Monday 29 February 2016, 12:10 | By

IAO calls on European Commission to keep artists at the heart of its copyright review

Artist News Business News Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

European Commission

Over 50 artists from across Europe have signed a letter calling on the European Commission to ensure that the ongoing review of copyright law in the European Union keeps artists very much in mind.

Noting that the Commission itself has “put fair remuneration on the agenda for the copyright review”, the letter – organised by the International Artist Organisation, which brings together various artist groups like the UK’s Featured Artist Coalition – says “we are writing to ask your help in ensuring that this remains at the very heart of that review”.

As previously reported, the record industry and music publishers have put safe harbours at the top of their priority list for the European copyright review, in a bid stop the likes of YouTube exploiting legal protections originally designed for internet service providers and server hosting companies so to run ‘opt-out’ rather than ‘opt-in’ streaming services.

Artists don’t necessarily disagree with the labels and publishers on the safe harbours issue, though they have other concerns that they would also like addressed, such as the way digital revenue is shared between stakeholders in the music community, the lack of transparency in digital deals, and the specifics around how a ‘stream’ is defined by copyright law, which can have an impact on how artists are paid.

That latter point – which centres on clarifying how the ‘communication’ and ‘making available’ controls of copyright operate – is very much on the EC’s official copyright agenda; indeed more so than safe harbours.

The IAO letter, signed by the likes of Annie Lennox, Will Young, Sandie Shaw and Robbie Williams in the UK, as well as Axel Bauer in France, Luz Casal in Spain and Julia Neigel in Germany, begins: “Artists love technology. We are now, as always, at the cutting edge, pushing the boundaries. We wholeheartedly support the transition to a future-facing digital single market and the opportunity to reboot out ecosystem to be stronger and more vibrant”.

But, it adds, “the market as it stands only works for a handful of global corporations without proportionate value flowing through the system to the sea of creators who are, in fact, small business entrepreneurs. It is this work and these people, the foundation of an important sector of the economy, that now needs your attention”.

It continues: “We are not asking for market intervention. All we want is that the normal principles of a functioning market – transparency, duty of care, share of value and remuneration that is equitable – be applied to music. If adopted, this would enable all parts of the music sector to contract on fair terms and to benefit together from the success ahead”.

A much more organised than before artist-led movement does now seem to be getting more traction in European political circles than during past copyright reviews. Though with the labels and publishers shouting ever louder about safe harbours, the artists need to maintain that momentum to keep other issues on the agenda as well. Hence letters like this one.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 12:05 | By

SFX wants lawsuit against founder put on hold while bankruptcy goes through motions

Business News Legal Live Business

SFX Entertainment

The bankrupt bass-breaks-n-beats-bastion SFX last week asked the US bankruptcy court to extend the ‘automatic stay provision’ of the company’s bankruptcy protection to its founder and CEO Robert FX Sillerman and several other directors.

Bankruptcy rules Stateside mean that bankrupt companies cannot be sued while in the process of formally trying to rescue their businesses, and existing litigation is usually put on hold too. That protection only automatically applies to the bankrupt company itself, not executives who work there.

However, says SFX, a previously reported shareholder lawsuit targeting Sillerman himself over allegations that the CEO made “materially false and misleading statements” while attempting to take his company back into private ownership a year ago, is proving to be a right old distraction from the important work of restructuring the company “to achieve all that SFX can and will be”.

To that end, Sillerman wants that lawsuit put on hold while SFX is going through the bankruptcy motions. As previously reported, the long-flagging EDM festival promoter and Beatport owner finally applied for bankruptcy protection at the start of this month, with its founder saying the process, while not ideal, would enable his firm “to achieve all that SFX can and will be”.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 12:03 | By

Minogue and Jenner go head to head for rights to the Kylie name

And Finally Artist News Business News Legal

Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue has opposed a bid by Kylie Jenner to trademark the name ‘Kylie’ for US advertising purposes.

According to the World Intellectual Property Review, Jenner filed her trademark application in the US last year, with Minogue’s Australia-based business KDB filing an opposition last week. The singer, who already owns ‘Kylie’ trademarks for entertainment services and music recordings, says that the existence of two rival Kylie marks would cause confusion and dilute her brand.

I’m confused already, though mainly because I’m still not entirely sure who Kylie Jenner is. Luckily, Minogue is on hand to tell me, and anyone else who’s unsure, that the other Kylie is a “secondary reality television personality” who has received criticism from disability rights groups and African-American communities. So you can see why the singer’s not keen to be confused with celebrity-by-association Jenner.

Whether or not Minogue will come out of this dispute triumphant remains to be seen. However, this is probably just a warm up, as WIPR reports that Jenner also has a newer application pending for the Kylie name in connection with entertainment services.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:58 | By

Record industry wins default judgment against MP3Skull

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal

MP3Skull

The Recording Industry Association Of America last week secured its default judgement against piracy website MP3Skull, with the court awarding it $22 million in damages and the rights to seize the copyright infringing service’s domains.

As previously reported, the RIAA pushed for summary judgement in its favour last year, after the operators of MP3Skull failed to respond to its litigation. The trade group listed 148 specific tracks that had been infringed via the piracy set-up and requested the full statutory damages per infringement, which is $150,000. Hence the $22,200,000 total damages figure.

Though, of course, not knowing who runs the piracy service makes getting any of those damages tricky. And even if you do track anyone down, chances are they don’t have any money worth chasing.

But, for the RIAA, the priority will be trying to force MP3Skull offline, making the domain seizure element of the judgement arguably more important. Though, obviously the ruling is only technically enforceable within the US, and piracy sites like MP3Skull are adept at jumping from domain registrar to domain registrar, keeping the formalities outside the States.

So it remains to be seen whether the court win has any real impact, though, as previously noted, while MP3Skull has been a significant piracy operation in recent years, its user base does seem to be waning because of various anti-piracy efforts against the site.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:50 | By

UK government makes final amendments to new collective licensing regulations

Business News Labels & Publishers

IPO CRM

The UK’s Intellectual Property Office last week published a report that summarised the feedback it received on plans to implement new European collective licensing regulations into British law.

The EU directive on collective licensing was passed in 2014 and included various new regulations for collecting societies, like music industry bodies PPL and PRS, the aim being to provide better protection and provision for creators, rights owners and licensees. Member states must implement the new rules into their own copyright laws by 10 Apr.

Last year, the IPO announced plans to cut and paste much of the EU directive directly into UK law, but at the same to “take advantage of flexibilities in the directive to give our CMOs more choice about how they operate”. One of those trendy consultations on the IPO’s plans then took place.

Last week a summary of the feedback given during that consultation was published, alongside confirmation that some amendments were now being made to the final regulations being put forward by the IPO. These include amends on staff training, alternative dispute resolution and compliance notices. Feedback will also inform guidance notes that will accompany the new regs.

