Thursday 29 March 2018, 13:04 | By Paul Vig

Vigsy’s Easter Club Tips

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Well, it’s Easter, which means four days off. You could just sit around eating chocolate for 96 straight hours. Or, my personal preference, eat chocolate during the daylight hours and then dance off the calories all night. There’s a whopping range of nights on offer. I’ve picked three to check out.

Bedrock XX at Fabric
Tonight sees the 20th anniversary of Bedrock at Fabric. John Digweed takes to this superclub with Chelina Manuhutu, Gabriel Ananda, Guy J, Julian Jeweil and Marc Romboy.
Thursday 29 Mar, Fabric, 77a Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6HJ, 11pm-7am, £21. More info here.

Gilles Peterson at Dreamland
Friday sees Gilles Peterson head down to Margate to play at Dreamland, to celebrate the opening of the amusement park for its summer season. He’ll play at the Hall By The Sea with support from Thris Tian.
Friday 30 Mar, Dreamland, 49-51 Marine Terrace, Margate, Kent, CT9 1XJ, 9.30pm-2am, £16.50. More info here.

Memory Box at Corsica Studios
Saturday takes us to the Corsica Studios. This mid-sized club ropes in a real legend of electronic music, Mr Juan Atkins, who really needs no introduction as one of the founders of Detroit techno. Also, there will be Frankie Bones, Robin Ball and the Memory Box Acid Rave take over in Room Two.
Saturday 31 Mar, Corsica Studios, 5 Elephant Road, London, SE17 1LB, 11pm-6am, £15. More info here.

READ MORE ABOUT: Gilles Peterson | John Digweed | Juan Atkins

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:53 | By Andy Malt

Charlie Walk leaves Universal

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Charlie Walk has stepped down as President of Universal’s Republic label in the US after he and the company “mutually agreed to part ways”. This follows various allegations of sexual harassment against the long-term record industry exec.

Initial accusations were made against Walk by a former colleague, Tristan Coopersmith, earlier this year. In a blog post on her website she detailed various incidents with Walk during their time working together at Sony’s Columbia label in around 2004. This prompted several other women to come forward with claims against him.

Walk was placed on leave by Universal pending an independent investigation. He also sat out of the finale episode of ‘The Four’, the TV talent show on which he was a judge. He has denied all the allegations made against him, calling them “upsetting” and “untrue”.

Universal confirmed Walk’s departure in a short statement, saying: “Republic Records and Charlie Walk have mutually agreed to part ways”.

Speaking to Variety about Walk’s departure from Republic, Coopersmith said: “I applaud all the women who shared their truth and I am gratified that Universal created a safe process for them to do so. This behaviour in the workplace will only stop when we band together, unafraid”.

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

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:10 | By Andy Malt

Classical musician wins landmark High Court ruling on hearing damage

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Viola player Chris Goldscheider has won a landmark case against the Royal Opera House in the High Court. He accused the venue of being liable for hearing damage he sustained during a rehearsal six years ago, citing ROH’s possible responsibilities under UK Noise Regulations.

This is the first time that a sufferer of so called ‘acoustic shock’ has been awarded compensation by a court. The ruling could therefore have huge implications for the classical music industry, and the wider music business as a whole.

Goldscheider said that he suffered severe hearing damage during a rehearsal of Wagner’s ‘Die Walkure’ in 2012 after sound levels of the performance reached 130 decibels. He said that he had been left unable to hear sound normally without experiencing pain. As a result he has to wear ear protection to carry out even normal household tasks.

He says that he spent eighteen months attempting to recover unsuccessfully. He eventually left the Royal Opera House in 2014 as a result of his injuries.

The Royal Opera House said that it was “surprised and disappointed” by the ruling. In court, its lawyers had argued that ‘acoustic shock’ does not in fact exist, and that the musician had not suffered hearing damage as a result of the performance. Instead, it was claimed, he had naturally developed Meniere’s disease at the same time as being involved in the rehearsal.

High Court judge Justice Nicola Davies did not agree, saying: “I regard the defendant’s contention that Meniere’s disease developed at the rehearsal as stretching the concept of coincidence too far”.

She also disputed the ROH’s claim that a certain amount of hearing loss was justifiable in the pursuit of great art. “Such a stance is unacceptable”, she said. “Musicians are entitled to the protection of the law, as is any other worker”.

In a statement, the ROH said: “We have been at the forefront of industry-wide attempts to protect musicians from the dangers of exposure to significant levels of performance sound, in collaboration with our staff, the Musicians’ Union, acoustic engineers and the Health & Safety Executive”.

“Although this judgment is restricted to our obligations as an employer under the Noise Regulations, it has potentially far-reaching implications for the Royal Opera House and the wider music industry”, it continued.

It added: “We do not believe that the Noise Regulations can be applied in an artistic institution in the same manner as in a factory, not least because in the case of the Royal Opera House, sound is not a by product of an industrial process but is an essential part of the product itself”.

However, Goldscheider’s solicitor, Chris Fry, told the BBC: “This case has huge significance and will send shockwaves across the music business. It has considered itself exempt from the same regulatory requirements as all other sectors because of the artistic nature of its output. This, in our view, has always been a dismissive view from an industry which creates and sells ‘noise’ as a product”.

Damages have not yet been set. The Royal Opera House is considering whether or not to appeal.

READ MORE ABOUT: Chris Goldscheider | Royal Opera House

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:09 | By Andy Malt

Pharrell renews Sony/ATV deal

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Pharrell Williams has renewed his worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV. The deal puts him into his third decade with the publisher and comes hot on the heels of the US courts upholding that multi-million dollar song-theft lawsuit against the top pop maker.

Says Sony/ATV CEO Marty Bandier: “Pharrell has been part of my extended music business family for two decades and his talent, creativity and songwriting abilities are only exceeded by his humanity. We are delighted and proud to continue to work with him and his team”.

Williams added: “It’s incredible to think that it’s now 20 years since I first signed a publishing deal with these guys. I look forward to continued success with Marty and Sony/ATV”.

Last week, the Ninth Circuit appeals court in the US upheld the ruling in the high profile ‘Blurred Lines’ song-theft case. It confirmed that Williams and Robin Thicke did indeed infringe Marvin Gaye’s ‘Got To Give It Up’ when they wrote their 2013 hit ‘Blurred Lines’.

