TONY WADSWORTH LATEST KEYNOTE AT GREAT ESCAPE
Tony Wadsworth, the former CEO of EMI Music UK & Ireland and current Chairman of record industry trade body the BPI, was confirmed as the latest keynote speaker for this year's Great Escape convention yesterday.

Taking place in Brighton on 13 May, in his keynote address, presented by MusicTank, Wadsworth will consider what the future holds for the British record business, and will share some of the special insights he unearthed during a series of conversations he recently put together with many senior players across the UK music industry, both within and outside of record companies. After the keynote, the former EMI boss will join Cooking Vinyl Group Chairman Martin Goldschmidt, BMG Chrysalis A&R Director Alan Pell and artist manager Catherine Haridy to discuss what the music company of the future might look like.

Confirming his keynote, Wadsworth told CMU: "The debate about what the future might hold for the record industry has been raging for over a decade now, ever since the opportunities and threats of the internet first became apparent. But now, as new business patterns start to emerge, I believe we are able to make more considered and constructive observations about where our industry is heading, and about what record companies are doing to secure their long term survival".

Meanwhile CMU Publisher and TGE Convention Programmer Chris Cooke added: "Our convention programme this year is full of industry leaders and innovators explaining the new approaches they are employing to develop and monetise new artists. But how can we use what they have learned to build sustainable music companies able to invest in new talent? To have someone like Tony, with so much experience at the very top of the business, and now in a position to look across the wider industry, to help us tackle that challenge is simply brilliant".

As much previously reported, The Great Escape convention takes place at the Brighton Dome from 12-14 May. The early bird delegate ticket deadline is next Tuesday. Buy before then and you get access to three days of panels and sessions, featuring over one hundred industry leaders and innovators, a bunch of networking events and parties, plus the TGE festival featuring over 300 bands this year, for just £125. Tickets can be bought from escapegreat.com

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INDIE LABELS TO STAGE THEIR OWN MARKET
This is a great idea. On 21 May a stack of independent record labels will get together on Berwick Street in London - once indie record store central, and still home to a small number of music stores - and sell their wares direct to music fans with the first ever Independent Label Market.

Label founders and bosses will be among those manning stalls for Domino, Rough Trade, Bella Union, Tri-Angle, Merok, Angular Records, House Anxiety, Roundtable, Heavenly, Transparent, Weird World, R&S and Moshi Moshi, with more tbc. For more information check independentlabelmarket.tumblr.com

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COHL'S COUNTERSUIT AGAINST LIVE NATION ALLOWED TO PROCEED
A US judge has denied Live Nation's request that a lawsuit filed against them by legendary music promoter, and the live music conglom's former Chairman, Michael Cohl be dismissed

As previously reported, Live Nation and Cohl are in legal dispute over the agreement the two parties reached when they parted company back in 2008. That agreement allowed Cohl to continue to work as a promoter with certain big name artists - most notably the Rolling Stones - in return for the former Chairman paying the live music firm nearly $10 million over a number of years. Cohl's original contract with Live Nation would have forbidden him from competing with them if and when he made a hasty exit from his executive role there, hence why the live music company could demand such a large sum to ignore that clause in the case of certain major artists.

Live Nation sued Cohl last year claiming that he had defaulted on those multi-million dollar payments. Cohl then counter-sued claiming Live Nation were already in breach of contract for interfering in his efforts to secure the rights to promote a mooted Rolling Stones fiftieth anniversary tour. The tour hadn't actually gone ahead, but Cohl says that by interfering Live Nation had damaged his chances of scoring the Stones tour - if and when such a tour happens - because the band were aware of squabbles between the promoter and the live firm and didn't want to be caught up in the middle of it.

Live Nation requested Cohl's countersuit be dismissed, partly on the grounds that the Stones tour at the heart of the specific dispute hadn't, in the end, happened, and was only being vaguely considered by the band at the time the two parties squabbled about it. But, according to Billboard, US District Court judge Cecilia Altonaga this week said that was irrelevant and Cohl's suit could proceed.

