Ticketmaster to shut European resale sites Get Me In! and Seatwave
Ticketmaster UK this morning announced that it is shutting down both of its ticket resale sites, Get Me In! and Seatwave. The company plans to allow price-capped resale within its main website instead, starting later this year. It's a dramatic move that will see the Live Nation ticketing company bail on conventional secondary ticketing across Europe.

Announcing that Get Me In! and Seatwave will shut down this autumn, Ticketmaster said in a blog post: "That's right, we've listened and we hear you: secondary sites just don't cut it anymore and you're tired of seeing others snap up tickets just to resell for a profit. All we want is you, the fan, to be able to safely buy tickets to the events you love".

It went on: "We're launching a fan-to-fan ticket exchange on Ticketmaster, where you can easily buy tickets or sell tickets you can't use through our website or app, at the price originally paid or less. The new Ticketmaster website will be rolled out in October in the UK and Ireland, and across Europe early next year. But from today, there will be no new events listed on Get Me In! or Seatwave".

Ticket touting, of course, became big business in the 2000s as internet usage went mainstream, with sellers originally using sites like eBay before various bespoke ticket resale platforms entered the market. Those sites have always insisted that they exist to allow individuals who can no longer attend a show to sell on their tickets, but it's no secret that a significant portion of the tickets actually shifted on the secondary market are sold by industrial-level touts who have turned touting into a lucrative business.

By the late 2000s, consumer rights groups, the music community and the political community were all raising concerns about the rise of these industrial-level touts, and a trend that saw tickets for in-demand shows immediately snapped up from primary sites and then posted on the secondary market at a sizable mark-up. The political community called on the music industry to get its house in order. The music industry said the political community needed to regulate the touts. Meanwhile the ticket resale market boomed.

As it became clear that politicians were in no mood to regulate ticket touting in the UK - beyond football and later the Olympics - some in the live music industry adopted an 'if you can't beat them, join them' approach. As a result some promoters, venues, artists, managers and agents started to tout their own tickets, either directly or via brokers. Meanwhile Ticketmaster moved into the secondary ticketing space through acquisition.

Campaigning against ticket touting subsided for a while, but in more recent years has gained new momentum. In the UK, long-term anti-touting campaigner Sharon Hodgson MP teamed up with a colleague across the political divide, Mike Weatherley MP, and managed to sneak some light regulation of the secondary ticketing market into the 2015 Consumer Rights Act.

Although they didn't get all the new rules they wanted - and it took a while for anyone to properly enforce the new regulations - the CRA also saw the government commit to commission a review of the secondary ticketing market. That kept the conversation going and saw those in the music community who opposed ticket touting - including managers, promoters, agents and primary ticket sellers - regroup to create the FanFair campaign.

Since then there has been much more enthusiasm in Westminster and Whitehall to regulate the resale of tickets for profit and some big name acts have ramped up their efforts to limit to touting of tickets to their shows. Meanwhile a number of resale services that cap the mark-up have emerged, including within various primary ticketing platforms. Live music giant AEG recently made a big splash about its new anti-tout, capped resale service that it is launching within its own AXS ticketing platform.

This created an interesting dilemma for Ticketmaster, part of AEG's main rival Live Nation since 2010. It moved into secondary ticketing during the 'if you can't beat them, join them' phase, with Get Me In! operating in the UK and Seatwave in multiple European markets. Online ticket touting is lucrative for the resale sites as well as the touts, because they generally charge much higher fees than primary ticketing services. And unlike the touts themselves, the sites don't take a hit when it turns out there's less demand than expected for big name shows.

However, it became an issue in PR terms for Live Nation as momentum grew around the anti-touting campaigns in multiple European countries, and especially the UK. By operating sites like Get Me In! and Seatwave, it meant that whenever touting was debated in political circles, Live Nation and Ticketmaster found themselves on the opposite side of the table to their colleagues in the music community, instead sitting next to the StubHubs of the world.

Ticketmaster's decision to shut down its resale sites, and instead follow its competitors in the primary ticketing market in offering capped resale functionality on its main site, applies only in Europe. In particular, Live Nation's significant resale operations will continue in the US. Nevertheless, it's a big moment in the ongoing story of online ticket touting.

The FanFair campaign said in a statement this morning: "After a long campaign to change the UK ticketing market and to put power into the hands of artists and their fans, the Fanfair Alliance warmly welcomes this move by Ticketmaster".

It went on: "While enforcement action is still urgently required to clamp down on rogue operators such as Viagogo, we are now much closer to a genuine transformation of the secondary market - where large-scale online touts are locked out, where innovation can flourish, and the resale of tickets is made straightforward, transparent and consumer-friendly. We look forward to the roll out from October this year and seeing how these changes work in practice".

Meanwhile Annabella Coldrick, CEO of the Music Managers Forum, a key supporter of the FanFair campaign, said: "The FanFair campaign has completely changed the debate in the ticketing market moving from a tired acceptance of ticket touting to a widespread adoption of fan-to-fan face value exchanges by all the major ticketing partners. This is hugely positive for British artists and the future of live music".

