| TOP STORIES | Music industry hopes UK government's levelling-up fund might benefit local music industries READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | US Trade Representative's annual piracy report shouldn't name and shame American tech companies, say American tech companies READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LABELS & PUBLISHERS | Universal Music UK launches new label 0207 Def Jam READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| DIGITAL & D2F SERVICES | Deezer launches language tuition playlists READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| INDUSTRY PEOPLE | Ivors Academy appoints Charlene Brown to ethics committee READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Rina Sawayama, The Kinks, Tori Amos, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | Matt Lucas releases Christmas baked potato song in aid of FareShare 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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NINJA TUNE - MARKETING ASSISTANT (LONDON) Ninja Tune is seeking an enthusiastic and driven Marketing Assistant, to support its UK based team on a full- time basis. This is a perfect opportunity for someone looking for an entry level role into the music industry, eager to learn and does not mind rolling up their sleeves, to get things done in a team environment. Please note this role is admin based. For more information and to apply click here. |
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FKP SCORPIO - UK & EUROPEAN TOURING HEAD OF MARKETING (LONDON) FKP Scorpio is looking for someone to lead the marketing team, creating and managing marketing campaigns for concerts, tours and festivals across the UK, plus overseeing and coordinating marketing for our European Touring division. For more information and to apply click here. |
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ERASED TAPES - PRODUCTION ASSISTANT (LONDON) Erased Tapes is currently seeking a highly organised Production Assistant to support the company Director and Production Manager in their regular administrative duties. The chosen candidate will assist with the production and distribution of Erased Tapes products (digital and physical), including vinyl records, CDs, and label merchandise. For more information and to apply click here. |
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SECRETLY DISTRIBUTION - DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER (LONDON) Secretly Distribution is looking for a Digital Content Manager to be based in London (this position will be work from home until further notice). For more information and to apply click here. |
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JUNO RECORDS - DJ & STUDIO EQUIPMENT SERVICE AND SUPPORT ASSISTANT (LONDON) Juno is looking for an experienced music equipment service and support assistant to assist with product testing, customer support and related administration. For more information and to apply click here. |
Taking place every Tuesday afternoon at 2.30pm London time, these one hour online training sessions are delivered by CMU's Chris Cooke.
Each webinar presents timely and easy-to-understand insights about a different music business topic, with plenty of opportunity to ask questions.
Attendees can also access online resources - including downloadable slides - and a recording of the webinar available for a month after the live session.
BOOK NOW at special rates - access to each individual webinar is just £25, plus there are further discounts if you book into multiple sessions.
| THE EVOLUTION OF MUSIC PIRACY Tuesday 1 Dec 2020 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS As the legitimate digital music market has evolved so has online music piracy. This webinar looks at the piracy challenge over the last 20 years, how the music industry has sought to tackle the problem, and which anti-piracy tactics actually work today. |
| THE EVOLUTION OF ARTIST MANAGEMENT Tuesday 8 Dec 2020 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS The role of the artist manager has changed dramatically over the last two decades as artists themselves seek to take more control over their recorded music and fan relationships. What does management now involve, what skills and knowledge are required, and what should management deals look like? |
| MAKING MONEY FROM MUSIC COPYRIGHT Tuesday 12 Jan 2021 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS The music rights business makes money by exploiting the controls that come with the copyrights in songs and recordings. Get to grips with all the basic principles of copyright law and how music copyright makes money in this user-friendly easy-to-follow webinar. |
| COLLECTIVE LICENSING EXPLAINED - GET PLAYED, GET PAID Tuesday 19 Jan 2021 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS Sometimes the music industry licenses through direct deals, other times it employs the collective licensing approach. Fully understand how collective licensing works - in the UK and around the world - in this user-friendly easy-to-follow webinar. |
| MUSIC RIGHTS DATA MADE SIMPLE Tuesday 26 Jan 2021 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS Getting songwriters and artists paid when their songs and recordings are played often comes down to whether or not the right data is in the system. But what data? This webinar runs through all the key data points and explains how to get information into the system. |
| STREAMING EXPLAINED - THE DIGITAL MARKET IN 2021 Tuesday 2 Feb 2021 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS Streaming now accounts for more than half of recorded music revenues worldwide - and in many countries it's much bigger than that. Get fully up to speed on all the key trends and developments in the global streaming music market in this super timely webinar. |
| STREAMING EXPLAINED - HOW DIGITAL LICENSING WORKS Tuesday 9 Feb 2021 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS The streaming business is complex in terms of how services are licensed, and how artists and songwriters get paid. Get to grips with it all via our concise user-friendly guide to digital licensing and streaming royalties - explained in full in just ten steps. |
| STREAMING EXPLAINED - HOW MONEY GETS SHARED Tuesday 16 Feb 2021 | 2.30pm | BOOK TICKETS Streaming is a revenue share game, with digital dollars shared out each month between artists, songwriters, labels and publishers. We explain how the money is currently split up and talk through why some people in the industry believe a different approach is needed. |
| Navigate and understand the music business with guides and reports from CMU... |
| NEW! Artist And Songwriter Rights In Ten Steps A ten step guide to the rights artists and songwriters enjoy over their music |
| Music Rights Data In Ten Steps A ten step guide to music rights data, data standards and databases |
| Music Industry Basics In Ten Steps A ten step guide to all the different strands of the modern music industry |
| Streaming Challenges In Ten Steps A ten step guide to the challenges facing the streaming business in 2020 |
| Collective Licensing In Ten Steps A ten step guide to the collective licensing system |
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Music industry hopes UK government's levelling-up fund might benefit local music industries
UK Music has welcomed the so called levelling-up fund that has been announced by the UK government to support local development initiatives around England, with the cross sector music industry trade group hoping that that funding will benefit the creative sector.
