Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:36 | By Chris Cooke

German court puts significant restrictions on ticket resale site Ticketbande

Business News Legal Live Business Top Stories

German promoters association BDKV has welcomed a ruling in the country’s courts that should restrict the resale of tickets on a secondary ticketing site called Ticketbande.

While in some countries law-makers and government agencies have been trying to better regulate the resale of tickets for profit online, in Germany all the action has been in the courts. Last November promoter MCT Agentur secured an injunction against Viagogo ordering it to stop listing tickets for upcoming Rammstein shows. A similar injunction then followed for planned Ed Sheeran dates in Germany.

For its part BDKV – a new organisation formed by the merger of two other event and concert industry trade bodies, BDV and VDKD – took aim at Ticketbande, another resale site which operates in various European markets. It sought an order from the regional court of Hanover restricting the resale of tickets on that site across the board.

To that end, earlier this month said court ruled that Ticketbande must not list tickets in one of two scenarios.

First, if a seller marks up a ticket by more than 25% face value and the terms of the original ticket specifically forbid such a thing. Secondly, when tickets have a box for the buyer’s name, providing there is a way for that named person to get their money back if they cannot attend a show.

Welcoming the ruling, Dr Johannes Ulbricht of law firm Michow & Ulbricht, who represents BDKV, said: “This verdict finally eliminates a crucial grey area in ticket sales [and brings event organisers] a great step further in the fight against the commercial secondary market ticketing trade”.

The court also rejected arguments presented by Ticketbande questioning the effectiveness of any attempts to regulate the resale of tickets online. Which is interesting because that is a common argument put forward by the big resale sites, to the effect that if you over-regulate the main players in secondary ticketing, touts will just switch over to other forums online where consumers will have even less protection.

There are now, of course, moves in various counties to restrict and regulate online ticket touting. These restrictions and regulations are being achieved in different ways in different countries. Some question the actual impact of these legal developments, though from education point of view it is making many more consumers aware of the difference between primary and secondary ticketing. And of the risk that touted tickets may be cancelled.

A new organisation called FEAT was recently launched, of course, seeking to coordinate anti-touting efforts across Europe. A spokesperson for that group welcomed the latest development in Germany and BDKV’s wider campaign against touting. Sam Shemtob told CMU: “This illustrates the traction that a variety of national movements, such as BDKV’s [anti-touting campaign] are getting across Europe, and shows that local judiciaries are not falling for spurious arguments in support of industrial level touting”.

UPDATE 31 Jan 2010, 16.10: Updated to clarify the scenarios in which the new restrictions apply – in particular that the enforcing of the ticket’s term and the 25% cap on resale are linked.

Lady Gaga defends Kesha against Dr Luke in newly unseal deposition

Artist News Legal

Lady Gaga’s 2017 deposition in the ongoing legal battle between Kesha and Dr Luke has been unsealed. The transcript shows Gaga fiercely defending her fellow music star. Questioned about the allegation that Luke sexually assaulted Kesha, at one point Gaga tells the producer’s lawyer, “You should be ashamed of yourself”.

Gaga was called to testify about a text message conversation in which Kesha confided that Luke – real name Lukas Gottwald – had raped her. In the same conversation, Kesha also claimed that Gottwald had raped Katy Perry, something both he and Perry have subsequently denied and which his legal team have now asked the court to rule as false.

In the deposition, obtained by The Blast, Gaga recalls her first meeting with Kesha, saying that it was in a back room of Gottwald’s home studio and that she was only wearing underwear.

“I made my view of [Gottwald] and his reputation when I saw her in that back room”, she says, adding that when Kesha later said that she had been abused by the producer “I felt and knew in my heart that she was telling the truth, and I believe her”.

Prior to Kesha saying that she had been raped, she had already spoken to Gaga about being allegedly abused by Gottwald. Gaga could not recall specifics of the first time the topic came up, but said: “What I recall was her immense sadness and depression and fear. She was visibly very different than when I had seen her before. But I can’t say specifically what we spoke about. I just recall it was emotional and I wanted to be there for her”.

When Gottwald’s lawyer countered that Gaga did not have any direct personal knowledge of any abuse or assault by the producer against Kesha, she replied: “Yes, I do have knowledge. She told me he assaulted her. You know, when men assault women, they don’t invite people over to watch”.

She continued: “When this happens in this industry, it is kept extremely secret, and it is compounded by contracts and manipulative power scenarios that actually include this very situation that we are all in right now”.

“I have factual knowledge of her depression”, she told Gottwald’s lawyer. “I have factual knowledge of her need for support and love. I have factual knowledge of the spiral that I watched that girl go down. I have factual knowledge of trauma. I am informed and intelligent about this issue. That girl has experienced serious trauma and she is in the middle of it right now. And you are all a party to it”.

She added: “Why on earth would this girl tell the entire world this happened? Why on earth? Do you know what it’s like for survivors? Do you know what it’s like to tell people? Don’t you roll your eyes at me. You should be ashamed of yourself”.

In response to the publication of Lady Gaga’s deposition yesterday, Dr Luke’s legal team told reporters: “Being passionate about a topic that concerns us all is admirable. However, Lady Gaga has no knowledge of what happened on the night at issue because she was not there”.

Summarising Gottwald’s version of events on the night of the alleged rape, the statement goes on: “Kesha got kicked out of a party after drinking too much and vomiting. As an act of kindness, Dr Luke offered to allow her to sleep in his hotel suite, a few blocks away. Kesha slept on the bed in the hotel suite, while Dr Luke separately slept on the couch”.

“Dr Luke testified under oath that he did not have any contact with Kesha”, the statement insists. “Kesha herself admitted under oath that she has absolutely no memory of Dr Luke even being in the hotel room. Kesha has no memory of Dr Luke engaging in inappropriate contact with her because it did not happen”.

The case continues.

Justin Bieber launches fashion brand

Brands & Merch Business News

Justin Bieber has launched his own fashion brand, because, I don’t know, it’s just what you do, isn’t it? It’s called Drew House. Justin Bieber’s middle name is Drew. Presumably it will sell middle name type clothes – ie clothes we all have but never use unless we’re filling out a form.

The company’s website informs us that the new fashionable enterprise is “a place where you can be yourself. Blah blah blah blahsdbksjdfhl. Wear like you don’t care. Come chill. K. Bye”.

Great stuff. The first collection from the label is available to buy now. A lot of it is very brown. It’s all very tasteful though. I mean, just look at these. Top quality middle name type clothes.

