Lady Marmalade co-writer sues Sony/ATV over royalties and rights ownership
One of the writers of 'Lady Marmalade' has sued Sony/ATV in a wide-ranging dispute over royalties, reporting and the ownership of a bunch of his works.

The Sony music publisher controls two sets of songs written or co-written by Kenny Nolan, even though he never directly did a deal with the company. He licensed the first set to his 'Lady Marmalade' co-writer Bob Crewe, who in turn did a deal with a company called Stone Diamond, whose rights ultimately ended up with Sony/ATV. The second set were part of a deal with a company called Coral Rock Music Corp, the songs catalogue of which likewise ended up in the control of the Sony/ATV business.

Nolan's lawsuit contains an assortment of gripes about royalties not being accounted or paid, though the most interesting bit of the litigation - filed in the Californian courts last week - relates to the ownership of the first set of songs licensed to Crewe in the 1970s.

Prior to 1978, the copyright term for songs in the US wasn't linked to anyone's lifetime (so not the current 'life of the creator plus 70 years' system) but instead ran for a set period of time after publication. By the 1970s that was 75 years, but with a requirement to renew the copyright with the US Copyright Office after 28 years. Subsequent changes in the 1990s extended the copyright term of songs dating from this period to 95 years and also removed the requirement to formally renew, so that the copyright extended at 28 years by default.

The songs covered by Nolan's deal with Crewe date from the early 1970s so are subject to those rules. And, crucially, Nolan argues that his agreement with Crewe only related to the first part of the copyright term - ie the initial 28 years - and not anything that followed. Which means the works would have reverted to him in the early 2000s.

The lawsuit states that the 1970s deal "did not include any valid unambiguous instrument of transfer executed by Nolan to Crewe [or] the defendants ... of the renewal term of each copyright to each Nolan/Crewe composition". To that end, among other things, Nolan is seeking judicial confirmation that he "is the sole owner of [his share of] the music publishing rights in the renewal term share of the Nolan/Crewe compositions".

'Lady Marmalade' was made famous by Labelle in 1974, of course, and has been covered a number of times since, with the all-star version on the 'Moulin Rouge' soundtrack in 2002 achieving particular success. Other co-writes between Nolan and Crewe include Frankie Valli's 1974 hit 'My Eyes Adored You'.

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Justin Bieber sued after knocking over photographer
Justin Bieber has been sued by a photographer who he clipped with the pick-up truck he was driving as he departed an LA theatre used by the Hillsong Church back in 2017. William Wilson argues that the pop star injured him through negligent driving.

According to The Blast, Wilson says that he was standing on the passenger side of the vehicle when Bieber accidentally knocked him over. At the time the musician spoke about how difficult it can be driving safely when your car is surrounded by photographers.

Bieber got out of his truck after hitting Wilson and waited with the snapper until an ambulance arrived. The local police department has also confirmed that the star "fully co-operated with officers" at the time and was not charged over the incident.

However, Wilson says he suffered permanent disability and emotional damage as a result of the injuries he suffered that day and now he wants Bieber held to account in the civil courts. Which basically means the photographer is seeking as yet unspecified damages.

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Russell Simmons accuser says the Def Jam co-founder is hiding out in Indonesia
A woman who accuses Russell Simmons of rape has alleged that the one time hip hop mogul is now hiding out in Indonesia because the country does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. His extended stay in Bali has apparently scuppered efforts by the accuser to force the music industry exec to participate in a deposition under oath.

Various accusations of rape and sexual harassment were made against Simmons last year in the wake of the #MeToo movement. A number of women came forward after model Keri Claussen Khalighi and screenwriter Jenny Lumet went public with their allegations in November 2017. Two lawsuits followed, though one was subsequently dismissed at the request of both parties a few months later.

In the lawsuit that is ongoing, an unnamed woman says Simmons raped her in 1988. She claims that she met the Def Jam co-founder while at a concert with her son, and that later that same night he pressured her to accompany him to his hotel room. Which is where she alleges the rape took place.

Simmons denies the allegations and has tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, citing the statute of limitations relating to allegations of sexual assault.

The woman pursuing the litigation says she has a legitimate case, which is why - she now alleges, according to The Blast - Simmons has "fled to Indonesia which has no extradition treaty with the United States in an apparent attempt to protect himself".

Confirming that a bid to force Simmons to take part in a deposition had so far failed, the accuser adds: "It is unlikely he will return to the United States to be deposed in this case and face arrest and imprisonment".

The gossip site points out that Simmons has travelled to Bali many times over the years, though the current stay has been longer than usual after he announced last year that he was taking a sabbatical from his business ventures to work on his "personal growth, spiritual learning and above all listening".

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Official Charts Company launches podcast
The Official Charts Company has launched its very own podcast called 'Take The Hit'. In it, pop stars are asked questions based on the titles of the UK's best-selling singles of all time. I know, I was hoping for a nerdy delve into chart stats too, but I guess this'll have to do.

For the first episode, nice guy Tom Walker sits down for a chat, at one point explaining how his grandmother inspired one of the songs on his debut album 'What A Time To Be Alive'.

"My gran is 81 years old", he says. "One night we sat together for four hours and we shared a couple of bottles of wine and she was telling me all the amazing stories in her life, the good and the bad. There was a lot of stuff I'd heard about as a kid, but she went into detail about some of the big events in her life and it's one of my favourite songs I've ever written".

