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DISSECTING THE DIGITAL DOLLAR - STEP BY STEP As the UK's Music Managers Forum publishes two new guides as part of phase three of its 'Dissecting The Digital Dollar' programme, CMU Trends summarises what we've learned from the project so far in 30 points - ten from part one, ten from part two, and ten from the new guides. Along the way we cover digital licensing, all the key issues with the current streaming business model, and what you need to know about label deals and transparency in the streaming age. [READ MORE] |
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GLOBAL MUSIC DATA AND BLOCKCHAIN There has been lots of debate around the music rights data problem in recent years, and a number of initiatives are underway to tackle the issue. Though Spotify's mechanical royalties dispute and the lack of songwriter credits on the streaming platforms shows the problem persists. As Music 4.5 puts the spotlight back on all things data, CMU Trends reviews discussions to date, challenges to be met, and where progress is being made. [READ MORE] |
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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] |
| TOP STORIES | National Trading Standards raids four properties in ticket tout investigation READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Spotify and Deezer call on EU to restrict tech giant "gatekeepers" Decapitated members released from jail, trial set for January Prosecutors confirm no action to be taken over Nelly rape allegations READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES | Tidal running out of cash fast, claims new report READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| INDUSTRY PEOPLE | More women come forward with accusations of rape against Russell Simmons READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ARTIST NEWS | Go-Go's musical heading to Broadway READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| GIGS & FESTIVALS | Bastille announce Re-orchestrated Tour READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Peace, Susanne Sundfør, Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Ed Sheeran and Anne-Marie cover Fairytale Of New York READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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ROUGH TRADE RECORDS - GLOBAL PRODUCT MANAGER (LONDON) Rough Trade Records seeks a Global Product Manager to join its London based team. Product Managers strategise and drive artist campaigns and must take a global overview of their implementation. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SJM CONCERTS - VIP ASSISTANT (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. Working as an assistant to the VIP Manager within our VIP department, the VIP Assistant is responsible for the day to day administration of our exclusive VIP packages, as well as providing general office admin support. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ISOBEL GRIFFITHS LTD - TRAINEE ORCHESTRAL FIXER (LONDON) A Trainee Orchestral Contractor (aka Fixer) is required to join an office of six staff, based in the Chelsea Harbour area of SW10. The company books freelance orchestral and specialist musicians for feature films, video games, TV film scores, records and TV commercial recordings. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MAMA FESTIVALS - HEAD OF CREATIVE PRODUCTION (LONDON) MAMA Festivals is one of the UK’s leading festival businesses. The Head Of Creative Production works alongside managers and consultants to deliver creative aspects of Lovebox, Citadel and Wilderness festivals. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KILIMANJARO LIVE - MARKETING ASSISTANT (LONDON) This role spans two areas within Kilimanjaro Live; working with the Promoters and the Head of Marketing to co-ordinate and implement marketing strategies and plans, and working across the company as a whole on office administration and support as well as providing support to all roles when required. For more information and to apply click here. |
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GARGANTUAN MUSIC - SENIOR MUSIC CONSULTANT UK (LONDON) Gargantuan Music is looking for a highly experienced Senior Music Consultant with an excellent proven track record in sales, marketing and music supervision within the music industry. For more information and to apply click here. |
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GARGANTUAN MUSIC - MUSIC PRODUCTION MANAGER (LONDON) This is an exciting opportunity to work at a world class production music company. Gargantuan Music is looking for an experienced Music Production Manager. For more information and to apply click here. |
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I AM POP - MARKETING & PARTNERSHIPS EXECUTIVE (LONDON) POP is the simplest way for musicians, labels, brands and others to launch a Facebook Messenger bot. The Marketing & Partnerships Executive will work closely with POP’s Head of Partnerships and our Marketing team to help POP connect with customers and grow our presence globally. For more information and to apply click here. |
