Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:51 | By Chris Cooke

BASCA responds to resignation of four Songwriter Committee members

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers Top Stories

Songwriter organisation BASCA has issued a lengthy statement following the resignation of four members of its Songwriter Committee – Kim Appleby, Barry Mason, Megg Nicol and Pete Woodroffe – on Monday.

The four resigning members delivered their own statement at a meeting of that committee in which they aired various grievances. These included issues with BASCA, the leadership of its Chair Crispin Hunt, the organisation’s relationship with collecting society PRS, and a recent HR investigation that led to the expulsion of four other members.

The HR investigation related to formal grievances originally raised by a senior staff member in 2016. Five members of the organisation were accused of bullying and harassment. An external HR specialist was hired to investigate and four of the five members were subsequently expelled, while the fifth resigned after being given a formal warning.

Commenting on that investigation in their resignation statement, the resigning members wrote: “There may well have been HR issues within BASCA, but they have been dealt with in an appalling and heavy handed way”.

On BASCA’s relationship with PRS, the resigning members took issue with Hunt also sitting on the board of the collecting society. While calling PRS “an incredible organisation that collects money from this country and all over the world and processes vast amounts of data”, the resignation letter adds that BASCA nevertheless needs to hold the society to account on behalf of composers and songwriters.

They state: “BASCA has a duty to hold PRS For Music up to scrutiny. In short, BASCA has to do all it can to ensure that the deals being done on our behalf are in the best interest of songwriters and with as much transparency as possible”. They then add: “Over the last seven years BASCA seems to be getting closer and closer to PRS and this can only be a bad thing for both parties”.

The decision of Appleby, Mason, Nicol and Woodroffe to quit BASCA also follows significant changes to the organisation’s constitution and internal structure, which were voted through by the vast majority of its membership at an AGM last month. In addition to the specific issues raised in their resignation letter, those changes may have also in part motivated the four songwriters to specifically speak out at this time.

Commenting on those changes shortly after last month’s AGM, Hunt said: “This is a massively positive, forward-looking step for BASCA and one that marks the beginning of a new era of improved inclusivity, respect, democracy, unity and purpose. We now have a real mandate from our membership to build a BASCA that is fit for purpose moving forward. I’m excited about what we’re going do in 2018 and my heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who backed this vision”.

In their response to Monday’s resignations, Hunt and BASCA CEO Vick Bain yesterday put out a joint statement which provides some detail about the aforementioned HR investigation and mounts a staunch defence of the way it was handled. The statement then concludes that Hunt and Bain feel they have a mandate from the “vast majority of our membership to take our organisation forward”, and that this “is a hugely positive step for all songwriters and composers and we are now focused on the challenges ahead”.

Appleby, Mason, Nicol and Woodroffe’s joint resignation letter has been published by Songlink here. BASCA’s formal statement is as follows…

In response to a formal grievance raised in September 2016 by a senior staff member against five BASCA members, citing accusations of bullying and harassment, BASCA instructed an independent human resources specialist to investigate the allegations and prepare a report into them. This action was in line with existing BASCA policy.

In November 2016, a second grievance was raised by the same staff member with further allegations of victimisation and retribution in relation to the subsequent behaviour of those named in the first grievance.

In March 2017, the board of BASCA convened to hear the conclusions of the investigation and after careful consideration it was agreed to uphold the findings of the report, which found that a number of the allegations of bullying and harassment were proven.

As a result, BASCA made a decision to terminate the membership of four of the five members named in both grievances for unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour, which was described as bullying and harassment in the report. One member was given a conditional formal warning but declined the conditions and chose to resign.

The remaining four members had the right to an appeal, which they elected to pursue. The independent barrister appointed as appeal officer has now delivered her report on three of the four appeals. The report’s findings were stark and concluded that the appeals failed and recommended that the board should maintain its decision to terminate membership.

In addition, at BASCA’s AGM which took place on December 12th 2017, votes were taken to make changes to the organisation’s constitution and internal structure. These changes were carried by 88% of the vote.

Subsequent to the decision to terminate the membership of three members and in response to the motions upheld at the AGM, four other members of the BASCA Songwriters’ Committee – Pete Woodroffe, Kim Appleby, Megg Nicol and Barry Mason – resigned from BASCA yesterday.

As part of their resignation this group put out a statement which appeared to condone the inappropriate behaviour that led to the expulsions whilst further making unfounded allegations against both BASCA and senior figures within it – all of which are fully refuted. We find this wholly unacceptable and therefore accept their resignations.

We feel that the mandate BASCA has now been given by the vast majority of our membership to take our organisation forward is a hugely positive step for all songwriters and composers and we are now focused on the challenges ahead.

READ MORE ABOUT: Barry Mason | British Academy of Songwriters Composers & Authors (BASCA) | Kim Appleby | Megg Nicol | Pete Woodroffe

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:50 | By Andy Malt

Prince estate claims legal win over unauthorised EP release

Artist News Business News Legal

The Prince estate has seemingly won a legal battle against producer Ian Boxill over the release of an EP of unreleased music by the late pop star.

Boxill worked with Prince between 2006 and 2008, and in April last year announced plans to release a collection of six unreleased tracks they had collaborated on. Shortly before the record’s release date, the Prince estate was granted a temporary injunction blocking it. The estate claimed that a contract between Boxill and Prince gave copyright solely to the musician, meaning the producer could not release the music without its permission.

Now, according to TMZ, the estate is claiming victory in the dispute, because Boxill has failed to respond to its lawsuit by a deadline of 23 Jan. It is asking for the judge in the case to therefore rule in its favour. If the judge does so, the estate will be granted a permanent injunction stopping Boxill from ever releasing the music. That doesn’t mean you won’t be hearing previously unreleased Prince tracks soon though. Quite the opposite, according to the estate’s advisor, Troy Carter.

He told Variety this week: “[Prince] was a guy who practically lived in a recording studio, and once we started going through [the unreleased material] we really started finding some gems. I heard some music the other night that was pretty mind-blowing and we’re getting some stuff mixed right now. We’ve got great projects in the works that I’m excited to talk about. So the answer is yes, there will be unreleased Prince music coming soon”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Ian Boxill | Prince

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:48 | By Chris Cooke

Judge dismisses song-theft case against U2’s The Fly

Artist News Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

A US judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a New York-based British songwriter who accused U2 of ripping off one of his tracks on their 1991 hit ‘The Fly’.

Paul Rose went legal over the alleged song theft last year, more than 25 years after the release of the U2 record, claiming that ‘The Fly’ lifted a thirteen second guitar riff from his 1989 instrumental track ‘Nae Slappin’.

Rose’s legal claim said that he had sent a demo of his track to U2’s then record label back in 1989, which he reckoned was how Bono et al had been exposed to his work. He then alleged that ‘The Fly’ copied a section of his record “virtually note-for-note”.

Calling for the case to be dismissed last summer, U2 argued that ordinary listeners would conclude that ‘The Fly’ and ‘Nae Slappin’ sounded “nothing alike”. They also questioned why it had taken Rose so long to go legal, adding “nothing about ‘The Fly’ has changed in the quarter century since it was released”.

New York District Judge Denise Cote dismissed the case yesterday. According to Reuters, she concluded that the riff Rose alleged had been ripped off was not a “sufficiently substantial” portion of ‘Nae Slappin’ to be protected by copyright. And even if it was, she reckoned a jury would conclude U2 hadn’t copied it anyway.

READ MORE ABOUT: Paul Rose | U2

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:46 | By Andy Malt

More harassment accusations against Charlie Walk

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

Two more accusations of harassment have been made against US-based Universal Music exec Charlie Walk.

One of the unnamed women who has now come forward says that she had unwanted interactions with him while working at his current employer, Universal’s Republic Records. The label previously said that it would investigate earlier claims made against Walk, despite those other alleged incidents taking place before he joined the company.

