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THE RIGHTS OF ARTISTS AND SONGWRITERS POST-ASSIGNMENT - PERFORMER AND MORAL RIGHTS Copyright provides creators with control over that which they create, but what happens when the creators themselves don't own the copyright in their work? Artists and songwriters who are no longer in control of their copyrights do still have some rights, sometimes by contract, and via performer and moral rights. CMU Trends considers what the law says about the rights of artists and songwriters after their copyrights have been assigned. [READ MORE] |
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THE VALUE OF MUSIC 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? CMU Trends reviews the music rights market - past, present and future. [READ MORE] |
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MAKING MONEY FROM MUSIC MEDIA IN THE DIGITAL AGE While the challenges faced by the music industry - and especially the record industry - since the mainstream adoption of the internet in the early 2000s have been widely documented, the music media - and especially the music press - 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. [READ MORE] |
| TOP STORIES | Facebook offering hundreds of millions to get music licences quicker READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Criminal case over Radiohead drum tech's death called off due to delays Attacks on torrents bring digital locker file-sharing back into fashion READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LIVE BUSINESS | The Apple Music Festival is dead, get over it READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES | Young people turned off by radio and albums, research finds READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| EDUCATION & EVENTS | MMF announces free event for young music entrepreneurs READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Nick Cave graphic novel to be published this week READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AWARDS | AIM presented its awards last night, just so you know READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Stefflon Don, Garbage, Aldous Harding, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Taylor Swift sends in traditional new album trademark applications READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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DOMINO RECORDS - SENIOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETING MANAGER (LONDON) Domino Recording Co is looking for a Senior International Marketing Manager with five years+ proven experience in international marketing and promotions, including the running of global campaigns. The International Marketing Manager’s core responsibility is to oversee international campaigns for our artists from the inception of the campaign strategy to rollout. For more information and to apply click here. |
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CLAPHAM GRAND - SALES & MARKETING CHAMPION (LONDON) We are looking for a sales driven marketing expert to join our growing promotions team at The Grand, continuing our 117 years record of putting on world class entertainment; ensuring not only that our events are seen and heard by as many people as possible, but that those people are converted to loyal customers through your excellent marketing. For more information and to apply click here. |
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NUCLEAR BLAST - PRESS OFFICER (LONDON) London office for well-established rock/metal label is looking for a dynamic and creative Press Officer to handle PR for it’s rapidly diversifying roster. The ideal candidate should have at least two years experience in a similar role with existing contacts within the rock/metal media. For more information and to apply click here. |
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9PR - JUNIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER (LONDON) 9PR are looking for a Junior Account Manager to work across print and online. Suitable candidates must have a demonstrable understanding of PR and ideally some music industry experience. This is an excellent opportunity within one of the UK’s leading music PR companies. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KILIMANJARO LIVE - BOX OFFICE MANAGERS (MANCHESTER) Kilimanjaro Live are looking for two experienced box office managers to work on a brand new family adventure in Manchester for a fixed term period, starting 25 Sep. There is the potential for the roles to be extended to include the London run following this period. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SJM CONCERTS - VIP MANAGER/CO-ORDINATOR (MANCHESTER) SJM offer exclusive VIP ticket packages across many of our major tours for artists such as Take That, One Direction, Little Mix and Coldplay which over the last year has amounted to over 60,000 packages. We are seeking a dynamic, self-motivated individual to successfully manage and develop our VIP department. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE ORCHARD - SENIOR LABEL MANAGER (LONDON) The Orchard needs a Senior Label Manager who will be the first point of contact for a number of labels, artists and managers. Working with internal and external teams, you will craft, create and coordinate effective and bespoke campaigns, over a number of different projects and across different musical genres. For more information and to apply click here. |
