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TODAY'S CMU APPROVED: Split between Sweden and England, dream pop duo San Jua began putting tracks up on SoundCloud earlier this year. They are somewhat cagey about their identities and there is little biographical information about them available, meaning pretty much all that's left is the music. And there we have three perfectly formed songs that say everything you need. [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 figures showing that UK music retail sales were up 11.2% in the first half of 2017 (all thanks to streaming), Help Musicians' latest initiative to improve mental health in the music industry and this year's Mercury Prize shortlist. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital. [READ MORE] |
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LATEST CMU TRENDS: Rarely a week goes by in the music business news these days without at least one catalogue acquisition. But who - other than labels and publishers - is buying music rights, and why? Are there opportunities for individual artists and songwriters to do deals with professional investors? And how do you even value music rights? Ahead of a Music 4.5 event exploring all these topics, CMU Trends reviews the music rights market - past, present and future. [READ MORE] |
| TOP STORIES | Dr Luke wants to question Lady Gaga over Kesha case READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Fyre Festival co-founder to defend himself in investor lawsuit READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LABELS & PUBLISHERS | FatCat launches new imprint to release dance 12"s READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LIVE BUSINESS | Final day of a wash out Y Not festival cancelled Festival-goers evacuated after stage catches fire at Tomorrowland Barcelona READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES | Private equity backers could buy SoundCloud some extra time Apple discontinues iPod Nano and Shuffle READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | PC Music make album out of May's Month Of Mayhem READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Bieber didn't quit tour to spend more time with his God READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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GLASGOW LIFE - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (GLASGOW) Glasgow Life is the charity responsible for inspiring Glasgow’s citizens and visitors to lead richer and more active lives through culture, sport and learning. It is seeking a Business Development Manager to lead on the business development and commercial growth of its Arts, Music & Cultural Venues Service, with specific responsibility for the commercial development of Glasgow Life Tickets, our in-house box office and ticketing operation. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SECRETLY GROUP - PRODUCT MANAGER (LONDON) Secretly Group is looking for a motivated and ambitious Product Manager to join its London team. Two to four years of music industry experience are essential, although not necessarily specifically in marketing. S/he must have a passion for music and be keen to contribute creative ideas to our European marketing strategy. For more information and to apply click here. |
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DOMINO - RADIO PLUGGER (LONDON) Domino is looking for a new radio plugger to join its in house promo team. The successful applicant will work within Domino’s current radio structure and will have an extensive knowledge of all aspects of UK radio. He or she will need established relationships at radio and a proven track record of working successful releases. For more information and to apply click here. |
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RSK ENTERTAINMENT - SALES ACCOUNT ASSISTANT (WEST BERKSHIRE) Music sales, marketing and distribution company RSK Entertainment requires a Sales Account Assistant to cover a portfolio of retail accounts and be responsible for the solicitation and sales of new releases, as well as back catalogue orders and the proactive instigation of label promotions and campaigns. For more information and to apply click here. |
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DOMINO - SENIOR DIGIAL ACCOUNT MANAGER (LONDON) Domino is seeking a confident individual to oversee digital account relationships and strategy, based in the London office. The position will lead key partnerships and activity with digital music and video service providers (including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Vevo) across the UK and international markets, excluding North America. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MERLIN - HEAD OF TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT (LONDON) Merlin's Head of Technology and Development will manage and oversee the company’s technical infrastructure, including developing the company’s IT systems, project managing and relationships with external IT providers, working with members and DSP to maximise efficiency of data provision and reporting, as well as contributing to the future technical/IT strategy for the organisation. For more information and to apply click here. |
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CITY SLANG - DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER (BERLIN) City Slang is seeking a Digital Marketing Manager for its Berlin office. The main function of this role will be to oversee the execution of dynamic digital marketing campaigns across City Slang’s key territories, leading on a global basis where applicable. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SOLD OUT - JUNIOR SOCIAL MEDIA/CAMPAIGN EXEC (LONDON) Sold Out is an independent full service advertising agency, specialising in arts and entertainment for over 20 years. It is looking for a Junior Social Media/Campaign Exec to join its vibrant, growing team, contributing to the growth and culture of the company and driving the business forward. For more information and to apply click here. |
| 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 |
Dr Luke wants to question Lady Gaga over Kesha case
Lady Gaga is pushing back against attempts by producer Dr Luke to force her to provide a deposition in relation to his defamation lawsuit against Kesha.