The initial allegations were made against Walk by former Sony/Columbia exec Tristan Coopersmith. She said that in the year she worked for Walk at Sony Music, he regularly made sexual comments to her, grabbed her thigh at business dinners, and – on one occasion – attempted to force her into a bedroom.

Walk quickly denied the accusations, calling them “upsetting” and “untrue”. Meanwhile, his currently employers Universal and Fox – Walk is acting as a judge on the broadcaster’s new TV talent show ‘The Four’ – said that they were “reviewing the matter”.

Now, according to Billboard, more accusations have been made anonymously to industry commentator Bob Lefsetz, after he wrote about Walk in his Lefsetz Letter newsletter.

One woman alleges that while an employee of Republic Records, of which Walk is now President, he made inappropriate comments and invited her to join him in hotel rooms, and more. After being made redundant from the label, Walk reportedly twirled her round in front of another exec at the company and commented on her appearance. He allegedly then said this was fine because she no longer worked for the company.

Another unnamed woman says that while working for Walk, he also made comments about her appearance and attractiveness, leading her to warn other women about him. Walk’s position of power meant she felt unable to more publicly speak out against him, she adds.

Walk has not commented on the new allegations.

READ MORE ABOUT: Charlie Walk | Republic Records | Universal Music

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:43 | By Andy Malt

Mike Germano departs Vice Media, following harassment accusations

Business News Industry People Media

Vice Media and its Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano have parted ways, following sexual misconduct allegations made against him. He says that his departure was planned and that he has not been fired.

Germano – who joined Vice in 2013 after it acquired his Carrot Creative agency – went on leave earlier this month following reports of misconduct. In a memo yesterday, reports The Wrap, the media firm’s COO Sarah Broderick told staff that he would not be returning.

“As you are aware, Mike Germano has been on leave and I want to let you know that he will not be returning to the company”, she wrote.

In a statement to The Wrap, Germano denied that he had been fired, despite sources saying otherwise. “I was not fired”, he said. “Nor is there any info that states that. I left the company I started after it merged with our parent company, something that was planned for six months”.

Accusations of misconduct against Germano first arose in an article published by the New York Times in December. Both he and Vice’s President Andrew Creighton were subsequently placed on leave.

READ MORE ABOUT: Mike Germano | Vice

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:42 | By Chris Cooke

MU calls for government music education review following BBC schools survey

Business News Education & Events

The Musicians’ Union has called on the government to review its education policies. This follows a BBC survey confirming that the vast majority of schools in England are cutting back lesson time, staff and/or facilities in at least one creative arts subject.

The new survey seems to confirm a trend that many have blamed on the slightly confusingly named English Baccalaureate (or EBacc) system, which is the way the academic performance of English schools has been assessed since 2010. Creative subjects like music are excluded from the EBacc, meaning schools are less likely to prioritise them, because achievements in those subject areas don’t have a positive impact on their perceived success.

In the BBC survey of 1200 primary and secondary schools, 90% said there had been cutbacks of some kind in at least one creative arts subject. 40% said they were spending less money on facilities for these subjects, while 30% had reduced the hours in the timetable dedicated to the creative arts. Most blamed a combination of EBacc criteria and funding cuts for these changes.

Responding to the survey, Amanda Spielman of schools regulator Ofsted defended the shift to prioritising more traditional academic subjects, especially at a GCSE level. Although she added that schools were still expected to offer students a broad education. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Department For Education insisted that the government was investing in music and other creative art subjects in schools.

However, the General Secretary of the MU, Horace Trubridge, reckons that the new BBC survey is further proof that the government needs to review its education policies. He said yesterday: “This new research from the BBC has confirmed the MU’s findings that far too many young people are unable to access music as part of a broad and balanced school curriculum”.

He went on: “Government policy, in particular the EBacc, is the driving force behind this situation, with the result that increasing numbers of children can have music lessons only if their parents are able to pay for them. This will do nothing to increase diversity and opportunity in the music industry. The MU therefore calls on the government to review its education policy in order to ensure that music is a skill that everyone gets a chance to learn”.

The Union’s National Organiser For Education & Training, Diane Widdison, noted that the organisation’s own education report had stated that the EBacc “has had an extremely damaging effect on school music departments”.

She added: “This is because the EBacc forces schools to prioritise entering pupils for seven GCSEs in so-called core subjects, not including the arts. The result of this has been that school music departments are rapidly closing down, our members are losing their jobs as music teachers, and GCSE entries are plummeting”.

She concluded: “We are therefore pleased to see this new piece of research from the BBC which strongly supports our own observations. We call on the government to review the EBacc to ensure that music and the arts don’t disappear from the curriculum completely”.

Given how much certain government departments love to bang on about how important the UK music industry has become, how it repeatedly punches above its weight globally, and how British music will be a calling card around the world post-Brexit, it’s sort of ironic that education ministers continue to downgrade music in English schools.

Though that might be partly because there is often a disconnect between music education and the music industry, and the music curriculum too often lacks any focus at all on pursuing a career in music, building a business around your creativity, and understanding the basics of intellectual property.

This means that music lessons are more about making music as a pastime than pursuing it as a career. Of course, making music for the fun is – in itself – an important and brilliant thing, but a closer alignment with the business of music would make a stronger economic case for the state investing in music education in schools and beyond.

These are all things that will be discussed, dissected and debated at the CMU Insights Education Conference as part of The Great Escape in Brighton this May, with the education-focused programme taking place on Wednesday 16 May. More information here.

READ MORE ABOUT: Musicians Union (MU)

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:40 | By Andy Malt

Tyni’s Fighter named “official anthem” of HMUK’s Music Minds Matter

Artist News Business News Releases

Emerging pop act Tyni’s 2017 track ‘Fighter’ has been named the official song of Help Musicians UK’s new Music Minds Matter helpline. Originally released last year, a portion of proceeds from each play or sale of ‘Fighter’ will be donated to the mental health service.

“Everybody has a reason to fight for something in life”, says Tyni. “I’ve been through heartbreak and sometimes your own mind is the worst place you can be. It’s like four walls without a door. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have songwriting and music as my escape, it enables me to let go, heal and move on”.

She continues: “As a musician, I have seen firsthand how tough it can be to keep a career going when struggling with your own demons. That’s why I’m hugely passionate about supporting HMUK’s Music Minds Matter service. It’s so important that the service is there to support people working in music through the dark times. I’m so honoured that ‘Fighter’ will be the anthem for Music Minds Matter, so please donate with a play!”

HMUK CEO Richard Robinson adds: “Help Musicians UK is delighted to be working with Tyni, a star in the making who has brought us the Music Minds Matter official anthem. The ‘Fighter’ track is not only high potential as a commercial record, it also has its strong and empowering message”.

“Through our innovative campaign to ‘donate with a play’, we know the song will really resonate and raise the profile of the much needed service and raise additional funds, to support even more people and expand it beyond the UK”, he goes on. “In the months since Music Minds Matter has been launched, the service has provided support for many people. We want to continue making a difference and help build a sustainable future for this country’s music industry, by supporting the mental health of those who need it most”.

The Music Minds Matter service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 0808 802 8008.

Listen to ‘Fighter’ here:

READ MORE ABOUT: Help Musicians | Tyni

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:34 | By Andy Malt

Neil Portnow backtracks on claim that women in the music industry need to “step up”

Artist News Awards Business News Industry People

Grammy Awards boss Neil Portnow has done a bit of frantic backpedalling, following criticism of his comments that women should “step up” if they want to start winning prizes at the ceremony.

Sunday’s big prize-giving event was criticised for its poor representation of women in the music industry, after just one woman – Alessia Cara – was presented with an award during the actual televised show. Various other issues were highlighted, such as Lorde (the only female nominee for Best Album) not being offered the opportunity to perform solo, while the likes of U2 (not actually nominated for anything) appeared on stage twice.