She wrote: "The mere statement by the Rolling Stones that they have no firm plans for a tour does not, at this stage in the proceedings, negate the defendants' claim of damages. That the Rolling Stones may not have made any firm plans does not mean they have not engaged in negotiations regarding promotional rights for potential tours. Moreover, the defendants' claim of reputational damages sustained as a result of Live Nation's [alleged] breach is not dependent on whether or not the Rolling Stones have actual plans for a tour".

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DYLAN'S CHINESE DATES DEVOID OF POLITICS
Bob Dylan has agreed not to play some of his best known songs on his current Chinese tour. The Cultural Ministry of China only agreed to his performances in the country if they could vet his set list, and as a result, protest songs like 'The Times They Are A Changin' and 'Blowin In The Wind' have been excised. A previous tour, planned for 2010, was vetoed by the Ministry, because they had no control over what might be played.

Dylan isn't the first artist to have to agree to certain limits in order to perform in China, of course. Having accepted the changes the shows have gone ahead and, according to reports, he got a standing ovation at his first gig, at the Worker's Gymnasium in Beijing.

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CLASSICAL BRIT NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED
The nominations for this year's Classical Brit Awards have been announced, and tenor Rolando Villazon - mentor and judge on ITV's 'Popstar To Operastar' - is up for two awards, having been shortlisted for Best Male Artist and for Album Of The Year. Conductor Antonio Pappano has also received two nods; he appears alongside Villazon in the Best Male Artist category, and has also been nominated for the Critics' Award. Late conductor Sir Charles Mackerras posthumously joins them in the Best Male class.

Three British artists, trumpeter Alison Balsom, violinist Nicola Benedetti and pianist Dame Mitsuko Uchida will compete in the Best Female Artist section. Other nominated artists include Bryn Terfel, The Priests, Russell Watson, US composer Eric Whitacre and opera quartet Il Divo, who, as previously reported, are to receive a special award for Artist Of The Decade, and will also perform at the event, which is to take place at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 May.

The ceremony will be hosted by Myleene Klass, and screened on ITV1.

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BEST RECORD SHOP WINNERS ANNOUNCED
The winners of this year's best independent record shop poll, organised by IndieRecordShop.Org ahead of Record Store Day, have been announced. As previously reported, this year voting was split between the different parts of the UK, so there are four winners in total, as follows:

England: Resident, Brighton
Scotland: Love Music, Glasgow
Wales: Tangled Parrot, Carmarthen
Northern Ireland: Head, Belfast

Kim Bayley, Director General of the Entertainment Retail Association, who back IndieRecordShop.Org, told reporters: "Our four winners show the diversity and dynamism which are still the hallmark of the UK's independent record stores and which will be on full display on Record Store Day on 16 April".

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MANI SQUISHES STONE ROSES RUMOURS
Mani has put his foot down and squished tabloid gossip claiming that The Stone Roses are planning to reform in 2011. The previously reported rumours have come about because of a recent meeting - believed to be the first since the band's 1996 split - between singer Ian Brown and guitarist John Squire.

But the Primal Scream bassist and former Stone Rose told NME that the pair only met up because of his own mother's funeral, and said angrily: "I'm disgusted that my personal grief has been invaded and hijacked by these nonsensical stories. Two old friends meeting up after 15 years to pay their respects to my mother does not constitute the reformation of The Stone Roses. Please fuck off and leave it alone. It isn't true and isn't happening".

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THE HOLLOWAYS ANNOUNCE SPLIT
The Holloways have announced that the band have decided to split up, after seven years and two albums together.

The north London group have posted a message on their website, explaining: "As many of you will know we have had a few problems through the years. Fires burning all our stuff down. Labels going bust, friends leaving the band to name but a few. This has left us deciding to call it a day."

The band will honour two last live commitments, supporting Chas 'n' Dave at IndigO2 on 18 Apr and a headline gig at Relentless Garage on 23 May.

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MUSIC STARS APPEAR IN ADAM GREEN FILM
Adam Green has accidentally made a film starring himself and Macaulay Culkin, and lots of music types also crop up in it. According to reports, Green began filming Culkin "for fun", when the former child star accompanied him on his European tour, and it all snowballed from there. 'The Wrong Ferrari' - dubbed "a screwball tragedy" - has been filmed on an iPhone, and features appearances from Dev Hynes, Pete Doherty, Devendra Banhart, Evan Dando and Har Mar Superstar.

