Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:21 | By

Line-up for final CMU Insights @ The Great Escape strand announced

Business News Digital Education & Events Industry People Labels & Publishers The Great Escape 2015 Top Stories

What's The Point Of A Record Label Anyway?

With just two weeks to go until this year’s Great Escape, today we announce the line-up for the final of our CMU Insights conference strands – What’s The Point Of A Record Label Anyway?

Presented in association with the BPI, this strand will explore why, despite the rise of easily accessible and affordable online sales and marketing platforms, labels still have a key role to play in many artists’ careers, especially with new talent. And how all sides – artist, manager, label – can better work together to get the most out of their partnerships. It will also consider how both label and artist businesses are evolving, and what that means for the way label/artist deals are constructed.

Informing that debate, Chris Carey from Media Insight Consulting will consider the various artist revenue streams – looking at recent trends and consumer insights – and explain where the opportunities are for artists and their business partners. CMU’s Chris Cooke will then review and propose some alternative ways for labels, artists and management teams to work together, and put those proposals to a panel of leading managers, label execs and music lawyers.

As previously reported, CMU Insights @ The Great Escape sits at the heart of the TGE Convention, presenting four full-day strands covering marketing, licensing, brand partnerships and label deals, plus keynote sessions providing an overview of the music year just gone and delivering messages from the music community to the new government (you can input on that by voting in the #VoteForMusic initiative, details here).

Says Cooke: ‘The CMU Insights strands at the core of this year’s convention are very different to the average music business conference. Rather than the usual one-hour panel after one-hour panel, we are basically presenting four standalone full-day mini conferences with a real mix of presentations, original research, one-on-one conversations and lively discussions”.

The full CMU Insights @ The Great Escape programme is now live here, and don’t forget the CMU:DIY line-up on the Saturday of TGE aimed at future music talent and including Blur’s Dave Rowntree in conversation. And on top of all that, TGE delegates can also choose from a programme of panels presented by the convention’s industry partners and a series of networking sessions (for which sign-up is now available!)

The Great Escape takes place from 14-16 May in Brighton, with the CMU Insights strands on 14 and 15 May, and CMU:DIY on the 16 May. A limited number of delegate passes are still available here. Standalone tickets for the CMU:DIY programme are available here.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:20 | By

Big players in tech and broadcasting form coalition to fight copyright reform Stateside

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Media

MIC Coalition

Big tech – including Amazon and Google – lined up with the American broadcasters yesterday to present a united front on the various copyright reviews underway in the US.

As previously reported, the music rights community Stateside is hoping to reform copyright rules in the country so to reduce the regulation covering collective licensing (so that publishers can pursue direct deals on digital while still licensing radio and live through their societies) and to introduce a general performing right for sound recordings for the first time (so radio stations and venue owners would need a licence to play recorded music). Both these initiatives would bring US copyright law inline with Europe.

Meanwhile there are ongoing battles – in the copyright courts and before the Copyright Royalty Board – about the rates that should be paid to publishers and labels under the compulsory and collective licensing arrangements for streaming services like Pandora.

Perhaps sensing that the record companies and music publishers are starting to gain the upper hand in these debates – with their claims that rules written in the early days of digital (or, in the case of the collective licensing ‘consent decrees’, decades earlier) need overhauling – various major players and trade bodies representing digital firms, broadcasters and other licensees of music have launched a new organisation called the MIC Coalition (which, they then need to explain, is “pronounced ‘mike’, as in ‘microphone’).

Although the group’s membership seems to be mainly tech firms, broadcasters and trade groups for restaurants and hotels, MIC calls itself “a coalition of companies, associations, consumer groups, venue owners and artist advocates”, the latter of which is interesting, and a reminder to the music rights sector that it needs to involve its artists and songwriters in the copyright debate – and the evolution of the entire digital licensing framework – or risk having its rivals in the lobbying sphere claim ownership of the artist community.

In its mission statement, the MIC Coalition says it is “committed to a rational, sustainable and transparent system that will drive the future of music and ensure that consumers and consumer-serving businesses, such as retailers, restaurants and hotels, have continued access to play music at affordable prices”.

It goes on: “This is a critical period for the future of music and the policies that govern it. Issues are being considered that will significantly impact how and where music is played and what users and consumers pay for it”.

Needless to say, those lobbying on the other side of the table were quick to criticise the new alliance of the tech and broadcast sectors. Ted Kalo of musicFIRST told reporters: “The supposedly new ‘MIC’ coalition looks like little more than some of the world’s biggest and wealthiest corporations – and the trade associations they fund – hiding behind a new website and a gauzy mission statement as they continue their campaign to deny fair pay to working musicians, to stiff artists on AM/FM radio, and to ignore the pleas of elderly performers seeking their due”.

He went on: “The MIC group claims to support balanced solutions so that ‘artists can be compensated’ for music. But you cannot pretend to support that while opposing an AM/FM performance right as MIC member the NAB most surely does. They claim to support innovation in how consumers find and access music – but will they stand up for a level fair market value playing field so music services compete on the merits, and not on the strength of their loopholes?”

