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Friday 28 September 2018, 12:41 | By Andy Malt
Survey warns of “astronomical” levels of stress in the live music industry
Business News Industry People Live Business Top Stories
Over 80% of people working in the UK’s live music industry experience stress, while 65% regularly feel an “intense and unmanageable level of pressure”, according to a new survey.
Ticketing service Skiddle asked 520 promoters, venue owners and event organisers about their experiences of working in the live industry. Of them, 82% complained of stress, 67% said they have anxiety, and 40% said that they have experienced depression – far higher than the national average. A total of 10% said that they have OCD as a direct result of their work in the music industry.
More than a third added that their work negatively affected their relationship with their partner or spouse. A similar number also reported regularly having financial problems, which in turn contributed to issues with their mental wellbeing.
“The results of this survey do not make for an easy read, and it’s troubling to see that so many promoters are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing”, says Skiddle’s Ben Sebborn. “Skiddle have been working alongside independent and large scale promoters for nearly two decades and fully appreciate how difficult the job can be”.
He adds: “As well as organising a series of panel sessions to discuss the issues raised in the survey, we will also be working with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine and the Campaign Against Living Miserably to ensure we are industry leaders in supporting promoters and offering them the assistance they need to work happily and effectively”.
Director of the there mentioned BAPAM, Claire Cordeaux, adds: “It’s well evidenced that mental health problems are considerably higher in the performing artist community than in the general population and the industry is increasingly recognising the need for support. Skiddle’s survey of promoters, one of the first of its kind, is a timely reminder that it is not just performers that need help”.
The findings of the survey will be discussed at two panel events next week. The first will take place at the Queen Of Hoxton in London on 2 Oct, the second at Joshua Brookes in Manchester on 3 Oct. Free tickets to both are available here.
You can see Skiddle’s findings presented in an infographic here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Skiddle
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:39 | By Andy Malt
Sexual assault case against Nelly dropped
Artist News Legal
A sexual assault lawsuit against Nelly has been dismissed after both parties agreed to drop their respective litigation.
In a statement to The Blast, Nelly’s lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, said: “The lawsuit with Nelly and accuser has been dropped. Both parties have mutually agreed to drop the lawsuit. No settlement or money changed hands”.
However, Karen Koehler, the attorney for the rapper’s accuser Monique Greene, says that that latter claim – ie that no money has changed hands – is “false”.
Nelly was arrested in connection to rape allegations in October 2017. He strongly denied the allegations from the off, while Koehler subsequently told reporters that Greene no longer wished to participate in the criminal investigation because “she believes the system is going to fail her”.
Once the criminal case was dropped, Nelly sued Greene for defamation. She responded to that with her own lawsuit, accusing him of defamation and demanding damages relating to the alleged assault itself.
The litigation has been dismissed with prejudice, meaning that Greene cannot re-file at a later date.
READ MORE ABOUT: Nelly
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:37 | By Andy Malt
Spotify announces new education events for musicians
Business News Digital Education & Events
Spotify has announced a series of educational events for artists Stateside under the banner Co.Lab. Set to take place in New York and LA, the events will see various industry experts come together to impart wisdom. Well, hopefully wisdom. Not just gripes.
“Here at Spotify, we’re well aware that a whole lot more goes into building your career than meets the eye”, the company tells its Spotify For Artists community.
“As a modern artist”, it goes on, “you, your team or your label basically have to be experts in everything – from finding collaborators and building out release strategies, to planning tours and designing your merch”.
All of those things and more will be covered in the upcoming sessions, with Capitol’s Head Of Creative Sync Licensing Jenny Swiatowy, tour director Christian Coffey, studio engineer Jeff Ellis, music supervisor Morgan Rhodes and DJ Loric Sih all among those set to speak.
Details of the events and how to attend here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Spotify
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:36 | By Paul Vig
Vigsy’s Club Tip: Carl Craig A2A Bambounou at Fabric
Club Tip CMU Approved
It’s common to see B2B – or ‘back to back’ – sets advertised on club line-ups. Tomorrow night Carl Craig and Bambounou will be going A2A – or ‘ass to ass’ – at Fabric. So that’ll be fun. But I don’t think it should affect the quality of the music in any way, which is sure to be tip top.
Craig, of course, is a veteran of the Detroit techno scene and a DJ and producer of the highest calibre. Bambounou is a newer name on the scene, but has had some excellent releases out on the 50 Weapons label.
Also on the bill, although without committing to butt bumping, are Jasper James, Donna Leake, Tini, Priku and Voigtmann.
Saturday 29 Sep, Fabric, 77a Charterhouse Street, Clerkenwell, London, EC1M 6HJ, 11pm-7am, £25. More info here.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bambounou | Carl Craig
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:35 | By Andy Malt
Paul McCartney to publish new children’s book
Artist News
Because all celebrities are now obliged to put out several children’s books, Paul McCartney has announced that he is publishing another bit of literature for the kids.
It’s called ‘Hey Grandude’. And if that title doesn’t fill you with a sinking sense of despair and dread, I don’t think you’re ready to be a parent. Oh, but it gets worse. I’ll just warn you now, I’m going to share a quote from McCartney in a moment that’s going to make you involuntarily kick something.
The story follows a magical old man called Grandude who has four grandchildren. “He calls them ‘Chillers'”, explains McCartney, with no regard for anyone’s well-being. “They love him and they go on adventures with him and he’s kind of magical, so you’ll see that in the book. I wanted to write it for grandparents everywhere – and the kids – so it gives you something to read to the grandkids at bedtime”.
It turns out, by the way, that it’s one of McCartney’s own grandchildren who’s responsible for this shit.
“I’ve got eight grandchildren and they’re all beautiful”, he says, adding some unnecessary detail. “One day one of them said to me ‘Hey Grandude!’. I said ‘What?’ and I thought, I kind of like that, so from then on I was kind of known as Grandude”.
He doesn’t even remember which one it was. Either that or he’s protecting their identity. Whatever, this fucking plunge into the lowest level of hell will be published in September next year, unless someone does something about it. Here’s a video of McCartney goading you all with it:
READ MORE ABOUT: Paul McCartney
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:31 | By Andy Malt
Michael Buble announces loved up new album
Artist News Releases
That Michael Buble’s going to release a new album. It’s called ‘❤’. Which apparently is pronounced ‘love’. So why not just say that, Micky? Why make us jump through all these fucking hoops. Jesus. Do you know how busy I am without having to work out how to type ‘❤’ on my computer? And I bet it will screw up on half the devices reading this story.
This is Buble’s eighth album and it comes after he took a two year break from public life to spend more time with his family. This, of course, followed his then three year old son Noah’s diagnosis with cancer in 2016.
“I didn’t anticipate returning to recording or performing and I was fine with that”, says Buble. “My entire world view has changed completely these last few years. I wanted to spend all my time with my wife and kids. That was my focus”.
He goes on: “During that time, I also learned how much love and humanity is out in the world from the prayers and good wishes we received. But slowly, along with understanding what my priorities in life are, I began to feel a new commitment to express the emotions and lessons I’ve embraced”.
“Whether I am the narrator, the observer, the main character, the dreamer, the broken hearted guy at a bar or having the night of a lifetime”, he muses on, “I have stories to tell on this record. It’s all there in the songs. I have had so many blessings in life and one of them is that I hold the torch to keep these songs alive for generations to come”.