Pandora CEO steps down as SiriusXM takeover goes ahead

Business News Digital Industry People

Pandora CEO Roger Lynch, along with several other senior execs at the US streaming company, is stepping down. This follows American satellite broadcaster SiriusXM’s takeover of the streaming platform, which was approved by Pandora’s other shareholders earlier this week.

Sirius announced a deal to buy Pandora last September. It had been a long time coming, with Sirius frequently tipped as a bidder for the digital music firm, which – like most key players in the streaming music market – has struggled to make a profit from its large user-base. In 2017 Sirius bought a significant slice of the Pandora company. Now the two firms will properly merge.

The combined Sirius/Pandora will be looking for economies of scale to reduce the overheads of both its radio and personalised radio businesses. The initial cost-savings will come from combining the two companies’ senior management teams.

Which basically means various senior Pandora execs departing, including Lynch. Also stepping down as the deal is done will be Pandora’s General Counsel Steve Bene, Chief Financial Officer Naveen Chopra and Chief HR Office Kristen Robinson.

Sirius CEO Jim Meyer will now sit atop both sides of the business. Above him will be parent company Liberty Media, which owns 71% of the Sirius company. It, of course, also has interests in other music related outfits, most notably a 34% stake in Live Nation.

Outlining the technicalities of the Sirius/Pandora deal, a statement from the company on Tuesday said: “The transaction is expected to close shortly, subject to customary closing conditions. Assuming completion of the transaction, shares of Pandora common stock are expected to be delisted from trading on the New York Stock Exchange. As a result of the transaction, among other things, each share of Pandora common stock will be converted into 1.44 newly issued shares of Sirius XM common stock”.

“Sirius XM common stock”, it then added, “will continue to trade under the existing ticker symbol ‘SIRI’ on the Nasdaq Global Select Market”. I wonder how Siri feels about that. It’s alright, I bet she’s a secret Pandora user. You know, whenever Tim’s not looking.

Creative industry reps call for BBC to push for Eurovision to be moved out of Israel

Business News Media

Peter Gabriel, Wolf Alice and Reverend And The Makers are among 50 representatives of the music, film, TV and fashion communities to call on the BBC to ask for the Eurovision Song Contest to be relocated from Israel. The BBC has said that it will continue as planned.

Organised by the Boycott, Divestment And Sanctions movement, which calls for the cultural boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestine, an open letter to The Guardian says that “Eurovision may be light entertainment, but it is not exempt from human rights considerations”.

It goes on: “On 8 Feb, the BBC will screen ‘You Decide’, the show it says will ‘deliver the UK the artist it deserves to fly the flag out in Tel Aviv in May’. For any artist of conscience, this would be a dubious honour”.

“They and the BBC should consider that ‘You Decide’ is not a principle extended to the Palestinians”, it adds, “who cannot decide to remove Israel’s military occupation and live free of apartheid. Even Palestinians with Israeli citizenship were told in the nation-state law passed last year that only Jews have the ‘right to national self-determination'”.

Saying that there is an “outpouring of support across Europe for the Palestinian call for artists and broadcasters not to go to Tel Aviv”, it calls on the BBC to push for the contest to not take place in Israel at all.

“The BBC is bound by its charter to ‘champion freedom of expression'”, says the letter. “It should act on its principles and press for Eurovision to be relocated to a country where crimes against that freedom are not being committed”.

In a statement, the BBC said that Eurovision is “not a political event and does not endorse any political message or campaign”.

“The competition has always supported the values of friendship, inclusion, tolerance and diversity and we do not believe it would be appropriate to use the BBC’s participation for political reasons”, it goes on. “Because of this we will be taking part in this year’s event. The host country is determined by the rules of the competition, not the BBC”.

Eurovision organiser the European Broadcasting Union also said that the event is “non-political”, adding that preparations for this year’s contest in Tel Aviv are “well advanced”.

Peter Jackson to direct new Beatles documentary

Artist News

Having had a go on Ron Howard for 2016 tour documentary ‘Eight Days A Week’, The Beatles are going to take another Hollywood director out for a spin. Peter Jackson will oversee a new film about the recording of the band’s ‘Let It Be’ album.

Although still best known for the ‘Lord Of The Rings’ films, Jackson is – of course – now a top documentary director too, having made last year’s lauded World War One film ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’.

Jackson will create his Beatles film using 55 hours of footage of the band in the studio in January 1969, recording sessions that culminated in their legendary performance on the roof of Apple Corp’s Savile Row office. The album they created was then released eighteen months later, after the band had split up.

“The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about”, says Jackson. “It’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together”.

Four friends, you say? Were they not all at each other’s throats by then? No, says Jackson: “I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth. After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot eighteen months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove”.

“Sure, there’s moments of drama”, he admits. “But none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating – it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate. I’m THRILLED and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage – making the movie will be a sheer joy”.

As noted by Jackson, the footage he is working from was originally shot by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who also made a film from it. A restored version of that is also set for release alongside this new one.

As of now though, Jackson’s film has no title and no release date, so it’s a waiting game all round. Why don’t we use this time to decide who should direct the next Beatles doc. I vote Michael Bay.

One Liners: Interpol, Octo Octa, Jónsi & Alex Somers, more

Artist News Gigs & Festivals One Liners Releases

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Interpol have released new track ‘Fine Mess’. They’ve also announced UK shows in Leeds and Brighton this June.

• Octo Octa has announced new EP ‘For Lovers’, which will be out on 1 Mar. Here’s new single ‘I Need You’. The producer will also be in the UK for live shows in February and March.

• Cid Rim has released new track ‘Further’, featuring Lylit. “‘Further’ is about picking oneself up after defeats”, he explains. “But not only that, if you take all the energy a defeat or a big loss creates and channel it in the right positive direction it can give you a boost to take risks, challenge yourself and go further than you’ve gone before. And sometimes as a result of all that, a defeat can lead to a much bigger positive impact in the end. That’s what the song is about”.

• Jónsi & Alex Somers have announced that they will perform their ‘Riceboy Sleeps’ album live with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the Barbican on 8 Jul. It will be just the second time that they have performed the album live and the first time in Europe.

• Killers guitarist Dave Keuning has announced that he will return to the UK for more solo live dates in March and April. He’ll conclude the run at The Garage in London on 2 Apr.

• Confidence Man will play Electric Brixton in London on 2 May. “We’re coming back London and we’re takin it so far that you need to be fluent in body language to even understand it”, the band insist.

