MUSIC RIGHTS – INSIDE & OUT
A beginner's guide to music copyright – everything you need to know about copyright law, licensing, monetising copyright, the fight against piracy and the future of the music rights industry. Wed 18 May 2011

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 1 Jun 2011

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

GOOGLE TO LAUNCH MUSIC LOCKER TODAY WITHOUT LICENCES
Google will today launch its music-based digital locker service despite not have any licensing deals in place with the record companies. Basically the web firm be applying the same logic as Amazon, which launched an identical service in March, that such a storage-based platform does not require licences from rights holders.

As much previously reported, the licensing situation with regards digital lockers - which allow users to upload their MP3 collections to remote servers, and to then download or stream that music back to any net-connected device via some sort of user-friendly player - is very much of debate. In the US, the matter has been subject to litigation for some time in the EMI v MP3tunes case, MP3tunes being one of the first music-centric locker services to hit the market.

Tech companies argue that when they charge users to use digital locker platforms they are selling hard disk space, no more no less, and therefore a content licence is not required, the assumption being the user already has a licence to listen to the music in his or her record collection. They also point out that basic digital lockers have been on the market for years, and many can be used to store music files.

But some in the music business reckon that as soon as digital locker operators specifically position themselves as music services and/or offer a player that allows easy over-the-net playback, that they cease to be simply hard disk providers and that licences are therefore required. They might also add that licences attached to music bought via iTunes or ripped from CD do not technically allow for over-the-net listening.

The motivation for interpreting copyright law in this way probably stems from a fear that digital lockers like those launched by Amazon will compete with the likes of Spotify, which pays the lion's share of its subscription revenues back to the music industry, while Amazon passes on nothing. For its part, Amazon argues the locker service makes buying MP3s from its digital music store a more attractive proposition, and that the music companies will benefit from that.

While Amazon seemingly decided from the outset that it didn't need licences for its locker service, and therefore launched without even engaging the content owners, Google, whose locker has been in development for sometime, has being trying to get record label support for its new music venture. However, according to Billboard, said support has been hard to find, and as a result the tech giant will today launch its music locker sans-industry-partners.

What will launch today is a beta version of the new music platform. It will be available to a limited number of users in the US, there will be an albeit sizable track limit of 20,000, and there will be no charge to use the platform. The beta service will be particularly marketed at users of the Motorola Xoom tablet computer, which is powered by Google's Android operating system. The player component of the new platform will also play music stored on a local computer, and this new player will also be available to Google Android users who are not linked to the new locker service.

Confirming Plan A had been to launch this service with the labels on board, Google's Director Of Content Partnerships, Zahavah Levine, told Billboard last night: "We've been in negotiations with the industry for a different set of features, with mixed results. [But] a couple of major labels were less focused on innovation and more on demanding unreasonable and unsustainable business terms".

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MORE MUSIC MATTERS
A second splurge of activity has been announced by organisers of Music Matters, the rather lame Universal-backed marketing effort to encourage the kids to only access music via legitimate sources.

As previously reported, Music Matters v1.0 had its upsides - a trust-mark that legitimate digital music providers can use to show they are licensed is sensible, and the animated videos about the music making process of various artists posted on the Music Matters website were artistically sound.

The communications around the venture, though, were somewhat shambolic, which was a shame for what was, at the end of the day, primarily a PR initiative. In fact I'm still at a bit of a loss as to what message the whole thing is trying to communicate even now.

One of last year's animations basically told how one artist, Blind Willie Johnson, was screwed over by the music business and died penniless despite making some classic recordings during his long career, which is an odd way to persuade the kids to do business with the record industry. Others focused on why music mattered to the artists who make it, but failed to explain why music mattered to society at large, let alone why that meant people should pay for it.

Anyway, another bunch of videos have been put online, featuring the likes of Elbow, Bernard Butler and Paloma Faith, and there are plans to "ramp up online consumer engagement over the next twelve months", whatever that means. And apparently there is a "pan-industry steering committee" who are "working together to communicate the work of the campaign effectively". They possibly want to focus less on communicating the work of the campaign, and more on what the point of it all is.