Concluding, he added: “They can’t hide their true agenda behind lofty statements of principle when their actions speak so loud and clear. And they can’t beat the people who create music and those who love it in the drive for Fair Play Fair Pay”.

So, that’s all fun, isn’t it? Either way, expect plenty of lively debate ahead as copyright reform continues to go through the motions Stateside. Meanwhile explore the MIC agenda at mic-coalition.org

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:19 | By

Courtney Love sued by autobiography ‘co-writer’

Artist News Legal

Courtney Love

Ah, remember when it was announced that Courtney Love was going to publish her autobiography back in 2011? And then it never emerged. But then in 2013 Love said that she’d got a ‘co-writer’ on it, which had made things easier. And then it never emerged. And then last year she said it was “a nightmare” but still happening. Well, the latest problem is that her ‘co-writer’ is now suing her.

Journalist Anthony Bozza says in a breach of contract lawsuit filed this week that the musician owes him over $200,000 for his work on the book. He also states that he was hired to ‘co-write’ it back in 2010, which sort of sinks her claims to have started out writing it on her own.

According to the BBC, Bozza claims that Love has received $400,000 of a $1.2 million advance from publisher HarperCollins. He has, he says, been paid a $100,000 cut of this, but is now suing for the remainder of the minimum fee he was guaranteed.

The lawsuit adds that while Love reacted positively to the introduction and first two chapters he sent to her in 2012, subsequent “frequent unexplained absences meant that she did not make herself reasonably available to Bozza for months at a time”.

Love has more recently said that she is unhappy with the final draft of the book, which has caused further delays. She apparently also told Bozza via text message that she had begun working with a new ‘co-writer’, who had turned out to be “worthless”.

Neither Love nor HarperCollins have as yet commented on the case. Though, to be fair, everyone involved should probably have expected something like this to happen. We are talking about Courtney Love after all. And on the upside, the legal wranglings surrounding the autobiography will make a great last chapter to the autobiography.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:18 | By

Kartel launches PR division

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers Marketing & PR

Kartel Music Group

Label services company Kartel Music Group has launched a new PR division, which is to be run by Hugo Simpson, former Head Of Online at MBC PR. The department will work across online, print, TV and specialist radio.

Kartel CEO Charles Kirby-Welch said in a statement: “Promoting artists and records is in our DNA so creating a PR department feels like a natural step. We’re excited to welcome Hugo to the team and looking forward to taking a progressive approach to PR whether that’s reaching outside of the typical record lifecycle or working a cross section of media”.

Simpson added: “It is very exiting to be part of a company that are at the forefront of the label services in the music industry. The PR team will be dedicated to providing a personal, efficient and bespoke service, as is the mantra of the whole team”.

Clients at launch include Fatboy Slim and Emilie Nicolas.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:17 | By

More Radio 1 staffers head to Apple for new look iTunes

Business News Digital Industry People Media

Apple

As speculation continues to mount as to what the ever secretive Apple have planned for its all new look iTunes with added Beats, Music Business Worldwide reports that four Radio 1 execs have followed Zane Lowe to the IT giant to work on the new platform, which we all expect to put curation front and centre.

Lowe, of course, announced he was leaving the BBC for an undefined role at Apple back in February. MBW reckons that amongst the four other Radio 1 staffers seemingly heading to iTunes are Lowe’s former producer James Bursey, and three others, including people involved in BBC Introducing.

MBW also notes that James Foley seems to have departed Deezer – where he headed up the digital service’s UK editorial – and suspicions are that he is also joining Apple, which will have a London team for the all new iBeats.

It’s expected more will be revealed about what is planned for iBeats at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:16 | By

Instagram launches some sort of music thing

Business News Digital

Instagram

Instagram has launched a new music profile aimed at “capturing and sharing the world’s musical moments”. And who knows what that means? No one. But it basically looks like it’s going to post pictures taken by musicians.

In a statement yesterday, published via this new channel, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom said: “The music community is – and always has been – an important part of Instagram. For the past four years, we have become the home for artists big and small – a place where people across the musical spectrum come to share stories, reveal their creativity and connect directly with fans”.

He continued: “Today we’re launching @music, a new account dedicated to exploring music around the globe, from those who create it to the community around it. Each week, we’ll take a look at the musical experience on Instagram”.

Yeah, but what does that mean? “That means showing you a different side of artists you know and love, like Questlove (@questlove), and introducing you to up-and-coming talents from around the world, like Tricot (@ikkyu193). It means highlighting music photographers, album illustrators, instrument makers and, of course, fans. In the Instagram tradition, we will also welcome community participation with a new, music-themed monthly hashtag project”.

Right. Still not 100% sure what all that means. Well, OK, there will be photos posted on the @music account – pictures have already been posted by the highlighted musicians – plus it seems that accompanying interviews will appear on the Instagram blog. So far there’s this repost of a picture Questlove took a month ago and this interview with him, plus this recent photo from very good Japanese band Tricot and this interview with them. Which is nice.

But what will this all achieve though? I don’t what to poo-poo is before it’s even got going, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be a total disaster and achieve nothing.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:15 | By

Blur may release another album. Or they may not. Who knows? Not you. Not them. No one. And yet here we are talking about it.