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

Ariana Grande grilled over new tattoo

And Finally Artist News

Ariana Grande has started a new celebrity trend! She’s followed Ed Sheeran’s lead by getting a grill-themed tattoo. Although, unlike Ed, not intentionally.

Sheeran had “Galway grill” tattooed on his arm during the video shoot for his song ‘Galway Girl’. Although he pretended otherwise initially, it turned out that it was planned hilarity. Ariana Grande, however, has fallen foul of a low pain threshold and things meaning different things in different languages.

Earlier this week, Grande posted a picture on various social media of a new tattoo on the palm of her hand. Featuring Chinese characters ‘七輪’, meaning “seven rings”, she got the new ink in celebration of her new single of the same name going to number one in the US.

However, many seeing the image on her official Japanese Twitter account quickly pointed out that they saw the phrase “small charcoal grill” – the same characters having a different meaning in Japan.

Acknowledging this on Twitter, Grande admitted that she’d initially intended for the tattoo to be in Japanese. However, due to the pain of having a needle jabbed into her hand, she’d shortened it to Chinese, which uses fewer characters (although what she ended up with in Chinese actually translates to something more like “seven wheels”).

“I left out ‘つの指’, which should have gone in between”, she wrote. Doing so would have made it work in Japanese. But, she adds, “it hurt like fuck and … I wouldn’t have lasted one more symbol”.

There’s nothing like public mockery to focus the mind though. She subsequently posted a photo of an update to the tattoo on her Instagram story. Underneath the original inking, she’s now had added ‘指’ – meaning ‘finger’ – and a heart. “Slightly better”, she noted. Although only very slightly.

Adding the new character to the end would indeed change it to mean ‘seven hoops’ in Japanese, which is closer to the song title. Although breaking it onto a new line is grammatically incorrect. So anyone reading it will still see ‘small charcoal grill, finger, heart’.

She could perhaps attempt to pass it off as a safety warning, I guess. Although the heart makes it look like she enjoys burning her fingers. But I suppose she has had her fingers burnt in a metaphorical sense.

Approved: Yugen Blakrok

CMU Approved

One of five South African rappers to be featured on the Kendrick Lamar-curated soundtrack for Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’, Yugen Blakrok has been a figure on the country’s alternative hip hop scene for several years already.

Until the soundtrack was actually announced, all she knew was that – some time before – she’d been asked by someone at Top Dawg Entertainment to record a verse over an instrumental they’d sent over.

That then ended up being a guest spot on Vince Staples track ‘Opps’. But while that development seemingly came as a surprise to Blakrok, she’s not letting her sudden international exposure pass her by.

Already recording her second album ‘Anima Mysterium’ – the follow-up to 2013’s ‘Return Of The Astro-Goth’ – when the fortuitous email about her soundtrack guest spot came in, she’s now begun dripping out new tracks from the new LP. First ‘Carbon Form’ last November and now new track ‘Picture Box’.

Although she’s certainly been afforded new opportunities of late, she has let none of it dilute her artistic vision. The new tracks allow the talent she’s developed during her years on the underground to really shine though.

“The song is about self-illumination”, she says of ‘Picture Box’. “Fire was the first storyteller, now we gather around a television like in times past. We mimic and echo shadows of ourselves in alternate dimensions through the picture box; characters that influence our thoughts and lives on this timeline. Where do they go when we change the channel or switch off? The mind cannot imagine what does not already exist”.

‘Anima Mysterium’ is out this Friday. Watch the video for ‘Picture Box’ here:

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

Company behind Bestival’s sister festivals wound up

Business News Gigs & Festivals Live Business Top Stories

It has been confirmed that the Common People festivals that previously took place in both Southampton and Oxford will not take place this year. The two events were sister festivals to Bestival and Camp Bestival, and the Common People company has followed the Bestival business into administration. Administrators have now said that, with no buyers coming forward, the two companies set up to run Common People are in liquidation.

The Bestival Group was forced into administration by one of its money-lenders last year. Said money-lender then acquired the rights to the Bestival events, but almost immediately sold them on to Live Nation, which had entered into a joint venture with the festival’s founders Rob and Josie Da Bank. That new joint venture has already confirmed that Camp Bestival 2019 will go ahead, although there has been no word on the main Bestival bash.

It seemed likely that the collapse of Bestival would also mean that the Common People festivals would not go ahead. The city council in Oxford has now confirmed that is so, in part responding to that news that the companies set up to run the Common People festivals are in liquidation with debts of more than £500,000.

A member of the executive board of the city’s council, which itself is owed in the region of £7000 by the festival, told the Oxford Times: “Everyone at Oxford City Council is absolutely gutted that Common People Oxford will not be returning. We spent many years building the relationships that enabled us to bring the organisers of Bestival to Oxford and we have been proud to host them in South Park over the last three years”.

She went on: “The city council is committed to bringing another annual festival that celebrates Oxford’s culture and diverse communities to South Park as soon as possible, and we’re in discussions with other festival organisers about this”.

Team Bestival launched Common People in Southampton in 2015 with a second Oxford edition subsequently being added. Although popular with the local music communities in both cities, Rob Da Bank did admit that he was disappointed with attendance at last year’s Oxford event, telling a local newspaper at the time that he felt poor – and, as it turned out, incorrect – weather forecasts had hit walk-up trade, negatively impacting on turn-out overall.

Confirming the Common People companies were now being wound up, a spokesperson from liquidator Begbies Traynor told reporters: “Common People (Oxford) Limited and Common People Festival Limited went into liquidation and the business and its assets were not bought by any other company. As a result there will be no Common People festival in 2019. We are unable to make any further comment”.

Benji Rogers returns to PledgeMusic as company attempts to resolve financial issues

Business News Digital Industry People

PledgeMusic co-founder Benji Rogers has confirmed that he will return to the direct-to-fan and crowdfunding company on a temporary basis, aiming to help it out of its current financial problems.

It emerged last week that PledgeMusic was still struggling with financial issues that began last year, leading to artists who had run campaigns on the platform not being paid. An executive rejig and new finance system introduced last October was meant to have resolved these issues, but last week a number of artists reported they were still awaiting payment.

As the company issued a statement about the ongoing problems last week, so too did Rogers, who left Pledge a year ago after previously reducing his role there in 2016. In that statement, Rogers said that he had offered the current management team assistance “both strategically and practically”. Help which has now been accepted.

