Friday 30 May 2014, 11:16 | By Chris Cooke

Amazon Prime’s limited choice streaming service preparing for launch

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Amazon Prime

Amazon’s previously mooted move into streaming music could go live next month, in the US at least, according to sources who have spoken to BuzzFeed. And if it doesn’t go live in June, it should do in July.

As previously reported, Amazon has been in talks with the labels for a few months now about adding music services to its Amazon Prime customer club set-up. Although the scheme was originally all about providing benefits to mail-order customers, mainly free delivery, Amazon has been slowly shifting its video streaming and e-book loan services over to Prime, seemingly with a view to providing a one-stop music, movie, TV and e-book platform under the brand.

And Amazon does seem willing to increase the subscription prices of Prime to cover the costs of providing all that digital content, though only to a point. Indeed, in seems likely that Amazon will want to provide all of its Prime services for a monthly subscription in the region of ten dollars/pounds/euros – ie the going rate for signing up to Spotify, Deezer, Beats et al, which just provide the music bit. Which has made Amazon’s negotiations with the labels interesting, with the money on the table significantly less than the record companies have been used to when discussing new streaming services.

But Amazon’s big plan is to only licence a small catalogue of tunes, rather than going for the five million, no ten million, no 20 million tracks that has become the norm in the streaming sector, possibly reckoning that the more mainstream consumer doesn’t actually want or need a Spotify-sized catalogue of music. Although it’s not currently clear quite how ’boutique’ the Amazon Prime music selection will be, it is thought that new albums won’t appear until at least six months after release.

Word has it that both Sony Music and Warner Music are now on board for the limited-choice service, though it’s not clear if the deal with Universal has been inked. A smattering of indies are also reportedly signed up, though that will likely be via distributors, with the bigger independents previously indicating that they were being offered a particularly poor deal in Amazon Prime talks.

While Amazon’s streaming ambitions clearly won’t see the mega-etailer go head-to-head with the more conventional streaming services, or certainly not at launch, as the streaming start-ups increasingly push for mass market custom they might find an even limited music offer within Amazon Prime stops mainstream consumers from investing a full ten pounds a month just for tunes.

BPI welcomes Weatherley’s report on search engines and piracy

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Top Stories

Record label trade body the BPI has welcomed the previously promised report from Mike Weatherley MP, IP Advisor to David Cameron, about the role of search engines in policing piracy online.

As much previously reported, Google has been at the top of the music industry’s piracy gripe list for a while now, with rights owners reckoning that the search engine should do more to downgrade and preferably remove links to unlicensed content sources from artist-based search results.

The web giant will remove specific copyright infringing URLs when labels provide them, but doesn’t proactively look for illegitimate content itself, and won’t instigate site-wide takedowns, even where a court has issued web-blocking injunctions against a site to the internet service providers.

When asked about Google’s role in the ongoing battle against piracy in an interview with CMU earlier this year, Weatherley said: “I am not comfortable about asking Google to be the policemen – it is not them who are distributing the illegal content – but they do have a role to play in directing people to legal sites and should be part of the informing and educating agenda. As always, I would prefer government not to introduce measures by force; that should only be a last resort option”.

And with that in mind, Weatherley’s new paper makes few calls for new legislation, but rather calls on search engines, and Google in particular, to voluntarily become more proactive in this domain, and for ministers to encourage such action from the web giant.

Amongst the recommendations for Google are that it get better at ‘crawling’ and prioritising legitimate sites; that it consider marking (Twitter verified style) confirmed legitimate music sites in its search results; that it tap into industry-endorsed black lists (such as that operated by the City Of London Police) and recognise web-blocking court orders to inform the downgrading or removal of infringing sites; and that it get involved in the Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme, or VCAP, that the rights owners are currently negotiating with the internet service providers.

Welcoming the report, BPI boss Geoff Taylor told CMU: “Mike Weatherley’s report is a thorough and carefully considered contribution to the policy debate on the need for action to reduce the prominence of illegal websites in search results. We agree with his recommendations and invite search engines to work with us without delay to bring them into effect.

“Other online intermediaries such as advertisers and payment providers have taken voluntary action to counter the growth of the online black market. Google, which dominates UK search, has paid lip service to the issue but in practice has done little to address the ethical loophole in its algorithm, which directs millions of consumers to sites it clearly knows to be illegal”.

“If search engines will not now work with the creative sector to give effect to these recommendations, government should legislate to boost growth in the digital economy and to give consumers confidence they can search for entertainment safely and legally online”.

You can read Weatherley’s full paper here, and his ten recommendations here.

Mike Weatherley’s ten recommendations on Google’s role in policing piracy

Business News Digital Top Stories

Here are Mike Weatherley MP’s ten recommendations to Google et al, and to recently appointed Culture Minister Sajid Javid, about the role search engines could and, if you like, should have in helping police piracy online. Read Weatherley’s full report here.

Recommendation 1: Search engines should adopt the suggestions set out in this paper but Google in particular must take the lead in setting responsible industry standards as the largest provider of search in the UK.

Recommendation 2: The opportunity for rights holders to discuss with Google how to maximise the prioritisation of sites with legitimate content would be welcome. I also believe that the publicity that such an event might garner could provide a positive contribution to the educational goal described earlier in this paper.

Recommendation 3: The proposed initiative by Google regarding ‘crawlable licensed services’ is explored further between licensed services, rights holders and Google, in conjunction with the other proposals set out in this paper.

Recommendation 4: An effective means of promoting/demoting search results on the basis of legality should be implemented, for example demotion based on the volume of copyright notices and [City Of London Police’s] blacklist; Google and others should take steps to engage with rights holders to design a workable system. This recommendation could be quickly acted upon and a good signpost of intent.

Recommendation 5: Search engines should agree a protocol with rights holders whereby once they receive a copy of a formal court order blocking a site from access via the main UK ISPs, they must take steps to remove that site from their search algorithms promptly. This may require government assistance by amending legislation to include court orders extending to more situations than ISPs only.

Recommendation 6: Search engines should fully support the ‘Follow The Money’ initiative and take the lead in reducing the supply of advertising funds to pirates. Given Google state that this would be a breach of their policy to not do this, then this recommendation is not controversial and all are agreed that no revenues should find their way into the hands of those operating sites with illegal activity/downloads.

Recommendation 7: Search engines should enter into open discussions with rights holders to formulate a formal reporting and take-down system for illegitimate Autocomplete terms, the results of which should be included in Google’s Transparency Report.

Recommendation 8: Search engines should explore the means of incorporating trust marks and warnings to signify legal content both into its algorithms and into the search results presented to consumers.

Recommendation 9: Everyone should support the Voluntary Copyright Alert Programme and explore alternative private agreements/codes of conduct to prevent piracy outside of legislation. With the continued delay in implementing the DEA, rights holders and the Committee support the idea of putting voluntary measures to reduce piracy in place. Initiatives such as The BPI’s VCAP have the advantage of flexibility over legislation and may remove the need for further legislation if proved to be effective.