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LEX RECORDS - DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER (LONDON) Lex Records are looking for a full-time Digital Marketing Manager to work from our North London office. You would be working as part of the team to present our music to the public and helping to join up promo with sales. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE DELTIC GROUP - SOCIAL MEDIA DEPARTMENT MANAGER (MILTON KEYNES) The Deltic Group are looking for a Social Media Department Manager to develop and shape the company's social media and marketing activity, working across 58 bars and clubs including well-known brands such as PRYZM, ATIK and Bar & Beyond. This is a newly created role and the successful candidate will have the opportunity to build a social media team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE DELTIC GROUP - SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER (MILTON KEYNES) The Deltic Group are looking for Social Media Managers to manage, maintain and grow the company's social communities of circa 1.5 million 18-25-year olds. This is a new team of five that is being formed in order to deliver great content to inspire our social communities and deliver our social strategy. For more information and to apply click here. |
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NAME PR - PRESS ASSISTANT/ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE (LONDON) Name PR is looking to hire a Press Assistant/Account Executive. This is a fantastic opportunity for a bright individual with exceptional writing ability and a good grasp of the music business to work on some of the most interesting music issues and developments across the globe. For more information and to apply click here. |
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Digital Deals, Dollars And Trends - Explained! MASTERCLASS | Monday 18 September 2017, London | INFO This half day masterclass, presented by CMU MD and Business Editor Chris Cooke, will explain how digital music platforms are licensed and royalties distributed, as well as reviewing the digital market in 2017 and which services are leading in terms of users and revenue. |
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How The Music Business Works SEMINARS | from Monday 25 September 2017, London | INFO Our 'How The Music Business Works' programme consists of eight two-hour seminars which together cover: the various ways the music industry generates revenue, building and engaging a fanbase, the business partnerships artists form with music companies, and how the artist/label relationship is changing. |
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Enforcing Music Rights - Safe Harbours And Piracy MASTERCLASS | Monday 20 November 2017, London | INFO In this half day masterclass, CMU MD and Business Editor Chris Cooke will look at how the music industry enforces its copyrights, at the long-running battle with online music piracy, and at the controversy around the copyright safe harbour. |
Facebook offering hundreds of millions to get music licences quicker
Licensing music rights for a streaming service is famously complex, and even more so if your streaming service is a user-upload platform where any old fucker can upload some shit video with an Avril Lavigne track playing in the background. But Facebook may have found a short-term fix to help it circumvent some of the immediate complexities.
It's long been a core principle of music copyright - taught to every law student who ever majored in the business of intellectual property - that big piles of cash can make licensing headaches go away. For a time at least.
I've not done the maths, but I'm pretty sure a few million will last at least as long as your average pack of Nurofen. And, according to Bloomberg, Facebook is currently offering the record companies and music publishers hundreds of millions in advances. And that buys you quite a lot of paracetamol.
Sorting out music rights has risen up Facebook's task list of late, of course, as it ploughs on with its ambitions to become a YouTube-rivalling video platform. Like its Google-owned competitor, Facebook is currently residing in one of those pesky safe harbours the music industry loves so much, which ensures that it can't be sued when its users upload videos soundtracked by unlicensed music.
However, to keep its safe harbour protection, the social network has had to provide a takedown system to help music companies remove videos containing their tunes from the social network, if they so wish. Which it does, via Rights Manager. Which means users uploading music-containing videos to Facebook are much more likely to see their content blocked than with YouTube, where rights management set-up Content ID also gives rights owners the option to monetise rather than block videos containing their songs or recordings.
Facebook is busy turning its Rights Manager technology into a Content ID clone, adding in monetisation options. Though that requires sorting out how income from ads that play alongside videos on Facebook will be shared with the rights owners. And also persuading the record companies and music publishers, who have turned slagging off their YouTube licences into something of a sport, that they might like to enter into similar licensing arrangements with the social media giant.
Both Facebook and the music companies hope that deals can ultimately be done, and that Rights Manager can be further developed to equal and out-perform Content ID. But that will take time - up to two years some reckon - and Facebook wants to solve the music-rights-owners-blocking-videos problem sooner than that. Especially now that it's launched its Watch feature, which encourages people to browse videos on Facebook in more of a YouTube-stylee.
Offering the music industry mega-bucks advances will likely speed things up, in that it could secure Facebook short-term suck-it-and-see licences from the record companies, music publishers and collecting societies, that will allow the music to play across the social network while it works out the technicalities, legalities and commercial realities of Rights Manager long term. Indeed, YouTube got a few years of music industry love by writing some big upfront cheques, until it became the biggest streaming service in the world and the music rights owners decided they wanted quite a bit more.
Of course, while a big pile of cash might make some of the music licensing complexities go away for Facebook, such payments arguably add to the complexities within the music community, especially for artists and songwriters, who have to work out how said money is being shared with them by their labels, distributors, publishers and collecting societies.