Asked about this by Variety on the night, Portnow said: “It has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level. [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome”.

Understandably, this merely increased the criticism of the Grammys. In a handwritten note posted on Twitter, Pink noted that women “have been stepping up since the beginning of time”, continuing: “stepping up, and also stepping aside, women owned music this year. They’ve been KILLING IT. And, every year before this”.

Meanwhile, Britney Spears’ business manager Lou Taylor wrote on Instagram: “I step up and step in every day! There are countless women who help provide the foundation that this business is built on … Maybe next year we will have a new Academy president and a new producer. I hear the Academy needs a new accountant since you are in debt – I know a good woman who can ‘step up’ and help get you out of debt and help you pull your head out of your ass”.

But, hey, when Portnow said that women needed to “step up”, that isn’t what he meant. He meant a different thing. In a statement to Billboard, he said: “I was asked a question about the lack of female artist representation in certain categories of this year’s Grammy Awards. Regrettably, I used two words, ‘step up’, that, when taken out of context, do not convey my beliefs and the point I was trying to make”.

He continued: “Our industry must recognise that women who dream of careers in music face barriers that men have never faced. We must actively work to eliminate these barriers and encourage women to live their dreams and express their passion and creativity through music. We must welcome, mentor, and empower them. Our community will be richer for it. I regret that I wasn’t as articulate as I should have been in conveying this thought. I remain committed to doing everything I can to make our music community a better, safer, and more representative place for everyone”.

Yeah, that would have been a better thing to say. As would putting on an awards ceremony that didn’t necessitate such criticism in the first place. Then claiming to be doing things to improve representation for everyone might not have seemed quite so hollow.

Lorde, meanwhile, took out a full page advert in the New Zealand Herald yesterday, thanking fans for their support and for “believing in female musicians”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Grammy Awards | Lorde | Lou Taylor | Neil Portnow | Pink

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:31 | By Andy Malt

One Liners: The Great Escape, Paul Simon, BRIT Awards, more

Artist News Awards Business News Deals Gigs & Festivals Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Electronic producer Clark has signed a new publishing deal with Decca. “I am very excited to start this new partnership with Decca Publishing”, he says. “Working together, we have agreed to take a fresh outlook on how we approach music publishing, what we can do to make the right kind of noise and stand out”.

• Django Django – or Double Django, as you insist on calling them for some reason – have released a video for ‘Surface To Air’, from their really very good new album ‘Marble Skies’.

• Andrew WK has, I have it on very good authority, released another new track ‘Ever Again’. If he hasn’t, I don’t know what this video I just watched was.

• You’re probably wondering if The Go! Team have released a video for ‘Mayday’. Well, yes, they have.

• The Damned have released a video for new single ‘Standing On The Edge Of Tomorrow’.

• Let’s Eat Grandma have released a new single, ‘Hot Pink’, which is produced by Sophie. The duo will play Lightbox in London on 8 Mar.

• Another hundred artists – yes, a hundred, I counted them – have been added to the line-up for this year’s Great Escape showcase festival. A number of new partnerships have been confirmed too, including with Gilles Peterson’s talent development programme Future Bubblers and the Download Festival, which will host a stage this year. Alongside all that, CMU Insights will also be presenting three full-day conferences for industry delegates once again. Info on the TGE line-up so far here. Info on the CMU Insights conferences here.

• Paul Simon has announced that he’ll play the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park on 15 Jul. It’s being billed as ‘The Farewell Show’, so it could be his last ever performance. It’s also the last night of the festival, so maybe he’s just saying goodbye to the event.

• Gaz ‘Gareth’ Coombes has announced that he’ll be touring the UK in May. Good on you Gaz, I don’t care what they say.

• Already-mentioned-up-there-somewhere Sophie will play Heaven in London on 13 Mar. Tickets are on sale now.

• Glassjaw have announced that they will play Brixton Academy on 18 Aug. Tickets go on sale on 2 Feb.

• Justin Timberlake is performing at the BRITs. So are Ed Sheeran, Rag N Bone Man, Jorja Smith, Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, Foo Fighters and Rita Ora. BRITs boss Jason Iley has “no doubt that Justin’s performance will be one to remember”. Of course, following the controversy surrounding the Grammys, it may actually be remembered as the point in the show that people realised that the balance of male to female performers is pretty heavily off centre.

• I thought we’d decided who the sound of 2018 was going to be, but MTV has just announced that the winner of its annual Brand New prize is Mabel. “This year is going to be incredible”, she insists.

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

READ MORE ABOUT: Andrew WK | BRIT Awards | British Summer Time | Clark | Decca | Django Django | Download Festival | Gaz Coombes | Gilles Peterson | Glassjaw | Justin Timberlake | Let's Eat Grandma | Mabel | MTV | Paul Simon | Sophie | The Damned | The Go! Team | The Great Escape

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 11:24 | By Andy Malt

Taylor Swift no good at writing songs because she’s lazy, says Quincy Jones

And Finally Artist News

Taylor Swift is no good at writing songs, mainly because she doesn’t put the effort in. So says Quincy Jones.

Asked if he’s a fan of Swift’s work in an interview with GQ, the producer said: “We need more songs, man. Fucking songs, not hooks … Since I was a little kid, I’ve always heard the people that don’t wanna do the work. It takes work, man. The only place you find success before work is the dictionary, and that’s alphabetical”.

Taylor Swift is definitely successful, so I’m not sure that analogy works on any level. As for what he’d do to polish up a Swift song if she came into his studio, he added: “I’ll figure something out. Man, the song is the shit – that’s what people don’t realise. A great song can make the worst singer in the world a star. A bad song can’t be saved by the three best singers in the world. I learned that 50 years ago”.

When the interviewer protested that, in fact, many people do consider Swift a good songwriter – even one of the best of her generation – Jones dismissed this too. “But they don’t know, man”, he said. “They don’t know. I’ve come and gone through seven decades of this shit. Seen all that. Seen how that works. Ignorance is no thing”.

Discussing other artists he’s taken a dislike to during those 70 years, talk turned to Jones’ distaste for Elvis. “Motherfucker couldn’t sing”, he decreed.

READ MORE ABOUT: Quincy Jones | Taylor Swift

Wednesday 31 January 2018, 10:36 | By Andy Malt

Approved: Anna

CMU Approved

Having put out releases via a variety of labels over the last few years, techno producer Anna makes her first appearance in the Kompakt catalogue with new EP ‘Speicher 101’.

Putting something out on the legendary Berlin label seemed like “a distant dream”, she says, adding: “I have so many records from Kompakt, I’ve had them since I started, and even though I played so many different styles through the years, I can safely say that Kompakt has always been in my crate”.

The twelve-inch release finds her on fantastic form, with two intense and enveloping tracks, ‘Hidden Beauties’ and ‘The Dansant’.

Listen to a clip of ‘Hidden Beauties’ here, or listen to the full track on our CMU Approved playlist on Spotify.

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

READ MORE ABOUT: Anna

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:46 | By Chris Cooke

Content Creators Coalition urges Congress to investigate YouTube’s ‘non-disparagement agreements’ with artists

Business News Digital Legal Top Stories

American artist-led lobbying group the Content Creators Coalition – aka C3 – has called on the judiciary committees in US Congress to investigate those recent reports that YouTube has included so called ‘non-disparagement agreements’ in partnership deals it has struck up with artists.

Various sources recently told Bloomberg that such clauses have been included in agreements reached between the Google video site and certain specific artists which YouTube is directly supporting by funding video production and/or marketing activities.

The inclusion of such terms is probably not surprising, given how much YouTube dissing there has been within the music community in recent years. The music industry, of course, is hoping to get copyright law reformed to reduce the reach of the so called safe harbour. Many record labels and music publishers – and artists and songwriters – reckon YouTube exploits the safe harbour to pay much lower royalties than other streaming services.

