Eventbrite confirms $200 million Ticketfly buy
Eventbrite has confirmed its acquisition of US ticketing firm Ticketfly for $200 million. The deal, it says, "brings together Eventbrite's momentum in music, global scale, and expertise in event technology with Ticketfly's marketing excellence and strong track record of success in music". All in all, it's an immense alignment. Immense I tell you!

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts", said Eventbrite CEO Julia Hartz on announcing the deal, "and we see immense alignment and opportunity with this union". See, told you.

"Together with Ticketfly, we will focus our collective energy on further developing our unparalleled solution and superior services for indie music venues and promoters around the world", Hartz added.

Ticketfly, of course, was bought by Pandora in 2015 as the personalised radio service sought to diversify, having concluded that its core advertising business was never going to take it into profit. The logic was that all the data Pandora had on American music fans, coupled with it being able to target advertising to those same fans via its streaming platform, meant a move into ticketing was a logical and potentially lucrative step.

However, as cash-strapped Pandora started to review its business earlier this year, a sell off of Ticketfly was quickly mooted. The Eventbrite deal was announced on Friday at the same time it was confirmed that broadcaster Sirius XM had bought a significant slice of the Pandora business for $480 million. Some have noted that Liberty Media, which has a controlling stake in Sirius XM, also owns a quarter of Live Nation, which of course in turn owns Ticketmaster. Which may or may not be relevant.

Either way, Friday's two announcements mean that Pandora has secured a significant cash pile to work its way through as it tries to further grow its ad-funded personalised radio business while ploughing on with its bid to also secure a slice of the subscription streaming market. Even though it technically sold Ticketfly for considerably less than it paid to acquire it back in 2015, that deal having been worth up to $450 million, depending on when you value the Pandora stock that accounted for a big chunk of the transaction.

What about the potential for Pandora to use all its data and marketing power to sell tickets and share in the loot though? "Eventbrite and Pandora plan to enter into a future distribution agreement to extend the benefits already proven out with the Pandora and Ticketfly integration", say the two companies. Well, that's alright then.

"The combination of Ticketfly and Pandora proved our thesis that listeners want easy access to live events, and that we have the ability to promote and sell tickets at scale in a highly targeted way", Pandora boss man Tim Westergren said on Friday. "We look forward to expanding the opportunity to bring fans and artists together through our continued partnership with Eventbrite and Ticketfly".

As for Ticketfly co-founder and CEO Andrew Dreskin, who will now lead Eventbrite's music efforts, well he was full of praise for both the past and future owner of his business.

"Ticketfly and Eventbrite are the two most progressive live events technology companies out there", said he. "And together we will create a transformational platform that will be game-changing for independent venues and promoters. We plan to build on the great work that Ticketfly and Pandora have done and offer the benefits of that partnership to Eventbrite's customers, delivering even more live event notifications to Pandora listeners".

Immense alignment and a game-changing transformational platform! What a time to be alive!

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Prince estate reviewing legal options over Purple Rain musical
So, what do the Prince estate reckon to those previously reported plans by the people behind the Michael Jackson-themed 'Thriller Live' to set up a Prince equivalent stage show? "This is a blatant attempt to deceive fans", says the estate. That's going to look great on the poster.

As previously reported, theatre producers hope to launch a 'Purple Rain' stage show featuring the hits of Prince at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley next February, with ambitions for the production to follow 'Thriller Live' into London's West End. Gary Lloyd, who previously directed 'Thriller Live' and is set to work on 'Purple Rain', said: "Prince's music and constant reinvention is legendary, so to get the opportunity to bring that and all his colourful characters to the theatrical stage is a dream".

But will the dream actually become a reality? "Neither Prince's family nor the estate have given permission to use his name, likeness or music catalogue for this event", Troy Carter, in his guise as entertainment advisor to the Prince estate, told the BBC last week.

"This is a blatant attempt to deceive fans into thinking they're seeing a 'Purple Rain' musical on the West End, when it's only a cover band playing Prince's songs", Carter continued. "We're currently weighing our legal options and look forward to bringing the real 'Purple Rain' to the stage in the near future".

Ah, legal options, yes, that sounds like fun. 'Thriller Live' was originally conceived before Jackson's death by a writer who knew the singer, resulting in the king of pop giving the project his blessing. No such blessing seems to be incoming from Prince's family.

The legalities around jukebox musicals are somewhat ambiguous. The question here is can Prince's songs be performed within a stage show under a blanket licence from collecting society PRS or is specific permission required from the musician's publisher?

The answer to that question is a useful "it depends". A PRS spokesperson told CMU: "The performance of musical works associated with a particular artiste or band is generally licensable by PRS in the first instance but where the performances are dramatic or quasi-theatrical, the consent of the copyright owner may also be required".