“I have agreed, on a short-term basis, to return to PledgeMusic as a volunteer strategic advisor and observer to the board”, says Rogers in a new statement. “I have been in discussions with the management team and board of Pledge over the last few days and I am convinced that they are committed to fixing the artists payments situation as their first priority. I have seen first hand how tirelessly the team, management and board have been working to right the ship and that is why I have agreed to help where I can”.

PledgeMusic has already said that it hopes to have caught up with late payments to artists within 90 days. Rogers does not give an exact time-frame, but promises that “the first priority for the company is to sort the back payments issue as every penny that is owed to artists needs to get to them in the fastest possible time”. A detailed plan for this, he adds, will be published shortly.

He then says that, in order to avoid situations such as this moving forward, all funds raised through campaigns on the platform in the future will be held by a third party. This, he says, will “ensure that all campaigns that launch going forward, will be paid upon their campaign milestones being reached”.

Also giving no indication as to how long he may be in this temporary role, he finishes: “I will do all in my power to help the team bring this to a successful conclusion for the artists and fans as quickly as is possible. I am deeply sorry to those of you who have been affected by this”.

While doing all of this, Rogers will also remain full time in his post at his current company, music data start-up Dot Blockchain Media.

CMU Insights: Find out what happens to the digital dollars at latest CMU masterclass

Business News CMU Insights Update Digital Education & Events

Following the launch last week of the latest Digital Dollar guide from the Music Managers Forum and CMU Insights, next week we present the latest edition of the ‘Dissecting The Digital Dollar’ masterclass.

This is based on the core ‘Digital Dollar’ book, and in one afternoon provides an overview of the streaming music business today and an explanation of how the music industry’s deals with a Spotify-type service work, and therefore how everyone gets paid each month. Along the way you will learn some copyright law and some basics about record contracts, publishing contracts and collective licensing, which will help you understand it all.

We’ll also give you a sneak preview of the very latest ‘Digital Dollar’ research looking in much more detail at how songwriter royalties are processed each month. This new research was initially previewed to MMF members last week and will be explained in detail in another ‘Digital Dollar’ guide later this year.

The ‘Digital Dollar’ masterclass takes place at the London HQ of Lewis Silkin on Monday 4 Feb at 2pm. Tickets are on sale for the ‘Digital Dollar’ masterclass right now at just £79.

These New Puritans announce new album, Inside The Rose

Artist News Gigs & Festivals Releases

These New Puritans have announced that they will release their new album, ‘Inside The Rose’, in March. Several years in production, the album is the follow-up to 2013’s ‘Field of Reeds’.

“The songs are about beauty, transcendence, desire, oblivion, ecstasy and eyes”, says the duo’s Jack Barnett of the new album. “I want to go beyond myself and my time. That’s the art I like. Whether it’s Francis Bacon or William Blake. You fail, inevitably, but that’s the challenge”.

Following last year’s ‘Into The Fire’, the latest track to be released from the LP is title track, ‘Inside The Rose’:

But will there be tour dates? Yes, there will be tour dates:

10 Apr: Manchester, Yes
11 Apr: SW3 Warehouse
12 Apr: Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
13 Apr: Hebden Bridge, Trades Club
17 Apr: London, Tufnell Park Dome
18 Apr: Brighton, Patterns
19 Apr: Bristol, Thekla

Chai announce second album, Punk

Artist News Releases

Japanese garage-pop quartet Chai have announced that they will release their second album, ‘Punk’, in March. This follows last year’s debut ‘Pink’.

“Compared with our first album, ‘Punk’ represents a more concentrated version of all of our individualities”, says drummer Kuna.

Bassist Yuuki then adds: “‘Punk’ was what we had been doing all along – not caring about what people think and instead showing everyone who we are and what our music is. That’s ‘Punk’. This whole time our concept of your ‘complexes being art’ and ‘changing the norm’ was ‘punk’ all along”.

UK live shows are expected to be announced soon. Here’s the first single from the album, ‘Fashionista’:

Nitin Sawhney to play Beyond Skin 20th anniversary show

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Nitin Sawhney has announced that he will perform his ‘Beyond Skin’ album at the Royal Albert Hall later this year. The show will mark the record’s 20th anniversary, as well as revisiting its still-relevant themes two decades on.

“In this year where Brexit negotiations, political turmoil and chaos have brought issues of identity, nationality, race and religion into focus once more, the themes of ‘Beyond Skin’ are more relevant than ever”, says Sawhney. “Featuring a host of talented musicians and guests, the show will seek to not only recreate and reflect upon the journey of the album, but also forge an unforgettable live event that marks Britain’s most culturally challenging year for decades”.

RAH Artistic Director Lucy Noble adds: “We’re very proud and excited to welcome Nitin to the Hall for this anniversary performance of ‘Beyond Skin’ – an urgent, arresting and unforgettable creative statement that sounds as fresh, timely and vital as it did 20 years ago. This special, one-off show is a unique chance to see one of the most important musicians of his generation recreating the dazzling artistic achievement that made his name: live and in full for the very first time”.

The show will take place on 26 Sep. More information here.

Hologram Frank Zappa coming to the UK

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Launched in the US last year, that Frank Zappa hologram tour is set to arrive in the UK for a series of dates in May.

“As a futurist, and hologram enthusiast, Frank fearlessly broke through boundary after boundary as an artist and in honouring his indomitable spirit, we’re about to do it again, 25 years after his passing”, says his son, Ahmet Zappa, who – by an extraordinary coincidence – also happens to be an exec at the hologram company behind the show, Eyellusion.

“This mind-melting show we’re putting together celebrates the music, often surreal imagery and humour synonymous with Frank”, he goes on. “We will be pushing the limits of what anyone has seen holographically on stage before in a live venue”.

“Circumstances, objects, places and subject matter from Frank’s songs and imagination will be brought to life for the first time on stage”, continues Zappa Junior’s big holographic sales pitch. “We are anthropomorphising Frank’s music, so his own hand drawn illustrations, classic imagery from his album artwork and characters from his songs can all interact and perform on stage”.

Laying the ‘this is what he would have wanted, honest guvnor’ rhetoric on little a bit thick, he then rambles on: “My father and I actively discussed 3D and ‘holography’ and it was a concept he actively engaged in. He actually devoted half a chapter of his ‘The Real Frank Zappa Book’ to this subject”.

“This is a love letter and a journey celebrating the genius artistry of Frank Zappa”, Ahmet concludes. “On a personal note, I feel like I am finishing something my father started years ago. And let’s not forget, Frank himself will be rocking his fans, alongside his bandmates, like nobody’s business”.