Recommendation 10: The initiatives suggested by Google as set out in further detail in Appendix 2 [in my paper] should be explored further between licensed services, rights holders and Google, but only in conjunction with the other recommendations set out in this paper.

SoundExchange launches campaign over pre-1972 copyright debate

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American record industry rights body SoundExchange has launched a new initiative called Project72, calling on the music community, and music fans, to back legislative proposals put forward by Congressman George Holding and John Conyers that would settle the pre-1972 debate in American copyright law once and for all.

The story so far: under US copyright law, traditional broadcasters do not pay royalties to the record companies for using their recordings. But online radio-style services do. They pay via SoundExchange. But the law that forces those payments is federal law. Copyright only started being ruled at a federal level in the US in 1972, prior to that it stemmed from state law. So some digital services are saying they don’t have to pay royalties when they use recordings that pre-date 1972. Resulting in some litigation good times.

But rather than leave this in the hands of the courts to interpret (judges have swung in both directions on this one), the record industry has been lobbying for some legislative clarification, because why not? And if Holding and Conyers’ proposals – dubbed the Respect Act – were to be made law, the digital services would be forced to start paying SoundExchange royalties on the pre-72 recordings. So it’d be “more money please Pandora”, as they say.

Project 72, with its own website and open letters signed by the likes of BB King, The Supremes, members of Steely Dan, The Beach Boys, Roseanne Cash, Martha Reeves, Cyndi Lauper and Al Green, hopes to swing the debate in Washington in their favour.

The campaign’s positioning statement reads: “In one year alone, this practice [not paying royalties on pre-1972 recordings] caused artists and record labels to lose nearly $60 million in royalties. Half of these royalties would be paid directly into the pockets of artists. This is a matter of fairness. Stand with us for the artists who inspire you and the generations of artists who followed in their footsteps. Tell Congress to support the Respect Act to ensure that digital radio respects all music!”

Billy Corgan sues distributor over unpaid revenues

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

Billy Corgan has launched legal action against the distributor of material released through his Martha’s Music label, Rocket Science Ventures, over alleged unpaid revenues.

The lawsuit, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, names the company’s President Kevin Day as a defendant, along with ten other unnamed people, who it is suggested are actually aliases of Day himself. Corgan alleges that Day and his company, with which the Smashing Pumpkins frontman signed a deal in 2010, stopped providing him with proper accounts in 2011 and has engaged in other irregular business practices.

Corgan reckons he’s owed at least $75,000, and is demanding payment plus interest, as well as access to full accounts and a ruling that Day has breached their contract.

Read the full lawsuit here.

Imagem signs Pro Green

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Rapper Professor Green, real name Stephen Manderson, has hit the headlines again with news of a still-wet deal with publishing co Imagem Music UK. So now you can all stop talking about his brush with the law for driving his car into a van, drunk, and afterwards phoning the police claiming someone had stolen his watch, okay?

The agreement applies internationally, and to Pro Green’s impending LP, ‘Growing Up In Public’, and to future albums he may, or may not, choose to release. Imagem’s Brit MD Kim Frankiewicz says this: “Stephen really got on my radar when he sampled INXS’s ‘Need You Tonight’ for his single with Ed Drewett. He’s an extraordinary talent who has boundless energy and creative spirit so we’re delighted that Stephen has joined the Imagem family”.

Ged Malone, Partner at Green’s management firm Bitter & Twisted, adds: “As a manager you’re always looking for the best possible options for your artist. Signing to Imagem was a no brainer. Within a couple of days of meeting Kim and the UK team there was a competitive deal on the table and they were keen to get the deal done quickly. It feels good to be working with a publisher who is excited about Professor Green, his forthcoming album and his long term future as an artist and writer”.

Finally, saving the best till last, Manderson himself speaks: “I’m really pleased to be part of the Imagem family. It was important for me to sign to a proactive and dynamic publisher with the interests of their writers and artists at heart. I’m excited to be working with Kim and the entire Imagem team, not only in the UK but worldwide”.

Kobalt strikes deal with Caro Emerald enterprise

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

So good old Kobalt has done an admin deal with Grandmono, the production house, management and publishing firm in charge of a thing called the ‘Caro Emerald project’, which is a quick way to describe Dutch jazz-pop lady Caroline Esmeralda, songwriter/producers David Schreurs (also Grandmono MD) and Jan van Wieringen, and Canadian songwriter Vincent Degiorgio.

Kobalt has confirmed it will, via the deal (which exists internationally with the exception of the Netherlands, where Esmeralda et al are based), administer tracks written by Esmeralda, as well as Schreurs and van Wieringen, guitarist Wieger Hoogendorp and producer Robin Veldman. My my my, what a lot of Dutch names. The contract includes all Caro Emerald LPs released to date, and imaginary ones that are still to be released.

Popping in with some appropriate words, the now thrice-mentioned MD David Schreurs says: “Some people in the business – probably a lot – know I’m picky when it comes to publishing. It’s not advances, names, splits or promises, but collection that makes the difference. Kobalt was the best option: accurate, fast, transparent and powerful. They will help us get the most out of our songs”.

Meanwhile, Kobalt’s Global Creative President Sas Metcalfe says: “The Caro Emerald project is driven by a fantastic hit-making team whose songs have taken Europe by storm. We’re very pleased to help Grandmono maximise its publishing revenue across the globe”.

Seizing his chance to speak, SVP Business Development Nick Robinson says: “David, Caro, Jan and the team know their way around a pop song, borne out by their incredible charts successes and radio play. It’s reassuring to know that great songwriters trust Kobalt to get the job done”.

Management firm Indegoot signs on four bands

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NYC and LDN-based artist management ting Indegoot Entertainment has given its client listings a boost with four brand new signings, all with ridiculous names, and all from the USA. So that’s a thing to think about. Nightmare And The Cat, Highly Suspect, Bel Heir and Omniflux. Those are the names.

Nightmare And The Cat, in case you’re curious, are a pop-rock band living in LA, and will release their first LP, ‘Simple’, in July. Highly Suspect, meanwhile, are twins Rich and Ryan Meyer, who play bass and drums, and guitarist/singer Johnny Stevens. They’re signed to Lyor Cohen’s new(ish) firm 300. Fancy that. Bel Heir reside in Philadelphia and have an LP winging its way in next year, and Omniflux is the pro alias of avant garde/trip hop/pop artist Mahsa Zargaran.

Indegoot CEO Bill McGathy’s reaction to the above is like so: “These four new additions to the Indegoot management roster are testament to our commitment to developing new talent. All four artists are incredible and are already creating real momentum. We are very excited about the possibilities for these acts both here in the US and in Europe”.

