BBC prioritises a "distinct" Radio 1 in its first Annual Plan
The BBC has published an Annual Plan for 2017/2018, a document the broadcaster will now publish annually as part of its new relationship with OfCom.

The UK media regulator is now the principal overseer of the Beeb following the winding down of the old BBC Trust, and the Annual Plan sets out the broadcaster's obligations to OfCom for each of its TV and radio services, as well as making programming commitments that it thinks goes above and beyond what it is obliged to deliver.

On all things musical, the document states: "Music has been at the heart of the BBC's mission since its foundation. It is our largest genre by output, with more than 40,000 hours of BBC content every year across TV and radio".

It goes on to brag that "as the largest and most diverse music broadcaster in the UK, the BBC uses its scale in unique ways, whether as the largest employer of orchestral musicians in the UK, the most significant commissioner of new classical music in the world, or as the pre-eminent supporter of new or unsigned UK artists through platforms such as BBC Introducing or Radio 1".

On that latter point it adds: "For new artists and musicians, it is harder than ever to break through to mainstream audiences. In this respect, the BBC's role in music is more important today than ever before, a unique stage for the greatest musical talent to reach an audience of millions. The UK music industry tells us that we remain crucial to its success in the UK and around the world".

In terms of priorities in the music domain, the report says: "Our strategic focus in music will be on refreshing music radio and supporting Radio 1; creating greater impact on BBC One through landmark music moments; and developing new digital outlets for the BBC's music
content through greater personalisation within iPlayer Radio".

Not only is Radio 1 picked out in particular in the Beeb's list of musical priorities, the commitment to ensure that the nation's favourite plays "a more distinctive mix of music" with "a daytime playlist which features a greater range of songs" is also one of the headline commitments included in the Corporation's announcement of its Annual Plan.

Though - before you get too excited about an imminent radical overhaul of playlisting priorities at the music station - the devil, as always, is in the detail. The specific commitment is that "Radio 1 will play a more distinctive mix of music than comparable providers, with a daytime playlist which features a greater range of songs".

By "comparable providers" it presumably means commercial pop stations - maybe even those with a youth bias - and playing a more distinctive mix of music than most of them isn't too tricky. Though the fact that the Beeb is specifically pushing its musical diversity commitments in relation to Radio 1 nevertheless seems significant.

Elsewhere in the document there is a big commitment in budget terms to invest in children's services over and above the current output of kids channels CBBC and CBeebies. More investment is also promised for the BBC's outposts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Plus new seasons of programmes focused on science and art are teased, and there is quite a bit of talk about utilising data - both as part of a fact checking initiative to try to tackle all that fake news that has become so popular on the social networks, and to better personalise a user's experience of BBC services online.

Says BBC boss dude Tony Hall: "Our ambition to reinvent the BBC for a new generation is our biggest priority for next year. Every part of the BBC will need to contribute to meeting this challenge. In this plan we set out our creative vision and some of the strategic decisions we will need to take to help us achieve that goal".

To that end, he hopes, "the new funding we've announced today for our children's services - the biggest investment for a generation - will help us ensure we can maintain our reputation for world-class programmes across our linear channels, but also increasingly offer a personalised online offering for our younger viewers. By keeping our focus on our audiences we'll be best placed to meet the challenges ahead of us and will ensure the BBC of 2022 continues to serve the whole of the UK".

The Annual Plan published yesterday is actually a draft and people are invited to submit feedback ahead of publication of the final version later this year. You can read the full document here if you so wish.

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Law firm can continue to work on Straight Outta Compton defamation case
One time NWA manager Jerry Heller may have died last year, but his defamation lawsuit against the makers of the film 'Straight Outta Compton' lives on. Though the Heller estate has failed to have one of the law firms working for the defence chucked off the case.

As previously reported, in 2015 Heller sued pretty much everyone involved in the NWA biopic, claiming his portrayal in the film constituted defamation.

