BAND2MARKET CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT
Band2market offers a simple and effective platform for acts at any stage of their career to self release, keep their rights, invigorate their fanbase, and make more money. We help orchestrate the whole process - sourcing funds, formation of budgets and P&Ls, campaign management, marketing, manufacture, sales and distribution, whistles and bells... you name it.

Our clients include: Badly Drawn Boy, Charlie Simpson, Chilly Gonzales, Dananananaykroyd, Feeder, New State, Nusic Sounds, Penguin Prison, Stranger Records, The Rifles, and Thomas Tantrum

We provide campaign management for everything you need up to release and beyond. Contact us at [email protected]

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

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 15 Jun 2011

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

GUARDIAN PUBLISHES ITS FIRST EVER MUSIC POWER LIST
Power lists, hey? Everybody loves a power list, right? Of course, the publication which produces such a list takes a risk, because while they make 100 people very happy, by definition their pissing off thousands more. Many of you will remember *that* Music Week power list and the subsequent fallout.

But presumably The Guardian doesn't care if it bruises some egos in music-land. Or perhaps it does, the first ever Guardian Music Power 100 - the 100 most influential people in British rock and pop - does come with the get-out clause: "We know that this list is far from perfect. There will be people we've simply missed out; there will be others who are too high, and others who are too low. Maybe there are some who shouldn't be there at all".

It's possibly also worth noting the list doesn't include any Guardian editors or music critics, presumably not wanting to be seen to show bias towards its own, though in terms of getting new music out to a more mainstream audience the broadsheet's staff do wield some power themselves.

So who is in this list? Well, the team behind Adele - including Adele herself - top the poll, which does sort of smack of "oh, we better include some artists, whose the biggest at the moment?", which the paper sort of admits itself when it confesses "our panel [of industry experts] stressed most forcefully teamwork and the artist - 'none of us would be here without the artists', they said - hence the choice of No 1, an artist served by a top-rate team.

Elsewhere you'll find the usual suspects, the top BBC radio types, the major label chiefs, the live music supremos, the retail bosses, the techies who control digital music or artists' social media activity, a few managers, a couple of producers and songwriters, at least one lawyer, and more artists ensuring most strands of the rock and pop genres are represented. The direct-to-fan technology makers, acquisitive independent publishers and increasingly crucial collecting societies are most notable by their absence, but as these slightly random lists go, it's an OK first attempt.

Here's the top ten, but for the full list go check The Guardian website here.

1. Team Adele
2. Lucian Grainge and David Joseph, Universal Music
3. Simon Cowell
4. Nigel Harding, Radio 1
5. Person or persons unknown, iTunes UK
6. Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim, YouTube
7. George Ergoutadis, Radio 1
8. Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt, Google
9. Simon Moran, SJM promotions
10. Jeff Bezos, Amazon

back to top

FINNISH INDUSTRY ASKS COURTS TO BLOCK PIRATE BAY
The Finnish record industry has applied for a court order to force internet service providers there to block access to The Pirate Bay, the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry has confirmed.

Finland's Copyright Information & Anti-Piracy Centre filed the court papers on behalf of the IFPI, who told reporters: "The development of a legal online market is impossible in Finland if illegal services like The Pirate Bay are freely allowed to continue their operations".

If the Finnish courts granted the order, they wouldn't be the first European country to officially block access to the rogue file-sharing site, though, of course, more prolific users will always find ways to circumvent such blocks.

That said, record label types would probably argue that even if such a block stops more casual users from accessing the BitTorrent search engine, that would be a step in the right direction.

back to top

GEORGE CLINTON RECEIVING TREATMENT IN HOSPITAL
Legendary funk man George Clinton is in hospital to receive treatment for a so called staph infection in one of his legs, according to TMZ. A representative for the Parliament-Funkadelic leader said Clinton had gone into hospital for the treatment after a routine check-up with his doctor, adding that "he will be just fine, [but] thank you for all your prayers and concern".

back to top

YOUNGEST EVER AMERICAN IDOL CROWNED
Do CMU readers care that a 17 year old high-school student called Scott McCreery has won the tenth edition of 'American Idol', beating sixteen year old rival Lauren Alaina with an Elton John cover to become the youngest ever winner of the series? I've lost my guidelines on this issue. If someone could let me know I'll make a decision on whether or not to run this story.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MUSICIANS CALL FOR REVERSAL ON GRAMMY REVAMP PLANS
A coalition of American musicians has called for plans to cut 31 categories from next year's Grammy Awards to be axed, at a protest outside a board meeting of award organisers the Recording Academy in Beverly Hills.

