CISAC, Believe and others confirm their position on Russian activities in response to war in Ukraine
The global organisation for song right collecting societies, CISAC, has said that it feels each of its individual members should decide on whether to suspend their deals with the Russian society RAO in protest at the war in Ukraine, rather than it seeking a membership wide position.

The music industry operates separate collecting societies in each country, of course - with at least two societies in most countries, one representing song rights and one representing recording rights. Each society then signs up members, issues licences and collects royalties in its home market.

However, because artists, songwriters, record labels and music publishers want to monetise their rights worldwide - and because each society's licensees want access to a global catalogue - all the collecting societies around the world are then joined up through a series of deals, often referred to as reciprocal agreements.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, a number of collecting societies have suspended their deals with their Russian counterparts in protest at the war, including RAO with represents song rights and VOIS which represents recording rights. Meanwhile, SCAPR - the global organisation for societies that specifically represent performer remuneration rights - suspended it Russian member, that being VOIS, last week.

There has been some debate in the wider music community regarding those decisions. Some argue that most Russian artists and songwriters likely oppose their government's invasion of Ukraine, and therefore question whether those artists and songwriters should be penalised.

Although the widespread sanctions instigated by governments around the world against the Russian banks are restricting many payments anyway, and some feel that making a formal stand in support of Ukraine and its people is politically important.

When announcing that US recording rights society SoundExchange had suspended its reciprocal deal with VOIS last week, CEO Michael Huppe said his organisation did not "take this action lightly but believes it's important to demonstrate our support for the people of Ukraine. Ultimately, the flow of performance royalties between SoundExchange and VOIS is not significant, but as a matter of principle, we believe this is the right course of action".

For its part, CISAC yesterday said that its global membership of song rights societies "deplores and condemns the war waged by the Russian government against the Ukrainian population". On more practical matters, it then added "when it comes to CISAC members' business relationships with Russia, royalty flows between societies and [their] Russian [counterparts] have already ceased due to financial and banking sanctions".

But regarding its own policies, it went on: "After careful consideration, the CISAC board has decided that each individual society should decide on whether to maintain their business relationships with Russian societies, and what the terms of any relationship should be".

"As a global confederation representing 228 members in over 120 countries", it continued, "CISAC's actions have to balance and reflect many diverse viewpoints. While abhorring the actions of the Russian armed forces, CISAC is not empowered to impose sanctions on member societies based only on the actions of their government".

CISAC had already announced last week initiatives to support victims of the war, including a fund to help Ukrainian creators and refugees, and to support the continued operation of Ukraine's societies, plus a project called 'Songs For Ukraine', which aims to promote Ukrainian repertoire on broadcasting and digital platforms around the world, to increase royalties to Ukraine's creative community.

The organisation added yesterday: "CISAC is passionately dedicated to supporting creators in Ukraine and to bringing whatever pressure it can to stop the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This action is an indefensible attack on the innocent, and is an assault on culture and creators everywhere, including those in Russia. Russian authors, just as their counterparts elsewhere, cannot be blamed for the grotesque actions of their government".

As well as the collecting societies, music companies across the world have also had to review their operations in the Russian market, of course. That includes both on-the-ground operations, partnerships and deals with Russian companies, and the distribution of music to streaming services in the country, especially those based out of Russia, like the music services of Russian internet firms Yandex and vKontakte.

On the recordings side of the business, all three major record companies, as well as a number of independents and distributors, have now suspended their operations and/or business partnerships in Russia. The latest distributor to announce such a suspension is Absolute Label Services, now part of Utopia.

It announced yesterday that it has now "told clients that it will suspend the delivery of content to Russia's Yandex and vKontakte (via UMA) effective immediately. At this stage, the decision will not affect content that has already been delivered to these platforms. The decision comes in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine as an act of solidarity with the Ukrainian people".

Absolute MD Henry Semmence added: "In defending their country against Russian invasion, the people of Ukraine are also fighting for values that we all hold as paramount: freedom, democracy, equality, rule of law and basic human rights. We have to do what we can to show our solidarity with Ukraine in its desperate time of need".

"We know that this is not a war the people of Russia and our partners in the Russian music industry have asked for", he added, "but we have to unite with countries, industries and organisations across the free world to take a stand against this senseless act of aggression".

Meanwhile ,distributor and label services company Believe has issued a statement regarding its position on the Russian market, after a memo sent by its MD in Russia to the firm's Russian clients last week garnered some criticism within the wider music community.