Much of the lawsuit was then dismissed last year, though one element was allowed to proceed, with the judge overseeing the case noting that "the film arguably portrays plaintiff as an exploitative record label manager who attempted to take advantage of an unsophisticated artist by discouraging him from retaining an attorney during contract negotiations". Nothing in the record suggested that was true, and the judge reckoned there was a sufficient case to argue that that portrayal of Heller could constitute defamation.

Then Heller died last September and for a while it wasn't clear if the case would proceed. Until, that is, a nephew came forward keen to take over the litigation on his late uncle's behalf. And so the lawsuit continued.

Earlier this year lawyers working for the Heller family tried to have a law firm representing the defence removed from the case. The targeted legal company was Greenberg Traurig, which is representing Universal - the film studio, not the music group. One of the partners at that company, Joel Katz, once - in a previous role - counted Ruthless Records, the label Heller co-founded, as a client.

Team Heller alleged that, around about 1992/1993, the manager consulted Katz on a possible defamation lawsuit against Ice Cube over his track 'No Vaseline', in which the rapper dissed his former NWA bandmates. That conversation 25 years ago, Heller's nephew argued, constituted a conflict, and therefore he wanted the court to issue a disqualification motion removing Greenberg Traurig from the case.

For its part, the law firm called the disqualification request "meritless", stating that - aside from the fact Katz denies having ever discussed a defamation action with Heller back in 1992 - any such conversation would have no "substantial relationship" to the current dispute over the 'Straight Outta Compton' movie.

Anyway, Greenberg Traurig added, Katz has no involvement in this new case, and internal measures have been employed to ensure he can't share any confidential information he may or may not have with the lawyers who are working for Universal Pictures.

The court overseeing the litigation last week sided with the law firm, mainly on the basis of that commitment. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the court said: "Assuming without deciding that Katz received confidential information in the 1992 or 1993 meeting with the Hellers ... the court concludes that Greenberg Traurig has met its burden to show that an effective ethical screen has prevented Katz ... from sharing any confidential information with the attorneys litigating this action".

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MPA chief discusses MCPS future following new PRS deal
The boss of the UK's Music Publishers Association has discussed the future of mechanical rights collecting society MCPS - which is owned by the MPA - following the renewal of its partnership with performing rights organisation PRS For Music.

As previously reported, the UK music publishing sector's two collecting societies - PRS and MCPS - have worked closely together for a long time now, initially through an alliance, then a joint venture, and more recently with PRS being a service provider to MCPS.

With that deal up for renewal, MCPS invited other organisations to bid to takeover some or all of the work licensing the mechanical rights in songs that are represented by the society, but in the end it decided to renew its deal with PRS, though with a new arrangement.

Speaking at the AGM of the MPA yesterday, CEO Jane Dyball said: "Yes, the [tendering] process was long. Yes, it was arduous. But it allowed us to go out there to the marketplace and speak to a long line of commercial operators - to hear their perspective about the value of the business, and to make some considered long-term strategic decisions. I think the eventual outcome, with PRS signing a new long-term agreement to administer the business has given us a best-of-both-worlds outcome".

Alluding to changes in the MCPS/PRS partnership moving forward, in part informed by that tendering process, she went on: "So, while we get the continuity of working with good friends, our new agreement does not represent 'business as usual' - we can now start again with a new relationship, and one that will better serve the most important people in our business - the songwriters and composers - as well as the music publishers who support their careers and invest in their creative talent".

"The Music Publishers Association is therefore very excited that the new agreement with PRS For Music for licensing, administration, distribution and other activities for MCPS includes new approaches and new features which will provide significant added value for members. These include 'key performance indicators' - or KPIs - which are measurable performance indicators for key tasks during the lifespan of the agreement, including the areas of accuracy and efficiency in data handling, optimising revenue flow to members and best possible licensing and reporting practices".

