Radar Radio shuts down as presenters quit over abuse allegations
Radar Radio has suspended broadcasting and shut down its website, after presenters left en masse following accusations of sexual harassment, homophobia and racism at the online station.

The radio set-up, which is owned by Ollie Ashley, the son of Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, said in a statement that it had "made the decision to suspend broadcasting until we are in a position to address the recent commentary around aspects of the station".

That commentary started earlier this month when DJ collective Pxssy Palace announced that they were leaving the station after "a string of disappointing experiences".

Among a long list of accusations, they said that Radar aired "sexist, homophobic and transphobic shows", had a culture of "organisational racism", and had created "an uncomfortable and toxic environment which has led to the departure of many women of colour staff".

They also said that they had privately raised their concerns with senior staff at the station. However, at the time of their statement, they said, there had been a "consistent reluctance to negotiate or properly discuss these issues".

On Friday, Radar responded to Pxssy Palace's statement, saying: "We were very concerned and disappointed to see the statement from Pxssy Palace suggesting that we are getting some important aspects wrong. We don't agree with all the opinions in that statement but like most organisations we know we are capable of making mistakes and have to be vigilant to maintain standards".

This prompted a former producer at the station, Ashtart Al-Hurra, to publish a blog post detailing her own experiences at Radar.

"I joined Radar stupidly thinking that I'd be contributing to something positive, and finally establish a safe place for myself to do what I love", she writes. "It turned out that Radar behind the scenes was nothing like how it sounded".

She says that she was sexually harassed by "dickhead DJ dudes", both at the station and at associated events. False rumours were also spread by colleagues about her sleeping with some of these men, she adds.

When incidents happened within the station's offices, she said that she reported them to a manager. However, she claims, little was done to address this and she was admonished for discussing concerns on social media. Asked to detail those concerns once again, she says, she was told that they "just sounded like small things", and that "it's just boys being boys".

Eventually, she goes on, an HR firm was brought in to mediate, after which promises were made to provide staff with "sensitivity training". But, she says, people who still work there have told her that that never happened.

Al-Hurra also claims that she was made to sign NDA barring her from discussing Radar or the Ashley family publicly. "Obviously, I'm violating the fuck out of that shit right now", she writes. "But that's what Radar gets for pretending to be 'uncensored' while actually censoring the shit out of women of colour".

"Everything I have just told you is why Radar's reply to Pxssy Palace is complete and utter trash", she goes on. "Pxssy Palace are the only people in the entire industry that I know of who have had the integrity to publicly challenge this weird position of power that Radar have created for themselves".

She then concludes: "It's as if people are genuinely scared it'll fuck their careers up, even though this music existed years before any of these gentrifiers had a clue. Nobody actually needs Radar, Radar needs artists. Otherwise it wouldn't have built itself off the back of the black working class people who pioneered grime".

Seemingly taking all this on board, many presenters subsequently announced that they were leaving the station. Among them the Planet Mu record label, producer Ikonia, breakfast show host Snoochie Shy, writer Chidera Eggerue, and many others.

With its pool of presenters dwindling, Radar - which recently marked its third birthday - announced that it was temporarily shutting down. Its website is currently blank, although its social media profiles remain open.

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Russell Simmons requests dismissal of rape lawsuit
Music industry veteran Russell Simmons is requesting that a lawsuit accusing him of rape be dismissed, on the grounds that it exceeds the so called statute of limitations. He also calls the claims within it "a work of pure fiction".

Various accusations of rape and sexual harassment have been made against Simmons in recent months, as a number of women have come forward following initial allegations made by model Keri Claussen Khalighi and screenwriter Jenny Lumet in November last year. Filmmaker Jennifer Jarosik then sued him in January and police in New York have also launched an investigation into various accusations.

This latest chapter in the story relates to a $10 million lawsuit filed in LA last month. The unnamed woman behind it alleges that she was raped by Simmons after meeting him at a concert in 1988.

Simmons' lawyers say that the claim is outside the two year statute of limitations for an alleged assault, stating in a new legal filing: "Plaintiff cannot assert claims for 'forcible rape', intentional infliction of emotional distress or negligent infliction of emotional distress for an incident that purportedly took place 30 years ago".

In a series of statements as more women have come forward with claims against him, Simmons has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

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R Kelly accused of intentionally infecting woman with STD
A woman has begun legal action against R Kelly, claiming that he intentionally infected her with a sexually transmitted disease. She also claims to have ended their eleven month relationship earlier this year after realising that she was being "groomed to join [his] sex cult".

She filed a complaint with the Dallas Police Department last week and is also preparing a civil lawsuit against the musician. Kelly denies the allegations.