He concludes: “I take the responsibility very seriously. My end game for the new record was to create a series of short cinematic stories for each song I chose and have it stand on its own. I’m so proud of what we accomplished”.
The album features new versions of well-known songs including ‘When I Fall In Love’, My Funny Valentine’, ‘When You’re Smiling’, and ‘Unforgettable’. It’s out on 16 Nov. Here’s the video for ‘When I Fall In Love’:
READ MORE ABOUT: Michael Buble
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:28 | By Andy Malt
Clean Bandit announce loved up new album
Artist News Releases
Clean Bandit have announced that they will release their new album, ‘What Is Love?’, in November. It will feature loads of guests including Zara Larsson, Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Stefflon Don, Tove Styrke and more.
“The album looks at many different kinds and stages of love”, says cellist Grace Chatto. “We’ve been making it over three years, during which time we’ve all experienced love in our lives in different ways and, some of us, heartbreak too”.
“Somehow this is all expressed in the music”, she adds. “Brotherly love; family love; romantic love; crazy all-consuming love; the pain of love turning into something different or dishonest; and, of course, in ‘Rockabye’, unconditional motherly love”.
Oh yes, ‘Rockabye’, despite being released as a single nearly two years ago, also features on this album. As do other previous single releases ‘Tears’, ‘Symphony’, ‘I Miss You’ and ‘Solo’.
Still musing on the record at large, she concludes: “It explores the sacrifices we all go through for love and for each other, even when it is difficult. It’s been such an honour to write and record with all of the amazing singers and musicians involved in the record”.
As mentioned, there are certainly plenty of guests on the record, some of whom may indeed be “amazing”. Here’s the full tracklist and guestlist. The album’s out on 30 Nov.
Symphony (feat Zara Larsson)
Baby (feat Marina & Luis Fonsi)
Solo (feat Demi Lovato)
Rockabye (feat Sean Paul & Anne-Marie)
Mama (feat Ellie Goulding)
Should’ve Known Better (feat Anne-Marie)
Out at Night (feat Kyle & Big Boi)
Last Goodbye (feat Tove Styrke & Stefflon Don)
We Were Just Kids (feat Craig David & Kirsten Joy)
Nowhere (feat Rita Ora & Kyle)
I Miss You (feat Julia Michaels)
In Us I Believe (feat Alma)
24 Hours (feat Yasmin Green)
Playboy Style (feat Charli XCX & Bhad Bhabie)
Beautiful (feat DaVido & Love Ssega)
Tears (feat Louisa Johnson)
READ MORE ABOUT: Clean Bandit
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:26 | By Andy Malt
One Liners: UK Music, Vevo, Lil Wayne, more
Artist News Business News Digital Gigs & Festivals Industry People Live Business One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• UK Music has announced ILMC MD Greg Parmley as the new chair of its UK Live Music Group, the trade body of trade bodies that was formed so that the live music trade bodies that make up said trade body of trade bodies could then participate in UK Music, the wider trade body of trade bodies. He replaces Live Nation’s Paul Latham in the role, who recently announced his retirement from the live music giant.
• Vevo has announced Bryon Schafer as its new SVP of Research. “He is a highly respected and analytical executive, with extensive digital media experience, whose insight and analysis will help drive the value of the music video”, screeches Vevo CEO Alan Price.
• After a really very long time, Lil Wayne has finally released ‘Tha Carter V’. It’s running time is roughly the same as the amount of time you’ve been waiting for it, the rapper apparently having not spent all those years in legal limbo editing his work.
• Lady Gaga and that Bradley Cooper have released ‘Shallow’ from the ‘A Star Is Born’ soundtrack.
• Lady Gaga and Chic have released a new version of the latter’s ‘I Want Your Love’. It features on new Chic album ‘It’s About Time’.
• Avril Lavigne has released the video for new single ‘Head Above Water’.
• Having released the ‘Fast Slow Disco’ rework of her song ‘Slow Disco’ earlier this year, St Vincent has now released another version, ‘Slow Slow Disco’. It’s slower.
• The Chemical Brothers have released new track ‘Free Yourself’.
• Muse have released the video for new single ‘Pressure’. So now you have been made aware of that.
• Now, would you like to hear REM performing their song ‘E-Bow The Letter’ with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke from the year 2004. Yeah? And you want it to have been recorded in St James Church in London? Welcome to the greatest day of your life.
• The Prodigy have released new single ‘Light Up The Sky’. New album, ‘No Tourists’, is out on 2 Nov.
• Fleet Foxes have announced a new compilation, ‘First Collection 2006-2009’, to mark the tenth anniversary of their debut album. That’ll be out on 9 Nov. Here’s a track that’ll appear on it, ‘Isles’.
• Ahead of UK tour dates next month, Coheed And Cambria have released new track ‘Old Flames’.
• Fucked Up have released new track ‘Accelerate’. They’ve also announced UK tour dates in January.
• Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily – updated every Friday.
READ MORE ABOUT: Avril Lavigne | Bradley Cooper | Bryon Schafer | Chic | Coheed And Cambria | Fleet Foxes | Fucked Up | Greg Parmley | Lady Gaga | Lil Wayne | Muse | REM | St Vincent | The Chemical Brothers | The Prodigy | Thom Yorke | UK Live Music Group | UK Music | VEVO
Friday 28 September 2018, 12:16 | By Andy Malt
Beef Of The Week #423: Sharon Osbourne v Daddy Big Bucks
And Finally Artist News Beef Of The Week Business News Live Business
When Ozzy Osbourne dropped an antitrust lawsuit against AEG earlier this month, the live firm was quick to claim victory. But this week Sharon Osbourne hit back with her own statement. Very much expressed in her inimitable style, you sense that the lawyers just gave up trying to stop her. Although lawyers should take note, the phrase “hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT” could be useful in many different situations.
This all stems from a long-running dispute that first bubbled to the surface last year when it emerged that AEG had started linking bookings at venues it operates in London and LA, namely The O2 and the Staples Center. It was alleged that artists who wanted to play the former were being pressured to also play the latter when in LA, as opposed to rival Los Angeles venue the Forum, which is run by MSG.
When criticised over this linking of venue bookings, AEG countered that MSG had started it by linking bookings at its flagship New York venue Madison Square Garden with the Forum. Live Nation then chipped in to moan about AEG’s venue linking practices, prompting AEG to question why it hadn’t likewise criticised MSG. Before noting that maybe it was because the MSG venues were allied with Live Nation’s Ticketmaster.
All that squabbling led to talk about venue operators being in breach of certain competition laws, which in turn led to Ozzy Osbourne filing an antitrust action against AEG in the US in March. The lawsuit related to a Live Nation promoted tour and efforts by AEG to link bookings at The O2 and the Staples Center.
Earlier this month, AEG dropped its venue linking policy, with boss Jay Marciano saying he was satisfied that artists were no longer “being pressured to play the Forum to gain access to the Garden”. After that, Osbourne dropped his lawsuit, with his attorney telling Variety that as it had been instigated in a bid “to remove this block booking requirement” there was now “no further need for litigation”.