Confirming that these measurable performance indicators would indeed be measured, Dyball continued: "Having consulted extensively with our members and customers, the KPIs were written to specific thresholds and timelines and are to be reported monthly and quarterly to MCPS management and membership for review. We are in the process of setting up that review process to ensure that the 42 key KPIs are efficiently tracked".

Dyball also discussed plans to spin-off the digital licensing entity IMPEL, which represents the mechanical rights of many independent publishers in the digital domain on a multi-territory basis and which - to date - has allowed its rights to flow through MCPS and its partnership with PRS.

The IMPEL business was not included in the MCPS tendering process, and is now set to become a standalone entity outside what is now called the MPA Group Of Companies - which also includes the MPA itself, MCPS and sheet music licensing agency PMLL.

Noting IMPEL's ambitions for further growth, Dyball said yesterday: "It is now no longer appropriate for a business which operates for a section of the MCPS membership - and, for that matter, MPA membership - and which has its own ambitions, to be part of the MPA group of companies. We are therefore undertaking a business separation process which means that this might be the last time IMPEL features in our AGM".

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Safety concerns cause last minute Green Day show cancellation
A Green Day show in Scotland was cancelled at the last minute yesterday, with promoters blaming adverse weather conditions. The band themselves said that safety was their priority, although personally they "don't care if it's raining fucking sideways". Meanwhile, Glasgow City Council, which owns the venue, has distanced itself from the decision.

Shortly before doors were due to open at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, promoter PCL Presents issued a statement, saying: "After many months of hard work and preparation, and after seven days of production and site crew working tirelessly around the clock on site, adverse weather conditions overnight and throughout the morning, during the band's scheduled load-in, led to issues on stage. A meeting between the on-site health and safety, event management, the artists' representatives and promoters concluded that it would be unsafe in the timescale to proceed with the event".

Later, in their own statement, the band said: "The local safety council, production crew, and concert organisers have deemed the stage unsafe for the fans and everyone involved. We are very distraught about this as we are in Glasgow now and were very much looking forward to this show as one of the highlights of our tour".

They continued: "We have been playing in extreme weather conditions throughout this European tour, and the last thing we want to do is see a show cancelled. We love our Scottish fans and we don't care if it's raining fucking sideways, although the safety of our fans and our crew is always our top priority".

Meanwhile Glasgow City Council, which operates the Bellahouston Park venue, said in a short statement that it had nothing to do with pulling the show: "The decision to cancel the Green Day event was taken by the promoters and management of the band, not Glasgow City Council".

The cancellation has led to questions over how well-prepared PCL Presents had been for the show, given that Glasgow is not exactly an area known for its consistently clement weather. There has also been criticism that staff hired on zero-hours contracts were told upon the cancellation that they would not be paid.

Slaves, who had been due to support Green Day, instead announced an impromptu replacement show at the ABC venue in Glasgow, saying on Twitter that "the good people of Glasgow still need a gig". The show quickly sold out after going on sale.

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Britvic talks up Spotify tie-up for Robinsons Refresh'd
I've seen the future of streaming music, and that future is a sugar-free fruit cordial. It's obvious now you think about it, isn't it? But don't worry, this streamy dreamy fruit squash drink is made with only naturally sourced ingredients.

Drinks maker Britvic has been bigging up its alliance with Spotify, which is built around its recently launched Robinsons Refresh'd brand. The company has its own 'hub' on the Spotify platform which it is promoting through its marketing of Robinsons Refresh'd. Users who land on the hub select five of their favourite tracks and, on the back of that, Spotify puts together a personalised playlist. There's something in there about the user's playlist being Refresh'd, but I didn't quite get it. So just all nod and let's pretend we understand.

Says Britvic Marketing Director, Kevin McNair, about the recently launched tie-up with the streaming firm: "Robinsons has a rich heritage, established in 1823, but fast forward to 2017 we're delighted to be pushing forward and driving new innovations in the marketing category. We're hugely proud of this partnership and the tech behind it, and can't wait to help inspire new refreshing summer soundtracks for Spotify users this summer".

