| TOP STORIES | Fraudulent ticket touts jailed for more than six years READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Yeasayer sue Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd over Pray For Me sample Australian copyright owners say Google should help enforce the web-blocks READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LABELS & PUBLISHERS | Believe and Nuclear Blast ally on "extreme music" distribution service READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Princess Nokia to release two new albums this week READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| GIGS & FESTIVALS | Incubus announce Make Yourself anniversary shows in London READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Neil Finn, Twice, Sega, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Finneas O'Connell denies he and Billie Eilish were helped by their parents' entertainment industry connections READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| Check out all the latest job opportunities with CMU Jobs. To advertise your job opportunities here email [email protected] or call 020 7099 9060. | |
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SECRETLY GROUP - PROJECT MANAGER (BLOOMINGTON/BROOKLYN/LA) Secretly Group is looking for a motivated, ambitious and enthusiastic full-time Project Manager. The position will be based in one of our three main US offices: Bloomington (IN), Brooklyn (NY), Los Angeles (CA). 2-4 years of music industry experience are essential. For more information and to apply click here. |
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UNION CHAPEL - HEAD OF EVENTS & COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES (LONDON) Union Chapel looking for an experienced Head of Events and Commercial Activities with a keen interest in events management, programming and income generation for the benefit of the arts, culture, social justice and heritage. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ADELPHOI MUSIC - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (LONDON) Adelphoi Music works with brands and agencies to create music and sound concepts for moving images. They are on the lookout for a remarkable individual to join the team in generating new business opportunities for music composition, music licensing, recording projects and artist partnerships, and to lead new business for the UK and beyond. For more information and to apply click here. |
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3TONE RECORDS - MARKETING ASSISTANT (BRISTOL) Independent label 3tone Records is looking for an enthusiastic and adaptable Marketing Assistant to join their Bristol office. You'd be assisting the Marketing department in co-ordinating social media plans, researching, executing effective advertising, creating compelling assets and liaising with external teams to serve a growing roster of genre-spanning artists. For more information and to apply click here. |
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NAME PR - PUBLICIST (LONDON) Name PR is looking to hire an accomplished communications professional with demonstrable experience. You will help lead our growing consumer division, working on exciting projects like 51st State Festival, the AIM Independent Music Awards and Ninja Tune technology releases, and clients as diverse as Jean-Michel Jarre and VP/Greensleeves Records. For more information and to apply click here. |
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EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL - MUSIC PUBLICIST (EDINBURGH) The Edinburgh International Festival is looking for an experienced, passionate and dedicated Music Publicist to join the marketing and communications team. We want you to help us deliver this unparalleled celebration of the performing arts, which brings some of the most exciting and creative artists working today to audiences from around the world. For more information and to apply click here. |
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WARP RECORDS - LEGAL AND BUSINESS AFFAIRS ASSISTANT (LONDON) Warp Records is seeking a legal and business affairs assistant to join its team in London. The role will also give the opportunity to work closely with other parts of the Warp Group, including Warp Publishing and its retail and technology businesses. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SNAPPER MUSIC - DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR (LONDON) Experienced digital marketing person required to work within long established independent record company Snapper Music in central London. The label covers a broad section of music from alternative rock to metal. Knowledge of this music genre is not essential but a passion for digital marketing is. For more information and to apply click here. |
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CHERRY RED RECORDS - SYNC MANAGER (LONDON) Cherry Red Records is looking for a dynamic, self-motivated Sync Manager to join its existing team. Applicants must have a good level of experience and contacts in the world of synchronisation, and an interest in music's rich and varied past. For more information and to apply click here. |
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PRS FOR MUSIC - CONTENT EDITOR (LONDON) PRS For Music is looking for an experienced Content Editor with a flair for creating engaging copy and rich media to play an integral role in the organisation's Creative Services team. For more information and to apply click here. |
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DOMINO - HEAD OF MARKETING (LONDON) Domino Recording Company seeks a full time UK Head of Marketing. The Head of Marketing will lead Domino's marketing strategy delivering compelling and innovative (digital-first) experiences to engage our artist's audiences. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SECRETLY GROUP - OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR (LONDON) Secretly Group/Secretly Distribution requires an Office Administrator. Located in the Shoreditch office, this is the perfect position for anyone with office administration or management experience. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ERASED TAPES - DIGITAL CONTENT & COMMUNITY MANAGER (LONDON) Erased Tapes is seeking a dynamic and highly organised digital creative to develop engaging content for strategic social media campaigns around our artist releases, tours and label events across all platforms, working 2-3 days per week. For more information and to apply click here. |