Artist News

Blur

For years there was endless speculation about whether or not Blur would release a new album. This was largely fuelled by members of the band variously stating that they were or were not going to. Then they announced ‘The Magic Whip’ and we were all finally able to get on with our lives. Except, no. Bloody Alex James has already started talking about the possibility of another album. Will it never end?

“Nobody knew the answer to the question ‘Will Blur make a new album?’ for twelve years, so it’s incredible [that] everyone is asking again already”, James told that NME (I was not aware anyone was asking this, but whatever). “Whether any other stuff from [the recording sessions for ‘The Magic Whip’] will ever emerge, who knows? But coming up with new music has never been Blur’s problem. If you get the four of us in the studio in the right frame of mind, we’ll always make new music”.

So there’s some hope for anyone who wants another Blur album. But to ensure the necessary level of doubt, he added that “for many reasons, Blur is always in danger of drifting apart”.

Enjoy it while it lasts, people! Actually, I have been enjoying ‘The Magic Whip’. Particularly this track:

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:14 | By

The Prodigy considering retirement

Artist News

The Prodigy

As they prepare to begin touring in support of new album ‘The Day Is My Enemy’, The Prodigy fear that the band will “end before we want it to”, with all three members now in their 40s.

Speaking to the NME, Keith Flint said: “I think that the band’s gonna come to an end at some point. And it’s got to be soon. It will end before we want it to because of the realities of age. The people decide when we fuck off, but it can’t go on forever. We’ll just figure it out. We haven’t set dates. I think this might be the first time we’ve talked about it”.

Nonetheless, Liam Howlett agreed, saying: “There comes a point where you don’t want to be Uncle Alan at the wedding reception”.

I don’t know, maybe just a simple tweak of their sound and performance is required. Someone get those boys some stools!

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:13 | By

Courtney Barnett announces UK tour dates

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett has announced some UK tour dates to take place towards the end of the year. These will include her biggest UK show to date, at The Forum in London.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, the dates are here:

25 Nov: London, The Forum
27 Nov: Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
30 Nov: Manchester, The Ritz
1 Dec: Liverpool, Academy
2 Dec: Glasgow, ABC
4 Dec: Bristol, Academy

Check out the video for latest single ‘Kim’s Caravan’ here:

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:12 | By

CMU’s One Liners: New MPG board, new Corey Taylor book, new Adam Lambert, er, bideo, and other new things

Artist News Business News Industry People One Liners Releases

MPG board 2015

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• The Music Producers Guild has announced a new board of executive directors, the previous bunch, led by former chairman Steve Levine, having reached the end of their five year tenure. The new line-up is Dan Cox, Bruno Ellingham, Cameron Craig, Andrew Hunt and Mick Glossop. “As a result of [the outgoing board’s] efforts, the MPG’s standing is at the highest level it has ever been”, said Glossop.

• Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor will publish his third book, ‘You’re Making Me Hate You: A Cantankerous Look At The Common Misconception That Humans Have Any Common Sense Left’, on 22 May.

• Adam Lambert has released the video for new single ‘Ghost Town’, which is directed by Hype Williams. Watch it here.

• Jaakko Eino Kalevi has released the video for undoubtedly one of his best songs, ‘Deeper Shadows’. The track is taken from his debut album, out on 15 Jun. Watch here.

• Icelandic pop trio Vök will release a new EP, titled ‘Circle’, on 22 May. They are also set to play two shows at this year’s Great Escape. Watch the video for ‘If I Was’ here.

• The approved Sailor & I has shared new single ‘Sweat’, which will be available on an EP of the same name on 5 May. Listen here.

• A Major Lazer European tour has been announced for this October, finishing up at Alexandra Palace in London on 17 Oct. Full dates here.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 10:11 | By

Justin Bieber crashes school prom

And Finally Artist News

Justin Bieber

All-round great guy Justin Bieber showed what a totally brilliant bloke he is at the weekend by making an impromptu appearance at a school prom in LA.

This isn’t like when he used to crash things and make a nuisance of himself during the ‘dark days’ before he became the reformed character he is now. No, this was an innocent case of him and his entourage barging in unannounced and causing school staff to fear for the safety of all the children at the event. What a guy.

The Chatsworth Charter High School prom was actually being held at Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood, and Bieber was recording elsewhere in the complex. He was not due to appear at the dance, but when he learned of it, he realised it would be wrong of him not to head down to exude some of his messianic greatness on the room.

Having come into contact with Master Biebs, all of those kids will now probably grow up to be people who change the world in unimaginably positive ways, but the authorities didn’t view it in quite the same light. Probably because they haven’t realised that Justin Bieber is a super super nice guy now.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Unified School District, Ellen Morgan told Yahoo! Music: “The school was aware that Mr Bieber was at the venue recording, but was assured that he would not come out to interfere with the programme. His entourage pushed past the school’s security to gain access to the dancefloor and was there for three to four minutes”.

Is it not possible that the security guards were just amazed at Bieber’s greatness and let him pass, recognising what a powerful force for good he has become? Well, Morgan continued, oblivious: “From the students’ perspective it was a once in a lifetime experience to have him at their prom, but we were extremely concerned for the safety of both our students as well as Mr Bieber. No student was injured while he was there”.

