Charlie Walk leaves Universal
Charlie Walk has stepped down as President of Universal's Republic label in the US after he and the company "mutually agreed to part ways". This follows various allegations of sexual harassment against the long-term record industry exec.

Initial accusations were made against Walk by a former colleague, Tristan Coopersmith, earlier this year. In a blog post on her website she detailed various incidents with Walk during their time working together at Sony's Columbia label in around 2004. This prompted several other women to come forward with claims against him.

Walk was placed on leave by Universal pending an independent investigation. He also sat out of the finale episode of 'The Four', the TV talent show on which he was a judge. He has denied all the allegations made against him, calling them "upsetting" and "untrue".

Universal confirmed Walk's departure in a short statement, saying: "Republic Records and Charlie Walk have mutually agreed to part ways".

Speaking to Variety about Walk's departure from Republic, Coopersmith said: "I applaud all the women who shared their truth and I am gratified that Universal created a safe process for them to do so. This behaviour in the workplace will only stop when we band together, unafraid".

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Classical musician wins landmark High Court ruling on hearing damage
Viola player Chris Goldscheider has won a landmark case against the Royal Opera House in the High Court. He accused the venue of being liable for hearing damage he sustained during a rehearsal six years ago, citing ROH's possible responsibilities under UK Noise Regulations.

This is the first time that a sufferer of so called 'acoustic shock' has been awarded compensation by a court. The ruling could therefore have huge implications for the classical music industry, and the wider music business as a whole.

Goldscheider said that he suffered severe hearing damage during a rehearsal of Wagner's 'Die Walkure' in 2012 after sound levels of the performance reached 130 decibels. He said that he had been left unable to hear sound normally without experiencing pain. As a result he has to wear ear protection to carry out even normal household tasks.

He says that he spent eighteen months attempting to recover unsuccessfully. He eventually left the Royal Opera House in 2014 as a result of his injuries.

The Royal Opera House said that it was "surprised and disappointed" by the ruling. In court, its lawyers had argued that 'acoustic shock' does not in fact exist, and that the musician had not suffered hearing damage as a result of the performance. Instead, it was claimed, he had naturally developed Meniere's disease at the same time as being involved in the rehearsal.

High Court judge Justice Nicola Davies did not agree, saying: "I regard the defendant's contention that Meniere's disease developed at the rehearsal as stretching the concept of coincidence too far".

She also disputed the ROH's claim that a certain amount of hearing loss was justifiable in the pursuit of great art. "Such a stance is unacceptable", she said. "Musicians are entitled to the protection of the law, as is any other worker".

In a statement, the ROH said: "We have been at the forefront of industry-wide attempts to protect musicians from the dangers of exposure to significant levels of performance sound, in collaboration with our staff, the Musicians' Union, acoustic engineers and the Health & Safety Executive".

"Although this judgment is restricted to our obligations as an employer under the Noise Regulations, it has potentially far-reaching implications for the Royal Opera House and the wider music industry", it continued.

It added: "We do not believe that the Noise Regulations can be applied in an artistic institution in the same manner as in a factory, not least because in the case of the Royal Opera House, sound is not a by product of an industrial process but is an essential part of the product itself".

However, Goldscheider's solicitor, Chris Fry, told the BBC: "This case has huge significance and will send shockwaves across the music business. It has considered itself exempt from the same regulatory requirements as all other sectors because of the artistic nature of its output. This, in our view, has always been a dismissive view from an industry which creates and sells 'noise' as a product".

Damages have not yet been set. The Royal Opera House is considering whether or not to appeal.

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Pharrell renews Sony/ATV deal
Pharrell Williams has renewed his worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV. The deal puts him into his third decade with the publisher and comes hot on the heels of the US courts upholding that multi-million dollar song-theft lawsuit against the top pop maker.

Says Sony/ATV CEO Marty Bandier: "Pharrell has been part of my extended music business family for two decades and his talent, creativity and songwriting abilities are only exceeded by his humanity. We are delighted and proud to continue to work with him and his team".

Williams added: "It's incredible to think that it's now 20 years since I first signed a publishing deal with these guys. I look forward to continued success with Marty and Sony/ATV".

Last week, the Ninth Circuit appeals court in the US upheld the ruling in the high profile 'Blurred Lines' song-theft case. It confirmed that Williams and Robin Thicke did indeed infringe Marvin Gaye's 'Got To Give It Up' when they wrote their 2013 hit 'Blurred Lines'.

Of the three judges ruling in the appeal, one dissented, arguing that it wrongly allowed Gaye's estate to copyright the 'vibe' of a record. She said that upholding the earlier ruling "establishes a dangerous precedent that strikes a devastating blow to future musicians and composers everywhere".

The other two judges claimed that his was "unfounded hyperbole". Further appeals are likely.

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Warner Music acquires AI A&R tool Sodatone
Warner Music has acquired Sodatone, a data-crunching platform that seeks to help with artist development and fanbase building. The label says the deal will enable it to better "search for the superstars of tomorrow".