In its report on the ‘non-disparagement agreements’, Bloomberg conceded that such terms “are common in business”, though noted that other streaming platforms directly supporting artists are not generally making similar demands.

Either way, in a letter to the chairs of the Congressional judiciary committees in both the Senate and the House Of Representatives, C3 argues that the ‘don’t-diss-YouTube’ clauses are “clearly aimed at thwarting the Congressional review of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbours as well as the public debate about the issue”.

The US Copyright Office, which sits under the Library Of Congress, has been reviewing the American copyright safe harbour for sometime. Meanwhile in Europe, safe harbour reform is contained with the draft copyright directive that is still going through the motions.

Referencing the Copyright Office review, and the American music industry’s resulting campaign calling for safe harbour reform, the C3 letter goes on: “An unprecedented groundswell of artists have called out Google for gaming outdated laws to facilitate YouTube’s profiteering from rampant music piracy on its service. In filings to the Copyright Office, a cross section of music creators argue that the DMCA’s safe harbours are actually ‘safe havens’ that allow platform monopolies to use the ubiquity of unlicensed free music on their services as a cudgel in negotiations to drive down their own licensing costs”.

On the ‘non-disparagement agreements’, the letter goes on: “We are deeply troubled by recent reports indicating that ‘YouTube has asked musicians to agree not to disparage the streaming-video service in exchange for promotional support, according to people familiar with the matter, a way to quell persistent criticism by artists’. Simply put, Google has abused its monopoly power to give artists pennies on the dollar and appears to be further abusing that power to buy the silence of artists who might otherwise speak out and draw public scrutiny to these practices”.

The letter concludes: “With jurisdiction over copyright and antitrust laws, the judiciary committees are uniquely situated to get to the bottom of these apparent abuses. We ask that you do so swiftly”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Content Creators Coalition | YouTube

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:44 | By Chris Cooke

We Shall Overcome is public domain in the US after copyright case settled

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

The iconic protest song ‘We Shall Overcome’ has been confirmed as a public domain work in the US after the long running legal dispute on the copyright status of the piece was settled last week.

A lawsuit was filed over the copyright status of ‘We Shall Overcome’ in April 2016. The people behind the lawsuit argued that the song was no longer protected by copyright in the US, and in a bid to prove that fact they hired the lawyers who previously successfully argued that ‘Happy Birthday’ was also out of copyright Stateside.

Music publisher Ludlow Music – which registered the song with the US Copyright Office in the early 1960s – reckoned that the work was still in copyright.

However, versions of the song had been published prior to that date, most notably by an organisation involving folk singer Pete Seeger in the 1940s. Seeger is very much associated with the song, and amended and added to it over the years, though the actual origins of the original version are not known.

Either way, by US copyright rules of the time, any copyright that existed in the 1940s published version expired sometime ago. However, Ludlow Music argued that the version filed with the Copyright Office in the 1960s was an evolution of the song and therefore a derivative work subject to a separate copyright. Which it controlled.

With the most famous first verse of the song, there were some nominal differences between the version published in the 1940s and the version registered in the 1960s. In particular, the key lyric evolved from “we will overcome” to “we shall overcome”. The question for the court considering the case, then, was whether or not those changes were sufficient to say that the 1940s and 1960s versions were two separate songs protected by separate copyrights.

Last year, in summary judgement, a judge ruled that they were not, and therefore at least the first verse of the song was public domain. Other questions remained over the wider song, however, which the judge said would require a full trial to consider. That was scheduled to take place next month.

However, a settlement has now been reached in which Ludlow Music has declared that both the melody and lyrics of ‘We Shall Overcome’ are “hereafter dedicated to the public domain”. Which means third parties wishing to make use of the work in the US will no longer require a licence or need to pay any royalties.

It’s fair to say that Ludlow, perhaps unsurprisingly, isn’t especially pleased with the outcome of the case. After noting that an educational charity was the main beneficiary of royalties generated by the copyright, it also argued that a song very closely associated with the civil rights movement in the US would no longer have a protector.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the music firm said in a statement: “Now, given its more limited copyright protection, any individual, corporation, or advertising agency may use the song’s words and melody in any manner they wish, including inaccurate historical uses, commercials, parodies, spoofs and jokes, and even for political purposes by those who oppose civil rights for all Americans. This is the saddest result of this case. In this era of hate and divisiveness, now more than ever, ‘We Shall Overcome’ should be a fully protected work and cherished as a national treasure”.

The lawyers who led on the other side of the dispute were pleased with the outcome, which they reckon is very much for the common good. THR quotes attorney Randall Newman as saying: “We are pleased that this settlement resolves the litigation and puts the melody and all verses of the iconic song ‘We Shall Overcome’ into the public domain where it belongs. The defendants can no longer prevent how this song will be used in the future”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Ludlow Music | We Shall Overcome Foundation

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:41 | By Andy Malt

Universal exec Charlie Walk accused of sexual harassment

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

Universal Music has said that it will conduct “a full and complete review” into allegations of sexual misconduct made against Charlie Walk, the President of its US-based label Republic Records.

The allegations were made by former Director Of Millennial Research & Marketing at Sony’s Columbia label, Tristan Coopersmith.

Writing on the website for the life coaching company she now runs, she wrote about the excitement she felt in 2004 after being headhunted by Walk – who was then EVP Of Creative Marketing And Promotion at the Sony division. However, she says, as well as providing her with “opportunities beyond my wildest imagination”, he “also made me feel sick to my stomach almost every day”.

“For a year I shuddered at the idea of being called into your office”, she writes, speaking directly to Walk in the letter. “You would stealthily close the door and make lewd comments about my body and share your fantasies of having sex with me. I was 27. No previous experience had taught me what to do in such a situation. So I laughed it off, gently reminded you that you were married with children, and tried to change the subject. But you were relentless. You would instant message me throughout the day making sexual remarks. Truly vulgar words and ideas. Pervasively”.

She goes on to say that she was often invited to dinners, where Walk would put his hand on her thigh and whisper sexual comments to her. On some occasions, she says, while his wife was also at the table.

Coopersmith goes on to allege that, on one occasion, at an event at Walk’s home, he “cornered me and pushed me into [his] bedroom and onto [his] bed” while his wife was in the next room. “You being drunk and me being six inches taller was my saving grace”, she writes.

After a year, she says that she worked up the courage to tell another Columbia exec about Walk’s actions. However, rather that repercussions for him, it triggered her exit from the company.

“He wasn’t surprised”, writes Coopersmith of her conversation with the other unnamed exec. “He told me that there was nothing I could do about it, but that he would help me co-ordinate a graceful exit if I wanted. I was paid to keep my mouth shut and my reputation intact. I’m ashamed of that piece but it’s a truthful part of my story. I took that dirty money and moved to LA”.

After this, Coopersmith worked as an Executive Director at talent agency CAA. However, she goes on, she feels that her success in the music industry was in part reliant upon keeping quiet about her experience of sexual harassment. Over time, she “saw there were so many Charlie Walks” and eventually decided to leave the industry altogether.

Walk, meanwhile, went on to become President of Sony’s Epic Records from 2005 to 2009. He joined Universal’s Republic Records Group in 2013, becoming its President in 2016. He is also a judge on new US TV singing competition ‘The Four: Battle For Stardom’, alongside Sean Combs, DJ Khaled and Meghan Trainor.

In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, Walk denied the allegations made against him, saying: “It is very upsetting to learn of this untrue allegation made by someone who worked with me fifteen years ago, without incident”.

He went on: “There has never been a single HR claim against me at any time during my 25+ year career, spanning three major companies. I have consistently been a supporter of the women’s movement and this is the first time I have ever heard of this or any other allegation – and it is false”.