Today's move was also welcomed by the UK government, with Digital And Creative Industries Minister Margot James telling reporters: "We want real fans to be able to see their favourite artists and events at a fair price. This is a welcome move from Ticketmaster and shows that they're following our lead and taking a tough stance on cracking down on unacceptable behaviour in the secondary ticket market".

Get Me In! and Seatwave will stay online for a little while longer while transactions are completed on existing tickets for sale. However no new ticket listings will be taken and the new Ticketmaster site will launch in October in the UK, before rolling out elsewhere in Europe next year. Concluding in its blog post this morning, Live Nation's ticketing business wrote: "We're excited about making ticketing simpler. All you need to think about are those incredible experiences you'll never forget".

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LA District Attorney drops Marilyn Manson sexual assault case
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has confirmed that a sexual assault accusation against Marilyn Manson is one of a number of #MeToo-related cases it has decided not to pursue.

A police report accusing Manson of holding a woman captive for two days in 2011 was filed in May. However, a new court filing says that the case was declined due to the statute of limitations being expired and because of an "absence of corroboration".

In a statement, Manson's lawyer Howard E King told The Hollywood Reporter: "Under current policy, the Los Angeles County District Attorney must investigate any claim of sexual abuse, no matter how outlandish. It is not surprising that the District Attorney, after investigation, summarily rejected the claims made in a police report filed by a former acquaintance against Brian Warner pka Marilyn Manson".

"The allegations made to the police were and are categorically denied by Mr Warner and are either completely delusional or part of a calculated attempt to generate publicity for the claimant's business of selling Manson memorabilia", he continued. "The police report that spurred the investigation was accompanied by the woman's press release and other attempts to generate publicity that fraudulently claimed she was held captive by Mr Warner for 48 hours in 2011. Any claim of sexual impropriety or imprisonment at that, or any other, time is false".

The LA District Attorney also said that it would not pursue cases against rapper ASAP Bari and 'Girls' writer Murray Miller. It is still investigating a number of other claims, including accusations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Steven Seagal.

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Deutsche Grammophon announces partnership with Apple Music
Universal Music's Deutsche Grammophon and Apple Music have announced a "long-term collaboration designed to enhance the experience of classical music for a global music audience". Basically, they're going to do some playlists and a bit of video stuff.

The main focus of the collaboration will be 'The DG Playlist', which will be regularly refreshed with different recordings from the Deutsche Grammophon catalogue. There will also be various video offerings, including the first full opera film to hit Apple Music, a performance of Gounod's 'Roméo et Juliette' from the 2008 Salzburg Festival.

"The curatorial power of the 'yellow label' and our vibrant artist community has always been exceptional, in record stores and in the digital space", says Deutsche Grammophon President Clemens Trautmann. "In a world where attention spans have become shorter and classical music content more ubiquitous, people must think wisely before spending their limited time and resources".

He goes on: "Together with our partner Apple Music, we aim to enable discovery and provide orientation to everything that is essential in classical music. We also embrace the opportunity to present short-form and long-form video productions in a significant way, making the service a cornerstone of DG's global audio-visual strategy".

Apple Music's Jonathan Gruber adds: "Classical music is all about the joy of exploration, and we are THRILLED to welcome the amazing artists of Deutsche Grammophon to join our worldwide team of trusted guides".

Deutsche Grammophon has been present on Apple Music since 2016, when it became the first classical label to set up its own curator channel on the streaming service. This new partnership aims to give greater prominence to classical music on the platform and to engage more listeners - both of which streaming services have been accused of failing to do.

To mark the launch, DG artists Rolando Villazón, Daniil Trifonov and Peter Gregson have also taken over curation of Apple Music's Mozart, Beethoven and Bach radio stations.

"Mozart has been one of my long-time passions and Salzburg has always been a central place in my life, both as a performer and as artistic director of Mozartwoche", says Villazón. "I am THRILLED, therefore, to be able to share some of my favourite Mozart pieces on Apple Music's Mozart radio station. I'm fully aware of how important it is to provide context and orientation to listeners of classical music and am committed to making its richness accessible to everyone. I feel the new DG space on Apple Music is an excellent forum for discovery".

You can scroll through all of the newly launched Deutsche Grammophon content on Apple Music here. If you want.

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CMU Trends launches three part guide to music rights
With the next season of CMU Insights seminars approaching, CMU Trends is launching a new three-part guide to accompany the three copyright-focused sessions.

The 'CMU Trends Guide To Music Rights' provides a concise overview of music copyright and the music rights business. Part one - which is live now - covers all the basics about music copyright. Coming up later this month will be part two, that will dig deeper into the world of music licensing, while part three will review the different strands of the music rights business, including: streaming, physical product, sync and public performance.