Although the new regulations should overcome some of the issues creators, rights owners and licensees have had with collective licensing in the past, all over Europe, as soon as the EC published it’s directive two years ago many key societies put out statements to the effect “we’re already doing all that”, so it will be interesting to see whether any actual changes of practice result.

You can download the IPO’s report here.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:48 | By

Tennent’s confident T In The Park will overcome logistical problems with new site

Business News Gigs & Festivals Live Business

T In The Park

The sponsorship chief at drinks company Tennent’s has given his backing to T In The Park after last year’s move to a new site caused significant logistical problems.

As previously reported, a recent report from Perth & Kinross Council outlined a number of issues that occurred when the festival took place for the first time at the Strathallan estate. The report identified problems like traffic congestion, concerns over crowd safety and disruption to residents. It added that “until [promoter] DF can demonstrate their capability to effectively manage this event in the future”, the festival would be treated differently, and put under more scrutiny as it applied for a licence for its 2016 edition.

DF had already announced its own review of the issues that occurred in 2015, as well as new appointments – both employees and suppliers – which it hoped would overcome the problems. Meanwhile last week the promoter announced that Calvin Harris and Red Hot Chili Peppers would headline the 2016 edition of T In The Park, alongside already announced The Stone Roses.

Speaking about last year’s issues, George Kyle at Tennent’s, which has sponsored the festival ever since its launch over two decades ago, told the Daily Record: “There were very difficult circumstances and a short timescale in terms of planning permission. There is an acknowledgement of teething issues and the guys put their hands up and addressed those immediately, working really hard with all agencies and parties”.

Referencing DF boss Geoff Ellis, he went on: “Geoff and his team have built on the trust and the audience appreciate that and know that the issues will be addressed this year”.

On his brand’s continued involvement in the annual music event so many years after its launch, he went on: “T In The Park never loses its magic. [It’s] now on its third site and is three or four times the original size. The audiences love the event and the reaction the artists get creates the unique atmosphere of the event”.

Tennant’s recently won the CMU-supported best music sponsorship prize at the European Sponsorship Association Excellence Awards, and ahead of that Kyle spoke about his company’s long-term alliance with T In The Park, and the constant bid to keep the alliance fresh. Read the interview here.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:45 | By

Brooklyn Magazine reports on the aftermath of Heathcliff Berru’s downfall, and the power of social media

Business News Marketing & PR

Life Or Death

Disgraced former music publicist Heathcliff Berru has spoken to Brooklyn Magazine about the accusations of sexual assault that led to the collapse of his company, US-based Life Or Death PR, earlier this year. The interview was part of a larger article about how social media was used to expose Berru, and the wider problem of misogyny in the music industry.

As previously reported, in January Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman tweeted about a “very popular music publicist” who had “RUBBED my ass and BIT my hair at a bar a couple years ago”. Hours later, she named Berru as the man in her story, which prompted many others to come forward with reports of the PR man’s past actions.

Berru subsequently resigned as CEO of his company, while its staff all quit and formed a new PR firm with no ties to their former employer.

In the article, writer Caitlin White says she’s now aware of 43 woman who have stories about Berru, ranging from inappropriate contact to sexual assault. Several people interviewed for the piece said that the stories were common knowledge in the industry, and dated back as far as a decade. What changed was their being made available on social media.

“I’m trying to think of individual cases where something like this has happened, but I honestly can’t recall anything like this”, said music journalist Ann Powers. “I think that’s because of social media. It happens so fast, and it’s so public. It didn’t have to happen in a court of law, and it hasn’t happened in a court of law, so that is a factor. It definitely happened fast without the kind of backup you get when something has to be reported or prosecuted in a more conventional way. But at the same time, it’s so hard to prosecute these kinds of crimes. Is it even defined in court as a crime? There’s so much grey in it legally. I think it’s almost impossible to call out men definitively”.

“I think women speaking up about inappropriate men and having it spread sends a strong message to men that they can be held accountable”, added Biz 3’s Kathryn Frazier, who employed Berru early in his career, but fired him over his drug and alcohol misuse. “Women ending the silence of harassment-related shame is important, but I also felt uneasy at times watching how some ushered this entire accusation-to-trial-to-judgement of Heathcliff Berru over the course of a couple of days, and all via Twitter and Facebook”.

Speaking from a rehab facility, where he is being treated for drug, alcohol and sex addition, Berru commended the women who had come forward and named him: “I think it’s very brave and bold when people stand up,” he said. “I hope this motivates women and anyone to stand up, and put one foot forward in a situation that makes them feel uncomfortable”.

And to target in general “sexism in music or entertainment, or in industries where people drink, use drugs and do other things that they’ll use to excuse themselves the next day when they clean up. I want to be a good example for people that have addiction issues. The reason I’m even speaking today is to express sincere apology and to acknowledge that I was a really shitty person and upset a lot of women. Men everywhere are shaken as a result of these stories, and you know what? It’s time that people own up”.

However, added Powers: “Men abusing their power to gain sexual access to women in the music industry is extremely deeply rooted. In my opinion, it’s rooted in thousands of years of social structure [and] this has been going on for the entire history of popular music”.

Read the article in full here.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:42 | By

Eagles Of Death Metal cancel European tour dates

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Eagles Of Death Metal

Eagles Of Death Metal have cancelled their remaining European tour dates after frontman Jesse Hughes tore a tendon in his finger. The band will recommence their world tour in South America next week.

In a statement on Friday, the band said: “Eagles Of Death Metal has regrettably been forced to cancel the remainder of their European tour due to founder Jesse Hughes tearing a tendon in his finger. Hughes has tried to play through the injury during the current tour, but doctors have advised that the only way to properly heal it is to stop playing now, or risk further injury and having to cancel several weeks worth of shows”.

Hughes commented: “I’m devastated that we cannot continue what has been a life-changing return to Europe, but I need to get repaired so we can continue to play rock music around this beautiful world, including coming back to Europe even stronger in the summer”.

The European shows, of course, came three months after terrorists stormed an Eagles Of Death Metal show in Paris last November, killing 90 people. The band returned to Paris for a new headline show earlier this month, having previously joined U2 on stage in French capital just three weeks after the attack.

Their next scheduled show is now at the Armando Music Hall in Bogota, Colombia on 9 Mar.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:41 | By

CMU’s One Liners: MPA, Three Six Zero, Tony Blackburn, more

Artist News Awards Education & Events Industry People Labels & Publishers Management & Funding Media One Liners

MPA

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Applications for the Music Publishers Association’s Richard Toeman Scholarship Scheme are open right now, offering training and other opportunities for those at the start of their careers in publishing the tunes. Click ye here for all the intell, as you cool kids say.

