HARGREAVES REJECTS FAIR USE, BUT REIGNITES FORMAT SHIFTING DEBATE
So, as previously reported, the Hargreaves Review of UK intellectual property laws was published yesterday, with few surprises inside, the key elements of his ten proposals having already been leaked.

As expected as of last week, the review was not anywhere near as radical as had initially been expected by both rights-owners and those who advocate extensive reform of the copyright system.

Among the proposals are the creation of a digital rights exchange to simplify the licensing process, and a 'copyright tsar' to run it; the development of a better system for dealing with orphan works, where the identity of a rights owner isn't know (probably to be managed by the aforementioned rights exchange); the introduction of a parody right and a private copy right; and the suggestion that the UK should take the lead in pushing for a pan-European patents system and court.

But, much to the disappointment of those who are pro copyright reform, and to the relief of traditional content owners, Hargreaves did not advocate the introduction of a US-style fair use system to replace the much more limited fair dealing provisions in British copyright law. Fair use provides a series of exemptions when copyright rules either do not apply, or certain parties cannot be held liable for inadvertently enabling others to infringe.

Google, which had a role in instigating this review in the first place, is known to dislike the relative lack of fair use principles in the British copyright system. However, Hargreaves said introducing US-style fair use rules would be difficult, and the perceived benefits did not outweigh the challenges and risks.

So, given the music industry was shitting itself at the start of this review, convinced the Prof would advocate streamlining the rights of copyright owners, good news all round really for music types.

The review does, of course, put the private copy right - or format shifting - back on the agenda. Few in the music industry actually oppose the introduction of a private copy right, which would give formal permission for consumers to rip CDs to PC or iPod - and the BPI said as much in its submission to an earlier copyright review led by Andrew Gowers back in 2006. The issue is whether music rights owners should receive any compensation for this.

Because in some other territories where the private copy right already exists the music industry receives compensation through a levy charged on devices onto which copies can be made, some in the UK feel the introduction of a private copy right here should be accompanied by some sort of new levy or licence fee - though neither Gowers nor Hargreaves concurred.

As previously commented, for the music business to push for such a levy seems like insanity to us, especially given that in the digital age that means adding a levy to the iPod, which in turn means taking on the Apple PR machine. The money such a system would raise is nominal and short lived - music bought from legitimate download stores usually allows some (albeit limited) format shifting within the licences they offer consumers already, so really the levy is linked to CD ripping.

To push for a levy means yet more bad press for the music business, whereas announcing that the music rights industry plans to take the lead here to fix a bit of bad copyright law, and that it will ask for nothing in return, could deliver a hugely positive reputation boost for the sector - proving record companies and music publishers are consumer-savvy responsible copyright owners, and not money grabbing delusional cunts. Just a thought.

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PEOPLE COMMENT ON THE HARGREAVES REVIEW
BPI boss Geoff Taylor: "Professor Hargreaves has sensibly rejected Google's flawed case for a significant weakening of UK copyright. He has recognised that innovation and economic growth are best stimulated by licensing the IP we create in the UK, and that strong creative industries that succeed on a global stage are fundamental to recovery from recession. We support the objective of making it legal for consumers to transfer the music they have purchased onto their own devices and will work with government to ensure this is implemented in a way that respects the rights of music creators. The practicalities, scope and costs of the proposed digital copyright exchange, the various exceptions proposed and the expanded role for the Intellectual Property Office, will require careful scrutiny".

UK Music dude Feargal Sharkey: "The members of UK Music took this review at face value, and we are pleased it recognises the vital role of intellectual property to this country's future economic growth. Recent years have seen significant progress in terms of digital innovation and infrastructural change, such as the development of industry-led global repertoire databases, as suggested by Professor Hargreaves. Clearly, copyright law is not confined by national boundaries, and many of today's recommendations are also the focus of European policy-makers. One of these is format shifting, an area where the UK music industry has willingly proposed solutions that would legitimise consumer behaviour and benefit UK creators. We now look forward to engaging closely with government and trust they will support our musical talent at home, in Brussels and everywhere else in the world".

7Digital groove-meister Ben Drury: "7Digital welcomes the conclusions of the Hargreaves report and the liberalising of UK copyright law. In particular, we welcome the recognition that 'format shifting' should be legal and bringing UK copyright law in line with the rest of Europe will open up the market and promote innovation. Having outdated laws is a hindrance to companies that aim to develop new products and services for consumers of digital music and content, which in turn slows the adoption of digital and damages the music and content industries as a whole. The creation of the digital copyright exchange and the requirement on collecting societies to legally adopt codes of practice are also welcome. 7Digital believes that in the digital age removing barriers to licensing and increased transparency is critical to ensuring the UK can remain at the forefront of digital content creation".