Green says: "It's a movie without a commercial motive, but for an art film it's definitely interesting. It has direction... but it wasn't until two-thirds of the way through that I started using a script. It's a really personal movie... about turning 30 and entering into the next phase of life. I'm preparing for turning 30 so when I actually do it won't freak me out."

You can see the film at www.thewrongferarri.com

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FRANKIE & THE HEARTSTRINGS TOUR
Promising indie outfit Frankie & The Heartstrings will be releasing their new single 'That Postcard', which by the way features the great Edwyn Collins on backing vocals, on 9 May via PopSex Ltd/Wichita. As chance would have it, the lads are also due to embark on a UK tour that very same day, hitting the road in Sunderland with a hometown show and winding up with a festival appearance at Bestival.

The run of live dates goes thus:

22 Apr: Sunderland, The Independent
9 May: Bristol The Fleece
10 May: Birmingham Hare and Hounds
12 May: Oxford, The Cellar
13 May: Stoke, Underground
14 May: Brighton, Hectors House
15 May: Wimbledon, Henry J Beans
16 May: Wrexham, Central Station

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BRAIDS ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES
Canadian art-rockers Braids have confirmed they'll make a run of UK live dates in support of their much-lauded debut album 'Native Speaker', which is out on 18 Apr on Kanine Records. Their first ever UK tour will kick off with a couple of shows with New York folk-rock trio The Antlers, plus they'll also be stopping off at the Liverpool Sound City and Dot To Dot festivals towards the end of May.

Here are the dates:

12 May: London, Heaven (with The Antlers)
13 May: Manchester, Club Academy (with The Antlers)
14 May: Brighton (The Great Escape)
22 May: Glasgow, Captains Rest
23 May: Leeds, Cockpit
24 May: London, Lexington
26 May: Cambridge, Haymakers
27 May: Oxford, Jericho

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

ATP'S I'LL BE YOUR MIRROR CURATED BY PORTISHEAD, Alexandra Palace, London, 23-24 Jul: Canadian alt-rock outfit Godspeed You! Black Emperor are the most recent introduction to this eclectic Portishead-curated bash, with a screening of recent film 'Submarine' also on the cards, complete with an introduction from its director Richard Ayoade. How nice. Previous announcees include PJ Harvey, Beach House and Grinderman. www.atpfestival.com/events/ibymportishead.php

LAND OF KINGS, various venues, Dalston, London, 28-29 Apr: In Flagranti, Hyponik, Om Unit, local band D/R/U/G/S and rave hybrid Mums Of Death are the latest acts on the Land Of Kings programme, which will also host an "almighty one-off, live, audio-visual DJing event" courtesy of music video-directing genius Saam Farahmand. Those already confirmed to appear include Ghospoet, Visions Of Trees, Romy from the XX and James Yuill. www.landofkings.co.uk

MAIN SQUARE FESTIVAL, Arras, France, 1-3 Jul: A colossal line-up presided over by Coldplay, Linkin Park, Arcade Fire, Moby, Kasabian and The Chemical Brothers has been confirmed for this four-sided French soiree. Other choice picks from the towering bill are Fleet Foxes, PJ Harvey, QOTSA, Elbow, The National, and too many other huge names to possibly mention. www.mainsquarefestival.fr/2011/en

OFF FESTIVAL, Katowice, Poland, 5-7 Aug: The latest event to pop up on eastern Europe's teeming festival calendar will welcome Primal Scream, Gang Of Four and Mogwai. The bill boasts an impressive programme of exciting newer bands, with Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Glasser, Deerhoof, Warpaint, Destroyer and Factory Floor all set to appear. www.off-festival.pl/en/2011

ROCKNESS, LOCH NESS, SCOTLAND, 10-12 Jun: Rock Ness organisers have booked a new crop of acts to suit every taste, with Chapel Club, Morning Parade, The Boxer Rebellion and Smoke Fairies satisfying the indie end of things. Beat fans will be pleased to know that Laidback Luke, Sub Focus, Nero and Beardyman are also on the bill. They join an exiting line-up that's headed up by Kasabian, The Chemical Brothers and Paolo Nutini. www.rockness.co.uk