In a statement, the woman's lawyer, Lee Merritt, says that his client "was the victim of several forms of criminal misconduct by Kelly, including, but not limited to, unlawful restraint, furnishing alcohol and illegal drugs to a minor, and aggravated assault (via the referenced intentional STD infection)".

He continues: "These offenses occurred while our client was being groomed to join Kelly's sex cult. Kelly gradually introduced the cult to our client over the course of their relationship, culminating with an explanation that she would have to sign a contract and offer collateral information about herself and her family for Kelly's protection".

Numerous sexual abuse allegations have been made against Kelly over the years, including accusations involving underage girls. He has always denied any wrongdoing and when specifically charged over claims he had filmed the sexual abuse of an underage girl, he was acquitted in 2008.

However, the musician has nevertheless been on the receiving end of many civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, most of which have been settled out of court. American journalist Jim DeRogatis has been prolific in documenting the various accusations and litigation, most recently in a piece for Buzzfeed last year.

Last month, a BBC Three documentary detailed various accusations against Kelly, some of them new, including that he sexually abused a girl from the age of fourteen, later boasting to another woman that he had "trained" the girl to be his "pet".

Merrit is set to host a news conference about the new legal action against Kelly at the Dallas Police headquarters later today.

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Lenny Kravitz signs with BMG to release new album
That Lenny Kravitz has extended his long-term music publishing alliance with BMG, while also signing up to work with the firm's recordings division on his new album release. That record is called 'Raise Vibration' and will be released in the autumn.

Says BMG's Alistair Norbury said: "We are extremely proud of our relationship with Lenny Kravitz, an exceptional artist whose entire song catalogue we have long published. We are very pleased now to be working on the release of his highly-anticipated new album. 'Raise Vibration' is classic Kravitz which will resonate with Lenny's fans, new and old".

If autumn seems like a long way away, Kravitz has one of those world tours in the diary for this summer, which will include dates in Manchester, Birmingham and London in June.

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New campaign launched by "responsible secondary ticket operators"
With politicians in the UK much more prone to regulate secondary ticketing of late, a new organisation has launched calling itself the Fair Ticketing Alliance with plans to "speak out in favour of responsible secondary ticket operators".

Whereas ten years ago there was a reluctance in political circles to regulate the resale of tickets for profit online, more recent campaigning by those in the music industry who oppose touting has started to gain traction, in Britain and beyond.

The UK Consumer Rights Act in 2015 included some light regulation, with a couple of extra measures having been added since, and both National Trading Standards and the Competition & Markets Authority have started working to enforce those rules in respect to both resellers and the resale websites they use.

Some promoters have also become more prolific in seeking to cancel touted tickets, resale usually being in violation of the original ticket's terms and conditions. That requires knowing that a ticket has been resold. Under the CRA, resellers are meant to publish seat numbers when advertising tickets for sale, and a new rule that's just come into effect will require the publication of unique ticket numbers too, where promoters provide such a thing.

While most of the lobbying against further regulation of the secondary market has, in the past, been led by the resale platform owners like eBay and Live Nation, the Fair Ticketing Alliance brings together those who actually do the reselling. Although only the "responsible ticket brokers", the new organisation is keen to stress.

Those "responsible ticket brokers", we are told, are concerned about "increasing market uncertainty which threatens the future of their mainly small, often family-run, businesses and the valuable service they provide to fans".

The Alliance seems to support some regulation of the resale of tickets, mainly via a proposed scheme to license resellers, similar to systems that already exist in some US states. But in return they want to right to resell protected.

The new organisation's Chair Stephen Lee says: "The ticketing market is currently failing to address the needs of live entertainment fans in the UK. A well-functioning secondary market should correct flaws in the primary market, but we are hamstrung by legal uncertainty that helps neither operators nor consumers. We believe responsible commercial operators should be free to re-sell tickets, like consumers, without unfair restrictions. In return, operators should be properly licensed and comply with the highest standards of ethics".

The Alliance says it has three core aims at launch: more clarity on the current regulations; moves to ensure resale platforms enable resellers to comply with the law; and "changes in UK laws to give responsible, secondary operators the right to re-sell tickets whilst protecting consumer interests".

Lee adds: "For too long, the secondary ticketing industry has been in the shadows, suffering from a poor reputation, afraid to defend itself. We aim to change that. We're all extremely passionate and have a deep knowledge of the entertainment areas in which we specialise, which enables us to provide a valuable and necessary service to other live entertainment fans. We just want to do the right thing within the law. That's why we created the Fair Ticketing Alliance. We hope others who support our aims will join us in the campaign to improve the ticketing experience for all fans".