Plus Facebook also has to decide how to share whatever money it allocates for the big musical bung between all the competing rights owners, remembering that, whenever you think you've written the last music rights cheque, another stakeholder is prone to pop up and point out that they need paying too. Fun times. I might make a shitty video about it all and post it to Facebook. But which Avril Lavigne track should I use to soundtrack it?
Criminal case over Radiohead drum tech's death called off due to delays
In what can only be described as a significant failure of the Canadian justice system, the criminal case in relation to the death of British drum tech Scott Johnson, ahead of a Radiohead concert in Toronto in 2012, has been called off because the case has taken too long to work its way through the court system.
This unsatisfactory conclusion to the criminal action against Live Nation, and others, who were accused of breaching health and safety laws after staging collapsed before the Radiohead show - killing Johnson and injuring others - is the result of a relatively recent precedent in Canadian law and the original judge hearing the case getting a promotion.
As previously reported, Johnson was killed and three others injured after a scaffolding structure collapsed onto the open-air stage on which Radiohead were due to perform. The show was promoted by Live Nation, and the live music giant was subsequently charged under Ontario's Occupational Health And Safety Act, alongside provider Optex Staging & Services Inc and an individual engineer working on the show, Dominic Cugliari.
The criminal case arrived in court in 2015, but hopes of a speedy resolution were not met, and the proceedings dragged through 2016 too, with the hope that a judgement might be reached in early 2017. But that didn't happen. And then the judge overseeing the case got promoted to the Ontario Superior Court, meaning he no longer had the jurisdiction to pass judgement, resulting in a mistrial being declared.
Which meant the whole trial needed to start over, in turn meaning that at least five years would have passed between charges being filed and judgement being passed. Live Nation had already attempted to have the case dismissed, even before Nakatsuru had stood down, citing a relatively new precedent in Canadian law over unreasonably long court battles. So, it seemed inevitable that the live giant would have another go thanks to the new delays caused by Nakatsuru's promotion.
And now another judge, Ann Nelson, has complied with that request to stay the charges, stating: "This case was a complex case that required more time than other cases in the system. [But], after allowing for all of the exceptional circumstances that were in play, this case still will have taken too long to complete".
The aforementioned new precedent aiming to stop legal cases dragging on too much set a presumptive ceiling of eighteen months for proceedings in provincial courts. There is, of course, a logic to that precedent, though its application hardly constitutes justice in this case. Which is something even Nelson conceded when she wrote: "No doubt, this decision will be incomprehensible to Mr Johnson's family, who can justifiably complain that justice has not been done".
Johnson's father told reporters that he wasn't surprised by Nelson's decision, but that it was "absolutely staggering" that this case was being called off because of a precedent which came into effect after the trial into his son's death had started.
He told the Toronto Star: "I quite like the idea, that the liberal nation that Canada is, that it wants to be fair across the board, but I don't see any fairness in this judgment at all and I don't see how anybody else can, to be honest. It doesn't tell us why our son was killed and we're none the wiser, as things stand, as to why he's not here. I'm not very happy about it, but I'm equally resigned to the fact that there doesn't seem much we can do about it".
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Attacks on torrents bring digital locker file-sharing back into fashion
Given the response on various forums yesterday to the news that YouTube-mp3.org is set to shut down as part of a settlement to a lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association Of America, it seems the music industry is right to say that stream-ripping is a very popular form of music piracy in 2017, as opposed to old fashioned P2P file-sharing. And so is the sharing of links to content stored in digital lockers, according to a report by Gadgets 360, which has reviewed the takedown requests being filed in the US against such services.
The use of digital lockers, or cloud storage services, to facilitate the unlicensed distribution of music and movies has been on the entertainment industry's piracy gripe list for some time, of course. When digital lockers were first taking off, various lawsuits were filed against those cloud storage firms seen to be particularly slack when it came to stopping their platforms being used for piracy. And, of course, the multifarious and very long running legal action against the defunct MegaUpload was targeting just that kind of copyright infringement.
Although we've not seen so much high profile legal action by rights owners against digital lockers of late, the entertainment industry continues to monitor such platforms - and the forums and Facebook groups where links to content stored in the cloud are shared - and regularly issues takedown requests demanding said content is removed. The cloud storage firms are obliged to comply with such requests, of course, in order to claim safe harbour protection, which means the digital platforms themselves can't be sued for hosting copyright infringing material.