• Management firm Three Six Zero has recruited Brian Young as part of its bid to expand beyond music. Young’s experience is in movies, and he joins from his own agency ArtForm, whose clients are expected to move with him. Commenting, Young said something about curves and branding.

• Bauer Media has confirmed that, while DJ Tony Blackburn is currently on holiday from his show on its City 2 Network, he’ll be back on air soon. As previously noted, Blackburn will also continue to DJ on kmfm, despite him losing his BBC gigs last week. The presenter spoke about his fallout with the BBC this weekend in an exclusive interview with, erm, the BBC.

• OfCom has re-advertised the west central Scotland FM licence most recently used by Xfm Scotland. As previously reported, Global Radio gave up the frequency because the media regulator wouldn’t let it just pump the London-version of Radio X out on the channel. Deadline for bids is 26 May.

• Sam Smith took the Oscar for Best Original Song last night for his lacklustre Bond theme ‘Writing’s On The Wall’. So, big up your lacklustre Bond themes. The Amy Winehouse film also won Best Documentary.

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Monday 29 February 2016, 11:34 | By

Joe & Jake to represent the UK at Eurovision

And Finally Artist News

Eurovision 2016

So, imaginatively-named duo Joe & Jake are going forward to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest this May. I know, I thought it would be Bianca Claxton too, but apparently she didn’t have enough oh, oh, ohs in her song.

The pair sang their song last on BBC Four’s ‘Eurovision: You Decide’ show on Friday night, where acts performed in the broadcaster’s order of preference, and then we all pretended that there had been a real attempt to provide viewers – brought back into the UK’s Eurovision song selection process again this year – with some sort of choice. The first four acts barely even made it through their songs on the night. And the first one had a banjo, for fuck’s sake.

Joe Woolford and Jake Shakeshaft, who met when they entered ‘The Voice’ as solo artists last year, were performing ‘You’re Not Alone’, written by Schwartz, Justin J Benson and S Kanes.

“I can’t even talk”, lied Joe (or Jake, I’m not sure which it was, to be honest) after the winning song was announced. “It feels amazing. We just want to say this crowd is absolutely incredible. For everyone back home that has voted thank you so much. We are so proud we are going to represent the UK. Thank you. It’s going to be incredible. I hope we make you all proud. We’ve never been to Stockholm but there’s a first time for everything. We’re going to start working on the song so we can win”.

I think he means working on their performance of the song, rather than re-writing it. But maybe they could throw in a few more ohs, as that seems to be what people like.

Anyway, here’s our ‘winning’ song:

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Monday 29 February 2016, 10:52 | By

Approved: NY*AK

CMU Approved

NY*AK

The Ninja Tune offshoot that specialises in twelve-inch releases, Technicolour, hits us hard with a smasher from Newcastle-based hardware junkie NY*AK, aka Andrew Scott. But why NY*AK? Apparently the man behind the moniker banged his computer keyboard in frustration one day and hey presto, NY*AK was born.

It’s a good package, diverse and groovesome, and a little left off centre. With some shades of Atjazz, Kenny Larkin and The Modern Deep Left Quartet in there somewhere, the record covers many bases, with Scott citing Herbie Hancock, Theo Parrish, Kenny Dope and Louie Vega as influences.

The highlight is ‘Shadow’, with its addictive deep beats par excellence, sitting behind some nice breathy vocals from Misumami. But it’s title track ‘Dollar’ – which uses some tough beats to create something slightly brooding yet a little bit funky – which you can check out for yourself here:

Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column in 2016 by subscribing to our Spotify playlist.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:48 | By

Samsung considering Tidal acquisition again, apparently

Business News Digital Top Stories

Tidal

Good news for fans of Samsung buying Tidal rumours. There’s a new Samsung buying Tidal rumour! These are glorious times in which we live. The New York Post cites several sources that say that the tech giant is back in talks with Jay-Z and Roc Nation about taking ownership of the streaming music platform.

Samsung has been tipped as a possible buyer for Tidal before. The streaming music firm, which began life as Scandinavian start-up WiMP, was bought by Jay-Z a year ago, of course, and then relaunched via an all-star press event that all PR students will now, and for the foreseeable future, study as part of a class called “how not to relaunch your product”.

Nevertheless, the service now boasts over a million subscribers and continues to pursue the ‘artist exclusives’ strategy it set out after presenting its long line of celebrity shareholders last March (or “cringe of popstars”, to use the technical term).

Though, of course, that still puts Tidal a long way behind its key competitors like Apple Music and Spotify, and in the streaming music business deep pockets are more important than celebrity friends. While Jay-Z may have deep pockets for an individual, they are not deep when compared to those of Apple Inc or Spotify’s venture capital backers, who all wear very big coats indeed.

When Jay-Z first bought Tidal, it was thought phone firm Sprint may become a corporate backer, though that wasn’t to be. Samsung was then tipped as a possible investor, mainly because of the existing brand partnership relationship that existed between the consumer electronics giant and both Jay-Z and his Roc Nation business.

The Post reckons that both Google and Spotify have also courted Tidal in the last year, the latter possibly proposing more of partnership along the lines of “Tidal powered by Spotify”, presumably where the latter could provide the core streaming service, with the former layering on the exclusives.

But, say those pesky sources, it’s Samsung which is again talking to Mr Z and the often changing Team Tidal. “Samsung is re-engaging”, the source tells the Post. “They are working on something really big. But they’re keeping it very quiet in case it leaks”.

Other sources reckon that Tidal could do with any Samsung deal coming along sooner rather than later, with the high costs of running a loss-leading streaming platform starting to put a strain on the business and its music industry owners. Better to have a big tech industry player to cover those ongoing losses, and allow the music types to worry more about differentiating the product and signing up fans, rather than paying the bills.

Neither Tidal or Samsung have as yet commented on this latest speculation.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:44 | By

US Copyright Office says US law has a making available right, even though it doesn’t say so

Business News Legal

US Copyright Office

So, making available right news everybody. Make it! Make it available! Right! And people say copyright law is a dry topic. The US Copyright Office has published a report saying that the so called making available right does exist in America, even though American copyright law makes no mention of it, a fact that has resulted in some confusion in the courts.

‘Making available’ is one of the ‘controls’ that comes with a copyright. The copyright owner has the exclusive right to ‘make available’ the content they own, in the same way they have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, rent out, adapt, perform or communicate it. Making available, in case you wondered, relates to when a bit of content is made available to the public through electronic channels in such a way that the user “may access it from a place and at a time individually chosen by them”.

The making available right was introduced through global copyright treaties in the 1990s, mainly to ensure that then emerging digital music platforms – the focus was download platforms at the time – were definitely subject to copyright restrictions. Signatories to the WIPO treaties then implemented the new copyright control in their own way at a national level. Some countries, like this most United Kingdom, specifically added the new control to copyright legislation.