CMU Insights will present a brand new speed briefing on the secondary ticketing market and efforts to regulate it - in the UK and beyond - at the Wide Days conference in Edinburgh on Friday.

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CTS Eventim buys into Italian concert promoter
German ticketing giant CTS Eventim has announced another deal further expanding its interests elsewhere in the live music industry, this time taking a majority stake in Italian concert promoter Vivo Concerti.

Vivo Concerti only became an independent promoter last month, it having been owned by Warner Music. The company's boss Clemente Zard led a management buyout, the major record company seemingly wanting to step back from its live music dabblings in Europe. Zard will retain some shares in the company after the Eventim deal.

He said of the transaction: "Ever since I took over Vivo Concerti, I have wanted to work with an international partner. I am all the more delighted that, within a short time, we have found a global player in CTS Eventim, a company that is not only very familiar with our market segment, but which also shares our vision. Vivo Concerti will continue to bring a fantastic range of international and Italian artists together with their fans and put shows on the road that are as fresh and innovative as our company itself".

Eventim's CEO Klaus-Peter Schulenberg added: "We are absolutely delighted at strengthening our position on the Italian market even further. The multi-faceted portfolio of Vivo Concerti complements our existing activities superbly. We also welcome Clemente Zard to the ranks of CTS Eventim - an outstanding promoter who has produced business success stories in recent years, not only as the CEO of Vivo Concerti, but also with his own undertakings".

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Bauer launches new national pop station Hits Radio
Bauer Media is launching a brand new radio station called Hits Radio, which will replace The Hits radio. The 'the' having no place in a modern radio listening experience.

The Hits radio station originally accompanied the also Bauer-owned TV channel of the same name. As well as broadcasting online and through the Freeview telly platform, it aired in some regions on the local DAB digital network. In 2015 those local outposts were relaunched as 'channel three' of the local Bauer radio brand - eg Radio City 3 in Liverpool - before reverting to the name The Hits in 2017.

But that's the old Hits, people. We're here to talk about the all-new Hits Radio, which will be pitched at a slightly older demographic when it launches in June, and which will seemingly be more proactively pushed by Bauer as a national pop radio station. Presenters at launch include Gethin Jones, Gemma Atkinson, Dave Vitty, Wes Butters and Sarah-Jane Crawford.

Bauer's network of local radio stations - which includes many of the classic local commercial FM brands like Clyde (Glasgow), Forth (Edinburgh), City (Liverpool), Metro (Newcastle) and Hallam (Sheffiled) - will be rebranded from its current name of the Bauer City Network to the all-new Hits Radio Network.

That said, although now grouped alongside the new national station under the Hits brand, those local stations will still continue to operate under their current names. Except in Manchester, where Key 103 is set to become Hits Radio Manchester. The national station will be broadcast out of the city too, which is perhaps why the national and local Bauer stations will be more closely aligned there in terms of brand and, seemingly, programming.

Bauer's main rival in the UK radio industry, Global, did away with its local radio brands, relaunching those stations as local outposts of Capital or Heart, in doing so basically making those two London stations national with some local programming. The argument was that in the social media age it made more sense having a small portfolio of brands that operate nationwide, rather than operating under different names in different parts of the country.

That doesn't seem to currently be part of Bauer's plans with the Hits network, beyond the Manchester rebrand. However, if the national station does build momentum, it might ultimately make sense to use that brand more proactively on a local basis down the line.

Confirming the revamp, Bauer Radio MD Dee Ford said: "Hits Radio has been informed by audience insight, combined with our talented programming instinct that unearthed a need for a fresh, exciting national radio brand. This family-friendly audience seek a brilliant alternative to what is currently on offer, and the new Hits Radio station and expanded Hits Radio Network offers an amazing opportunity for the music industry to reach them".

Meanwhile Gary Stein, now Group Programme Director of the Hits Radio Network, said: "Manchester is fast becoming a central media hub of the UK. We are extremely excited to be launching a new national digital radio station based in this incredible city - it offers something really distinctive".

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CMU@TGE Top Questions: Which streaming services dominate in China?
With The Great Escape now just a month away, over the next fortnight we'll be considering ten questions that will be answered during the three CMU Insights conferences that are set to take place there this year: The Education Conference (16 May), The AI Conference (17 May) and The China Conference (18 May). Today: Which streaming services dominate in China?

The shift to streaming has made China a market with huge potential for the global record industry. Which is why Western music companies have all been busy doing deals to access that market in recent years, and one of the reasons why we have decided to stage a full-day China Conference at The Great Escape next month.

To put all this into context, the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry noted in its 'Global Music Report' last year that: "With over 1.36 billion people, China is, in terms of population, the biggest country in the world. In terms of recorded music revenue, however, it has never broken into the top ten markets. Historically hampered by rampant piracy, it was the sleeping giant that many in the industry believed would never be woken up".