According to Billboard, in that memo, Believe's Denis Gorshkov reassured clients that the company "continues to provide all services in Russia to numerous partners, labels and artists", and that its distribution platform is still functioning in the market "without failures".

Payments are also still being made to clients except where banking sanctions prevent such transactions. Gorshkov also provided advice on how Russian labels and artists can switch payments to a different bank "not included in the restriction list".

That memo has caused concern among some of Believe's clients outside of Russia. And that includes Various Artists Management boss David Bianchi who manages La Roux, a Believe client who until this morning appeared on a section of the distribution firm's website promoting its artist services.

He told The Guardian: "We were unaware of this situation and are holding urgent talks with Believe to ascertain all the facts in this matter. Various Artists and the artists we represent stand in full solidarity with Ukraine".

"We will not be undertaking any commercial or cultural activities that involve Russia or with companies and individuals who are connected to Russia moving forward", he added, while also confirming that he'd asked Believe to remove La Roux imagery from its website.

In a subsequent statement, Believe told reporters that it has, in fact, restricted its activities in Russia in protest at the war in Ukraine, including stopping hiring and investing in the market, suspending releases and terminating relationships with Russian companies.

A spokesperson said: "No different from other international music companies, Believe is continuing to fulfil its agreed-upon obligations to our people, our artists and labels, including its payment obligations to Russian labels in full compliance with international sanctions".

"Our priority", they added, "has been and remains to ensure the safety of our team members, artists and labels and that of families in the region, fully comply with international sanctions and support humanitarian efforts for Ukrainian refugees".

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Ed Sheeran's song-theft accuser takes to the stand
The artist who accuses Ed Sheeran of ripping off his track 'Oh Why' when writing 'Shape Of You' took to the witness stand yesterday as the big song-theft legal battle in the London high court continues.

Sami Chokri and Ross O'Donoghue argue that Sheeran likely got hold of a copy of their song 'Oh Why' from friends they have in common, and then consciously or subconsciously lifted elements of that track when writing 'Shape Of You'. But Sheeran and his co-writers on the 2017 hit deny ever having heard 'Oh Why' before their songwriting sessions in late 2016, and argue that the elements shared by the two songs are commonplace in pop music.

In a written statement and during his testimony in court yesterday, Chokri talked about how he actively tried to get a copy of his 2015 song to Sheeran.

He said he was inspired by Sheeran's success and recognised that if he could get an endorsement from the star that would be "a significant boost". To that end, he added, he sent copies of his EP to several people that he knew had connections to Sheeran, including producer Adam Coltman, musician Jake Roche and SBTV's Jamal Edwards.

Then recalling the first time he heard 'Shape Of You', Chokri said: "I was a passenger in my girlfriend's car and 'Shape Of You' came on the radio. She and I were both shocked to hear the similarities". He later posted to Facebook the statement "anyone else think Ed Sheeran's new song 'Shape Of You' chorus sounds familiar LOL?" That post got lots of responses, he added, including from Edwards who, in a comment subsequently deleted, used the 'shifty eyes' emoji.

"I thought maybe [Jamal] had played a part in showing [my song] to Ed", Chokri told the court, according to the BBC. Sheeran has denied getting a copy of 'Oh Why' via Edwards. And prior to his death last month, the SBTV founder confirmed that was the case in a written statement that said: "Even if I was sent a copy, I did not share it with Ed". Asked about that in court, Chokri went on: "I respect what Jamal says, but I also believe that Jamal would share music with Ed Sheeran".

And whether or not it was actually Edwards who passed on a copy of 'Oh Why' to Sheeran, Chokri added: "I believe Ed Sheeran heard it, that's my truth". Asked if that meant Sheeran had lied under oath in court last week, the musician said: "I'm not sure if he lied or he doesn't remember".

Elsewhere, Chokri talked about feeling "belittled" by Sheeran's team and legal advisors ever since he first tried to make contact about the similarities between 'Oh Why' and 'Shape Of You'.

Admitting that the court case, and preparations for it, had been "the most horrible weeks of my life", he talked a little more about his experience of dealing with the Sheeran side. "All I heard and read was emails belittling me and my questions", he said. "All I wanted to do was ask for an explanation. If I'd had one, we wouldn't have had to go through with this rubbish".

Talking of belittling artists, Sheeran's legal rep in court, Ian Mill, asked why Chokri hadn't registered his song with collecting society PRS until 2017, adding "the fact you weren't registered is indicative of the fact you weren't earning money".