In the UK, making available was added as a sub-set of the existing communication control that covered conventional broadcast. Though whereas, with sound recordings, ‘performer equitable remuneration’ is due on revenue stemming from the conventional communication control – meaning recording artists automatically receive 50% of any income – UK law says that does not apply to making available. Something that has proven controversial in the artist community of late.

Meanwhile, some other countries decided that the making available right was already covered by existing copyright controls, so the law didn’t need to be specifically amended. And that is the case in the US, where you will find no mention of ‘making available’ – or for that matter ‘communication to the public’ – in current copyright statute.

But, says the US Copyright Office in its new report, that doesn’t mean there is no making available right in America, even if some courts have more or less said that their isn’t. Because the US is a signatory of those WIPO treaties, see?

Said the Office this week: “During the past two decades, US government officials have uniformly maintained that the Copyright Act’s exclusive rights, taken together, cover the full range of conduct encompassed by the making available right, meaning that such conduct will implicate and be governed by one or more of the [existing] exclusive rights, including, for example, the distribution, public display, and public performance rights”.

It goes on: “Subsequent Congresses have reaffirmed this conclusion through their approval, between 2003 and 2011, of a dozen free trade agreements with foreign nations obliging the United States to provide a making available right, determining in each case that adoption would not require changes to US copyright law”.

The Office then concludes that: “Consistent with its prior analyses and testimony, as well as the views of Congress, multiple administrations, appellate courts, and leading academic authorities, the Copyright Office concludes that the exclusive rights of copyright owners set forth [in US copyright law] collectively meet and adequately provide the substance of the making available right”.

It adds that, with downloads, making available is part of the distribution control, while with streams, it’s likely part of the public performance control (which already covers broadcast in the US in the absence of a specific communication control).

The Copyright Office concedes that the American courts have not been as consistent on the existence of the making available right in the US as Congress has (or at least, as it claims Congress has). Nevertheless, the Office says it doesn’t reckon that copyright law needs to be amended to specifically include a making available right, or a communication right that would encompass making available, UK style.

Though, it says, Congress should “continue to monitor the opinions of both district and appellate courts regarding the scope and application of the making available right in the United States”. But the Office hopes that “the publication of this report and the analyses contained herein should prove helpful to both courts and practitioners looking for guidance in this area in the future”.

If the courts continue to wobble on ‘making available’ though, then maybe a copyright law rewrite will be necessary in the future and, if so, the Copyright Office will be ready and waiting to assist, says it.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:39 | By

Fake sheik denies perverting course of justice in Tulisa Contostavlos case

Artist News Business News Legal Media

Tulisa

Former Sun and News Of The World journalist Mazher Mahmood, aka the “fake sheikh”, has denied conspiracy to pervert the course of justice in relation to the legal action that stemmed from a sting he orchestrated for the Sun On Sunday targeting Tulisa Contostavlos.

As previously reported, Contostavlos was put on trial accused of doing a deal to supply cocaine during the sting operation led by Mahmood. However, the trial collapsed when the judge presiding accused the journalist, who had given evidence against the one time N-Dubz member and ‘X-Factor’ judge, of “serious misconduct to the point that the integrity of the court would be compromised by allowing the trial to go ahead”.

It was claimed that there were inconsistencies in statements Mahmood had made to the court between a pre-trial hearing and the main trial. These related specifically to statements made by Contostavlos and overheard by the journalist’s driver Alan Smith, which led the judge to believe that Mahmood had been “manipulating the evidence”.

Which means it’s now Mahmood who is facing trial. He has been charged with perverting the course of justice, specifically by conspiring with Smith that he would change a draft statement to the police.

Mahmood and Smith attended a plea hearing in relation to the case this week, and formally denied the perverting the course of justice charge. The judge hearing the case then set 19 Sep as a trial date, with a pre-trial review due to take place on 10 Jun.

Contostavlos has repeatedly hit out at Mahmood, and the tactics he employed to get a story, accusing the journalist of entrapment. The fake sheikh told Contostavlos that he could get her a high profile film project, and then exploited the resulting relationship to try to persuade her to get him illegal drugs, all in a bid to run a “popstar deals cocaine” story.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:33 | By

Crush Music launches new label with Warner

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers

Weezer

New York-based management company Crush Music has announced a new joint venture with Warner Music to create a Crush record label. The firm already has a music publishing side to its business.

The Crush Music label will work with Warner subsidiaries Atlantic and Warner Bros on its releases, with the first – the latest album from Crush clients Weezer – being distributed via the former.

Confirming the new venture, Bob McLynn, who co-founded Crush Music with Jonathan Daniel, told reporters: “We’ve had a great relationship with Atlantic and the entire global Warner Music team over the years, developing and breaking artists such as Panic! At The Disco, Travie McCoy/Gym Class Heroes, and more. So when it was time to find a partner for our new label venture, we knew WMG would be a natural fit”.

Meanwhile Warner Bros CEO Cameron Strang said: “Crush has an impressive ability to attract and develop unique talent. This new label will make an excellent addition to the family, and we are all looking forward to working together to nurture exciting artists and release amazing music”.

But it was Atlantic bosses Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman who were THRILLED by it all. They warbled as one: “Our association with Jonathan, Bob, and their outstanding team goes back over a decade, and we’re THRILLED to take our partnership to a new level with the formation of the Crush Music label. And to be able to launch the label with a new album from Weezer is simply fantastic”.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:27 | By

Live Nation boasts of “record year” in 2015

Business News Live Business

Live Nation

Live music giant Live Nation was busy bragging about how 2015 was a “record year” yesterday, reporting that “revenue, adjusted operating income and free cash flow all grew 11% for the year, at constant currency, and we delivered record ticket volume of 530 million”. Revenues were up to $7.6 billion and adjusted operating income stood at $616 million.

Live Nation’s core concert promotions and ticketing businesses helped contribute to the record performance, though brand money was a particularly strong growth revenue stream in 2015. The live firm says its “high-margin” advertising business – selling ad space at Live Nation venues and events, and on its various websites – grew 17%, while “global sponsor base” was up 20% to 900 brands. Hurrah for all those “official lubricants” and “superannuation partners”.

Said Live Nation chief Michael Rapino: “Live Nation continues to be the artist’s number one choice for touring because we have an unparalleled live platform to service their concerts and drive ticket sales to their fans. Combining a growing global industry with Live Nation’s ability to grow its leadership position, we expect to continue driving long-term value for our shareholders”.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:22 | By

Steve Redmond to lead global communications at BMG

Business News Industry People Marketing & PR

Steve Redmond

BMG has announced the appointment of Steve Redmond to the role of SVP Global Corporate Communications, overseeing all areas of internal and external comms for the music rights firm, and reporting directly into CEO Hartwig Masuch.

