Three men arrested after drug-related deaths cause festival to be cut short
Three men have been arrested after two people died in drug-related incidents at a music festival in Portsmouth this weekend. The three men are being held by police on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

The second day of Portsmouth's Mutiny Festival was cancelled following the deaths of festival-goers Georgia Jones and Tommy Cowan on Saturday night. Prior to the cancellation, organisers of the event put out an alert on social media stating that they had been made aware of "a dangerous high-strength or bad-batch substance on site" and therefore strongly urged festival-goers to refrain from taking any drugs while at the event.

Promoters subsequently announced that "following the terrible news from earlier today, the team behind Mutiny Festival are incredibly sad to announce that the Sunday of the festival has been cancelled as a safety precaution".

A later statement on Sunday evening added: "We would like to apologise for the cancellation of today's festival. But in the light of yesterday's tragic circumstances our decision was supported by the police, that we needed to safeguard our festival family and respect the young people who sadly lost their lives".

On more practical measures, the statement went on: "We are of course aware that many people are asking about refunds - we are actively working with our insurers and will update on this position as soon as we're able. We would like to thank people for their patience and understanding under these very difficult circumstances".

According to local police, Jones was taken ill at 7.10pm on Saturday evening, while Cowan was found collapsed 20 minutes later. A further thirteen festival-goers were admitted to the local hospital, although it is not known how many of those were drugs-related. Police said that the two deaths were separate incidents and were not suspicious.

It is statements from the Jones and Cowan families that have confirmed that drugs were involved in both incidents. Meanwhile Mutiny Festival organisers urged all ticket-holders to "responsibly dispose of any substances".

This weekend's tragic events will further fuel the debate around how best to prevent drug-related harm at music events. That harm is often caused when people buy drugs that are of a higher strength than they are used to, or contain substances different to those that they think they have acquired.

This is why drug testing services like those provided by drug safety charity The Loop are so important, and would ideally be rolled out to more festivals and clubs. Festival promoters and club operators can instigate 'zero tolerance' drug policies of course, but we know that will rarely mean zero drugs on site, making harm prevention initiatives like those promoted by The Loop much more likely to save lives.

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Sony Music sued over Puerto Rican compilation's title
Sony Music has been sued by a Puerto Rican songwriter over allegations it infringed his copyright by naming a compilation album after his most famous song.

Joel Bosch wrote 'Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas' in the mid-1990s and it has since become something of an anthem in Puerto Rico. Sony Music then released the compilation album 'Yo Soy Boricua Pa Que Tu Lo Sepas' in 2014.

The title translates as 'I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know' (or, technically, 'I'm Boricua, Just So You Know', Boricua being a demonym derived from the island's original name). Sony's album was a collection of tracks by Puerto Rican artists.

Bosch and his companies claim that Sony's use of the title is copyright infringement because 'Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas' is also the key lyric in his song.

According to Law360, his lawsuit reads: "Plaintiff's copyrighted musical composition is centred around the lyric 'Yo Soy Boricua Pa' Que Tú Lo Sepas' which forms the chorus of the composition and is a significant part of the original musical composition. Sony has used plaintiff's lyrics as the title of its musical compilation. Sony has copied and reproduced plaintiff's lyrics in its product, in the packaging, inserts and CD".

The lawsuit also accuses the major of unfair competition as well as the copyright infringement claim. The Sony litigation is the third lawsuit filed by Bosch in relation to his song this year. He has previously sued T-Mobile and Coca-Cola over their use of the musical work in advertising content.

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Ego Music extends Believe alliance
Dance music-centric Italian indie label Ego Music has expanded its alliance with Believe. The latter already provided digital distribution services for the former's back catalogue, but will now also work on its new releases.

Confirming the deal, Believe Italy MD Luca Stante said: "It is our primary target to increase the exposure, mainly at international level, of all Ego's releases on all digital retailers, to optimise visibility and turnover. Our team, which is specialised and dedicated to each channel, will take care of developing tailor made promotional activities".

Meanwhile Ego Music boss Ilario Drago added: "An independent set up needs another strong independent partner to grow. The deal sealed with Believe for the distribution of our entire catalogue is the beginning of a new phase of change and of consolidation for Ego. We are fortunately becoming an important reference for EDM producers worldwide and I am sure that this agreement will lead our brand to grow further in all international markets".

Artists on the Ego Music roster include DJ From Mars, Ben Pearce, Duke Dumont and Laidback Luke.

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New job for Island Records boss Darcus Beese, he'll now run Island Records
Universal Music last week confirmed that Island Records President Darcus Beese will soon move jobs within the major to become President of, erm, Island Records. Which would be confusing if you'd forgotten that there is a UK Island Records and a US Island Records. Did you forget that? What an idiot!

Confirming that yet another British music exec is heading Stateside to tell those pesky Americans how to run a record label, Universal Music top man Lucian Grainge - one of those British music execs who moved Stateside to tell those pesky Americans how to run a record label - said: "Few in the music industry have Darcus's track record of creative and commercial success".