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MINDS ON FIRE - PUBLISHING ASSISTANT (LONDON) Minds On Fire is looking for an aspiring professional with outstanding administration skills to join our team based out of its new office in Kings Cross, London. The ideal candidate will have had some music publishing experience in a relevant role either as an employee or as an intern. For more information and to apply click here. |
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YOUR ARMY - INFLUENCER PROMOTIONS MANAGER (LONDON) This role is to launch a new exciting service at Your Army, creating moments in the real world that will impact on the digital space. The ideal candidate will have a comprehensive understanding of Influencer and DJ culture and a love of pop, dance and urban music. For more information and to apply click here. |
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AUDIO NETWORK - COPYRIGHT ADMINISTRATOR (LONDON) Audio Network is looking for an experienced and highly organised Copyright Administrator to join its publishing team, responsible for the end-to-end copyright and royalty payment processes through registering and managing PRO works data (via CWR), to running royalty distributions to our composers/artists. For more information and to apply click here. |
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STAY LOOSE - SENIOR PRESS OFFICER (UK - FLEXIBLE) Stay Loose is hiring for a full-time publicist with at least two years of PR experience. The ideal candidate will be driven, highly-organised and with proven experience in managing campaigns for returning names and helping break new artists. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ADELPHOI MUSIC - PRODUCER/MUSIC SUPERVISOR (LONDON) Adelphoi Music is seeking a Producer/Music Supervisor to join its London team. You will manage production and music supervision ensuring high-quality output in order to increase conversion rate. For more information and to apply click here. |
Fraudulent ticket touts jailed for more than six years
The two British ticket touts found guilty of fraud earlier this month have been sentenced for a total of six-and-a-half years in jail, a ruling that has been dubbed an "important milestone" by the government agency that pursued the criminal case against them.
Peter Hunter and David Smith ran a prolific ticket-touting operation via companies known as Ticket Wiz and BZZ. They were among the ticket resellers whose operations were investigated by National Trading Standards, which was set the task of assessing whether industrial level touts were complying with UK consumer rights law.
When the criminal case against the two men reached Leeds Crown Court last year prosecutors dubbed the duo "dishonest fraudsters motivated by greed". That Hunter and Smith ran a prolific ticket touting operation was not disputed, the question was whether that operation broke any laws.
Earlier this month a jury concluded that, via their ticketing business, Hunter and Smith were guilty of fraudulent trading and possessing an article for fraud. In a statement yesterday, National Trading Standards then listed the various activities undertaken by the two men that resulted in that fraud conviction.
That included using specialist bots to hoover up tickets from primary sites; knowingly breaching the terms and conditions of primary sites; going out of their way to circumvent tactics employed by primary sites to combat touting; knowingly selling tickets that risked being cancelled by the promoter without alerting the buyer to this fact; and speculatively listing for sale tickets that they had not yet secured.
In order to get around rules on the primary sites that limit how many tickets any one person can purchase, Hunter and Smith also had third parties register credit and debit cards for them to use, which opened up those third parties to possible liabilities for fraud too. They also lied by pretending to be those third parties when contacting the primary sites.
The judge concluded that Hunter and Smith ran their fraudulent operation from May 2010 to December 2017, making a net profit of £3.5 million in just the latter two years that they were in business. Based on their respective roles in the touting venture, Hunter was sentenced to four years in prison, while Smith will spend 30 months behind bars.
The Chair of National Trading Standards, Toby Harris, welcomed the ruling, saying: "This is an important milestone in the fight to tackle online ticket touts who fraudulently buy and resell tickets to thousands of victims to line their own pockets".
"Today's sentences send a strong message to similar online ticket touts: these are criminal offences that can lead to prison sentences", he continued. "I hope this leads to a step-change in the secondary ticketing market, making it easier and safer for consumers buying tickets in the future".
The sentencing of Hunter and Smith was also welcomed by those who have campaigned for much stricter regulation of the ticket resale market, include the FanFair campaign. Those campaigners also reckon that the conviction of these two touts raises questions for the resale sites that they utilised in order to sell their touted tickets.
A spokesperson for FanFair said: "Today's sentences represent a major blow to online ticket touts who break the law and rip off the public. It's a fantastic result for National Trading Standards and for music lovers across the UK, and should also send shockwaves through the likes of Viagogo and StubHub whose businesses are dependent upon large-scale resellers".