A former BPI exec and prior to that Music Week chief (though we’ve forgiven him for that), Redmond has worked in a communications consultancy role for various music companies and organisations since 2007 including, since 2012, BMG itself. He will continue to advise a small number of clients outside BMG alongside his new role, in particular the Entertainment Retailers Association.

Announcing the new hire, Masuch said: “Whether as a strategist, analyst, commentator or media advisor, Steve Redmond has a unique ability to cut to the heart of an issue, and then make things happen. He brings a vital perspective to our management team”.

Confirming his tip top quality PR credentials by being “delighted” rather than “THRILLED” about his new job, Redmond himself added: “BMG is an extraordinary attempt to create a new kind of music company. Everything I have seen about this company is brave and ambitious and committed to doing the right thing. I am delighted to join them in their quest to offer artists and songwriters a genuine alternative”.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:19 | By

BBC confirms it sacked Tony Blackburn for allegedly not fully co-operating with Jimmy Savile investigation

Business News Media

BBC

BBC boss Tony Hall has confirmed that the Corporation has “parted company” with DJ Tony Blackburn in relation to the evidence the presenter gave to the organisation’s Jimmy Savile review, the results of which were published yesterday.

Judge Janet Smith was hired to review the extent to which Savile committed sexual assaults and abuse on BBC premises during his long career with the broadcaster, and to assess how that was allowed to happen.

As expected, her report was pretty damning of the Corporation, concluding that while senior management were not aware of Savile’s criminal activities, which were most prevalent in the 1970s, the culture of the organisation meant that more junior staff with concerns about the star either didn’t feel they could make formal complaints, or if they did, those complaints were rarely passed up the hierarchy.

Smith’s report also raised concerns about the BBC’s corporate culture today, and whether staff would feel empowered to raise issues and complaints with senior managers, especially in relation to “untouchable” on-screen talent.

Blackburn announced that he had been sacked by the BBC ahead of the publication of Smith’s report yesterday, saying that he had been axed simply because he disagreed with the Beeb’s official line on two incidents from the 1970s, in particular allegations that he had abused a teenage girl who subsequently took her own life. The DJ said that, although the allegations against him were seemingly retracted, Corporation records say he was nevertheless questioned about them at the time by then BBC exec Bill Cotton Jr.

Blackburn denies any such meeting took place. He added in his lengthy statement on Wednesday night: “Dame Janet’s report makes no mention that I was guilty 45 years ago of any misconduct whatsoever with this girl. Nor did a coroner’s inquest or a subsequent police inquiry into her death. The BBC have made clear that they are not terminating my relationship with them because of any misconduct. They are destroying my career and reputation because my version of events does not tally with theirs”.

However, Hall said yesterday that it wasn’t simply that Blackburn disagreed with official BBC records that resulted in his axing, but that the DJ didn’t participate in Smith’s review as had been expected of existing staffers with long careers at the Corporation.

Hall said: “This is one of the most important enquires in the BBC’s history and that has put even greater responsibility on everyone who has taken part in the enquiry to co-operate fully and to be open. Dame Janet has rejected [Blackburn’s] evidence and has explained why. I have to take that extremely seriously”.

He went on: “My interpretation of that is that Tony fell short of the standards of evidence that such an enquiry demanded. I am making no judgement or accusations about events or behaviours about what happened in the past but simply about what he has done now and what he has done in front of this really crucial enquiry”.

Blackburn says he plans to sue the BBC over the axing of his shows on Radio 2 and BBC London. Though the presenter won’t be completely off the air in the meantime, because he also hosts shows on other non-BBC radio stations. One of those, KMFM, confirmed yesterday that the DJ will still appear on his Sunday afternoon show on its network. “He is a great asset, a fantastic broadcaster and someone we are proud to work with”, a spokesperson told Radio Today.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:18 | By

Lady Gaga speaks out for Kesha, while Sony says it’s “doing everything it can”

Artist News

Kesha

Lady Gaga is the latest high profile artist to speak out in support of Kesha, saying that “no one needs to validate” her fellow singer in a post on Instagram.

Following on from a tweet offering more general support earlier this week, Gaga spoke in more detail about Kesha’s much previously reported legal battle with producer Dr Luke and his Sony-owned record label Kemosabe. Kesha accuses Luke of “mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual assault”. Luke denies the allegations.

“The very reason women don’t speak up for years is the fear that no one will believe them, or their abuser has threatened their life or the life of their loved ones/livelihood in order to keep their victim quiet and under their control”, wrote Gaga. “What happened to Kesha has happened to many female artists, including myself, and it will affect her for the rest of her life”.

She continued: “No one needs to validate Kesha. Why is the victim always the ‘liar’? Why do we let people in a position of power get away with behaving inhumanely? These guys hide behind the legal system and it’s their litigious behaviour that is precisely what they use to rape these girls. ‘Give me what I want or else I will come after you’. And they have all the money and resources to do it”.

Gaga was previously pulled into this story in December 2014, after she told Howard Stern in an interview that she had been raped when she was nineteen. She did not name the perpetrator, but Kesha’s lawyer Mark Geragos suggested that it was Dr Luke. Gaga denied that this was the case, and the producer then sued the lawyer for defamation.

A week ago, of course, Kesha was denied a temporary injunction to allow her to break the terms of her contract with Kemosabe in order to record with another producer and label outside the Sony empire, while the legal battle with Luke continues to slowly go through the motions. The request was denied, the judge arguing that it would set a dangerous precedent in New York State contract law, and also that Luke and Sony Music had already agreed that the singer could record with another producer on another of the major’s labels.

The problem with that proposal, Geragos argues, is that there is no certainty that Sony would put any effort into promoting a new Kesha record, because the label, he says, is siding with Dr Luke and therefore does not have her best interests at heart.

A major issue in all of this is that Kesha’s record deal is not with Sony direct, rather it all funnels through another of Dr Luke’s companies, Kasz Money. Those agreements mean that, even under the proposal put forward to allow the singer to continue working on new music elsewhere in the Sony group, Dr Luke would still be able to choose the producer she worked with in his place, and it would be almost impossible to stop the man she accuses of raping her from profiting from her work.

Outlining some of those complications in a statement yesterday, Sony Music’s attorney Scott A Edelman told the New York Times: “Sony has made it possible for Kesha to record without any connection, involvement or interaction with Luke whatsoever, but Sony is not in a position to terminate the contractual relationship between Luke and Kesha. Sony is doing everything it can to support the artist in these circumstances, but is legally unable to terminate the contract to which it is not a party”.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:14 | By

New Brian Eno album to be launched with series of sound installations

Artist News Releases

Brian Eno

Brian Eno has announced that he will release a new solo album, ‘The Ship’, through Warp on 29 Apr.

