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PROMOTING MUSIC - MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA AND MORE
How to build a profile for your artists - the state of the music media, traditional and new publicity techniques, social media and the future of music PR. Wed 20 Apr 2011

MUSIC BUSINESS MODELS - MAKING MONEY, FINDING INVESTMENT
How to make money out of music - both now and in the future, with a look at alternative investment and revenue streams, and a new approach to monetising artists and their music. Wed 4 May 2011

For more information or to book visit www.theCMUwebsite.com/training

DOC MURRAY TRIAL: WAS A THIRD PERSON INVOLVED?
There were new revelations in the tabloids this weekend regards the upcoming Conrad Murray trial, with further claims that the accused medic did not actually administer the shot of propofol that killed Michael Jackson back in June 2009. As much previously reported, Murray is accused of manslaughter through negligence, and will stand trial for killing the late king of pop next month.

We already knew that Murray's defence team planned to claim that the doc didn't actually give Jackson the fatal dose of the anaesthetic propofol. The medic's lawyers initially indicated they would say Jackson himself administered a second shot of the drug, either in a desperate bid to bring on sleep, or perhaps with suicidal intent. But reports suggest that new evidence has surfaced that indicates a third person may have been involved.

According to the News Of The World, Murray's lawyer asked to see the coroner's evidence in relation to Jackson's death, and he says his team found fingerprints on the crucial syringe that were neither Murray's nor the pop star's.

Commenting on that revelation, the Mirror this morning quotes a source as saying: "The mystery fingerprints are the biggest breakthrough for Murray so far. If it is handled right it would mean a jury cannot convict him. Murray and Michael were the only ones supposedly at the house and all the syringes were vacuum-packed and sterile before use. The fingerprints point to someone else using the fatal syringe".

This new conspiracy theory comes with some other allegations too. The defence team had already complained that they had only received a few minutes of CCTV footage from the security cameras at the house where Jackson was living, and it now seems other such footage has been lost, which Team Murray presumably find suspicious now there is the possibility of a third person being involved. There have also been allegations, though I'm not sure where these come from, that a large amount of money may also have gone missing shortly after Jackson died.

Quite which of these rumours will be formally presented in court next month remains to be seen, though insiders say Murray's lawyer Ed Chernoff plans to rely greatly on the fingerprints on the syringe, telling the jury: "If the print doesn't fit, you must acquit".

In related news, it is thought Murray himself hopes to avoid having to testify during the upcoming trial. According to the tabs, his lawyers will instead read a simple statement to the court, which will read: "I didn't do it and I don't know how it happened. I am deeply sorry for Michael's death. I never wanted him to die - he was my friend".

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ECJ ADVISOR SAYS WEB TRAFFIC FILTERING BREACHES EU CHARTER
An interesting adjunct to a Belgian copyright case has backed up, to an extent, constant claims by internet service providers that they can't introduce filters on their systems that monitor for and block copyright infringing content because of European privacy laws. ISPs in the UK have long cited European legislation as justification as to why they can't more proactively police copyright infringement.

The Belgian case, originally in court back in 2007, involved an ISP called Scarlet, which was ordered by the country's courts to filter out copyright infringing content being shared by its customers, after legal action by Belgium's publishing rights collecting society Sabam.

Scarlet appealed the ruling, claiming that introducing the kind of filtering system described by the Belgian court would involve carrying out "invisible and illegal" checks on net users' activity online. And now an advisor to the European Court Of Justice has agreed, saying in a submission that a system like that ordered by Belgian judges would breach privacy of communication and data protection rights under the EU's Charter Of Fundamental Rights.

Or, in the words of ECJ Advocate General Pedro Cruz Villalón: "The installation of the filtering and blocking system is a restriction on the right to privacy of communications and the right to protection of personal data, both of which are rights protected under the Charter".

Villalón did add that the Charter does allow for the rights and freedoms of European internet users to be restricted by national law, but said that such restrictions must be ingrained in the legal systems of individual member states, and should be "accessible, clear and predictable". That was not the case in the Scarlet judgement, he concluded.