Which may be true, of course, though plenty of grassroots artists operate outside the collective licensing system, prioritising getting their music onto streaming services via a DIY distributor, and often unaware additional song royalties are due through PRS.

Mill then argued that Chokri only registered his song with the collecting society in 2017 in order to pursue his claim against Sheeran et al. It was when the dispute in relation to 'Shape Of You was logged within the PRS ecosystem - and payments of royalties generated by the song were therefore put on hold - that Sheeran and his co-writers went legal.

Chokri admitted that he had been advised that logging his song with PRS was the "next step" in pursuing a copyright claim, but said he didn't know that would result in payments being halted. And anyway, even if he only logged 'Oh Why' with PRS in order to pursue a claim against 'Shape Of You', that doesn't really have any bearing on the case.

In slightly more reasonable questioning, Mill also honed in on the fact that most songs are influenced by earlier songs, and such influence doesn't usually constitute infringement. In fact, he suggested, 'Oh Why' was likely influenced by the folk song 'The Wayfaring Stranger' and, specifically, Sheeran's cover of it.

But, according to ITV News, Chokri countered that - although he was a fan of Sheeran's music in general and his version of that song in particular - neither were in his mind when writing 'Oh Why'.

He'd written his song during a "difficult period" in his life, and creating the track had proven "therapeutic", it being "a perfect way to kind of scream at the world how I felt at that time". He then said of the day he wrote 'Oh Why': "That was a life-changing day for me. I wasn't thinking about Ed Sheeran, I was thinking about staying alive".

Expanding on his theme of Chokri also borrowing from other people's art, Mill then argued that - beyond any influence of 'The Wayfaring Stranger' - the lyrics of 'Oh Why' also heavily reference a speech from Charlie Chaplin's film 'The Great Dictator', and no permission was sought to do so. Plus, the video for 'Oh Why' included uncleared news footage from broadcasters including CNN, BBC and Sky News.

Again none of which is really relevant to the case, except - I guess - to portray Chokri as a hypocrite. Although it mainly backed up the lesser known musician's claim that Sheeran's team has sought to "belittle" him throughout this entire dispute, which - it has to be said - doesn't reflect particularly well on that team, however strong or weak Chokri's actual song theft allegation may or may not be.

The case continues.

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George Michael estate confirms it has taken action against Tory Lanez track
Representatives for the George Michael estate have confirmed that they have taken action against the Tory Lanez track 'Enchanted Waterfall' which, they say, includes an uncleared sample from 'Careless Whisper', which Michael co-wrote with Andrew Ridgeley. Lanez's track is currently unavailable on Spotify.

A statement from both the George Michael estate and Ridgeley published by Variety reads: "It was brought to our attention that the song 'Enchanted Waterfall' by the artist Tory Lanez incorporated an unauthorised sample of 'Careless Whisper' written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley".

"Requested permission for this use had been declined in June 2021", it added, "so we took immediate action on behalf of the writers, in collaboration with our publishers Warner Chappell Music, to prevent further exploitation as we will not tolerate any unauthorised use of any songs within the catalogues of George Michael and/or Andrew Ridgeley".

The statement from the George Michael estate follows comments made by Madonna late last year, when she accused Lanez of including an unlicensed sample of her hit 'Into The Groove' in 'Pluto's Last Comet', another track that appears on the same album as 'Enchanted Waterfall'.

She initially made that claim in a comment under one of Lane's posts on Instagram, subsequently telling Rolling Stone of her dispute with the rapper: "I am tired of being taken advantage of and I mean business".

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UK Music again calls for VAT relief on ticket sales to be extended
UK Music has urged Chancellor Of The Exchequer Rishi Sunak to keep the current VAT discount on ticket sales in place. That discount was one of the British government's measures to support the live sector during the COVID pandemic and is currently due to end on 31 Mar.

Currently the VAT rate on ticket sales in the UK is 12.5%, but next month it will return to the standard VAT rate of 20%. However, with the live sector still very much in recovery mode after two years of disruption caused by the COVID pandemic, industry reps argue that that tax relief is still very much required.

Not least because the costs associated with staging live events - especially large-scale events - have increased considerably, and in many cases venues, promoters and festivals are still honouring tickets bought back in 2019 and 2020 for repeatedly postponed shows.

Music industry organisations have been calling for the discounted VAT rate to be extended for sometime, but UK Music CEO Jamie Njoku-Goodwin has made the call again ahead of the spring statement Sunak is due to make in Parliament next week.

