| Available to premium subscribers, CMU Trends digs deeper into the inner workings of the music business, explaining how things work and reviewing all the recent trends. | |
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AI - THE NEXT REVOLUTION IN MUSIC? Music business conference Midem this week publishes a brand new white paper from our consultancy unit CMU Insights reviewing the potential impact various AI technologies will have on the music industry in the next decade. As a preview, CMU Trends presents some highlights. [READ MORE] |
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TOP FIVE STREAMING CHALLENGES It's been a while since we've put the spotlight on challenges in the streaming sector. CMU Insights presented a new speed briefing on that very topic at the Output conference in Belfast this week. Based on that, here is a CMU Trends overview of the top five streaming challenges. [READ MORE] |
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TOP THREE MUSIC BUSINESS TRENDS IN JANUARY For the super busy music business professional, CMU Trends helps you keep up to speed on the most important developments in the music industry in recent weeks with a concise summary of the top three trends of the last month: mechanical rights in the US; agent of change; YouTube and safe harbour. [READ MORE] |
| TOP STORIES | Stormzy saves the BRIT Awards READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Man behind French piracy site ordered to pay 83 million euros to copyright owners READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DEALS | Deutsche Grammophon signs Agnes Obel READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LIVE BUSINESS | Amazon Tickets to close VMS Live allies with Eventim on ticketing READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES | Amazon Music hires former Warner exec to head up artist relations team READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Simian Mobile Disco to release album with Deep Throat Choir READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| GIGS & FESTIVALS | Soft Cell reunite for farewell show READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Warner, MUSO, 7digital, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Billy Corgan says its "not the time" to discuss ex-Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretsky READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
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SUNDAY BEST RECORDINGS - MARKETING ASSISTANT (LONDON) Sunday Best is seeking an enthusiastic and creative member of staff to join a small team at a with minimum one year marketing experience in a record label. For more information and to apply click here. |
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BELIEVE SYNC - JUNIOR SYNC MANAGER (LONDON) Believe Sync is looking for a self-motivated individual looking for a unique opportunity in the world of sync. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MUSIC MANAGEMENT COMPANY - ASSISTANT MANAGER (LONDON) London based independent management company seeks assistant manager for roster of artists, writers and producers. For more information and to apply click here. |
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BROWNSWOOD RECORDINGS - SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER (LONDON) Brownswood is looking for a driven and highly organised social media manager with great design and copywriting skills plus an instinctive understanding of the label's brand. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MPA GROUP OF COMPANIES - MUSIC PUBLISHING & SYNC CO-ORDINATOR (LONDON) The Music Publishers Association is seeking a highly organised, pro-active, efficient and positive team player to work as its Music Publishing and Sync Co-ordinator Executive. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER (LONDON) An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Business Affairs Manager to join the fast-growing master rights division of Kobalt’s Business Affairs team in London. For more information and to apply click here. |
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O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER - BOX OFFICE MANAGER (MANCHESTER) The O2 Apollo Manchester is seeking a Box Office Manager to co-ordinate all venue box office and ticketing activities. For more information and to apply click here. |
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INVOLVED GROUP - ROYALTY & ACCOUNTS ASSISTANT MANAGER (LONDON) Involved Group is looking for an experienced Royalty & Accounts Assistant Manager to join its busy and growing Finance Team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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O2 FORUM KENTISH TOWN - ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER (LONDON) Academy Music Group is recruiting for an Assistant General Manager to assist in all aspects of the Operation of the building in relation to events staged at O2 Forum Kentish Town. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC RECORDINGS - INTERNATIONAL LABEL & PRODUCT MANAGER (LONDON) Kobalt Music Recordings is looking for a flexible, confident and highly organised International Label & Product Manager, based out of our London office. For more information and to apply click here. |
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CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING - ROYALTY TRACKING MANAGER (LONDON) Concord Music Publishing's Royalty Tracking Manager role will focus on maximising client royalties through the tracking of missing revenue. A good understanding of UK, and potentially European, music collection societies and royalty processes is essential. For more information and to apply click here. |