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STONES THROW RECORDS - JUNIOR PRODUCT MANAGER (LONDON) Stones Throw is seeking a full-time Junior Product Manager at its European office in London. You'll work closely with the UK & Europe Label Manager to deliver marketing campaigns in these territories, and provide general support to assist in the day to day running of the label in the UK and Europe. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ATC LIVE - SENIOR BOOKING ASSISTANT (LONDON) ATC Live is a live booking agency based in Camden, London, and we are looking for a senior booking assistant to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly organised and motivated senior booking assistant to join a busy live booking agency. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT - SENIOR ONBOARD MANAGER (LONDON) The primary focus of the client Onboarding team is to work in conjunction with our Tech team to transition the new clients' data onto Kobalt's proprietary systems and into the ongoing day-to-day processes of the core Operational teams. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT - AWAL COMMUNITY SUPPORT ASSISTANT (LONDON) AWAL serves a growing roster of emerging talent and already established independent artists from all over the world. As our AWAL community continues to grow, we're now looking for someone to join our client management team to help support these labels and artists using the cutting-edge AWAL tools. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT - ASSISTANT, CLIENT RELATIONS (LONDON) Our growing Client Relations team in London is looking for a confident and detail oriented self-starter to support with crucial day-to-day tasks such as transitioning new clients into the Kobalt system and carrying out internal reviews and quality checks. For more information and to apply click here. |
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DOMINO - PRODUCT MANAGER (LONDON) Domino seeks a Product Manager to join its London team. Product Managers at Domino are in charge of running artist campaigns inside the company. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SONGULAR MUSIC - PLAYLIST PROMOTIONS (LONDON) Join the UK's top streaming promotions company and play a key role in helping some of the world's most exciting new artists get heard. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE ORCHARD - INDIE SALES MANAGER (LONDON) The Orchard has a vacancy for an Indie Sales Manager servicing independent record shops and online accounts. Candidates should ideally have experience working with music retail, distribution or at a label. For more information and to apply click here. |
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CMU PRIMER: KEY MUSIC BUSINESS TRENDS 2018 These are sessions that we run in-house at music companies or companies working with music. As we head into 2018, CMU Insights is now offering music companies a special two-hour primer session reviewing five key areas of the music business, summarising important developments from the last twelve months and looking at the challenges that lie ahead in the next year. Including: the streaming business, piracy, safe harbour, ticketing and data. CLICK HERE to find out more about this CMU Insights primer. |
National Trading Standards raids four properties in ticket tout investigation
National Trading Standards has revealed that on Tuesday it raided four properties in the UK in relation to alleged misconduct in the ticket resale market, which is to say ticket resellers allegedly breaching consumer rights rules.
Although the resale of tickets in the UK is still only lightly regulated, there are some rules governing both the touts themselves and the websites they use to do their touting. Some of those specifically relate to secondary ticketing via the 2015 Consumer Rights Act, but industrial level touts are also subject to other consumer protection laws too.
Anti-tout campaigners have often pointed out that while they would like new rules to be introduced to further limit the touting of tickets, at the same time existing regulations need to be better enforced. Or, in many cases, enforced at all. In his government-commissioned review of secondary ticketing last year, Professor Waterson proposed that National Trading Standards was best positioned to do that enforcing.
Yesterday that agency confirmed that on Tuesday its officers "conducted raids at a number of properties across the UK. These raids are part of an ongoing investigation looking into unfair practices in the secondary ticketing market and particularly the practices of businesses that buy and sell tickets in bulk".
It went on: "A total of four properties were raided and four people were arrested under suspicion of breaches of the Consumer Protection From Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. In addition to the arrests a range of equipment - including computers, mobile phones and storage devices - have been seized as evidence".
The raids by National Trading Standards follow the recent announcement by the Competition And Markets Authority that it planned to "take action against secondary ticketing websites suspected of breaking consumer rights laws - through the courts, if necessary", following an investigation into the operations of the big four ticket resale sites. National Trading Standards added yesterday that it was liaising closely with the CMA in its bid to enforce consumer rights rules in the ticket touting domain.
This week's raids were welcomed by anti-touting campaign group FanFair, which said in a statement: "FanFair Alliance welcomes what sounds like a comprehensive raid by National Trading Standards. With new legislation due for enforcement in 2018, and the Competition And Markets Authority promising action against secondary ticketing sites that break consumer protection laws, this should mark the beginning of a long-awaited clean up of this market".