However, the IFPI added, "thanks to a confluence of deals, technology, new government policy and cultural shifts, it is being talked of as the next great global opportunity, with the potential to rank alongside the biggest music markets in the world. Recorded music revenue grew 20.3% in China [in 2016], driven by an 30.6% rise in streaming".

So, while the streaming boom is pushing the global record industry back into growth, it is also helping transform what were once impossible markets for the recorded music business. Which is very exciting. And also very interesting. Mainly because the streaming boom in China is dominated by local services, rather than the global players like Spotify, Apple, Amazon and YouTube.

In China it is the music platforms from local web giants like Tencent, NetEase and Alibaba that are leading the way. There are many similarities between these services and the global streaming platforms, both in terms of consumer experience and their deals with the music industry. Although there are also some key differences, which is what we'll be exploring during the streaming section of our China Conference next month.

There's also the interesting quirk that the majors and big distributors entered into single deals with one of the Chinese web giants, which not only made their catalogues available to that company's streaming platform, but also made said company the Western firm's distributor in the market. Which created the slightly odd situation where streaming services had to get licensing deals from their competitors in order to access big chunks of catalogue, especially from international record companies.

Domestic repertoire tends to account for the majority of the music streamed in China, but - with the deals now in place, quirks or no quirks - there are definite opportunities for Western artists too, and some acts are already capitalising on that. Luck does still often play a role, but if - for whatever reason - an artist suddenly starts gaining traction on the Chinese platforms, there are things they and their labels can do to capitalise on that momentum. And that will also be a topic for conversation at The China Conference.

Which makes these sessions vital for artists, managers, labels and distributors. Because - to requote the IFPI - with China now having the "potential to rank alongside the biggest music markets", it's increasingly important to understand how streaming works in the country.

The China Conference takes place on Friday 18 May - more info here.

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Drake, Father John Misty, Morrissey, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• You can now get a daily CMU news summary via our Messenger bot. Click here to get started.

• Booking agent the United Talent Agency have made a move into electronic music with the acquisition of the Circle Talent Agency. UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer is "THRILLED". Circle co-founders Steve Gordon and Kevin Gimble, who will become co-heads of electronic music at UTA, are only "excited".

• Sony/ATV Music Publishing has signed a global sub-publishing agreement with independent publishing and record company Abiah. "I'm THRILLED", says Sony/ATV's Fran Malyan. "This deal fits perfectly with Abiah's motto of 'do it right first time'", adds Abiah CEO Grant Black, slightly more dryly.

• The Orchard has named Jay Andino VP of its newly established Urban Division. "We are excited", says Orchard CEO Brad Navin. "I am extremely excited", shouts Andino.

• Drake will release new album 'Scorpion' in June, according to his jacket.

• Father John Misty has announced that he'll release his new album, 'God's Favorite Customer', on 1 Jun.

• Morrissey's slung a previously unreleased track called 'By The Time I Get Wherever I'm Going' on YouTube.

• Look! Here's a picture of Morrissey's cat!

• Oh yeah, Morrissey said some more stuff that makes him sound awful, which he'll tell you was twisted and taken out of context at some point in the near future. This time the offending article was posted by... his own website. Don't read it, you'll only encourage him.

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

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"There is no tour, no more music from the Spice Girls", says Vicky B
Right, so the Spice Girls reunion. You remember, the Spice Girls reunion, right? All five members of the group and their former manager Simon Fuller got together in February to "explore some incredible new opportunities".

Mel C said: "It just feels like a really positive time, we need the girl power message more now than ever". Geri Horner later added: "We want to do something for our fans, and all the new generation. We're just putting all the possibilities out there, so watch this space".

And boy have we been watching that space. What might the Spice Girls reunion involve? A tour right? We're going to get a Spice Girls reunion tour! How about some new music? Come on, let's have some new Spice Girls music!

"There is no tour, no more music from the Spice Girls", says champion spoil sport Victoria Beckham in a new interview with Grazia magazine. "But it was great getting together with them", she adds of that meeting.

So what was that get together and the resulting ambiguous remarks from her former bandmates all about, then? "We were just saying Girl Power is such an important message and how do we communicate that?" Beckham goes on. "How do we pass the baton on, how does that look to future generations? And that's what it's about with us".

She adds: "It's not all about the rumours about going on tour and recording new material". So, please take note. Yes, that's right. The Spice Girls reunion will consist of a tour and new material without the involvement of champion spoil sport Victoria Beckham. Or maybe not. There's still talk of some sort of TV show. A baton passing show perhaps.

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