While Sony Music has offered no comment, Universal said that it would investigate despite the alleged incidents taking place before Walk joined the company: “While it appears this blog post relates to the period prior to Mr Walk’s appointment to his position at Republic Records, we take the allegations very seriously and intend to conduct a full and complete review of this matter”.

Fox, which broadcasts ‘The Four’, said in its own statement: “We have only recently learned of these past allegations regarding Mr Walk. We are currently reviewing this matter and are committed to fostering a safe environment on all of our shows”.

As a result of the #MeToo movement, an increasing number of women have come forward with allegations of sexual harassment and assault against men in the music industry, including several major label execs. In December, Warner Music in the US launched an investigation, following claims of misconduct by two senior members of staff. Meanwhile, a Warner exec in Sweden was fired earlier the same month. Prior to #MeToo, in May last year, Epic Records President LA Reid departed the company suddenly, seemingly following a harassment allegation.

READ MORE ABOUT: Charlie Walk | Columbia Records | Epic Records | Republic Records | Sony Music | Universal Music

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:37 | By Chris Cooke

CI owner state51 rejigs putting three businesses under one board

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers

Independent music group state51 has announced a restructure that will bring its three core businesses – technology platform OpenIMP, digital music delivery experts CI and label services business The state51 Conspiracy – under one board.

That board will consist of the group’s founder Paul Sanders as well as Paul Curran, the former Sony COO who has been Chair of CI since 2011, and Beggars Group director and UK Music Chair Andy Heath.

Confirming the rejig, Sanders said: “When I started out in digital music in 1991 I realised that a 21st century music company would need to be radically different to the old model. We now operate in a digital market, but the music industry needs scale and brave new thinking to meet the challenges of the 2020s”.

On the rejig itself, he added: “This restructuring configures us to deliver our massive technology advantage with an unmatched depth of music industry knowledge and state51’s legendary creativity”.

The company has also been accepted to participate in the London Stock Exchange’s Elite programme, which seeks to support privately owned businesses as they “prepare and structure for their next stage of growth”.

On the firm’s plans for growth, Curran told reporters: “Scaling up to the challenges and opportunities of the future global music industry requires – on top of deep music and technology knowledge – world class business skills, and we have been planning accordingly. It’s rewarding to see that this depth of preparation is now being recognised by bodies such as the LSE, as state51 becomes the first music company to be accepted into its Elite programme, which also notes our ambitions for the business”.

He continued: “Having been Chairman of CI since 2011 I have watched state51 develop. It has been exciting to have helped with the consolidation of the businesses and I am positive that the group is now perfectly placed to offer a very distinct route to market for artists and labels”.

READ MORE ABOUT: The state51 Conspiracy

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:34 | By Andy Malt

Tom Overbury joins Syco

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

Tom Overbury has been announced as a new Senior A&R Manager at Sony’s Syco Music. He was previously in the same role at Warner/Chappell.

In a statement, Overbury says: “I feel honoured to be given the opportunity to join Syco and work with Simon Cowell, Tyler Brown and what is an exceptionally talented A&R team. Their track record is one of the most respected both in the UK music industry and around the world, and it’s one I’m determined to add to”.

The there mentioned Syco Music MD Tyler Brown adds: “Tom has enjoyed great success signing and working with some incredible artists and writers, including our own Ina Wroldsen. We’re delighted to welcome him to the Syco A&R team”.

Tom Overbury did sign Ina Wroldsen to Warner/Chappell, that’s not a lie.

READ MORE ABOUT: Syco | Tom Overbury

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:33 | By Andy Malt

Scottish live industry calls on Scottish government to adopt agent of change

Business News Legal Live Business

DF Concerts boss Geoff Ellis has called on the Scottish Parliament to introduce the ‘agent of change’ principle into planning law in the country in order to protect music venues.

The UK government recently announced that it would implement the principle into its planning guidelines. However, those rules only apply in England. The Welsh government, meanwhile, announced plans to implement the rule last May.

Agent of change basically puts the onus on property developers to protect new residential buildings from sound emanated from existing buildings nearby.

The lack of such an obligation has been a particular issue for music venues, which often move into run down areas of cities where rents are cheaper, in turn helping to regenerate those areas. Once made more desirable, the area attracts developers, who build new properties, into which new people move, who then complain about the noise from the venue that made it an area they’d like to live in in the first place.

The cost of sound proofing is prohibitively high for most small venues, and sound limits imposed by local councils in the wake of complaints often make putting on gigs impossible. Meanwhile, by the point this becomes a problem, the property developers are generally long gone.

The UK government recently announced plans to introduce agent of change into its planning rules that cover England. This followed a campaign by various music industry groups and proposed new legislation presented in Parliament by Labour MP John Spellar.

Geoff Ellis is now leading a group of Scottish live music industry reps in calling on the government there to implement agent of change in Scotland too.

“Right now, music venues in Scotland are under threat and we need to act quickly to protect their future”, he said in a statement. “Our venues are vital – they’re incubators for future headline acts, bring communities together through live concerts and generate £334 million to the Scottish tourism economy – therefore it’s crucial we make sure they remain open”.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We are looking at whether more can be done”.

For more on the campaign, click here.

READ MORE ABOUT: DF Concerts | Geoff Ellis

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:28 | By Chris Cooke

BBC announces details of The Biggest Weekend

Artist News Business News Gigs & Festivals Live Business Media

The BBC has announced more details about the big music festival it is staging in May because, you know, Glastonbury is on a fallow year and Glastonbury is the only music festival in the UK, which means we are all relying on the BBC to fill the void.

If only someone else somewhere in this country of ours would think to set up a music festival that the BBC could champion and cover and support. But no, all you lazy fuckers continue to refuse to stage innovative, invigorating and awe-inspiring music events, so the BBC is going to have stage its own thing to have any live music to broadcast this summer.

With that in mind, it’s put in calls to Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Noel Gallagher, Snow Patrol, Beck, Billy Ocean, Manic Street Preachers, Courtney Barnett, Nigel Kennedy, Eliza Carthy & The Wayward Band and Public Service Broadcasting. Between them they’ll play at four sites around the UK on the bank holiday weekend at the end of May.

Because, yes, the BBC’s Biggest Weekend festival is a truly national event. It takes place in Coventry, Perth, Swansea and Belfast. So that’s England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all covered.

Which means the UK’s community of brilliant, risk-taking, game-changing independent festival promoters – oblivious of where they are based – will all be equally fucked over by an empire-building, silo-inhabiting, arrogance-infested British Broadcasting Corporation that would much rather compete with the music industry than champion it.

Now, live from inside that arrogant silo, here is Empire Builder In Chief, Bobby Shennan, with some waffle: “The Biggest Weekend is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime festival for everyone that loves music, whether they are at the venues in person or enjoying the whole spectacle of performances being streamed through iPlayer along with all our TV, radio and digital networks. Wherever you are in the country, you will be part of the biggest music event, with the widest selection of musical genres, the BBC has ever put on”.

READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | BBC Biggest Weekend | BBC Music

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:24 | By Andy Malt

Frank Turner announces new album and tour dates

Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases

Frank Turner has announced that he will release his seventh solo album, ‘Be More Kind’, on 4 May.

“I wanted to try and get out of my comfort zone and do something different”, says Turner of the new LP. “Somewhere in the record, there’s a convergence of the ideas of personal and political, which is a central theme of the album”.

A particular topic in the lyrics is empathy with your enemies, he adds: “You should at least be able to inhabit the mental universe of the people you disagree with. If you can’t do that, then how do you communicate with people other than through force of arms, which is something we all agree is a bad idea”.

That said, the first track released from the album finds him in staunch opposition to the claim that the alt right movement is somehow punk rock. “That filled me with a mixture of incredulity and anger”, he says. “The idea that Breitbart or Steve Bannon think they have anything to do with punk rock makes me extremely angry. These ideas are surfacing again that collectively as a species we’ve already shot down”.