Still - the animations are lovely - www.whymusicmatters.org

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I WAS WRONG: LIMEWIRE TRIAL UPDATE
So, LimeWire founder Mark 'the man' Gorton took to the stand yesterday as the record industry's bid to squeeze over a billion in damages out of the former P2P chief goes through the motions. As previously reported, a US judge last year ruled that LimeWire was liable for copyright infringement by providing others the technology through which to access illegal music. The service has since gone offline, but now the record labels are suing for damages.

The labels argue that Gorton knew that his service was illegal, but he continued to run it because of the mega-profits he could generate. The Lime man argues he was under the impression his P2P software did not infringe copyright, even after the landmark Grokster ruling in the American Supreme Court in 2005, which persuaded most other US-based file-sharing set ups to shut down.

Noting last year's court ruling on his company's operations, according to CNET, Gorton told the court yesterday: "I was wrong. I didn't think our behaviour was inducing [copyright infringement] but I understand that a court has found otherwise".

The Recording Industry Association Of America's argument, of course, is that Gorton didn't get anything "wrong", he knew exactly what was going on, ie that LimeWire was liable for copyright infringement (yes, even though it didn't actually host any unlicensed content on its servers - the textbook but ineffective defence used by most P2P software makers), but that he ploughed on anyway because of the profits he could make - even more so once most of his US competitors shut down after Grokster.

The RIAA's legal man, Glenn Pomerantz, pointed to a pre-Grokster interview Gorton gave to the New York Times in which he said: "If the Supreme Court says it is illegal to produce this software, LimeWire will cease to exist". Pomerantz noted that the RIAA send Gorton a cease and desist letter after the Supreme Court ruled on Grokster stating that the precedent in that ruling meant he too was liable for copyright infringement. Gorton told the court yesterday he took that letter as a request by the labels that he find a way of persuading his users to pay for music.

But while investigating the options for launching a legitimate LimeWire service, Pomerantz continued, the tech firm's own staff divided up its users into groups such as 'hardcore pirates' and 'legally unaware', concluding only 20% would ever be persuaded to pay to use a file-sharing network. The P2P firm was using terminology, Pomerantz argued, that showed they understood the illegality of their operations.

The law man then noted for a second time that Gorton had banned his staff from responding to user queries regarding the service's legality. The LimeWire man said he hadn't wanted to give legal advice.

The case will continue later today with more questioning of Gorton.

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WHITNEY HOUSTON RE-ENTERS REHAB
Whitney Houston has checked into rehab to seek help for drug and alcohol problems. A spokesperson for the singer told People: "Whitney Houston is currently in an out-patient rehab programme for drug and alcohol treatment. Whitney voluntarily entered the programme to support her long-standing recovery process".

A source told TMZ that Houston is attempting to get herself clean before she begins work on the sequel to 1995 film 'Waiting To Exhale'. Actress Angela Bassett revealed yesterday that the pair were signed up the project.

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IT'S THE SONY AWARDS ROUND UP!
So, it was the Sony Radio Academy Awards last night, the big awards bash for all in British radio, hosted this time by Chris Evans.

Annie Nightingale got a Special Award "in recognition of more than 40 years of exceptional broadcasting including her breakthrough achievements, her championship of the new, and the inspiration she has given to music makers and broadcasters alike", while 'Woman's Hour' presenter Jenni Murray got a Gold Award for "a career of exemplary broadcasting, for her incisive yet sensitive interviewing skills, her championship of the woman's perspective and the inspiration she has given to others."