Of the three judges ruling in the appeal, one dissented, arguing that it wrongly allowed Gaye’s estate to copyright the ‘vibe’ of a record. She said that upholding the earlier ruling “establishes a dangerous precedent that strikes a devastating blow to future musicians and composers everywhere”.

The other two judges claimed that his was “unfounded hyperbole”. Further appeals are likely.

READ MORE ABOUT: Pharrell Williams | Sony Music Publishing

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:08 | By Andy Malt

BMG signs new deal with Ninja Tune Production Music

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BMG has signed a deal to represent Ninja Tune’s production music library outside the UK.

Launched last October, Ninja Tune Production Music make tracks by artists including Coldcut, Mr Scruff, Amon Tobin and Kid Koala available to brands and producers of film, TV and videogames.

“We are THRILLED to welcome Ninja Tune Production Music to the BMG family and proud to represent the NTPM catalogue worldwide”, says BMG Production Music’s John Clifford. “Not only are the music and artists brilliant, it speaks volumes about our global ethos that such an influential, well-known and respected label chose to partner with BMGPM for their new production music arm”.

Head Of Licensing at Ninja Tune Martin Dobson adds: “After talking to all the main players, BMGPM’s enthusiasm and confidence in our songs, impressive plans for promoting our production music catalogue and their vision for major expansion within the industry made them the stand out choice”.

At the same time, BMG Production Music also announced a new deal with UK label Dynamic Music to represent its recordings for sync worldwide. Dynamic boss Rachel Menzies is also “THRILLED”.

READ MORE ABOUT: BMG | Dynamic Music | Ninja Tune

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:05 | By Andy Malt

Warner Music acquires AI A&R tool Sodatone

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Warner Music has acquired Sodatone, a data-crunching platform that seeks to help with artist development and fanbase building. The label says the deal will enable it to better “search for the superstars of tomorrow”.

Founded by data scientists Jerry Zhang and Arjun Bali, Sodatone’s software pulls in data from social media, streaming platforms and touring companies. It then mashes it all up with a bit of machine learning and spits out predictors of success, based on things like fan loyalty and general reaction to an artists’ activities.

“At Warner Music, we’re creating an entrepreneurial environment where art and technology thrive together”, says Warner’s recordings chief Max Lousada. “Arjun and Jerry are two talented pioneers, whose passion for algorithms and trends is matched by our love for music and culture”.

He goes on: “They understand that A&R instinct has always been informed by different types of data, and have created a tool that brings new sophistication and foresight to creative decisions. As the youngest member of our growing family of brands, Sodatone will help to differentiate us in the search for the superstars of tomorrow”.

Zhang and Bali add in a joint statement: “We chose Warner Music Group as our new home because we respect the company’s openness to experimentation and admire their approach to artist development. Having worked with so many music companies, it will be inspiring to be closer to the music-making process, and explore how we can fine-tune our technology to make it an even more powerful tool in the hands of the creatives”.

Despite now being owned by Warner Music, Sodatone says that it will continue to offer its services to artist managers, agents, promoters and indie labels. Whether they’ll like the idea of having all their artist data on servers owned by a major label remains to be seen.

READ MORE ABOUT: Sodatone | Warner Music

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:04 | By Andy Malt

UK Music welcomes new creative industry funding from UK government

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Cross-sector trade group UK Music has welcomed a commitment by the UK government to pump £150 million into the creative industries. The deal is part of the government’s Industrial Strategy, which in part aims to help prepare UK business to weather that oncoming Brexit storm.

UK Music CEO Michael Dugher says: “For more than a year, UK Music has worked intensively with the government and the Creative Industries Council to get the best possible deal for the music industry. I’m delighted that the government has listened and delivered a deal which should pave the way for the UK music industry to continue its world-beating success story”.

He continues: “We welcome the commitment to strengthen the talent pipeline to address current and future skills needs, as well ensuring the industry is more representative of UK society. The creative industries sector deal provides a fantastic opportunity to boost the competitiveness of our industry, which contributes £4.4 billion to the UK economy, generates exports of £2.5 billion and employs over 140,000 people”.

The new funding includes £2 million for that poorly conceived and badly implemented ‘Get It Right’ anti-piracy campaign, so you know it must be a great deal. There is also money for continued work in closing the ‘value gap’ and plans to launch of a Trade And Investment Board that will aim to boost creative industries exports by 50% by 2023.

You can read the full creative industries sector deal policy paper here.

READ MORE ABOUT: UK Music

Thursday 29 March 2018, 12:02 | By Andy Malt

Association Of Independent Festivals becomes standalone organisation

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The Association Of Independent Festivals is to launch as a standalone operation from next week. It has essentially operated as a division of the Association Of Independent Music since its inception in 2008.

Newly promoted from General Manager to Chief Executive of AIF, Paul Reed says: “Following ten successful years, it feels like AIF has grown up and is ready to leave home. I’d like to thank all at AIM for supporting and nurturing AIF, enabling us to grow from a handful of promoters around a table to an invaluable support network for our 65 members”.

“I’m incredibly excited about the future”, he continues. “We’re working on a number of initiatives and campaigns for this year and, with a new team in place, we’re in a strong position to move on to the next phase of our development”.

AIF was co-founded by Bestival’s Rob da Bank and Ben Turner with support from then AIM Chief Executive Alison Wenham. Rob da Bank remains on the board of directors, alongside other representatives from the live and festivals sector. Generator’s Jim Mawdsley acts as Chair, while Vice Chair is Goc O’Callaghan of the ArcTanGent festival.

Commenting on AIF becoming a standalone entity, current AIM CEO Paul Pacifico says: “It is fantastic to see AIF take the next step in their development and incorporate. This is yet another sign of the strength and sense of community in the independent music sector that AIM exists to support and empower. I would like to congratulate Paul Reed and his team on their great work and the critical work they do for their members. I very much look forward to working closely with them into the future”.

As AIF moves into new offices in Vauxhall’s Handbag Factory, Reed is joined in the day-to-day running of things by Phoebe Rodwell in the newly created role of Membership And Project Co-ordinator. She was previously at the UK Music Managers Forum.

READ MORE ABOUT: Association Of Independent Festivals (AIF) | Association of Independent Music (AIM) | Paul Reed | Phoebe Rodwell

Thursday 29 March 2018, 11:59 | By Andy Malt

Radar founder launches new awards for short-form video

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Founder of music video and visuals commissioning platform Radar, Caroline Bottomley, has set up a new venture called the Shiny Awards.