We7 quote-machine Steve Purdham: "Anything that simplifies the licensing of copyright material will benefit the digital industries, especially in terms of innovation and growth, but it must equally protect the value of that copyright. Modifying copyright laws so that it reflects the real world again should be embraced. I like the common sense approach that Hargreaves has suggested, especially realising that a combination of education, markets and enforcement need to work together. I believe that as long as we can protect IP, the focus and delivery of simpler licensing can be the catalyst for significant innovation and growth and in turn create more value for copyright".

The Pirate Party's unnamed words-king: "The Pirate Party UK welcomes the conclusion that copyright and patent law must adapt to the changing world in which we live. As we made clear in our submission to the review, the Pirate Party agrees that copyright and patents should 'make not break markets' and that the rights of innovators and artists should be balanced with those of the public to enjoy such work. Like Professor Hargreaves, we 'urge Government to ensure that in future, policy on intellectual property issues is constructed on the basis of evidence, rather than weight of lobbying'. The Party is disappointed, however, that the review has been held back from proposing any real reform to deal with the extensive problems that current copyright and patent frameworks pose, nor sought to redress the imbalance between the rights of creator and the needs of society".

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EMI ON BOARD FOR APPLE CLOUD SERVICE?
Apple has signed an agreement with EMI for its planned 'cloud' service, according to C-Net, which adds that Warner Music signed a similar deal last month and talks with Sony and Universal are moving along nicely.

It is thought that Apple's long-time-in-development cloud service will add some sort of digital locker functionality to the iTunes platform, competing with similar services recently launched by both Google and Amazon. Though, of course, neither Google nor Amazon has licences from the record companies for their locker offers (they claim they don't need any), which would make the licensed Apple locker stand out from the pack.

That said, by going the licensed route, the Apple locker may be more limited than the other recent entrants into this market, perhaps only allowing users to store on Apple's servers and access via any net connected device music files bought from the iTunes Store. That said, it will also likely offer extra functionality not currently delivered by Amazon and Google, for example giving users cloud access to music they have downloaded from the iTunes Store without necessitating them to upload the tracks themselves.

Insiders are now pointing to a June launch for the service some are dubbing iCloud, partly because Apple recently spent millions acquiring the iCloud.com domain.

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PARLIAMENTARY JAZZ AWARDS DISHED OUT
It was the seventh edition of the PPL-sponsored Parliamentary Jazz Awards earlier this week and for those of you sitting there just waiting for a list of winners to pop up in your in-box, well brace yourself, because look, here it is:

Jazz Musician Of The Year: Brian Kellock
Jazz Album Of The Year: John Turville - Midas
Jazz Ensemble Of The Year: Brass Jaw
Jazz Venue/Promoter Of The Year: The Hideaway (London)
Jazz Journalist Of The Year: John Fordham
Jazz Broadcaster Of The Year: Paul Barnes
Jazz Publication Of The Year: Goin' Home: The Uncompromising Life And Music Of Ken Colyer by Mike Pointon, Ray Smith, Martin Colyer
Jazz Education Award: Dr Ian Darrington
Services To Jazz Award: Coleridge Goode
APPJAG Special Award: Dame Cleo Laine

Commenting on the winners, Michael Connarty of the All Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group who organised the awards told CMU: "Each year we are knocked out by the consistent quality of the UK jazz scene, with long serving players, writers, educators and promoters being joined by a new generation of talent. We hope our Parliamentary Jazz Awards help encourage this creativity and draw others to share our enjoyment of British jazz".

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CHRIS BROWN AND LIL WAYNE LEAD BET NOMINATIONS
The nominations for this year's BET Awards, the annual awards bash celebrating music and entertainment emanating from and influenced by the American black community, have been announced, with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne leading the way with six and five nominations each respectively.

Brown will make his return to the ceremony following last year's contentious Michael Jackson tribute, during which the singer cried. He was afterwards accused of faking the tears in a bid to ingratiate himself to the audience and boost his popularity, which was still limited in the wake of his violent attack on former girlfriend Rihanna in February 2009. He is nominated in the Best Male R&B Artist, Viewer's Choice and Video Of The Year categories, as well as twice in the Best Collaboration group and is also up for Best Actor.