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LISTEN UP - SENIOR PRESS MANAGER (LONDON) Listen Up is currently recruiting for a highly motivated Senior Press Manager with a passion for electronic music and industry relevant experience to join our rapidly growing team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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HOUSE OF BESTIVAL - NEW BUSINESS PROJECT MANAGER (LONDON) House of Bestival, the brand activation and creative prop house division of the Bestival group, is recruiting a New Business Project Manager with solid production expertise to bring innovative ideas to life in green fields and beyond. For more information and to apply click here. |
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KOBALT MUSIC GROUP - CLIENT ADMIN ASSISTANT (LONDON) Kobalt Music Recordings (KMR) is looking for a detail-oriented and organised individual to assist with our royalty and accounting responsibilities within our Artist and Label Services department, incorporating the AWAL distribution business. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE ORCHARD - INTERNATIONAL ARTIST & LABEL MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR (LONDON) The Orchard is looking for a savvy, seasoned International Artist & Label Marketing Co-ordinator to promote The Orchard’s artists and labels in Europe and beyond. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE ORCHARD - LABEL MANAGER (LONDON) The Orchard has an immediate opening for a label manager in our London office. Managing key relationships you will be the first point of contact for a number of labels, artists and managers. For more information and to apply click here. |
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FIRE RECORDS - PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION ADMINISTRATOR (LONDON) Fire Records is seeking a Production And Distribution Administrator, experienced in all areas of record production and manufacturing. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SHOGUN AUDIO GROUP - PRODUCT AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER (BRIGHTON) Shogun Audio Group is looking to hire an experienced, highly motivated, passionate Product and Distribution Manager to join our growing team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ACADEMY EVENTS - TOUR MARKETING CO-ORDINATOR (LONDON) Academy Events is seeking a Tour Marketing Co-ordinator to co-ordinate the sales and marketing function for tours, liaising with promoters, agencies, marketing depts and PR, seeking creative marketing opportunities, maximising ticket sales and other such revenues by developing and managing key marketing campaigns. For more information and to apply click here. |
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WILDLIFE ENTERTAINMENT - FINANCE MANAGER (MATERNITY COVER) (LONDON) Finance Manager for a successful artist management company based in Parsons Green. Accounting for artists, in particular touring for multiple active acts. This is a part time role, three days a week, for a nine month maternity cover contract commencing April 2018. For more information and to apply click here. |
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THE MUSIC ROYALTY COMPANY - ROYALTIES ASSISTANT (LONDON) The Music Royalty Company provides financial and administrative services to many record labels, distributors, publishers and recording artists. We require a dedicated Royalties Assistant eager to progress their career alongside other talented people. For more information and to apply click here. |
| CMU Insights provides training and consultancy to music companies and companies working with music. Find out about our seminars, masterclasses and primers here... | |
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CMU SEMINARS: BUILDING A FANBASE AND FAN BUSINESS Mondays 26 Feb, 5, 12 Mar 2018 at 6.30pm in London These three CMU Insights seminars together provide an overview of how to build a fanbase for new artists and new music. They also look at how artists can use these channels to build a direct-fo-fan business. You can book into each individual session at £49.99 per seminar or you can book a place on all three at the special price of £125. CLICK HERE FOR INFO. |
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CMU PRIMER: KEY MUSIC BUSINESS TRENDS 2018 These are courses we can run in-house at your company 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 FOR INFO. |
Stormzy saves the BRIT Awards
Hey, everyone. It was the BRITs last night. Were you there? Well, if so, take your paracetamol now and I'll tell you what happened.
It was a night of visual metaphor. White roses to represent the battle against sexual assault and harassment in the entertainment industry. Artificial rain to represent the ongoing fallout from the Grenfell Tower disaster. Brighton's burned out West Pier to represent the career of a BRITs Critics' Choice winner.
There was a smashed up sports car to represent the feeling of watching Kendrick Lamar perform mostly in silence thanks to ITV censorship. And Dua Lipa performed with about 40 female dancers, which I think was an effort to counteract the size of the beard the guy who performed with Justin Timberlake had.
It all began with comedian Jack Whitehall appearing on stage in a big coat, as a nod to Big Shaq's 'Man's Not Hot', which wasn't up for any awards despite being a massive phenomenon over the last year. Whitehall then inverted the gag for the rest of the show by wearing a suit jacket that was too small for him.