Which was a decent excuse for bailing on the lawsuit. But AEG quickly put out a gloating statement, banging on about how it had emerged victorious from a battle with a bunch of bullies. It then repeated past claims that Osbourne’s whole legal action had been very much backed by its main rival Live Nation and veteran artist manager – and former Live Nation exec and now MSG business partner – Irving Azoff.
“We were fully prepared to see the case through to vindicate our policy, but now that Osbourne has decided to dismiss with prejudice, the case is over”, said the statement. “Our policy was an appropriate, lawful and effective competitive response to Irving Azoff’s pressure tactics seeking to force artists into the Forum. If those tactics resurface, we will redeploy our policy as needed”.
It went on to say that Osbourne’s lawsuit was “a transparent public relations ploy” that had been “instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation”. It concluded by adding that the case was “hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off”.
It’s always nice to have a little joke in a press statement, isn’t it? Osbourne is famous for biting the heads off things, you see? That’s what that was a joke about. I think it was a joke.
Anyway, Sharon Osbourne, who as Ozzy’s manager was really leading on this lawsuit, took exception to that whole statement. And since AEG started specifically naming Azoff in its response, she’s now working under the assumption that the statement was penned personally by AEG owner Philip Anschutz. Well, why not? Especially if you’ve gone to the trouble of thinking up a nickname for him.
“We know Mr Anschutz (aka ‘Daddy Big Bucks’) is living in his billionaire bubble”, she began. “But the fact is that Ozzy sued AEG for the right to perform at The O2 in London. We won the case and Ozzy’s show at The O2 went on sale on 5 Sep for a show next year (11 Feb 2019) – so in my world that means we won the case”.
I think if the case is voluntarily dropped before it gets to court, the best you can claim is a draw. I’m pretty sure that’s the rule. So if we’re not letting AEG claim victory, I don’t think we can give it to Ozzy either. But I guess Ozzy is playing the venue he wanted, and Sharon managed to plug a show three sentences into a statement about a legal dispute, so she’s certainly got some things going in her favour.
“Ozzy is playing The O2 without having to play the Staples Center, which is all that mattered to us. From the start of this dialogue in February, this has been a battle about respect for the artists and their personal preferences. It wasn’t then and isn’t now a battle between promoters, which is how this is being portrayed by the recent statement from AEG claiming this as a ‘victory'”.
She then turned to the specifics of the AEG statement, seeming angry at any suggestion that she or Ozzy had been a puppet in all this.
She went on: “To say that this ‘suit was instigated by Azoff and paid for by MSG and Live Nation’, and that ‘it was hatched on the back of an artist who we believe had no idea what he was biting off’, is untrue and disrespectful to Ozzy, myself and the entire team working on this tour”.
“Whatever differences you have with Irving Azoff”, she said, “don’t presume you know who instigated the lawsuit or you know anything about Ozzy Osbourne, because you obviously don’t know anything about Ozzy’s history or mine. So stop with your hubbildy, bubbuldy BULLSHIT and your little pissing contest with Live Nation and MSG”.
She then continued: “Regarding the allegations in the AEG statement that this ‘suit was a transparent public relations ploy’, if that was indeed the case, why then did AEG rush out a statement of victory? While we, throughout this process, until now have only made one statement around the initial filing”.
Hmm? Hmm? She’s got your there, huh? I mean, it’s tricky accusing the other side of seeking easy PR wins while also looking rather like you’re trying to score such a thing for yourself. And that’s definitely not what the Osbournes were out for anyway, Sharon would like you to know. There was no hubbildy, bubbuldy bullshit on their side, they were simply pursuing a serious legal action in a bid to protect artist rights.
“Ozzy’s preference was to perform at The Forum, a venue that has been a part of his music history for more than 46 years”, she said. “From the start, this was not a battle solely for Ozzy, [it was as much about the] other artists who were being forced to abide by these rules and regulations. Let’s not all forget why you’re here – the artists”.
But what about the ‘biting things’ gag? Does Sharon have something to say about that? Oh yes. In fact, she reckons it’s the only thing really worth commenting on.
“The only thing remotely interesting in your statement”, she concluded, “was your pitiful attempt at humour with your quote that Ozzy ‘had no idea what he was biting off’. If you’re interested, Ozzy and I have got something nice for you bite on… our assholes… see ya, loser!”
Now, I realise that “hubbildy, bubbuldy bullshit” might be too idiosyncratic a phrase to be included in every formal statement regarding a music industry legal dispute moving forward. But please, oh please, if only one thing comes out of all of this, please let it be that everyone starts signing off their legal statements “see ya, loser!”
READ MORE ABOUT: AEG | Irving Azoff | Live Nation | Madison Square Garden Company | Ozzy Osbourne | Philip Anschutz | Sharon Osbourne
Friday 28 September 2018, 10:29 | By CMU Editorial
Mental health in the live music industry (infographic)
Live Business
READ MORE ABOUT: Skiddle
Friday 28 September 2018, 10:18 | By Andy Malt
Setlist: 20 years of CMU – The rise and fall of MySpace
Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Setlist
This week’s episode of Setlist is another marking CMU’s 20th birthday, the seventh in a series of special editions reviewing the 20 biggest stories CMU has covered over the last two decades. Here we discuss the rapid rise and protracted fall of MySpace, from king of social media to Justin Timberlake-fronted flop and (amazingly) on to the present day. Setlist is sponsored by 7digital.
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READ MORE ABOUT: Justin Timberlake | MySpace | Setlist 20 Years Of CMU | Setlist Specials | Specific Media | Time Inc
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:25 | By Chris Cooke
Bestival’s money-lender is trying to buy the company
Business News Live Business Top Stories
The loan company that recently filed legal papers confirming its intent to force the Bestival Group into administration yesterday said that it had now made an offer to buy the festival firm, a move that it says will assure Camp Bestival 2019 can go ahead.
The Bestival company itself confirmed last weekend that it had had “some financial challenges” of late. This followed media reports that money lender the Richmond Group – which seemingly loaned the festival £1.6 million early last year – had filed administration notices with the High Court.
It its statement, Bestival HQ said that, despite the ongoing financial challenges, “the process we are in allows a new partner to come on board with the financial commitments required to deliver Camp Bestival 2019 in its finest form”.
Yesterday the Richmond Group announced that it had “made an offer of £1.1 million to purchase the brand and assets of Bestival Group, with the intention of running the successful Camp Bestival going forward”.
The boss of the loan outfit, James Benamor, then said: “We have been fans and supporters of Bestival since the beginning. Our children have grown up with wonderful memories of these festivals”.
The Richmond Group is based in Bournemouth in Dorset, the county which has always hosted Camp Bestival and where, as of last year, the main Bestival festival has also been staged. Noting this local connection, Benamor’s statement went on: “Bestival is an example of Dorset being world class and we are keen to ensure that this fantastic institution goes on to delight families and local businesses for many years to come”.
Although in his comments Benamor talks about the Bestival enterprise at large, his company’s official statement only makes a commitment to continue running Camp Bestival, the more family-orientated event that spun off from the main Bestival festival in 2008. In the always competitive UK festivals market, Camp Bestival arguably has a stronger USP than the flagship Bestival event because of its family-orientated programming.
Bestival HQ’s statement last weekend also focused more on Camp Bestival, though that’s mainly because tickets are already on sale for the 2019 edition of that event, whereas nothing has been formally announced for Bestival 2019. Meanwhile many people are still awaiting refunds after the final day of Camp Bestival 2018 was cancelled because of bad weather conditions.