Well of course there were no injuries. And even if there had been, Bieber would have healed them all before he left.

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Thursday 30 April 2015, 09:54 | By

Approved: Girl Friend

CMU Approved

Girl Friend

It’s easy to dislike things, isn’t it? Sometimes you just look at a thing and think, “Phew, I’m not going to like that – so I can happily get on with my life without having to put any effort into drawing any joy from that particular thing at all”. But some things turn out to be good once you take a proper look, don’t they? And then you have the chore of enjoying them to deal with. Not that enjoying things is a chore. But, fucking hell, it’s a chore, isn’t it?

Anyway, my point, if I have one, is that I didn’t think I would like Girl Friend. But then I pressed play on their music anyway and it turned out that I did. Which, actually, despite what I said before, makes things more fun. I’ve had the same experience with the new Blur album. It’s a strange and confusing time.

The Manchester quartet (that’s Girl Friend now. Blur are from London, if anything) have released their new EP, ‘Arrive Alone, Leave Alone’. Through the medium of 80s synth-pop, they present a glamorous exterior undermined by frontman Amory Neish-Melling’s lyrics, which, as the EP’s title suggests, tend to paint him as someone struggling to find happiness behind that outer surface. And it works well – all the best pop is profoundly sad.

“I found it interesting to juxtapose the dour moods and fatal flaws, with almost clichéd views on style and glamour”, says Neish-Melling of lead track ‘Monte Carlo’. “To dress the misery in something beautiful. The experiences of sexual frustration and amorous longing are portrayed with a graceful exterior”.

You can catch the band headlining Club NME at Koko on 29 May, and you can listen to the EP in full here:

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:39 | By

Approved: Porcelain Raft – All In My Head

CMU Approved

Porcelain Raft

Almost two years since he last released any new music, Mauro Remiddi, aka Porcelain Raft, has announced a new EP, ‘Half Awake’, which he’ll release through his own, newly-launched label Volcanic Field, on 2 Jun.

“I felt the need to create a house for all my music and ideas”, he says, suggesting that this release is the first of many for the new label. “A sort of archive, a diary of my work in progress, for the sake to tell the story and tell it all”.

He kicks things off with ‘All In My Head’ from the ‘Half Awake’ EP, a track that finds him back on top form. The swirling synth-pop track builds from lo-fi beginnings to a densely layered adventure into Remiddi’s ever-intriguing world.

Pre-order a cassette version of the EP with handmade artwork from Bandcamp, or stream ‘All In My head’ on SoundCloud below:

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:38 | By

Former Sony Corp vice chairman hits out at firm’s current strategy, calls for more “engineers” on the board

Business News Labels & Publishers Top Stories

Sony Corp

Whereas it was a tetchy shareholder who recently laid into management strategy at Universal Music owner Vivendi, it’s a former vice chairman hitting out at the leadership of Sony Corp. So that’s fun.

The Sony conglom, of course, has been through some ‘challenging years’, with its one-time cash cow consumer electronics division sliding big time, not to mention the impact of natural disasters, hacks of user data on its PlayStation Network and the big fat email steal at its US entertainment division last year, which continues to cause embarrassment.

Since taking over as CEO in 2012, Kazuo Hirai has been busy restructuring – and streamlining – the consumer electronics side of the business, selling off computers, and spinning TVs and audio into standalone units. Earlier this year the Sony boss said he was prioritising gaming, music and imaging technologies, admitting he could as yet sell off the conglom’s television manufacture and smartphone businesses.

It’s a strategy that has been welcomed by some in the investment community, who were also pleased when the firm reduced its projected loss for the financial year just gone, and who are expecting top guard at the group to predict a return to profit this coming year. But the shift away from consumer electronics is not popular with some in the Sony old guard.

And according to Tamotsu Iba, a former Chief Financial Officer and Vice Chairman at Sony Corp, Hirai’s grand plan risks “sinking” to business. According to the FT, Iba wrote in a letter earlier this month: “Sony is like a ship that is navigating through the stormy waters of the electronics business with a captain that is using the wrong sea chart. If it continues to navigate the stormy ocean without the correct map, Sony will face the danger of sinking”.

The FT notes that such criticism from Sony old-timers in Japan is not especially unusual, with many nostalgic for the company’s hey day as the worldwide king of consumer electronics, and resenting the fact the last two CEOs of the Corporation have come from the entertainment rather than electronics side of the business.

Reflecting that, Iba calls for more engineers to be appoint to the company’s board, arguing that the firm has lost “the Sony spirit”. He told the FT earlier this week: “I don’t see any vision for what Mr Hirai wants to do with the electronics business”, adding that the current CEO should stand down if he doesn’t heed his advice to promote more engineers to the top.