Spotify and Deezer call on EU to restrict tech giant "gatekeepers"
The bosses of Spotify and Deezer yesterday urged European law-makers to ensure that the streaming companies' tech giant rivals can't abuse their position as gatekeepers to digital consumers. Which probably confirms why various European digital music companies recently formed their own lobbying organisation in Brussels (although Digital Music Europe insists it has a wider remit).
It's Apple, Amazon and Google who the standalone streaming music firms have issues with. All three tech giants make and operate devices, transaction platforms and content services, and it's felt that they often exploit the first two in order to provide a boost for the latter. The latter being the services that compete head on with Spotify and Deezer, of course.
According to the Financial Times, Spotify chief Daniel Ek and Deezer CEO Hans-Holger Albrecht yesterday signed a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, urging the European Union to ensure "a level playing field" that is not hindered by American tech giants "regularly abusing their advantaged position".
The letter - which was also signed by reps of the gaming sector - has been sent now because the EC is actively considering new rules for how big tech companies work with smaller firms whose digital tools and services are sold and/or distributed via the former's platforms. Both Spotify and Deezer also put their names to a similar letter back in May.
The likes of Spotify and Deezer have various issues with the big three tech giants - and Apple in particular - in relation to fees the big three charge when purchases are made, how data is shared with app makers, and how they are able to integrate with innovations in the big three's products, such as the increasingly important voice-activated assistants.
In particular, they don't like the so called Apple tax, which means that if someone signs up to Spotify or Deezer within an iOS app, Apple takes 30% of the money. As that equates to Spotify and Deezer's best case scenario profit margin, they have to pass the 30% mark-up onto the consumer. This makes it look like Spotify and Deezer are more expensive than Apple Music, when in fact they all have the same price point outside the iOS ecosystem.
Without going into any of these individual gripes in any detail, the new letter does call for "clear and enforceable obligations that are a deterrent and prevent unfair businesses practices by platforms". It added that: "These obligations should include but go beyond mere transparency requirements, which alone will not ensure platforms act as gateways rather than become gatekeepers to the digital economy".
While Apple, Amazon and Google will be united in their distain for any new European regulations that restrict how they exploit dominance in one aspect of the digital market to achieve dominance in another, they all concurrently moan about each when they behave in this way. As we discuss in this week's edition of the Setlist podcast.
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Decapitated members released from jail, trial set for January
All four members of Polish death metal band Decapitated have been released from jail, pending their trial on rape charges in January. A judge decided to release the four men without them having to pay the $100,000 bail that was previously set.
As previously reported, the band were arrested in LA in September, accused of raping a woman on their tour bus following a performance in Spokane, Washington on 31 Aug.
Two women allege that they were invited back to the band's bus after the show, but that once on board the "vibe" changed. One woman managed to get off the bus, while the other says that she was raped by all four members of the metal outfit. They have all pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnap and rape.
This week, according to The Spokesman-Review, the four men were released on the condition that they stay within Washington state. They have had to give up their passports and sign a waiver obligating Poland to extradite them back to the US if they do flee to their home country.
The trial is set to begin on 16 Jan.
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Prosecutors confirm no action to be taken over Nelly rape allegations
Prosecutors in Washington state have confirmed that they will not proceed with rape charges against Nelly, after his alleged victim announced said that she would refuse to testify.
As previously reported, the music star was arrested in October after a woman alleged that he attacked her after a show in Auburn, Washington. A police report stated that a woman made a 911 call in the early hours of Saturday 7 Oct saying that she had been raped by Nelly on his tour bus. He strongly denied the allegations throughout.
A few days later a lawyer representing the alleged victim announced that her client had decided not to not pursue the case because "she believes the system is going to fail her". Attorney Karen Koehler criticised how said system deals with rape victims, adding: "We do not live in a society where a 21 year old college student can feel safe enough to pursue criminal charges against a celebrity for an alleged rape".
Koehler then said that her client was "telling the Auburn Police Department and the King County Prosecutor's Office to put a halt to the criminal investigation of Cornell Haynes Jr (aka Nelly). She will not testify in a criminal proceeding against him".