"By facilitating the activities of online touts, there must be concerns that the platforms themselves are profiting from the sale of tickets unlawfully acquired by their biggest suppliers", FanFair went on. "This should be investigated as a matter of urgency, and lead to action against those platforms if they have benefitted from the proceeds of criminality".
Meanwhile MP Sharon Hodgson, who has long campaigned against secondary ticketing, said in a statement: "For too long, ticket touts have operated outside of the law, fraudulently reducing the number of face value tickets available to genuine fans and ripping off consumers".
However, she added, this fight is far from over, saying: "Today's sentence is a victory, but there is much more to be done, with websites such as Viagogo and StubHub still operating and other ticket touts using similar fraudulent techniques to illegally acquire tickets. To truly tackle this issue, we need more funding for National Trading Standards and the Competition & Markets Authority to investigate suspected ticket touts, and for well known brands such as Google to stop sponsored advertising for Viagogo and StubHub".
Yeasayer sue Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd over Pray For Me sample
Yeasayer have sued Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, for copyright infringement. The band claim that Lamar and Tesfaye sampled without permission a section from their 2007 track 'Sunrise' on the 2018 hit 'Pray For Me', which appeared on the soundtrack to Marvel movie 'Black Panther'.
The allegedly uncleared sample is a choral performance that appears in 'Sunrise'. In their lawsuit filed with the New York courts, Yeasayer say that the element of their record in question is "unique, comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato, and developed via distinctive audio post-processing".
They then say that the defendants - which also include 'Pray For Me' producers Doc McKinney and Frank Dukes - "extracted plaintiffs' choral performance from a recording of 'Sunrise', slightly modified it, including, on information and belief, via postprocessing to alter its pitch, among other qualities, and then inserted the modified audio material into 'Pray For Me'". The choral performance sampled from 'Sunrise', the band argue, is "a material and substantial portion" of the 'Black Panther' track.
Yeasayer's lawsuit then says that they "are informed and believe, and thereon allege, that defendants modified the portion they copied from 'Sunrise' with the intent to conceal the infringement". However, "despite the processing, defendants' use of plaintiffs' song nonetheless retains each of its inherent characteristics, as well as the relation between those characteristics, and is immediately recognisable as plaintiffs' material".
With all that in mind, the band would like the court to grant an injunction stopping Lamar and Tesfaye et al from continuing to infringe their rights through the distribution of 'Pray For Me', while paying, of course, lots and lots of lovely damages.
For a discussion on what copyright law says about sampling, check out this special edition of the Setlist podcast.
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Australian copyright owners say Google should help enforce the web-blocks
Australian anti-piracy organisation Creative Content Australia has called on the country's government to do more to force search engines and social media to stop pesky pirates from accessing proxy servers that allow them to reach piracy sites that have been blocked.
The anti-piracy tactic of web-blocking has been available to copyright owners in Australia since a change in the law in 2015. It means that music and movie companies can get court orders forcing internet service providers to block access to specific piracy sites. Since then a number of such sites have been subject to web-blocking in Australia.
But web-blocks are not perfect, of course, because anyone with just a little bit of web-savviness can usually circumvent the blockades. And by web-savviness, we mainly mean being savvy enough to type "how can I reach The Pirate Bay?" into Google.
That is why Graham Burke - the former boss of Australian movie company Village Roadshow and still Chair of Creative Content Australia - thinks Google et al should be forced to do more to stop people circumventing court-ordered web-blocks.
Speaking to the newspaper The Australian, Burke said: "What is happening is that the government, with legislation, shut the front door by blocking websites by ISP, but the search engines, namely Google, are taking people to pirate process proxy sites. If you Google 'PIR' you get taken to Pirate Bay proxies, where they say unashamedly, if the government blocked your Pirate Bay access through your ISP we can re-engage you right here".
Although Google does provide a system via which copyright owners can remove links to infringing content from its search database, the music and movie industries have long argued that the web giant should be much more proactive in the battle against piracy. In particular ensuring that it's not helping users to circumvent official web blocks.
For its part, Creative Content Australia is now asking the Australian government to intervene, to make sure that blocked sites are not easily accessible via things like Google.
Doing so would also protect consumers, reckons the anti-piracy group. That particular argument is based on Creative Content Australia's latest public-facing campaign, which claims that using piracy services opens up users to data-theft and fraud.