Three of Lil Wayne's five nominations relate to Chris Brown's single 'Look At Me Now', on which he guested, in the Best Collaboration, Video Of The Year and Viewer's Choice. He also appears solo in the Viewer's Choice category with his track '6 Foot 7 Foot', and on the Best Male Hip Hop Artist shortlist.

The next most popular nominees are Kanye West, Rihanna, and Drake, who all have four nominations each. We'll find out the winners when the ceremony takes place on 26 Jun at the Shrine Auditorium in LA.

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TINIE TEMPAH GOES PLATINUM WITH FIRST US SINGLE
Tinie Tempah is the first British rapper to ever achieve platinum sales with his debut single in the US, which is an achievement with a lot of provisos, but hey, well done him anyway. The Tempah man is seemingly causing quite a stir with his US debut 'Written In The Stars'. Go Tinie.

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TIM DELAUGHTER REUNITES WITH TRIPPING DAISY BANDMATE
Polyphonic Spree frontman Tim DeLaughter has reunited with former Tripping Daisy bandmate Philip E Karnats for a new band, completed by Polphonic Spree-ers guitarist Dylan Silvers and drummer Jason Garner. Calling themselves Preteen Zenith, DeLaughter and Karnats have been working on the project since 2009 and are expected to release music later this summer via DeLaughter's Good Records Recordings label.

Explaining the decision for the duo to begin working together again, DeLaughter said: "It had been a long time coming. We'd had several conversations over the recent years about doing something together. We had no idea of what we'd do, but I was definitely looking forward to it!"

The band will make their live debut at the Granada Theater in Dallas in July.

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MCCARTNEY WORKING ON GARAGE ROCK AND STANDARDS ALBUMS
Paul McCartney is working on two very different albums, he has revealed. One he describes as "heavier rock", for which he is receiving production advice from Dave Grohl, while the other features "standards", classics of the sort his father would have listened to.

Speaking about the rock album, he said he was inspired by Grohl's decision to record the latest Foo Fighters album in his garage. The former Beatle told Rolling Stone: "It sounds quite wacky, but it keeps it fresh. I love that. You get a crazy idea and go with it. You never know - I may run into a garage to make this other album. But it won't be in Dave's garage".

As for the other album, he said: "It's my dad's style of music. I've wanted to do that kind of thing forever, since the Beatle days. But then Rod [Stewart] went mad on it [with his 'Great American Songbook' releases]. I thought: 'I have to wait so it doesn't look like I'm trying to do a Rod. They're just songs I admire. I'm trying to steer away from the obvious ones. It's get-home-from-work music. You put it on and get a glass of wine".

As if that wasn't e-bloody-nough to be getting on with, he'll be re-releasing his 'McCartney' and 'McCartney II' solo albums as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection on 13 Jun.

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BIFFY CLYRO TO RELEASE LIVE ALBUM
Biffy Clyro will release a live CD/DVD set featuring their sold out show at Wembley Arena last December on 27 Jun. The DVD will also include a documentary about the band's T In The Park show last year, which is apparently something people would want to know about in minute detail, rather than the Wembley show they'll have just watched.

As well as the standard release that only idiots who don't even really like the band would buy, there will also be a collector's box, which will be made of metal and contain a concert programme, setlist, poster, stickers and Biffy Clyro confetti. You can buy that in shops, but only people who think they are real fans but actually aren't would do that. The REAL fans will buy it from www.biffyclyro.com because then they'll also receive a smashed piece of an instrument or the stage set.

To celebrate the DVD release, the Wembley concert will be screened in various cinemas around the UK, plus the band will play to low key gigs alongside screenings, the first at the Edinburgh Picture House on 29 Jun and the second at the Odeon West End in London on 30 Jun.

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AZARI & III ANNOUNCE DEBUT ALBUM
Canadian house duo Azari & II - aka Christian Farley and Alphonse Lanza - have announced that they will release their eponymous debut album through Loose Lips Records on 30 Aug.

Farley told Resident Advisor that the album came together in a very comfortable manner: "Basically it was just one song, then the next, and the next... There was definitely no pressure involved in getting an album ready for a label or anything like that. And it's not like we got into some mansion in LA with a bunch of amazing gear and stayed there for two months just making an album. It was a long, slow, drawn out process".