Ahmet is possibly keen to stress just how much his dad would have loved this show because the whole hologram tour venture has proven somewhat controversial. Another of Zappa’s sons, Dweezil, has openly denounced it. He’s also used it to bring attention to his ongoing trademark dispute with the Zappa Family Trust.

But if you are willing to ignore Dweezil’s denouncement and would rather buy into Ahmet’s hyperbole – or if you just fancy seeing a 3D rendering of Frank Zappa appear on British stage – here are the dates:

9 May: Edinburgh, Playhouse
11 May: Gateshead, Sage
12 May: Manchester, Bridgewater Hall
13 May: Birmingham, Symphony Hall
14 May: London, The Palladium

One Liners: Joe Hammill, Warner Music, Sam Smith, more

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

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Sentric Music and Strictly Confidential have renewed their global songwriting agreement with Joe Hammill. Hammill signed his initial deal with the two companies in 2011. “Working with people like Joe is what makes being a publisher such a joyous job”, reckons Sentric’s Simon Pursehouse. “He’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet”, agrees Strictly Confidential’s Thomas De Mot. We’re not in this to make friends, guys.

• Warner Music has signed a new agreement with Turkish music company Doğan Group, which owns independent label Doğan Music Company and online video platform NetD. DMC will distribute Warner releases physically and digitally in Turkey, while NetD will host Warner music videos. The deal will “enable better representation of Warner artists” in Turkey, reckons DMC CEO Samsun Demir, which I assume is the point.

• Universal Music has announced a load of exec rejiggling in is classical and jazz division. Holly Adams becomes Head Of Soundtrack And Score, Global Classics And Jazz And Globe UK, which is a bit of a mouthful. Rachel Tregenza joins from Decca as Head Of International Communications And Artist Strategy, Global Classics And Jazz. Also a mouthful. And Anja Boenicke joins from Deutsche Grammophon as Head of Artist And Brand Partnerships, Global Classics & Jazz. Yep, another mouthful. “New appointments”, says their boss, Dickon Stainer. He said more, but those job titles used up all the word count.

• Sam Smith and Normani have released the video for their single ‘Dancing With A Stranger’.

• Jax Jones and Years & Years have released the video for their single ‘Play‘.

• Bryan Adams has released the video for his new single ‘Shine A Light’, which, like all songs these days, was co-written by Ed Sheeran. And whoever Ed Sheeran ripped off this time. Only joking!

• Health have released new track ‘Feel Nothing’ as part of the Adult Swim singles series. The track will appear on the band’s upcoming new album ‘Vol 4: Slaves Of Fear’.

• Heather Woods Broderick has announced that she will release new album, ‘Invitation’, on 19 Apr. Right now, here’s new single ‘Where I Lay’, of which she says: “‘Where I Lay’ is really a poem about the impermanence of all things. So many of our questions will remain unanswered but if we slow down and appreciate things as they are it can provide a simplicity and an ease that inspires wonder amidst the chaos”.

• Sacred Paws are back with new single ‘Brush Your Hair’. Which reminds me, I must brush my hair.

• Ian Sweet has released the video for her single ‘Holographic Jesus’ ahead of UK tour dates next month.

• Norma has released the video for the title track of her debut album, ‘Female Jungle’, to mark her addition this year’s SXSW line-up.

• Ozzy Osbourne has postponed his European tour in its entirety. Due to begin this week, the dates have been pulled at the last minute as the singer has come down with flu and bronchitis. Doctors are concerned it could develop into pneumonia if he performs at all. Osbourne says he is “completely devastated”, but the shows have been rescheduled to September, with Judas Priest still on board as support act.

• Fat White Family will tour the UK in May, winding up at The Forum in London on 15 May.

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

Darude to represent Finland at Eurovision

And Finally Artist News Media

People always ask why the UK doesn’t send one of its well-known, proven talents to Eurovision. Couldn’t someone ask Ed Sheeran? Morrissey once said he would do it. Although, maybe that’s best left alone now. Well, anyway, Finland’s only gone and bloody done it. This year it will be represented by Darude – best known for his 1995 mega-hit ‘Sandstorm’.

The trance producer has teamed up with vocalist Sebastian Rejman for Finland’s song for this year’s Eurovision, which is set to take place in Tel Aviv in May. Or songs, rather, because he’s written three. His trio of contenders will be released one per week in February, with public and jury votes deciding which will represent Finland at the actual contest.

“This is a huge challenge for me in many ways”, says Darude. “When I was asked to represent Finland I felt a bit scared at first, but there was no way I could say no to my country! It is an honour to be part of this incredible experience and I only have positive expectations!”

Now, see, that’s the sort of attitude you want. I bet this is giving Finland the sort of national boost we could really do with in the UK right now.

In the UK, of course, we also have three songs to choose from, and six different performers vying to perform one of them on the international stage. Not one of them has ever had a global trance hit though. But rather than dwelling on that, let’s just watch this video of Darude talking some more about how amazing everything is:

Director defends Leaving Neverland documentary as Jackson family speaks out

Artist News Media Top Stories

The director of that new documentary putting the spotlight on abuse allegations against Michael Jackson has defended his film. This follows the late pop star’s estate dubbing it a “tabloid character assassination” centring on accusers whose claims have “always been about money”.

The remarks from director Dan Reed also follow a statement from the Jackson family, who – like the estate – have laid into the documentary, its maker and its subjects, as well as the media response to the project.

The family’s statement reads: “We are furious that the media who, without a shred of proof or single piece of physical evidence, chose to believe the word of two admitted liars over the word of hundreds of families and friends around the world who spent time with Michael, many at Neverland, and experienced his legendary kindness and global generosity”.

Like the estate, the family hone in on the fact that the two men who make allegations against Jackson in ‘Leaving Neverland’ – Wade Robson and James Safechuck – both defended the musician when he was still alive. The men now allege that Jackson abused them in the 1990s, but when the star faced criminal charges of child abuse in 2005 they testified in his defence.

The statement from the Jacksons goes on: “The creators of this film were not interested in the truth. They never interviewed a single solitary soul who knew Michael except the two perjurers and their families. That is not journalism, and it’s not fair yet the media are perpetuating these stories”.

Both accusers went legal in relation to the alleged abuse they suffered after Jackson’s death. However, both cases were dismissed because the men had left it too long to bring civil proceedings to court. Robson says it was only through therapy in later life, after two breakdowns, that he came to accept Jackson had abused him as a child.