The £4 billion levelling-up fund was announced by UK Chancellor Of The Exchequer Rishi Sunak yesterday as part of a speech on spending plans, and it's basically part of the government's commitment to support local economies outside London and the south east of England.
Any local area in England will be able to bid for up to £20 million to fund mainly infrastructure projects that improve the everyday lives of the local population. Examples given by Sunak include "a new bypass; upgraded railway stations; more libraries, museums, and galleries; and better high streets and town centres".
That money could be spent on venues or other culture infrastructure, thus potentially benefiting local music communities. Although, of course, that's not assured, and the scheme will involve competition between projects at both a local and national level.
Nevertheless, UK Music boss Jamie Njoku-Goodwin hopes the creative sector will benefit. "We welcome the Chancellor's announcement of a £4 billion levelling-up fund which we hope will be a much-needed boost for the creative sector", he said yesterday. "We look forward to engaging with the government to explore how that fund can be used to ensure the music industry helps drive growth the country needs and that we all want to see".
"Music and music venues are integral to the local economies of towns and cities everywhere", he added. "We hope this fund could be used to further support the vital role they already play. With the right support to help the music industry get back on its feet, we are determined be at the forefront of the post-pandemic economic and cultural recovery".
The CEO of the Incorporated Society Of Musicians, Deborah Annetts, also welcomed the fund and the potential support it may provide for arts and culture around England.
However, she expressed concern that culture infrastructure projects will have to compete with transport infrastructure projects for funding, rather than having specific support to grow local creative economies.
She said: "We are pleased that the levelling-up fund covers local arts and culture, but this social infrastructure is too important to be included in the same funding allocation as transport infrastructure. Without theatres and music venues, visitors are not staying in hotels, visiting bars or restaurants, and they are doing their Christmas shopping online".
"The government should support the performance ecosystem in order to unlock public spending, create jobs and lift the national mood", she added. "We need a clear roadmap now for the return of live performance in 2021. This is essential so that the industry has enough time to prepare and implement the necessary measures to resume safely next year".
US Trade Representative's annual piracy report shouldn't name and shame American tech companies, say American tech companies
The US Computer & Communications Industry Association has hit out at plans by the office of the US Trade Representative to include US-based websites and internet intermediaries in the next edition of its annual notorious markets piracy report.
The trade group - representing the likes of Amazon, Google, Facebook, eBay and Cloudflare - says doing so goes well beyond the remit of that report and the USTR itself.
The USTR's annual piracy report has two sections to it, the first outlining which countries have work to do regarding the protection of intellectual property rights, and the second listing those piracy websites that are causing most concerns to the IP-owing companies of America.
The idea is that it allows the US government to put pressure on foreign governments to crack down on piracy in general and certain piracy sites specifically. And to that end, trade groups repping copyright industries, like the music industry, make submissions about their current top piracy gripes as the annual report is put together.
In recent years some of those submissions have included griping about US-based internet companies which, although entirely legitimate, provide services or platforms for third parties which infringe copyright or sell counterfeit goods. Needless to say, those companies have not been too happy with that, and Cloudflare formally complained last year when it was named in the record industry's submission.
Amazon was also pissed off earlier this year when some of its foreign subsidiaries were actually included in the most recent version of the USTR's report, it having been criticised by the American Apparel & Footwear Association for providing a sales platform for third parties allegedly flogging counterfeit goods.
Amazon claimed that its inclusion in the USTR's report was politically motivated because of the ongoing beef between US President Donald Trump and Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.