Interestingly, like YouTube-mp3.org, this piracy option also often seems to in part rely on a Google platform, in at least two ways. Gadgets 360 notes that: "Google Drive seems most popular among such users, with nearly 5000 takedown requests filed by Hollywood studios and other copyright holders just last month. Each requests had listed a few hundred Google Drive links that the content owners wanted pulled".
Not only is Google's cloud storage platform a popular place for those seeking to share unlicensed content in this way, some of those looking to circumvent copyright restrictions are seemingly employing both Google Drive and YouTube. Gadgets 360 adds: "What's interesting is that while at times pirates upload full movies to Google Drive or other cloud services, in other cases, these Google Drive links are empty and just have a YouTube video embedded".
Which might seem odd, though it seems the videos are probably being embedded on Google Drive in a bid to circumvent rights management efforts over on YouTube, in that the embedded YouTube content is often private videos with minimal or misleading metadata. Which means they won't be accessible via YouTube search, but can be navigated on Google Drive, where better metadata can be provided in file and folder names.
Although none of that should stop YouTube's Content ID system from scanning the content for infringing material, such tactics could hinder rights owners monitoring the Google video site for content based on metadata. Content ID's automated content recognition technology isn't perfect, of course, so more proactive rights managers do employ some metadata monitoring, which is where this Google Drive ruse might come in.
So that's fun. Although neither stream-ripping nor digital locker linking are new forms of online piracy, it may well be that both are increasing in popularity since the music and movie industries have had some success in clamping down on the torrent-indexing file-sharing hubs, with the takedown of KickassTorrents last year probably having the biggest impact in that domain.
The Apple Music Festival is dead, get over it
If you were wondering where the line-up announcement was for this year's Apple Music Festival, here's your announcement: Fuck off.
Honestly, you people just expect Apple to host a month long series of free concerts at London's Roundhouse each and every September? Just because the tech giant has splashed about 0.000000000000000001% of its annual profits on the event every year since 2007, you thought it would be around forever? Well, at least Apple has provided you with a cold, hard lesson about the dangers of taking things for granted, a lesson you clearly needed.
So, yes, everyone's been chit chatting about the fact that there will be no Apple Music Festival in 2017. Not in London. Not anywhere. And not because they're changing its name back to the iTunes Festival, like what it was called when you were a child.
We all know you thought it was better when it was called the iTunes Festival, and you were allowed to call a Marathon bar a Marathon bar, and Opal Fruits fucking Opal Fruits. But your sad nostalgic urges don't mean you're getting an iTunes Festival any more than you're getting an Apple Music Festival. What will it take for you to accept this honest truth: there will be no live music-based event hosted by Apple in London this month. Are you getting this through your thick skull? Oh my God, I hate you people sometimes.
I mean, obviously it wasn't happening. The build up to the Apple Music Festival took ages and there hadn't been a word about it this year. Not one single word. What made you think the Apple Music Festival was still going to happen? Are you stupid?
Despite all the chattering about the demise of the Apple Music Festival this week, Apple itself hasn't properly commented on any of this. Because Apple is Apple and it doesn't need to comment on shit just because you decide to talk about it.
The Roundhouse, on the other hand, is quite happy to get out there and comment according to your pathetic whims. So a spokesperson for the venue told Macworld: "I can confirm that after ten brilliant years of the Apple Music Festival - eight of which were at the Roundhouse - Apple decided that 2016 was the last time they'll run the festival".
Of course, none of this means Apple intends to get out of live music events entirely. It's possible it's preparing to announce the inaugural Beats One Festival - a big music bash based around the tech giant's online radio station, meaning it'll launch with loads of hype and then no one will attend.
Young people turned off by radio and albums, research finds
Research firm AudienceNet has published its annual Audiomonitor report into music consumption in the UK. Unsurprisingly, it shows significant differences between younger and older people in terms of where they are primarily consuming their tunes, while also confirming challenges facing the radio sector and the decline in full album listening.
The study found that broadcast radio remains the most popular forum for consuming music overall, but The Kids (or the 16-24 demographic, to given them their formal title) aren't listening to the radio for as long as older people because they don't find it engaging. The young folk are unsurprisingly listening to on-demand streaming services most of all, and while they do listen to the odd full album on such platforms, they are more likely to press play on a playlist.