“On a musical level, I wanted to make a record of songs that didn’t rely on the normal underpinnings of rhythmic structure and chord progressions but which allowed voices to exist in their own space and time, like events in a landscape”, says Eno of the record. “I wanted to place sonic events in a free, open space”.

He continues: “One of the starting points was my fascination with the First World War, that extraordinary trans-cultural madness that arose out of a clash of hubris between empires. It followed immediately after the sinking of the Titanic, which to me is its analogue … I was thinking of those vast dun Belgian fields where the First World War was agonisingly ground out; and the vast deep ocean where the Titanic sank; and how little difference all that human hope and disappointment made to it. They persist and we pass in a cloud of chatter”.

The album will be split into two halves, starting with 21 minute piece ‘The Ship’. Following it, ‘Fickle Sun’ is split into three movements, including a cover of Lou Reed’s ‘I’m Set Free’. And to coincide with the release, a series of sound installations will be displayed around the world

“This album is a succession of interleaved stories”, concludes Eno. “Some of them I know, some of them I’m discovering now in the making of them”.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 12:11 | By

CMU Beef Of The Week #295: Harry Styles v The BRITs

And Finally Artist News Awards Beef Of The Week

Harry Styles

It was the BRIT Awards on Wednesday night. I’m sure you noticed.

Lots of big American stars turned up to find out who the most popular British artists of the moment were. 95% of the people in the room were practising their polite smile in case they were later asked what they thought of the promised Bowie tribute (thankfully that all turned out alright in the end and no polite smiles were required). And every single winner, besides Best International Female Björk, was there to pick up their prize.

I say everyone. One Direction were certainly represented. But only two of them were actually there. What seemed like a perfect opportunity to show fans that the ‘temporary hiatus’ is not actually a ‘total and final split’ was dashed upon the rocks. Poor Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne were left to both present an award and then accept one over the sound of an arena full of people whispering, “But where are the famous one and the small one?”

The small one – Niall Horan, you may call him – was apparently on holiday in Thailand. Fair enough. The date of this year’s BRIT Awards was only announced last September, and I’m sure Niall is a man who likes to book his trips very far in advance. And you can’t just go cancelling a holiday so that you can hang out at an awards ceremony.

But what of Harry Styles? What’s even the point of any of them turning up if Harry’s not there to look all famous and long-haired? What was his amazing excuse? All we know for sure is that, the day before the big BRITs bash, he was eating a disappointing buffet in an undisclosed location.

A source told The Sun ahead of the ceremony that “Harry has shown no interest in attending”. So at least we know that Styles is a man who favours a disappointing buffet over a slap up meal with some people he is definitely still friends with.

I wonder whether he knew that he and his ‘friends’ would be denied the Best British Group prize, for which 1D were nominated, meaning he’d have to look happy for those Coldplay guys, who always show up when there’s a free feed? Or perhaps he wasn’t ready for a big reunion on stage with his bandmates if they did get that award.

They didn’t, and Coldplay did, of course. Which left One Direction with only their nomination for the public voted Best Video prize. If Styles was pretty confident that his band wouldn’t get the British Group trophy, then you can see why he might not be so fussed about picking up the gong that One Direction always wins regardless of the quality of their audio-visual work, because of the fan voting thing. He surely knows it’s the one award of the night where everyone watching realises what’s happening and uses it as an opportunity for a quick toilet break.

I mean, imagine being Harry Styles. Imagine having to get up and accept that nonsense prize again and pretend that you care. Even Liam didn’t seem particularly committed to the customary “this proves we have the best fans in the world” line this year.

And whereas at their height, 1D had an award made up especially for them, to celebrate their global success, just in case anyone had missed it, this time BRITs bosses [a] gave that prize to Adele and [b] refused to add a Best Hiatus prize for Styles et al to receive. I mean, what does it say about Harry Styles’ status in the British music industry if they won’t even make up an award to get him to turn up?

That disappointing buffet is sounding more appetising by the minute.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 11:55 | By

Vigsy’s Club Tip: Flying Circus Ten Year Anniversary Tour at The Coronet

Club Tip CMU Approved

Carl Craig

Audiofly’s Flying Circus rolls into town on its tenth anniversary tour, which has already made various stops around Europe and the Middle East. The celebratory show also continues the final year festivities over at The Coronet.

Headlining tonight will be Carl Craig. Nuff said really. I’ve seen the Detroit dude play at a fair few venues large and small over the years and he’s never failed to impress with his infectious sets and exuberant interpretation of what began as Detroit techno for him in 1989.

Cassy and Audiofly provide support, but are very much headliner acts in their own right.

Friday 26 Feb, The Coronet, 28 New Kent Rd, Elephant & Castle, London, SE1 6TJ, 10.30pm-7am, £17-£30. More info here.

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Friday 26 February 2016, 07:58 | By

CMU Podcast: Kesha, Piracy, Attitude Is Everything, Eurovision

Awards Business News Digital Legal Live Business Setlist

Kesha

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review the week in music and the music business, including the latest developments in the Kesha v Dr Luke legal battle, new stats on piracy in the US, Attitude Is Everything’s State Of Access report and latest Eurovision news. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital.

Subscribe to the CMU Podcast

Listen to the CMU Podcast and sign up to receive new episodes automatically each week through any of these services…

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Stories discussed this week

• Kesha fails to secure injunction against Sony and Dr Luke
• P2P may be down, but music piracy continues to grow, says new research
• New Attitude Is Everything report highlights need for Access Starts Online campaign
• UK Eurovision hopefuls unveiled
• Fable and Paul Hartnoll reveal rejected Eurovision entry
• Ukrainian Eurovision entry may fall foul of ‘no politics’ rules

CMU Approved

Orka
• Hana
• Gold Panda
• White Lung

What we didn’t have time to talk about

Metallica accept Record Store Day 2016’s ambassadorial position
The Farm’s Peter Hooton to lead Liverpool’s Beatles Legacy Group
Studio where Bowie recorded final albums to close
Now Justin Bieber claims NOT to be the Messiah

Please subscribe, like and share after you’ve listened!

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:41 | By

The customary Adeles write up

Artist News Awards Business News Top Stories

Adele

So both the great and the good, and at least a smattering of the bad, gathered once more last night under the big telecoms tent of East Greenwich for the much hyped annual music bash that is the Mastercard Adeles, celebrating the very best in Adele from the last twelve months. Among the winners this time were Adele, Adele, Adele, Adele and James Bay.

Bay winning the Best British Male Adele was controversial, of course, with many pointing out that the award should really have gone to Adele. There were allegations overnight that Bay’s win was the result of a tedious technicality found in the rules set down by event organisers, the British Adele Industry. Details of those technicalities remain uncertain, but insiders say that it had something to do with Adele’s gender. Which proves, once again, I feel, that in this industry, it’s rarely about the music.