The other winners were as follows:

Breakfast Show Of The Year (Big Station): 5 live Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 live
Breakfast Show Of The Year (Smaller Station): The Graham Mack Breakfast Show, BBC Wiltshire
Best Music Programme: Simon Mayo Drivetime, BBC Radio 2
Best Specialist Music Programme: Jazz on 3, Somethin Else for BBC Radio 3
Best Entertainment Programme: The Frank Skinner Show, Avalon for Absolute Radio
Best Speech Programme: The Infinite Monkey Cage, BBC Radio Science for BBC Radio 4
Best Sports Programme: Fighting Talk, Worlds End Television for BBC Radio 5 live
Best News & Current Affairs Programme: Victoria Derbyshire, BBC Radio 5 live

Best Breaking News Coverage: 5 live Drive: Birth Of The Coalition. BBC Radio 5 live
Best Live Event Coverage: Gold: The Ryder Cup on 5 live, BBC Radio 5 live
Best Community Programming: Warning: May Contain Nuts, BBC Radio Berkshire
Best Internet Programme: Gold: Answer Me This!, AnswerMeThisPodcast.com

Music Radio Personality Of The Year: Ronnie Wood - A Somethin Else production for Absolute Radio and Absolute Classic Rock
Music Broadcaster Of The Year: Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1
Speech Radio Personality Of The Year: Danny Baker - Campbell Davison Media (for BBC Radio 5 live)/ BBC London 94.9
Speech Broadcaster Of The Year: Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2
News Journalist Of The Year: Matthew Price, BBC Newsgathering for BBC Radio 4
Best On-Air Contributor: Annabel Port, Absolute Radio
Best Interview: Jeremy Vine interviews Gordon Brown, BBC Radio 2

Best Use of Branded Content: Alex Masterley on Classic FM with Towry, Classic FM
Best Single Promo/Commercial: Capital's Summertime Ball Mash-Up, 95.8 Capital FM
Best Promotional/Advertising Campaign: The FIFA World Cup 2010, South Africa on talkSPORT
Best Competition: Beat The Star, Heart West Midlands
Best Station Imaging: Kiss 100, Kiss 100 & Pure Tonic Media for Kiss 100

Best Music Special: The John Bonham Story, TBI Media for BBC 6 Music
Best News Special: Raoul Moat - The Final Hours, Real Radio North East for Real Radio
Best Feature: Heel, Toe, Step Together, Falling Tree Productions for BBC Radio 4
Best Comedy: The Jason Byrne Show, BBC Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 2
Best Drama: Every Child Matters, BBC Radio Drama Manchester for BBC Radio 4
Best Use of Multiplatform: BBC Introducing - BBC Audio & Music
Station Programmer Of The Year: Moz Dee, talkSPORT

Station Of The Year (Under 300,000): Central FM (103.1 FM)
Station Of The Year (300,000 - 1 million): BBC Radio Derby
Station Of The Year (1 Million plus): 105.4 Real Radio North West
Digital Station Of The Year: Fun Kids
UK Station Of The Year: talkSPORT

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N-DUBZ TO TAKE BREAK FOR SOLO PROJECTS
N-Dubz have denied reports that they are splitting up, but have confirmed that they will work on solo projects following their summer touring plans. According to BBC Newsbeat, Dappy and Tulisa both plan to release solo albums, while Fazer plans to work with new artists. However, they are scheduled to release their fourth album together in eighteen months.

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FIRST AID KIT WORKING WITH MIKE MOGIS
Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit have announced that they are working with producer and Bright Eyes member Mike Mogis on the follow-up to their debut album, 'The Big Black And The Blue', which was released last year via Wichita Recordings.

Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg explained: "We met Mike at Austin City Limits last year. He saw our show there and we got talking about recording an album together. Bright Eyes was the band that got us inspired to start making music, so working with Mike is quite surreal for us. We feel honoured. So far things are going really well and we believe we're in the process of creating something very special. This truly is a dream come true".

Last year the duo recorded two songs with Jack White, Buffy Sainte-Marie's 'Universal Soldier' and blues standard 'It Hurts Me Too', which were released on White's Third Man Records label in January.

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BATTLES ANNOUNCE ALBUM DETAILS
Battles will release their new album, 'Gloss Drop', their first since the departure of Tyondai Braxton last year, via Warp on 6 Jun. Ahead of that, they'll release a single entitled 'Ice Cream' on 23 May.

Watch the video for Ice Cream here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FsvMyQeC-Q

The band will also play various live dates in the UK and Ireland in June, and curate ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas in December.