Reed has been defending his film in various interviews to promote the work. Speaking to USA Today, he said of the responses from the Jackson family and estate: “It’s pretty much what you’d expect them to say. They obviously haven’t seen it”.

Specifically speaking in defence of the subjects of his documentary, Reed added in a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “Wade and James were not paid in any way, directly, indirectly. The family were not enumerated. There was nothing. No compensation in any form whatsoever. I think that’s an important thing to establish”.

He then said: “The #MeToo era began during the making of the film, and there’s been a sea change in how we regard the victims of sexual assault, and I’m hoping that this film will deepen that and widen it to boys and men, victims of child sexual abuse. Also, I’m hoping it will educate people as to how child sexual abuse happens”.

Returning to the estate’s criticism of his work and their characterisation of the project as “tabloid character assassination”, Reed muses: “They have a very precious asset to protect. Every time a song plays, a cash register goes ‘ka-ching’. It doesn’t surprise me that they’ve come out fighting in defence of their asset”.

For their part, the Jackson family concluded their statement by claiming “the truth is on our side”. They then added: “Go do your research about these opportunists. The facts don’t lie, people do. Michael Jackson was and always will be 100% innocent of these false allegations”.

Nick Burgess to take up co-president role at Parlophone

Business News Industry People Labels & Publishers

Nick Burgess is shifting over from his A&R role at Universal Music’s Virgin EMI label to a new job at Warner Music, where he will become Co-President of Parlophone. So that’s nice. For him. He’ll join Mark Mitchell in jointly steering the Parlophone ship, who, through a quirk of the hiring process, has been solo Co-President for the last year.

King of all of Warner Music Group’s recorded music fun times, Max Lousada, says of the news: “Parlophone has always provided an environment for independent, unconventional artists that influence and change culture. Nick comes to Warner with an outstanding track record of finding and breaking original British talent, and I’ve always been impressed by his vision, fearlessness and creative spirit. He’s the perfect choice to join Mitch in taking this legendary label into the future. Together, they’ll make a dynamic, transformative leadership team that will grow Parlophone’s presence on the global stage”.

Burgess himself adds: “Parlophone has been making its mark on British culture for as long as I can remember, and I could not be more excited, or more humbled, to have the opportunity to play a part in navigating this iconic label into its next chapter. Both Mitch and I live and breathe the artist-first philosophy and we intend to place that at the heart of every decision we make, ensuring that Parlophone delivers on our vision to be an innovative and progressive label partner for unique, exciting and culturally significant artists who share our global ambition”.

His official first day will be 1 Feb. Which is this Friday. Which means he’ll have the weekend to catch his breath before getting on with some more progressive cultural significance next week.

French society SACEM announces new division to streamline complex royalty process

Business News Labels & Publishers

French collecting society SACEM has announced a rejig that will see its licensing, international and operational divisions integrated to “create a streamlined end-to-end solution to the identification, collection and distribution of royalties in order to ensure greater levels of transparency and value for its members”. The new combined unit will be headed up by Cécile Rap-Veber, previously Director Of Licensing & International.

In addition to representing the rights of the French songwriting community, SACEM has greatly expanded its operations in recent years, in particular licensing and/or administrating a stack of digital rights for a number of the music publishers who now do direct digital deals for their Anglo-American catalogues. SACEM also collaborates with an assortment of other European societies on digital licensing. And Rap-Veber has played a key role in developing and running this new side of the SACEM business.

Confirming the rejig, SACEM CEO Jean-Noël Tronc said: “This new structure will better equip SACEM to provide fair and transparent distribution of royalties and ensure a sustainable future for the creative sector, as the digitalisation of both music and audio-visual content continues to increase”.

Inaugural World Metal Congress to take place in London

Business News Education & Events

The heavy metal industry is to get its own conference with the launch of the World Metal Congress in London in March. Well, if dance music types get their own conferences, why not the metallers?

“This is a world-first”, says former Metal Hammer Editor Alexander Milas, who is launching the event. “In these troubling times the fact that this music resonates with people of every colour and culture and creed is an incredibly special thing, and we want to shout that from the rooftops. With the WMC we’re creating a unique forum to help bring that truly global community together, and we’ve already had a phenomenal response”.

Gaining support from some significant figures from the off, Black Sabbath’s Toni Iommi says: “I’m really pleased to hear that the World Metal Congress will be taking place in the UK. The metal community is huge but rarely gets the recognition it deserves”.

Meanwhile, Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway, who will be among the speakers at the event, adds: “Human rights and universal artistic licence are tightly intertwined. Breaking tired old stereotypes, celebrating free creative expression without borders and confronting and debating challenging ethical band decisions continues to be an absolute must”.

The two-day event will take place at Rich Mix in East London on 22-23 Mar. More information here.

Approved: Josefin Öhrn And The Liberation

CMU Approved

Bass-heavy psychedelic duo Josefin Öhrn And The Liberation are set to return this April with their third album, ‘Sacred Dreams’.

Their first LP since 2016’s ‘Mirage’, ‘Sacred Dreams’ comes after Öhrn and her songwriting partner Fredrik Joelson relocated from Stockholm to London. There they brought in a new line-up of supporting musicians, including The Go! Team’s multi-instrumentalist Angela Won-Yin Mak, Eskimo Chain frontman Patrick Smith and bassist Ben Ellis, who has worked with Iggy Pop and Swervedriver.

The record was produced by Andy Ramsay of Stereolab at his Press Play studios, where he drew out an even more dense, room-filling sound than on the duo’s previous records.

“This album comes out of a period of heartbreak, loss and dissolution, but also of deep love, warmth and beauty unveiled in the middle of it”, says Öhrn. “A sacred dream, the way we see it, is not necessarily a golden fluffy cloud river, but instead also contains all the shadows that need to be seen and felt in order to drop what has to go in order to truly live”.

“The dissonance of such a dream may not be immediately apparent, let alone the meaning of it”, she goes on. “In a way all of these tracks seem to emanate from that place where we have almost reached a new shore, or maybe we missed it and are headed somewhere else entirely, but there’s no way of telling until afterwards”.

The band will be touring the UK in March and April, including a show at the Islington Assembly Hall in London on 26 Apr.

Listen to the first single from the new album, ‘Desire’, here:

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

The Who announce Wembley Stadium show

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Brexit-rockers The Who have announced that they will play Wembley Stadium this summer, with orchestral backing, as part of a wider world tour. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Kaiser Chiefs will be among the line-up of support acts for the London show.