SECRET GARDEN PARTY, Mill Hill Field, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, 21-24 Jul: Guillemots, The Bees, Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Boxer Rebellion and Chew Lips are some of the acts newly-confirmed for this enigmatic rural bash, which was already poised to welcome performers including I Am Kloot, Blondie, Mystery Jets, Sub Focus and soul legend Martha Reeves, who is accompanied by the Vandellas. www.uk.secretgardenparty.com/2011/

SPRINGFESTIVAL, Graz, Austria, 1-5 Jun: Rosy-cheeked troubadour Patrick Wolf leads those acts tipped most recently for the verdant Springfestival roster, with disco revivalists Hercules & Love Affair, French Horn Rebellion, Tensnake and Kitsune-signee Logo also amongst those fresh on the bill. Seasoned previous announcees include Crystal Fighters and Caribou. www.springfestival.at/about.en.41.htm

UNDERAGE FESTIVAL, Victoria Park, London, 5 Aug: Only open to youngsters aged 13-17, welcome new additions to this year's Underage Festival include Miles Kane, Wolf Gang, Dutch Uncles, Vampire Weekend's Baio and Tribes. They join Janelle Monae, Roll Deep and Underage favourites Bombay Bicycle Club and an array of other fresh talent. www.underagefestival.com

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FOUR BRITISH BANDS TO PLAY AT MUSEXPO
The BBC and PRS for Music are taking four artists to next month's MUSExpo event in LA where they will play at one of the music business event's showcases. The four bands are Luke Bingham, Luke Fenlon, Friends Electric and Man Without Country, and were picked by US music execs based on recommendations by the BBC Introducing venture. Radio 1 are planning on producing a documentary about the four bands' experiences at the music convention, which takes place from 1 - 4 May.

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WARNER BID DEADLINE ARRIVES
The deadline is here for bids to buy some or all of the Warner Music Group. As previously reported, some of those bidding will want the whole company, while others aim to acquire just the publishing or record label divisions.

Bidding for the whole shebang are Ron Burke's Yucaipa group and the KKR-backed acquisitive music rights firm BMG. Everyone seems to think the former's bid will be higher, with speculators putting BMG's bid for the whole Warner group somewhere between $2.8 and $2.9 billion, while it is thought Burke's bid will be closer to $3 billion.

But they are not the only bidders. Leonard Blavatnik's Access Industries are another bid contender, while Sony/ATV and Live Nation are expected to submit bids as well. Latest reports in the US media suggest that also bidding are: MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Permira, Platinum Equity, Gores Group, Guggenheim Partners and Promthus. That's pretty good going for one of the "dinosaurs" of a "dying industry".

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EMI COMBINE US LICENSING TEAMS
So, this is [a] a very sensible move, [b] possibly the first tangible sign of Roger Faxon's grand integration plan, and [c] will cause problems if EMI gets split up when it's sold later this year. So that's fun.

EMI has announced it is combining the American sync and licensing teams of the EMI publishing and record label divisions, making for one uber-licensing unit representing EMI's song and sound recording catalogues. It will be headed up by New York based Brian Monaco.

The move fits in with EMI boss man Roger Faxon's plan to better integrate his company's two main divisions, the previously autonomous EMI Music and EMI Music Publishing, into a centralised music rights business akin to that BMG claim to be.

It is this plan which is - Faxon claims - why EMI's labels and publishing catalogues couldn't be split up in any sale of the UK music major, though the integration plan is still in early days, so a new buyer could still do the split without too much hassle. Though moves like this will make it harder.

Says the Fax man: "This move creates an even stronger music licensing operation that reflects the way our North American clients want to do business. Creating this new operation will enable what I believe to be the strongest combined catalog of master recordings and compositions in the world to be represented by a strong sales force under unified management. That is good news for the people who license music, and it's good news for songwriters and artists".

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NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL A PARTY
About 500 Now That's What I Call Music themed house parties will take place this weekend to promote the launch of www.nowmusic.com, a new download service built around the Now! brand that will enable people to create their own compilations.