None of which is likely to change Hirai’s current strategy, providing investors stay generally supportive of his current plan (whereas Vivendi, having a tetchy shareholder, had to do some placating), though it shows he is yet to convince everyone in the wider Sony family that he knows what he’s doing.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:36 | By

Live Nation takes controlling stake in Bonnaroo

Business News Deals Live Business

Live Nation

Continuing in its bid to own every festival not only in the world but also in history, Live Nation yesterday took a controlling stake in American fest Bonnaroo. Though current promoters Superfly and AC Entertainment will continue to programme and run the event.

Confirming the deal, Live Nation boss man Michael Rapino told reporters: “The addition of Bonnaroo builds on Live Nation Entertainment’s world leading festival portfolio of over 60 marquee festivals such as Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza, Reading, Leeds, T In The Park, Electric Daisy Carnival, Rock Werchter, and Watershed Music Festival to name a few. Bonnaroo is another crown jewel in this festival channel strategy, one that appeals to both fans and artists in uniqueness and experience”.

Meanwhile Superfly co-founder Rick Farman said: “We are strengthening our commitment to create the best possible experience at Bonnaroo. Through this partnership with Live Nation, we’re even more empowered to enhance the festival while preserving the integrity of the event that we’ve thoughtfully built over the past fourteen years”.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:35 | By

Ticketmaster launches new talent website

Business News Digital Live Business

Ticketmaster

Ticketmaster has just launched a new website in the UK that aims to be “a one-stop shop for fans to discover their next favourite act, share it with their friends and recommend artists that they have found elsewhere”. If only someone had thought of that before.

Anyway, it’s all called Ticketmaster Rising, it has a tie up with the London mayor’s ‘Busk In London’ campaign, and, says Ticketmaster UK MD Andrew Parsons: “Ticketmaster has over 30 years experience supporting live entertainment and artists globally. As a brand we go beyond the sale of tickets by connecting fans to their favourite artists or passions whether it be music, theatre, arts, sports or festivals. Ticketmaster Rising gives us the opportunity to boost the next generation of superstars through our networks – something that we feel is hugely important”.

While Munira Mirza, Deputy Mayor For Education And Culture at London’s City Hall, had these very words to say: “There’s nothing like that adrenalin rush you get when you stumble across a new act and there’s nowhere better to find amazing undiscovered talent than London’s streets, squares and Underground. It’s been incredibly exciting working with street performers over the last year to create Busk In London and we’re thrilled that Ticketmaster share our love of supporting grass roots talent. It’s going to help more great acts to reach bigger audiences”.

Well done one and all. Check out the site for yourself here.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:34 | By

Motorpoint ends sponsorship of Sheffield Arena

Business News Live Business

Sheffield Arena

Live Nation has announced that Motorpoint’s five year deal for the naming rights to the Sheffield Arena have come to an end and, do you know what, it will not, repeat will not, be renewed. The venue is now seeking a new sponsor.

Motorpoint Managing Director Mark Carpenter said in a statement: “Our sponsorship of the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield has definitely been one of the contributing factors in our continuing growth. The exposure our brand has received from Sheffield, worth around £4m a year, has been enormous, enabling Motorpoint to appeal to a far greater potential customer base than we forecast at the outset”.

So successful that it’s just too scary to carry on? No, there is a plan: “As our agreement draws to end at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, and we focus on other areas of the UK as part of our strategic plan, we would like to take this opportunity to thank Rob O’Shea and his Arena team for the work they have done to make our partnership over the last five years such a success”.

The venue’s General Manager Rob O’Shea added: “We have had a great relationship with Motorpoint and we’re happy to have played our part in delivering the amazing commercial success they have achieved over the last five years. The deal comes to an end this year and the Arena is now looking for a new partner who wants to put their business not only in front of our millions of customers, but to be associated with the hundreds of international and national events that take place at the venue, with the profile and exposure this brings”.

So there you go, get your bids in now. I only just realised that Motorpoint is an actual company, so it’s clearly a good thing to do.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:33 | By

Stephen Titmus leaves Shazam for Resident Advisor

Business News Digital Live Business

Resident Advisor

Shazam’s Senior Music Manager Stephen Titmus has announced that he is leaving the company after eight years and is set to take up a new role as Head Of Product at Resident Advisor.

“I’m hugely excited to be joining Resident Advisor at this exciting point in their history”, Titmus told CMU. “Like Shazam, RA is a market leader with enormous potential for growth and an incredibly strong brand. I’m thrilled to be working with such a talented team and look forward to launching many innovative and exciting projects”.

Read our interview with Resident Advisor co-founder Nick Sabine and editor Ryan Keeling from last year here. The company’s other co-founder Paul Clement will be speaking in the marketing strand at this year’s CMU Insights @ The Great Escape too – details on that here.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:32 | By

Joni Mitchell not in a coma, despite rumours

Artist News

Joni Mitchell

Joni Mitchell is not in a coma and is recovering well in hospital, a message posted to the singer’s website last night said, the statement coming in the wake of rumours that the folk legend was “unconscious” and “unresponsive”.

As previously reported, Mitchell was rushed to hospital late last month after being found unconscious at her LA home. TMZ reported that the singer’s condition had worsened after Leslie Morris, a long-time close friend of Mitchell, filed legal documents to obtain a conservatorship over her friend’s affairs.