The tracklist is this list of track names in this order:

Into The Night
Reckless (With Your Love)
Tunnel Vision
Indigo
Lost In Time
Infiniti
Change Of Heart
Manhooker
Undecided
Hungry For Power
Manic

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WEILAND RECALLS CHILDHOOD RAPE IN MEMOIR
In the same book in which be admits to joining Velvet Revolver for the money, Scott Weiland also recalls some more traumatic episodes in his life, in particular the time he was raped at school by another student, a memory he had blocked out until a relatively recent stint in rehab.

In an excerpt from Weiland's memoir 'Not Dead & Not For Sale' published by Spin magazine, the Stone Temple Pilot and former Velvet Revolver frontman writes: "[It was] a big muscular guy, a high school senior ... [who] rode the bus with me every day to school. [He] invited me to his house. The dude raped me. It was quick, not pleasant. I was too scared to tell anyone. 'Tell anyone', he warned, 'and you'll never have another friend in this school. I'll ruin your fuckin reputation'".

The rocker adds: "This is a memory I suppressed until only a few years ago when, in rehab, it came flooding back. Therapy will do that to you".

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

ATP NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, Butlin's Resort, Minehead, Somerset, 9-11 Dec: Hand-picked by co-curators Les Savy Fav, Battles and Caribou, a choice selection of acts including Wild Flag, Surfer Blood, Toro Y Moi, Four Tet and Oxes have been added to the nightmarishly good ATP winter-fest line-up. Gary Numan, Washed Out, Holy Fuck and Flying Lotus are amongst those previously announced to appear at this frosty winter weekender. www.atpfestival.com/events/nightmare2011.php

LATITUDE, Henham Park Estate, Suffolk, 14-17 Jul: Those interested in all things cultural will be pleased to hear of the list of oh-so artsy additions to this year's Latitude fest, which will see the likes Imogen Heap and Micachu performing soundtracks to silent films as part of the Bird's Eye View showcase. Singer Camille O'Sullivan and the London Contemporary Orchestra will also feature in proceedings, as will an 'Attack The Block'-themed party courtesy of Noise Of Art. The existing musical bill, as I'm sure you're already aware, includes The National, I Am Kloot, Lykke Li, Hurts and Deerhunter. www.latitudefestival.co.uk

WIRELESS, Hyde Park, London, 1-3 Jul: The bulging Wireless bill is forced to accommodate a further trio of acts with the announcement that Ke$ha, Cut Copy and folk-pop duo Blind Pilot will join established headliners Pulp, The Black Eyed Peas and The Chemical Brothers, plus a score of other acts including Tinie Tempah, Metronomy, Grace Jones, Foals and The Horrors. www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

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ALBUM REVIEW: When Saints Go Machine - Konkylie (!K7)
With the ever-present influx of new synth-pop groups in recent years, there's an inevitable tendency to pigeonhole them by working out what year (from the 1980s, in most cases) their sound is most redolent of. It's an impossible task with Danish four piece WSGM, whose effervescent debut album 'Konkylie' (nothing to do with Ms Minogue) is a multilayered, evocative affair that bears the faint trace of "influences" but doesn't really sound like anyone else.

Each track is a dreamy, slightly otherworldly symphony, with lush orchestrations, but all made contemporary with some subtle but still detectable nods to club culture. This elegant electronic pop invariably recalls the Scandinavian glacial artistry of The Knife or Röyksopp, but the soulful vocals of Nikolaj Manuel Vonsild (redolent of Antony Hegarty) add considerable warmth, even though the best tracks here ('Church And Law', 'Chestnut') are perfectly infused with aching melancholy.

Though not the first to meld lush pop with electronica (Björk, Billy Mackenzie or even Frazier Chorus spring to mind), this is nonetheless a hypnotic and constantly surprising future-disco trip-pop opus which warrants further exposure. MS

Physical release: 6 Jun

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COPYRIGHT DEBATE PLANNED FOR BRITISH BLACK MUSIC MONTH
Hot on the tails of yesterday's Hargreaves Review, and one year on from their own 2010 Copyright Conference, organisers of British Black Music Month have announced details of another debate on all things IP due to take place on 24 Jun at the University Of Westminster.

Says the blurb for 'Talking Copyright: What's All The Fuss?': "With the recent prevalence of online activity having moved the subject of copyright from the lofty confines of academic and legal circles into the mainstream consciousness, this seminar is an opportunity for panellists and participants to voice their opinions. What's copyright? Why should we care about copyright? Where are consumers' rights? Would the world be a better place without having all rights reserved? What's all the fuss about?"