Have a listen to ‘1933’ here;

Turner will also be touring in support of the album, starting in April. Tickets go on sale on Friday, here are the dates:

13 Apr: Manchester, Academy
15 Apr: Dublin, Academy
18 Apr: Belfast, Limelight
20 Apr: Aberdeen, The Garage
21 Apr: Edinburgh, Liquid Room
22 Apr: Newcastle, Academy
24 Apr: Sheffield, Academy
25 Apr: Liverpool, Academy
27 Apr: Bristol, Academy
28 Apr: Exeter, Great Hall
30 Apr: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
1 May: Southampton, Guildhall
2 May: Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
4 May: Leicester, Academy
5 May: Oxford, Academy
8 May: Hull, City Hall
9 May: Norwich, UEA

READ MORE ABOUT: Frnak Turner

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:20 | By Andy Malt

One Liners: Absolute Radio, Eminem, Arctic Monkeys, more

Artist News Business News Gigs & Festivals Media One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Absolute Radio has announced that its Absolute Radio 90s station is now available nationally on digital radio. Absolute’s Content Director Paul Sylvester said something about “the 90s renaissance”.

• At The Drive-In have released new EP ‘Diamanté’, ahead of UK tour dates in March. The run of five shows kicks off on 9 Mar at Brixton Academy.

• Ultimate Painting have announced that they will release new album ‘Up!’, on 6 Apr. From it, this is ‘Not Gonna Burn Myself Anymore’. The band are touring the UK in April.

• Podcaster John Dredge and Validator MJ Hibbett have launched new collaboration, John Dredge And the Plinths. Their debut release, ‘The Emergency EP’, is out now. Here’s the video for lead track, ‘Going Down’.

• Benjamin Lazar Davis will release new album, ‘Nothing Matters’, on 4 May. From it, this is ‘A Love Song Seven Ways’.

• Eminem will play two shows at Twickenham Stadium on 14-15 Jul. Tickets go on sale on 2 Feb.

• Great news everybody, Arctic Monkeys were yesterday confirmed as headliners for this year’s TRNSMT festival in Glasgow. Yes, Arctic Monkeys! What a coup!

• Great news everybody, Arctic Monkeys were yesterday confirmed as headliners for this year’s Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona. Yes, Arctic Monkeys! What a coup!

• Great news everybody, Arctic Monkeys were yesterday confirmed as headliners for this year’s Flow Festival in Helsinki. Yes, Arctic Monkeys! What a coup!

• Great news everybody, Arctic Monkeys were yesterday confirmed as headliners for this year’s Mad Cool festival in Madrid. Yes, Arctic Monkeys! What a coup!

• Great news everybody, Arctic Monkeys were yesterday confirmed as headliners for this year’s NOS Alive festival in Lisbon. Yes, Arctic Monkeys! What a coup!

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

READ MORE ABOUT: Absolute Radio | Arctic Monkeys | At The Drive-In | Benjamin Lazar Davis | Eminem | Flow Festival | John Dredge | Mad Cool Festival | MJ Hibbett | NOS Alive Festival | Primavera | TRNSMT | Ultimate Painting

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 11:15 | By Andy Malt

Paul Cattermole’s S Club 7 BRIT Award back on eBay after sale falls through

And Finally Artist News Awards

I know many of you wept when you missed out on acquiring the 2000 Best Newcomer BRIT Award currently owned by S Club 7’s Paul Cattermole. You can dry your tears though, because he’s been stiffed on the payment, meaning it’s back up for sale on eBay again.

Cattermole recently told the NME that he’d put the trophy up for sale on the auction site in order to pay off some bills racked up after he’d sustained an injury during a performance of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ last year.

The sale had raised over £66,000, which surprised Cattermole as much as anyone. He did express some concern that it had been sold to a fan who lives on the other side of the world, because he’d said that he would hand deliver it. But it turns out he may have misidentified who the buyer was anyway, because it doesn’t sound like they’re that much of a fan.

“Well, I am gutted that the winning bidder was total time waster”, he wrote on Twitter, announcing the new sale. “He just wanted to wreck my sale. Grab yourself a bargain! Everyone thinks it’s sold!”

Actually, second round bidding is already up to £61,400, so not that much of a bargain. Cattermole adds that he would prefer that “no time wasters” take part in the bidding this time around.

After the original sale, Cattermole put his other BRIT Award up for auction – the 2002 Best Single trophy – which sold for just under £66,000. No word yet if that sale’s also fallen through, but maybe keep your eye out. Maybe that could be your bargain.

READ MORE ABOUT: BRIT Awards | Paul Cattermole | S Club 7

Tuesday 30 January 2018, 10:22 | By Andy Malt

Approved: Peggy Gou

CMU Approved

Having had a reasonably prolific year in 2016, her subsequent break from releases has allowed Gou to develop her sound further. The first track released from the EP, ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’, pulls in a broad range of electronic influences, with a Latin house vibe and a touch of techno, and vocals provided – for the first time on her music – in her native Korean.

“I’ve recorded my voice before but this time I tried to sing”, she says, adding modestly: “I’m not a pro singer but I did my best”.

Of the EP as a whole, she goes on: “I really wanted to represent different styles and moods on this EP, from ‘open air’ warm-up vibes to ‘proper party’. I tried to draw on all my influences of the last few years, from electro, African music, early 90s house music and also techno, especially Maurice Fulton and DMX Krew”.

Peggy Gou’s next UK show will be at Oval Space in London on 11 Mar, as part of the United Nations #HeForShe Arts Week.

Listen to ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’ here.

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

READ MORE ABOUT: Peggy Gou

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:17 | By Chris Cooke

Music industry welcomes US mechanical royalty ruling

Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal Top Stories

The US music publishing sector this weekend welcomed the news that the country’s Copyright Royalty Board is increasing the rate that must be paid whenever the mechanical rights in songs are exploited by streaming services in America. The top line mechanical royalty revenue share rate goes up from 10.5% to 15.1%, which is the largest increase since the CRB was set up.

Mechanical royalties are due whenever someone makes a copy of a song. Traditionally that meant whenever records were pressed, though it also applies to downloads and on-demand streams too. In the US there is a compulsory licence covering mechanicals, meaning that publishers and songwriters are obliged to license anyone making such copies of their songs at rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board.

The music industry has long reckoned that whenever the CRB sets royalty rates for compulsory licences in the US – or the rate courts intervene on royalty rates charged by American performing rights organisations BMI and ASCAP – music makers always end up being short changed.

That’s partly because of the criteria the CRB and rate courts employ. Which is why the recently proposed Music Modernization Act in Congress seeks to alter those criteria, a move that it’s hoped will push rates up in the future. Though, after a lot of lobbying and legal wrangling, the US music publishers got a pretty good deal for 2018-2022 under the current system.

In the US, record companies pay the mechanical royalties on CDs and downloads, while the streaming services pay mechanicals directly to songwriters and publishers. Which means that when the mechanical royalty rate is under review these days, both labels and digital services sit across the table from the publishers. Though a deal was reached with the former, so it was the streaming rates that everyone was waiting for the CRB to rule on.

The National Music Publishers Association outlined the specifics of the CRB’s new ruling on mechanicals on Saturday. It stated: “The court’s decision includes a significant increase in the overall percentage of revenue paid to songwriters from 10.5% to 15.1% over the next five years – the largest rate increase in CRB history”.

It added: “Additionally, the CRB removed the ‘total content cost cap’, giving publishers the benefit of a true percentage of what labels are able to negotiate in the free market resulting in significantly higher royalties for songwriters. In addition, the CRB granted a late fee which will dramatically alter the licensing practices of digital music companies”.