Although not commenting on outstanding issues with the 2018 edition, Benamor’s statement did specifically say that “under this offer all Camp Bestival 2019 tickets sold so far will be honoured”.
The Bestival company – and its founder Rob da Bank – have not yet commented on Richmond’s statement from yesterday. Though the fact that the two parties are currently issuing statements separately suggests that Richmond is not the “new partner” coming on board with some new finance that Bestival HQ was optimistically talking about on Sunday.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bestival | Camp Bestival
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:24 | By Chris Cooke
Ricky Nelson estate sues Sony over international deductions on streaming money
Artist News Business News Digital Labels & Publishers Legal
The estate of 1950s pop star Ricky Nelson has sued Sony Music over a common royalties gripe. Namely, the way global music companies often make deductions to income as it moves its way around their various regional subsidiaries, before calculating what the artist is due under the terms of their record contract in their home country.
Such deductions have traditionally been common in the record industry. Partly because, when it comes to physical product, releasing a record in each new territory requires additional work and extra risk for the label. And partly because in the early days of the record industry, when there were few truly global music companies, third party labels and distributors might be involved in a record’s release in other countries.
With the shift to digital, some artists and managers argue that deductions of this kind are harder to justify. Especially on catalogue, which can start earning money from the streaming platforms in other countries with no real effort on the part of the label.
As a result, some labels don’t charge international deductions on streaming income, although there remains quite a lot of confusion about label deductions in general. Sometimes a label says it no longer applies any deductions to an artist’s streaming monies, but then it might turn out there are some exceptions to that general rule.
Either way, the Nelson estate accuses Sony of applying a hefty “intercompany charge” on international streaming revenue before calculating the royalties it is due. The estate has no problem with such deductions if there is a third party company involved which is making the additional charges, but it argues that international deductions are not allowed under Nelson’s record contract where another Sony Music label is in control of his recordings abroad.
According to Law360, the Nelson estate’s lawsuit says that, because of the international deductions, Sony “impermissibly takes up to 68% off the top of the international revenue earned from streaming sales, and bases the artist’s royalty rate on the remainder”. Because it is usually other Sony subsidiaries making the deduction, they add, Sony “does not have a contractual or equitable right” to deduct money in this way.
The estate is pushing for class action status for its lawsuit, which it says could mean that “hundreds, if not thousands” of artists who are beneficiaries of Sony Music released recordings could be involved in the case and, if it was successful, see their streaming royalty payments increase.
This is by no means the first lawsuit involving this particular royalty gripe, and Sony itself has been involved in such cases in the past. The Nelson estate also sued Capital Records, then still part of EMI, back in 2011, again over allegedly underpaid royalties. That dispute was seemingly subsequently settled.
READ MORE ABOUT: Ricky Nelson | Sony Music
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:17 | By Andy Malt
Label that dropped Zex over sexual assault claims retracts allegations
Artist News Business News Labels & Publishers Legal
The owner of a record label that dropped Canadian punk band Zex over sexual assault claims against guitarist Jo Capitalcide has withdrawn his allegations. In return the musician has dropped a defamation lawsuit against the label boss.
In a new statement on the record company’s Facebook page, Magic Bullet founder Brent Eyestone says: “In September 2017, I published a statement on the website of Magic Bullet Records, and on Facebook, in which I made certain allegations about Jo Capitalcide, guitarist of the band Zex. My statement was later republished on social media and by various news outlets including Pitchfork, CBC and The Star”.
“Upon reflection”, he goes on, “I hereby retract these allegations without reservation. The statements that I made were unverified and I regret any impact such statements may have had on Capitalicide and Zex”.
He then adds: “I am also pleased to announce that the litigation commenced by Jo Capitalcide against Magic Bullet Records and me has been resolved and we have all agreed to put this matter behind us”.
Zex drew massive media attention last year after some of their songs were accidentally pressed on vinyl copies of Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ album. This prompted a number of people to come forward with assault accusations against Capitalcide, leading to Eyestone’s decision to cut his ties with the band.
At the time, Eyestone said that “information shared first-hand by singer Gretchen Steel” had confirmed one of the accusations shared with him directly. But Steel then denied this and Capitalcide promptly launched his legal action.
Magic Bullet Records subsequently shut down at the end of the year and Eyestone launched a new company called Dark Operative.
A statement on the Zex Facebook page acknowledges that Eyestone has retracted his earlier statements, although does not comment directly on the dropping of the lawsuit.
READ MORE ABOUT: Magic Bullet Records | Zex
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:15 | By Andy Malt
Koko temporarily closed due to “structural issue”
Business News Live Business
Camden’s Koko venue will be closed until next month, it has been announced, so that “a structural issue” can be dealt with. Several shows affected by the closure have been moved to other venues, while others have been cancelled.
Operations Director of the venue’s owner Mint Group, Larry Seymour, says in a statement: “Our consultant surveyors recently made us aware of a structural issue with this 117 year old building. The protection and well-being of our customers and staff is of paramount importance and we have therefore decided to close the venue while work is carried out”.
“We place the utmost value on our relationships with our clients”, he continues. “But we were unable to work around the diary. The nature of the work means that there is no alternative to a full closure. We offer sincere and heartfelt apologies to all our clients and customers who have been affected by the closure”.
He concludes: “Our contractors are working diligently and at all speed to ensure that we are able to welcome back a full programme of events as soon as possible”.
Currently shows between 27 Sep and 15 Oct are affected. See a full list here, including new venues where shows have been moved.
READ MORE ABOUT: Koko
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:14 | By Andy Malt
Kylie Minogue set to confuse you on your train journey tomorrow
Artist News Media
I’m sure you don’t need reminding that it’s BBC Music Day tomorrow. And I’m absolutely certain you don’t need to be told that Kylie Minogue is one of its ambassadors. You remembered all that, right? So it seems entirely redundant that she’ll be informing you of both those things at train stations around the country.
Minogue’s voice will be heard throughout Friday at Birmingham, Bristol, Euston, Glasgow Central, Kings Cross, Leeds, London Liverpool Street, London Bridge, London Victoria, London Waterloo, Manchester and Reading railway stations.
Among the things she’ll be saying is this: “Hi, it’s me Kylie. I know what you’re thinking; ‘Why is Kylie doing the announcements?’ It’s because it’s BBC Music Day… so I can! Have a great weekend, everyone! Happy BBC Music Day!”
That’s really not going to help you catch the right train. If you’re late for work tomorrow, you know who to blame. Oh, and just to put your mind at ease, another of the announcements does contain an incredibly laboured set-up in order to crowbar in the phrase “do the locomotion”. Sort of like that sentence I just wrote, but worse.
Manchester Metrolink tram users getting all shirty about train passengers enjoying all the BBC Music Day treats can just bloody well calm down. Lisa Stansfield’s got you covered. Equally as contrived, her announcements are at least a bit more helpful.
“Hi this is your guest announcer Lisa Stansfield here for BBC Music Day”, goes one. “I’ve been around the world, but I, I, I, could always find my ticket. So make sure you’ve got yours before you get on board. Happy BBC Music Day!”
In another, she’ll say: “Hey Manchester, Lisa Stansfield here for BBC Music Day! Remember when the tram’s in motion, people hold on!”
