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TODAY'S CMU APPROVED: Having released their debut EP, 'Monday Will Have To Wait', last year, South African band Diamond Thug are slowly beginning to attract attention internationally. And new single 'Eclipsed' puts them in a position to accelerate that trend. "'Eclipsed' represents the state of being overshadowed by someone, knowing that only once you find the strength to break away will you be free to come into your own", say the band. [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 | Cloudflare fails to have copyright case dismissed on jurisdiction grounds READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Modern Sky UK allies with Sentric Music READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LABELS & PUBLISHERS | New MD for Universal's telly-and-movie music unit READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| BRANDS & MERCH | Starbucks allies with Lady Gaga on kind fundraising drinks READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| MEDIA | Power of music explored in six Music Day monologues of Radio 3 Bauer Media to network mid-morning slot on local FM stations READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Metric's Emily Haines announces new solo album READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AWARDS | Metal Hammer presents Golden Gods READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Wolf Alice, Plan B, Run The Jewels, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Katy Perry still wants to make friends with Taylor Swift READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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KILIMANJARO LIVE - PROMOTER (LONDON) Do you eat, sleep and breathe music? New, old, cross genre, artists that should have been, guilty pleasures and everything in between? Kilimanjaro Live is looking for a new promoter to join the team here, working on everything from pub gigs to, who knows, football stadiums. For more information and to apply click here. |
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DOMINO - FREELANCE DIGITAL PROJECT MANAGER (LONDON) Domino is looking for a Digital Project Manager with front end experience, working across both its record label and Publishing divisions. This position is offered on a part-time, freelance basis and will be based in our offices in London. For more information and to apply click here. |
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PRS FOR MUSIC - CONTENT EDITOR (LONDON) Are you as passionate about music as you are about crafting great content? PRS For Music is looking for an experienced Content Editor with a flair for creating engaging print copy and rich media to play an integral role in our Creative Services team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SOLAR MANAGEMENT – ACCOUNTS/FINANCE MANAGER (LONDON) An Accounts/Finance Manager is required for busy London-based artist and producer management company Solar Management. The ideal candidate must have the ability to multitask, be able to work on their own initiative and have excellent organisational skills. A knowledge of PRS, PPL, royalty accounting and withholding tax is useful. For more information and to apply click here. |
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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. |
| 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 |
Cloudflare fails to have copyright case dismissed on jurisdiction grounds
Internet company Cloudflare, a provider of so called reverse proxy services among other things, has failed to have a copyright infringement case against it dismissed, despite its argument that most of the websites named in the litigation are based outside the US.
Cloudflare has increasingly appeared on the gripe list of copyright owners of late. In its submission to the US government's annual report on copyright matters worldwide, the Recording Industry Association Of America last year stated that: "[Piracy] sites are increasingly turning to Cloudflare, because routing their site through Cloudflare obfuscates the IP address of the actual hosting provider, masking the location of the site".
The major label trade group then added that: "The use of Cloudflare's services can also act to frustrate site-blocking orders because multiple non-infringing sites may share a Cloudflare IP address with the infringing site".
The vast majority of the companies using Cloudflare's various services are legitimate of course, and are seeking to reduce the strain on their own servers and protect their online operations, rather than mask their identity.
Though copyright owners don't like the fact that Cloudflare also has piracy platforms amongst its client base. Cloudflare, like most internet companies, insists it's not there to police the internet and can't go around disconnecting customers on the basis of complaints from content companies.
In terms of what the internet firm's actual liabilities are under copyright law, well, that's debatable and is now being tested in the US via a lawsuit launched by porn company ALS Scan.
That litigation was launched last year, and Cloudflare did manage to have some aspects of the legal action dismissed early on. However, the internet company is still defending itself against allegations of 'contributory infringement' for assisting piracy sites in the distribution of unlicensed content.
The firm's most recent move was to argue that fourteen of the fifteen sites specifically mentioned in ALS Scan's lawsuit - all of which have used Cloudflare's services - were based outside the US. That means that the direct infringement from which Cloudflare's alleged contributory infringement stems happening outside America, it argued, and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the US courts.