But an online statement approved by Morris and posted yesterday read: “Contrary to rumours circulating on the internet today, Joni is not in a coma. Joni is still in the hospital – but she comprehends, she’s alert, and she has her full senses. A full recovery is expected”.

The statement went on: “The document obtained by a certain media outlet simply gives her long-time friend Leslie Morris the authority – in the absence of 24 hour doctor care – to make care decisions for Joni once she leaves the hospital”.

It concludes: “As we all know, Joni is a strong-willed woman and is nowhere near giving up the fight. Please continue to keep Joni in your thoughts”.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:31 | By

Black Sabbath finale now scheduled for 2016

Artist News

Black Sabbath

Ozzy Osbourne has said that a final farewell album and tour from Black Sabbath (minus Bill Ward, presumably) is still in the pipeline, even though what was originally billed as a finale Sabbath show – Ozzfest Japan in November – is now a solo show for the singer.

According to Metal Hammer, Osbourne told the Monsters Of Rock press conference in Brazil: “The plan is that next year we’ll do the final Black Sabbath tour and album. I’m not stopping… my wife spends all my money, so I can’t”.

But, he said, those plans could still change, adding: “We all live in different countries and some of them want to work and some of them don’t want to, I believe. But we are going to do another tour together”.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:30 | By

Sam Smith forced to cancel Aussie shows to rest vocal cords

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Sam Smith

Planning on seeing Sam Smith warble his little ditties in Australia in the near future? Bad luck suckers, it ain’t happening. And don’t go moaning, the poor boy needs to rest his vocal cords, on doctor’s orders.

The singer writes via the socials: “I am deeply, deeply saddened to tell my Australian fans [that] I have to cancel my Australian tour. I have been vocally exhausted for a while now. However, last night in Sydney I had a small haemorrhage on my vocal cords. The doctors have told me I need to fully rest until my vocal cords have healed, otherwise this could become a long term issue”.

He concludes: “I am so sorry to all who have bought tickets, I truly am. We will be announcing re-arranged dates very shortly. This kills me”.

Just for the avoidance of doubt, neither the concert cancellations or the announcing of said cancellations actually killed Sam Smith.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:29 | By

CMU’s One Liners: Twitter’s new Head Of Music, Waka Flocka Flame wants out of record deal, Glastonbury’s nitrous oxide ban, and more

Artist News Business News Digital Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases

Twitter

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Twitter UK’s Head Of Entertainment Partnership’s Sunil Singhvi has announced (via Twitter, obviously) that he is moving to the US to take up the role of Head Of Music.

Approved hardcore outfit Bastions have announced that they will go on hiatus following a show supporting Rolo Tomassi in London on 2 Jun. “If this seems sudden, it’s because it is”, they said in a statement, explaining that other commitments meant that they would have to abandon the recording of their debut album. However, they added: “We truly believe that this isn’t a goodbye, if and when the time is right, we will be back”.

• Waka Flocka Flame tweeted yesterday, claiming that his label, Atlantic, is holding back his new album and demanding to be allowed to buy himself out of his contract. He even came up with a hashtag for his campaign: #LETWAKAGO. An unnamed source subsequently told Billboard that the rapper is already considering other offers.

• Another clip from Kurt Cobain documentary ‘Montage Of Heck’ has been released, ahead of it US TV premiere on HBO next week, featuring the Nirvana frontman mocking hate mail. The film is out on DVD this week.

• The new Deftones album is scheduled for release on 25 Sep, frontman Chino Moreno has told Radio 1.

• Folk musician Richard Thompson has announced that he will release a new album, produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, on 29 Jun.

• Wiley has released a video for new track ‘Chasing The Art’. Watch it here.

• Glastonbury has banned nitrous oxide from its King’s Meadow area at this year’s festival, in a bid to reclaim the ‘sacred space’ from people inhaling the gas. “The arrival of so much nitrous oxide in the King’s Meadow – some two tonnes of canisters were picked up, by hand, at Glastonbury 2014 – has darkened the field’s atmosphere”, said Green Fields co-ordinator Liz Eliot.

• Battles have announced that they will play a one-off London show at The Dome in Tuffnell Park on 27 May. Tickets went on sale this morning.

• Classic Album Sundays and the John Peel Archive have announced an event that will allow attendees to listen to Pulp’s ‘Different Class’ album on 6 Jun. Oh, I should mention that Jarvis Cocker will be there to listen along too, at the John Peel Centre For Creative Arts in Suffolk. Details here.

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Wednesday 29 April 2015, 08:28 | By

Andrew WK given show on Glenn Beck’s radio network

And Finally Artist News Media

Andrew WK & Glenn Beck

Well, here’s a thing. Party advocate and self-help guru Andrew WK has been given a show on ring wing commentator Glenn Beck’s radio network TheBlaze. The two hour show, ‘America WK’, will broadcast its first edition this Saturday.

In a statement, Andrew WK said of the news: “When Glenn asked me to do my own radio show on TheBlaze, I was shocked but excited, as I knew he would allow me the unrestrained freedom to say exactly what I wanted. I’m very dedicated to exploring and learning from different people in different places, and always with an open heart. If people never went outside their own box, life would be boring. After all, why would I only want to talk with people who already think exactly like me?”