CMU Trends is available to premium CMU subscribers. These articles dig deeper to explain the inner workings of the music business and can be accessed by topic and theme via the CMU Library. The 'CMU Trends Guide To Music Rights' will also be available to those who attend the CMU Insights seminar series 'Making Money From Music Copyright'.

Managing Director of CMU Chris Cooke says: "If you're writing, recording, managing, selling or using music, then like it or not you're in the copyright business! It really helps to understand the basics of how copyright works, and the ins and outs of music licensing in particular. We've helped hundreds of music industry professionals do just that through our seminars, and we'll be able to help even more people with the new CMU Trends guide".

Become a premium subscriber and access CMU Trends here.

Access part one of the 'CMU Trends Guide To Music Rights' here.

Find more information on the CMU Insights music rights seminars here.

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Art Brut return with first new music for seven years
Art Brut have signed to Alcopop! Records to release their first album for seven years. They've marked the occasion by releasing new single, 'Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!'

"Watch the fuck out", warns frontman Eddie Argos. "We're back and very rejuvenated. I wanted to call the last album 'Wham! Bang! Pow! Lets Rock Out!', but in the end it didn't really sound like a Wham! Bang! Pow! record, more like 'Brilliant! Tragic!' But that means this idea has been rattling around my head for seven years. Seven years!"

He goes on: "Art Brut make Wham! Bang! Pow! music. [The new single] is about making friends. Art Brut are coming to your party whether you want us to or not. We didn't want to go home yet, there were still quite a few people we hadn't met".

Two people they have met are guitarist Toby Macfarlaine - who also plays bass for Graham Coxon - and Wedding Present drummer Charlie Layton, who replace Jasper Future and Mikey Breyer in the band's line-up.

Commenting on his latest signing, label boss Jack Clothier says: "A few years into running Alcopop! I created a little wishlist in my mind of the absolute top five dream bands who I'd love to sign most of all. Legitimately we expected to sign none of them, but, lo and behold, Art Brut are the fourth on the list to sign with us, and we couldn't be more excited. This new material is undeniably their best yet, and it's exactly what the world needs right now if you ask me".

The release date for the album is yet to be confirmed, but you'll definitely be able to hear some new songs when the band play the Boston Music Room in London on 7 Nov. Well, not definitely, but it would be weird if they didn't play at least one. Speaking of which, here is the one new song that's out now.
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Duke Spirit's Leila Moss to release solo album
Duke Spirit frontwoman Liela Moss has announced plans to release her debut solo album, 'My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth', in November. Out now is the single, 'Wild As Fire'.

"The act of making this record has felt truly exotic for me by way of its minimalism", says Moss. "I was in my own modest studio, surrounded by deep rural Somerset, and building the album bit by bit over a year with just my producer and partner Toby Butler - with whom I co-wrote all the music".

"We worked to our own schedule and across all seasons", she continues. "Staring out of the window singing, I would watch the changing natural phenomena around me and sing to the forms outside. My window-view outside was like an umbilical cord; I was receiving little messages from the nature beyond and the songs were growing inside the studio, transmitting back".

Watch the video for 'Wild As Fire' here.

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She Drew The Gun announce new album
She Drew The Gun have announced that they will release their second album, 'Revolution Of Mind', in October. The follow-up to last year's acclaimed 'Memories Of Another Future', the new album is preceded by lead single 'Resister'.

"Empowerment; resisting; arming yourself with knowledge; questioning the status quo, questioning your own state of mind and how its affected by the systems we live in", says frontwoman Louisa Roach, presumably listing themes explored on the record. "I believe in questioning the rules and asking who they're there to serve in the first place. I think some of that is down to being queer, and not conforming to rules around gender".

Listen to 'Resister' here.

The album is set for release on 5 Oct. The same week, the band will head out on a UK tour supporting The Coral.

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Kanye West denies being "stumped" by Jimmy Kimmel
Kanye West has denied being "stumped" by a question from that Jimmy Kimmel, about his support for US president Donald Trump, in an interview last week.

"You so famously and so powerfully said 'George Bush doesn't care about black people'", said Kimmel. "It makes me wonder, what makes you think that Donald Trump does?"

After a period of silence, Kimmel announced a commercial break, bringing an end to the interview. This led many people to assume that West did not have an answer to the question, but that is not so, the rapper says.

"On Jimmy Kimmel we had a great time having a dialogue", he tweeted. "I'm reading that I was 'stumped' by a question. Let me clarify the click bait. I wasn't stumped. I wasn't given a chance to answer the question".

"The question was so important I took time to think", he continued. "And then I was hit with the 'let's go to commercial break'. That interview showed strong personalities with different opinions having a civil conversation".

Indeed, to be fair to West, he had spent most of the interview answering questions challenging his worldview relatively thoughtfully and calmly, even if his answers did show a tendency to ignore certain important details. And with that final question, which came at the end of a weighty statement from Kimmel, he was given just three seconds before the show cut to adverts.

That said, in his response to the claims that he'd not be able to answer the question, he didn't offer an answer to said query in order to prove otherwise. Perhaps he's still thinking.

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