“The Who are touring again in 2019”, confirms Pete Townshend. “Roger christened this tour ‘Moving On!’ I love it. It is what both of us want to do. Move on, with new music, classic Who music, all performed in new and exciting ways. Taking risks, nothing to lose. Looking forward to seeing you all. Are you ready?”

I’m not sure that I am, but maybe Roger Daltrey can convince me. “Be aware Who fans”, he begins. “Just because it’s The Who with an orchestra, in no way will it compromise the way Pete and I deliver our music. This will be full throttle Who with horns and bells on”.

I think you need more than horns and bells to classify as an orchestra, don’t you? Well, anyway, tickets for this show go on general sale this Friday. The Who are also going to release a new album this year.

Madness announce live shows and book to mark 40th anniversary

Artist News Gigs & Festivals

Everyone’s performing with an orchestra these days. Even Madness are at it. They’ll play with strings and that at Kenwood House this June, as part of various 40th anniversary celebrations.

“40 years at the coal face of modern popular culture”, muses frontman Suggs. “Man and boy. Dedicated to the purveyance of popular music of quality and distinction to the people. Dedicated in our selfless quest to have the nation singing, dancing and making merry through some of the darkest times of the last four decades. There will be feasts, street parties extraordinary concerts of every shape and size up and down the nation”.

He continues: “We saw off eight prime ministers, twelve England managers and a nasty bout of lumbago. But, it’s not the endless achievements, not the unforgettable memories, it’s the fact we’re even still alive! And miraculously in the rudest of health, thanks for asking. Raise your glasses, lower your swords ‘arise Sir Madness!’ Get stuck in! Here’s to the next 40”.

With the Kenwood House show set for 15 Jun, the band will follow it by reviving their House Of Common festival on Clapham Common in London on 26 Aug.

As well as that, Suggs et al are preparing to publish an autobiography – ‘Before We Was We’ – telling the story of how they originally formed. That being a story they already told in the 1981 film ‘Take It Or Leave It’, in which they acted out (fairly badly) their own story. It’ll be interesting to compare how the telling of that story has developed with four decades of distance between them and it. Although I will quit miss the shoddy acting.

The book is out on 26 Sep, by which time some or all of the new album they’re currently working on may also have emerged.

One Liners: Jerry Keller, Rudimental, Jess Glynne, more

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

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• Publishing firm New Songs Administration recently announced it had acquired the Lynn Hatch Music catalogue from singer-songwriter Jerry Keller. The catalogue includes various works written by Keller, including the 1958 hit he is still perhaps most associated with, ‘Here Comes Summer’.

• Rudimental have released the video for new single ‘Scared Of Love’, featuring Ray BLK and Stefflon Don.

• Jess Glynne has released a new version of ‘Thursday’, featuring HER.

• Pete Doherty and new band The Puta Madres will release their debut album on 26 Apr. They’re also touring next month. Here’s new single, ‘Who’s Been Having You Over’.

• Lizzo has announced that she will release new album, ‘Cuz I Love You’, on 19 Apr. The news follows the release of new single ‘Juice’ earlier this month.

• Preoccupations have released the video for ‘Compliance’, from their 2018 album ‘New Material’.

• Ekkah have released the video for new single ‘Homesick’.

• Eels have announced three UK shows in August, hitting Nottingham, Southampton and London. Tickets on sale this Friday.

• Devin Townsend has announced UK tour dates in December, in support of his new solo album, ‘Empath’, which his out on 29 Mar. “My plan is to interpret my back catalogue, as well as the ‘Empath’ material, in ways that may change nightly”, he says of the shows. “Less computers, and less of a rigid structure”.

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

Jagged Little Pill musical coming to Broadway

And Finally Artist News

Because nothing can be just one thing anymore, Alanis Morissette’s 1995 debut album, ‘Jagged Little Pill’, is to hit Broadway as a piece of musical theatre later this year.

Directed by Diane Paulus, with a story by ‘Juno’ writer Diablo Cody, ‘Jagged Little Pill’ the musical follows a “picture-perfect suburban family” whose life in reality is not quite so great. Chorography has been handled by Sidi Larbi Cherkaou, which is what really suggests this might actually be alright.

Another reason to allow some optimism is the reviews of the initial run of the show in Cambridge, Massachusetts last year, which had critics falling over themselves to say how much they enjoyed it. You’d hope it would be good – there’s been a long lead time on this production. Morissette first revealed that she was developing it back in 2017.

Announcing that the show will arrive on Broadway in the autumn, Morissette says: “This process, and what this process has yielded artistically and collaboratively, has been nothing short of a revelation, a balm and an arrival for me. It is a culmination of so much of what my life’s work has been oriented toward”.

“To work with Diablo Cody, whose heart is as open as her mind is bright and brave, has taken this record – which has meant so much to me – to a whole other level of depth, meaning and natural activism”, she continues. “Touching on topics that keep me up at night for how deeply I care about them, Diablo’s at once fierce, sensitive and hilarious voice – and her willingness to stay and deepen the course through this journey of creation has been one of the greatest gifts of my life”.

More information on the show here.

Viagogo lobbying hard against proposed anti-touting laws in Ireland

Business News Legal Live Business Top Stories

While Viagogo is now claiming to be fully compliant with consumer rights law in the UK – although many critics and the Competition And Markets Authority would not agree – the company is also hard at work opposing new anti-ticket-touting legislation in Ireland. And new documents obtained by the Irish Times show that the secondary ticketing firm is now arguing that proposed new rules would contravene the Irish constitution and EU law.

The Irish government confirmed in July last year that it planned to support two proposed new laws that would restrict ticket touting in the country. In addition to the customary bots ban, banning software used by some touts to hoover up tickets from primary sites, the new rules would also outlaw the resale of tickets for profit entirely for some venues.

These plans made headlines in the Irish press again a month later, after Maria Byrne, Senator for Limerick, said she would oppose the new anti-touting laws because Viagogo employs about 150 people in the city – a local workforce since increased to around 275.

That it might be forced to pull out of Ireland entirely, thus resulting in job losses, is one of the lobbying lines that has been employed by Viagogo ever since wide-ranging anti-touting laws became an actual prospect in Ireland. But it’s not its only lobbying line.

The politician behind the bill to restrict the sale of tickets for profit, Noel Rock, tells the Irish Times that efforts to get the proposals passed into law have moved at a “glacial” pace due to heavy lobbying from the secondary ticketing firm.