Island commercial chief to head up Universal’s UK D2C operations

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Universal has promoted David Hawkes to head up the UK division of the major’s e-commerce operations. He will also continue to work as Commercial Director of the mega-major’s Island Records label.

Universal UK CEO David Joseph says: “All our UK labels have set solid foundations in e-commerce over the past few years and David’s wide experience in sales, retail, supply chain, tickets and e-commerce will ensure we continue to push the boundaries of this increasingly important area for our artists and their fans”.

Hawkes added: “The area of e-commerce continues to offer exciting opportunities for growth and innovation. I feel privileged to be given the opportunity to work with all Universal Music’s labels and artists to develop the business further and continue to break new ground”.

Turnstile extends Caroline deal to North America

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Cardiff-based indie label Turnstile Music has extended its deal with Universal’s label services division Caroline to include the US and Canada. Which means the deal now covers the entire world. Rejoice!

Says Caroline President Dominic Pandiscia: “Caroline is thrilled to have the opportunity to help launch Turnstile Music in North America. The artistry and connection of their roster to the North American market was clearly visible at their SXSW showcase this year. We are looking forward to helping Turnstile and all affiliated artists realise their creative vision in partnership with the Caroline team”.

Turnstile founders Alun Llwyd and Kevin Tame then mumbled quietly together: “We are proud to be joining forces with Caroline in the US and are already impressed by the energy, enthusiasm and creativity they have shown towards the records scheduled for this year. We are fulfilling a dream by launching Turnstile US and are particularly thrilled to find a partner in Caroline that shares our enthusiasm for the records and what we can achieve in the US over the next few years”.

The first US release to be affected by the deal will be the second solo album from former Girls frontman Christopher Owens.

Agency Group appoints Paul Conroy

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The Agency Group has announced the recruitment of one-time Ferret Music boss Paul Conroy, who was most recently CEO of Dyrdek Enterprises in LA (so not the one-time Virgin UK chief Paul Conroy, just in case you wondered). In his new job at the mega-booking agency he’ll take the newly created role of Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer.

Confirming the hire, CEO of The Agency Group’s US operations, Natalia Nastaskin said: “Paul’s proven experience transcends industry-specific boundaries, making his list of relationships exceptionally robust and ever-relevant in our rapidly evolving business. As we work to develop more diverse revenue opportunities for our artists, both within and outside of our core business of live music, Paul’s creative deal-making, vast knowledge of media, and proven asset-building strategies will enable us to bring limitless opportunities to our roster of artists and creators”.

Conroy himself added: “I would like to first thank Rob Dyrdek, Geoff Taylor, and everyone at Dyrdek Enterprises for over three years of remarkable business and friendship. Throughout my 20 year career I am fortunate to have built a vast network as a result of my time spent serving as an executive in the diverse industries of music, action sports and most recently in broadcast/digital media. This role with The Agency Group empowers me to continue and expand upon my collaboration with the significant and trusted relationships that I have developed”.

He continued: “As brands, start-ups, and content curators strategically increase their appetite for alignment with influential artists and media platforms, there are vast opportunities for progressive and targeted synergies with our artists and event properties. These opportunities become increasingly more relevant as consumers shift their content consumption further into digital, streaming, gaming and mobile. This underscores the inherent value proposition that The Agency Group provides: methodically building an artist’s live career trajectory and doing so while creating a robust promotional initiative to enable the artist to generate revenue across platforms”.

And then everyone just stood quietly and thought about that for a while.

Ed Sheeran done a Beats advert

Brands & Merch Business News

So, it was a big day for Beats yesterday. A big day indeed. It was, of course, as you all know, the day that Beats was finally able to officially confirm that it had, indeed, made an advert featuring Ed Sheeran.

The advert, for Beats By Dre’s new Solo 2 headphones, shows how those very headphones and the Beats Music streaming service helped Sheeran to write an angry song when his girlfriend cheated on him. Apparently it did this by mysteriously playing him the song he was about to write.

That song is ‘Don’t’, by the way, which is on his new album, ‘x’. Look at Ed sucking all of the promotional value out of the partnership. Good work, Ed. That’s some shrewd brand partnering right there.

You can totally buy these headphones right now too, which is nice. But as Beats Music isn’t available in the UK, you won’t be able to experience the magic of it playing you songs before you write them. So you’ll just have to hope your girlfriend doesn’t sleep with anyone else for the time being.

Anyway, you can watch the advert right now, because here it is:

Foxes in time-travelling boxes

Artist News Media

Today’s hot TV gossip is that pop starlet Foxes, aka Louise Rose Allen, is going to make a cameo in the soon-coming season of the BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’, which will commence in August and star Peter Capaldi as the new Doc.

In fact, it’s not only gossip. It’s officially happening, confirms the show’s writer Stephen Moffat, and also Foxes herself. She said this via BBC Radio 1 the other day: “It all came about from a chance meeting. I was playing a gig and got chatting to the show’s production team. I was telling them how much I loved ‘Doctor Who’ and next thing they invited me to be on it!”

Then she said: “I got to go into the Tardis, which was exciting. I sound like a proper geek now, but all the controls in the Tardis actually move. So it’s real!”

Fender appoints Bono and The Edge to board of directors

Artist News Brands & Merch

Bono and The Edge, the wacky ones from U2, have been appointed to guitar manufacturer Fender’s board of directors. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking these are a couple of those made up jobs they have for pop stars now. But why don’t you just wait and hear what Fender Co-chairman Mark Fukunaga has to say about it all. By “hear”, I mean “read”, obviously.

Here’s what Fender Co-chairman Mark Fukunaga has to say about it all: “While the company’s strength is rooted in its history as a maker of authentic, iconic musical instruments, Fender is also a music company. The Edge’s track record as a guitarist and an innovator of unique sounds through his use of technology makes him an ideal partner to grow Fender’s brand. Bono is a visionary in the music world who also has business acumen and creativity that will help Fender thrive”.

Chipping in, The Edge added: “This is something of a kid in a candy store situation for me. I’ve been a fan of Fender guitars from the beginning, playing them on all the most important U2 tours and albums. But I’m most interested in working with the Fender design team on some new ideas”.

Now if that’s really true, ie he only used Fender guitars on the “most important” tours and albums, you might argue that The Edge sabotaged some of U2’s projects simply by not using Fender instruments on them all. But if you did starting trying to argue that, Bono would probably just butt in and start droning on like he always does. I assume that’s the explanation for his quote in the press release, anyway.

Here’s what Bono said: “Wherever you go in the world Fender is a standard bearer, not just for excellence in technology and craft, but for the influence of American culture. This made-in-USA company has at its heart innovation…the iconoclasm of Jimi Hendrix, the subtle sweet murmurings of Bill Frisell, as well as the most roadworthy loudspeaker on earth. When a festivalgoer wears a Fender t-shirt, they are saying a lot about themselves. They love music; they’re independent-spirited, they’re proud of this truly American company, a nexus of technology and culture which, in the end, can’t be copied no matter how hard the giants try. I’m excited to be part of developing newer technologies with Fender, as well as helping protect the jobs and commitment to excellence of their age-old craft”.