That get-out means that Villalón's interpretation of European law, if accepted by the ECJ judges, wouldn't necessarily set a precedent that hinders the introduction of the three-strike systems being introduced in countries like the UK and France.

For starters, in those systems it is the content owners and not the ISPs who monitor internet traffic, but more importantly the British and French three-strike systems are set out in new copyright laws, and legislators would argue that, even if said laws do restrict European fundamental rights, they fulfil the Charter's criteria of being "accessible, clear and predictable".

Though BT and TalkTalk, which have forced the copyright section of the UK's Digital Economy Act into judicial review, would probably argue that, in being rushed through parliament last Spring to meet the General Election deadline, the British three-strikes law fails to meet these requirements.

It will be interesting to see if they raise Villalón's remarks and any subsequent ECJ ruling as the DEA judicial review goes through the motions.

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LADY GAGA FAN HOSPITALISED
A Lady Gaga fan has been admitted to the mental health ward of the Griffin Memorial Hospital in Oklahoma, after she killed a cat to make an outfit to wear to one of her idol's concerts. Presumably she was trying to emulate Gaga's 2009 MTV VMAs appearance (covered in blood) as well as her 2010 appearance (covered in meat).

The fan, 20 year old Angela K Barnes, killed and mutilated the domestic animal, to make a coat using the fur and to use its blood as make up. I kind of feel bad for her, and bad about naming her. Not least because when stars like Lady Gaga cover themselves in bits of dead animal, they get fame and cash, not sectioned.

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PEARL JAM GUITARIST RAISES AWARENESS OF CROHN'S
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has recorded a public service announcement about nasty gastrointestinal disorder Crohn's disease. In it he encourages people to raise awareness of the illness by taking part in one of more than 130 'Take Steps' walks, that are set to take place in the US during the coming year in aid of The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Of America

McCready said in a statement: "I have been living with Crohn's Disease for over 24 years. Luckily, my disease is now under control. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the one million plus Americans suffering from IBD. I know first hand the tremendous impact CCFA's programs can have on improving Crohn's and colitis patients' lives. I encourage anyone inflicted or affected by these diseases to sign up for the Take Steps Walk programme".

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US VP TALKS TOUGH ON PIRACY, BUT SAYS INDUSTRY NEEDS TO BETTER EDUCATE
The American Vice President Joe Biden has very much come out in favour of the entertainment and media industries in a conversation about piracy with Variety magazine, possibly indicating that the Obama regime is planning on toughening up American anti-piracy rules. Then again, he did later say that the creative industries should be doing a better job of communicating the good sides of copyright, so perhaps not.

Biden told the entertainment trade mag last week: "Look, piracy is outright theft. People are out there blatantly stealing from Americans - stealing their ideas and robbing us of America's creative energies. There's no reason why we should treat intellectual property any different than tangible property".

On accusations that rampant piracy was in part motivated by the content industries failing to offer legitimate digital services, he continued: "The fact is, media companies have already taken significant steps to adapt their business models to keep up with changes in how we watch movies and listen to music. Content is being offered to consumers in a variety of different ways that make it easy and cost-effective for people to access legal material. Anyone who does not understand this should simply talk with one of my grandkids".

But he concluded: "I think the entertainment industry would agree that they have done a poor job in making their case and need to do better. I mean, they have some of the brightest and most creative people working for them... They should be able to come up with an intelligent, original and effective public education campaign targeting this issue. To be honest, I am not certain they have dedicated the appropriate resources to this, and I hope they will".

Of course, Universal Music UK did dedicate quite a bit of resource to the Music Matters pro-copyright campaign over here, and that was still woeful, but it is possible that the content industries should be doing more in this domain on a more regular basis.

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JULIE'S BICYCLE AWARDS FOURTEEN FESTIVALS GREEN STATUS
Music business eco-standards agency Julie's Bicycle has awarded fourteen festivals its Industry Green certificates, with Shambala becoming the first to get the full three-star award for running almost entirely on renewable energy.

