BBC isn't doing enough to connect with younger audiences, reckons OfCom
The BBC isn't "doing enough, quickly enough" to ensure it is engaging younger audiences in this here Netflixy, YouTubey, Snapchatty, Instagrammy quick-here-is-a-pointless-video-of-someone-doing-something-stupid-lip-sync-an-opinion-on-that-why-don't-you age. That's the conclusion of media regulator OfCom in its first big review of the Beeb, a report it will now be publishing annually since taking over regulation of the Corporation last year.

The report acknowledges that - despite rampant changes in the way people consume media and entertainment content in the digital age, and the plethora of new content services now competing with legacy players - "the BBC continues to play a central role across TV, radio and online platforms". Plus "audience satisfaction with the BBC remains relatively high".

According to OfCom's research, 90% of adults in the UK access at least some BBC content each week, and the average person is consuming in the region of two hours and 45 minutes of BBC stuff each day. But for 16-34 year olds, that average daily consumption level drops to one hour and 20 minutes. And the number of people in that age bracket consuming no BBC content at all is also slightly higher than for the population at large, at 12.5% instead of 10%.

OfCom acknowledges that the lower engagement with younger consumers is the result of general shifts in the market, though it reckons that many commercial media companies are more effectively rising to the challenge of staying relevant to the younger demographic. It added that the young people it surveyed felt the BBC was too reliant on conventional formats and too focused on older audiences. And even BBC Three, the online channel specifically targeted at younger people, was only reaching 8% of the 16-34 age group.

In an open letter to BBC boss Tony Hall, OfCom chief Sarah White said the BBC "is not currently doing enough, quickly enough, to reach young people, who are critical to its future success. It needs to take significant steps to address this issue, to ensure it delivers content that appeals in ways that suit and reflect young people's viewing and listening habits".

Responding to those remarks, a BBC spokesperson told The Guardian that the Corporation recognised the challenge, but was nevertheless out-performing its newer rivals in this domain. "Young people spend more time with the BBC than any other media provider including YouTube, Spotify or Netflix", said spokesperson bragged.

"But", they went on, "it's an incredibly competitive market and young people have far more choice today than previous generations. We want to ensure that everyone gets value from the BBC, and this is why we've said we want to reinvent the BBC for a new generation by investing in BBC Three, children's and young people's services, improving BBC iPlayer and launching the BBC Sounds app".

Other areas where OfCom reckons there is room for improvement at the BBC include it becoming much more transparent about its working practices, taking more risks with original programming, and doing more to truly represent and portray the whole of UK society. You can access OfCom's report here.

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Judge declines summary judgement in dispute over Kendrick Lamar video
Kendrick Lamar has experienced a setback in a legal battle with visual artist Lina Iris Viktor relating to a copyright dispute over images that appeared in the video to 'All The Stars', his collaboration with SZA that featured on the 'Black Panther' soundtrack.

Viktor argues that Lamar and his associates infringed her copyrights by incorporating some of her distinctive artworks into a nineteen second segment of the pop promo. This despite her repeatedly refusing to grant permission to Disney and Marvel to incorporate the visuals into the 'Black Panther' movie itself.

The artist sued in February, and then in July legal reps for Lamar filed a motion to have some elements of the lawsuit dismissed. That motion related to Viktor's demands for damages and some complexities around how any such damages might be calculated.

Viktor is not eligible for the statutory damages that can usually be sought in American infringement cases because, despite being based in New York, her artworks were not registered with the US Copyright Office at the time of the alleged infringement.

Instead she is seeking the profits Lamar et al made from the infringement and compensation for the reputation damage Viktor suffered by having her artworks included in the music video. But Lamar's lawyers were hoping to have both those claims dismissed through summary judgement on the basis there's no way to link Viktor's artwork to the profits made by 'All The Stars' and no proof that the video damaged the artist's reputation.

The judge overseeing the case this week agreed that Viktor still needed to prove both the link between the use of her visuals and the monies Lamar's track generated and that the music video had damaged her reputation. However, he said that it would be wrong to reject Viktor's claims at this point when both sides are still gathering evidence.

Judge Paul A Engelmayer added that, in the previous cases that had been cited by Lamar's lawyers in their arguments against Viktor's claim for damages, judgements had only been reached after a "close review of a fully developed fact record". With that in mind, "a similar approach" was required in this case, he said, "as opposed to granting summary judgment".

And so the case continues.

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BMG extends alliance with GEMA on digital licensing
BMG has announced that it is extending its long-term partnership with German collecting society GEMA for the digital licensing of its Anglo-American repertoire.