So, the question to actually ask is: will the 'Purple Rain' stage show really just be a covers band singing Prince songs or will it be a musical where the songs form a proper plot? If it's the former, which seems more likely, that would probably make licensing the song rights easier. Though the Prince estate may well argue that the show's title implies the stage show is based on the script of the film of the same name, and seek to block the production on those grounds, maybe by accusing the musical's producers of passing off.

All of which could prove to be more interesting than the show itself.

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Bouncer sues Lil Wayne over 'hate crime'
A nightclub bouncer is suing Lil Wayne for allegedly punching him during an altercation a year ago. Adding an extra layer to the proceedings, the security guard claims that the rapper committed a hate crime against him.

The incident took place in June last year at the Hyde nightclub on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, where a BET Awards after party was taking place. Wayne seemingly got into an argument with the bouncer, Andrew Nunemacher, when members of his entourage were refused entry to the venue.

According to reports, Nunemacher says in his lawsuit that he was just doing his job. What makes it a hate crime, it is alleged, is that the rapper shouted "fuck you, white boy" after punching him.

The security guard is suing Lil Wayne, club owner SBE Entertainment, the rapper's label Young Money and its ultimate owner Universal Music, and the company behind the BET Awards, Made Hollywood, for damages in relation to the attack. He is also seeking the addition of a $25,000 civil fine for the alleged hate crime.

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Dutch Usenet provider ordered to reveal identify of copyright infringing user
A specialist Usenet provider in the Netherlands has been told to provide Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN with details about a former user who is accused of sharing copyright infringing material via the Usenet network.

As previously reported, BREIN has stepped up its efforts in the last eighteen months to target prolific individual file-sharers, scoring some success in getting rampant online infringers to commit to stop infringing via the threat of court orders that would force the file-sharers to pay significant damages.

The anti-piracy group has targeted people sharing links to unlicensed material via various online platforms and networks, including Usenet. Its latest bid to do that required Dutch Usenet-provider Eweka to reveal the identify of a former user, but it refused to do so without a court order.

So BREIN went to court and secured said order, and also a ruling that said Eweka must comply with the anti-piracy group's requests in similar cases in the future without additional injunctions from the court.

According to Torrentfreak, this is in line with past precedent in the Netherlands where courts have said that internet companies should reveal the identities of users in infringement cases, where the case for infringement is plausible and the accuser has a legitimate interest in the case.

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STIM/Spotify invoice spat delays payment
Payment of Spotify royalties to Swedish songwriters and music publishers who are allied to the country's collecting society STIM have been held up, seemingly because of a dispute over how the performing rights organisation invoices the streaming service.

According to Breakit, Spotify has not paid STIM's invoice for the fourth quarter of 2016, meaning that royalties from that service in that time period will not be included in this week's scheduled payment run to STIM members.

The dispute seemingly relates to so called 'unmatched tracks', with Spotify insisting that it offered to pay the society all monies due on matched works, but that STIM - which says it invoiced for Q4 of 2016 in the same way as previous quarters - declined that offer, seeking payment of its invoice in full.

A STIM spokesperson told Breakit: "Spotify has decided on a new interpretation of our existing contract. We believe that previously agreed principles and industry standards should apply".

The payment of song royalties in the streaming space is tricky, because the digital services don't know what songs are contained in the recordings the labels pump into their servers each week, nor who controls the copyright in those songs.

Outside the US, the publishers and collecting societies generally take responsibility for working out what works have been used and therefore what royalties are due to who, though unmatched tracks - where it isn't clear which writer and publisher should be paid - remain an issue, and, when it comes to payments, something of a grey area.

In the case of this mini spat, both STIM and Spotify say talks are ongoing, with the former adding that "we have high hopes that this will be resolved soon so that our members can compensated as soon as possible".

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Future Publishing revives TeamRock Radio
Online radio station TeamRock Radio is back in operation, featuring programmes linked to the Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog magazines, plus playlists curated by guest artists.

TeamRock Radio went offline when its parent company, TeamRock, went into administration just before Christmas last year. Future Publishing subsequently bought back the magazines it had previously sold to the TeamRock company in 2013, and with that deal also acquired the TeamRock website and radio assets, though it wasn't immediately clear what the media firm planned to do with the latter.

The founders of the now defunct TeamRock company came from a radio background and so always planned to build a radio station around the rock magazines they acquired, and initially ran that service on the DAB network as well as online. Though the TeamRock radio station never seemed to quite build the momentum its founders had hoped for. Nevertheless, Future presumably reckons it adds value to its rock magazine portfolio, hence bringing the service back under the guidance of Programme Controller Philip Wilding.