Beck added: “My relationship with Andrew WK is a perfect example of how two people can come together on what unites us, and become strange bedfellows. He is open minded, honest, loves his fellow man even though he may disagree with him, and is a natural entertainer. Our mutual audiences have already begun to find commonalities. I think he is the perfect fit for TheBlaze Radio Network”.

How might this unlikely relationship have formed? Well, BuzzFeed has put together this timeline of its brief history.

You’ll be able to tune into the show on Saturday here. Though as the actual time of the broadcast hasn’t been announced, you might have to listen to some stuff that annoys you first.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:22 | By

Canadian ministers asked to reform anti-piracy ‘notice and notice’ scheme

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Canada

As the Canadian government sets about with its plans to extend the sound recording copyright term from 50 to 70 years, ministers in the country are being urged to overhaul a previous scheme designed to help the content industries, the so called ‘notice and notice’ system.

The anti-piracy scheme went live earlier this year. It means that internet service providers are obliged to forward warning letters from copyright owners to web-users suspected of accessing unlicensed sources of content. It is similar to the Copyright Alert System in the US, though that is a voluntary scheme set up by the ISP industry, whereas Canada’s notice and notice initiative was instigated by government.

But ministers are now being encouraged to review the scheme because of concerns over the content of the letters some rights owners provide to ISPs. These letters often encourage suspected file-sharers to pay a fine (tens or hundreds of dollars) to avoid future legal action, though if a recipient does so, it provides the rights owner with the file-sharer’s contact information, something they don’t have a statutory right to get from the ISP.

As previously reported, Rightscorp – which helps some rights owners with this kind of anti-piracy activity – was criticised early on for sending letters to Canadian consumers that set out the potential damages they could face if they were sued for copyright infringement. This is pretty common, but the firm stated the highest possible American rather than Canadian damages. And possible damages for this kind of infringement are way higher under US copyright law.

Those and other concerns about the documents being sent via ISPs to suspected file-sharers have now been outlined in a letter to Canada’s Minister Of Industry James Moore, signed by an assortment of consumer rights, copyright reform and academic groups, and referring to companies like Rightscorp by that always contentious term ‘copyright trolls’.

According to Torrentfreak, the letter reads: “As we feared, copyright trolls have in fact taken advantage of the notice and notice system to ramp up their abusive practices in Canada. We have seen notices claiming infringement of foreign law, misrepresenting the scope of damages recipients potentially face, omitting mention of defences, and failing to identify the notice as a mere allegation of infringement”.

Critics of the scheme say that the minister should introduce a number of new rules to the notice and notice initiative, including making clear in the letters that users face mere allegations of infringement (rather than implying infringement has already been proven), forcing rights owners to outline copyright exceptions, and banning the upfront settlement demands.

The signatories also propose – in the long term – new rules to discourage what the letter calls ‘abuse of copyright’. It says: “Canada requires a legislative response to the abusive and deceitful tactics of a minority of copyright owners and their agents. The emergence of a cottage industry of copyright trolls and their migration to Canada is just one example of how copyright can be abused. The next round of copyright reform must include a copyright misuse provision to curb such wrong-doing”.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:21 | By

Universal rejigs US structure, phases out standalone distribution division

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Universal Music

No one likes the word “distribution” anymore, do they? It’s all commercial services, label services, artist services, these days. How did ‘services’ become such a popular word?

Anyway, Universal Music in the US is having a little restructure, and as part of it the Universal Music Group Distribution brand will be phased out. The revamp follows the departure last year of Jim Urie, who had headed up the major’s American distribution operations since 2000.

The distribution and other commercial activities previously undertaken by Universal Music Group Distribution will be moved into other units at the major, according to Billboard.

So, for example, Candance Berry, previously GM of the distribution division, will become Exec VP Of Sales at the major, while brand partnership operations previously under UMGD will be merged into a new team led by Mike Tunnicliffe, Exec VP of Business Development And Partnerships.

It’s not clear whether the rejig will result in any redundancies, though there’s at least one new hire as a result of the restructuring, with Peter Sinclair joining from ScoreBig.com as Senior VP Of Consumer Engagement, to expand the major’s direct-to-fan operations.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:20 | By

More Momentum money dished out

Business News Management & Funding

Momentum Music Fund

I’m pretty sure there’s a new batch of Momentum Music Fund grants announced every other week, but I’m assured it’s a quarterly thing. No sense of the passing of time, me.

Anyway, here is the latest list of music making types receiving funding from Momentum, the much previously reported Arts Council-funded and PRS For Music Foundation-run grants scheme for artists looking to take their careers to the next level. Boom…

Chelou – to fund recording, touring and marketing
Cosmo Sheldrake – to fund debut album recording and marketing
Folly Rae – to fund EP recording, release and campaign
Gengahr – to fund touring
Hawk Eyes – to fund recording, tour and marketing
IV ROX – to fund recording, tour and marketing
Koreless – to fund album recording and tour
Mary Epworth – to fund album recording, tour and marketing
Oceaán – to fund touring and marketing
Oh Wonder – to fund album release and campaign
Phoria – to fund album recording and campaign
Sincere – to fund EP campaign and tour
The Square – to fund album recording, tour and marketing

And if you were expecting a quote from Arts Council England Chair Peter Bazalgette at the end of all this, then you are going to be disappointed. Though only if you don’t like being right. Because yes, here he is. His great, great granddad made magnificent sewers don’t you know.