The study of just over 3000 people in the UK found that radio via AM, FM and DAB accounted for just 10% of young people's overall listening time. This is much less than the overall national average of 43%. Optimists in the radio sector might argue that that's because people want more passive listening experiences as they age. Pessimists might wonder if it means the radio sector just lost an entire generation of listeners.
In a debate over the future of radio and the impact of streaming on the medium at the CMU Insights Media Conference earlier this year, a panel of radio people agreed that there was now more competition for people's attention. However, they were generally optimistic that radio still had a key role to play, though they did acknowledge the need for radio outfits to engage younger audiences via a range of platforms, in addition to the core radio station itself.
Away from the radio chatter, AudienceNet's research also compared listening on Spotify and YouTube, finding that Spotify is the more popular of the two in terms of listening hours. Among 16-19 year olds, over half of their music listening takes place on Spotify. YouTube reached significantly more people, but held their attention for a much shorter period of time.
MMF announces free event for young music entrepreneurs
The Music Managers Forum has announced You Are The Future Of Music, a free day of workshops and seminars aimed at the next generation of music entrepreneurs.
Taking place at the Old Granada Studios in Manchester on 27 Sep, music companies and organisations represented at the event will include Spotify, YouTube, AWAL, PledgeMusic, Sentric Music, Music Support, PRS Foundation, PPL, PRS For Music, BASCA and the Featured Artists Coalition.
As well as various talks on the music business, there will be practical sessions on areas such as label and publishing deals, songwriting, funding and finance, and mental health. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with established music industry figures.
You Are The Future Of Music will also mark the 25th anniversary of the MMF, which launched at Manchester's In The City conference back in 1992.
"Over the past 25 years, the MMF has aspired to support and empower each new generation of music managers and artists, helping equip them for the next wave of technological change", says MMF chief exec Annabella Coldrick. "To celebrate such a major birthday, we thought it was fitting to return to a city that remains such a beacon of musical innovation and talent, and to connect with some of the region's brightest entrepreneurs and musicians".
MMF chair Diane Wagg adds: "As a fledgling music manager at In The City in 1992, I remember the moment the MMF sprang into existence - so it feels entirely fitting that we're returning 25 years on with an emphasis on helping upcoming artists and entrepreneurs further their careers. Education remains a huge part of the MMF's remit, and this is a fantastic opportunity to meet and network with some of the world's most exciting music companies".
Nick Cave graphic novel to be published this week
The English translation of a new graphic novel based on the life and songs of Nick Cave, by German artist Reinhard Kleist, is to be published this week. Titled 'Mercy On Me', the book draws on the characters of Cave's songs to tell a semi-fictionalised version of his life story.
Cave himself says of the book: "Reinhard Kleist, master graphic novelist and myth-maker has - yet again - blown apart the conventions of the graphic novel by concocting a terrifying conflation of Cave songs, biographical half-truths and complete fabulations and creating a complex, chilling and completely bizarre journey into Cave World. Closer to the truth than any biography, that's for sure! But for the record, I never killed Elisa Day".
You can order 'Mercy On Me' from Cave's website now, ahead of its release on Thursday. And here's a video thing.
AIM presented its awards last night, just so you know
The Association Of Independent Music staged its annual awards last night. And once again the major labels were completely overlooked. When will this bitter discrimination end? I hope next year we can see the lifting of AIM's inexplicable boycott of major music companies - who after all release all the most popular (and therefore best) music. Warner Music for the 2018 Best Small Label prize, I say. The campaign starts here.
Anyway, this year AIM's awards again only gave out trophies to independent music companies and artists. Taking home the big finale prize of Outstanding Contribution To Music were the Dillinger Escape Plan, who are in the midst of performing farewell shows ahead of a planned split at the end of this year.
Speaking to NME at the ceremony last night, drummer Billy Rymer said: "There just comes a point in every artist's career that you feel you've kind of reached a point where this is the peak and it's best to leave it on a high note. Collectively and creatively, we felt it was the right thing to announce that we were going to disband and put out this final record which we're all incredibly proud of. I got to be part of a masterpiece finally, in this band".