He then mused on: "I've had the pleasure over the years of working closely with Darcus, who has impeccable creative instincts and takes a long-term view of artist development. I'm THRILLED he is taking on this new role and I'm excited to support him in signing, developing and breaking many more artists".

Beese himself added: "Island Records was founded nearly 60 years ago by Chris Blackwell to serve as the home for boundary-defying and maverick artists with the ability to move popular culture. To this day, that mission continues to define and drive Island, whether in the UK or US, and I couldn't be more proud to play a role in carrying on that legacy".

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Pandora adds family plan
US streaming firm Pandora has added a new family plan to its premium offer. Imagine that, a family plan! They're such innovators at Pandora. Never before has anyone ever read the Spotify website, noticed that it offers a family plan for $15 a month, and then copied that entirely in such an innovative way.

Though, to be fair, Pandora got in first when it came to being a publicly listed streaming music company. What took you so long Spotify? Copycats! I bet you've based your entire future as a publicly listed business on Pandora, haven't you? I look forward to the share price slumps, stalled subscriber growth and tricky management overhauls.

Only joking, it'll all be fine I'm sure. Unless Pandora's sneaky move into family plans takes away all the families of America from your service. After all, their plan allows six family members to participate, while yours accommodates just five people. Six people! Such innovation over there at Pandora. Oh, Apple Music's family plan is for six people?

Pandora, of course, ramped up its premium offer last year, the vast majority of its users still utilising the firm's ad-funded free personalised radio set-up. The premium ramp up included Pandora launching a fully on-demand option putting it into direct competition with Spotify and Apple Music for the first time.

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Tickets on sale for London edition of A:E Day
Tickets are now on sale for the next edition of the Artist:Entrepreneur Day from the Featured Artists Coalition and CMU:DIY, which takes place on 11 Jun at the Islington Assembly Hall as part of the Sounds Like London programme.

A:E Day is an artist-to-artist education programme that provides a concise guide to the business of music for new talent. Three artist entrepreneurs open up their own artist businesses and discuss what is going on inside, while also interviewing a series of music industry experts on how to build a fanbase, get on the road and manage your music rights, and about the role each of an artist's business partners plays.

This edition will be hosted by Roxanne De Bastion, Eckoes and Femme. Tickets are now on sale for £10 for the event, which runs from 10am-5pm on 11 Jun, with doors opening at the Islington Assembly Hall at 9.30am.

Sounds Like London is an initiative led by London mayor Sadiq Khan which aims to put the spotlight on grassroots music events happening in the capital during June to "encourage Londoners and visitors to support grassroots music venues". More info about all the events in the spotlight is available here.

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Bon Iver manager Kyle Frenette drops bid for US Congress seat
Bon Iver manager Kyle Frenette has dropped out of the race to represent Wisconsin's seventh district in US Congress. He cited "unforeseen circumstances" in his personal life for his reason not to stand for the Democratic nomination.

Frenette announced plans to campaign to become the Democratic candidate in the election in February, and had been the frontrunner to take the position in the August primary vote.

In a statement on his website, he says: "I didn't get into this race because I wanted to be a politician but because I wanted to be a representative. I wanted to represent the people of the seventh district; to give back to this amazing place that's given me so much".

"Unfortunately, it is not my time", he continues. "It is with a heavy heart I must withdraw my candidacy for Congress. Due to unforeseen circumstances in my life, I will not be able to continue giving this campaign and the people of the seventh district the time and attention they deserve. There are a number of other great candidates in the race who are ready to represent the district. I look forward to supporting whoever prevails in the August Primary".

The eventual winner will stand against Republican Sean Duffy, who has held the seat since 2011.

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London buskers to accept contactless payments
The days of patting your pockets and pulling a sad face as you scuttle past buskers on the Tube are numbered. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has partnered with tech company iZettle to allow street musicians to accept contactless card payments.

As well as dropping coins at the feet of performers, passers-by will also be able to make a contactless payment as they pass. Readers provided by iZettle - which was purchased by PayPal for $2.2 billion earlier this month - will allow buskers to collect payments for a fixed amount of their choosing.

"London is a powerhouse of music, having produced artists from Adele to Stormzy, and The xx to Dua Lipa", says Kahn. "For London to maintain its status as a global capital of music, it's vitally important that we support the stars of tomorrow".

"Busking helps emerging artists to hone their talent and gives them the chance to perform in front of huge numbers of people", he goes on, despite not being able to actually name a former busker who went on to be famous. "Now, more Londoners will be able to show their support to the capital's brilliant, talented street performers".

Charlotte Campbell, a busker who has already trialled the contactless payments system, says that it was a vital step towards keeping street performance alive.

"If street performers like myself don't adapt to the cashless society we are edging towards, we're at risk of becoming a dying art", she says. "It has already had a significant impact on the contributions I've received. More people than ever tap to donate whilst I sing, and often, when one person does, another follows".

So hurrah for new tech ensuring buskers will be able to profit from their busking for years to come. Well, until new tech creates robot buskers to hog every performance spot, I guess.

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