Meanwhile Spotify's Director Of Sales, Greg Jarvis, says: "Spotify is THRILLED to partner with Britvic to help promote the launch of their new product, Robinsons Refresh'd". Ah, you're THRILLED are you Greg? How refreshing.

Trying to clarify how the playlist refreshing bit works, Jarvis adds: "Robinsons is using the full suite of Spotify's market-leading audio, video and display ads to promote Robinsons Refresh'd, and to encourage consumer engagement with a bespoke hub that hosts a seasonally relevant playlist refresher. The playlist refresher takes our API technology one step further by allowing users to customise the output based on their favourite artists. We look forward to the success of this campaign and a continued partnership with Britvic".

Although subscriptions are still at the core of the Spotify business, the streaming firm continues to try to grow its advertising and brand partnership revenues so to reduce the losses linked to the platform's massive freebie userbase.

Ahead of the recent ad industry junket Cannes Lions, Spotify's Global Head Of Sales, Brian Benedik, said: "We are just beginning to explore what [our] amazing [user] insights can do for brands. It's an exciting time for our Spotify global advertising business. We launched our free, ad-supported tier on mobile three years ago, and the business is still growing fast with more than 50% year over year growth in 2016".

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Most popular song and album of 2017 so far revealed - and it's not who you'd think! (No, sorry, it is)
The Official Charts Company has revealed the biggest selling singles and albums in the UK for the first six months of 2017. I'm sure it will surprise and shock you all to learn that Ed Sheeran is well represented on both lists.

Sheeran's latest album, '÷', tops the most consumed albums list, while his previous two records also feature in the top ten. Meanwhile, he also takes up three slots in the singles list, starting with the top two. And as if that wasn't enough, it's also just been announced that his song 'Shape Of You' has overtaken Drake's 'One Dance' as the UK's most streamed song OF ALL TIME. It's been played 184 million times since it was released in January.

Anyway, '÷' has shifted almost two million units, once you lump in the 415,000 streaming equivalent sales (which is a thing we do now). All of which makes Rag N Bone Man, in at number two with the most popular debut album of the year, 'Human', a bit of a lazy arse, having shifted just 668,000 actual and equivalent copies. Bad luck, Raggy.

You can see the full top 40 most popular albums here, and most popular singles here.

Here are the two top tens, if that's all you can be bothered with:

Songs!

1 Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You
2 Ed Sheeran - Castle On The Hill
3 Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee - Despecito (Remix feat Justin Bieber)
4 Ed Sheeran - Galway Girl
5 Rag N Bone Man - Human
6 Jax Jones - You Don't Know Me (feat Raye)
7 Clean Bandit - Symphony (feat Zara Larsson)
8 Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This
9 Little Mix - Touch
10 Martin Jensen - Solo Dance

Albums!

1 Ed Sheeran - ÷
2 Rag N Bone Man - Human
3 Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music 96
4 Drake - More Life
5 Ed Sheeran - x
6 Little Mix - Glory Days
7 Take That - Wonderland
8 Stormzy - Gang Signs And Prayer
9 Various Artists - Now That's What I Call Music 95
10 Adele - 25

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Ents24 reveals the new acts users are 'tracking'
Also doing some half-way-through-the-year counting is live entertainment guide Ents24, which has just published a list of the 20 new acts UK ticket buyers are most interested in catching live. By which, they mean, of the artists added to the Ents24 database in the last year, which have been most 'tracked' by the platform's users, which in turn means the user has requested updates on that artist's live activity. Understand? Good.

Just in case, here's Ents24's Adam Brooks to explain again the mechanics of what the company calls its Rising List. "The Ents24 Rising list is based on the artists our users have chosen to track", says he. "Demonstrating which new acts people are genuinely interested in seeing live. Unlike a panel-based list or a public vote, the list represents the acts whose shows inspire real excitement in fans, and a reliable snapshot of artists destined for success".