As much previously reported, Kesha Sebert and her one time collaborator Lukasz Gottwald have been involved in a long-running multi-layered legal battle that at one point involved litigation in three separate US states. She accuses him of rape, while he claims she made up those allegations in a bid to force his hand in a contract dispute. Among the various lawsuits, Gottwald has sued Sebert for defamation.
It's in relation to that lawsuit that lawyers working for Gottwald want to question Lady Gaga. Because, they argue, Kesha has spoken to her fellow pop star about her allegations, in particular during a text message conversation in 2013. Lady Gaga has already provided a copy of that text message back and forth, but heavily redacted.
Lawyers working for the producer say that they have been trying to arrange a deposition - where they could question Lady Gaga about Kesha's allegations under oath - for some time, but that she has so far resisted taking part voluntarily citing her busy schedule. To this end, they are now seeking a court order to force the star to comply.
A spokesperson for Dr Luke told CMU on Saturday: "In connection with Dr Luke's defamation claims against Kesha, various third parties are being deposed by both sides, including celebrities. Dr Luke's counsel served a subpoena on Lady Gaga because she has relevant information regarding, among other things, false statements about Dr Luke made to her by Kesha. This motion has become necessary because Dr Luke's counsel has not been able to obtain, despite repeated request, a deposition date from Lady Gaga".
But reps for Gaga have hit back, arguing that she has already shared everything she knows in relation to this case. A spokesperson told Variety: "As Lady Gaga's legal team will present to the court, she has provided all of the relevant information in her possession and is at most an ancillary witness in this process. Dr Luke's team is attempting to manipulate the truth and draw press attention to their case by exaggerating Lady Gaga's role and falsely accusing her of dodging reasonable requests".
It's not the first time Gaga has been caught up in the Kesha v Dr Luke story. In 2014 she told Howard Stern in an interview that she had been raped when she was nineteen. She did not name the perpetrator, but Kesha's then lawyer Mark Geragos suggested that it was Dr Luke. Gaga denied that this was the case, and the producer then sued the lawyer for defamation. Gaga subsequently spoke out in support of Kesha as her legal battle with Gottwald got more media attention.
Fyre Festival co-founder to defend himself in investor lawsuit
As expected, a lawyer working for Fyre Festival co-founder Billy McFarland formally resigned on Friday.
As previously reported, lawyer Michael Levine was defending McFarland in the lawsuit filed against him by investor Oleg Itkin. But the attorney told the court last week that he planned to drop the case because McFarland couldn't afford to pay his legal bills.
McFarland set up the disastrous Fyre Festival and an accompanying talent booking app with Ja Rule. Since the festival collapsed before it had even started in April, McFarland and his companies have been sued by an assortment of ticket-buyers, suppliers and financial backers. He also faces criminal charges for fraud.
In a formal filing with the court on Friday, attorney Levine wrote: "Although Mr McFarland executed a retainer agreement in this case, he never funded the same as required, and he has advised me that there is no reasonable prospect of funding the same in the future. As such, Mr McFarland has consented to our motion for leave to withdraw".
The lawyer added that McFarland now planned to defend himself in the case, in which Itkin is seeking to reclaim $700,000 he says he loaned the failed Fyre venture. The lawyer wrote: "At the present time, defendant McFarland does not have substitute counsel. Defendant McFarland intends to represent himself during the remainder of the pre-trial stage of this case, with hopes of securing counsel for the trial".
It's not clear if McFarland currently has formal legal representation in any of the other lawsuits filed against him and his companies, though in the criminal proceedings he is being repped by a public defender.
FatCat launches new imprint to release dance 12"s
Independent label FatCat is launching a new electronic music focused imprint called FCR, in part acknowledging the company's dance music roots, the parent label having grown out of a London record shop that specialised in techno and house.
Confirming the new imprint, FatCat co-founder Dave Cawley said: "When we started the label we didn't want to be pigeonholed into one style, sound or genre; it was this freedom to move freely that we sought. We had spent so many years surrounded by dance music that we needed to explore other threads - whilst still maintaining an electronic and experimental element to much of FatCat's output over the years".
He goes on: "FCR is going to be our label releasing club records that we like. I listen to what we have coming up and although it's all over the shop - from the driving house of Cottam, to the two step vocal cuts of E&D - it's all FatCat".