The bigger music publishers, including the majors, Kobalt and BMG, have long licensed their Anglo-American repertoires to multi-territory digital platforms on a direct basis in many countries, especially across Europe. Other indie publishers subsequently followed suit, initially via the IMPEL venture, and more recently - in some cases - through alliances with French society SACEM and copyright hub ICE.

Publishers work with collecting societies or similar organisations on these direct licensing deals, partly to tap those organisations' data and royalty processing platforms, and partly because of the complexities around song rights.

The publishers want to provide licences that cover both the performing rights and the mechanical rights in the songs they publish - digital services exploiting both elements - but collecting societies rather than publishers often control the former. By being linked into the collective licensing system, the publisher is often able to bundle performing rights into their deals by ensuring that the resulting royalties still flow through the relevant societies.

BMG's alliance with GEMA on all this - via a subsidiary of the society called ARESA - dates back to 2012. So far that entity has been licensing digital services in 38 European countries. Under the extended partnership, ARESA will now be able to license in 48 more territories. Companies ARESA already handles deals with include Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer, YouTube and Facebook.

Confirming the expansion of his company's alliance with GEMA, BMG top man Hartwig Masuch said: "Ensuring songwriters get the money they deserve in the streaming age is a simple concept but an incredibly complicated process. We are delighted to extend our relationship with GEMA through ARESA to make sure BMG's writers continue to receive a world-class service".

Boss of GEMA, Dr Harald Heker added: "For six years, GEMA has, together with BMG, been facilitating a transparent and efficient licensing process for Anglo-American music all over Europe. I am pleased that we continue this successful cooperation and now also expand it far beyond Europe's borders. We have a strong partner in BMG in order to meet the challenges of digital music licensing and to develop up to date licensing models".

GEMA is a shareholder in the aforementioned ICE - alongside UK society PRS and Swedish society STIM - and that joint venture also provides data services as part of BMG's partnership with GEMA and ARESA.

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Ed Sheeran auctioning pants for charity
Hey, you know how you're always saying you wish you could wear a pair of Ed Sheeran's pants? Yeah you are. You are! I definitely heard you say that a few times. Well, now there are no less than four pairs of his boxer shorts up for sale in a charity auction.

Sheeran has donated over 300 items to Suffolk charity St Elizabeth Hospice, to raise money for its Zest offshoot, which supports young people with terminal illnesses.

The charity says it's "THRILLED" with the "generous" donation. Although looking through the catalogue, you can't help feeling that the high number of items up for sale might be because the charity happened to call when Sheeran was half way through a major clear out.

I mean, there are quite a lot of old headphones - at least two sets of which came free with old iPhones - and a lot of old guitar leads. In fact, one lot is just a pile of various tangled up cables. Then there are the novelty hats, a 2015 Andrea Bocelli calendar and part of a clarinet.

That's all before we even get to the four pairs of pants up for grabs, which may or may not have actually been worn. You can choose between black Next, black Primark, an Ibiza Rocks branded pair, or some that say "aka sexy bastard" on them.

There are some genuinely collectable items in the auction too, but it'll be interesting to see if 'being owned by Ed Sheeran' is enough to make a novelty 'shots trolley' desirable. Auction house Bishop & Miller reckons it could go for as much as £120.

Anyway, the auction is set to take place on 10 Nov. You can take a look through everything that's up for sale here.

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Beastie Boys memoir audiobook to feature Steve Buscemi, Bette Midler, Snoop Dogg and many more
Beastie Boys Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz are set to release their autobiography next week, as you may remember. Already not your average music memoir, they've now announced details of the also out of the ordinary audiobook version.

It's not just an audiobook. No, according to the press release, it's "a panoramic audiobook experience". I have absolutely no idea what that means, but it sounds like fun. But who will narrate it all? Well, who won't is a more apt question, because as well as Diamond and Horovitz, a cast of more than 40 people will chip in.

That cast is as follows: Steve Buscemi, Tim Meadows, Ada Calhoun, Bette Midler, Bobby Cannavale, Mix Master Mike, Exene Cervenka, Nas, Roy Choi, Yoshimi O, Jarvis Cocker, Rosie Perez, Elvis Costello, Amy Poehler, Chuck D, Kelly Reichardt, Nadia Dajani, John C Reilly, Snoop Dogg, Ian Rogers, Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Crosby Fitzgerald, Rev Run, Randy Gardner, Luc Sante, Kim Gordon, Kate Schellenbach, Josh Hamilton, MC Serch, LL Cool J, Chloe Sevigny, Spike Jonze, Jon Stewart, Pat Kiernan, Ben Stiller, Talib Kweli, Wanda Sykes, Dave Macklovitch, Jeff Tweedy, Rachel Maddow, and Philippe Zdar.