In some ways an evolution and extension of Radar’s own previous awards programme, the new initiative seeks to discover, champion and support new directors working across music video, branded content and short-form drama and documentaries

“There’s room for some disruption and innovation in the awards sector”, Bottomley reckons. “Entrants are under-served, with many emerging directors complaining of questionable benefits for winners”.

She goes on to explain: “The Shiny Awards are the first and only awards event to give written feedback from industry professionals for every entry. We also have affordable entry fees, awards to recognise commissioners of new talent, and we connect shortlisted directors to key industry gatekeepers”.

A small scale first run of the event was held in London last month, with a second larger version planned for 25 Sep this year. Entries are now open for videos under five minutes in length.

READ MORE ABOUT: Radar Music Creatives | Shiny Awards

Thursday 29 March 2018, 11:58 | By Andy Malt

One Liners: Cardi B, Carla Marie Williams, Purple, more

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Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Cardi B has signed a new management deal with Quality Control, according to Variety. Her debut album is out next week.

• Songwriter and producer Carla Marie Williams has signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Reservoir. “I’m super excited to start my new journey with Reservoir”, says Williams. “My plan is to travel the world this year, playing an active role in both writing and producing as much global music as possible, and it’s nice to finally have a team to support you in making your dreams come true!”

• Entertainment PR firm Purple has announced that it will become Satellite 414 as of next week.

• Vevo has promoted JP Evangelista to Head Of Content & Programming. He is “extremely excited”.

• Janelle Monáe is the first curator of Spotify’s new Black History Is Happening Now section. She explains: “It’s important to me to celebrate black history year round and with Spotify’s commitment to honouring the black community all year long and showcasing artists and organisations who are dedicated to imparting change”. During her month curating the channel, she will focus on Afrofuturism.

• Chvrches have released new track, ‘Never Say Die’. New album ‘Love Is Dead’ is out on 25 May.

• Ezra Furman has released the video for ‘Suck The Blood From My Wound’. He’ll be touring the UK in May.

• John Parish will release new solo album, ‘Bird Dog Dante’, on 15 Jun. Here’s first single, ‘Sorry For Your Loss’, featuring PJ Harvey.

• Wye Oak have released another new track, ‘Lifer’. Their new album, ‘The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs’, is out next week.

• Slow Club’s Charles Watson has released new single ‘Everything Goes Right’. The track is taken from his solo album, ‘Now That I’m A River’, out on 18 May.

• Alabaster DePlume will release new album ‘The Corner Of A Sphere’ on 4 May. Here’s a live performance of album track ‘Is It Enough?’

• Girls Names will release new album ‘Stains On Silence’ on 15 Jun. They’ll also be touring the UK and Ireland the same month. Here’s new single ’25’.

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

READ MORE ABOUT: Alabaster Deplumbe | Cardi B | Carla Marie Williams | Charles Watson | Chvrches | Ezra Furman | Girls Names | Janelle Monáe | John Parish | JP Evangelista | PJ Harvey | Purple Entertainment | Quality Control | Reservoir Media Management | Satellite 414 | Slow Club | Spotify | VEVO | Wye Oak

Thursday 29 March 2018, 11:57 | By Andy Malt

MIA says Jay-Z advised her to agree to “ridiculous” NFL settlement

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MIA has claimed that Jay-Z advised her to sign a settlement deal in her legal dispute with the NFL that would have pretty much involved giving up 100% of her earnings. She was sued by the American football organisation after raising her middle finger to the camera during Madonna’s Super Bowl half-time performance in 2012.

The claim comes from a new interview with Huck Magazine about upcoming documentary ‘Matangi/Maya/MIA’. The film, directed by Stephen Loveridge, covers MIA’s life story, from her discovery of hip hop when she moved to the UK as a child up to the present day. And, of course, that middle finger incident.

“[The hatred over the hand gesture] was from everybody and it just felt ridiculous”, she says. “When they hit me with the lawsuit it activated so many people to come after me on so many different levels. What’s in the film is a very tiny bit of what happened to me in real life. It’s quite entertaining for Steve to have made it into this nice little cookie but the reality of that was way worse. A lot of people I feel got off the hook”.

And that includes Jay-Z, she goes on: “I was at Roc Nation at the time and Jay-Z was managing me. The lawsuit was so ridiculous, it proposed that they would keep 100% of my earnings for the rest of my life if I ever earned more than $2 million. Jay-Z was, like, ‘you should sign that shit’ and I was, like, ‘no'”.

Even though the finger moment led to only a smattering of formal complaints from the Super Bowl’s 111.3 million viewers, the NFL pushed for compensation from the rapper through a process of arbitration, at one point asking for $16.6 million in damages. An undisclosed settlement was reached in 2014.

“A middle finger, it’s like get a fucking grip”, she continues. “People were like, ‘oh you’re lucky you’re not in jail, give up all your profit, be this slave for the rest of your life'”.

It’s at this point in the interview that she stops herself and says: “Oh god, I hope the NFL doesn’t sue me again for talking about it”. The article notes that a voice from another room then confirmed it’s not a topic she should be discussing.

“Oh, I’m not supposed to talk about it”, she says. “I’m going to eat crisps”.

Me too.

READ MORE ABOUT: Jay-Z | MIA | NFL | Super Bowl

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 11:01 | By Chris Cooke

New sex abuse allegations against R Kelly made in BBC documentary

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New allegations have been made against R&B star R Kelly in a BBC documentary. These include that he sexually abused a girl from the age of fourteen, later boasting to another woman that he had “trained” the girl to be his “pet”.

Numerous sexual abuse allegations have been made against Kelly over the years, of course, including accusations involving underage girls. He has always denied any wrongdoing and when specifically charged over claims he had filmed the sexual abuse of an underage girl, he was acquitted in 2008.

However, the musician has nevertheless been on the receiving end of numerous civil lawsuits alleging sexual abuse, most of which have been settled out of court. American journalist Jim DeRogatis has been prolific in documenting the various accusations and litigation, most recently in a piece for Buzzfeed last year.

The new BBC Three documentary features Kitti Jones, a former girlfriend of Kelly who also gave an interview to Rolling Stone magazine last year. In the new programme she alleges that Kelly groomed her over two years, forcing her to have sex with him and others in a “sex dungeon” at least ten times.