Building on that theme, Burke also told The Australian: "When piracy first started they had advertising and they're still doing some of that, but the big profit, huge profit, comes from getting someone's credit card details and emptying their bank account. Even just by clicking on to a pirate website, they're so sophisticated they can suck up all your information, your passwords and everything".
Believe and Nuclear Blast ally on "extreme music" distribution service
Believe has announced a new partnership with Nuclear Blast - the German metal label in which it already has a stake - that will see the creation of a new digital distribution service specifically skewed to what the two companies call "extreme music".
Blood Blast Distribution will tap Believe's digital distribution network, but will also provide the genre expertise of Nuclear Blast. The new venture will assist clients in "building international marketing strategies, offer access to a network of international publicists and offer different levels of trade marketing services".
The new venture will be led by Nuclear Blast execs Jerome Riera, Myriam Silberstein, David Kaiser and Bryce Lucien. Riera says: "We're very excited at Nuclear Blast to team up with Believe to create this new imprint, where we will supervise and advise distributed artists. We are joining forces and bringing 30 years of experience in the metal scene to the most innovative digital distribution company in the world".
Believe CEO Denis Ladegaillerie adds: "Believe continues to invest in a wide range of music genres, including the metal scene with Blood Blast. Launching Blood Blast with Nuclear Blast means that we will be able to serve metal bands at every stage of their career, from their first release to a full service label signing. This will give artists a new set-up and the tools to evolve in a fair and transparent environment that are key values for Believe".
Bands already working with Blood Blast include Kugelblitz, The Materia and Malevolence.
| Approved: Choir Boy Choir Boy are set to release their second album, 'Gathering Swans', through Dais Records on 8 May. The follow-up to their 2016 debut 'Passive With Desire' (reissued in 2018, after they signed to Dais), the new album sees them delve into new avenues of 80s production, heading more into new wave and away from the smooth sound of their earlier work. Following on from previous single 'Nites Like This', the band have now released 'Complainer', a self-critical analysis of frontman Adam Klopp's experience of life. "While many of our earlier songs serve as flowery lamentations of loss and grief, 'Complainer' snarkily examines the self-absorption of sadness", explains Klopp. "The opening line 'Oh my life' was something I privately uttered while stewing over daily anxieties. It became comical to me that I would express my self-pity like that, in earnest, when my struggles seemed so relatively tame". He goes on: "The song continues, 'It's a phrase so funny when it's spoken so sincere, But it's not that bad, I've never really had it worse, I'm just a complainer'. 'Complainer' multi-tasks as a pop song and a reminder to keep my privilege in check". Watch the video for 'Complainer' here.Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Princess Nokia to release two new albums this week
Having begun the trail to her next album with single 'Sugar Honey Ice Tea' last year, Princess Nokia has now revealed that the album will in fact be two. The rapper will release two LPs - 'Everything Is Beautiful' and 'Everything Sucks' - later this week.
The albums aim to capture different sides of Princess Nokia's personality. Crafted with a variety of musicians in different countries over the course of two years, 'Everything Is Beautiful' is a "representation of [her] sensitive, feminine side". Meanwhile, 'Everything Sucks', which was conversely recorded in the space of a week in New York with producer Tony Seltzer, is harder and more raw.
Speaking about 'Everything Is Beautiful' last year, she told DIY: "I want this to be a coming of age album for young women. It's gorgeous and has a lot of live instrumentation. It's a real rap and neo-soul hybrid. Lyrically it is very personal and draws from everyday experiences like washing my grandmother's feet or going grocery shopping. I would say it's definitely my best music".
From 'Everything Is Beautiful', here's new single 'Green Eggs & Ham'. And from 'Everything Sucks', this is 'Practice'.
You'll also be able to catch Princess Nokia live in the UK next month. Here are the dates:
20 Mar: London, EartH
21 Mar: Bristol, Marble Factory
23 Mar: Leeds, Stylus
Incubus announce Make Yourself anniversary shows in London
Last year Incubus celebrated the 20th anniversary of their 'Make Yourself' album with a run of shows around North America performing that record in full. Now they're set to bring that show to the UK, with two nights at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
With new music on the way too, the band will also perform other less nostalgic sets around the UK ahead of the short London residency in June.