Put a sock in it, Bono. For fuck’s sake.

Gigs & Tours Round-Up: Soulfly, EMA, The Libertines, Fear Of Men and Lo-Fang

Artist News Gigs & Festivals Gigs & Tours Round-Up

Rounding up the latest gig news…

Stateside metal types Soulfly have proclaimed a string of British/Irish shows in July, primarily in celebration of their ninth LP ‘Savages’, which is available in shops now. The first of the nine dates the band are playing is on 4 Jul, in London’s Hyde Park, as part of the Black Sabbath-headlined day of this year’s British Summer Time festival. Then it’s on to the Haunt in Brighton (5 Jul), and following that, to various nationwide spots, and finally to Guildford fest GuilFest on 19 Jul. Find tickets and info at this link.

Visiting the British Isles imminently is EMA, or alt-pop-inclined artist Erika M Anderson. She plays The Garage in London on 3 Jun, rolling on to Manchester’s Ruby Lounge, Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club, and Bristol’s Lantern on 4, 5 and 6 Jun respectively. There. Go into greater details on, and get tickets to attend, said dates, which back EMA’s latest LP, ‘The Future’s Void’, here, and stream her new track ‘Drown’ here:

And. Dear reader, ever-fresh-faced indie mercenaries The Libertines have confirmed a single, intimate show at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. It’s on 29 Jun, and hence precedes Pete n Carl (et al)’s financially-motivated headlining appearance at the British Summer Time festival. Tickets are available, like all things, at a price, now.

Next are Brighton four-piece Fear Of Men, who’ll round off a tour of Europe with a run of UK shows supporting both The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, and also FOM’s debut LP ‘Loom’, which is out right now. Look up all of the group’s forthcoming shows on this page, and watch the video for their new single ‘Descent’, which is released on 7 Jul, here:

Finally, it’s Lo-Fang (pictured) time. Lo-Fang is the brainchild of classically-trained LA man Matthew Hemerlein, who released the long playing ‘Blue Film’ earlier this year. Following on from that is a fast-looming trio of shows, comprising his first British live jaunt, which kicks off with two dates opening for Lorde, at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire (5 Jun) and Brixton Academy (6 Jun), with another London-based PA, this time at Field Day festival, taking place on 7 Jun. Have a look at those on paper via this link, and also, if you’ve got time, look towards the official clip for ‘Blue Film’ track ‘Look Away’ now:

CMU Beef Of The Week #208: Linkin Park v Sublime With Rome

And Finally Artist News Beef Of The Week

Any band will tell you that touring, rather than being a life of glamour, actually involves a lot of waiting around. And the question is, how do you fill all that empty time?

Some bands, I’m sure it will shock you to discover, use that time to take drugs. Other bands do other things, but what they definitely don’t do is call the police to report the drug taking. That’s like an unwritten rule.

But you know what they say about unwritten rules. Oh, come on, you must know the famous saying: Due to them not being be written down, some people might forget them and then accidentally break them.

Which brings us around to the KFMA Day festival, which took place in Tucson, Arizona last weekend. The members of Sublime With Rome – a collaboration between Sublime’s Eric Wilson and vocalist/guitarist Rome Ramirez – had been kicking back and relaxing over a few reefer-style doobie pipes before their set, but then when they were on stage the police, acting on a tip-off, came and confiscated all their drugs.

But who could have been responsible for dobbing them in? Not another band, surely. Not with that whole unwritten rule thing. Though I think we all know what they say about unwritten rules by now.

Rome Ramirez certainly had an idea what had happened, tweeting: “Linkin Park called the cops on us and said that they were allergic to pot. Cops came and took all our weed while we on stage. Bitch shit”.

“Linkin nark”, he added, ensuring that at least something fun came out of all of this.

Getting on the case, David Accomazzo of The Phoenix New Times asked Linkin Park’s people to respond to Ramirez’s claims. A statement came back: “Rome Ramirez’s allegations are 100% false. No one from Linkin Park’s camp said anything to the police or any other authorities regarding the activities taking place in Sublime’s dressing room”.

Well, that seems pretty unequivocal. Maybe none of this happened at all. Maybe Ramirez and co just misplaced their drugs, or someone else took them. We can only speculate. Or, at least we could only speculate if it wasn’t for the existence of THE POLICE REPORT.

As well as contacting reps for Linkin Park, Accomazzo also got in touch with Pima County Sheriff’s Department. And they confirmed the whole thing.

“At approximately 1850 hours, while working off-duty FKMA Day at Tuscon Electric Park, other deputies and I were approached by the security for the band Lincoln Park”, wrote the officer involved, Stephen McLeod. You can put a little [sic] next to the band name in your mind, if you like. “We were advised by one of the security guards that one of the band members was complaining about another band, known as Sublime, smoking marijuana next door. The smoke was irritating one of the band members and he is, indeed, allergic to the marijuana smoke. They were requesting for us to talk to the band to tell them to stop smoking the marijuana inside”.

He and three other officers wandered over to Sublime With Rome’s dressing room, following the “overwhelming odor of burnt marijuana”. Once their, they found the door unlocked and the dressing room empty, so just scooped up the “bags of marijuana, a glass pipe, Zigzags and several roaches that were used to smoke” and dropped them all off at the nearby police department.

So, there you go. Case closed! Nothing more to say. Unless a member of Linkin Park wants to chip in at this point. Mike? Oh, yeah, right of course Mike Shinoda has something to say about all this.

“LP didn’t ‘call the cops’ on [Sublime With Rome] smoking pot”, Shinoda tweeted on Tuesday. “Not sure where the rumor came from. Definitely not my style, bummer it happened”.

“We were at a meet and greet when Sublime was on stage, not [our] dressing room. Wouldn’t even know if there was smoke”, he wrote, providing a watertight alibi, before adding: “If someone was ‘representing the band’ to the cops in the venue about weed smoke, they were out of line”.

So who actually grassed about Sublime’s grass? We may never know. It was probably the same person who sent the One Direction weed smoking video to The Daily Mail. Some international vigilante trying to rid the music industry of drugs, one spliff at time. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. Well, I suppose you have to find some way to fill the time while you’re hanging around backstage at gigs.

Approved: Mr Scruff album launch party at The Roundhouse

Club Tip CMU Approved

Tomorrow night, Mr Scruff is holding the launch party for his recently approved new album, ‘Friendly Bacteria’ at The Roundhouse in London.