According to The Guardian, she then says: “I was introduced to one of the girls that he told me he [had] ‘trained’ since she was fourteen; those were his words. I saw that she was dressed like me, that she was saying the things I’d say, and her mannerisms were like mine. That’s when it clicked in my head that he had been grooming me to become one of his ‘pets'”.

She then claims that Kelly made the unnamed woman “crawl on the floor towards me and perform oral sex on me, and he said, ‘this is my fucking pet, I trained her – she’s going to teach you how to be with me”. The documentary doesn’t make it clear how old the unnamed woman would have been at the time of the described incident.

After last year’s Rolling Stone article was published, a rep for Kelly stated: “Mr Kelly is aware of the repeated and now evolving claims of [Ms Jones]. It is unfortunate that Ms Jones, after public statements to the contrary, is now attempting to portray a relationship history with Mr Kelly as anything other than consensual involvement between two adults”.

The rep continued: “As stated previously, Mr Kelly does not control the decision-making or force the actions of any other human being, including Ms Jones, by her own admission. Any claim of wrongdoing of any kind or of mistreatment of any woman by him is false, ill-motived and defamatory”.

The documentary also includes an interview with Rocky Bivens, who previously worked with Kelly, and who discusses attending the secret wedding ceremony in 1994 between the singer and his then fifteen year old musical protégé Aaliyah. The status and even existence of that wedding and marriage have been questioned over the years, with both Kelly and, before her death, Aaliyah, at various times denying any wedding took place.

The new BBC Three documentary ‘R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes’ – which will also air on BBC One next Tuesday night – is online here.

READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | R Kelly

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 11:00 | By Chris Cooke

New collecting society launched in Polynesia

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French collecting society SACEM has announced the launch of a new rights body in Polynesia. Called, well, SACEM Polynesia, it will license song rights to broadcasters and public places using music in the region, as well as representing the performing rights of songwriters and music publishers from that part of the world.

SACEM says that it will provide the new society “with expertise and infrastructure to enable new creators and publishers to join, register their works, and collect and distribute royalties and payments to creators and publishers in Polynesia”.

The new organisation will be run by Virginie Bruant, who says: “After working alongside Polynesian artists for several years, I am delighted with this new page that we are turning with SACEM Polynesia. Together, we will co-develop this creative house that will allow our members to be paid for their work and to support local creation”.

Meanwhile SACEM CEO Jean-Noël Tronc added: “The creation of SACEM Polynesia demonstrates once again that SACEM is mobilised more than ever to improve the collection of the royalties of songwriters, composers and publishers and thus enable culture and creativity to flourish. SACEM is proud to accompany the launch of SACEM Polynesia and contribute to the influence of Polynesian culture”.

READ MORE ABOUT: SACEM

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:59 | By Chris Cooke

OfCom confirms its new definition of ‘new music’

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UK media regulator OfCom has confirmed its new definition of ‘new music’ as applied when assessing whether BBC stations Radio 1 and Radio 2 are fulfilling their new music obligations. The new definition is twice as long as the old one, so that’s progress, right?

As part of its new regulatory remit over the BBC, OfCom is now responsible for setting each station’s ‘operating licence’, which sets out public service requirements. The respective operating licences of Radio 1 and Radio 2 include an obligation to ensure a “significant proportion” of music output is ‘new music’.

When the two stations’ new operating licences went into effect last year the question was raised as to what exactly it was about ‘new music’ that made it ‘new’. In this context, new music had previously been defined to include both tracks that were unreleased and those which had been available in physical form for less than a month.

However, that definition seemed increasingly out-dated, partly because it was linked to physical releases, and partly because the shift to streaming has seen label marketing campaigns grow in length.

Also, some labels now put whole EPs or albums online in one go, but then subsequently put the spotlight on certain tracks as if releasing them as a singles. Streaming being a sustained listening game, labels need to encourage fans to keep revisiting tracks, so that overtime sufficient royalties are earned.

All of which sounded like a fine excuse for OfCom to have a consultation. That consultation has now consulted, and OfCom has confirmed its super new definition: “A music track is to be considered ‘new music’ for a period of either: (a) twelve months from first release (whether by physical, radio, download or streaming means), or (b) six weeks from the date it first enters the Top 20 of the UK Official Singles Chart, whichever is sooner”.

Commercial radio stations that inputted into OfCom’s consultation argued that that definition gave Radio 1 and Radio 2 far too much flexibility to keep tracks in rotation for a year and still count them as ‘new music’. Meanwhile, record industry trade group the BPI said that some labels continue to market new releases for up to eighteen months, so there should actually be some flexibility on the twelve month restriction.

OfCom rejected the proposal from the commercial radio sector to cut the ‘new music’ window to six months, reckoning that doing so would “limit the ability of the BBC to discover and support emerging UK artists and of the artists to build audience familiarity with airplay over a more extended period”.

Meanwhile, on the BPI’s point, it said that – while some new tracks maybe marketed for eighteen months – it felt that most commercially successful recordings would have gained momentum within twelve. Plus Radio 1 and Radio 2 could still play slightly older ‘new’ tracks, it’s just that doing so wouldn’t count towards the respective station’s new music quota.

OfCom also discussed the chart element of the new definition, which is designed to ensure that massive hits from ten months ago are not being counted as new music. Commercial stations welcomed this addition but suggested a ‘one month in the Top 40’ limitation rather than six weeks in the Top 20, but OfCom stuck with the latter. Either way, at least this extra element gives the chart another reason for existing, so that’s nice.

Finally, beyond all this new defining of the newness of new, OfCom has also increased Radio 1’s new music quota from 45% to 50% in key time slots. Radio 2’s quota is 20%.

READ MORE ABOUT: BBC Radio 1 | BBC Radio 2 | OfCom

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:57 | By Andy Malt

Simian Mobile Disco cancel tour dates, after Jas Shaw diagnosed with rare condition

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Simian Mobile Disco have announced the cancellation of their upcoming UK tour, after the duo’s Jas Shaw was diagnosed with the rare condition AL amyloidosis.

A statement reads: “[Shaw] is receiving treatment but unfortunately this means he is not able to tour, and we have reluctantly decided that SMD’s live performances will have to be put on hold for at least a few months. We are hopeful that following treatment, he will be able to return to a full work schedule but we’re currently not in a position to confirm when this will be”.