But who is on this list of which you speak, you wish to know, right? Well, these guys...

1. Mist
2. Post Malone
3. The Night Café
4. Jorja Smith
5. Yxng Bane
6. Sigrid
7. New Hope Club
8. AJ Tracey
9. Maggie Rogers
10. Brothers Osborne
11. Tom Grennan
12. The Lemon Twigs
13. Khalid
14. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
15. Kojo Funds
16. Tion Wayne
17. 5 After Midnight
18. Jonas Blue
19. Lil Yachty
20. Tom Zanetti

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Muse announce charity show with crowdsourced setlist
Muse have announced a show at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London on 19 Aug in aid of homelessness charity The Passage and the performance in the 2000 capacity venue will see them play a setlist chosen by fans.

"We have admired The Passage's work for a while now", says band leader Matt Bellamy. "Their work is vital to the community in London. We are looking forward to doing our bit to help the amazing staff and volunteers and the homeless people who benefit from their tireless hard work".

Mick Clarke, CEO of The Passage, adds: "The Passage is really grateful that Muse are doing a concert to raise money for, and awareness of, the vital work we do to end homelessness for those who come to our doors. It is frighteningly easy to end up on the street and this concert helps ensure that The Passage will be there for those who have nowhere else to turn to".

Tickets for the show will go on general sale at 9am on Friday. Pre-sale for fanclub members is open now.

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Katy Perry, Haim, Charles Bradley, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Katy Perry has released the lyric video for 'Swish Swish', a song that, let's not forget, is not about Taylor Swift.

• Olga Bell has plopped out a new EP, titled 'America', which is available in all the places you would expect it to be now. Here's the video for one of the tracks from it, 'Randomness'.

• Charles Bradley will play the Forum in Kentish Town on 15 Dec.

• Haim will play a special secret surprise show at the Electric Ballroom in Brixton this Sunday. But don't tell anyone. It's a surprise.

• Will Joseph Cook is going to be off out touring this October, which will be fun for him. I hope he has a nice time.

• Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.

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Ed Sheeran planning Ipswich-based version of 8 Mile
Did you see Ed Sheeran at Glastonbury? He was good, wasn't he? Maybe that was the first time you properly checked out what this Ed Sheeran guy was all about and you were pleasantly surprised by what you saw/heard.

But at this stage, he's been around so long now, you've missed out on all the back story. You need a way to get up to speed. How about a semi-fictionalised film about how he became the champion battle rapper he is today?

Oh, that couldn't work, they'd say. It's madness! But it worked for Eminem, so why not Ed? He's already got a pitch for it.

"I want to have an '8 Mile' moment", Sheeran told Q. "But '8 Mile' meets 'Notting Hill'. Not gritty like Detroit but, like, Ipswich".

Yes, if you were going to make a straight British version of '8 Mile' you'd want to set it somewhere like Corby. But Ipswich is fine as a setting for something a little different. It's got history, a river, a big bridge. But it doesn't really have an international profile. Say "Detroit" and people the world over will instantly have a picture in their mind of cars, industry, deprivation and Motown. Say "Ipswich" and they'll say "Bless you".

It's alright though, Ed has a plan to build a picture in people's heads through music: "I've got loads of songs about Ipswich that haven't come out so I could make a soundtrack".

So, that's one to watch out for, right? Though the one place you'll not be getting updates on future Sheeran-based film projects is Twitter, he having ditched the social network because it's rubbish.

"There's nothing but people saying mean things", he told The Sun of the tweet space. "One comment ruins your day. But that's why I've come off it. The headfuck for me has been trying to work out why people dislike me so much".

Maybe the film will set everyone straight on why you should like Ed Sheeran. Either way, he won't see your tweets telling him so.

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