It was an evening of bold performances. And by bold, I mean boring. Ed Sheeran in particular made a lot of leftfield decisions. No guitar, no pedals, just him and a microphone, like a one man Westlife, performing one of the lesser known songs from his latest album - closing track 'Supermarket Flowers'.
Sheeran was there to pick up the Well Done For Being Successful prize, for which he was eulogised by both Elton John and Ronnie Wood. Until last week, of course, Sheeran was signed to John's Rocket Man management company. Not in attendance, Elton sent in a video message, where he was clearly reading from cue cards and mispronounced Sheeran's name, like he wasn't actually sure who the guy was.
To actually hand over the trophy, Whitehall then brought on "a man who's caned it for so long that he has to check the in memoriam package every year to makes sure he's still alive". Which is quite an edgy gag for the BRITs - as an ITV1 show - but would have been funnier if the ceremony actually did one of those dead people roll calls.
I'm still not sure why Wood was there. I think Sheeran supported the Rolling Stones once. Or something. He bookended his tribute to Sheeran by saying how nice it was to be back at the BRITs again. Last time they let him present an award he got into a fight on stage with Brandon Block. Sadly, no one had thought to invite Block back for a rematch.
Next up was one of the performances many would have been looking forward to the most all evening. One that brought a level of credibility to the proceedings that a duet between Liam Payne and Rita Ora just couldn't reach.
Best International Male winner Kendrick Lamar's performance got off to a slow start, with the backing track seemingly restarting several times, as the rapper lay motionless on top of a glass box containing a Lamborghini.
Once he'd made it through an extract of 'Feel', the screen behind him announced that the next portion of the performance was "another satire by Kendrick Lamar". Performing 'New Freezer', the track's producer Rich The Kid smashed up the sportscar below him with a baseball bat.
What exactly was being satirised is open to interpretation, but for people watching at home it at least gave them something to look at while ITV muted long sections of the performance thanks to Lamar's choice language, in something of a repeat of West's famous BRITs appearance in 2015.
Given that the BRITs is designed as an ITV1 show it's hard to understand why they'd book someone who then needs to be censored. Prior to Lamar, only a brief section of Rag N Bone Man's Best British Single acceptance speech had been cut.
Stormzy at least thought to self-censor when tearing into Theresa May and the Daily Mail in his headline performance. Having taken home two prizes - including Best British Album, at which point it looked like he might be suffocated by his entourage before he could make it to the stage - he performed 'Blinded By Your Grace Part 2' and 'Big For Your Boots'.
Between the two tracks, under artificial rain pouring down on him, he rapped, "Yo Theresa May, where's the money for Grenfell? What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell? You're criminals, and you've got the cheek to call us savages, you should do some jail time, you should pay some damages, you should burn your house down and see if you can manage this".
It was a pointed and affecting political moment in a show where others had fallen slightly flat. Damon Albarn's drunken Brexit rant notwithstanding.
Following criticism of the Grammys earlier this month for its all round lack of gender diversity, BRIT Awards organisers were, of course, keen to avoid similar criticism. Prior to the event, it was announced that the awards were officially supporting the Time's Up campaign, the entertainment industry-led initiative that is demanding proactive measures to stop sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace.
As a result, white roses in real and badge form were seen regularly through the night - including a massive one in the lapel of Whitehall's too small jacket. Actual references to the campaign were not as frequent or prominent as you might have expected, though. Also, the gender balance of the performers and award winners at the event still skewed massively male.
Before presenting Lorde (whose lack of a Grammys performance was one part of the earlier controversy) with the prize for Best International Female, Ellie Goulding and model Adowa Aboah did appear on stage to specifically, if briefly, discuss the white roses. Goulding referenced foolish comments made by Grammy's boss Neil Portnow, saying that women have been "stepping up for years" in music, while Aboah thanked people for wearing flowers "in saladority". Which was nice.
Earlier in the show, Dua Lipa made her acceptance speech for the first award of the night, Best British Female, and subsequent performance of 'New Rules', all about women and female empowerment, which mainly highlighted the lacklustre ways in which the event officially approached these things.