Kicking of at 2pm, the event has a jam-packed line-up with the likes of The Portico Quartet and Scruff collaborator Denis Jones performing live, and the mighty Alexander Nut DJing, amongst many others. Scruff himself will then turn in a four hour DJ set from 8.30pm to 11.30pm.

For those not lacking in stamina, there’s then an afterparty in the Roundhouse’s Studio Theatre (host to the CMU Podcast: Live in a few weeks, don’t forget!), featuring more music/dancing-based shenanigans from Scruff, Nut and others until 2.30pm.

Saturday 31 May, The Roundhouse, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London, NW1 8EH, £25-£40, 2pm – 2.30am, more info here.

Apple buys Beats

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Not since Homebase bought Texas Homecare in 1995 has there been so much excitement over an acquisition.

Yes, it’s true, Apple has done the deal, inked the line and shaken a few hands, and is now the proud owner of a box full of Beats: shitty headphones, fledgling streaming platform, celebrity endorsements and all. Well it will be by quarter four. Boot up your Mac Classic, don your most ridiculous looking pair of Beats headphones, and let’s collaborate on a weak gag about not forgetting about Dre.

The news that an Apple/Beats deal was imminent having broken earlier this month, Apple Inc confirmed last night that an agreement had now been reached. The IT giant will pay $3 billion for the headphone and speaker maker, and it’s young streaming service Beats Music, breaking down as a $2.6 billion upfront payment and “approximately $400 million [in stock] that will vest over time”. As part of the deal Beats founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre will join the Apple company.

Confirming the arrangement last night, Apple CEO Tim Cook told reporters: “Music is such an important part of all of our lives and holds a special place within our hearts at Apple. That’s why we have kept investing in music and are bringing together these extraordinary teams so we can continue to create the most innovative music products and services in the world”.

Meanwhile Iovine added: “I’ve always known in my heart that Beats belonged with Apple. The idea when we started the company was inspired by Apple’s unmatched ability to marry culture and technology. Apple’s deep commitment to music fans, artists, songwriters and the music industry is something special”.

Opinion is rather divided on whether this is a genius move by Apple, or a sign that the company is losing its way, panicking at the decline in download sales on American iTunes last year, depressed by the lacklustre consumer response to the iTunes Radio service, no longer able to innovate internally, and therefore just grabbing the coolest looking streaming service on the block. Certainly bringing such a high profile third party brand into the Apple family is unusual for the firm, though there is nevertheless some logic to the deal.

Of course, we don’t know what the key motivating factors were for Cook’s team – though most people reckon it was the streaming service rather than the much more substantial Beats headphone business that was the main attractor.

That said, bringing the Beats headphones and speakers into the Apple portfolio, and into Apple’s online and high street stores, does make a certain amount of sense. While long-term Apple snobs (like myself) might look down on Beats’ technologies, with the younger tech consumer that Apple arguably needs to better engage, Iovine and Dre’s brand not only enjoys loyalty, but quite a bit respect too.

But many have noted that Apple’s statement last night listed Beats Music before the hardware business, and Cook’s accompanying memo to staff waxed lyrical about the streaming service, noting that “we think it’s the first subscription service to really get it right”. And ‘it’ presumably doesn’t refer to paying mega-bucks to Ellen DeGeneres to gurn at the camera shouting “look at me, I’m streaming, how modern am I?”

But whatever ‘it’ is, the current Beats subscriber base can’t be what Apple is interested in, because in the wider scheme of things it’s tiny, so the tech giant must have been attracted to the catalogue, the technology, the curation approach or, possibly most likely, the team.

Iovine is both old school and new school, both major label man but also mate to the stars, so perhaps Cook reckons that his new colleague can bridge the gap that needs to be bridged to help his company lead the way as digital music shifts from reworked retail to reworked radio, with all the challenges on both the rights owner side and the consumer side that that shift brings.

In his staff memo, Cook wrote: “Jimmy has been on the cutting edge of innovation in the music industry for decades, including as a key partner for Apple in the launch of the iTunes Music Store more than ten years ago. He has produced or collaborated with some of the most popular artists in history, and been an important contributor to the success of the iTunes Store”.

Beyond exploiting Iovine’s contacts, the potential of bundling may also be behind Cook’s grand plan for a Beats/Apple alliance. Even if Iovine and Team Beats do have the best streaming platform on the market, and the right industry contacts to move it forward, they still face the same challenges of everyone dabbling in the subscription service space: the fact it’s not been proven there is mass-market interest in a ten dollar a month music set-up, and the big upfront costs and low profit margins of the streaming business.

But lock the content to the hardware – so an iPhone/Beats phone/unlimited music for life combo with some iCloud goodness thrown in – and maybe the ever so tight margins can be loosened a little. And while such content/device combos have never really worked in the past, with Apple’s infrastructure, Beats’ celebrity friends, and the two brand’s existing profile, perhaps their bundling plan can succeed in grabbing at least the premium end of the mass-market, leaving the musos for Spotify and the freetards for YouTube.

So maybe the barmy big bucks Beats deal isn’t so barmy after all. Providing Iovine can fit himself in to Cupertino culture, and the Apple/Beats bundling strategy can work where others have failed. Neither of which is assured, but there’s definitely some potential there.

Universal pays tribute to departing Iovine, confirms his replacement

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

As Beats founder Jimmy Iovine properly makes the move from music to tech as a result of the big Beats deal and the Apple job that comes with it, his outgoing boss at Universal Music rolled out a tribute. And not just because as an early backer of Iovine’s Beats venture, Universal stands to make a reported $400 million from the sale.

Said Lucian Grainge last night: “History teaches us that great entrepreneurs are few and far between. Jimmy Iovine is one of that small number of entrepreneurs who, by doing so much so well in so many different arenas, have left their indelible mark. He founded, and for more than 20 years has led Interscope, a label that has consistently been in the forefront of the music business, both artistically and commercially. He has put in place, developed and mentored there a world-class management team”.

“At the same time, Jimmy co-founded Beats, a wildly-successful, cutting-edge company that revolutionised how consumers listen to music, and from there went on to build a platform that is advancing the evolution of the access model for the entire music industry. Based on mutual trust and respect, UMG’s singular relationship with Jimmy permitted his innovation to flourish in all these ways. Together we created a once-in-a-generation opportunity that allowed Jimmy to maximise the use of his many talents”.

Grainge went on to reveal that Iovine’s COO at Interscope, John Janick, will take over the running of the Universal division. He said: “In recent years, as Jimmy partnered with John Janick, one of the industry’s most talented and promising young executives, Interscope’s results have skyrocketed. We thank Jimmy for both the incomparable leadership he’s provided to Interscope and UMG and for the highly beneficial partnership UMG has enjoyed with Beats. We wish Jimmy the very best and look forward to enhancing our partnerships with Apple and Beats for many years to come”.