Among those taking part will be University Of Westminster's Kienda Hoji and Consumer Focus's Saskia Walzel. It's free to get in but you must pre-book via [email protected]

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INDEPENDENT LABEL MARKET DETAILS ANNOUNCED
This Saturday, indie labels will be setting up stalls on London's Berwick Street to sell records direct to music fans. Amongst those involved are Domino, Rough Trade, Bella Union, Merok, Angular Records, Moshi Moshi and XL.

As well as standard stock, there will be numerous exclusive and rare records on sale at the market, and many of the stalls will be manned by label bosses themselves, such as Wall Of Sound's Mark Jones and XL's Richard Russell. There will also be appearances from a number of artists. Details of it all can be found here.

Angular Records boss Joe Daniels, who came up with the idea, told The Quietus about his inspiration for the project: "I went to Berlin to see These New Puritans at the end of last year and ended up doing their merch stand. It was such fun selling their records because I'd made them. I knew what was special about that b-side, or the fact that there was only twenty copies of this one left. It was fun meeting the people who liked the band, and having been caught up in distributors and press and marketing for a few years, it was nice to remember that when Angular started we were approaching people in pubs and trying to push CDs on them, saying: 'Come on mate, it's only three quid, less than a pint!' I wanted to do that again".

He continued: "Originally the plan was to have [the market] as part of Record Store Day, but then we realised it would probably be better to have our own day. There should be lots of days celebrating records ... Berwick Street was the first and most obvious choice, since it's kind of a spiritual home to London's record shops".

Read the full interview here.

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ALISON BATEMAN JOINS WORK HARD PR
Music journalist and publicist Alison Bateman has joined Work Hard PR, Roland Hyams founder of the rock-centric agency has announced. She will bring with her a roster that includes events and artists such as Miss Alternative UK, Club Antichrist, The Bermondsey Joyriders (who feature The Damned's Rat Scabies and MC5's John Sinclair amongst their line-up), and various Koochie Coo Records artists.

Work Hard already looks after acts including UFO, Uriah Heep, Zodiac Mindwarp and all of SPV Records' rock and metal roster, plus events such as GuilFest, The London International Tattoo Convention and The Bulldog Bash.

Hyams told CMU: "Teaming up together will enable us to expand and develop new bands and projects and we look forward to exciting fresh challenges on the horizon".

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TROIS-STRIKES PUT ON HOLD AFTER DATA LEAK
The three-strikes system administered by the Hadopi agency in France was put on hold earlier this week after one of those increasingly fashionable data spills.

As previously reported, the French anti-piracy agency has been sending out thousands of letters a day to suspected file-sharers since last year, threatening said file-sharers with internet disconnection if they do not stop accessing digital content from illegal sources.

But according to reports, the letter sending was halted this week when it was revealed the company collecting data on suspected file-sharers for Hadopi had suffered a data breach. It's not entirely clear what kind of data was lost by Trident Media Guard, but it was enough to persuade Hadopi chiefs to halt the letter sending as it put new data safeguards in place.

It's not thought the data spill will have any major impact on the French government's crack down on online piracy, though its an embarrassment the country's copyright enforcers could do without, especially given privacy concerns are always given by internet service providers as to why they shouldn't have to deal with regulators seeking to identify the names and addresses of net users linked to a specific IP address.

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SIMFY SCORES TEN MILLION IN NEW INVESTMENT
German streaming music service Simfy, one of the few to get the green light from hard-to-please German collecting society GEMA to launch an on-demand streaming platform in Germany, has raised another ten million euros in capital from its existing investors. It brings Simfy's funding to date to eighteen million euros, nothing compared to the money so far pumped into Spotify, but a significant investment nevertheless.

The firm's CEO, Gerrit Schumann, said the new money would be used to "consolidate" the firm's market leader position in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as to allow "expansion into other European countries".

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SNOOP DOGG PONDERING HIP HOP FOCUSED X-FACTOR RIVAL
Snoop Dogg is pitching a new show to find "America's hottest hood artists" to US TV networks, he has revealed.

The rapper told AP: "I'm looking for a deal from a network to find America's hottest hood artists [with a show] straight directed to the hood... at people with no money, just talent".

As well as this, he's got plans for another business venture: "I want to open up a supermarket chain. But I'm going to call them Snoopermarkets".

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