The album's tracklist is as follows:

Africastle
Ice Cream (feat Matias Aguayo)
Futura
Inchworm
Wall Street
My Machines (feat Gary Numan)
Dominican Fade
Sweetie & Shag (feat Kazu Makino)
Toddler
Rolls Bayce
White Electric
12. Sundome (feat Yamantaka Eye)

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TRENTEMØLLER TO RELEASE LATENIGHTTALES COMPILATION
Acclaimed Danish producer Anders Trentemøller is to contribute the next instalment of the LateNightTales compilation series, which has previously seen artists including The Flaming Lips, Four Tet, Belle & Sebastian and Air mix a selection of their favourite music.

Trentemøller's mix more than meets the high standard set by previous releases in the series, including tracks by This Mortal Coil, Mazzy Star, Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, Low, and The Velvet Underground, all being brought to a close by a bedtime story read by Paul Morley.

The compilation is released on 30 May. The Tracklist is as follows:

This Mortal Coil - Waves Become Wings
Kid Congo And The Pink Monkey Birds - La Lliarona
The Black Angels - Science Killer
Chimes & Bells - The Mole (Trentemøller Remix)
Low - (That's How You Sing) Amazing Grace
Mazzy Star - Mary Of Silence
The Velvet Underground And Nico - Venus In Furs
Vampire Hands - Safe Word
The Shangri-Las - Walking In The Sand
Jacqueline Taleb - 7 Heures Du Matin
M. Ward - Poor Boy, Minor Kee
Darkness Falls - Noise On The Line
Papercuts - Unavailable
We Fell To Earth - Lights Out
Thee Oh Sees - Ghost In The Trees (Live Alternate)
Trentemøller - Blue Hotel (feat Marie Fisker & Steen Jørgensen)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Proposition #1
Eden Ahbez - Full Moon
Ekko - Rehearsal
Paul Morley - Lost For Words Part 1

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THE COATHANGERS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM
Punk quartet The Coathangers will release their new album, 'Larceny & Old Lace', via Suicide Squeeze on 20 Jun, it has been announced.

The news comes accompanied by a dark new video for the song 'Hurricane', which you can watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAIpIVXN4pU

Director Mike Moore says of the video's unsettling images: "Honestly, the girls wanted to do something as raw as possible so we just found these very dark scenes that we felt represented the feel of the song and we just went as far as we could go with it. I definitely wanted them to be seen in a light that the world has never seen before and feel we accomplished that".

The album's tracklist is as follows:

Hurricane
Trailer Park Boneyard
Go Away
Sicker
Call To Nothing
Jaybird
Johnny
My Baby
Chicken: 30
Well Alright
Tabbacco Rd

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BIEBER WILL GO TO JAPAN
Justin Bieber has revealed that he will go to Japan. As previously reported, some members of his road crew were refusing to travel to the country for two shows in Tokyo, citing fears that they will all get cancer from radiation from the Fukushima nuclear power station, which was seriously damaged in the tsunami that hit the country in March.

The crew apparently pointed out that Avril Lavigne and Slash had both pulled out of shows in the country for the same reason, but, according to TMZ, Bieber's manager Scooter Braun informed them all that they should "man the fuck up and do the right thing by these kids", as well as noting that Maroon 5 are fearlessly touring Japan right now.

This seems to have done the trick, as Bieber tweeted this weekend: "Five shows left of this leg of the 'My World' tour! Manila, Hong Kong, Taipei, Osaka and Tokyo! Like I said... we are going to Japan!"

If you can't get to Japan for the shows next week, or you still fear the radiation, you can catch Bieber performing live on the DVD and Blu-ray release of his 'Never Say Never' documentary and tour film, which is released this Friday.

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WILD BEASTS ANNOUNCE UK TOUR DATES
Wild Beasts' new album is out this week. Have you bought it yet? You really should, it's very good. It takes all the elements of previous album 'Two Dancers' and applies them in a more subtle, less outwardly theatrical way.