While on Janick he added: “I’m thrilled to announce John Janick’s promotion to Chairman and CEO of Interscope. Since coming to UMG nearly two years ago, he has consistently shown why he is widely regarded as one of the most talented, innovative and entrepreneurial executives in the music business today and will be a key player in the future generation of industry leaders. John is the ideal executive to be writing the next chapter in Interscope’s illustrious history”.

Offspring frontman in hot water over aeroplane arrears

Artist News Legal

Dexter Holland, the white guy who sings in The Offspring, is facing legal action from a maker of light aircraft called Cessna after he missed a series of payments on his latest plane.

Because he has three planes, all told, though there’s nothing ‘fly’ about the fact that he hasn’t paid in full for one of them. Always pay for your planes, kids.

Let’s get this thing, and any fly/flying jokes anyone wants to make, out the way first.

And, back in the real, post-noughties world, Holland is over $780,000 (approx £466,000) in debt to Cessna for a plane that was purchased in 2007. The firm claims in legal papers, filed this week and picked up by TMZ, that it made a deal with him whereby he’d sell the newest plane privately, and have until 2017 to pay off his debt. That, and give Cessna his two ‘old’ flying machines to offset the balance. A deal he clearly hasn’t kept to, hence all the suing.

The Offspring are coming over to Europe and the UK this summer, to play various outdoor stages in festival-type situations, listings for which are on this site. I guess they’ve been saving air miles.

UK record label sync revenues up in 2013, BPI announces

Business News Labels & Publishers

Revenues for UK record labels from TV, film and advert syncs rose by 3.2% in 2013, the BPI announced this morning. The boost brought sync income up to just under £19 million.

Commenting on the figures, BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor told CMU: “With so many talented British musicians across such a broad range of genres, it is no surprise that producers and directors continue to turn to UK talent to source music to bring their creative vision to life”.

He continued: “2013 saw an increase in the demand for music to be used in movies, TV programmes and adverts with many new and established artists reaping the benefits of national exposure. Not only do sync deals act as a profile-raising opportunity with a mass audience but with the tagging technology of Shazam and the connectivity of a smartphone a well-placed sync can lead to discovery of an artist’s entire catalogue and, importantly, a boost in sales”.

The announcement comes as the record industry trade body prepares to head out on its annual sync mission to LA next week. Joining the trip to schmooze US music, TV, film, and advertising execs are representatives of Cooking Vinyl, Faber, Ministry Of Sound, Amazing Radio and the London Symphony Orchestra, amongst other smaller businesses and individual composers.

These figures add to the previously announced 1.9% rise in annual revenues on recorded music in the UK in 2013.

TuneCore promotes Scott Ackerman to CEO

Business News Digital Industry People

Scott Ackerman has now added CEO to the list of job titles he’s held at digital distributor TuneCore, having previously acted as COO and President. And he gets to keep his President badge, which is nice.

TuneCore Board Chairman Art Shaw said in a statement: “As we look ahead, Scott is a natural choice to lead the company as TuneCore strives to give musicians ever greater support and opportunities. Not only have we developed more significant ways to help artists be discovered and earn meaningful revenue from their gift, but under Scott’s leadership we are growing quickly, allowing us to invest more than ever to help artists”.

Ackerman joined the company in 2010 and, despite only just earning the CEO title, has actually been running it since 2012, following the extremely acrimonious departure of co-founders Jeff Price, Peter Wells and Gary Burke.

Music Venue Trust calls for review of noise abatement laws

Business News Live Business

A newish organisation called the Music Venue Trust has launched a petition calling on the Secretary Of State For The Environment Owen Paterson to “carry out an urgent review of noise abatement legislation”, after concerns that long-standing gig venues could face closure because of a small number of noise complaints.

As previously reported, both Night & Day in Manchester and The Blind Tiger in Brighton have run into problems after their respective local councils received complaints from local residents about noise. In both cases it has been alleged that the complaints have come from people who have relatively recently moved into properties near the venues, raising the question why would you choose to live in a street famous for its live music, and then complain about the noise?

Scenarios such as these have resulted in venue owners becoming super concerned when flash new property developments occur near their premises, fearing that a bunch of new neighbours will move in, likely attracted by the neighbourhood’s cultural credentials, but then start complaining when the music doesn’t stop at 10pm every night. And, critics say, it only takes a couple of complaints for councils to step in, even though you might say there should be a ‘first come, first heard’ system.

Owners of popular Bristol venue The Fleece just this week launched a petition in the city to try and stop an office block across the road from their space from being turned into flats, fearing future noise complaint issues. And, of course, it’s not just smaller gig venues that fear licensing problems if new neighbours move in, the Ministry Of Sound fighting a long battle to ensure a new property development next to its South London HQ wouldn’t result in noise abatement orders down the line.

Explaining its petition, the Music Venue Trust writes: “The Music Venue Trust believes that venues should be good neighbours, engaging with their local communities and addressing concerns around noise and anti-social behaviour. But we believe that being a good neighbour is a reciprocal process, and that people who choose to live near to community spaces are accepting the responsibility to behave as a good neighbour to their adjoining music venue, church or community space; anywhere it is inevitable and should be acceptable that noise will exist. We believe this is a common sense approach – if you hate sport, why move next to a football pitch? If you hate music, why move next to a live music venue?”

Find out more about the campaign here and sign the petition here.

Spotify goes live in Brazil

Business News Digital

Spotify announced yesterday that it has now gone fully live in Brazil, having been available on an invite-only basis there since earlier this month. And just in time for the World Cup and everything. Football, hey? Is the ‘Anfield Rap’ on Spotify? Yes, it is. But only the 1996 rework. Great days.

Anyway, this means that the streaming service is now live in 57 countries with a potential market reach in excess of 1.5 billion. Which possibly puts that ten million paying subscribers stat into perspective, if you’re a cynical old pessimist. Anyone?

Confirming the Brazilian excitement, Spotify said in a statement: “We are thrilled to announce that as of today, Spotify is available to everyone in Brazil. Your friends in Brazil can now join the 40 million people around the world who are enjoying a new way of listening to music”.

Djay iOS app adds Spotify integration

Business News Deals Digital

Music app maker Algoriddim has partnered with Spotify for the latest version of its iOS-based DJing software, Djay 2. The hook-up means that Spotify premium subscribers can access the streaming service’s full catalogue while DJing on the app. Previously, users could only access MP3s or AACs held locally on their mobile device.

The app also adds a number of other features, including ‘intelligent song selection’. Powered by the now Spotify-owned Echo Nest, this feature recommends tracks that will ‘work well’ with the one currently playing, thus eliminating most of the thinking involved in DJing and, therefore, the fun. Hooray! I hate fun.

And if thinking really isn’t your thing, you can also use the new ‘automix radio’ feature, which just does all the thinking and mixing for you, leaving you to just enjoy the music. Unless it plays a load of stuff you don’t like. That would really put a downer on it. Good. That’ll teach you to be lazy.