Accepting the first of her two prizes, she said: "I want to thank every single female who has been on this stage before me that has given girls like me - not just girls in the music industry, but girls in society - a place to be inspired by and look up to and have allowed us to dream this big".
Elsewhere, last year's hosts Dermot O'Leary and Emma Willis had a seemingly genuinely irritated exchange about there being no female co-host this year, while quite late in proceedings Whitehall delivered a scripted dig at himself for being a white male host.
Another key set piece of the night was an admirable section dedicated to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing last year, which ultimately fell slightly flat.
Ariana Grande was supposed to be making a return to the UK for the show, which would have been a big moment. Unfortunately, she was unwell and unable to travel at the last minute. So, after a speech from Gary Barlow, Liam Gallagher stepped in for a really not very good rendition Oasis track 'Live Forever'.
Although, frankly, when the benchmark for a tribute is Grande's own 'One Love Manchester' show, nothing is really going to come close to matching it.
So that was the BRITs. Although I think one final honourable mention should go to Rag N Bone Man's 'Ren & Stimpy' jacket, which blew both of Whitehall's choices out of the water.
Here are all the winners presented on the night:
British Female Solo Artist: Dua Lipa
British Male Solo Artist: Stormzy
British Breakthrough Act: Dua Lipa
British Group: Gorillaz
International Male Solo Artist: Kendrick Lamar
International Female Solo Artist: Lorde
International Group: Foo Fighters
British Single: Rag N Bone Man - Human
British Artist Video Award: Little Mix - Touch
British Album Of The Year: Stormzy - Gang Signs & Prayer
Global Success Award: Ed Sheeran
Man behind French piracy site ordered to pay 83 million euros to copyright owners
The man behind a former French piracy operation that provided access to streaming movies without licence has been handed a two year prison sentence and ordered to pay 83 million euros in damages to various movie companies and music rights collecting society SACEM.
The man accused of running Streamiz - at one point one of the most popular piracy sites in France - was arrested in 2011. He subsequently failed to show up to court hearings and was therefore found guilty of copyright crimes and subsequently sentenced without actually being in the room.
When originally arrested, the defendant had 30,000 euros stuffed in his backpack. Investigators reckon that he had made about 150,000 euros over two years from advertising that appeared on his piracy site.
That's a long way off the 83 million euros he has now been ordered to pay to the movie and music industries. Even if police catch up with the champion pirate, it seems unlikely he'll ever pay those mega-bucks damages, although he may have to serve his jail time at some point.
Either way, it's a tough sentence for the former Streamiz operator. SACEM, which would be due royalties for music contained within the movies Streamiz provided access to, welcomed the judgement. It's Secretary General, David El Sayegh, told reporters that the ruling "sends a very clear message: there will be no impunity for pirates".
Deutsche Grammophon signs Agnes Obel
Universal Music's Deutsche Grammophon has signed Danish composer, pianist, singer and songwriter Agnes Obel. Under the deal, the mega-major's Blue Note label will handle Obel's releases in the US.
Confirming the tie-up, Deutsche Grammophon President Clemens Trautmann said: "We are fascinated by Agnes's compositional autonomy and the precision with which she creates and produces her vocal and instrumental soundscapes. With every song and instrumental piece, she opens up small universes, thus reaching a broad audience with sophisticated works. With Agnes we share confidence in the long-term success of artistic excellence and credibility, as well as the intention to inspire many more fans around the world".
Meanwhile over at Blue Note, its President, Don Was, added: "Agnes is a profoundly imaginative and soulful artist. All of us at Blue Note Records are honoured and THRILLED about the opportunity to present her music to US audiences. I'm really looking forward to hearing her new music and am certain that whatever she creates next will emanate from an inspired, honest and unique place".
Obel herself chipped in: "I am very happy to be working with Deutsche Grammophon and Blue Note, two legendary labels with a huge history. I am really looking forward to this next exciting chapter".
Amazon Tickets to close
Despite bold talk about "disrupting the entire live entertainment experience" less than eighteen months ago, Amazon Tickets is now shutting down having made pretty much no mark on the world whatsoever.