AL amyloidosis is caused when plasma cells in a person’s bone marrow begin to produce abnormal proteins, which cannot then be broken down when they enter the bloodstream. There is no known cure, but there are a number of treatments that can be effective in managing the condition.

The duo’s upcoming performance at the Barbican in London will go ahead as planned on 4 Apr. Although they say that this will be “the final SMD show for a while”. Profits from the event will be donated to the UCL Amyloidosis Research Fund.

Simian Mobile Disco’s new album with the Deep Throat Choir, ‘Murmurations’, is set for release on 11 May.

READ MORE ABOUT: Simian Mobile Disco

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:55 | By Andy Malt

Una Healy announces new solo single and tour dates

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The Saturday’s Una Healy has announced a new single, ‘Never See Me Cry’, and UK tour dates.

Speaking about the new single, which is set for release this Friday, Healey says: “I wrote ‘Never See Me Cry’ as an empowerment anthem for anybody who’s ever had someone walk all over them. It’s a big ‘f you’ to a lover, a boss or a friend that’s ever made you feel small or worthless. It’s a fight song for everyone out there who are sick of being dominated – the tides are turning out there and it’s clear that it’s our time to take back control'”.

It’s sort of sounding like a Brexit anthem now. And maybe that’s what we need. I’m not sure if her music will sort out the Irish border problem, but the six dates on her tour are equally split between Ireland and the UK. And that’s no worse than any other idea that’s been put forward so far.

Here are the dates:

15 Jun: Killarney, INEC Acoustic Room
16 Jun: Galway, Roisn Dubh
17 Jun: Dublin, Grand Social
19 Jun: Glasgow, King Tut’s
20 Jun: Manchester, Deaf Institute
21 Jun: London, The Lexington

READ MORE ABOUT: Una Healy

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:50 | By Andy Malt

Hologram Roy Orbison to perform live with son Alex in London

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Roy Orbison is to perform with his son Alex at an upcoming London show. Yes, despite being dead. Being dead is no barrier to live performance anymore. Orbison Sr will play in hologram form – as he will be around the UK throughout April.

Alex Orbison and country duo Ward Thomas will join the hologram on stage at the Hammersmith Apollo on 19 Apr to perform ‘I Drove All Night’.

“I always dreamed it would be someday possible to join my father live on stage at one of his concerts”, says Alex Orbison. “To now have this opportunity is something I am very grateful for. And it will, without a doubt, be the very emotional performance”.

Appearing throughout the tour is the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, which reworked Orbison’s songs for an album last year.

READ MORE ABOUT: Alex Orbison | Roy Orbison | Ward Thomas

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:49 | By Andy Malt

Kelly Lee Owens announced winter London show

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Kelly Lee Owens has announced a one-off London show at Village Underground on 15 Nov.

The announcement comes as Owens releases a new remix of Björk’s ‘Arisen My Senses’, of which she says: “I felt a standard techno remix wouldn’t do all the juiciness of the track justice. This is one of the first times I used almost only the parts from the original artist, as they were too good not too!”

She goes on: “I wanted to try to extract even more joy – if it’s possible – out of the sounds than when I first heard them – which is why the final ‘chorus’ is so bright and shiny – full crescendo!”

Björk adds: “I am floored that there are musicians curious enough to take my music on. Couldn’t be more excited about watching [them] in the coming years”.

Listen to the track on Spotify here.

READ MORE ABOUT: Bjork | Kelly Lee Owens

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:46 | By Andy Malt

The Posies announce 30th anniversary tour

Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases

The Posies have announced a 30th anniversary tour, which just made me do a bit of sick in my mouth. 30th? I’m fine with bands from my youth doing 20th anniversary things, but 30th? No.

I mean, 30 years of what, anyway? They’re saying “30 years of making music”, but core members Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow started writing songs together in 1986. So that’s 32 years. And they’re touring with the line-up that recorded their 1993 album ‘Frosting On The Beater’, so that’s only 25 years. That line-up actually came together in 1992 though, so it’s 26.

Anyway, those are some extra options for you if you’re not keen on the number 30. Pick whichever one makes you feel the least like you’re on the verge of death. Here are the UK dates of the tour:

19 Oct: London, The Garage
20 Oct: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
21 Oct: Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
23 Oct: Manchester, The Deaf Institute

READ MORE ABOUT: The Posies

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:42 | By Andy Malt

One Liners: Wiley, Astralwerks, BBC, more

Artist News Business News Digital Gigs & Festivals Industry People Labels & Publishers Live Business One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• You can now receive a brief summary of what’s in each day’s CMU Daily – and read up on the stories that interest you – via Facebook Messenger. Click here to get started.

• Wiley has signed to UTA. Agent Billy Wood is “THRILLED”. As you would be.

• Toby Andrews is now General Manager of Universal’s Astralwerks label in the US, where he will be charged with “renewing the label’s historic strengths in the dance and electronic music genres”. He is both “honoured” and “excited”.

• The BBC is getting itself its first Commissioning Editor For Podcasts. Isn’t that exciting? Well, it’s exciting for Jason Phipps, who is joining the Beeb in the new podcasting role from The Guardian.

• 2 Chainz has released the video for ‘Proud’.

• Five Seconds Of Summer have released the video for their new single, ‘Want You Back’. “We’ve been rehearsing a lot”, say the band.

• Natalie Prass has released another song from her upcoming ‘The Future And The Past’ album. Here’s ‘Sisters’.

• Leon Bridges has released the video for ‘Bad Bad News’. His new album, ‘Good Thing’, is out on 4 May.

• Mark Pritchard has released the video for ‘Glasspops’. The track is taken from his new min-album, ‘The Four Worlds’.

• Sloan have released new single, ’44 Teenagers’. Their new album ’12’ is out on 6 Apr.

• Frankie Cosmos have released the video for new single, ‘Jesse’. They’re touring the UK in May, finishing up at the Scala in London on 31 May.

• Seinabo Sey is back with new single, ‘I Owe You Nothing’.

• Cocoa Futures have released new single ‘Sink In The Water’. “Getting older doesn’t always feel like growing”, says frontman Greg Sanderson. “It can feel a bit like sinking. There’s nothing inevitable about becoming a better person as you grow up and learn more. But maybe sinking is pretty good. Anyway, to keep things peppy, ‘Sink’ includes a nice happy major shift at the end!”

