R Kelly spent $2 million to buy his acquittal in 2008 sex abuse case, claims lawyer
Celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti has accused R Kelly of "buying" his acquittal back in 2008, on the previous occasion the musician faced a criminal prosecution over allegations of sexual abuse. Avenatti made the claim as he announced that he was now representing three alleged victims of Kelly, as well as three parents of victims and three whistleblowers.

Kelly, of course, is back in jail after facing another set of charges last week, this time linked to allegations of sex trafficking, images of child abuse and obstruction of justice. The criminal charges have been mounting up against the star ever since the airing of a documentary at the start of the year which put the spotlight back on the numerous allegations of sexual abuse that have been made against Kelly over the years.

A scheduled case hearing to discuss the new charges was postponed yesterday, though both Kelly and prosecutors are expected back in court later today. Kelly continues to deny all the allegations made against him, but prosecutors are pushing for the musician to be denied bail this time, arguing that he is both dangerous and a flight risk.

Avenatti - best known for representing Stormy Daniels in her legal battles with Donald Trump, and more recently for his own run ins with the law - made a number of allegations against Kelly at a press conference in Chicago yesterday.

The biggest was that the star paid $2 million to keep the alleged victim in the 2008 criminal case off the witness stand. Prior to this year, that was the only other time allegations against Kelly resulted in criminal charges. When the case got to court, his alleged victim refused to testify and the musician was acquitted.

"R Kelly bought his acquittal", Avenatti said, before describing what he called a years long effort on the musician's part to prevent the women he has sexually abused from speaking out. Those efforts, Avenatti said, also included paying an associate $100,000 to hunt down videos that had gone missing and which featured Kelly sexually abusing minors.

A number of lawyers representing alleged victims of Kelly have now spoken about the criminal case that is being built against him. Although another attorney speaking to the media yesterday represents the two women who continue to deny they are being abused by the musician, despite allegations he is basically keeping them as sex slaves.

According to TMZ, lawyer Gloria Schmidt has said that Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary will be in court to support Kelly later today and will likely hold a news conference after the hearing to respond to whatever the judge decides regarding bail.

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American court insists that the injunction banning a former Commodore from performing as the Commodores must apply globally
A judge in Florida has declined to strip back an injunction that bans Commodores co-founder Thomas McClary from using his former band's name when performing live.

McClary has had a long running legal battle with Commodores Entertainment Corp, a company that manages the affairs of the current incarnation of the band, which counts another founder member, William King, among its membership.

At various points - most recently last year - CEC has gone to court to accuse McClary of infringing its trademarks and confusing consumers by performing under names like 'The Commodores Experience', 'Commodores' Experience' or 'Commodore's Experience'. In the main, the courts have sided with CEC on its core complaints.

In the most recent phase of this long running dispute, McClary asked the court to add exceptions to a previously issued injunction that bans him from using the Commodores name. He wanted Mexico, New Zealand and Switzerland to be excluded from the ban, on the basis he had obtained the rights to the Commodores name in those countries.

But the judge knocked back McClary's request. According to Law 360, the ruling stated: "The worldwide permanent injunction was implemented to prevent harm to plaintiff in the United States based on defendants' use of the marks here and abroad - harm from customer confusion, dilution of the marks, and otherwise".

"That purpose", the ruling went on, "would be undermined if the permanent injunction masqueraded as an invitation for defendants to obtain licences to the marks at issue in foreign countries and to then perform under 'The Commodores' or other infringing names around the world."

Needless to say, CEC has welcomed the latest ruling. Its legal rep, Dean Kent, told Law 360: "The ruling protects Commodores Entertainment Corporations' intellectual property rights and should prevent Mr McClary from further seeking foreign trademarks and licences to use the Commodores name outside of the United States".

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Warner Chappell signs Lostboy
Warner's publishing division Warner Chappell has signed songwriter and producer Lostboy to one of those worldwide publishing deals that you all like so much.

Lostboy, real name Peter Rycroft, has done some of that music making that you all like so much with a wide assortment of artists, including Anne-Marie, Ella Eyre, Kehlani, Nina Nesbitt, Why Don't We, Birdy, Jason Derulo, Julia Michaels, Lewis Capaldi and Tom Grennan. He's also busy developing one of those frontline artist projects that you, well, you know, that you all like so much.

And now here's Lostboy himself, with one of those quotes that you all like so much. "This feels like a really exciting time for me" says he. "Saul and the whole Warner Chappell team have been there every step of the way. The energy and passion they've shown already has blown me away and I can't wait to work with them in this next phase of my career".

"Saul", by the way, is Saul Fitton, one of those A&R people that you all like so much. He adds: "It's fantastic that Lostboy's joining the Warner Chappell roster. The team's extremely excited about the opportunity to support such a brilliant artist, songwriter and producer".

And here ends this report, one of those top quality generic deal stories that you all like so much. You're welcome.

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Fresh Island Festival evacuates audience due to adjacent forest fire
Fresh Island Festival, the annual hip hop centric event that takes place in Croatia, was called off mid-show last night after a massive fire broke out in a forest that surrounds the beach where the festival is staged. Fresh Island happens in various venues around Zrće beach on the Croatian island of Pag.