It wasn’t the only controversy of the night. Coldplay took the Best Group Adele because of dubious claims Adele isn’t a group; Bjork won the Best International Female Adele on the frankly offensive basis Adele isn’t foreign; and David Bowie picked up the British Icon Adele, just because Adele isn’t dead yet. And then One Direction won the Best Video Adele because some idiot let the public pick the winner. Which has never worked out well in the past. Not even at the Mastercard Adeles.

But, to everyone’s credit, no one let these controversies ruin the evening too much. After all, it’s the Mastercard Adeles, and it wouldn’t be the Mastercard Adeles without a little bit of controversy along the way. Concluding the evening, a BAI rep told CMU “Adele”, while the lady herself told reporters, “Fucking hell, I’m Adele”. Amazingly, no one was thrilled.

And here are the winners of this year’s Mastercard Adeles in full…

The Adele Award For Best British Single: Adele – Hello
The Adele Award For British Album Of The Year: Adele – 25
The Adele Award For British Video Of The Year: One Direction – Drag Me Down

The Adele Award For Best British Female Solo Artist: Adele
The Adele Award For Best British Male Solo Artist: James Bay
The Adele Award For Best British Group: Coldplay
The Adele Award For Best British Breakthrough Act: Catfish & The Bottlemen
The Adele Award For Best British Producer Of The Year: Charlie Andrew
The Adele Global Success Award: Adele
The Adele Award For British Icon Award: David Bowie
The Adele Critics’ Choice Award: Jack Garratt

The Adele Award For Best International Male Solo Artist: Justin Bieber
The Adele Award For Best International Female Solo Artist: Björk
The Adele Award For Best International Group: Tame Impala

PS: Hey, here’s a genuine proposal. Next year, to give everyone else a chance, let’s not allow Adele to be nominated, but have her host the show instead. I mean, I know the BRIT Awards usually go with some tedious, tepid TV tosspot(s) to placate the average ITV viewer, but think how many ITV viewers must have bought ’25’. It’s a winning formula.

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:38 | By

Tony Blackburn says BBC sacked him ahead of Savile report, plans to sue

Business News Media

BBC

Tony Blackburn has said he plans to sue the BBC after the Corporation allegedly sacked him from his current Radio 2 and Radio London roles ahead of the long-awaited publication of the report by judge Janet Smith into the culture and practices at the broadcaster during the years Jimmy Savile worked there.

Smith was asked to conduct the review in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal, after it became clear that many of the incidents of sexual abuse committed by the former presenter and DJ had occurred on BBC premises.

The report was being made public as we went to press, but was expected to be very critical of the BBC and its culture during Savile’s tenure, and to also raise concerns about current management practices at the organisation, where, Smith was expected to say, staff are still wary to complain to and about those higher up the hierarchy.

Blackburn issued a statement last night claiming that, ahead of the publication of the report, he had been sacked by the BBC because he had disagreed with the Corporation’s official line on an incident that occurred in the early 1970s.

The incident related to allegations made in 1971 by a fifteen year old girl, who subsequently took her own life. Before her death, the teenager wrote in her diary that she had been assaulted by a BBC DJ. Blackburn was accused of that assault, though, the DJ said, “I am told that the mother told the BBC, a few weeks after her initial complaint, that her daughter had withdrawn her allegation against me”.

Blackburn adds in his statement that: “Dame Janet’s report makes no mention that I was guilty 45 years ago of any misconduct whatsoever with this girl. Nor did a coroner’s inquest or a subsequent police inquiry into her death. The BBC have made clear that they are not terminating my relationship with them because of any misconduct. They are destroying my career and reputation because my version of events does not tally with theirs”.

Clarifying that point, he says the Corporation’s records state he was interviewed by then BBC exec Bill Cotton Jr about the allegations made by the teenager. But the DJ denies any such interview took place. He similarly disagrees with BBC records that say he was also interviewed by Brian Neill QC as part of a payola investigation at the Beeb.

“I have repeatedly told Dame Janet and the BBC I was never interviewed by either men in this context”, he says. “And the BBC records are either very vague or have, conveniently, disappeared. Regardless of these facts, the BBC is axing me after five decades of broadcasting. Sadly what is happening to me now seems to be entirely in keeping with the past BBC culture of whitewash and cover-up”.

Recalling his 49 years working with the BBC, he accuses the Corporation of now using him as a “scapegoat”, adding that he believes the decision to axe his radio shows on the back of Smith’s report had been made by Beeb boss Tony Hall himself. Concluding, Blackburn’s statement says: “I am now left with no choice but to take legal action against the BBC. They have taken away a career I love and I will not allow them to destroy my reputation”.

The BBC is yet to comment on Blackburn’s statement, though Smith was set to make a statement to the press about her wider report shortly after 10am this morning.

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:37 | By

Kesha responds to flood of support after losing bid to make music without Sony

Artist News Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

Kesha

Kesha has posted a long statement on Facebook following the outpouring of support that has been unleashed this week after a New York court last Friday refused to grant an injunction allowing the singer to work with a different record company to the one she is contracted to, Dr Luke’s Sony imprint Kemosabe.

As previously reported, Kesha Sebert accuses Lukasz Gottwald of plying her with drugs and alcohol and raping her as a teenager. Gottwald claims that the allegations and resulting lawsuit are an attempt to get out of her contracts with his companies.

The legal dispute is ongoing, but Sebert’s lawyer Mark Gregaros requested an injunction to allow his client to work with another label as the lawsuits continue go through the motions, because the litigation has basically put Sebert’s entire career on hold. A judge refused that request on Friday, saying doing so would set a dangerous precedent in the music industry with regard to contracts signed under New York State law.

The decision catapulted a long-running story into the wider public consciousness, and a string of other artists have now joined fans in backing Sebert in her bid to work for a label other than Kemosabe and Sony. Last night, at the BRITs, Adele – whose records are distributed by Sony in the US – became the latest big name star to speak up in support of her fellow singer.

Writing on Facebook yesterday, Sebert said: “I’m so, so beyond humbled and thankful for all of the support I’ve received from everyone. Words cannot really express the emotions I’ve gone through reading and seeing how amazing everyone has been to me. I can’t believe that so many people all over the world took the time to show me support and love. Other entertainers who knowingly put their own careers at stake by supporting me, I will be forever grateful”.

Commenting on the specifics of the case, she went on: “All I ever wanted was to be able to make music without being afraid, scared, or abused. This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract – it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal. This is about being free from my abuser. I would be willing to work with Sony if they do the right thing and break all ties that bind me to my abuser”.

But, she added, “at this point, this issue is bigger than just about me. I think about young girls today – I don’t want my future daughter – or your daughter – or any person to be afraid that they will be punished if they speak out about being abused, especially if their abuser is in a position of power. Unfortunately I don’t think that my case is giving people who have been abused confidence that they can speak out, and that’s a problem”.