As well as this, the British transport system will be further impeded by performances from various acts in stations – and Manchester Airport – at various points during the day.
I assume there’s stuff happening on BBC TV and radio stations too, but I’ve invested too much time in this train thing now for it to be worthwhile finding out. Oh no, there’s that special edition of ‘Bargain Hunt’, isn’t there? What larks!
READ MORE ABOUT: BBC | BBC Music Day | Kylie Minogue | Lisa Stansfield
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:09 | By Andy Malt
Mono announce new album, Nowhere Now Here
Artist News Releases
Mono have announced that they will release their tenth studio LP, ‘Nowhere Now Here’, in January.
Recorded with Steve Albini, it’s the band’s first album to feature new drummer Dahm Majuri Cipolla. To mark the announcement, the band have shared a short film directed by Julien Levy, which features new track ‘After You Comes The Flood’.
The album is set for release on 25 Jan, meanwhile the band will be on tour in the UK next month. Here are the dates:
1 Oct: Bristol, The Fleece
2 Oct: Norwich Arts Centre
3 Oct: Glasgow, Classic Grand
4 Oct: Newcastle, The Cluny
5 Oct: Leeds, Left Bank
READ MORE ABOUT:
Thursday 27 September 2018, 10:00 | By Andy Malt
One Liners: The Teskey Brothers, JID, Amazon Music, more
Artist News Business News Deals
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Universal’s Decca Records and Vertigo Records have jointly signed Australian band The Teskey Brothers. “The Teskey Brothers are a proper band”, says Decca A&R Manager Danny Roberts, a bit like your tedious uncle at Christmas. The band will release their debut album, ‘Half Mile Harvest’, later this year.
• Reservoir has signed rapper and songwriter Destin Route, who performs as JID, to a worldwide publishing deal. “I’m happy to be a part of the Reservoir family and thankful for their belief in me and my team to give us this opportunity”, says Route.
• Amazon Music Unlimited has launched in Canada, following the introduction of the firm’s Prime Music set-up there last year. “We’re THRILLED for our Canadian customers to start streaming with Unlimited”, says Amazon Music’s Sean McMullan.
• The PRS Foundation has announced the latest winners of the Lynsey De Paul Prize. Soul singer-songwriter Amahla receives the top £2500 development bursary. “I am incredibly excited and grateful to be awarded the Lynsey De Paul Prize”, she says. “With this award I can start shooting music videos to accompany the release of my debut EP in February and start the recording of my second project”. Five runners up – Bianca Gerald, Dani Sylvia, Fiona Lee, Rebekah Fitch and Harpy – will all receive £1200.
• To mark the release of their new album, ‘VI’, on 5 Oct, You Me At Six will be opening a pop-up vegan kebab shop in East London. ‘You Me At Shish’ will open at the Temple Goods Café in Hackney Downs Studios at 6pm on 5 Oct.
• Olly Murs is releasing a new single, called ‘Moves’, tomorrow. It features Snoop Dogg. “Snoop was just perfect for the song”, says Murs. “There’s no one else that has that much character in his raps. He’s such an original”. Here’s a clip.
• William Shatner is recording a Christmas album called ‘Shatner Claus’. Really. It features guests including Iggy Pop, Todd Rundgren, Rick Wakeman, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibson and more. Featuring Henry Rollins, here’s ‘Jingle Bells’. Why is this happening?
• Brockhampton have released the video for ‘San Marocs’, from new album ‘Iridesence’.
• MGMT will release an album of remixes of tracks from their latest LP ‘Little Dark Age’ tomorrow. From it, here’s Matthew Dear’s take on ‘One Thing Left To Try’.
• Soft Cell have released the video for ‘Northern Lights’, their first new song for fifteen years. New compilation, ‘The Singles – Keychains & Snowstorms’, is out tomorrow.
• Matt Corby has released the video for new single ‘No Ordinary Life’. His new album, ‘Rainbow Valley’, is out on 2 Nov. He’ll also tour the UK in January, finishing with an already sold out show at The Forum in London on 29 Jan.
• Holychild have released the video for new single ‘Hundred Thousand Hearts’. “The video is about love and art and the endless cycle of inspiration between the two”, says the duo’s Liz Nistico. “My art is so inspired by love. Is my love inspired by the unrealistic romantic images portrayed in art? In the end does it matter? Tune in to find out!”
• Methyl Ethel have released new single ‘Scream Whole’. The band’s Jake Webb describes the song thus: “That cold sweat. That swollen throat. That sick feeling bubbling up from your guts. When midday movies dredge suppressed memories that scream for closure. What to do?”
• Darwin Deez has released the video for ‘Say It First’, taken from new album ‘Ten Songs That Happened When You Left Me With My Stupid Heart’. He’ll be touring the UK not this month, not after Christmas, but next fucking month (October).
• Ah! Kosmos has released new track ‘June’. Her new album, ‘Beautiful Swamp’, is out on 5 Oct.
• Rina Mushonga has released the video for new single, ‘4rtrs’.
• Shy FX will play a four week residency at Omeara in London in November. Guests will include Andy C, David Rodigan, Octavian, Big Daddy Kane, D Double E, Mike Skinner, Idris Elba and Ghetts.
• Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily – updated every Friday.
READ MORE ABOUT:
Thursday 27 September 2018, 09:52 | By Andy Malt
Eddie Vedder warned Bradley Cooper not to make A Star Is Born
And Finally Artist News
Bradley Cooper’s new remake of ‘A Star Is Born’ is a hit with the critics, thanks to his performance alongside co-star Lady Gaga. And it turns out that Cooper sought advice on looking like an authentic musician from Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
“He was so wonderful”, Cooper tells Yahoo. “I went up to Seattle and spent four or five days with him and I asked him 9000 questions. And he gave me minor, little things that only musicians know about what to do, just aesthetically and the inner workings”.
Among the helpful pieces of advice that Vedder imparted, it turns out, was a warning not to make the movie at all. “He was a big, big champion”, Cooper begins, before recalling the reality. “Well, actually, no, he thought it was crazy I was going to do this movie. He was like, ‘What? Bro, don’t do that'”.
To be fair, I think we all thought that. I’m still thinking it now.
READ MORE ABOUT: Bradley Cooper | Eddie Vedder | Lady Gaga
Thursday 27 September 2018, 09:13 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Gabi
CMU Approved
Gabrielle Herbst’s biog is lengthy and impressive. She’s studied Balinese dance, traditional Indonesian percussion, piano, clarinet and composition. She’s also composed orchestral works and operas. Gabi is, for want of a better word, her pop project. Away from the long-form of classical music, she aims to write short, vocal-focussed pieces.
She released her first album as Gabi, titled ‘Sympathy’, in 2015. It’s a very good album, you should listen to it. But the new music she has released recently, taken from her upcoming second album ‘Empty Me’, takes the project to a completely new level.
Struck with inspiration, Herbst wrote music for the new album at all times of the day and night. Literally, she would often wake up in darkness with an idea in her head, which she’d bash out on the piano half asleep – such as the song ‘Sleep’. “I was not interested in virtuosity, really”, she says. “I was drawn to music that had that element of necessity to it. I wanted to find that in myself and strip everything else away”.