Founded by data scientists Jerry Zhang and Arjun Bali, Sodatone's software pulls in data from social media, streaming platforms and touring companies. It then mashes it all up with a bit of machine learning and spits out predictors of success, based on things like fan loyalty and general reaction to an artists' activities.

"At Warner Music, we're creating an entrepreneurial environment where art and technology thrive together", says Warner's recordings chief Max Lousada. "Arjun and Jerry are two talented pioneers, whose passion for algorithms and trends is matched by our love for music and culture".

He goes on: "They understand that A&R instinct has always been informed by different types of data, and have created a tool that brings new sophistication and foresight to creative decisions. As the youngest member of our growing family of brands, Sodatone will help to differentiate us in the search for the superstars of tomorrow".

Zhang and Bali add in a joint statement: "We chose Warner Music Group as our new home because we respect the company's openness to experimentation and admire their approach to artist development. Having worked with so many music companies, it will be inspiring to be closer to the music-making process, and explore how we can fine-tune our technology to make it an even more powerful tool in the hands of the creatives".

Despite now being owned by Warner Music, Sodatone says that it will continue to offer its services to artist managers, agents, promoters and indie labels. Whether they'll like the idea of having all their artist data on servers owned by a major label remains to be seen.

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BMG signs new deal with Ninja Tune Production Music
BMG has signed a deal to represent Ninja Tune's production music library outside the UK.

Launched last October, Ninja Tune Production Music make tracks by artists including Coldcut, Mr Scruff, Amon Tobin and Kid Koala available to brands and producers of film, TV and videogames.

"We are THRILLED to welcome Ninja Tune Production Music to the BMG family and proud to represent the NTPM catalogue worldwide", says BMG Production Music's John Clifford. "Not only are the music and artists brilliant, it speaks volumes about our global ethos that such an influential, well-known and respected label chose to partner with BMGPM for their new production music arm".

Head Of Licensing at Ninja Tune Martin Dobson adds: "After talking to all the main players, BMGPM's enthusiasm and confidence in our songs, impressive plans for promoting our production music catalogue and their vision for major expansion within the industry made them the stand out choice".

At the same time, BMG Production Music also announced a new deal with UK label Dynamic Music to represent its recordings for sync worldwide. Dynamic boss Rachel Menzies is also "THRILLED".

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UK Music welcomes new creative industry funding from UK government
Cross-sector trade group UK Music has welcomed a commitment by the UK government to pump £150 million into the creative industries. The deal is part of the government's Industrial Strategy, which in part aims to help prepare UK business to weather that oncoming Brexit storm.

UK Music CEO Michael Dugher says: "For more than a year, UK Music has worked intensively with the government and the Creative Industries Council to get the best possible deal for the music industry. I'm delighted that the government has listened and delivered a deal which should pave the way for the UK music industry to continue its world-beating success story".

He continues: "We welcome the commitment to strengthen the talent pipeline to address current and future skills needs, as well ensuring the industry is more representative of UK society. The creative industries sector deal provides a fantastic opportunity to boost the competitiveness of our industry, which contributes £4.4 billion to the UK economy, generates exports of £2.5 billion and employs over 140,000 people".

The new funding includes £2 million for that poorly conceived and badly implemented 'Get It Right' anti-piracy campaign, so you know it must be a great deal. There is also money for continued work in closing the 'value gap' and plans to launch of a Trade And Investment Board that will aim to boost creative industries exports by 50% by 2023.

You can read the full creative industries sector deal policy paper here.

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Association Of Independent Festivals becomes standalone organisation
The Association Of Independent Festivals is to launch as a standalone operation from next week. It has essentially operated as a division of the Association Of Independent Music since its inception in 2008.

Newly promoted from General Manager to Chief Executive of AIF, Paul Reed says: "Following ten successful years, it feels like AIF has grown up and is ready to leave home. I'd like to thank all at AIM for supporting and nurturing AIF, enabling us to grow from a handful of promoters around a table to an invaluable support network for our 65 members".

"I'm incredibly excited about the future", he continues. "We're working on a number of initiatives and campaigns for this year and, with a new team in place, we're in a strong position to move on to the next phase of our development".

AIF was co-founded by Bestival's Rob da Bank and Ben Turner with support from then AIM Chief Executive Alison Wenham. Rob da Bank remains on the board of directors, alongside other representatives from the live and festivals sector. Generator's Jim Mawdsley acts as Chair, while Vice Chair is Goc O'Callaghan of the ArcTanGent festival.

Commenting on AIF becoming a standalone entity, current AIM CEO Paul Pacifico says: "It is fantastic to see AIF take the next step in their development and incorporate. This is yet another sign of the strength and sense of community in the independent music sector that AIM exists to support and empower. I would like to congratulate Paul Reed and his team on their great work and the critical work they do for their members. I very much look forward to working closely with them into the future".