Confirming the radio station relaunch, TeamRock Editor In Chief Scott Rowley was keen to distinguish the service from other rock radio set-ups in the UK. He said: "We've built the station for the people who'll actually listen to it. Rock stations in the UK - and around the world for that matter - are lazy and formulaic. They're entry-level, with playlists that treat you like you've just heard rock music for the first time"

Continuing on that theme, Rowley went on: "If you invited a bunch of friends back to your house you wouldn't play them 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Bat Out Of Hell' or 'Whole Lotta Love' - you'd put on some well-chosen classics they hadn't heard in a while or some brilliant new music. So why do our rock radio stations insist on force-feeding us the bleeding obvious? TeamRock Radio is for people who really love music".

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Ensign Records founder Nigel Grainge dies
Veteran music industry exec Nigel Grainge has died, aged 70, as a result of complications from recent surgery.

London-born Grainge - brother of Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge - began his music industry career at Phonogram in 1970, working his way up the hierarchy to become Head Of A&R, and signing, among others, the Steve Miller Band, 10CC, Eddy Grant and Thin Lizzy.

He later launched his own record company, Ensign, where he signed The Boomtown Rats, Waterboys and Sinead O'Connor. Then - after selling Ensign to Chrysalis - he moved into the world of music publishing, launching Dizzy Heights, which he subsequently sold to Edel.

He relocated to LA in 2002, working as a consultant to various artists, labels and publishers, and more recently on the HBO series 'Vinyl'.

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Slipknot documentary to be released in cinemas
A new documentary about Slipknot will be released in cinemas in September. Titled 'Day Of The Gusano', the film focuses on the band's first ever performance in Mexico in December 2015.

"Slipknot still has dreams for itself [and] finally playing Mexico was one of them", says the band's Shaun Crahan. "It's been a surreal life of rock and roll for Slipknot and the fact that the dreams still go on for us is simply incredible".

Guitarist Jim Root adds: "We had such a great time at Knotfest Mexico. Not only with all the friends and bands that were there, but with the fans and the crowd we had to document it with. Now we get to share it with the world".

The film will be screening in selected cinemas on 6 Sep. Here's a trailer.

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Universal, Coalition Of Chaos, Geri Halliwell, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Universal Music in the US last week created the job of VP New Digital Business and handed it to Tuhin Roy. He'll work with digital start-ups with a view to developing new or future business partnerships between them and the major.

• Warner Music in the US has confirmed the hire of Jeff Bronikowski to the role of SVP Global Business Development/Head Of New Technology & Innovation, which is going to require a rather large business card. Most recently an independent consultant, Bronikowski previously worked for IAC, Echo Nest and Universal Music, among others.

• If you want a second business development appointment at Warner Music, here's one. London-based Tracy Gardner has been promoted to SVP Global Business Development & Strategy. A more modest-sized business card required this time.

• Chris Butler off of Music Sales last week became Chair of the International Confederation Of Music Publishers. And why not, I say.

• US booking agency Paradigm has promoted five staffers to the role of agent: Tim Corbin, Carly James, Jamila Lyndon, Kiely Mosiman and Paolo Suarez.

• Karen Bradley has been reappointed as Culture Secretary by Theresa Mayhem following last week's General Election. Bradley will continue to run the Department Of Culture, Media & Sport for as long as Mayhem's government remains in power. So, till 2pm?

• Geri Halliwell will release her first solo single for more than a decade on 23 Jun. 'Angels In Chains' is a tribute to George Michael, with proceeds going to Childline. "When I first heard the sad news of his passing, I was nine months pregnant with my son Monty and I was full of emotions", says Halliwell. "I didn't know quite what to do with my feelings so I put it in a song, which became 'Angels In Chains'. I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work on this record with Chris Porter and the same team George had hand picked for his own projects".

• Lorde has flipped out a new track, 'Sober'.

• Little Mix have released the video for new single 'Power', featuring Stormzy.

• The Fall will release a new album, 'New Facts Emerge', on 28 Jul.

• The Libertines have announced a tour of seaside towns in September and October, including a headline performance at Margate's By The Sea festival.

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Damon Albarn encourages young people to stay engaged with politics following election result
Damon Albarn spoke about the result of last week's General Election at the Gorillaz Demon Dayz festival in Margate on Saturday. The musician encouraged young people to stay engaged with politics, ready for the next vote.

"It's been a weird week in this country", he said. "A real surprise and then an inevitable bullshit outcome. But this is only the beginning cos there's some of you out there who weren't able to vote this time, but next time you'll be able to vote. It's going to grow".

While Demon Dayz was going on down by the sea, as part of MIA's Meltdown festival in London, maintaining the enthusiasm of young people in politics was a topic of discussion in one of a series of panels organised by CMU. The panel were optimistic that the grime artists who encouraged their fans to becoming politically engaged this election will remain vocal on the key issues raised by Jeremy Corbyn's campaign.

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