It’s that feeling of music that needs to come out that really elevates her new songs. New single ‘Wild Sunflowers’ is a fine example. Ahead of the new album release on 5 Oct, listen to that 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: Gabi
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10:24 | By Andy Malt
Ticketmaster US continues to push back following touting exposé
Business News Legal Live Business Top Stories
Live Nation’s Ticketmaster in the US continues to push back against criticism over its involvement in the secondary ticketing market Stateside following last week’s exposé by the Toronto Star and CBC. In a new post on the company’s corporate blog, the ticketing giant’s President Jared Smith insists that at least some reporting and commentary around last week’s revelations are based on a misunderstanding of what the firm’s TradeDesk product does.
The Toronto Star/CBC report centred on a trade fair in Las Vegas for ticket brokers – aka touts or, given we’re in North America, scalpers – where Ticketmaster was promoting its TradeDesk service, which helps touts manage and organise tickets they have acquired for resale. Ticketmaster, of course, operates both primary and secondary ticketing platforms, and although it is now closing down the latter in Europe, it remains active in both in the US.
In last week’s report, a Ticketmaster employee is seen candidly discussing how he knows that users of the firm’s TradeDesk product routinely break rules on the main Ticketmaster.com primary site in order to access larger quantities of tickets for resale. Primary ticketing set-ups routinely limit how many tickets any one customer can buy. In the conversation filmed by the Toronto Star and CBC, the Ticketmaster rep discusses how his TradeDesk clients therefore have multiple Ticketmaster.com accounts so to hoover up more tickets.
The Ticketmaster employee is very blasé about all this, noting that a tout couldn’t make a living if he or she only had the six to eight tickets for in-demand shows that his own company’s primary site allows them to purchase. He also insists that the TradeDesk side of the Live Nation business won’t share this knowledge with the primary side of the company, which is meant to be cracking down on touts buying up large numbers of tickets to shows.
In a subsequent interview with Billboard, Smith conceded that last week’s report shows “there’s clearly some things that we’re not doing well enough”. However, he also insisted that the Toronto Star/CBC story was “predicated on misinformation and a misunderstanding”. In the new blog post, he says that he feels many people have inferred that TradeDesk is a tool to help touts actually access tickets, which it is not. Rather it is a platform that helps them manage tickets they have already acquired elsewhere.
There are reasons beyond the bad PR caused by last week’s exposé for why Ticketmaster is keen to communicate precisely what services TradeDesk provides. In 2016, a law was passed at a federal level in the US outlawing the use of special software to hoover up tickets from primary ticketing sites. The banning of such software, usually referred to as bots, is generally seen has the most basic of ticket touting regulation, and such bans are usually supported by most of the secondary ticketing companies, including Ticketmaster.
Following last week’s report, the senators who led on 2016’s Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act in Congress – Jerry Moran and Richard Blumenthal – sent a letter to Live Nation chief Michael Rapino. The letter stated that “given our ongoing interest in protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices, we seek clarification on the use of [the TradeDesk] program”. It then asked four specific questions about the TradeDesk service and how the company enforces the ticket limit policies on its primary site.
In his blog post, Smith states: “Let me be absolutely clear and definitive that Ticketmaster does not have, and has never had, any program or product that helps professional resellers gain an advantage to buy tickets ahead of fans. Period. We would never make anything like that, which would go against the very core of who we are and what we do”.
As for what TradeDesk does, Smith says it is simply “an inventory management tool for professional ticket resellers (brokers)”. Name-checking the competition, he goes on: “Like StubHub’s product called Ticket Utils or Vivid Seat’s Skybox, TradeDesk is used by brokers to manage tickets they already have”.
Adding that “these tickets could have come from Ticketmaster, from other ticketing systems or could have been purchased directly from a team, a venue or another reseller”, he then adds that “TradeDesk is overwhelmingly used to manage season tickets for sporting events”.
Although TradeDesk is just another inventory management tool like those offered by StubHub and Vivid Seat, Smith adds that – because it is linked to the main Ticketmaster platform – his product can validate some of the tickets uploaded to it, meaning it provides some protection for resellers and the people they resell their tickets to. Which is why it’s a good thing that Ticketmaster is in the secondary game, he implies.
Continuing on that theme, he writes: “We are aware that many people don’t believe we should be working with ticket brokers at all. But as long as there is a massive disconnect between supply and demand in live event tickets, there is going to be a secondary market. Choosing not to participate would simply push resale back to those who care less than we do about artists and fans”. Lawyers might call that the ‘Viagogo defence’.
As for the bloody bots, of which TradeDesk is not, remember, Smith then writes: “The frustrating thing about this article is that Ticketmaster is by far the leader in fighting for fans and against scalpers using tools that let them cheat. We have invested more than anyone else in an arms race against the use of bots. We have also worked with multiple regulatory and law enforcement bodies to protect real fans, pursued lawsuits against abusers of our systems and fought hard to help enact the federal law banning the use of bots”.
Concluding Smith states: “Nevertheless, we agree these are important issues that can be complex and confusing. We are committed to helping create more understanding and to building products to do what we can to improve the ticket buying process for all fans”.
Of course, what’s interesting is that while some of what Smith has been saying in the last week relates to the specifics of the American ticketing market, a lot of it echoes arguments previously presented by Ticketmaster in Europe. In particular the line that if a good guy like Ticketmaster isn’t involved in the resale market, it would be dominated by all the bad guys.
That didn’t stop Ticketmaster Europe ultimately bailing on traditional resale declaring: “That’s right, we’ve listened and we hear you: secondary sites just don’t cut it anymore and you’re tired of seeing others snap up tickets just to resell for a profit”.
It remains to be seen if Ticketmaster can weather this storm Stateside and then carry on working with the touts in peace, touting being generally less controversial over there than it has been over here (beyond a little bots bashing). Although if there are anti-touting artists and promoters in America who would like to put the secondary market there under pressure, as has happened in Europe, now might be a good time to rally the troops.
READ MORE ABOUT: Jared Smith | Live Nation | Michael Rapino | Secondary Ticketing | Ticketmaster | TradeDesk
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10:21 | By Chris Cooke
Latest draft of MMA approved by House Of Representatives
Business News Labels & Publishers Legal
America’s Music Modernization Act now just needs the signature of Donald Trump – last seen performing a little stand-up at the UN Comedy Club – in order to become law. The President is expected to provide that signature with little fuss, after which he’ll presumably brag loudly about how he personally made the music industry great again.
The House Of Representatives yesterday unanimously approved the latest draft of the copyright reforming legislation, which had been amended while in Senate. The lower house of US Congress speedily passed an earlier version of the MMA back in April. Getting it through Senate proved a little more taxing – with spats involving SESAC and SiriusXM along the way – but the upper house hotlined an amended version last week. Which is what the House Of Representatives approved yesterday.
The MMA, of course, brings together various music copyright reforms. Perhaps the most important is an attempt to fix the way mechanical royalties are paid to songwriters and publishers in the US, an initiative which will result in the creation of a new collecting society. The act also fixes the pre-1972 quirk in US copyright law and changes the way the Copyright Royalty Board and the rate courts consider what royalty rates are fair for compulsory licences and licences issued by song right collecting societies BMI and ASCAP.