Which means it is perhaps unsurprising that the King County Prosecutor's Office has now decided that it cannot continue with any case against Nelly. According to TMZ, officers there have confirmed that the case against the musician is now closed because of the victim's decision to decline to co-operate with their investigation.
Tidal running out of cash fast, claims new report
Tidal has denied claims that it only has enough money to stay afloat for another six months. Which isn't surprising. Partly because a company would always deny such things, plus the claims of imminent demise do seem to be mainly based on a passing comment made earlier this year. Although other reports say that the streaming service reckons it'll be profitable by the middle of next year. Which, if true, seems ludicrously ambitious.
New claims of financial woes at Jay-Z's streaming service come from a report in Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv. The Norwegian press still take a particular interest in all things Tidal, the service having grown out of Norway-based digital music set up WiMP. The paper reckons that the company lost about $44 million last year, leaving it with just enough cash to keep it going until early summer 2018.
The claim is seemingly based on a comment made by the president of the sports side of Jay-Z's Roc Nation business - Juan Perez - back in January, after Sprint took a 33% stake in the streaming service. He said at the time that the deal gave Tidal "sufficient working capital for the next twelve to eighteen months".
Following the Dagens Næringsliv report, Tidal denied that it's on the rocks, saying in a statement that: "We have experienced negative stories about Tidal since its inception and we have done nothing but grow the business each year".
The company is known to have a much smaller userbase than rivals Spotify and Apple Music. It has not publicly announced any figures since 2016, when it claimed to have three million users - although some analysts have claimed that this included people on free trials, with actual paying users making up only a portion of that number.
That paying userbase could take a hit in the new year when a partnership with Norwegian telco Telenor ends in January. This is expected to knock around 100,000 users off Tidal's books, according to Dagens Næringsliv.
More women come forward with accusations of rape against Russell Simmons
Both the New York Times and LA Times have published new stories detailing accusations of sexual harassment and rape against Def Jam founder Russell Simmons. This follows allegations made by model Keri Claussen Khalighi and screenwriter Jenny Lumet last month.
In its article, the New York Times speaks to three who accuse Simmons of rape, including former Def Jam exec Drew Dixon. She says that the music mogul forced himself on her following a period of "prolonged and aggressive sexual harassment" while she was working at the label in the mid-90s. Journalist Toni Sallie and singer Tina Baker also accuse him of rape.
Meanwhile, in the LA Times article, actress Natashia Williams-Blach, massage therapist Erin Beattie, and two former employees of Simmons' yoga studio Tantris, accuse him of sexual misconduct, while rapper Sherri Hines alleges that he raped her.
As previously reported, the accusations against Simmons began with Keri Claussen Khalighi last month, who told the New York Times of an attack in the late 90s, apparently in the presence of film director Brett Ratner. Shortly afterwards, Jenny Lumet gave an account of being raped by Simmons to The Hollywood Reporter.
Simmons has denied all accusations against him, although he did step down from his various businesses in the wake of Lumet's accusation. In statements to the New York Times and LA Times, Simmons denied all eight new accusations made against him.
"I vehemently deny all these allegations", he told the NYT. "These horrific accusations have shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual ... Although I have been candid about how I have lived in books and interviews detailing my flaws, I will relentlessly fight against any untruthful character assassination that paints me as a man of violence".
To the LA Times, he said: "These new stories range from the patently untrue to frivolous and hurtful claims. I want to restate categorically what I have said previously: I have never been violent or abusive to any women in any way at any time in my entire life".
