank you for being there in spirit and for lending us those incredible songs".
Anyway, I'm not sure this is really the place for continued Gallagher brother bickering. Here's the One Love Manchester show on Spotify.
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Nine Inch Nails announce new EP
Nine Inch Nails have announced that they will release a new EP later this year, prior to the start of their upcoming live dates, which are set for July. The release will be the second part of a trilogy which started with last year's 'Not The Actual Events'.
"Did you know there's a new top-secret Nine Inch Nails EP that will be released before the first shows we do this summer?" asked band leader Trent Reznor in an email to fans this week, knowing full well that they did not. "Did you know 'Not The Actual Events' was the first part of a trilogy of related EPs that will be released about six to eight months apart? Now you do. More information on this shortly".
The email actually largely dealt with various logistical issues on the Nine Inch Nails online store which have caused delays to new vinyl re-issues being shipped
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Alvvays announce second album
Alvvays have announced that their second album, 'Antisocialites', will be released on 8 Sep.
"This record is a fantasy breakup arc and my life nearly imitated [in] art", says vocalist Molly Rankin.
Here's first single, 'In Undertow'.
The band will also be touring the UK in August and September in order to flag the release. Here are the dates:
26 Aug: Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
27 Aug: Glasgow, St Luke's
28 Aug: Sheffield, The Leadmill
29 Aug: Southampton, Talking Heads
3 Sep: Birmingham, Institute 2
4 Sep: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
7 Sep: Manchester, Gorilla
8 Sep: London, Koko
9 Sep: Bristol, Thekla
Capitol, Björk, She Makes War, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
• Universal's Capitol Music Group in the US has made Dion 'No ID' Wilson its new Executive Vice President. The company's President Ashley Newton is "absolutely THRILLED". CEO Steve Barnett "couldn't be happier". And Wilson himself is "look[ing] forward to helping create more history and building upon the company's great brand".
• Björk has released a second video for 'Notget', this one not in VR.
• Korn have released a new video for 'Black Is The Soul' from last year's 'The Serenity Of Suffering' album.
• She Makes War has released new single 'I Want My Country Back', which she describes as "a roar of defiance and a heartfelt plea to my fellow British citizens to unite against the deafening rhetoric of 'the other' peddled in the mainstream press".
• Zola Jesus has announced that she will release new album 'Okovi' on 8 Sep. From it, this is 'Exhumed'.
• Rapper Pharoah has released his debut EP 'Reggae Zema', produced by Novelist.
• Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith has released a synthy cover of Sade's 'By Your Side'.
Theresa May "doesn't much like" that song about her
Theresa May isn't a big fan of Captain Ska's song about her, 'Liar Liar'. Although she admits she hasn't heard the whole thing in full, so I'm not sure she's really in a position to judge.
The song, of course, went into the UK singles chart at number four last week. It uses samples of May's speeches to support claims that she is a liar. The Prime Minister doesn't think this is much fun.
"I've heard bits of it and to be perfectly honest I'm not very happy about it", May told BBC Newsbeat. "I don't much like it, I don't think anybody would when they heard a song about themselves like that".
Maybe she would prefer Cassetteboy's latest effort.
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CMU supports the music community by providing news, business intelligence, training and education. CMU Daily covers all the latest news and developments direct by email. CMU Podcast is a weekly dissection of the biggest music business stories. CMU Premium gives you access to the weekly CMU Digest and CMU Trends. CMU Insights provides training and consultancy for music companies. CMU:DIY provides workshops and resources for future music talent.
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