According to IQ, Amazon's UK-based ticketing operation is now in the process of returning any unsold ticket allocations back to promoters. This follows the news last year that the web giant was abandoning plans to launch its ticketing business in the US.
Amazon first began selling tickets in the UK in 2015, before fully launching its ticketing platform - with plans to "position Amazon Tickets as the world's premier destination for purchasing tickets" - in November the following year.
With all of its resources and online infrastructure, not to mention a massive existing customer base of music fans, many wondered if Amazon could be the one new entrant into the super competitive ticketing business that could actually gain some traction.
As many ticketing start-ups have discovered, taking on the big traditional players in this market is tricky, even if your platform is more consumer-friendly and provides better data to promoters. The key challenge is getting access to tickets for the big shows, because venues and promoters often have strong partnerships with the traditional ticket agents, which commonly offer cash flow and financial kick-backs to keep those alliances sweet.
That's before you consider the fact that the biggest concert promoter of them all, Live Nation - which is also a key player in venue and artist management, of course - happens to own Ticketmaster and its related ticketing businesses.
Amazon seemingly discovered all of this after it had kicked in the doors and started throwing its weight around. Recognising that Ticketmaster was particularly dominant in the US, it tried to do a deal with the Live Nation company there. A failure to secure such a deal seemingly led to Amazon abandoning its ticketing ambitions Stateside.
Ticketmaster had reportedly offered to do a deal to provide slow-moving tickets in its inventory to Amazon to sell on at a discounted rate. However, one of Amazon's big plans was to secure the very best seats at shows to offer to its Prime members as a perk of membership, so it knocked that proposal back.
With an expansion into the largest live music market off the table, some wondered whether the US-centric Amazon would bail on ticketing elsewhere too. And, it seems, it has.
IQ reports that in an email earlier this week, Amazon Tickets' James Moore told clients that the parent company has "taken the decision to close Amazon Tickets, and today will commence the process of marking back to you any tickets currently on our website and of ceasing the sale of new tickets". He added that tickets already sold to customers will be honoured, but no new tickets are being sold.
So, Amazon's grand ticketing dream is officially over. Or is it?
Billboard reports that back in the US execs at the web giant have been talking to promoters about a possible alternative ticketing service based around its Echo devices and Alexa voice-activated assistant. "Hey Alexa, is Amazon abandoning ticketing so it can move back into ticketing?" "No comment", says she.
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VMS Live allies with Eventim on ticketing
British gig promoter and venue management firm VMS Live has allied with the UK division of German ticketing company Eventim. VMS Live says that its continued growth as a business meant that it now needed a formal ticketing partner.
The company's MD, Steve Forster, said that while his firm is "currently a small business in the context of the major players out there" it "continues to double in size year on year".
"Eventim approached us about a partnership, and their flexible approach and ability to modify their standard offering to suit our business needs convinced us to partner with them", he added. "Eventim's initiatives tie into our ethos as a business - in particular we really like FanSale, their fan-to-fan, fair-price ticketing resale platform. Overall, Eventim just felt right for us at this stage in our development".
Eventim UK's James O'Mullan added: "We wanted to work with VMS as they are the fastest growing promoter in the country, and we have experienced exponential growth in 2017. We both have similar ambitions for the future, and working together we will be able to help each other reach those goals".
Amazon Music hires former Warner exec to head up artist relations team
Amazon Music has appointed former record label exec Dan McCarroll to the role of Global Head Of Originals And Artist Relations. McCarroll, most recently with Warner Music, will head up Amazon's artist relations department, which manages the company's relationships with artists and managers, and also lead the team that seek to create exclusive content with specific acts.
His new boss, Amazon Music's Global Head Of Programming And Content Strategy, Alex Luke, says: "Dan is joining the Amazon Music team with an incredibly valuable artist's perspective. As we continue to work closely with labels and artists to deliver music in new ways, Dan is bringing decades of experience both as a former musician and a respected industry executive to our team".
McCarroll himself adds: "In a relatively short while, Amazon Music has grown exponentially while continuing to innovate on behalf of their customers. I'm looking forward to joining this impressive, passionate team as we continue to work with the creative community to deliver the absolute best music experience".