Says the ACE top bloke: “Well done to all the successful artists in this latest round, another investment in the next generation of talent. The Momentum Music Fund provides much-needed funding for emerging talent ready to make the next step in their career, and makes a real difference to those involved. It’s encouraging to see applications being made by such a wide range of artists”.

Artist seeking funding for future projects have until 2 Jun to apply for the next batch of Momentum grants. Info here.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:19 | By

Former Deezer MD joins 7digital board

Business News Digital

Mark Foster

Mark Foster, last seen in these parts heading up Deezer in the UK and now leading Arts Alliance Ventures, has joined the board of 7digital in a non-executive role because, well, why the hell not I say.

He’ll bring his knowledge from running Deezer’s operations in the UK and Ireland – and previous digital and marketing consultancy projects – to 7digital as it further shifts its business from providing white-label download stores to powering various streaming and online radio platforms

Confirmation of Foster’s appointment to the board followed last week’s AGM for the now publicly listed 7digital where, we are told, all resolutions put to shareholders were duly passed.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:18 | By

BitTorrent Inc lays off a third of US workforce

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BitTorrent

Tech firm BitTorrent Inc – best known for developing the technology that powers so much file-sharing but which also dabbles in direct-to-fan channels – made almost a third of its US workforce redundant on Thursday last week. Between 40 and 45 of the 150 employees at the company’s US headquarters reportedly lost their jobs.

Confirming the news to Buzzfeed, a spokesperson for the company said: “We’ve recently realigned resources based on a regular evaluation of the business. Regrettably, this did include some employee departures. The business however, remains healthy, profitable and growing”.

But an unnamed source told TorrentFreak: “The ads team has been gutted as have several other groups – more development work is being sent to the BitTorrent team in Minsk. Only one person from senior management was let go, as is often the case in these types of things”.

Another claimed that the cuts were due to “very unrealistic revenue projections” in the past, which had led to the company expanding too quickly.

Last year, BitTorrent launched the ability for artists to charge for music released through its Bundles platform, with Thom Yorke the first to do so. Subsequently, artists such as Diplo and Ratking have used the system to release new content. However, although some releases report high download numbers in the millions, it’s not clear how many people are then paying to unlock them (or simply taking the free tracks offered in bundles).

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:17 | By

You thought it was dead but Simon Cowell’s DJ talent show is back, thanks to Yahoo!

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Ultimate DJ

After several years in on-off production, it seems that Simon Cowell’s DJ talent show is actually going to make it to the screen. Or, specifically, Yahoo! Screen.

At the NewFront marketing conference yesterday, Yahoo! announced plans for various new shows to add to its roster of original programming, amongst them ‘Ultimate DJ’, which is described as “the World Cup of EDM”.

The show is being co-produced by Syco’s Cowell and Kelly Belldegrun, and Ultra Records’ Patrick Moxey – previous partnerships with Overbrook Entertainment and SFX Entertainment having fallen through – and will see ‘EDM’ DJs compete for a record deal with Ultra.

“I have always been excited to be involved in a show where you have the chance to discover a star”, said Cowell in a statement. “And to do that, I know from experience you need great partners and the rest will follow. We’re excited to be partnering with Patrick Moxey of Ultra Records and Hamish Hamilton of Done and Dusted to bring this series to Yahoo”.

Moxey added: “Ultra Records has broken many of the biggest electronic DJ artists of today and we’re thrilled to be a part of this series for Yahoo! to bring the newest electronic music DJ artists to a massive audience”.

All voting on the show will take place through Tumblr, the blogging platform Yahoo! acquired in 2013. “It’s yet another example of the growing convergence and synergies we are finding between the two platforms”, said Yahoo! Chief Marketing Officer Kathy Savitt of this ‘innovation’.

Yahoo! also announced the renewal of its concert streaming deal with Live Nation, adding five festivals to its daily live music streams.

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Tuesday 28 April 2015, 10:16 | By

The Osbournes’ TV reunion cancelled

Artist News Media

The Osbournes

Plans for a new mini-series of ‘The Osbournes’ on VH1 have been scrapped, an exec for the TV channel has revealed.

As previously reported, Sharon Osbourne announced plans for a revival of the reality show last year. Speaking on her US chat show ‘The Talk’, she said: “[Ozzy] looked back on his life and he said ‘I wish we could’ve done the show now when I’m clean and sober’. It’s not as much coming back as a proper series, but as an update”.

And now it’s not as much coming back as… well, just not coming back.

VH1’s Exec VP Original Programming And Production Susan Levison told The Hollywood Reporter: “We are no longer talking to the Osbournes about a series; that’s not going to happen. We wish we could have worked it out, but it just didn’t come together for us. The family has been absolutely lovely and we wish them the best. We’d love to figure out a way to work with them at some point in the future”.

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