Tickets for all the shows go on sale on Friday. Here are the dates:
4 Jun: Birmingham Academy
5 Jun: Manchester Apollo
6 Jun: Glasgow Academy
8 Jun: London, Royal Albert Hall
9 Jun: London, Royal Albert Hall
DEALS
Crowded House frontman Neil Finn has signed a new publishing deal with BMG, covering his entire catalogue the world over. "I am excited to sign my publishing with BMG, as the people I've met there are genuine music enthusiasts and have an affection for my songs which I know is real", says Finn.
Universal's Republic Records has formed a strategic alliance with Korean music firm JYP Entertainment for the global release of music by K-pop girl group Twice. "We are so excited to make a strategic alliance with number one label Republic Records", says JYP CEO Jimmy Jeong. "[Through] our strategic alliance for Twice, we strongly hope to present the next level of K-pop to fans all around the world".
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DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES
Video games company Sega has invested in India-based music discovery app Flutin. "Sega has often taken a broad view of entertainment, within and outside the gaming space, and looked for meaningful partners and investment opportunities", says the firm's Investment Director Toshihisa Kiyomiya. "In markets like India and in areas like streaming music and music-based mobile apps, we see a great potential for growth and innovation, which is why we're excited to support Flutin as it continues to create value for musicians and music lovers worldwide".
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APPOINTMENTS
Artist management company YMU Group has appointed Sarita Borge to the position of Senior Manager. "Sarita is a highly respected music industry professional who brings
experience and creativity to our team", says UK MD Iain Watt.
Warner Records in the US has promoted Norva Denton to SVP A&R. "Norva is the perfect fit for our revitalised A&R department, as he brings youthful energy, solid relationships, and a strong marketing background in addition to his A&R expertise", says CEO Aaron Bay-Schuck. "He has the respect of the creative community and artists alike".
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RELEASES
Jhene Aiko has announced that she will release her new album, 'Chilombo', on 6 Mar. Aiko recently released the LP's first single 'P*$$y Fairy (OTW)'.
Ezra Furman has released the video for 'Every Feeling', from the 'Sex Education' soundtrack. Furman is also set to play UK shows in May.
Real Estate have released the title track of their new album, 'The Main Thing', which itself is out this Friday. "'The Main Thing' is my attempt at writing an inspirational anthem for anyone who's ever been in an existential crisis", says frontman Martin Courtney. "Specifically, me".
Carcass have announced that they will release an as-yet-untitled new album later this year, with first single 'Under The Scalpel Blade' out now.
Babii has released new single 'Beast'. The track is taken from new EP, 'iii', which is out on 27 Mar. "'Beast' is about being far away in proximity from someone but still feeling emotionally close to them, and realising the opposite could be much worse, being in close proximity to someone but emotionally feeling distant from them", she says.
Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.
Finneas O'Connell denies he and Billie Eilish were helped by their parents' entertainment industry connections
Finneas O'Connell has hit back at claims that he and his sister, Billie Eilish, have only had success as musicians due to their parents' connections in the entertainment industry. As opposed to, you know, working really hard for several years and being better at it than everyone else.
The siblings' parents, Maggie Baird and Patrick O'Connell, are - as a cursory glance at Eilish's Wikipedia page will tell you - both LA-based actors, so it's clear why people might assume family connections played a part in their children's success.
Among her credits, Baird has played Additional Voices in 'Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas', while - after 35 years as an actor - O'Connell scored a role in blockbuster movie 'Iron Man' in 2003, playing Unnamed Reporter. So, as you can see, they are big Hollywood movers and shakers.
A scroll down Finneas's Wikipedia page adds another layer of information, stating that as well as being actors, his parents are "also musicians" - citing two articles that provide little more to go on. Maggie Baird did self-release an album in 2009 though.
It was the "also musicians" line on Finneas's Wikipedia page that was screengrabbed and posted in a now deleted tweet by a former Pitchfork and Rolling Stone writer yesterday, who presented it as evidence that the siblings had cheated their way to the top.
Responding, Finneas wrote: "During my lifetime, our parents were never able to fully financially support us off of their work as actors. Our dad worked twelve hour days, seven days a week as a construction worker for Mattel and our mom was a teacher. Our parents gave us love but knew no one in the record industry".
He added: "I paid off their mortgage last year and Billie pays them each salaries to tour with us full time, though they have told us many times they would work for us for free. Anyone who saw us tour in 2019 knows our dad insists on sweeping the stage each night before we perform".
Ah, so perhaps their career was funded by those shady execs in the sweeping industry in order to get brooms seen more prominently in public. That'll be it.
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