Although a late arrival to the streaming party, some reckon Amazon could as yet become the third major global player in streaming music - alongside Apple and Spotify - mainly on the back of its Echo device and Alexa voice-activated assistant.
| Approved: Animal Hack Production duo Animal Hack have just released their latest EP, 'Gift', pulling together the last six months or so of their output. A shift from last summer's 'Boy' EP, it drives the volume right into the red for large sections, although is not without moments of subtlety. Opening track 'Body' sets things off in furniture-rattling form, before giving way to 'Letter', which balances overdriven drums and synths with intricate guitar work. A (slightly) lighter sound comes on 'WIMM?', which leaves space to ponder the unusual vocal sample it employs. Meanwhile, 'Plastic Night' really does shift things down a gear, coming as a welcome respite at the EP draws to a close. Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Simian Mobile Disco to release album with Deep Throat Choir
Simian Mobile Disco have announced that they will release their fifth album, 'Murmurations', on 11 May. The record is a collaboration with The Deep Throat Choir, with whom they will perform the album live at the Barbican in London on 4 Apr.
"Listening to them moving their voices around a tone, altering the timbre, making chords, was like working with an incredible new synthesiser", says the duo's Jas Shaw of working with the choir.
Deep Throat Choir director Luisa Gerstein adds: "Working with James and Jas has been a total pleasure. It's been exciting to combine our use of raw female voices with the electronic sensibilities of SMD - the conversation between the two, how they have informed and responded to one another. The result feels like something warm, rippling and kaleidoscopic!"
The first single from the album is 'Caught In A Wave', the video for which you can watch here.
Soft Cell reunite for farewell show
Soft Cell have announced that they are reforming in order to split up again. Somewhere in that brief window, they will play a farewell show, marking their 40th anniversary.
By which we mean Marc Almond and Dave Ball have announced that they will reunite to perform a one-off show at the O2 Arena in London on 30 Sep, under the banner 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye'.
"With Soft Cell I always felt something was unfinished", says Almond. "This last ever final show will be the best ever ending. It will be a real statement and send off, and thank you to every fan".
Ball adds: "We live in very interesting times, and 2018 promises to be a very special year".
Tickets for the show go on general sale this Friday.
Warner, MUSO, 7digital, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
• Warner Music has a new VP of Business Development for Latin America and Spain: Marcela Vaccari. Responsible for business development in both Latin America and Spain she'll be based in Miami, obviously.
• Anti-piracy firm MUSO has appointed Russel Coultart - who founded Digital Stores and then led direct-to-consumer operations at EMI and Universal - as its Global Head of Music Partnerships.
• 7digital has a new Head Of Legal & Business Affairs in the form of Stacey Mitsopulos, who was most recently with the Box Plus Network.
• Eels have released the video for new single, 'Today Is The Day'.
• Let's Eat Grandma have released the video for their new single, 'Hot Pink'.
• Wye Oak have released new single 'It Was Not Natural'. Their new album, 'The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs', is out on 6 Apr.
• Colour have released new single 'Black', taken from new EP 'The Famous Boy Making Things', which is out next month.
• Mos Def and pianist Robert Glasper will perform together at Troxy in London on 8 Mar. More info here.
• Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.
Billy Corgan says its "not the time" to discuss ex-Smashing Pumpkins bassist D'arcy Wretsky
Billy Corgan has said that now "just isn't the time" to talk about why D'arcy Wretsky isn't involved in the Smashing Pumpkins reunion. You know, what with it being totally relevant and everyone being interested.
Last week, as the official announcement of the reunion drew closer, there was much chat about Wretsky's lack of involvement. Not least from her herself. She claimed that she had been shut out, while the band, breaking their own embargo, issued a statement saying that they'd tried to get her to be involved but she'd flaked out.
Asked about the circumstances that led to Wretsky not taking part in the reunion, Corgan told Chicago radio host Mancow Muller: "Honestly, I don't really want to talk about it".
When Muller pressed him further on what is basically the only question anyone's asking about the reunion, Corgan said: "I think the difficulty is the world works in a particular way these days - it's very much like professional wrestling. Listen, there's a time and a place for everything, and this just isn't the time".
So that's entirely ambiguous. I'm not as up on pro wrestling as Corgan is, but I look forward to finding out when the time is right.
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