Here's the full list of who won what:
Independent Track Of The Year: The xx - On Hold
Independent Album Of The Year: Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer
Independent Video Of The Year: DJ Shadow - Nobody Speak (feat Run The Jewels)
Best Difficult Second Album: Jlin - Black Origami
Special Catalogue Release Of The Year: Lovely Creatures - The Best Of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1984 - 2014)
Most Played New Independent Act: Stormzy
Hardest Working Group Or Artist: Shaodow
Independent Breakthrough Of The Year: Sampha
Best Live Act: Counterfeit
Independent Label Of The Year: Because Music
Best Small Label: Planet Mu
Best Independent Festival: Lost Evenings
Indie Champion: Katie Riding & Joe Daniel - Indie Label Market
Innovator Award: Boy Better Know
Pioneer Award: Steve Beckett - Warp Records
Outstanding Contribution To Music: The Dillinger Escape Plan
Stefflon Don, Garbage, Aldous Harding, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
• Stefflon Don has released the video for what they're saying is her first official single, 'Hurtin Me', featuring French Montana.
• JPU Records has released a triple A-side single from J-pop group Niji No Conquistador. You can check out the video for one of those A-sides, 'This Summer Girl Is An Innocent Mistress', here.
• Garbage will play a their first UK show for two years at Brixton Academy on 14 Sep to mark the 20th anniversary of their second album, 'Version 2.0'. "'Version 2.0' was a very significant record for us and we know our fans feel the same way about it too", insists Shirley Manson. "This should be a very special night for us all".
• Aldous Harding has announced a headline show at the Shepherds Bush Empire on 28 Mar. She'll also be playing around the UK in November.
• Clean Bandit will be touring the UK in October and November. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday.
• Soulwax will be playing two UK shows in December, at The Roundhouse in London on 15 Dec and the Manchester Academy on 17 Dec. Here's their new single, 'Is It Always Binary'.
• Au Revoire Simone's Annie Hart will tour the UK in October. Her debut solo album, 'Impossible Accomplice', is out on 15 Sep.
• Pictish Trail will be heading out on the 'Winter Rewind Acid Reflux Tour' in November and December. It will be an "intimate yuletide Eigg-nog of Hebridean Casio folk, with stripped back, twisted and blissed out regurgitations of ol' Pictish Trail favourites" we're told.
Taylor Swift sends in traditional new album trademark applications
Taylor Swift is never happier than when she's trying to trademark the clever words and phrases she invents. So it'll be of no surprise to any of you that she's put in a load of new trademark applications related to her new music, including no less than fifteen for her new album's title, 'Reputation'.
The musician's penchant for trademarks began around the release of her last album, '1989'. Several years later, her claim to own that collection of numbers is still awaiting approval. As are four applications for the word 'Swiftmas'.
To date, she's had three out of numerous such applications approved. Of seventeen attempts to trademark 'Swifties' or 'Swiftie', she's been granted the exclusive right to use that in relation to her live shows. She also owns 'And I'll write your name' in relation to stationery, and 'TS 1989' in relation to recorded music and music-related email newsletters.
Now she's back, and she doesn't want anyone else trying to use the new phrases that are becoming synonymous with her music. The company Swift set up to manage her trademarks (you all have one of those, right?), TAS Rights Management, has applied to trademark 'Look what you made me do' and 'The old Taylor can't come to the phone right now' - lines from recent single 'Look What You Made Me Do' - for use in a variety of settings, including both sunglasses and novelty sunglasses.
Among various applications for the word 'Reputation', she's looking to stop anyone else using it on Christmas tree decorations and ornamental cloth patches, among numerous other things. There's one application solely for pillows, even though pillows are already covered in another application. I'm not sure if this means she's expecting her new album to send people to sleep.
Swift isn't the only person with an interest in her lyrics, of course. Last year, Katy Perry trademarked a line from Swift's song 'Bad Blood' when she used it as the name for a new perfume. That song was about her though, so it's probably only fair. There's a theory that 'Look What You Made Me Do' continues their feud, so perhaps Swift should watch out for new trademarked smells emanating from Perry.
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CMU supports the music community by providing news, business intelligence, training and education. CMU Daily covers all the latest news and developments direct by email. CMU Podcast is a weekly dissection of the biggest music business stories. CMU Premium gives you access to the weekly CMU Digest and CMU Trends. CMU Insights provides training and consultancy for music companies. CMU:DIY provides workshops and resources for future music talent.
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