This year the USTR has also more explicitly said that its next piracy report will specifically consider third-party internet intermediaries and won't limit itself exclusively to foreign websites. Which is why the CCIA has formally hit out.
"In addition to straying beyond the purposes of the notorious markets report, the targeting of US companies would exceed USTR's mandate", the trade group said in a recent submission. "It is difficult to reconcile how an agency with a mandate that is narrowly focused on international trade could use its resources and authorities to examine and criticise US companies' business practices".
It goes on: "CCIA is unaware of any previous examples of USTR having taken similar action with respect to the protection of intellectual property or any other subject matter. Further, USTR would compromise the effectiveness of the notorious markets report as a tool for identifying foreign markets of concern and for engagement with foreign trading partners if it were to focus in the report on the practices of domestic US companies".
On top of all that, the CIAA argues, its members "take the challenge of addressing the sale of counterfeit and pirated goods online seriously and invest heavily in programmes to address this challenge and enforce company policies against counterfeits and pirated goods".
So, basically, copyright owners of America should shut up moaning, but - if they must moan - they shouldn't do it when talking to a government department whose remit is entirely international trade, and should therefore only be concerned about online piracy shenanigans in other countries.
We await to see how the USTR responds.
Universal Music UK launches new label 0207 Def Jam
Universal Music UK has launched new label, 0207 Def Jam. It will serve as a frontline label in its own right, as well as acting as the UK home of Universal's global Def Jam Recordings operations, and will be headed up by Alec and Alex Boateng.
Alex Boateng has already been at Universal for a decade, most recently as President of Island Records' urban division. His twin brother Alec, meanwhile, moves over from Warner Music, where he was previously co-head of A&R at Atlantic.
Universal Music UK CEO David Joseph says: "Bringing the Boateng brothers together at 0207 Def Jam is an important moment in British culture. Alec and Alex have always done things their own way with success always quick to follow. They have already assembled an exceptionally talented top team with a clear vision for this exciting new chapter in the history of one of the world’s most famous labels".
Alec Boateng adds: "Music, art and artists really, really matter. I'm super excited to play a leadership role in this brilliant new space we’re creating for amazing music and talent to live and evolve. A space which will support both our teams and our artists to be the best version of themselves".
Alex Boateng says: "Especially in these times, this is a real privilege. I'm proud our collective journey now includes partnering a legendary label with a style that only London and the UK can provide. Looking forward to watching and guiding where the music and art takes the journey next".
The Boatengs will both be joined by Amy Tettey, who is Managing Director of the new label. She is another longtime Universal employee and most recently worked with Alex as Finance Director at Island.
Deezer launches language tuition playlists
Putting something in a song is a good way to remember it, but can it help you to learn a new language? Well, Deezer is hoping so. In the ongoing battle for streaming services to differentiate themselves in some way - any way, really - Deezer has launched a load of playlists to aid with language learning.
Working with language and music expert Susanna Zarysky, Deezer has launched playlists for listeners learning English, French, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese. Each contains 20 tracks, with the first five aimed at building vocabulary, the next five aiding pronunciation, the next serving up some local slang, and the final five helping to understand cultural meanings.
"Music should be an integral part of the language learning process", says Zaraysky. "Not only is it fun, but it's effective. Songs are the entry into the sounds of another language, and can assist in every aspect of language learning, from grammatical patterns to perfect pronunciation".
Deezer's Chief Data and Research Officer Aurelien Herault adds: "[Our] consumer research reveals that people are very open to learning new languages through music. But finding the right tracks can be hard. That's why our editors have curated a dedicated channel with playlists to help you learn, as well a selection of language-related podcasts. So put on your headphones, press play, and follow the lyrics. It's one of the best ways to jump-start your language journey".
You can find all the playlists, plus those language tuition podcasts, on Deezer here.
Ivors Academy appoints Charlene Brown to ethics committee
The Ivors Academy has appointed lawyer Charlene Brown as Chair of its new ethics committee, which will advise the UK songwriter association's award-giving, membership and organisational standards.
"Music connects with people on an honest and emotional level like no other artform and it has the power to shape our attitudes and perspectives", says Brown. "I am very excited to be working with The Ivors Academy and the UK's community of music creators".
"Developing a new ethical framework provides important opportunities for the Academy to lead progress and champion equality", she adds. "Communication, transparency and fairness are pivotal to addressing divisive actions and driving real change".