Welcoming the ruling, NMPA boss David Israelite said: “We are THRILLED the CRB raised rates for songwriters by 43.8% – the biggest rate increase granted in CRB history. Crucially, the decision also allows songwriters to benefit from deals done by record labels in the free market. The ratio of what labels are paid by the services versus what publishers are paid has significantly improved, resulting in the most favourable balance in the history of the industry”.

He went on: “While an effective ratio of 3.82 to 1 is still not a fair split that we might achieve in a free market, it is the best songwriters have ever had under the compulsory licence. The court also decided in our favour regarding a late fee which will force digital music services to pay songwriters faster or be subject to a significant penalty. The bottom line is this is the best mechanical rate scenario for songwriters in US history which is critically important as interactive streaming continues to dominate the market”.

The one extra thing that the music publishers had been hoping for was a per-stream rate as well as the revenue share rate. This isn’t part of the CRB’s ruling. Which was something noted by the boss of the biggest music publisher, Sony/ATV’s Marty Bandier, though even he was optimistic overall.

He told reporters yesterday: “As the leading music publisher, we believe that overall this is a very positive ruling by the CRB as it will deliver an unprecedented topline rate increase for songwriters and publishers over the next five years. While we are disappointed not to get the per-stream rate that we wanted, the planned rate increases go a long way to fairly compensate our songwriters for the essential contribution they make to streaming’s success story”.

Also talking up the ruling was Bart Herbison of Nashville Songwriters Association International, who said: “Songwriters desperately need and deserve the rate increases resulting from the Copyright Royalty Board trial. The CRB was a long and difficult process but songwriters and music publishers together presented a powerful case for higher streaming royalty rates”.

The Association Of Independent Music Publishers was happy too, saying in a statement: “The AIMP is THRILLED with today’s announcement of the 44% increase in interactive streaming mechanical rates over the next five years – the biggest increase in the history of the CRB and the compulsory license. The additional benefits obtained from the late fee granted in the decision plus the removal of the total content cost cap are sorely needed elements in our path towards equitable compensation for the use of our music in the ever-growing digital economy”.

It went on: “This is an incredible victory and a testament to the great work of David Israelite and the NMPA board and staff, Bart Herbison and the NSAI board and staff, and their collective legal team. Songwriters, composers and publishers all owe them a debt of gratitude for their tireless efforts on our behalf, and the AIMP leadership and our 1000 members nationwide salute and thank them”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Association Of Independent Music Publishers | Copyright Royalty Board | Nashville Songwriters Association International | National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) | Sony Music Publishing

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:14 | By Chris Cooke

BMI and ASCAP persuade broadcasters to back Music Modernization Act

Business News Deals Labels & Publishers Legal

US collecting societies BMI and ASCAP have reached a deal with America’s National Association Of Broadcasters, ensuring the radio industry group’s support for the Music Modernization Act.

The MMA – which has now been introduced in both houses in the US Congress – primarily seeks to sort out America’s mechanical rights mess, helping streaming services avoid multi-million dollar lawsuits over unpaid mechanical royalties.

It will set up a new collecting society empowered to offer streaming firms a blanket licence covering the mechanical rights in any songs streamed that are not otherwise covered by a direct deal with a music publisher. The streaming firm will hand over mechanical royalties to the society, which will then be charged with the task of working out which publishers and songwriters need to be paid.

That system would be a huge boost to the streaming companies. The kickback for the songwriters and publishers is an overhaul of the way rates are set in the US by the Copyright Royalty Board and the rate courts whenever compulsory licences – or licences administered by collecting societies BMI and ASCAP – are in play.

The music industry reckons that criteria currently employed by the CRB and rate courts short-change publishers and songwriters. New criteria could see future rates go up, for both the mechanical and performing rights in songs. The streaming firms will nonetheless back those changes, despite possible rate increases, because the blanket licence for mechanical rights they will get in return will bring to an end millions – if not billions – in liabilities for when a streaming service can’t work out which publisher or writer to pay.

However, if performing right royalties go up as a result of the new rate court criteria, that will affect traditional radio stations too. They don’t generally exploit mechanical rights, unless they also run on-demand streaming services. This means that traditional radio – a powerful lobby in Washington – could lose out as a result of the MMA with no accompanying kickback. As a result, the broadcasters might seek to block legislation that the streaming firms need to get through as quickly as possible.

BMI and ASCAP reaching an agreement with the NAB is therefore important. The two collecting societies and the radio industry trade group put out a joint statement on Friday confirming that such an agreement had been reached.

They stated: “We are extremely happy to announce that the NAB, ASCAP and BMI have reached an agreement regarding the Music Modernization Act. This agreement resolves NAB’s concerns with the potential introduction of new evidence into the rate-setting process while preserving ASCAP’s and BMI’s ability to seek meaningful compensation from the growing digital music marketplace”.

They continued: “Our three organisations have enjoyed a long, unique and successful relationship, and as a result, we were able to work together to find a path forward on this important legislation that is fair to all parties”.

Finally, they name-checked the political types leading on the MMA in Congress, concluding: “We greatly appreciate the support of the bill’s sponsors, in particular Representatives Doug Collins and Hakeem Jeffries, and Senators Orrin Hatch, Lamar Alexander, Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris Coons, for their leadership in facilitating this agreement and advancing important music licensing reforms”.

READ MORE ABOUT: ASCAP | BMI | Music Modernization Act | National Association Of Broadcasters

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:11 | By Andy Malt

Kieron Donoghue launches new streaming-focussed indie label, Humble Angel

Business News Digital Industry People Labels & Publishers

Warner Music’s former VP Global Playlists Strategy – Kieron Donoghue – has announced the launch of a new streaming-focussed indie label, Humble Angel Records.

Donoghue joined Warner Music in 2014 after it bought his Playlists.net company. Last year, it was announced that he would helm a new imprint at the mini-major, Artists To Watch, which would sign acts and attempt to promote them through streaming alone. However, in October, he announced that he was leaving the company. As he did so, Artists To Watch was seemingly also wound up.

Speaking to Billboard, he explained that he’d basically been given no budget to run the imprint label, and his only means of promoting acts was through the in-house playlists he already controlled. However, he did achieve some success, and so left the major with ideas of how to do things better.

“The biggest lesson I learned [from Artists To Watch] was that you have to move fast”, says Donoghue. “You have to act fast to find new music and artists just as soon as they publish a song online – act fast to reach out to them, put a contract together and then sign them. Major labels can take weeks if not months to negotiate terms, draw up legal papers and so forth, whereas Humble Angel Records is designed to do it in days, sometimes hours”.

His first singing is pop artist Jazz Mino, who has released a cover of Philip Oakey and Giorgio Moroder’s ‘Together In Electric Dreams’ through the new label.

New acts are invited to submit music through the Humble Angel website.

READ MORE ABOUT: Humble Angel Records | Kieron Donoghue | Warner Music

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:07 | By Andy Malt

BBC to celebrate 100 years of classical performances

Business News Media

The BBC has announced a run of programmes to celebrate 100 years of classical music performances on the broadcaster’s airwaves. Various shows will appear on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3 in the run up to this year’s Proms.

New BBC Four series ‘Our Classic Century’ will be the centrepiece of the programming, charting the greatest classical performances at the BBC over the last 100 years. There will also be tie-in shows on Radio 3 and related live performances with BBC Orchestras.

Says Radio 3 Controller Alan Davey: “In the classical music industry we have to respond to changing times with new ideas and new ways of connecting with and engaging the public. Our aim will be to help people of all ages to begin a new relationship with classical music – or take their existing relationship even further – and make it a habit and passion for life”.

Meanwhile, BBC Four Controller Cassian Harrison commented: “As the home of classical music on television, BBC Four is always looking for new ways to explore the genre, and to bring the very best artists and performances to our audiences. ‘Our Classical Century’ will be an ambitious series of programmes working in collaboration with other parts of the BBC”.