The first release on FCR will be 'I Can't Carry On' by the there mentioned Cottam, complete with a remix by Detroit's Todd Modes on the b-side. Meanwhile 12" releases are also planned from the likes of Mall Grab, DJJ, Ali Berger, Grain, E&D, Lee Grainge and Steve Bicknell.
Final day of a wash out Y Not festival cancelled
By the time organisers of the Y Not festival called off their Sunday festivities this weekend, attendees had pretty much got an answer to the event's titular question. Heavy rainfall turned the site into a mud bath and led to some sets on previous days also being cancelled.
With the social networks already busy with festival-goers bemoaning the conditions on the Y Not site, promoters announced that: "Unfortunately we've had to take the difficult decision to cancel Sunday due to the adverse weather conditions across the weekend, after consulting all the relevant authorities. The safety of our guests, performers and crew is our primary concern and the potential risk was too severe for Sunday to go ahead".
The statement added: "We are very sorry for the disappointment and disruption caused to everyone who was looking forward to the final day of the festival. We understand that people will have questions about refunds. We will be giving all our guests further information about this over the coming days".
Some festival-goers have hit out at the way the festival dealt with the bad weather, claiming that management didn't seem to have sufficient measures in place to deal with heavy rainfall, and that communication onsite was particularly poor. Wash out years obviously create a number of challenges for festival promoters, though heavy rainfall during the summer months is hardly unknown in the UK, and critics have said Y Not's management should have been better prepared to deal with the swampy conditions.
Though the MD of Ground Control, which was overseeing the production of the event, has denied those allegations. John Drape told the BBC that they had 80 tonnes of woodchip on site to firm up the waterlogged ground, while adding: "We have meetings every six hours to discuss things like weather conditions and ground conditions. On Saturday night it became increasingly clear conditions were deteriorating and at midnight there was not one agency which felt it was safe to continue".
Either way, giving the backlash online, it's not a great start to the next phase of Y Not's evolution, the festival having been acquired by Global's Broadwick Live venture last year.
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Festival-goers evacuated after stage catches fire at Tomorrowland Barcelona
More than 22,000 festival-goers were evacuated from the Spanish offshoot of the Tomorrowland festival this weekend after the event's main stage caught fire.
Belgian dance music festival Tomorrowland this year set up stages in a bunch of other cities around the world, live streaming what was happening on its main stage in Belgium onto large screens in those other cities, with special effects synchronised locally and the promise of a few DJs actually playing records in person.
It was the Barcelona edition of Tomorrowland Unite where the drama occurred. Staging caught fire mid-show on Saturday evening, with local fire officials saying that the stage area was "completely destroyed" and now "runs the risk of collapse".
But the audience was successfully evacuated as soon as the fire began, so that there were no serious injuries, with about 20 people being treated for minor injuries or anxiety, according to the Associated Press.
A statement from Tomorrowland's organisers confirmed: "Tonight, July 29th 2017, the Unite Barcelona stage caught fire due to a technical malfunction. Thanks to the professional intervention of the authorities all 22,000 visitors were evacuated safely and without reports of injuries. Authorities will follow up and continue the investigation with the local Spanish organiser of Unite".
The Tomorrowland Unite show in Taiwan was also cancelled because of a typhoon which prompted local officials to cancel all outdoor activities taking place on Saturday. However, the spin-off proceedings went ahead in places like Germany, Dubai, Israel and South Korea.
Private equity backers could buy SoundCloud some extra time
Bad news if you'd put a SoundCloud wake in your diary for October. According to Bloomberg, two private equity outfits are close to pumping a chunk of change into the flagging digital music company, assuring its survival for the near future at least.
While the long-term future of SoundCloud has been far from assured for sometime now - as it tries to pivot its business away from primarily selling services to content creators and into the crowded marketplace of subscription streaming - the doom and gloom really set in after the company made 40% of its staff redundant. Talk of only having funding in place to take the firm into quarter four this year added to the predictions that SoundCloud could soon fold, but for a fire-sale acquisition by another major player in digital music.
However, SoundCloud has insisted throughout that it had a long-term future as an independent company. And if the two deals rumoured by Bloomberg do come through, then its near-term future is probably assured. Though, in the expensive business of streaming, long-term futures are rarely assured.
It's thought the two private equity backers will buy into the SoundCloud company through separate deals, and will control more than half of the firm's shares between them.