The cross sector trade group confirmed earlier today that Njoku-Goodwin has "written to the Chancellor to highlight the 'hugely damaging' impact that a planned Treasury hike in the VAT rate on gig tickets could have on millions of music fans and the music industry".

It added: "Music industry leaders are ... calling on the Chancellor to abandon the VAT rise to give the UK music industry and millions of music fans across the country a break just as live music returns after an absence of almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The call on the Chancellor to ditch the VAT hike is part of a six point plan for the music industry outlined in UK Music Chief Executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin's letter to Rishi Sunak".

Other measures in UK Music's six point plan include extending the current business rates relief for music venues, providing a support fund to help British artists touring Europe to navigate post-Brexit bureaucracy, the launch of a music export office, tax relief for the music industry similar to that available to other creative industries, and better support for freelance workers.

Commenting on his letter to Sunak, Njoku-Goodwin says: "The planned hike in VAT could not come at a worse time for millions of music fans and the live music industry, which was shut down for almost two years due to the pandemic. We saw during those grim periods of lockdown just how important music was to people's mental health and how it helped us get through some really tough times".

"Pushing up VAT to 20% would be hugely damaging for the music industry and leave music fans facing a cost of gigging crisis", he adds. "The rise would come at a time when we are rebuilding post-COVID-19, with hundreds of concerts planned over the next few months. We would urge the Chancellor to give people who already face rising prices and grim headlines every day a little lift by ditching the ticket tax and abandoning the VAT hike".

"Dumping the planned VAT hike would help keep ticket prices down for fans and help music businesses pay down debts they built up during the pandemic, generate thousands of new jobs and nurture new talent", he concludes. "It would help the music industry continue to recover and rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic, which wiped out around one in three jobs in our sector".

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Belle And Sebastian release single in aid of Ukraine relief
Belle And Sebastian have released new single 'If They're Shooting At You' in support of those affected by the war in Ukraine.

The band will donate all income from sales and streams of the song to the Red Cross. Money raised through sales on Bandcamp up to 18 Mar will also be matched by the UK government as part of the joint appeal with the Disasters Emergency Committee.

"When the situation in Ukraine first started to happen it became clear that the lives of the people there, and probably 'ours' too, were never going to be the same", says the band's Stuart Murdoch. "The band had just started rolling out tracks for our new album, and it all felt a bit silly to be honest".

"We had one track called 'If They're Shooting At You'", he goes on. "It's a song about being lost, broken and under threat of violence. The key line is 'if they're shooting at you kid you must be doing something right'. We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and hope that their pain and suffering can be brought to a halt as soon as possible".

The video for the song was made in collaboration with photographers covering the conflict. Murdoch explains: "We got in touch with various photographers and creatives in Ukraine and they generously said that we could put their pictures to music".

"In creating this we aspire to show a hopeful, defiant side, as well as bringing an awareness to the plight of the people there", he adds. "We think any way in which we can get behind Ukraine - politically, culturally, practically, spiritually - it must all add up in the end. Together we have to do what it takes to help Ukraine beat this tyranny".

Watch the video for 'If They're Shooting At You' here, where you'll also find details of how to donate directly to the Red Cross appeal.

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Ed Sheeran to headline first Radio 1 Big Weekend since 2019
Radio 1 has announced the line-up for this year's Big Weekend festival, which will take place in Coventry in May. Headlining the first physical edition of the event since 2019 - thanks to the pandemic - will be Mr Ed Sheeran himself.

"I can't wait to kick off festival season and perform in front of a live audience at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2022 in Coventry", says Sheeran, covering all the facts as efficiently as possible.

If you're wondering what a less efficient version of that statement would look like, here's Head Of Radio 1 Aled Haydn Jones: "We are kicking off the UK's festival season in true Radio 1 style with an incredible line-up of acts already on the bill, and more exciting names to be revealed this week. We can't wait to bring our flagship live music event to Coventry for 2022".

OK, he did include some other info in there, like the fact that Radio 1 will be revealing all the acts on the line-up of the three day event throughout this week. The job of announcing that list was started yesterday, with a load of top notch pop talent confirmed. That includes AJ Tracey, Anne-Marie, Calvin Harris, Central Cee, Yungblud, Sigrid, KSI, Fontaines DC and Sam Fender.

Tickets for the Big Weekend are set to go on sale this Friday. Most of them will be only available to people living in Coventry and the surrounding area, with just 15% made available to the UK more widely. Still, if you can get hold of one - thanks to the BBC's unique ability to fuck over actual festival promoters when it comes to big events and ticket pricing - Friday tickets will cost a mere £12.50, and entry for Saturday and Sunday will set you back just £21.50. More information here.