This isn’t the first DJ app to provide Spotify integration, the Pacemaker iPad app having beaten it to the party back in February. However, Djay is aimed at slightly more serious music mixers (or at least people who consider themselves to be more serious about mixing music). It’s also available on iPhone, which Pacemaker isn’t, and is free in that version until the end of today.

DJing apps seem like an obvious market for streaming services to try to tap, and with its Algoriddim partnership, Spotify has bagged one of the most popular. It’s not alone in making moves in this area though. Earlier this month, Rhapsody announced that it had invested in Dubset, a service which helps DJs to monetise their mixes.

Watch footage of WhoSampled’s Samplethon at The Great Escape 2014

Business News Education & Events The Great Escape 2014

Earlier this month at The Great Escape in Brighton, WhoSampled hosted its first ever Samplethon.

Run as part of tech mini-conference Blueprint, the sampling database got a group of producers in a room, gave them pre-cleared access to music from the Boosey & Hawkes and Cavendish catalogues, and then gave them a few hours to create their own new music.

We interviewed WhoSampled’s James Hamlin about the event in the run-up to it, which you can read here. And now you can check out some footage of the Samplethon in action too, if you weren’t able to make it down and see it for yourself.

Watch the video here:

And have a listen to some of the tracks created during the event here:

George Michael receives emergency medical treatment

Artist News

George Michael was taken to hospital yesterday morning after being treated by paramedics at his home for four hours.

According to The Sun, two ambulances (“ambulances with blue flashing lights”, the paper notes, should you have thought otherwise) arrived at the singer’s home in North London at around 8am yesterday, following a 999 call. He was then taken to hospital at around noon.

In a statement, a spokesperson did not say why the singer had required medical treatment, telling reporters: “George Michael was in hospital for routine tests, but there is nothing further to say”.

Pharrell Williams denies Blurred Lines controversy

Artist News

Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit ‘Blurred Lines’ has been the subject of much controversy, though its co-writer Pharrell Williams has dodged much of the criticism thrown at it. However, in an interview aired on ‘Channel 4 News’ last night he was asked to justify the song’s lyrics and video.

Though before those questions could be asked, the producer made sure to state his political stance, reiterating his support for Hilary Clinton as a candidate in the next US presidential election and speculating on a world where “75% of our leaders were female”. He added: “People ask me if I’m a feminist. I don’t think it’s possible for me to be that. I’m a man. It [only] makes sense up to a certain point. But I do support feminists, I do think that there’s injustices, there are inequalities to be addressed”.

At this point, interviewer Krishnan Guru-Murthy raised ‘Blurred Lines’, focussing on one of the more controversial lines in the song, the repeated “I know you want it”, which Williams admitted that he, and not Thicke, had written. But he refused to accept that the line held sexually aggressive connotations, or was necessarily explicitly sexual at all.

“I don’t know where the forcing himself and a woman’s right to say no was ever addressed in that song”, he protested. “‘Is it sexually suggestive when a car salesman says to a person who’s trying to buy a car, ‘I know you want it?’ Does [the fact that it is often used as a sexually suggestive term] make it off limits for me to use it in a song, especially when the overall arching context is that there are good women who also have bad thoughts? If a good woman can have sexual thoughts, is it wrong for a man to have a correct guess that a woman might want something?”

Going on to say that the nudity in the video for the song was also not sexual, but rather “inspired by editorials by high fashion magazines”, he addressed another line in the song – the far less ambiguous, “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two”.

“That was what TI wrote. I didn’t write that”, he said. “I’m not disowning the line, [but] I didn’t write it. I’m not uncomfortable with that line. Why should I be uncomfortable? I love women. I love them inside and out. That song was meant for women to hear [it] and say, ‘You know what, I’m a good woman and sometimes I do have bad thoughts”.

Watch the interview in full here:

As previously reported, ‘Blurred Lines’ and the controversy around it was the focus of one strand at this year’s CMU Insights-programmed Great Escape convention. Over four sessions, a variety of speakers discussed misogyny in the UK music industry, the influence of sexism in US music over here, music videos and censorship, plus whether or not ‘Blurred Lines’ should have been banned by UK radio stations.

Read our reports and listen to all four discussions here.

La Roux talks disco rift with bandmate

Artist News Releases

A now-solo Elly Jackson has reacted a bit to the glaring fact that her one-time La Roux collaborator, Ben Langmaid, is missing from LR’s new LP, ‘Trouble In Paradise’. Apparently the pair were simply on different pages sonically, since Langmaid wanted to stay with the synth-pop vibes of La Roux’s debut for its follow-up, whilst she was on a real “rare disco” hype.

Speaking in this week’s NME, Elly said: “I came to him with some rare disco references and he made it very clear he didn’t like them. There wasn’t a great deal of understanding. Sometimes I thought we were on the same level, but then from the production that would come to light, I didn’t feel that we were. I wasn’t happy with the way some of the demos were sounding”.

She added (with some sang-froid): “On the album, there are maybe two songs that have similar production styles to the way that I started them with Ben, but they were essentially demo tracks and I felt they needed a lot of subsequent work”.

Ow, that’s cold. Hear Elly forcing those “rare disco” vibes she so loves on ‘Uptight Downtown’, the topmost official single off ‘Trouble In Paradise’ (which drops on 7 Jul), now:

Release Round-Up: Fucked Up, Marianne Faithfull, Rat Fist, Neon Jungle and Mina Tindle

Artist News Release Round-Up Releases

Rounding up the latest release news…

So Canadian hardcore-o-nauts Fucked Up have just shared dual online playbacks of their latest LP, ‘Glass Boys’, ahead of its release next week. One stream is at a standard speed, and the other is a ‘deluxe’ slow-mo one that runs at half the pace. Pop over to Pitchfork’s Advance platform to hear the regular preview, and visit Exclaim to gradually listen to the slow edition. And/or go watch the band deliver the album live, at whichever speed they choose, on a forthcoming UK tour, which hits the UK on 15 Jun with a show at the Gorilla in Manchester.

Now it’s time to talk Marianne Faithfull, mainly in light of her newly-detailed LP, ‘Give My Love To London’, which is due in September. Featuring, as is typical with Maz, a shiny shiny rack of celebrity foils, not least Portishead’s Adrian Utley on guitar, Ed Harcourt on keys, plus Warren Ellis and Jim Sclavunos of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds. Also, it contains songs written by Nick Cave, Anna Calvi, Roger Waters, Pat Leonard, Tom McRae, and Steve Earle. Whilst there’s no preview of it yet, the lengthy guest-list is fine to be getting on with.