A statement on the event's Facebook page last night read: "Due to the fire behind the far side of Zrće, we have paused tonight's performance under instruction from the police and fire service as a safety precaution. Security have escorted fans to the beach and parking behind Noa Club and will direct people to shuttle buses leaving from the top of Noa Club parking near the main road to take people to Novalja town".

Subsequent statements on Fresh Island's social media kept those festival-goers still on site up-to-date on various delays that were occurring with the evacuation as a result of safety concerns about key exit routes. As of first thing this morning, the latest word was that busses taking people away from the beach were running again.

Many festival-goers posted footage of the blaze behind the beach, both before and once the evacuation was underway.

Among the acts who were due to play as the festival was called off last night were Tyga and Not3s. The festival was also due to continue today and tomorrow, with Tim Westwood, Stefflon Don and Tory Lanez all on the bill.

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Music Venue Trust publishes guides on running grass roots venues
The Music Venue Trust has teamed up with the mayor of London and Ticketmaster to publish two new guides: 'How To Open A Grassroots Music Venue' and 'How To Run A Grassroots Music Venue'. Both books will be available as PDF downloads from the MVT and Mayor Of London websites.

MVT's CEO Mark Davyd explains: "When I was seventeen, I put on my first gig and over the next ten years I met lots of other like-minded people who wanted to do the same. Eventually, after five years of trying, we got together and opened our own venue. Nobody ever gave us advice, and we must have made every mistake possible"

"Most people I know in the grassroots music sector have a similar story", he adds, hence the guides. "We want these books to inspire people to join us and open their own venues and the message is simple: you can build a stage the band doesn't fall through, you can get a licence that doesn't prevent you from opening on a Wednesday, and you can avoid having to rebuild the venue from scratch, only this time with enough doors".

MVT, of course, has long been working to help build a more stable and sustainable grass roots venue network in the UK, such a network being particularly important for future talent looking to hone their craft and build a fanbase. That work includes seeking funding for grass roots venues, and lobbying for more sensible licensing and planning laws, but also educating those who run the grass roots venue network, or who might run it in the future.

Confirming its support from the new guides, Ticketmaster MD Andrew Parsons said: "Developing the next generation of talent is hugely important to us, grassroots music venues are an essential part of an artist's career and a vital cog in the music industry machine. We have worked with MVT since 2015 and know the struggles that these venues face. These guides are another important step to keep music playing in grassroots venues across the UK".

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BBC Four to air films on Woodstock and Ibiza
While the official Woodstock 50 celebrations may or may not go ahead next month (probably may not), the BBC has confirmed it will be marking the 50th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival by screening 'Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation'.

That's a film bought in via PBS in the US which, says the Beeb, "turns the lens back at the audience" of the legendary 1969 festival.

"What took place in that teaming mass of humanity was nothing less than a miracle of teamwork", the blurb goes on, "a manifestation of the 'peace and love' the festival had touted and a validation of the counter-culture's promise to the world. Who were these kids? What experiences and stories did they carry with them to Bethel, New York that weekend, and how were they changed by three days in the muck and mire of Yasgur's farm?"

'Woodstock: Three Days That Defined A Generation' will air on BBC Four, as will 'Ibiza: The Silent Movie', another film documenting a musical movement.

The Ibiza film is directed by Julien Temple and recently premiered at the Glastonbury Festival. According to the official blurb, the film, "without words or narration, [tells] the extraordinary 2000 year story of dance music's most influential, charismatic and spiritual island. Filled with an explosion of music, imagery, re-enactments and remarkable archive clips, the film is backed by an eclectic score curated and composed by Fatboy Slim".

Confirming the two musical programmes will air this summer, BBC Four Channel Editor Cassian Harrison said: "Music has the extraordinary power to turn a single moment or a place into something that resonates through history and culture: These two brilliant films explore how this can happen in the most unexpected of ways, and are a fantastic illustration of BBC Four's commitment to music programming of real depth and insight".

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Baz Luhrmann finds his frontman for Elvis biopic
Baz Luhrmann is making a film about Elvis Presley and his relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker. Which sounds like it could be good. And in a super savvy move, Luhrmann has remembered to cast an actor into the role of Presley. That actor is Austin Butler. Tom Hanks was already in place to play Parker.

"I knew I couldn't make this film if the casting wasn't absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist", Luhrmann has said in a statement.

"Throughout the casting process", he went on, "it was an honour for me to encounter such a vast array of talent. I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in 'The Iceman Cometh' on Broadway and, through a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world's most iconic musical figures".

So that's all nice. Filming should begin next year.

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The Black Keys parody celebrity masterclasses in new promo video
The Black Keys have teamed up with those pesky Funny Or Die guys to parody the celebrity-tastic online learning courses offered by websites likes MasterClass.

In a trailer for their 'MasterCourse', Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney run you through all the super expensive guitars you'll need for your music making, explain why drummers usually decide to drum (ie because someone else in the band plays guitar better) and then ultimately conclude: "Unless you're not naturally gifted like us, then we can't really help you".

Needless to say, the main learning outcome of the video is that, if you want people to keep writing about your new album 'Let's Rock', put out videos like this one.

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