Julie's Bicycle director Alison Tickell told CMU: "The challenge of reducing impacts while growing the business is being tackled head on by this brave group of festivals, It's not always comfortable to put the green brand to the test. This group of festivals are doing it for real".

The full list of newly awarded festivals is: Big Chill, Glastonbury, Grass Roots, Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, Isle Of Wight Festival, Latitude, Leeds Festival, Lovebox, Reading Festival, Shambala, Sonisphere, T In The Park, Truck, Wood Festival.

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THE STILLS SPLIT
Canadian indie rockers The Stills have split. The band posted a message on their website at the end of last week, explaining that they have decided not to continue, though not really explaining exactly why.

The message read: "Simply put, The Stills have broken up. After the better part of a decade together, several months ago we sat down and decided to disband The Stills and part ways. We spent the better part of the last year trying to keep it going for each other, out of love for one another and out of respect for our long past together. But ultimately... in order for each of us to live fully, creatively, and freely, being true to our hearts, this had to happen".

The group have released three albums during their decade together, and received two Juno awards.

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ANNIE LENNOX SAYS SHE'LL TOUR NO MORE
Annie Lennox has said that she doesn't think she will do any more touring in the future because it's too hard on her these days. Her last period on the road was in the US in October 2007.

The former Eurythmics star said in a blog post on her website: "I doubt that I'll ever tour again because quite honestly, it just wears me out mentally and physically, and my back and left foot are rubbish. I think I spent enough time waiting in cars, hotel rooms and dressing rooms for Godot to actually make a personal appearance. In the future performers will tour by hologram on a regular basis... undoubtedly".

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ANOTHER X-FACTOR WINNER DROPPED
Joe What's-His-Name has joined Thingimy and That Bloke on the list of former 'X-Factor' winners to be spat out by the Syco pop machine, or at least that's what the tabloids were reporting last week.

Perhaps Team Syco are now too busy making proper music with Labrinth to be bothering with wannabe pop-boys, even the gay ones. Or perhaps Joe's debut album - yes, he did release one - just didn't sell enough units. Feeling bad for buying 'Killing In The Name' and depriving him of his one moment of pop glory now?

Initial tabloid reports said McElderry - for that is his name - was devastated to be dropped by Simon Cowell's record label, though he subsequently told paps he was doing just fine. Fans shouldn't worry too much, the word on the ground is that the South Shields Tesco is currently recruiting.

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THE SCARAMANGA SIX ANNOUNCE GIGS
Amazing Leeds rock band The Scaramanga Six release their sixth album, 'Cursed', on 26 Apr. And that title isn't without loaded meaning behind it.

The band began recording the album five years ago with Cardiacs frontman Tim Smith, while still completing 2007 album 'The Dance Of Death'. However, the following year, Smith fell seriously ill, bringing the entire project to a halt. While waiting for him to recover, they started work on another album, 2009's 'Songs Of Prey'. Fearing the songs they'd worked on with Tim Smith might never see the light of day, the band decided to record it all again from scratch with Arctic Monkeys and Pulp producer Alan Smyth. Finally, 'Cursed' was seeming less so.

If you're not familiar with the band's bombastic 'evil-pop' sound, then you should quickly bring yourself up to speed with their recent compilation, 'An Introduction To The Scaramanga Six', which is available for free from their Bandcamp site.

You can also catch the band performing at the following gigs:

22 Apr: Leeds, The Well
23 Apr: London, Wilmington Arms
27 Apr: Huddersfield, The Parish
28 Apr: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
2 Jul: Bladefest
24 Jul: DV8 Festival

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

BOOMTOWN FAIR, secret location, 11-14 Aug: New confirmations as closing headliners are reggae troupe Babylon Circus, with Arcadia, Overkill Crew, Mutoid Waste and yabbacore jungle-rockers Bong Ra also recent announcees for this wacky music bash. Already featuring on the existing bill are Gogol Bordello, Goldie Lookin Chain, The King Blues and a host of other curiously-named acts. And in case you were wondering, organisers still haven't disclosed where the whole darn shebang is going to take place. www.boomtownfair.co.uk