What classic-pop-song-title-themed question prompted that answer? "What did you do 'Last Christmas'?" "Has any member of your family ever been to the 'Mull Of Kintyre'?" "Tell us something that's happened in the last 'Seven Years'". You'll have to listen to find out.

Editor of officialcharts.com Rob Copsey hosts the show and insists: "Recording the 'Official Charts: Take The Hit' podcast has been so much fun already. Using themes based on the UK's best selling singles of all time chart has really allowed artists to tell stories and share memories from areas of their lives and careers that we're not used to hearing about".

You can probably get 'Take The Hit' wherever you already listen to CMU's Setlist podcast.

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Ed Sheeran to play 850 seat West End theatre
Ed Sheeran has announced that he will play a show at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket in July in aid of the venue's Masterclass theatre education charity. It will also be the first in a new series of music events at the venue under the banner 'Live At The Haymarket'.

The show will see Sheeran take a break from his global stadium tour to play for an audience of 850. Announcing the performance, he says: "Masterclass is an important charity and it's one that I'm proud to be supporting. It's going to be a special night playing at this iconic venue".

Last year, the Theatre Royal Haymarket was acquired by Access Entertainment, a division of Warner Music owner Access Industries. Ed Sheeran is signed to Atlantic Records, which... well, you get where I'm going with this.

Access Industries boss Len Blavatnik says: "It's wonderful to have the unrivalled talent of Warner Music's Ed Sheeran to launch our 'Live At The Haymarket' series. His support of Masterclass and his belief in the future of this country's young talent is truly appreciated".

Tickets for the show will be dished out via a ballot and you have until 16 Jun to put your name down on the list. Click here for more info.

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Aretha Franklin receives posthumous Pulitzer Prize
Aretha Franklin has been posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize, acknowledging "her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades".

Various Pulitzers are handed out each year for achievements in journalism and the arts. Franklin was included in the 'special citation' category, making her the first woman ever to receive this prize as an individual since it was introduced in 1930 (the prize has sometimes gone to whole newspaper teams). Previous musical winners include Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.

Franklin died last August from pancreatic cancer, aged 76. Tributes at the time came in from across the worlds of music, entertainment, politics and beyond.

The Pulitzer Prize for music this year was given to composer and sound artist Ellen Reid for her piece 'Prism'. Organisers called it "a bold new operatic work that uses sophisticated vocal writing and striking instrumental timbres to confront difficult subject matter: the effects of sexual and emotional abuse".

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Spotify, Bauer, Beck, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Spotify's share price dipped yesterday following reports that Amazon is going to launch a freemium streaming service very soon. So that's fun.

• A design agency working for Bauer has seemingly confirmed that the media firm is planning to phase out its various regional radio brands and instead relaunch its main pop stations under the Hits name that is already being used in Manchester and on a national digital channel. Though said design agency removed all reference to its work on the big Bauer radio rebrand after its comments were reported on by Radio Today last week.

• Ben Folds will publish his autobiography, titled 'A Dream About Lightning Bugs', on 30 Jul. Find out more here.

• My Dying Bride will release a book about their more than 25 year career, titled 'A Harvest Of Dread', on 24 May. It will also come with five discs of demos, rarities, live tracks and more. Here's a video trailer.

• Beck has released a new Pharrell Williams-produced single, 'Saw Lightning'. His new album, 'Hyperspace', is set for release "at an as yet undetermined point in the space time continuum".

• Courtney Barnett has released the video for new single 'Everybody Here Hates You'.

• The Cinematic Orchestra have released a live video for 'Lessons' from their new album 'To Believe'.

• Enthroned have released the video for new single 'Hosanna Satana'. New album, 'Cold Black Suns', is out on 7 Jun.

• William Tyler has released the video for 'Man In A Hurry', from his latest album 'Goes West'. He is set to play shows in the UK later this month.

• Already supporting Take That on their greatest hits tour, Lulu has announced her own headline dates in the UK from September to November. The shows will mark the 55th anniversary of her debut single 'Shout'. "We'll be playing here, there and everywhere, so I invite fans old and new to come along and share a great night covering my six decades in music", she says.

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

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"Perhaps rock music isn't worth saving", ponders Nick Cave
Nick Cave has written about the current state of rock music, pondering that in its "present form" it perhaps "isn't worth saving".

Cave was writing on his The Red Hand Files website, where he responds to fan questions. Asked for his "thoughts on the current state of modern rock music" and "the current trend of connecting the shortcomings of an artist's personal conduct and the art they create", he pondered on what a society tending towards moralising means for a 'dangerous' artform like rock music.

"My feeling is that modern rock music, as we know it, has anyway been ailing for some time now", he says. "It seems to me there is little new or authentic, as it becomes safer, more nostalgic, more cautious and more corporate".

He continues: "I think that the new moral zealotry that is descending upon our culture could actually be a good thing. Maybe it is exactly what rock n roll needs at this moment in time. Contemporary rock music no longer seems to have the fortitude to contend with these enemies of the imagination, these enemies of art - and in this present form perhaps rock music isn't worth saving".

Delving further into the possible positives, he goes on, suggesting that allowing rock music to be overcome and suffocated out of existence would mean "something powerful and subversive and truly monumental can rise up out of it".

Read the full article here.

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