However, the court hearing the case did not agree. In a ruling made earlier this month, and now published by Torrentfreak, judges said that because Cloudflare had cached copies of those foreign sites on its servers in the US, that was sufficient to deem that the direct infringement had occurred within America.
Or in the words of the judgment: "It is undisputed that cache copies of Cloudflare clients' files are stored on Cloudflare's data servers; it is also undisputed that some of those data servers are located in the United States. Thus, to the extent cache copies of plaintiff's images have been stored on Cloudflare's US servers, the creation of those copies would be an act of direct infringement by a given host website within the United States".
Judges also said that simply caching copyright infringing content could result in liability for that infringement, and that the kind of caching employed by Cloudflare was not covered by fair use. All of which means, in relation to fourteen of the fifteen sites listed in ALS Scan's legal action, the matter will now proceed to court.
When that happens, all copyright owners will be watching closely to see whether any other technicalities can be used to reduce Cloudflare's copyright liabilities. If not, other lawsuits are sure to follow.
Modern Sky UK allies with Sentric Music
Sentric Music has signed an administration deal with the new UK division of Chinese independent music firm Modern Sky Entertainment.
The live music side of Modern Sky invested in the Liverpool Sound City festival last year, and the launch of the Modern Sky UK label comes off the back of that alliance. It's headed up by Sound City chief Dave Pichilingi and seeks to work with artists it signs on their song rights as well as their recordings.
Music publishing experts Sentric will administrate the song rights in which Modern Sky UK has an interest, as well as seeking sync opportunities for songwriters working with the label.
Says Pichilingi said: "I've had a relationship with Sentric and its founder Chris Meehan for some years now, and I've watched that company grow in stature and credibility. With Sentric's main office being in Liverpool, this deal makes even more sense because we have that physical closeness as well as a philosophical one".
He goes on: "Chris gets what we're trying to achieve with Modern Sky UK, having spoken to him about the artists that we're bringing in, and Sentric will be taking a proactive approach with the commercial possibilities of our artists".
The there mentioned Meehan adds: "Dave is a music industry stalwart in the UK and Liverpool with unparalleled experience. We're really pleased he's heading up Modern Sky's UK operation and excited about being a partner. We've had a strong working relationship with Dave and the Sound City team for a long time and we're looking forward to building on that further".
New MD for Universal's telly-and-movie music unit
Globe: Soundtrack & Score, the Universal Music division set up a year ago to "maximise the artistic and commercial impact of music in film and TV", has a brand new Managing Director in the form of Ross Sellwood.
Sellwood has previously worked on the other side of that equation, in the TV business as a music supervisor, most recently at Banijay Media, and before that at companies like RDF Media Group and the BBC.
The boss of Universal Music UK's Globe business, that'll be Marc Robinson, reckons the hiring of Sellwood "will consolidate our aim of reimagining of how film and TV music is created". Which sounds like fun.
"Globe: Soundtrack & Score is already proving the benefits of being part of the creative process at the earliest stages of soundtracks", Robinson added, "helping to shape and fund budgets and then being the team that takes the music through to recording, release, marketing and distribution".
What does Sellwood think about his new job? Well, he's been tight-lipped about it all, but I am going to go out on a limb here and propose he might be "THRILLED".
Starbucks allies with Lady Gaga on kind fundraising drinks
Starbucks has announced an alliance with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation via which, the coffee-peddler says, it wants to spread the simple message "be kind". Though if you want to be really kind, I'd rather have a Pret cappuccino myself.
Says Gaga herself: "We're healthier and happier when we live our lives with compassion and our communities are stronger when we treat one another with generosity and respect. The Born This Way Foundation and I are so excited to partner with Starbucks to help inspire positivity and love through the Cups Of Kindness collection".
Oh yes, the Cups Of Kindness collection. That's four "vivid iced beverages hand-picked by Lady Gaga" that come in a variety of colours. Whenever anyone opts to buy a cup of kindness in the US or Canada through to 19 Jun, Starbucks will donate 25 cents to Gaga's charity.
It will in turn use the money to fund programmes that "support youth wellness and empowerment by fostering kindness, improving mental health resources, and creating more positive environments". So see, some good will come out of all this stupidity.