As AIF moves into new offices in Vauxhall's Handbag Factory, Reed is joined in the day-to-day running of things by Phoebe Rodwell in the newly created role of Membership And Project Co-ordinator. She was previously at the UK Music Managers Forum.

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Radar founder launches new awards for short-form video
Founder of music video and visuals commissioning platform Radar, Caroline Bottomley, has set up a new venture called the Shiny Awards.

In some ways an evolution and extension of Radar's own previous awards programme, the new initiative seeks to discover, champion and support new directors working across music video, branded content and short-form drama and documentaries

"There's room for some disruption and innovation in the awards sector", Bottomley reckons. "Entrants are under-served, with many emerging directors complaining of questionable benefits for winners".

She goes on to explain: "The Shiny Awards are the first and only awards event to give written feedback from industry professionals for every entry. We also have affordable entry fees, awards to recognise commissioners of new talent, and we connect shortlisted directors to key industry gatekeepers".

A small scale first run of the event was held in London last month, with a second larger version planned for 25 Sep this year. Entries are now open for videos under five minutes in length.

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Cardi B, Carla Marie Williams, Purple, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Cardi B has signed a new management deal with Quality Control, according to Variety. Her debut album is out next week.

• Songwriter and producer Carla Marie Williams has signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Reservoir. "I'm super excited to start my new journey with Reservoir", says Williams. "My plan is to travel the world this year, playing an active role in both writing and producing as much global music as possible, and it's nice to finally have a team to support you in making your dreams come true!"

• Entertainment PR firm Purple has announced that it will become Satellite 414 as of next week.

• Vevo has promoted JP Evangelista to Head Of Content & Programming. He is "extremely excited".

• Janelle Monáe is the first curator of Spotify's new Black History Is Happening Now section. She explains: "It's important to me to celebrate black history year round and with Spotify's commitment to honouring the black community all year long and showcasing artists and organizations who are dedicated to imparting change". During her month curating the channel, she will focus on Afrofuturism.

• Chvrches have released new track, 'Never Say Die'. New album 'Love Is Dead' is out on 25 May.

• Ezra Furman has released the video for 'Suck The Blood From My Wound'. He'll be touring the UK in May.

• John Parish will release new solo album, 'Bird Dog Dante', on 15 Jun. Here's first single, 'Sorry For Your Loss', featuring PJ Harvey.

• Wye Oak have released another new track, 'Lifer'. Their new album, 'The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs', is out next week.

• Slow Club's Charles Watson has released new single 'Everything Goes Right'. The track is taken from his solo album, 'Now That I'm A River', out on 18 May.

• Alabaster DePlume will release new album 'The Corner Of A Sphere' on 4 May. Here's a live performance of album track 'Is It Enough?'

• Girls Names will release new album 'Stains On Silence' on 15 Jun. They'll also be touring the UK and Ireland the same month. Here's new single '25'.

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

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MIA says Jay-Z advised her to agree to "ridiculous" NFL settlement
MIA has claimed that Jay-Z advised her to sign a settlement deal in her legal dispute with the NFL that would have pretty much involved giving up 100% of her earnings. She was sued by the American football organisation after raising her middle finger to the camera during Madonna's Super Bowl half-time performance in 2012.

The claim comes from a new interview with Huck Magazine about upcoming documentary 'Matangi/Maya/MIA'. The film, directed by Stephen Loveridge, covers MIA's life story, from her discovery of hip hop when she moved to the UK as a child up to the present day. And, of course, that middle finger incident.

"[The hatred over the hand gesture] was from everybody and it just felt ridiculous", she says. "When they hit me with the lawsuit it activated so many people to come after me on so many different levels. What's in the film is a very tiny bit of what happened to me in real life. It's quite entertaining for Steve to have made it into this nice little cookie but the reality of that was way worse. A lot of people I feel got off the hook".

And that includes Jay-Z, she goes on: "I was at Roc Nation at the time and Jay-Z was managing me. The lawsuit was so ridiculous, it proposed that they would keep 100% of my earnings for the rest of my life if I ever earned more than $2 million. Jay-Z was, like, 'you should sign that shit' and I was, like, 'no'".

Even though the finger moment led to only a smattering of formal complaints from the Super Bowl's 111.3 million viewers, the NFL pushed for compensation from the rapper through a process of arbitration, at one point asking for $16.6 million in damages. An undisclosed settlement was reached in 2014.

"A middle finger, it's like get a fucking grip", she continues. "People were like, 'oh you're lucky you're not in jail, give up all your profit, be this slave for the rest of your life'".

It's at this point in the interview that she stops herself and says: "Oh god, I hope the NFL doesn't sue me again for talking about it". The article notes that a voice from another room then confirmed it's not a topic she should be discussing.

"Oh, I'm not supposed to talk about it", she says. "I'm going to eat crisps".

Me too.

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