As well as releasing an album that is very good, the band have also announced tour dates for November, which look like this:

10 Nov: Birmingham, Library
11 Nov: Oxford, Academy
12 Nov: Leeds, Constellations
14 Nov: Edinburgh, Liquid Rooms
15 Nov: Aberdeen, Lemon Tree
16 Nov: Manchester, Cathedral
19 Nov: Bristol, Anson Rooms
20 Nov: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
21 Nov: Southampton, University
23 Nov: London, Shepherds Bush Empire
25 Nov: Cambridge, The Junction
26 Nov: Brighton, Concorde II

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ZOEY VAN GOEY TOUR DATES
Zoey Van Goey will begin a UK tour later this month in support of their very good new album, 'Propeller Versus Wings', which is out now on Chemikal Underground. They will also release a new single, 'Mountain On Fire', on 23 May, which you can stream via SoundCloud here: soundcloud.com/chemikal-underground/zoey-van-goey-mountain-on-fire

The band are also giving away a free download of a spoken word track entitled 'In Scotland It Never Snowed But In Canada It Did', which you can get here, also via SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/chemikal-underground/zoey-van-goey-in-scotland-it

Tour dates:

19 May: Ullapool, Ceilidh House
21 May: Sounds In The Ground Festival.
22 May: Inverness, Hootenanny
3 Jun: Nottingham, University
9 Jun: Dundee, Dexters
10 Jun: Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival
11 Jun: Manchester, Saki Bar

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ATP FOUNDER EXPLAINS SPRING FESTIVAL CULL
All Tomorrow's Parties founder Barry Hogan has explained the company's decision to cease running its festivals in May.

As previously reported, a statement released last Wednesday read: "From now on we will host just two ATP festival weekends at Minehead in December (in addition to our I'll Be Your Mirror city-based events like our Portishead event in London this July). So if you haven't got tickets for the Animal Collective weekend and don't want to miss out on the last May ATP, tickets are still available".

In an interview with The 405, founder Barry Hogan explained: "We seem to have caused a big reaction when we announced this and emotions seem to range from being genuinely upset to also very angry. The decision was not made lightly - we have been wrestling with it for at least twelve months. It was not something we decided on Wednesday morning and announced that same afternoon. A lot of thought went into it, regardless of what people think. Unfortunately, the numbers in May have diminished over the past three years".

He continued: "We thought if we did just one event in May it would work but that didn't seem to help much either. I think folks now have too much choice and also in spring it's high season at the holiday resort so the rates are much higher than they are in December. I do realise the weather is bound to be nicer in May but it's not like the venue is outdoors".

Finally he said: "Some suggested we should do one in December and one in May but it's just not cost effective in May any longer unless we raised the ticket price by £25, which I doubt anyone would want to pay. I think ATP has been very fortunate to have lasted so long and in order for us to keep it going we are looking to staging the December line-ups for the foreseeable future. We can probably re-introduce the spring at some point but for now, rather than to keep losing money we are going to make sure we survive the congested festival climate and keep the standard maintained for the next few years".

Ahead of this weekend's final May bash, Hogan put together a fantastic Powers Of Ten playlist featuring some of his favourite music for us. You can check that out here: www.thecmuwebsite.com/article/barry-hogan-from-all-tomorrows-parties-powers-of-ten-playlist/

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

CAMP BESTIVAL, Lulworth Castle, Dorset, 29-31 Jul: James Vincent McMorrow, Alessi's Ark and Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer feature highly amongst recent additions to Rob Da Bank's rip-roaring Camp Bestival bill. Older news in terms of line-up announcements are slated sets by the likes of Blondie, Laura Marling, Primal Scream and Mark Ronson. www.campbestival.net

GUILFEST, Stoke Park, Guilford, 15-17 Jul: Organisers have boosted Guilfest's indie appeal (well, sort of) with the announcement that Noisettes and Echo & The Bunnymen will appear at the family-friendly Guilford-based fest. Performances from The Saw Doctors and Nero are also on the cards, as are DJ sets from Pendulum and Modestep. The novelty factor abounds on the existing bill, with Pete Andre, N-Dubz and Razorlight all set to stun alongside more respectable musicians (well, sort of) like Roger Daltrey, Adam Ant, John Lydon and Public Image Ltd, Erasure and Ziggy Marley. www.guilfest.co.uk