"Over the years we've admired the amazing work that Lady Gaga has led through the Born This Way Foundation", says Starbucks' music chief Holly Hinton. "We are proud to introduce the Cups Of Kindness collection to raise awareness and fund the Foundation's efforts to spread kindness, support youth and make the world a better place".
Gaga prefers the New Matcha Lemonade apparently, but you can also choose from the New Violet Drink, the Ombré Pink Drink or the Pink Drink. Assuming you are in North America. And you shop at Starbucks. And you're kind.
Power of music explored in six Music Day monologues of Radio 3
So, you're all primed for Music Day, right? It's Thursday. Don't tell me you forgot! Yep, this Thursday the BBC is celebrating music, with all its music stations handing over their airwaves to music so that you can enjoy the music. Good times.
Though look, here's something interesting to come out of the BBC's Music Day film flam, though ironically they are primarily speech based. BBC Radio 3 will air six short monologues this Thursday, each telling a classical music related tale under the header 'The Power Of Music'.
It's a joint venture between Radio 3 and the BBC Writersroom, which exists to develop and support writing talent. The six short monologues for BBC Music Day have all been written by emerging writers who have never been commissioned by the Beeb before: Salim Allybokus, Jan Carson, Ross Dunmore, Emily De Dakis, Grace Knight and Amy Ng.
Voicing their work are Liam Neeson, Kayvan Novak, Tamsin Greig, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Sophie Wu and Daniel Mays. It's an interesting project that will air throughout Thursday on Radio 3 - maybe next time they could expand it out to feature a wider variety of genres.
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Bauer Media to network mid-morning slot on local FM stations
Bauer Media is going to network what is often confusingly called 'the mid-morning show' in radio industry circles (ie the one that goes out late morning into lunchtime) on its portfolio of local FM radio stations.
It means that, from next month, most of the Bauer-owned stations in the North of England will air the same show in that slot, hosted by Debbie Mac, who currently presents mid-mornings on Key 103 in Manchester. Five stations in Scotland will start to air a single show in that slot too, in that case presented by Greigsy.
"Why?" you might wonder. To save money? No, to focus "product investment into areas that provide differentiation and a deep connection with our listeners" of course!
According to Radio Today, Group MD of the Bauer City Network, Graham Bryce, says: "Our commitment to creating compelling engaging relevant content is at the heart of what we do. We are focusing our product investment into areas that provide differentiation and a deep connection with our listeners; exceptional breakfast and drive shows, award-winning local news, sport, traffic and travel, and high quality and relevant local information".
Good times.
| Approved: Diamond Thug Having released their debut EP, 'Monday Will Have To Wait', last year, South African band Diamond Thug are slowly beginning to attract attention internationally. And new single 'Eclipsed' puts them in a position to accelerate that trend. "'Eclipsed' represents the state of being overshadowed by someone, knowing that only once you find the strength to break away will you be free to come into your own", say the band. "It's about fighting the belief that you belong in someone else's shadow and resisting the urge to value the familiarity of their darkness over your own light". There are elements of that description that chime with the band's own history. Not that they were being particularly overshadowed by anyone specifically. However, while on previous releases they've sounded somewhat like a band in search of a sound, 'Eclipsed' is the first, I think, that people will point to and say, "That's Diamond Thug". Listen to 'Eclipsed' here.Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Metric's Emily Haines announces new solo album
Metric's Emily Haines has announced her first solo album in more than a decade. The follow-up to 2006's 'Knives Don't Have Your Back', new LP 'Choir Of The Mind' will be released on 15 Sep. The first single, 'Fatal Gift', is out now.
"Most of the songs on the album came to me out of some recent major changes in my life, and others were composed when my life felt more stable", says Haines. "Of them all, 'Fatal Gift' is the song that has lived with me the longest, through many incarnations. This is the right time for the definitive version to be heard. The song embodies for me the undeniable fact that no matter how high I climb, that voice, pulling me back to my essential self remains. We all pursue symbols of achievement, but utopian material promises are hollow".
Metal Hammer presents Golden Gods
Those Metal Hammers last night gathered up the hard rock and metal fraternity, still in the midst of their post-Download festival blur, and celebrated all metal-makers' skills via the magazine's annual Golden Gods bash.