Concluding, she wrote: “I just want to say that if you have been abused, please don’t be afraid to speak out. There are places that will make you feel safe. There are people who will help you. I for one, will stand beside you and behind you. I know now how this all feels and will forever fight for you the way perfect strangers have been fighting for me”.

Gottwald, of course, continues to deny all the allegations made against him, while his lawyers point to a deposition made by the singer in another case in 2011 in which she said she had never had sexual relations with the producer. His lawyers also argue that their client and Sony Music have offered to allow Sebert to record with another producer and label within the Sony group, while accusing Gregaros of engineering a publicity storm around the case in a bid to force Gottwald’s hand on the basis of PR rather than the law.

For his part, Gregaros counters that Sony’s offer for Sebert to work with another producer is “illusory”, claiming that the major would not properly promote any record made that way. Sony Music’s deals with Gottwald’s companies also mean it would be hard to stop him profiting from any release of new material by Sebert. The same deals also mean it is actually hard for Sony to unilaterally cut the singer free from her Kemosabe contract without Gottwald’s agreement.

Using Twitter as his platform, Gottwald wrote earlier this week: “I understand why people without all the information are speaking out. I can appreciate their compassion. But lives can get ruined when there’s a rush to judgment before all the facts come out. Of course any sane person is against rape and sexual assault, but everybody who is commenting is doing so without knowledge or facts. They are getting behind an allegation only – motivated by money. I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her”.

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:33 | By

Another song theft claim made against Uptown Funk

Artist News Business News Legal

Uptown Funk

The Sequence, a hip hop trio signed to Sugarhill Records in the late 1970s and early 1980s, are reportedly threatening to sue Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars over the allegation the duo lifted elements of the group’s 1979 standout single ‘Funk You Up’ for their 2014 hit ‘Uptown Funk’.

Following the Ronson/Mars track’s Record Of The Year win at the Grammys earlier this month, a rep for The Sequence, Kali Bowyer, has reportedly claimed that the hook to both songs is the same, and that there are other similarities too. Spin notes that The Sequence’s track has the lyrics “Funk you, Right on up, We’re gonna funk you right on up”, while Mars warbles in ‘Uptown Funk’: “Up, Town, Funk you up, Uptown funk you up”.

TMZ, which spoke to Bowyer, says no legal action has been filed as yet over the song theft allegations, though litigation is being considered. Members of The Sequence, including Angie Stone, co-wrote ‘Funk You Up’, so would presumably claim infringement of the song (rather than recording) rights if they felt there was a case worth pursuing against Ronson, Mars and their business partners.

As previously reported, writers of The Gap Band’s 1979 hit ‘Oops Upside Your Head’ have already been added as extra songwriters on ‘Uptown Funk’ after it was agreed the former had been rather influential on the latter.

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:27 | By

Dice launches Girls Music Day

Business News Education & Events

Dice

Ticketing app Dice has announced more details about an event it is staging next month called Girls Music Day, which aims to convince more young women to take up roles in the music industry, both on stage and behind the scenes.

The event will be split into two halves, with a live music session hosted by a variety of female artists in the morning, followed by talks from representatives of companies such as Rough Trade, Transgressive Records, Because Music and Caroline International in the afternoon.

Says Dice’s Jen Long: “Every year you see the same story – there aren’t enough female headliners at festivals, DJ Top 100s are 100% male, female artists being patronised and objectified. If we want to change this, a blame game isn’t the answer. Instead it’s about getting the great women who currently work in this industry to join forces and inspire the next generation of headliners, label managers, producers, and everything in between”.

Taking place at the Sonos Studio in Shoreditch on 12 Mar, Girls Music Day is open to girls and women ages fourteen to 24, with tickets given out by ballot. Put your name down to attend here.

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:22 | By

The Farm’s Peter Hooton to lead Liverpool’s Beatles Legacy Group

Artist News Business News

The Beatles

There’s quite a lot of Beatles-related stuff in Liverpool already. But is it enough? That’s the question The Farm’s Peter Hooton has been tasked with answering as the new head of The Beatles Legacy Group.

The city’s council has set up the group following the publication of a recent report which showed that the band’s legacy generates £81.9 million for the local economy per year and provides 2335 people with jobs. Sounds pretty good, but the council reckons there’s more Beatles cash to be wrung out of that there legacy.

“I’m delighted that I’ve been asked by the Mayor to chair the Beatles Legacy Group”, said Hooton. “I’ve always been passionate and proud of Liverpool’s musical heritage, especially our most famous sons The Beatles. I hope the Beatles Legacy Group can come up with strategies and ideas to enhance the already superb attractions the city has to offer, in order to attract even more visitors in the future to our ‘city of music'”.

Of his immediate plans, he added: “The report highlighted the need to work with and engage with young people, so I look forward to exploring all options around this with the group”.

Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson commented: “Setting up a Legacy Group was one of the main recommendations of the report and from the outset. I wanted an artist to be the Chair and Peter was my first choice. He understands the industry, and the value of the Beatles to Liverpool, and will always look at the bigger picture in terms of making decisions that are best for the city and the city’s reputation”.

The first official meeting of the Beatles Legacy Group is due to take place next month.

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Thursday 25 February 2016, 11:17 | By

New album was “a struggle”, says Deftones guitarist

Artist News Releases

Deftones

Although the latest Deftones album now has a release date set in stone, this was not always the case. I mean, that’s obvious, I know. But what I’m saying is that the album was previously delayed for reasons that weren’t entirely clear at the time. Now it turns out that, at least in part, that was down to guitarist Steph Carpenter not being massively keen on the record.

Asked what he was most proud about on the new album by Ultimate Guitar, Carpenter said: “Oh god. I think my proudest thing about my guitar playing on this record is just playing on the record, because I didn’t want to play on the record to begin with. It wasn’t until way later once I actually got into it. I look at all the songs on the record and they were all a challenge for me to get into”.

That’s the way to promote your new record, kids. He added that he was particularly into metal at the moment, while the rest of the band were perhaps looking to other influences. “My band is going one direction and I am going another one currently. When we were coming up with ideas and writing the songs, the stuff that was being written, you know, the other guys’ ideas, I wasn’t too interested in it. It wasn’t the style or the sound I was hoping we would take. It wasn’t what I was expecting or wanting”.

He’s not about to leave the band though, don’t worry. Well, not intentionally. “I would never leave the band that I started but the band started leaving me, I can’t control that”, he said, slightly ominously. “I mean, I have a great time for the most part. This record has been a struggle and we have got issues, [but] I do not want to leave home. How things will be in the future, I do not know. I know what I will do and what I will not do and there are some things that I will not do in the future because I just don’t agree with it”.

Read the full interview here, and remind yourself of how great new single ‘Prayers/Triangles’ is here:

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