The audiobook, along with the book itself, is not out until 30 Oct. However, if you can get to Rough Trade East in London today and over the weekend, you'll be able to hear excerpts in store, as part of a three day Beastie Boys takeover of the record shop.

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Steve Aoki releases BTS collaboration, Waste It On Me
Cake wasting dillweed Steve Aoki has teamed up with the world's hottest boyband BTS for a new track. Not just that, he's convinced them to record their first song entirely in English with him. 'Waste It On Me' - not a reference to cake - is out now, and will feature on Aoki's collaboration-heavy new album 'Neon Future III'.

"We're happy for this meaningful and heart-felt collaboration", say BTS in a statement. "The song is just so amazing, we really enjoyed working on it. It's our first song that is entirely in English. It was refreshing and fun to record the song. We hope this would be a good present for our fans".

Aoki adds: "I'm so psyched to share this collaboration with one of the most exciting and inspiring group of guys I've met in the past few years. It's an absolute honour to work with them once again on 'Waste It On Me.' I can't wait for my fans to hear what's in store for them next on this third instalment of 'Neon Future'".

The previous time he worked with BTS, which he referenced there, was when he remixed their track 'Mic Drop' last year.

'Neon Future III' is out on 9 Nov and 'Waste It On Me' is out at this very moment. Here's the lyric video.

I mentioned above that 'Neon Future III', like all of Aoki's albums, would be heavy on collaborations. Well, here's the full tracklist, so you know I'm not lying. You can work out for yourself what the difference is between co-headlining, featuring and X-ing.

Steve Aoki - Neon Future III (Intro)
Steve Aoki & Louis Tomlinson - Just Hold On
Steve Aoki - Waste It On Me feat BTS
Steve Aoki & Nicky Romero - Be Somebody ft Kiiara
Steve Aoki - Pretender feat Lil Yachty & AJR
Steve Aoki - A Lover And A Memory feat Mike Posner
Steve Aoki - Why Are We So Broken feat Blink 182
Steve Aoki - Golden Days feat Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World
Steve Aoki - Our Love Glows feat Lady Antebellum
Steve Aoki - Anything More feat Era Istrefi
Steve Aoki x Lauren Jauregui - All Night
Steve Aoki - Do Not Disturb feat Bella Thorne
Steve Aoki - Lie To Me feat Ina Wroldsen
Steve Aoki, Daddy Yankee, Play-N-Skillz & Elvis Crespo - Azukita
Steve Aoki & TWIIG - Hoovela
Steve Aoki & Don Diablo x Lush & Simon - What We Started feat BullySongs
Steve Aoki - Noble Gas feat Bill Nye

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AEG, Universal, Black Eyed Peas, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Tom Miserendino has announced that he will retire as Head of AEG's European operations at the end of the year. Alex Hill, currently AEG Europe's COO and CFO, will replace him. "I am very confident that AEG's best days continue to lie ahead", says Miserendino optimistically.

• Universal Music has made Jaime Weston its Executive Vice President of Consumer Marketing. She joins from the NFL. "There is nothing more unifying today than the emotional power of music", she says, getting started with the marketing right away.

• Black Eyed Peas have released an augmented reality app, which will work at shows on their upcoming European tour, starting at London's Hammersmith Apollo tomorrow night.

• Little Mix have released the video for new single 'Woman Like Me'. Nicki Minaj appears as a portrait.

• Former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way has released a new solo track, 'Baby You're A Haunted House'.

• Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown has released his first new solo single for nearly a decade, titled 'First World Problems'. He will release a new album, 'Ripples', on 1 Mar.

• Billie Eilish has released the video for new single 'When The Party's Over'.

• Slow Club's Rebecca Taylor, in her solo Self Esteem guise, has released the video for new single 'Rollout'.

• Demdike Stare have released new EP 'Passion'. From it, this is 'At It Again'.

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

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Beef Of The Week #427: Richard Ashcroft v Breakfast TV etiquette
Breakfast TV serves a very specific purpose. It needs to appear to be providing the viewer with a range of interesting insights into topics from politics to entertainment. However, it's very important that it actually provides almost no stimulation whatsoever.

It should send people out into their commutes and working days like calm blocks of ice, floating around gently, slowly thawing into their true state as the morning progresses. Life outside those few moments with your TV in the morning is stimulating enough, why enter that outside world already agitated and with thoughts racing?

Of course, sometimes this convention is broken. Due to a clerical error, ITV has accidentally been putting Piers Morgan on its early morning TV show 'Good Morning Britain' for three years now, ensuring plenty of unnecessary stimulation, and not the good kind either. And then there was that whole thing in the 90s with 'The Big Breakfast' on Channel 4.