Next is a new band spliced together from members of Pissed Jeans and No Age. PJ drummer Sean McGuinness and No Age’s Randy Randall, who are labelmates at Sub Pop, have formed an exclusive club, and are calling it Rat Fist. Rat. Fist. Yuck. So as Rat Fist, the pair have released a scrappy new single, their only joint creation to have seen the light of day so far, titled ‘Disrupt Yr DNA’, which goes like this:

Now you’ll have to BUCKLE UP FOR A POP PREVIEW. It’s from urban girl-band Neon Jungle (pictured), who can’t stop, won’t stop releasing singles. In fact, they’re lining one up right now, titled ‘Louder’, and have just trailed it in this half-minute clip:

Standing back and considering the track at a distance, from all angles, the band say that: “Lyrically it’s very relatable, it’s about drowning out feelings and emotions. It’s about not being in control of the way you feel because of someone else and wanting to turn everything up louder to escape that. I think people expected our fourth single to be another dance track but it was always in our plans to release a slower song and surprise people. It’s still got the energy and power but in a more subtle way”.

NJ’s very first experiment in LP-making, by the way, the inevitably titled ‘Welcome To The Jungle’, hits the shops on 20 Jul.

Finalement, Parisian new wave lady Mina Tindle has set free a new video, on the sly, as a way to advertise the fact that she has a new LP, titled ‘Parade’, on the way in October. The track, which will feature on ‘Parade’, is named ‘I Command’, and I command you to watch it right now:

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:16 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Amazon | Amazon Prime

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:15 | By Chris Cooke

Record label trade body the BPI has welcomed the previously promised report from Mike Weatherley MP, IP Advisor to David Cameron, about the role of search engines in policing piracy online.

READ MORE ABOUT: British Phonographic Industry (BPI) | Mike Weatherley

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:14 | By Chris Cooke

Here are Mike Weatherley MP’s ten recommendations to Google et al, and to recently appointed Culture Minister Sajid Javid, about the role search engines could and, if you like, should have in helping police piracy online. Read Weatherley’s full report here.

READ MORE ABOUT: Mike Weatherley

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:13 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Project72 | SoundExchange

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:12 | By Andy Malt

Billy Corgan has launched legal action against the distributor of material released through his Martha’s Music label, Rocket Science Ventures, over alleged unpaid revenues.

READ MORE ABOUT: Billy Corgan | Martha's Music | Rocket Science Ventures

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:11 | By Aly Barchi

READ MORE ABOUT: Imagem | Professor Green

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:10 | By Aly Barchi

READ MORE ABOUT: Caro Emerald | Grandmono | Kobalt

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:09 | By Aly Barchi

NYC and LDN-based artist management ting Indegoot Entertainment has given its client listings a boost with four brand new signings, all with ridiculous names, and all from the USA. So that’s a thing to think about. Nightmare And The Cat, Highly Suspect, Bel Heir and Omniflux. Those are the names.

READ MORE ABOUT: Bel Heir | Highly Suspect | Indegoot | Omniflux

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:08 | By Andy Malt

Universal has promoted David Hawkes to head up the UK division of the major’s e-commerce operations. He will also continue to work as Commercial Director of the mega-major’s Island Records label.

READ MORE ABOUT: David Hawkes | Island Records | Universal Music

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:07 | By Andy Malt

Cardiff-based indie label Turnstile Music has extended its deal with Universal’s label services division Caroline to include the US and Canada. Which means the deal now covers the entire world. Rejoice!

READ MORE ABOUT: Caroline International | Turnstile Music

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:06 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Paul Conroy | The Agency Group

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:05 | By Andy Malt

So, it was a big day for Beats yesterday. A big day indeed. It was, of course, as you all know, the day that Beats was finally able to officially confirm that it had, indeed, made an advert featuring Ed Sheeran.

READ MORE ABOUT: Beats | Ed Sheeran

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:04 | By Aly Barchi

Today’s hot TV gossip is that pop starlet Foxes, aka Louise Rose Allen, is going to make a cameo in the soon-coming season of the BBC’s ‘Doctor Who’, which will commence in August and star Peter Capaldi as the new Doc.

READ MORE ABOUT: Doctor Who | Foxes

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:03 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Bono | Fender | The Edge | U2

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:02 | By Aly Barchi

Rounding up the latest gig news…

READ MORE ABOUT: EMA | Fear Of Men | Lo-Fang | Soulfly | The Libertines

Friday 30 May 2014, 11:01 | By Andy Malt

Any band will tell you that touring, rather than being a life of glamour, actually involves a lot of waiting around. And the question is, how do you fill all that empty time?

READ MORE ABOUT: Linkin Park | Sublime With Rome

Friday 30 May 2014, 10:46 | By Paul Vig

Tomorrow night, Mr Scruff is holding the launch party for his recently approved new album, ‘Friendly Bacteria’ at The Roundhouse in London.

READ MORE ABOUT: Mr Scruff

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:32 | By Chris Cooke

Not since Homebase bought Texas Homecare in 1995 has there been so much excitement over an acquisition.

READ MORE ABOUT: Apple | Beats

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:31 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Beats | John Janick | Lucian Grainge | Universal Music

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:30 | By Aly Barchi

Dexter Holland, the white guy who sings in The Offspring, is facing legal action from a maker of light aircraft called Cessna after he missed a series of payments on his latest plane.

READ MORE ABOUT: Dexter Holland | The Offspring

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:29 | By Andy Malt

Revenues for UK record labels from TV, film and advert syncs rose by 3.2% in 2013, the BPI announced this morning. The boost brought sync income up to just under £19 million.

READ MORE ABOUT: British Phonographic Industry (BPI)

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:28 | By Andy Malt

Scott Ackerman has now added CEO to the list of job titles he’s held at digital distributor TuneCore, having previously acted as COO and President. And he gets to keep his President badge, which is nice.

READ MORE ABOUT: Scott Ackerman | TuneCore

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:27 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Music Venue Trust

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:26 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Spotify

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:25 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Algoriddim | Djay 2 | Spotify

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:24 | By CMU Editorial

Earlier this month at The Great Escape in Brighton, WhoSampled hosted its first ever Samplethon.

READ MORE ABOUT: Blueprint | The Great Escape | WhoSampled

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:23 | By Andy Malt

George Michael was taken to hospital yesterday morning after being treated by paramedics at his home for four hours.

READ MORE ABOUT: George Michael

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:22 | By Andy Malt

Robin Thicke’s 2013 hit ‘Blurred Lines’ has been the subject of much controversy, though its co-writer Pharrell Williams has dodged much of the criticism thrown at it. However, in an interview aired on ‘Channel 4 News’ last night he was asked to justify the song’s lyrics and video.

READ MORE ABOUT: Pharrell Williams | Robin Thicke

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:21 | By Aly Barchi

READ MORE ABOUT: La Roux

Thursday 29 May 2014, 11:19 | By Aly Barchi

Rounding up the latest release news…

READ MORE ABOUT: Fucked Up | Marianne Faithfull | Mina Tindle | Neon Jungle | Rat Fist