Noting the tricky year Metal Hammer itself has had, its future looking bleak for a time after parent company TeamRock went into administration in December, the magazine's Editor Merlin Alderslade remarked: "After a difficult end to last year in which the future of our magazine looked uncertain, we couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate our comeback. From the one and only Chris Jericho returning to host our awards for a record-breaking third time, to seeing legends like Tony Iommi, Tom Morello and Chuck D walk out on stage, to honouring the contemporary names who make our scene great, it was the kind of evening that only the Golden Gods can provide".
Aldersalde continued: "As always, though, the most important thing was the metal community coming together again - and we salute everyone who has supported us in the last year and beyond, be it by coming to the show, buying our magazine or simply spreading the good word of heavy. Horns up!"
Horns up indeed. But winners. You want winners right? That's what we all got out of bed for. Well, here they are, golden in hue, godlike in character,
Best UK Band: Architects
Best International Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Best Live Band: Mastodon
Best New Band: Venom Prison
Breakthrough Band: Avatar
Best Underground Band: Pallbearer
Best Album: Gojira - Magma
Best Game: Iron Maiden - Legacy Of The Beast
Best Independent Label: Nuclear Blast
Inspiration: Exodus
Icon: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Dimebag Darrell 'Shredder': Joel O'Keeffe
Riff Lord: Devin Townsend
Defender Of The Faith: Ben Ward & Sandie Soriano
Spirit Of Hammer: Prophets Of Rage
Golden God: Black Sabbath
Wolf Alice, Plan B, Run The Jewels, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
• Wolf Alice will release their second album, 'Visions Of A Life', on 29 Sep. From it, this is first single 'Yuk Foo'.
• Washed Out has announced a new visual album, 'Mister Mellow'. It'll be out on 30 Jun. Here's a trailer.
• Stefflon Don has released new single 'Envy Us', featuring Abra Cadabra.
• Young Yizzy has released the video for new single 'Steppin'.
• So Below has released a new song, 'Ruin'. It's very good.
• Plan B will play the Globe Theatre in London on 24 Jul, not that he's claiming to be the new Shakespeare. You can sign up for the pre-sale here.
• Run The Jewels will play four UK shows in November, including Brixton Academy on 11 Nov. Support will come from Danny Brown, so that's quite a line-up.
• Mastodon will be touring the UK in December, finishing up with a show at Brixton Academy on 10 Dec.
Katy Perry still wants to make friends with Taylor Swift
Katy Perry is continuing in her campaign to end her feud with Taylor Swift, or at least look like the bigger person while Swift refuses to back down. And she's not going to be swayed by Swift's decision to return her music to the streaming services on the same day as Perry's new album 'Witness' was released.
As previously reported, Swift ended her other long-running feud - with the free streaming platforms - last week, returning her entire catalogue to those services, most notably Spotify.
The official line was that the move was "in celebration of '1989' selling over ten million albums worldwide and the RIAA's 100 million song certification announcement". However, many noted that Perry's new album was also out the same day and that Swift's streaming move grabbed all the headlines, and therefore took it as a refusal by Swift to accept the olive branch Perry has been waving about all over the place lately.
Following her recent appearance on James Corden's 'Carpool Karaoke', Perry again tried to settle things over the weekend, saying in an interview with Ariana Huffington: "I forgive her and I'm sorry for anything I ever did, and I hope the same from her. I think it's time. There are bigger fish to fry, and there are real problems in the world".
Has Swift's streaming play changed things at all though, that's the big question? Does Perry even think that her unwanted rival was actually being vindictive with the timing of her big stream announcement? "I don't know", Perry told US TV show 'Today'. "I can only do me. All I need to say to her is I love her, and God bless her on her journey. And that's it".
Well if that's it, maybe we could just talk about Perry's new album. One song a lot of people are talking about is 'Swish Swish', which some think is an attack on Taylor Swift. A theory bolstered by the fact that it features Nicki Minaj, who's also had a Swifty run-in.
"No, it's not about anyone in particular", said Perry. "And I've said that on the record. That might be your story but my story, which I know is true for me, is that I've not had just one person bully me or one person hold me down or met one troll".
So there you go, Taylor Swift could end all of this today. Though given that she doesn't have a new album to promote at the moment, it's hard to see what's in it for her to do so. Ending feuds is more of a Q4 thing.
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