The final version of the act has been named after Orrin Hatch, one of the key backers of the legislation in Congress. Speaking before yesterday’s final vote in the House Of Representatives, he said of the act: “There’s a reason this bill passed the Senate unanimously, and why it will shortly pass the House with overwhelming support. And that’s because all sides of the music industry came together to find a way to make our music laws better. To make them function properly. To update them for the digital age”.
He added: “No side got everything it wanted. But everyone got something. And at the end of the day, we have a piece of legislation we can all be proud of”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Donald Trump | Music Modernization Act
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10:20 | By Chris Cooke
BMI heads to the rate court over live industry royalties
Business News Labels & Publishers Legal
US collecting society BMI has gone legal in a dispute with the North American Concert Promoters Association over what rates the US live industry should pay for staging public performances of its members’ songs.
The song right society says that is has been negotiating with reps for the American live sector for nearly five years to try to agree new rates. It wants to increase what its members receive when their songs are performed live, an increase which, it says, would bring its rates more inline with what is being paid to other societies, in both the US and beyond.
The American live sector generally pays much lower royalties to songwriters and music publishers than elsewhere in the world, and especially when compared with Europe. Even with the not insignificant increases BMI is now pushing for, rates would still generally be quite a bit lower than those charged by most European performing rights organisations.
BMI has now filed a petition in the federal rate court in a bid to seek a resolution. The society’s EVP of Licensing & Creative, Mike Steinberg, said yesterday: “The music created by songwriters and composers and enjoyed by American music fans is the backbone of the live concert industry, yet the rate paid to BMI for the use of its affiliates’ music vastly undervalues that contribution”.
He went on: “We have spent nearly five years attempting to finalise new rates with NACPA that more closely align with the higher rates NACPA members have already agreed to pay to other PROs, both internationally and in the US”.
“Instead”, he concluded, “NACPA is attempting to shortchange BMI affiliates and rely on outdated rates that do not reflect the evolution of the music industry or take in to account the expanded revenue streams that result from the performances of BMI music. We believe we have a compelling case and look forward to presenting our positions to the court”.
READ MORE ABOUT: BMI | North American Concert Promoters Association (NACPA)
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10:18 | By Andy Malt
Doc N Roll film festival announces 2018 programme
Artist News Education & Events
The Doc N Roll music documentary festival is set to hit London for the fifth time in November. This year, the event will screen 28 films, covering a wide range of countries and genres.
Included in the programme is the premiere of ‘Our Most Brilliant Friends’, a film about Slow Club. The duo will take part in a Q&A as part of the screening at the Barbican on 1 Nov, which will open this year’s festival.
“Our fifth London edition is the culmination of five years of relentless DIY spirit – blood sweat and tears from ourselves and a passionate volunteer group of independent film and music fanatics”, says event founder Colm Forde. “Along the way, we’ve grown an ever expanding young audience of underserved fans across the UK, while inspiring many flattering imitators and upsetting the industry dinosaurs”.
He continues: “Our programme of 28 films includes sixteen first-time directors who champion the power of music and film as universal languages of hope and inclusion”.
In addition to all that, the festival will also be presenting screenings around the country next year. Forde continues: “We are also delighted to bring these amazing films on tour in 2019 to many alternative music cities including Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Brighton and Nottingham – come and get em!”
Elsewhere in the programme, films will look at artists including Badly Drawn Boy, The Wedding Present, Kojey Radical, Anti-Nowhere League, Sepultura and Chilly Gonzales, as well as the Trojan and Blue Note labels, and genres including punk, grindcore, and Detroit techno.
READ MORE ABOUT: Doc N Roll Festival
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10:13 | By Andy Malt
Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy announces new solo album
Artist News Releases
Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has announced that he will release a new solo album, titled ‘Warm’, in November. The announcement coincides with the release of the video for new song ‘Some Birds’.
The clip is directed by Seth Henrikson, who says: “When I got the call to collaborate with Jeff on the video for ‘Some Birds’ it was a thrill and an honour. The concept for the video naturally highlights Jeff’s amazing songwriting and lyrical genius. However, it also exploits another of Jeff’s gifts – his uncanny sense of men’s fashion and hairstyles”.
The album is out on 30 Nov. Watch the video for ‘Some Birds’ here:
READ MORE ABOUT: Jeff Tweedy
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 10:06 | By Andy Malt
Childish Gambino postpones final tour due to injury
Artist News Gigs & Festivals
Donald Glover has postponed dates on what he has said will be his final tour as Childish Gambino, after reportedly breaking his foot.
It is as yet unclear how many shows will be postponed, although LA’s Forum venue has confirmed that tonight’s planned show will not go ahead.
On Twitter, Glover’s manager Fam Rothstein said: “‘This Is America’ tour is postponed, not cancelled. My guy played through the pain, but has to sit some dates out. Back before the year’s over”.
Glover ended a show in Dallas around 30 minutes early on Sunday, after apparently injuring himself. But sources later told TMZ that the injury did not occur on stage in Dallas, as had originally been reported, rather an existing injury was causing new pain.
He is said to have arrived for a show in Las Vegas on Friday in a wheelchair and wearing a leg brace, taking it off before getting on stage.
READ MORE ABOUT: Childish Gambino
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 09:57 | By Andy Malt
One Liners: New Hope Club, National Album Day, Arctic Monkeys, more
Artist News Business News Deals Digital Gigs & Festivals Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases
Other notable announcements and developments today…
• Warner/Chappell has signed New Hope Club to a worldwide publishing deal. For recordings, the band are signed to The Vamps’ Virgin/EMI imprint Steady Records. “It made sense that The Vamps were given their own label, it’s clear that the boys have the ability to spot amazing talent – and they’ve proven this with New Hope Club”, says W/C MD Mike Smith.
• The Association Of Independent Music has announced an event in partnership with Pitchblack Playlist and MQA for that National Album Day thing on 13 Oct. Running throughout the day, music fans will have the chance to listen to six albums in high quality audio, including records by Mogwai and Gil Scott-Heron, in total darkness. More details here.
• Arctic Monkeys are auctioning twelve limited edition, framed prints of the band in aid of homelessness charity Centrepoint, signed by both band members and photographer Zackery Michael. More details here.
• Unknown Mortal Orchestra have already released one album this year – ‘Sex & Food’ – back in April. They’re back already with another though, ‘IC-01 Hanoi’, which will be released on 26 Oct. From it, this is ‘Hanoi 6’.
• She Drew The Gun have released the second track from their upcoming second album, ‘Revolution Of Mind’. This is ‘Resistor Reprise’.
• Vessel has released new single ‘Argo (For Maggie)’ from upcoming new album ‘Queen of Golden Dogs’, which is out on 9 Nov.
• Yaeji has released new track ‘One More’. Of it she says, “‘One More’ is about enduring and coming to terms with pain until you have the strength to forgive and move on”.
• Murphykid has released new single ‘Wolf’. “The ‘Wolf’ from which this song takes its title is the old black dog”, he says. “[It was] written at a time where the coming of night was something I didn’t look forward to because it exposed anxieties easier to ignore with the distractions of daytime”. The song is taken from his debut album, ‘Skeletons’, which is out on 12 Oct.
• Haiku Hands have announced UK tours dates for next month, including a show at Corsica Studios in London on 23 Oct.
• Stefflon Don has announced that she will play the Hammersmith Apollo on 29 Nov.
• Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily – updated every Friday.