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

READ MORE ABOUT: 2 Chainz | Astralwerks | BBC | Cocoa Futures | Facebook | Five Seconds Of Summer | Frankie Cosmos | Jason Phipps | Leon Bridges | Mark Pritchard | Natalie Prass | Seinabo Sey | Sloan | Toby Andrews | Universal Music | UTA | Wiley

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 10:31 | By Andy Malt

Aylesbury’s David Bowie statue vandalised

And Finally Artist News

Well, that didn’t last long. Just 48 hours after it was unveiled on Sunday, a new statue of David Bowie in Aylesbury has been vandalised.

Parts of the statue were painted over with spray paint, while “feed the homeless first” was written on the floor in front of it. Presumably to stress that they had no specific beef with Bowie himself, the vandal then also sprayed “RIP DB” on the adjacent wall.

However, money to build the statue was raised through grants and a crowdfunding campaign, rather than any public money. With that in mind, one of the people tasked with cleaning the statue up yesterday noted the irony of the slogan the vandal had left.

Helen Light told the BBC: “Vandalising it is awful. Tax payers will now be paying for the clean-up so it is the vandal who will ironically be taking money away from the homeless”.

Marillion frontman Steve Hogarth, who unveiled the statue at the weekend, said in a statement: “It’s with a heavy heart and despair I hear that within 48 hours someone has defaced Andrew Sinclair’s breathtaking David Bowie double statue”.

He added: “When I pulled the cord to unveil the memorial on Sunday morning I was knocked out by it. Andrew has really caught the essence of David Bowie as a human being, as well as a phenomenal chameleon of a stage performer”.

Meanwhile promoter and artist manager David Stopps, who organised the campaign to erect the statue, said that he was confident that it could be restored. He added that a webcam filming the statue will have recorded whoever vandalised it.

READ MORE ABOUT: David Bowie

Wednesday 28 March 2018, 09:45 | By Andy Malt

Approved: Faces On TV

CMU Approved

Following an EP released in 2016, multi-instrumentalist Jasper Maekelberg is set to release his debut album as Faces On TV – ‘Night Funeral’ – on 20 Apr. Ahead of that comes new single ‘Dancing After All’.

“This last year was kind of hard for me”, explains Maekelberg, a busy member of various other bands. “I was touring a lot and when I wasn’t in the van or on a stage I was producing other bands in the studio. This kind of life is not really the ideal combination with a normal social life or a relationship. I grew apart from my girlfriend. She moved to Amsterdam while I was touring Europe. So we never really saw each other. All the songs are rooted in this feeling of growing apart”.

These negative feelings are channelled in different ways. Previous single ‘The Image Of Boy Wonder’ begins with a certain amount of wallowing – “I’m falling seven stories down into quicksand” – while the chorus seems to be an attempt to coax himself out. That theme of redemption then continues on ‘Dancing After All’, both lyrically and its swelling music.

Watch the video for ‘Dancing After All’ 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: Faces On TV

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 11:25 | By Chris Cooke

Soon-to-list Spotify says it could top 96 million premium subscribers this year

Business News Digital Top Stories

Spotify reckons it could top 200 million overall users by the end of 2018, including as many as 96 million paying users. Nevertheless, losses for the year could be as high as €330 million, of which up to €40 million comes from the cost of next week’s direct listing.

These are just some of the predictions made in a forward-looking statement issued by the soon-to-be-publically-listed Spotify yesterday. The market-leading streaming music company will finally list on the New York Stock Exchange next week, of course. Which officially makes this ‘Everyone Has To Have An Opinion About Spotify Week’.

Having done a very quick sweep of all the Spotify-business-model chatter on the social networks and op-ed pages, apparently the entire music community is doomed, damned, condemned, screwed and just generally fucked. Apart from Drake, Ed Sheeran and Daniel Ek, who are all heading to a coke-fuelled cash party. I’m paraphrasing of course. Slightly.

Once publically listed, Spotify will be obliged to reveal information about its finances every quarter. And unlike streaming services that are operated by bigger publicly listed companies, where information about loss-making musical adventures can be buried under abstract cost-centres, as a standalone streaming music company Spotify’s quarterly reports will provide more tangible insight about the state of both its business and the wider streaming sector.

With the current streaming music business model still to be proven – the hope remains that it might just work at scale – you can expect lots more chatter in the music community every time one of those quarterly reports lands. So that’ll be fun, won’t it? I’d say that gathering together four times a year to pull apart figures most people don’t quite understand sounds much more fun than a coke-fuelled cash party.

In yesterday’s pre-listing statement, Spotify confirmed that both monthly active users and premium subscribers continued to rise in the first quarter of 2018, the latter growing more rapidly in percentage terms year-on-year. If the company achieves the upper end of its estimates for year-end user figures, the total userbase will have grown 32% year-on-year in 2018 and the total number of premium subscribers 36%.

Though, of course, despite those impressive growth rates, the combined costs of royalty payments to the music industry, continued global expansion and being a buzzy tech firm means Spotify will still make sizable losses. The question for Wall Street investors next week is whether the continued growth means that at some point in the not too distant future things will flip, the model will work, and Spotify will become a lucrative business.

Whether or not that optimism – even if you possess it – can be extended to the “doomed, damned, condemned, screwed and just generally fucked” music community depends on how monies will be shared out. Yes, whatever happens a sizable portion of income will continue to fund the Drake/Sheeran/Ek coke-fuelled cash party, but will a decent number of artists, songwriters, labels and publishers still be able to fund their own Panda Pop parties with their respective shares of what is left on the table?

Maybe. And yes, that other party’s Coke-fuelled. As in cola. I’d never suggest anything else.

READ MORE ABOUT: Spotify

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 11:23 | By Andy Malt

Lana Del Rey says non-existent Radiohead lawsuit is “over”

Artist News Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers Legal

Lana Del Rey has said that the lawsuit brought against her by Radiohead is “over”. That being the lawsuit which Radiohead’s publisher Warner/Chappell said earlier this year didn’t exist.

In January, Del Rey said that she was being sued by Radiohead, who wanted 100% of the publishing rights in her song ‘Get Free’, due to its similarities with their song ‘Creep’. “Their lawyers have been relentless, so we will deal with it in court”, she said.