The series will be brought to a close on the first night of the 2019 BBC Proms.

READ MORE ABOUT: BBC

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:05 | By CMU Editorial

Learn about deals, digital and copyright as CMU Insights returns next week

Business News Education & Events

read that blog post here and book into the seminars here.

The first CMU Insights conference sessions of 2018 will be at Output in Belfast, which takes place on Thursday 8 Feb. CMU will present a session looking at the MMF ‘Deals Guide’ published last year, explaining the different kinds of label and distributor deals now available to artists, and the pros and cons of each approach. MMF CEO Annabella Coldrick and music lawyer Will Priestley from Harbottle & Lewis will join Cooke to discuss the guide and offer plenty of insights and advice.

CMU Insights will also present two of its speed briefings at Output. These one-hour sessions offer a free sample of our training courses. The speed briefings at Output this year will explain what the music industry’s much talked about ‘value gap’ campaign is all about, and will also reveal the top five streaming challenges the industry faces as it heads into 2018.

Adds Cooke: “Output is a great music industry event, so we are glad to be back in Belfast once again. This is the first time we’ve presented the MMF ‘Deals Guide’ at a music conference, and that’s going to be a fact-packed session. Plus the speed briefings are a great free sampler of our training courses for anyone yet to attend one”.

More info on CMU Insights @ Output 2018 is available here, while you can register for the conference itself here.

READ MORE ABOUT: CMU Insights | Output Belfast

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:03 | By Andy Malt

Grammys boss says women need to “step up”, following criticism of awards gender balance

Artist News Awards

Of the many controversies surrounding last night’s Grammy Awards, there was particular focus on the lack of women celebrated during the show. Grammys boss Neil Portnow definitely helped by saying that women just needed to try harder.

Performers on the night skewed male, while only one woman was actually presented with an award during the televised ceremony – Alessia Cara for Best New Artist – there being so many categories at the Grammys that only a selection actually feature in the broadcast. There was also criticism that the only woman nominated for Best Album – Lorde – was not offered the opportunity to perform solo, while her male counterparts were.

Speaking to Variety, Portnow said: “It has to begin with women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level. [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome”.

In recent years, many women – particularly those in behind the scenes roles like producers and engineers – have spoken about the barriers they face in working their way up the music industry. Portnow admitted: “I don’t have personal experience of those kinds of brick walls that you face but I think it’s upon us – us as an industry – to make the welcome mat very obvious, breeding opportunities for all people who want to be creative and paying it forward and creating that next generation of artists”.

So, hey, that doesn’t deal with the issue of the Grammys at all. Nor does it acknowledge that there is already a generation of female artists making music that should be getting acknowledged by America’s big awards bash. So you can add that to your cut-out-and-keep collection of quotes in which Neil Portnow denies that the Grammys have any sort of diversity problem at all.

Despite this, the ceremony was in fact filled with politically charged moments – acknowledging the #MeToo movement and the horror that is Donald Trump’s presidency.

One of the big moments of the night was Kesha’s performance of her song ‘Praying’. The musician made a significant comeback last year, following years locked in various legal battles with producer Dr Luke, who she accuses of rape. Introducing the performance, Janelle Monáe said: “Just as we have the power to shape culture, we also have the power to undo the culture that does not do us well”.

Many women also walked up the red carpet carrying white roses in honour of survivors of sexual assault. This was co-ordinated by a group set up by Roc Nation’s Meg Harkins and Interscope’s Karen Rait.

In a statement, Voices In Entertainment said: “As we are inspired by the #TimesUp campaign [at the Golden Globes], we are encouraging the artists that we work with and our colleagues attending the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in New York City to wear a white rose to the ceremony. We choose the white rose because historically it stands for hope, peace, sympathy and resistance”.

Elsewhere, Logic, Alessia Cara and Khalid performed their song ‘1-800-273-8255’ – its title the phone number for the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. As they closed the ceremony, they were joined on stage by a large group of people who have survived suicide attempts and loved ones of others who haven’t.

Logic also used his time on stage to proclaim, “To all the beautiful countries… you are not shitholes”, in reference to recent comments made by President Trump. He was not the only artist to do so. However, the most overtly political moment of the ceremony was a video in which Hilary Clinton (as well as Cardi B, John Legend, DJ Khaled, Cher, and Snoop Dogg) was shown reading aloud from the recently published, and pretty damning, book on Trump’s first year in office, ‘Fire And Fury’.

On the hunt for a GRAMMY Award of his own, James Corden auditions celebrities for the spoken word version of Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury." pic.twitter.com/SjTobAbv2N

— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) January 29, 2018

Anyway, I’d tell you now who the winners all were, but the Grammys has way too many categories. Also, Bruno Mars took all three of the main prizes, which is just nonsense. You can make your way through the full list here.

READ MORE ABOUT: Alessia Cara | Grammy Awards | Hilary Clinton | Kesha | Logic | Voices In Entertainment

Monday 29 January 2018, 12:00 | By Andy Malt

One Liners: Libertines, Shakira, Jonathan Davis, more

Artist News Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• The Libertines have released a short video showing their first day in their newly acquired hotel in Margate. While the official opening is a way off yet, the recording studio the band are building inside will be finished next month, at which point they’ll start recording a new album.

• Shakira has released the video for ‘Trap’, featuring Maluma.

• Korn frontman Jonathan Davis has released ‘What It Is’, the first single from his forthcoming debut solo album. “It’s just art”, he says of the track. “I’ve changed lives with Korn, but I wanted to open minds with this shit”. Fucking hell.

• 30 Seconds To Mars have released new single ‘Dangerous Night’. They’re playing shows in the UK in March.

• Suede have announced that they will release a 25th anniversary edition of their debut album on 20 Mar. It will feature a quite unnecessary three extra CDs and a DVD of bonus material. “The album is charged with a naivety but it manages to have a feel which I still love”, says Brett Anderson.

• Noel Gallagher has released the video for new single ‘It’s A Beautiful World’, taken from his bloody awful new album ‘Who Built The Moon?’

• Soko has released a video for her cover of Yves Simon’s ‘Diablo Menthe’.

• Scandal will release new album, ‘Honey’, on 2 Mar. From it, this is ‘Koisuru Universe’.

• Anushka have released new single ‘Hitman’. The track is taken from a forthcoming new EP. They’re touring in March and April.

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

READ MORE ABOUT: 30 Seconds To Mars | Anushka | Jonathan Davis | Korn | Maluma | Noel Gallagher | Scandal | Shakira | Soko | Suede | The Libertines | Thirty Seconds To Mars

Monday 29 January 2018, 11:55 | By Andy Malt

Shaun Ryder saves Roy Walker from drowning

And Finally Artist News

Shaun Ryder may have a new career as a lifeguard. Former ‘Catchphrase’ presenter Roy Walker is “eternally grateful” to the Happy Mondays frontman for saving him from drowning.

The two men were (of course) filming a new ITV reality TV show in Sardinia, called ‘100 Years Younger In 21 Days’. Depending on how far they were into filming, Walker may have been anything up to -33 years old, which may account for the accident.

According to The Sun, Walker fell into the sea after a paddleboard he was on was hit by a wave. Seeing that the comedian was in trouble, Ryder jumped in to save him. It was, says an unnamed source, “a real superhero moment”.

A rep for Walker told Digital Spy: “He says he’s eternally grateful to Shaun and has made a lifelong friend – a longer life than he would have had otherwise!”

The premise of the show is to slightly extend the lives of some celebrities you’d forgotten about, using a variety of age-reversal techniques. Contrary to what I said earlier, the eight personalities are aiming to improved their life expectancies by 100 years between them.

It’s possible that the statement on behalf of Walker also hints that it hasn’t really worked.

READ MORE ABOUT: Roy Walker | Shaun Ryder

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