HBO recently announced that Simmons was being dropped from the latest series of TV show 'All Def Comedy' and that his name will be removed from the show's credits.
| Approved: Ea Kaya Ea Kaya - real name Christine Kiberg - has just released the video for her latest single, 'Remedy'. With its sharply clipped drums and bass, the song is given a punch that drives the vocals, seeing Kiberg allow her voice to crack a little in places. It all makes it an instantly ear-grabbing track. "'Remedy' is a song about toxic love", she explains. "In a relationship, it's rare that both parties want each other equally. As soon as you start catching feelings for someone, you can't help but get a little addicted". "If you're down" she goes on, "he's able to make you forget your problems for a little while and he becomes a remedy to your dark sides. It's risky though, because if he finds out, he might take advantage of the power he has over you". Watch the video for 'Remedy' here. Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Go-Go's musical heading to Broadway
A new musical based on the music of The Go-Go's will move to Broadway next year. Co-produced by Gwyneth Paltrow, 'Head Over Heels' pairs the 80s new wave band's music with sixteenth century romance story 'Arcadia'. Obviously.
First performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, and adapted for the stage by 'Avenue Q' writer Jeff Whitty, the musical has been developed in a number of theatres since. Despite mixed reviews, it will transfer to Broadway next year for the 2018/19 season. Before that, it will appear at the Curran Theater in San Francisco from late April into May.
In a statement, the band said: "If you told us 30 years ago that our songs were going to be in a musical, we'd have said, 'Of course they'll be on Broadway!' None of us would have really believed it, though".
The show is directed by Michael Mayer, who also oversaw Green Day's 'American Idiot' musical, which I totally forgot was a thing.
Bastille announce Re-orchestrated Tour
Bastille have announced that they will head out on tour in April next year. But it's not a tour like you're thinking, with the band playing their songs like you've heard them on their albums. No, what fun would that be? Instead, the 'Re-orchestrated Tour' will see them performing with string and brass sections in tow.
"Earlier this year, we did a special one-off show to raise money for [homelessness charity] Streets Of London", says the band's Dan Smith. "In it we deconstructed and totally re-arranged a bunch of our songs using strings, brass, and a gospel choir. "It was one of my favourite things we've ever been able to do".
He continues: "We are incredibly excited to take that set-up on the road for this Re-orchestrated tour, which will see us playing some amazing venues and concert halls around the UK and Europe. It makes for a very different kind of Bastille show where we totally reframe and reimagine our songs with the help of some incredible musicians, in a special and intimate setting".
Tickets for the shows will go on sale on Friday. But when and where will they take place? Then and there:
10 Apr: Manchester, Apollo
11 Apr: Edinburgh, Usher Hall
13 Apr: Bristol, Colston Hall
14 Apr: Sheffield, City Hall
16 Apr: London, Royal Albert Hall
Peace, Susanne Sundfør, Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
• Peace have put out the video for new single 'From Under Liquid Glass'. As previously reported, the song is being released to support mental health charity MQ.
• Lydia Ainsworth has released the video for 'Open Doors', from her latest album 'Darling Of The Afterglow'.
• King has released new single 'Poetry'. "'Poetry' is a very special song to me; reflecting over my life and concluding that I'm the only one in charge of the outcome", she says.
• White Kite have released the video for their latest single, 'Devil's Pact'.
• Susanne Sundfør has announced more UK shows for next year. In addition to a London show at the end of May, she will play in Edinburgh, Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester in March.
• The inductees into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018 will be Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. No Radiohead. Fox News will be pleased.
• Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.
Ed Sheeran and Anne-Marie cover Fairytale Of New York
'Fairytale Of New York' is a Christmas classic. A staple of the season. Possibly the best Christmas song ever recorded. But which version is best? It's a question we may never answer.
There's the Shane MacGowan/Kirsty MacColl original, of course. That's fine. But for nearly two decades now, there has been a fierce debate over whether Ronan Keating's 2000 cover version with Maire Brennan is better.
Well, prepare to have your Christmas lunch turned upside down this year (not literally, unless this argument gets particularly heated), because Ed Sheeran and Anne-Marie have just turned in a version for Radio 1's 'Live Lounge'.
Everyone has their own take on the song, of course. Keating's quirk was to sing it like he was having a poo at the same time. Sheeran and Anne-Marie take things up a level by removing any sense of resentment from even the angriest lines and throwing in a quick blast of 'Jingle Bells' at the end.
I guess we will indeed never decide which version is best. And isn't that what Christmas is all about? Here's Ed and Anne-Marie's entry into the festive ages.
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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. Setlist is a weekly podcast dissecting 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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