Warner/Chappell then said that it was true that discussions had been ongoing for a number of months in relation to the claim that ‘Get Free’ borrowed from ‘Creep’. However, it added, “no lawsuit has been issued and Radiohead have not said they ‘will only accept 100%’ of the publishing of ‘Get Free'”.

After performing the song during her encore at the Brazilian leg of the Lollapalooza festival at the weekend, she told the audience: “Now that my lawsuit’s over, I guess I can sing that song any time I want, right?”

Given that there was no lawsuit and no one has ever said that she couldn’t perform her song, that remark doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. And she says it very confidently and then takes a drag on a cigarette, so that’s a good as actually winning a legal battle, I reckon.

READ MORE ABOUT: Lana Del Rey | Radiohead | Warner Chappell

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 11:22 | By Chris Cooke

BMI boss welcomes conclusion of 100% licensing dispute, considers extending his society’s licensing remit

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers Legal

The boss of American collecting society BMI has written an opinion piece for Billboard following the recent passing of a key deadline in the long-running 100% licensing dispute. In it he hails his society’s victory in that battle and then talks mechanicals.

A quick recap. Songs are often co-written and therefore co-owned. In the US, there are multiple collecting societies representing the performing rights in songs, meaning songwriters must decide which one to join. Once the writer is joined up, that society represents their performing rights.

Collaborating writers may choose to join different societies, which means that any one song may be concurrently represented by BMI, ASCAP, GMR and SESAC, with each society representing a percentage of the work. Where that is the case – convention has generally held – anyone wishing to broadcast or perform that work must have a licence from all the societies, and pay royalties to each, pro-rata according to what percentage it controls.

That system is called ‘fractional licensing’. You get every licence you need until you have 100% of the song covered. But when the US Department Of Justice reviewed the consent decrees that govern BMI and ASCAP in 2016, it announced that – by its reading of said decrees – the two big American collecting societies were obliged to operate a so called ‘100% licensing system’.

That would mean that, where BMI controlled part of a song, a licensee could make use of that song with just a BMI licence. BMI would then collect 100% of the royalties at whatever rates it had agreed with the licensee, but would then have to pass on a share of the money to ASCAP or whoever, who would then pay the writer who was not a BMI member.

Both BMI and ASCAP objected to the DoJ’s new interpretation of the rules, the former fighting the ruling in the courts, the latter lobbying against it in US Congress. BMI’s pro-fractional licensing position was then endorsed by the courts much quicker than anyone expected. The DoJ then appealed that ruling, but just before Christmas last year an appeals court upheld the original judgement saying that a fractional licensing system was just fine.

The DoJ could have pursued a further appeal, but the deadline for doing so passed last week with no appeal being filed. As that deadline passed BMI said in a statement: “With no action taken, the final decision of the Court Of Appeals stands that BMI is free to continue to engage in the historic practice of fractional licensing. This development definitively ends litigation between BMI and the DoJ in this matter, and represents a significant victory for songwriters, composers and publishers, as well as the music industry at large”.

Writing in Billboard, BMI boss Michael O’Neill says: “We are incredibly gratified by our victory in this matter, and believe the industry should view it as an overwhelmingly positive outcome as well. To put it in context, the negative ramifications of the DoJ’s 100% licensing interpretation were so sweeping that it was important enough for BMI to take the US government to court”.

He goes on: “We did this even though some said we could have increased our strength as a performing rights organisation if we had agreed with the DoJ. We did this purely because it was the right thing to do, and the courts agreed with us”.

And, he adds: “Our win means songwriters can keep collaborating with whomever they choose, businesses that use music can continue to license that music in the same manner as they always have, and BMI can focus on protecting and growing the profession of songwriting and modernising music licensing, which was always our intent”.

O’Neill then goes on to consider other current and future developments in the collective licensing domain in the US, including the possibility of the PROs getting involved in other aspects of song licensing, which presumably means the mechanical rights.

ASCAP’s consent decree specifically limits the society’s operations to licensing performing rights, whereas the BMI consent decree is less explicit about any such limitations. The ruling in the 100% licensing dispute, O’Neill reckons, confirms that BMI could get involved in mechanicals.

“We have long believed our consent decree allows for the licensing of multiple rights, which is why four years ago we asked the DOJ to amend our decree to clarify that ability, among other much-needed updates”, he writes. “Thanks to our recent victory over the DOJ, we now have definitive confirmation”.

He continues: “The Court Of Appeals ruled that if the language of our consent decree does not expressly prohibit a business activity, in this case fractional licensing, then it is permitted under the decree. That opens up opportunities for us to better serve the needs of our affiliates, and we are exploring what it would look like for music users, creators and copyright owners if BMI licensed or administered multiple rights”.

Mechanical rights have been much debated in the US of late, of course, because of the issues around streaming services paying mechanical royalties to music publishers and songwriters. That is in no small part because of the lack of a collecting society able to offer a blanket licence for this element of the song copyright, which does exist in most other countries.

You can read O’Neill’s full article here.

READ MORE ABOUT: BMI | Michael O'Neill

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 11:20 | By Chris Cooke

Guvera CFO was concerned when he joined the business, but trusted its CEO to raise more finance

Business News Digital Legal

The public investigation into the collapse of one-time streaming service Guvera continued in the Australian courts last week. This time it was the company’s former Chief Financial Officer Ken Hostland discussing the events that led up to the digital music company’s ill-fated IPO in 2016.

The Australian Securities Exchange ultimately blocked Guvera’s Initial Public Offering, which began a sequence of events that led to the collapse of the digital music firm. Accountancy giant Deloitte, as liquidator of the business, instigated the court-based public examination as it tries to work out what events and decisions led to the company’s demise, which in turn left shareholders $180 million out of pocket.

Hostland became Guvera’s CFO in January 2016 and – according to Mumbrella – he admitted during last week’s hearing that he had immediate concerns about the company’s financial position. However, he said, his role didn’t include direct oversight of the firm’s fundraising efforts, and he put his faith in Guvera CEO Darren Herft’s ability to find further finance, primarily through his separate private equity business Amma.

Various partners beyond Amma had been seeking significant investment for Guvera in 2015, though those efforts didn’t deliver. In an earlier hearing, Herft himself admitted that was why the company proceeded with its IPO in 2016, despite advice from JP Morgan that it was too soon, because it needed the cash it was hoped the flotation would raise quickly.