READ MORE ABOUT: Arctic Monkeys | Association of Independent Music (AIM) | MQA | Murphykid | National Album Day | New Hope Club | Pitchblack Playlist | She Drew The Gun | Steady Records | Stefflon Don | The Vamps | Unknown Mortal Orchestra | Vessel | Virgin EMI | Warner Chappell | Yaeji
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 09:48 | By Andy Malt
Lil Xan hospitalised after gorging on spicy snacks
And Finally Artist News Gigs & Festivals
With a US tour scheduled to begin tonight, now is not the greatest time for rapper Lil Xan to reveal he’s been hospitalised. Everything’s still on track though, even though he was apparently vomiting blood at one point. But it’s not as serious as it possibly looked, the rapper apparently having been diagnosed with eating too many spicy snacks.
“I just wanna let everybody know, I was in the hospital”, he said in a video on Instagram yesterday. “Not due to any drugs but, I guess I ate too many Hot Cheetos and it ripped something in my stomach a little bit, so I puked a little blood. [But] we good”.
In the caption on the post, he added: “Just wanna let everyone know that I’m good, healthier than I’ve ever been and ready to kick of my third tour in NY … Also be careful, Hot Cheetos are one hell of a drug”.
As unlikely as this sounds, the spicy version of Cheetos have apparently been causing doctors concern for a number of years.
In 2012, CBS reported on the high number of children being taken to hospital over concerns relating to eating the snack. A doctor explained that while most cases were not serious, “a number of patients who have consumed these Cheetos in excess have complained of pain in their upper abdomen”.
The Chicago Tribune also reported on the potential addictive quality of the snack, causing children to overeat them. One convenience store owner told the newspaper that they were his “number one seller”. “Kids get em for breakfast too”, he said. “They’re crazy about them”.
The company that makes Cheetos, Frito-Lay, has said that it is “committed to responsible and ethical marketing practices, which includes not marketing our products to children ages twelve and under”. Maybe this policy should also include SoundCloud rappers of all ages.
READ MORE ABOUT: Lil Xan
Wednesday 26 September 2018, 08:59 | By Andy Malt
Approved: Bliss Signal
CMU Approved
Bliss Signal sees producers Jack Adams (aka Mumdance) and James Kelly (aka Wife) come together to blend black metal and electronic music to incredible effect.
Drawing on Kelly’s previous experience with experimental metal outfit Altars Of Plague, the pair create heavy instrumental music that is rich in atmosphere and flits between punishing and euphoric. Following the release of their debut EP, ‘Drift’, in August, they are set to release their debut album, ‘Bliss Signal’, this week.
Following title track ‘Bliss Signal’ – which also featured on the EP – and another called ‘Surge’, the latest track to be released from the album is ‘Tranq’. Check that out 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: Bliss Signal | Mumdance | Wife
Tuesday 25 September 2018, 11:13 | By Chris Cooke
SiriusXM confirms “definitive agreement” to buy Pandora outright
Business News Deals Digital Media Top Stories
It’s been a long-time coming, but yesterday SiriusXM announced a “definitive agreement” to acquire Pandora Media. This will bring the American satellite radio broadcaster and personalised radio service properly into one business. The two firms reckon it will be “the world’s largest audio entertainment company”. And who doesn’t love a bit of audio entertainment?
SiriusXM has long been tipped as a buyer for Pandora. The personalised radio set up has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 2011 and, like most digital music businesses, is still trying to work out how to making the delivery of musical streams profitable. There was talk of a Sirius acquisition of Pandora Media last year, but in the end it bought a slice of the company instead – nearly a fifth – in a $480 million transaction.
Assuming the new deal goes through, Sirius and Pandora will still remain as separate products and brands, but there will be plenty of co-promotion between the two. The combined company will also be looking for economies of scale, while also hoping that each side can benefit from the other’s relationships in the advertising industry, the music community, and with other key partners like the automobile industry.
Sirius has much more experience in the subscriptions business, and Pandora has been more active in the subscriptions market in the last couple of years. While it has always offered an ad-free version of its personalised radio set-up for a monthly fee, it started more proactively pushing all that following a relaunch in 2016. Plus, of course, Pandora now also offers a fully on-demand option of the Spotify and Apple Music model for the standard $10 a month.
That said, you sense that management at Sirius also reckon that there is still much untapped potential in online audio advertising and, given the size of Pandora’s audience, it is well placed to capitalise on those opportunities. For its part, the music industry is much more focused on growing online subscriptions at the moment, but it is true that ad-funded services will likely remain a key part of the streaming music market long-term.
In terms of music industry relations, both Sirius and Pandora have had run-ins with the music community over the years. Mainly because both have relied on compulsory licences on the recordings side and collecting society licences on the songs side, and have then lobbied hard the Copyright Royalty Board and rate courts to keep the royalties they have to be pay down. And, of course, earlier this month Sirius was loudly criticised by some in the music industry over its last minute intervention on the Music Modernization Act.
But Pandora’s relationships with the music industry have, in the main, improved in recent years as the company has struck up more direct deals with the record companies and music publishers rather than relying so much on the collective licensing system. And while the music business might bicker with Sirius and Pandora when it comes to licensing, the industry’s marketers recognise the value of reaching each service’s respective audience.
In terms of the specifics of the “definitive agreement” announced yesterday, which has board backing but must still be approved by Pandora Media’s shareholders, under the proposals those with Pandora shares will be offered newly issued Sirius shares on a “fixed exchange ratio of 1.44”. Which means that Pandora’s other shareholders will get themselves some lovely stock in the newly expanded SiriusXM business.
Explaining the maths in a little more detail, the companies said in a statement: “Based on the 30 day volume-weighted average price of $7.04 per share of SiriusXM common stock, the implied price of Pandora common stock is $10.14 per share, representing a premium of 13.8% over a 30 day volume-weighted average price”. So now you know.
Confirming all of this, SiriusXM boss man Jim Meyer said yesterday: “We have long respected Pandora and their team for their popular consumer offering that has attracted a massive audience, and have been impressed by Pandora’s strategic progress and stronger execution. We believe there are significant opportunities to create value for both companies’ stockholders by combining our complementary businesses”.
Expanding on what those opportunities might be, he continued: “The addition of Pandora diversifies SiriusXM’s revenue streams with the US’s largest ad-supported audio offering, broadens our technical capabilities, and represents an exciting next step in our efforts to expand our reach out of the car even further”.
“Through targeted investments, we see significant opportunities to drive innovation that will accelerate growth beyond what would be available to the separate companies”, he added, “in a way that also benefits consumers, artists, and the broader content communities. Together, we will deliver even more of the best content on radio to our passionate and loyal listeners, and attract new listeners, across our two platforms”.
On the Pandora side of the table, its CEO Roger Lynch added: “We’ve made tremendous progress in our efforts to lead in digital audio. Together with SiriusXM, we’re even better positioned to take advantage of the huge opportunities we see in audio entertainment, including growing our advertising business and expanding our subscription offerings”.
“The powerful combination of SiriusXM’s content, position in the car, and premium subscription products, along with the biggest audio streaming service in the US, will create the world’s largest audio entertainment company”, he mused on. “This transaction will deliver significant value to our stockholders and will allow them to participate in upside, given SiriusXM’s strong brand, financial resources and track record delivering results”.
READ MORE ABOUT: Pandora | SiriusXM