ELECTRIC ZOO, Randall's Island Park, New York, USA, 2-4 Sep: So far, thsi Labour Day weekender is poised to host a trio of electro-dance bigwigs in Tiësto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren. That is all. www.electriczoofestival.com

SHAKEDOWN, Stanmer Park, Brighton, 9 Jul: Hat-sporting indie sensations Razorlight have crammed another appearance into their summer festival schedule, with a bill-topping slot booked at this Brightonian bash. Mark Ronson, Sub Focus, Example, and YasmIn will also make appearances, with sets from superstar DJs Zane Lowe and Kissy Sell Out locked down too. www.shakedown.co.uk

SLAM DUNK, Leeds University, 28 May/University of Hertfordshire, 29 May: Both editions of this two-legged festival will welcome a score of newly-announced acts including Lower Than Atlantis, Hyro Da Hero and Cartel. Blink 182's Tom DeLonge will pick two aspiring bands to kick things off on the Kerrang! Introducing stage, with the winners joining a hefty roster of previously-announced bands like Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish and 3oh!3. www.slamdunkmusic.com/slam-dunk-festival

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EP REVIEW: Lone - Echolocations (R&S)
R&S (along with its sister label Apollo) was responsible for some of the best electronic music of the 90s, with the likes of Aphex Twin, Biosphere and David Morley all releasing classic material in the first half of the decade in particular.

Recently reactivated after a long hiatus, this EP, like another of the label's excellent recent releases ('Safehouses' by Pariah), is an intoxicating six tracks of deftly melodic electronica that will give a heady rush of nostalgia to those with fond memories of the burgeoning techno scene, whilst those newer to the genre (people I'm basically just going to call 'The Kids') will find this an equally invigorating listen.

'Coreshine Voodoo' sets the scene - hands-in-the-air rave stabs, toytown synth riffs and crunching old school beats all create a sleek framework, whilst dreamy Boards Of Canada-style ambient washes drift in and out seductively. It seems ludicrously simple but devastatingly effective; similar tactics are repeated on the EP's other five tracks, but it never becomes tiresome, whether the deep Detroit techno warmth of 'Approaching Rainbow' or the Black Dog-esque 'Dolphin'.

This is a soulful masterclass in retro electro that somehow manages to sound thrillingly now. MS

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WARNER BIDDERS DOWN TO THREE
According to Bloomberg the three parties still in the running to buy Warner Music are Ron Burkle's Yucaipa, Len Blavatnik's Access Industries, and billionaire brothers Tom and Alec Gores.

As previously reported, the music major's board decided last week that they wanted to sell the company in its entirety to one buyer, rather than keeping hold of some of the group, or splitting it up and selling to two bidders.

It's thought four or maybe five of the groups who submitted bids earlier this month put in an offer for the whole firm, but we know only three are still being considered. If the Bloomberg report is right, that means BMG's bid for the whole of Warner has been rejected, as sources had already indicated late last week.

A report in the New York Times this weekend speculated that all three remaining bidders for Warner Music also has its eyes set on EMI, believing that the real opportunity here is to be the orchestrator of the long long long expected EMI Warner merger.

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MACHINE MANAGEMENT LAUNCHES RECORD LABEL
Machine Management has launched a record label, through which it will release records. You all know how that works, right? Calling itself Loose Lips Records, the company has already signed three artists: techno outfit Azari & III, experimental pop types Beaty Heart, and previously CMU approved electronic bod Chad Valley.

Machine founder Iain Watt told CMU: "It is getting harder for larger labels to really focus on the early stages of an artist's recording career. Managers are often best placed to really getting things moving during this phase and Loose Lips Records has been launched to allow us to apply our skills to this challenge alongside our existing management roster. We won't just be releasing music by acts we manage but aim to offer flexible and bespoke deals to artists who we think can benefit from working with us as a label".

He added: "We are keeping the whole structure of Loose Lips very flexible and will evolve at the same pace as the acts we work with. As well as signing and running projects from start to end we may even look at partnering with third parties once we got things moving if the project would benefit from it".