Asked about his concerns after taking on the CFO role at Guvera, Hostland said last week: “The directors who had worked at the company for a long period of time were confident that the ability to continue to raise capital was something Amma was capable of doing”. Nevertheless, not long in the job, Hostland was asked to significantly cut the company’s operating costs, including cutting the number of countries where it operated.

Hostland was also asked about whether he initially expected the doomed IPO to be a success that could provide Guvera with the cash injection it so urgently needed. He insisted that the company’s ‘due diligence committee’ would not have signed off the flotation’s prospectus had it not expected the listing to succeed.

According to Mumbrella, he said: “I believe the due diligence committee proceeded forward because we felt it was still very possible to be successful and raise the funds that were required. I believed it was going to be successful on the basis I was comfortable with the process that we had gone through, the due diligence we had gone through, and the expectation that the capital raising was going to be successful enough to raise those funds”.

More questions will be asked about the Guvera collapse when the public hearing reconvenes on 6 Apr.

READ MORE ABOUT: Guvera

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 11:19 | By Andy Malt

Entertainment One acquires Round Room Entertainment

Business News Deals Industry People Live Business

Content company Entertainment One has acquired live music firm Round Room Entertainment. The latter’s Co-Presidents – Stephen Shaw and Jonathan Linden – will continue to lead the business as a division of eOne.

“Across all areas of music, we work with so many spokes on the wheel and live entertainment is such an important one”, says eOne’s Global President For Music Chris Taylor. “Adding Round Room to our team, with Stephen and Jonathan at the helm, is going to provide the capacity to expand the reach of our brands, touch more fans on a global scale, and further elevate our management roster”.

Shaw adds: “We are very excited to join eOne and become a part of their global family, while continuing to grow our core roster. This is a very strategic move for both sides, and we look forward to working closely with Chris and his team to connect his extensive roster of artists with countless fans around the world”.

Other Co-President Linden confirms that he is “excited” and adds “eager”.

READ MORE ABOUT: EntertainmentOne | Jonathan Linden | Round Room Entertainment | Stephen Shaw

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 11:11 | By Andy Malt

Anthony Norris and Owen Kent join Coalition Agency

Business News Industry People Live Business

Live company the Coalition Agency has announced that Anthony Norris and Owen Kent have joined as Managing Director and Creative Director. They join from Music Plus Sport where they held the same roles.

Claire Horseman is joining as a non-executive director. She was previously Managing Director at booking agency Coda.

Coalition CEO Guy Robinson, says: “Coalition is successfully embracing a ‘three sixty’ vision in the way we work with our talent and brands, and with the addition of these three truly inspiring professionals we are now stronger than ever”.

He continues: “From talent building, delivering and promoting live events, through to brand creation and management, I’m extremely proud to welcome Anthony, Claire and Owen to our dynamic entrepreneurial team”.

READ MORE ABOUT: Anthony Norris | Claire Horseman | Coalition Talent Agency | Owen Kent

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 10:58 | By Andy Malt

Streaming services pressured to introduce quotas for Australian music in localised playlists

Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

Australian collecting society APRA AMCOS is calling on streaming services to promote more domestic music to their respective users in the country. It says that streaming companies should commit to push at least 25% Australian music in their domestic playlists, in line with commercial radio stations in the country.

The announcement coincides with various Australian musicians heading to the capital city of Canberra to lobby politicians. They are demanding that their representatives educate themselves on how the shift to streaming in the music industry is affecting them. Concerns have been raised now in particular because no Australian artist had a number one single in the country during 2017.

As streaming becomes an increasingly prevalent way in which consumers discover new music, new APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston told ABC: “We’re in ongoing discussions with the major streaming services as to how they can better support Australian music and show their commitment to the market here, on their local platforms. We are calling for a minimum of 25% Australian content on their own locally curated playlists”.

Similar quotas were introduced for Australian commercial radio in 2001, in order to ensure that listeners were exposed to domestic talent. Music on mainstream rock and pop stations must be at least 25% from local performers between 6am and midnight. There are lower quotas for other genres, dropping to at least 10% on jazz and ‘oldies’ stations.

However, recently published research found that many stations are failing to meet these quotas – some falling as low as 7%. Stations have also been accused of “stacking” the local output, by putting it all into less popular timeslots rather than spreading it out across the day.

Chrissie Vincent, who conducted the research as part of a masters degree, before submitting it to APRA AMCOS, said: “My research showed that during a typical week Nova played a measly 7% Australian content, Fox FM just 11% and KIIS FM played 13% during a 24 hour period, with the stations making their quotas playing local artists from 10pm till midnight during the ‘off-peak'”.

She continued: “Of the commercials, Triple M was the only station researched to hit the minimum of 25% content quota during a 24 hour period. National youth broadcaster Triple J, who are not a commercial radio station, were compared for this research and were found to be easily reaching well above the minimum local requirements, proudly flying the Aussie flag with a massive 49% Australian content”.

The government has been called upon to step in and ensure that quotas are met in the radio domain, with a hearing set for next month.

READ MORE ABOUT: APRA/AMCOS

Tuesday 27 March 2018, 10:55 | By Andy Malt

Prince had “exceedingly high” level of fentanyl in his system when he died

Artist News Legal

Prince was found to have “exceedingly high” levels of pain medicine fentanyl in his system when he died, according to a report obtained by the Associated Press.

The star’s death had already been recorded as an accidental overdose of the synthetic opioid. However, last week the lead prosecutor overseeing the ongoing investigation into Prince’s passing said that police are now investigating whether anyone should be prosecuted for prescribing dangerous doses of the drug.

Commenting on the report, Dr Lewis Nelson of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School called the amount of fentanyl in Prince’s system “a pretty clear smoking gun” with regard to possible liabilities.

In the aftermath of the musician’s death the debate was re-opened around the willingness of some doctors in the US to prescribe highly addictive painkillers to celebrities and other wealthy clients. This debate also arose following the death of Michael Jackson, after it emerged that he had been given a surgical anaesthetic to treat insomnia.

Elsewhere in Prince news, as we head to the second anniversary of his death on 21 Apr, his estate has announced plans to mark the date. During the month of April, a memorial fence will be erected at his Paisley Park home, where fans can leave tributes.

There will also be various events taking place from 19-22 Apr in Minneapolis under the banner ‘Celebration 2018’. This will include seminars by former Prince collaborators and a screening of a Prince live performance.

READ MORE ABOUT: Prince

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