The parties have been organised by a company called Come Round, who sign up punters to host house parties, and then provide them with a kit to help, in this case including a pre-release copy of Now! 78, balloons, vouchers and, for some reason, Max Factor nail varnish. Well, you can always sniff it I suppose, that would get the party going. Come Round have previously staged such house parties to promote other album releases as well as some consumer brands.

Says Come Round founder Giles Harris: "Word-of-mouth and person-to-person marketing is the most effective there is. Come Round combines the immediacy and excitement of a real live event with the huge reach of social networking to create a great platform both for entertainment properties and for brands. We are delighted to welcome Now! on board".

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COPYRIGHT REFORMERS CRITICISE EC'S COPYRIGHT ADVISOR APPOINTMENT
There's been a little bit of chatter on tech sites this week about the European Union's new copyright policy chief, who is due to join the European Commission in mid-April.

The chatter has focused on the fact that new recruit Maria Martin-Prat spent some time working for the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry which, some reckon, means she'll be automatically biased towards the record companies and other big content owners when advising on the development of European copyright policy.

Although more recently Martin-Prat has worked for another part of the European Commission, she did represent the interests of the record industry for a few years in the early part of the last decade and was, according to some critics, a hardliner who wanted tougher copyright protection, even going as far as to call for the abolition of the private copy right that exists in some European countries.

Of course none of that means she can't be open-minded in her new role, but some MEPs have questioned the appointment of someone who once worked for the record industry's global lobbying body to a role formulating copyright policy.

Liberal Dutch MEP Marietje Schaake and Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström have written a letter to the EC asking: "Does the Commission not see any problems in recruiting top civil servants from special interest organisations, especially when being put in charge of dossiers directly related to their former employers? If not, why not? Does the Commission feel that such an appointment would help to build confidence with the European Parliament and the general public that the Commission can be trusted to handle copyright-related issues in a fair and balanced manner?"

Meanwhile Engstrom - a major advocate of radical copyright reform, of course, - blogged this week: "Welcome to the European Union, where the big business lobby organisations are calling most of the shots at the Commission, and where citizens are just seen as a nuisance to be ignored. I guess the only real news is that they don't even bother to try to hide it any more".

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YOUTUBE TO REVAMP HOMEPAGE, HOST ORIGINAL CONTENT
YouTube is planning a new look homepage, according to the Wall Street Journal, which it hopes will make it easier to navigate content on the video platform. The new look will include thematic channels that group together content, things like arts, sport and so on.

It's also thought YouTube will launch five premium channels which will carry professionally-produced original programming, moving the Google video service more into TV-style territory.

It's reported that Google will set aside a $100 million budget to fund the creation of original content, which would be quite a development, given the big tech firms have, in the main, been nervous about speculatively investing in unproven content formats in the past.

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JUSTIN LEE COLLINS RETURNS TO XFM
Justin Lee Collins is returning to Xfm for a few weeks, hosting a Saturday afternoon show through to the end of the month. Xfm PD Andy Ashton told Radio Today: "We're very proud to welcome Justin back to Xfm this month - he's one of the funniest, most intelligent and engaging performers in the country, whether on TV or radio. His shows are going to be an unmissable blend of banter and amazing music as you would expect from JLC and Xfm on a Saturday afternoon".

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LADY GAGA WANTS ROLE IN MODERN FAMILY
According to reports, Lady Gaga is such a fan of 'Modern Family' that she has asked for a role in the US sitcom. The show's star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, speaking on US talk show Live With Regis And Kelly, revealed that "she reached out and she wanted to do something with the show but it's like, how do you incorporate Lady Gaga into 'Modern Family'?"

Ferguson added, however, that a Gaga themed instalment is in the works, though it doesn't sound like the singer will actually appear in it. "We're actually doing a Lady Gaga episode", he explained. "Mitchell, my character, wants to go to the Lady Gaga concert, and Cameron is supposed to go with me but he's sick in bed and he's expecting me to stay home and take care of him. And so I kind of, maybe drug him a little bit so I can sneak out and go to the concert".

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