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SONY ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH PHONOGENIC
Sony Music UK has announced that it is entering into a new five year joint venture with the Phonogenic label, which will see the major hand over the running its Epic UK division to the indie. Nick Raphael, who relaunched the Epic UK label for Sony in 2007, recently announced he was jumping ship to Universal.

Sony Music Chairman and CEO Ged Doherty told CMU: "With a global track record of success for their artists, the Phonogenic team were the natural choice for me to take Epic to the next level. I'm looking forward to working with them on the development plans for the label and for our new long term relationship".

Sony music's UK President of Music Nick Gatfield added: "Phonogenic are one of the best artist development teams in the business with a real understanding of the global music market. I'm delighted they have entered into a new long term relationship with Sony and I look forward to working closely with them as they continue to build on their excellent track record".

Tops Henderson of Phonogenic said: "We are excited to be entering a new chapter of Phonogenic with our partners Sony Music and building on the success we have had to date. We are also looking forward to the challenge of running Epic Records which has such a great tradition".

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MERCURY REJIGS PR TEAM
Universal's Mercury Records has had a little rejig of its press department, with Lauren Hales promoted from Senior Publicist to Head Of Publicity, and Ryan Maher being pushed up to the role of Publicist, while Ash Collins joins the team from agency Toast PR. Good times.

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ARTISTS NEED TO GET ON TWITTER, SAYS SNOOP
Twitter is the most important tool for musicians at the moment, and any who aren't using it to communicate with fans aren't building a relationship that will ultimately help them to make money, says Snoop Dogg.

The rapper told The Daily Record: "I feel [Twitter is] the number one key in music right now. Having that relationship with fans where it's not based on your record label, it's based on you. When you are tweeting, it's not about what label you're on, it's about you dealing with your fans directly. So, whether you have a successful album or a label that supports you or backs you, there is a relationship with the people who make you who you are".

He continued: "That's way more important nowadays to me because that's what the industry is broken down into - trust. If I trust you and have a relationship with you, and you are telling me you are putting a record out and it's going to be good, I'm going to buy it because I trust you".

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FLEET FOXES MAN REITERATES APPROVAL OF FILE-SHARING
Robin Pecknold has said that he supports file-sharing activity, and doesn't think illegal downloading is a problem. The Fleet Foxes frontman told The Sunday Times that he thinks that such activity was a crucial factor to the success of the band's 2008 debut album, and that the same practises will help spread the word about their upcoming new LP 'Helplessness Blues'.

It's not the first time he has voiced his approval for file-sharing. He previously told the BBC that unofficial downloading allows young musicians to listen to a huge range of music, and that's a good thing. "That will only make music richer as a platform. That was how I discovered almost everything when I was a teenager - my dad brought home a modem".

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GEORGE MICHAEL ON ROYAL WEDDING SONG
George Michael has recorded a cover of Stevie Wonder's 'You & I' as a gift to royal wedding couple William and Kate. Michael, who was friends with Prince William's late mother Princess Diana, announced his intent to record a song in the royal couple's honour last week.

Appearing on Piers Morgan's CNN show Friday, Michael recalled how it all came about: "The idea came to me last week... that I should perhaps kinda express my happiness at this marriage, in a way, publicly. It was an April day that happened to be like summer here in London and I was twittering and kinda got carried away and decided I was gonna make them [William and Kate] a new track... by Friday, so I've had a very busy week".

He added: "When I was a child I dreamt of singing this song in my imagination... I used to dream of singing it in the school assembly hall, but I guess this is a slightly bigger deal than that".

It's free to download, but Michael says he hopes it will help raise money for the royal pair's charity. The singer says: "It's not just a gift for them, it's a gift that they'll be able to turn into many, many donations for the RoyalWeddingCharityFund.org, which is where they've asked people to give money rather than send presents. I would really like for any of my fans or anybody who really enjoys this track, if they're gonna download it for free... I would love them to go to Kate and William's charity site and make a donation if they're genuinely happy for these two people, which I think a lot of people are".

Stevie Wonder has also waived his rights to the song for the time being, which is nice.

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