HEVY, Port Lympne Wildlife Park, Kent, 5-8 Aug: A raft of rock names including Trash Talk, OFF!, Title Fight, The Xcerpts and While She Sleeps join longer-standing line-up residents Funeral For A Friend, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Architects on the hefty Hevy bill. www.hevy.co.uk

ICELAND AIRWAVES, various venues, Reykjavík, 2-16 Oct: Austra, SBTRKT, Murmansk, Elephant Stone, Snorri Helgason, Wistaria, The Vintage Caravan and Yoda Remote are all fresh on the icy-cool Airwaves bill, lining up with previously confirmed acts like Best Coast, The Vaccines, Tune-Yards and legends of crab-core Endless Dark. www.icelandairwaves.is

PRIDE BRISTOL, Castle Park, 16 Jul: Kelis is the first headliner locked down for Bristol's one-day celebration of music and gay pride, with more acts to be announced shortly. www.pridebristol.org

WYCHWOOD, Cheltenham Racecourse, Gloucestershire, 3-5 Jun: Newly-announced acts including Scottish songwriter Eddie Reader and retiring Britpopsters The Bluetones will be joining in with the congenial atmosphere at this family-friendly bash. Fans can also expect a solo appearance by Eliza Carth of The Gift Band, as well as performances from such already confirmed acts as Cornershop, The Waterboys and Roddy Woomble. www.wychwoodfestival.com

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ALBUM REVIEW: Audiofly - Follow My Liebe (Get Physical)
Audiofly are Luca Saporito and Anthony Middleton, who share nine years of production history, but are only now releasing their debut: a project that spans electro, techno, dub and downtempo, but has a nice heavy groove throughout.

The title track kicks us off with some dubbed out house vibes, with a leftfield intro that comes across a bit Orb-esque. What follows offers a good mix, some bits go deeper like 'Kiss And Tell', while others more dancefloor orientated like 'Black Cat', which has some techy elements thrown in too. For me the stand out track is 'Myhappyplace', a track somewhat akin to Matthew Herbert's oeuvre.

There are some vocal collaborations on here too, which work well. Shaun Parkes sombre smokey vocals on 'Sense & Vision' take us downtempo, while 'Puddle of Diamonds' feat Cari Golden and '6 Degrees' feat Fiora are akin to the work of Slam and Dot Allison back in the day, and perhaps just as good.

This LP takes you on a nice journey, with some well worked alternative tracks it really improves on each listen, and is worth tracking down for a different, refreshing take on house music. PV

Physical release: 9 May

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AUTHORITY EXPANDS
Authority Communications has expanded its digital PR unit by recruiting Lucius Yeo, who most recently worked in a digital PR role at Anorak London. He joins Alex Fordham (himself a former Anorak Londoner) in Authority's digital department, which was launched last year.

Authority MD David Collyer told CMU: "With Lucius' appointment Authority's Digital PR department is well placed to keep pace with our ever-expanding client roster and our industry-leading channel management service".

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BEN JONES TO LEAVE ABSOLUTE
Ben Jones has announced he will leave Absolute Radio, where he presents the evening show, at the end of July to pursue new projects, including hosting TV coverage of an unnamed major music event. Jones has been with the station for a decade, joining what was then Virgin Radio in 2001. Absolute plans to mark his departure by re-broadcasting some of his best bits from the last ten years.

Confirming the pending departure, Absolute COO Clive Dickens is quoted by Radio Today thus: "Ben Jones is an exceptional, experienced broadcaster. He has made an enormous contribution to the station and is going on to great things. We wish him all the best for the future".

Jones himself added: "I will always look back with nothing but great memories of my time at Golden Square, I have done some wonderful things, met some incredible people and worked with the best the industry has to offer".

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KISSY AND FRY TO DEBATE RELEVANCE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC
Now this is a debate I'd like to see. This Thursday, the Cambridge Union will be debating the topic: 'This House Believes Classical Music Is Irrelevant To Today's Youth'. Speaking for the motion, Mr Kissy Sell Out. Speaking against, Mr Stephen Fry.

The whole debate will be live-streamed. More info on Kissy's Facebook profile here: on.fb.me/mPVV6F

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