BBC One has the formula done to a T though. To the point that on its HD channel, the local news slots are replaced by distant crowd noise and the sound of waves. Sure, they claim this is due to some technical reason, but I really think it's better.

However, the BBC can't always be a haven of calm, even if that's the format the programme strives for. Because it insists on having guests pop in to talk about all the uninteresting things they've been up to. And this week saw the most rousing 'BBC Breakfast' interview since that time Kevin Hart came on to promote 'Ride Along' nearly five years ago.

Yesterday, former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft appeared in order to promote his new album and tour dates. Well I assume that was the purpose. It was quite a chaotic interview.

He started by informing any children watching that, as it is currently half term, they should "stop eating those grapes - and any other cereal". So that's already turned the world upside down. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, of course, and even during school holidays. And also, grapes aren't cereal.

Whatever, with that message delivered, Ashcroft announced that the interview could commence. So, co-host Naga Munchetty asked what he was doing wearing sunglasses indoors first thing in the morning. He gave the obvious answer - that it was religious attire.

"I am the only one on the couch who can wear sunglasses right now", he said. "And also", he went on, "when music becomes almost a religion - rock n roll is like a religion - don't ever question one of the key attributes. And it's very early".

He returned to this theme later, after the programme had broken away to a clip. Returning to the studio, Ashcroft appeared now lying across the sofa, seemingly mid-flow, explaining: "We've been on the nightshift in the music industry for a while, as you'd imagine. So another great thing about the glasses is, I can cover up the fact that I'm getting a bit Nancy Reagan at the moment under here at this time of the day. Seriously. I need an iron on these".

The show's other host, Charlie Stayt, added that he wouldn't be able to pull off a polo neck, like Ashcroft was. "Exactly", the musician agreed. "Well, sometimes life feels like 'The Truman Show'", he went on, climbing over the back of the sofa.

Arms outstretched, he walked up to a screen showing the Manchester skyline on the backdrop behind the sofa. "I just want to say hello to Manchester", he announced, before walking into the screen, proclaiming: "It is 'The Truman Show'!"

I think the screen is supposed to look like a window. Maybe Ashcroft just isn't aware of how windows work. Actually, he was just trying to bring the interview around to his new album, 'Natural Rebel', possibly concerned that the entire conversation was going to be about this outfit. "[The album is] about breaking the order of things", he explained.

"This is your new album", said Munchetty, playing along, "which has been critically received very, very nicely".

"Has it?!" blurted Ashcroft. Then, remembering that he'd had more reviews than the one in the NME that caused him to burn an old copy of the magazine, he added: "Only by good looking people. I have never had a bad review off a good looking person".

Next, in what appears to have been an attempt to get him to share some anecdotes about the good old days, Ashcroft was shown a picture of him headlining Glastonbury with The Verve all the way back in 2008.

Asked if he had happy memories of that time, he thought for a moment before agreeing that he did, but then he added that he felt that "the myth and the name [of Glastonbury] have grown to such a proportion that they sell out before they've even told people what the acts are", admitting that he felt this had "taken away from the power of the music".

"Is Glastonbury bigger than the acts now?" he asked. Before anyone could respond, he shrugged, "I don't know".

So, there you go, having agitated and excited everyone by putting his dirty shoes on a nice clean sofa and then lying down on it - not to mention all the other antics - he left everyone with a question to ponder. Quiet Ashcroft! There are no questions. Not first thing in the morning. No thinking in the morning, that's the rule. Only the illusion of thinking.

This isn't the first time Ashcroft has caused a stir on morning TV recently, of course. Last month, appearing on Sky Sports' 'Soccer AM' - while he was climbing down off another sofa - one viewer noticed something fall out of his trouser leg, posting a video of this on Twitter.

Many, including the original poster, suggested that it was a small bag of illegal drugs. In a subsequent video on Instagram, informing "trolls on Twitter" that they were "on thin ice", Ashcroft had a different explanation.

"My dad didn't like litter and I don't really like litter", he said. "But it gets a bit preposterous in my pocket. In The Verve I was known as Columbo. So get your facts right". I hope that cleared up all the facts. But if it didn't, it's alright, Ashcroft came up with a new explanation this week.

Speaking to LadBible, he said: "I don't know how many national publications printed a picture that someone had sent in from online. It's strange when you have been in the game this long that this idea would take place. But to see the effects of a doctored photograph by an individual, who we don't know who it is. But believe you me, you are going to regret doing that, whoever you are".

So, I think, after all of this, we can probably all agree that Richard Ashcroft should have his own breakfast TV show. Conventions be damned!

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