A legal submission from Viagogo obtained by the Irish Times reveals other arguments put forward by the resale site. It reckons that, if it became law, the resale restriction would be “extremely vulnerable to challenge by reason of its likely infringement on constitutional rights granted by [Ireland’s Constitution]” and “would run contrary to EU law”.

It adds that proposed new powers for police to seize tickets believed to have been resold in contravention of the new law would undermine the right to innocence until being proven guilty. Not only that, it would be in breach of constitutional rights to property ownership.

The filing also includes the job losses argument – saying that the new law would pose a “significant risk to existing jobs” – and then lobs in the classic defence used by touting websites whenever new regulations are proposed, ie that the resale of tickets would just be pushed over to less secure channels online outside the jurisdiction of any new laws.

In a statement to CMU, Viagogo says: “Should the proposed bill move forward it would hurt fans by turning the clock back to an inefficient ‘black market’ with resale tickets moving from secure online platforms to the streets and informal social media groups. This will mean [that] tickets will be more expensive because of limited competition and no price comparisons; and there will be no consumer protection against fraud and scams”.

In spite of all this, Rock says that he’s still hopeful that the bill will pass by St Patrick’s Day this year – so that’s 17 Mar.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, it is not yet clear if Viagogo has made any moves to address the “serious concerns” of the CMA. The regulator said last week that it did not believe Viagogo had fallen in line with a court order that demanded it make various changes to the way it sells tickets by 18 Jan, so that its operations would comply with UK consumer rights law.

The CMA gave Viagogo one last chance to comply, though the resale site continues to insist it is already compliant. Assuming no further changes are made, the next move will be for the CMA to go back before the judges to argue the injunction has been ignored and Viagogo is therefore in contempt of court. If that was ruled to be the case, there is a possibility that execs at the rogue company could face jail time.

Kanye West sues both Sony and Universal

Artist News Business News Labels & Publishers Legal

Perhaps aware that most of his recent litigation has related to the live side of his business, Kanye West has got 2019 underway by suing his record company, his music publisher and his merchandiser. And why the hell not, I say.

The rapper’s lawyers filed two lawsuits last week. The first targets Sony/ATV’s EMI Music Publishing, while the second is against Universal Music record labels Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella, and the mega-major’s merchandise business Bravado.

The legal papers are heavily redacted and therefore specifics of the two disputes are not public domain. However, it’s thought that West may be seeking to reclaim rights he gave up to his various business partners in the early years of his career.

Last year he complained that Sony/ATV had knocked back an offer he’d made to buy back his song rights. And an unredacted bit of the EMI lawsuit states: “There now exists a dispute between plaintiffs and defendant EMI regarding the parties’ rights and obligations to one another under the EMI contract and extensions”.

The litigation may be intended as a negotiating tactic in any ongoing talks relating to West’s efforts to buy back all those rights. But, you know, we can still dream on about these cases actually ending up in court. Which would undoubtedly be good fun all round.

Frank Ocean settles lawsuit with producer

Artist News Business News Legal

Frank Ocean and Om’Mas Keith have reportedly reached a settlement in a case which saw both of them sue the other over what involvement the producer did or did not have with the singer’s ‘Blonde’ album.

Ocean went legal in February last year after Keith registered himself as a co-writer on a number of ‘Blonde’ tracks via the database of collecting society ASCAP. Keith – who worked on Ocean’s previous album ‘Channel Orange’ – is not credited in the liner notes for the 2016 record, and Ocean’s lawsuit says that he did not “contribute any lyrics, melodies or music that would give rise to any claim of authorship”.

Keith then countersued in May, demanding that Ocean’s lawsuit be dismissed and saying that he produced and co-wrote the majority of the songs on ‘Blonde’. He claimed that he accepted a flat fee for his work on ‘Channel Orange’, but made it clear to Ocean that he would not accept the same deal for the new record. However, no specific deal was actually agreed before the album was released.

Now, according to The Blast, both men have dropped their lawsuits against each other after they agreed an undisclosed settlement. Whether this means Keith will now be acknowledged for the work he says he did – or not – remains to be seen.

Elsewhere in Frank Ocean news, his ‘Endless’ album, which was released as an exclusive 45 minute video on Apple Music in 2016, is now coming to other streaming services, according to Billboard.

The album completed Ocean’s cut-back commitment to Universal’s Def Jam and was followed two weeks later by the aforementioned and independently released ‘Blonde’, which was also an Apple exclusive initially, although it was subsequently made more widely available.

Rather than appearing in its video form, the album will apparently be made available as audio-only elsewhere, with tracks separated out as you would normally expect. Exactly why it is becoming available now is unclear.

Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:36 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: BDKV | Secondary Ticketing | Ticketbande

Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:33 | By Andy Malt

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Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:31 | By Andy Malt

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Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:24 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Eurovision Song Contest | Peter Gabriel | Reverend And The Makers | Wolf Alice

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Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:20 | By Andy Malt

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Thursday 31 January 2019, 12:17 | By Andy Malt

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Thursday 31 January 2019, 11:41 | By CMU Editorial

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:56 | By Chris Cooke

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:54 | By Andy Malt

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:53 | By CMU Editorial

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:50 | By Andy Malt

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:47 | By Andy Malt

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:45 | By Andy Malt

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:40 | By Andy Malt

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:39 | By Andy Malt

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Wednesday 30 January 2019, 11:33 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Darude | Eurovision Song Contest

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:46 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: James Safechuck | Michael Jackson | Wade Robson

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:44 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: Nick Burgess | Parlophone | Warner Music

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:42 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: SACEM

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:41 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: World Metal Congress

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:38 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Josefin Öhrn And The Liberation

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:35 | By CMU Editorial

READ MORE ABOUT: The Who

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:30 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Madness

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:26 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Devin Townsend | Eels | Ekkah | Jerry Keller | Jess Glynne | Lizzo | Lynn Hatch Music | New Songs Administration | Pete Doherty | Rudimental

Tuesday 29 January 2019, 12:22 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Alanis Morissette

Monday 28 January 2019, 11:21 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Competition And Markets Authority | Viagogo

Monday 28 January 2019, 11:18 | By Chris Cooke

READ MORE ABOUT: Bravado | Def Jam | EMI Music Publishing | Kanye West | Roc-A-Fella | Sony Music Publishing | Universal Music

Monday 28 January 2019, 11:15 | By Andy Malt

READ MORE ABOUT: Frank Ocean | Om'Mas Keith