Ivors Academy CEO Graham Davies says: "The Ivors Academy is a community of songwriters and composers built on the principles of respect, support and encouragement. We stand for equality and stand against intolerance of all kinds. We need to strengthen our approach to ensure all members feel safe and supported. Charlene's decade of experience in law, culture and investigations makes her a fantastic addition to our team".
| Approved: Circe With storytelling lyrics and a cinematic pop sound, Circe's debut EP 'She's Made Of Saints' opens a door into a world still under construction, with grand plans for the future. Each track is perfectly self-contained, but also feels like a block to build something bigger. The EP's most recent single is 'Dancer', of which she explains: "'Dancer' is a song that grew from a documentary I watched about The Source Family cult from California, examining a radical experiment in 1970s utopian living. One of the young girls involved from the cult had a line in an interview about how she gave up all ownership of herself for the cult leader, 'Father Yod', even dancing". "That line always stuck with me", she goes on. "The thought someone could surrender their own movement and body - ultimate freedom. I waver on this dangerous line between interest and intrigue into cults, particularly the 60s and 70s ones based around Hollywood. It's always been a fascination for me that there is a surreal romance to these set-ups, in contrast to some horrific actions". 'She's Made Of Saints' is out now and you can watch the video for 'Dancer' here. Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
RELEASES
Rina Sawayama has released new single 'Lucid', taken from a new deluxe edition of her 'Sawayama' album, which is out next week. "It's about living a different life through dreaming, whether it's to be with the dream girl or to be the dream girl", she says. "2020's been a tough year so I wanted to finish it off with a dance bop to take us into a more hopeful 2021".
The Kinks have released a new animated video for 'Lola' to accompany the 50th anniversary release of their 'Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround Part One' album, which is out on 11 Dec.
Tori Amos has released new Christmas song 'Better Angels', taken from her upcoming festive EP 'Christmastide'.
Nadine Shah has released the video for 'Trad' from her latest album 'Kitchen Sink'. "Not quite the Danube river cruise I had imagined but a boat trip all the same", she says of the video. "All aboard for the first view of my new music video for 'Trad' filmed in a wedding dress in the freezing cold on a boat in Ramsgate. Ahoy!"
Ama has released new single 'Facts'. "Basically sometimes I can just be a stubborn ass bitch", she says of the inspiration for the song. "I can also tend to get stuck in unhealthy routines or patterns and the most helpful thing in those moments for me sometimes is a slap of the truth from the people I love or even from myself. 'Facts' is all about getting out of your funk, facing the harsh truth head on and auctioning that".
We Are Scientists have released the video for new single 'Fault Lines'.
Moonspell have announced that they will release new album, 'Hermitage', on 26 Feb. Here's new single 'The Greater Good'.
Horsey (aka Jerkcurb and Theo McCabe) have released new single 'Sippy Cup', their first for Untitled Records.
Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.
Matt Lucas releases Christmas baked potato song in aid of FareShare
Following the success of his COVID-19 themed single 'Thank You, Baked Potato' earlier this year, Matt Lucas has returned with a festive sequel, 'Merry Christmas, Baked Potato'.
The version of the song released in April raised money for the FeedNHS campaign to provide keyworkers with hot meals while battling the pandemic. This time around, Lucas is raising funds for FareShare, which redistributes surplus food to frontline charities and community groups, an organisation that has come to wider attention this year thanks to its collaborations with footballer Marcus Rashford.
"Santa Baked Potato's on his way", says Lucas. "I hope my silly song will put a smile on your face. 'Thank You, Baked Potato' was released in aid of FeedNHS at a time when the supermarket shelves were empty and restaurants and cafes were closed. Now that that situation has been largely remedied, I have the opportunity - with my follow-up single 'Merry Christmas, Baked Potato' - to raise some money for another cause".
"Like so many people I've been incredibly inspired by Marcus Rashford's campaigning for FareShare, so all profits from downloads of the single and streaming revenue will go to the charity", he goes on. "I also hope the song will bring a bit of a bounce in what is sure to be a challenging Christmas. All that I ask for in return is that Marcus Rashford doesn't score against Arsenal ever again. Thank you".
FareShare Commercial Director Alyson Walsh adds: "FareShare is absolutely THRILLED to be the charity partner for the Christmas baked potato song. We know how much Matt's earlier song this year helped FeedNHS. Sadly, as a food charity, we have seen demand for food skyrocket this year and the sales from this song this Christmas will help us keep supporting those in need, all across the UK".
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CMU helps people to navigate and understand the music business. We do this through our media, our training and our research, and at a range of music industry events. CMU Daily covers all the latest news and developments direct by email. Setlist is a weekly podcast dissecting the biggest music business stories. CMU Premium gives you access to the CMU Digest and CMU Trends. CMU Insights is our music business consultancy: supporting the industry. CMU:DIY is our future talent programme: supporting new music talent. Pathways Into Music is our programme supporting music educators.
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