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DEALS

Sony Music Entertainment Latin-Iberia has announced a new partnership with WK Records, founded by WK Entertainment CEO Walter Kolm. "This partnership is personally meaningful to me because of the trust and admiration that I have for Sony Music", says Kolm. "It confirms our shared vision to continue to lead and impact the Latin music industry with an unparalleled worldwide magnitude, as we combine our strengths and build an unprecedented alliance".

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APPOINTMENTS

Downtown Music Services has promoted Dan Miller to Director Of Client Services and David Labovitch to Content Operations Manager. "The promotions of Dan and David reflect the stellar work that they have been doing in putting client service and ease of operation at the heart of our business", says Global President Mike Smith. "As we expand globally, making sure that we deliver in these areas has never been more important and Dan and David are central to our efforts to be the best in the business".

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RELEASES

Charli XCX has released new single 'Every Rule', co-produced by AG Cook and Oneohtrix Point Never.

Chase & Status have released new single 'Don't Be Scared', featuring Takura. A long time in the making, the track - the duo explain - "kicks off our [upcoming new] album with raw, tribal energy and Takura shines as ever". They add: "With the vocals first recorded in 2010 we knew we had to make this work some day and it all came together for this record".

Aitch has released new single 'Baby', produced by Fred Again.

Thom Yorke off of Radiohead and all that has released new solo track '5.17', originally penned for the soundtrack of series six of 'Peaky Blinders'.

Belief - aka Boom Bip and Warpaint's Stella Mozgawa - have released their second single 'Ulu'. Their debut EP, 'Versions', will be out on 8 Apr.

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GIGS & TOURS

Florence And the Machine will head out to play three theatre dates next month, hitting Newcastle's City Hall on 15 Apr, Blackburn's King George's Hall on 16 Apr and London's Theatre Royal on 19 Apr. Tickets go on general sale on 17 Mar.

Ian Brown has announced his first solo tour for more than a decade, starting at Leeds Academy on 25 Sep and finishing up at London's Brixton Academy on 7 Oct. Tickets go on sale on Friday.

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

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Dolly Parton says she has not "earned" Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame nomination
Dolly Parton has withdrawn herself as a nominee for entry into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this year. Not - like The Sex Pistols, Axl Rose and Ozzy Osbourne - because she thinks the whole thing is nonsense, but because she doesn't think she's rock and/or roll enough.

In a statement posted on social media, Parton explains: "Even though I am extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, I don't feel that I have earned that right. I really do not want votes to be split because of me, so I must respectfully bow out".

There has been some debate over what constitutes rock n roll in the context of the Hall Of Fame in recent years of course, particularly as rappers have started to be inducted into the museum.

Although with Eminem on course to be inducted this year, Parton doesn't seem to be entering that particular discussion. She just feels that her 60-odd year career to date has been far too clean cut to qualify as rock n roll. However, that could be about to change.

"I do hope that the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame will understand and be willing to consider me again - if I'm ever worthy", she continues. "This has, however, inspired me to put out a hopefully great rock n roll album at some point in the future, which I have always wanted to do! My husband is a total rock n roll freak and has always encouraged me to do one. I wish all of the nominees good luck and thank you again for the compliment. Rock on!"

Rock on, indeed. Nice to see she's getting into the spirit already. I'm not sure anyone but Dolly Parton would actually dispute that she was deserving of a place in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and perhaps she's taking the whole thing a bit too seriously. Still, it's admirable and impressive, I guess, that someone with such a long and eventful career would think they still have more they need to do.

The Hall itself has not yet commented on Parton's request to withdraw from the nominees, and currently she is still listed on the museum's website. You can still vote for her and everything. Maybe they're hoping a sudden rush of support might convince her to change her mind, I don't know.

The other nominees this year are Beck, Carly Simon, Kate Bush, MC5, Judas Priest, Dionne Warwick, Rage Against The Machine, Devo, Duran Duran, The New York Dolls, Eurythmics, A Tribe Called Quest, Eminem, Fela Kuti and Lionel Richie.

Parton is or was in fourth position in the fan vote, after Duran Duran, Eminem and Pat Benatar, with Eurythmics completing the top five. If Parton is indeed out, then Judas Priest will move into fifth place. The final fan vote will be considered alongside the ballots of the wider voting panel of over 1000 artists, historians and music industry representatives. The final list of inductees for 2022 will be announced in May.

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