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Apple discontinues iPod Nano and Shuffle
It's good that Apple discontinues iPod ranges from time to time, it reminds us that they still make standalone music players in the age of the smart phone. And aren't you glad to be reminded of that? I know I am.
Apple last week announced that it was discontinuing the two economy versions of its once iconic digital music player, the iPod Nano and the iPod Shuffle. Both have already been removed from the Apple website and they will be dropping off the shelves on the high street too. If you want to carry on iPodding you're going to have to do it via an iPod Touch. Which is just an iPhone without the useful bits. What a shame.
The tech giant said: "Today, we are simplifying our iPod line-up with two models of iPod Touch now with double the capacity starting at just $199 and we are discontinuing the iPod Shuffle and iPod Nano".
Presumably Apple will pension off the iPod Touch in a few years, just in time for the MP3 Revival, when all the cool kids start insisting that low bit rates, clunky devices and annoying DRM is the only way to properly experience music. Of course, technically it will be an AAC Revival. Unless the real hipsters push for an ATRAC Revival. Sony Connect anyone?
| Approved: San Jua Split between Sweden and England, dream pop duo San Jua began putting tracks up on SoundCloud earlier this year. They are somewhat cagey about their identities and there is little biographical information about them available, meaning pretty much all that's left is the music. And there we have three perfectly formed songs that say everything you need. Early releases 'Laid To Waste' and 'Break Your Fall' provide a great introduction to the duo’s lush sound, washed in layered production that brings depth to the recordings. Latest track 'Swirls In The Swimming Pool' steps things up another level, filled with a quiet drama and soaring atmosphere. San Jua are currently preparing to play their debut live shows later this year. For now, here's 'Swirls In The Swimming Pool'. Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
PC Music make album out of May's Month Of Mayhem
The PC Music collective decided that May just gone should be a Month Of Mayhem, and to that end put out new tracks, remixes and content each day of said month. Why am I telling you this now, in July? Because they have just put out a compilation containing the best bits from that mayhemic month of Mayness
The record also includes PC Music founder AG Cook's cover of Aphex Twin's 'Windowlicker', which he unveiled at the recent Field Day festival that came just after the Month Of Mayhem.
On that cover, Cook says: "My set at Field Day directly clashed with Aphex Twin's headline show, so I thought it would be nice to do a full-length, note-for-note cover of 'Windowlicker'". Preparing for that, he added, required "a very intense 48 hours inside a windowless room - somewhere between a Braindance rehearsal and a labour of love".
Here is the full track list. Listen to the 'Windowlicker' cover here.
Danny L Harle - Me4U (AG Cook Remix)
Danny Sunshine - Never Thought
Life Sim - Lightning Lipgloss Life
GFOTY - Month Of Mayhem
Spinee - Distant Promise
EASYFUN - Blink
AG Cook - Money On A Gold Plate
AG Cook - Cos I Love U
MC Boing - Dance Floor
Danny L Harle - 1UL
Lil Data - Casey Asked Me Am I Angry
Pobbles - Pobbles
DJ Warlord - Droom
Guys Next Door - Behind The Wall
Chris Lee - Real Love (Et Aliae Remix)
Chris Lee 0 Only You (Clark Remix)
AG Cook - Windowlicker
Lil Data - Temple (TidalCycles Edit)
Tonight.burns.red - Hi.tech
Bieber didn't quit tour to spend more time with his God
Look everybody, will you all stop blaming God for the cancellation of the remaining dates of Justin Bieber's 'Purpose' world tour? It clearly had nothing to do with God. Nothing at all. And before you think, aha, that means it was Jesus. Nope. Not even the Holy Spirit had anything to do with this.
"The recent announcement by Justin Bieber about his tour does not involve Hillsong Church", said a spokesperson for said church to the Daily Mail, after some chit chat to the effect that the pop star had bailed on his scheduled shows in North America and Asia in order to spend more time with his churchy buddies.
As previously reported, reps for the singer announced last week that: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, Justin Bieber will cancel the remainder of the Purpose World Tour concerts. Justin loves his fans and hates to disappoint them. He thanks his fans for the incredible experience of the Purpose World Tour over last eighteen months".
It was presumably the slightly vague official reason for the tour's cancellation that led to rumour Bieber's membership of the Hillsong Church was somehow relevant.
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