CMU Digest

CMU Digest 18.07.16: Google, FanFair Alliance, Crowdmix, Beatport, Warner Music, AIF

By | Published on Monday 18 July 2016

googlepiracy

The key stories from the last seven days in the music business…

Google published a new edition of its ‘How Google Fights Piracy Report’ bragging about how it helps rights owners manage and monetise their content online. Though the music industry hit out at the report, saying that Google could and should go much further to combat piracy, by allowing blanket de-listing of piracy sites in its search engine, and improving the efficiency of its Content ID system on YouTube. [READ MORE]

A group of artists, managers, agents and independent promoters launched the FanFair Alliance to lobby for more regulation of secondary ticketing. The new initiative called on government to ensure rules added by the Consumer Rights Act last year are actually being enforced, as well as pushing for seller identities to be revealed on secondary sites, and for the use of bots to hoover up tickets from primary sites to be outlawed. The new lobbying group comes on the back of the UK government’s recent Waterson Report into the secondary ticketing market. [READ MORE]

Much hyped social network for music Crowdmix went into administration. Staff at the digital start-up were told on Monday that the company had failed to raise emergency finance in order to keep paying wages and bills. The proper launch of the currently-in-beta music app had been delayed amidst rumours that the company needed more cash but was struggling to attract new investment. [READ MORE]

SFX confirmed that dance music focused digital music platform Beatport was no longer officially for sale. The EDM firm, currently working its way through bankruptcy, had hoped to sell off the download store to generate some much needed cash, but earlier this year the deadline for bids was first extended and then postponed. SFX has now told the bankruptcy courts that the digital platform is unlikely to be sold, presumably because a buyer could not be found. [READ MORE]

Warner Music told the US courts that the trust which unsuccessfully sued Led Zeppelin over allegations ‘Stairway To Heaven’ ripped off another song should pay the major’s legal costs. Warner was a co-defendant in the high profile case, with Led Zepp ultimately won. The music firm accused the lawyer representing the Wolfe Trust of “extensive and ongoing litigation misconduct” which pro-longed the case and added to the cost of fighting the action. [READ MORE]

The Association Of Independent Festivals and organisers of the Secret Garden Party responded to recent reports about sexual assaults at music festivals, saying that this was indeed a problem promoters needed to address, but that they felt claims the festival sector was ignoring or unwilling to discuss this issue were unfair. AIF said “this is an issue that is taken very seriously by AIF festival organisers. Providing a safe and enjoyable environment for audiences is paramount and is reflected in the planning, policies and practices of all AIF members”. [READ MORE]

The big deals from the last seven days in the music business…
• MJR and Propaganda bought Sheffield venue Plug [INFO]
• PledgeMusic completed its NoiseTrade acquisition [INFO]
• NPR announced an alliance with iHeartRadio [INFO]
• Virgin EMI announced alliances with brand partnership experts in India [INFO]
• Sony/ATV re-signed Tinie Tempah [INFO]
• Three Six Zero signed MistaJam [INFO]
• Cooking Vinyl signed Feeder [INFO]



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