As previously reported, plans to cut some of the Grammy's 109 categories were announced last month. Gender specific awards will be abolished, some instrumental categories are being phased out, and Hawaiian, Native American, Zydeco/Cajun and polka gongs are being merged into a 'regional roots' award.

The protestors say the reductions unfairly target ethnic music, and that the changes were made without consulting thousands of Academy members. Their campaign is supported by some high profile musicians, including Paul Simon and Carlos Santana.

But the boss of the US awards show, Neil Portnow, told reporters it was untrue to say non-mainstream categories were only affected by the changes, noting that the number of mainstream awards would be cut from 34 to 20 as part of the revamp. He added that the category changes would go ahead next year whatever, but that he hoped the protestors would work with the Academy to assess how the alternations work out on the night, and help review things for 2013.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the protestors were not especially appeased by that. Calling for Portnow's resignation, four times Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria, told reporters: "[Portnow is] being arrogant in saying that it's written in stone [for 2012] when we have a chance to get these categories reinstated".

back to top

BILLBOARD WON'T CHANGE US CHART RULES OVER ONE DOLLAR GAGA
Billboard's Editorial Director Bill Werde has responded to chatter on the net-o-sphere in the US this week as to whether all the Lady Gaga albums sold for a mere 99 cents by Amazon should be counted in this week's American music charts. Some have argued no.

As previously reported, Amazon put the Gaga album on sale for a mere dollar at the start of the week - meaning they'd be making a sizable loss on every sale - seemingly in a bid to create mega-traffic (it certainly did that, even Amazon's huge servers couldn't cope) so that it could make the mainstream music audience aware of its new and slightly controversial (in record industry circles) digital locker service.

Existing Billboard chart rules don't take into account the price a customer pays, so that if retailers take a hit and sell a record as a loss leader, all sales count as standard units. Thus the one dollar Gaga sales will help take the popstress to number one this week. And Werde says that, despite some opposition online, that rule will stand, for this week at least, partly because he doesn't like the idea of changing the rules at the last minute, and partly because he's not entirely sure chart bosses should be considering price point in their counting.

Writing on his own magazine's website, Werde days: "I'm pretty far from certain it makes sense to consider pricing (although I encourage your comments). For starters, market dynamics are shifting so quickly. Who's to say that in three years or three months or even three weeks that the accepted value of an album won't be .99 cents? I realise that's an alarming (and unlikely, at least in weeks or months) thought for many of you, dear readers. But the decline in the perceived value of recorded music is not exactly a secret in 2011".

He continues: "Further, just looking at current market conditions, should an album that sells for $9.99 count twice as much as an album that sells for $4.99? How about on iTunes: Should a $1.29 track count twice as much as a $.69 track? I'm inclined to say no. As I said, my mind isn't made up about this as it relates to considering this policy in future weeks. I'm certain I'll have many conversations with Silvio Pietroluongo, our Director of Charts, about this topic. But I generally regard Billboard's role as being a market archivist and not a market activist. If we set an arbitrary pricing threshold, we are affecting business and not simply reporting it".

You can read Werde's full comment piece here.

back to top

NEW AVALANCHES ALBUM IS NEARLY DONE
The founder of Modular Recordings has told Aussie music business magazine The Music Network that the long awaited second Avalanches album is finally in the can, more or less. All that's left to be done, says Steven Pavlovic, is "some tweaking to the production elements".

The Modular man added that he hoped a single would be out this year, with the album following in early 2012. He concluded: "They're finished, and they're celebrating. And they're going to have a little party to celebrate finishing it. The next stage will see the album go to someone to mix".

back to top

NEW EMINEM EP UPCOMING
Eminem will release a new EP on 13 Jun, a collaboration with rapper Royce Da 5'9 under the moniker Bad Meets Evil. The two rappers worked together in the late nineties, but subsequently fell out. It seems they reconciled after the 2006 death of their mutual friend, D-12 rapper Proof. The EP is currently without a name, though the first track on it is called 'Fast Lane'. That was on YouTube for a time, but seems to have been taken down by the powers that be.

back to top

FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

BESTIVAL, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight, 8-11 Sept: Featuring highly amongst the array of recent Bestival bookings are acts including conspicuous rap rascals Odd Future, Tom Vek, Crystal Fighters, Professor Green, Ghostpoet and Dog Is Dead. PJ Harvey and Pendulum share headlining duties, flanked by the likes of Fatboy Slim, The Maccabees, Kelis, Cut Copy and Mogwai. www.bestival.net

THE BIG FEASTIVAL, Clapham Common, London, 1-3 Jul: Hercules & Love Affair and DJ Tom Middleton are the latest musical additions to the tasty array of acts set to perform at The Big Feastival, joining a line-up that includes Soul II Soul, The Charlatans, Mystery Jets and New Young Pony Club. Organised by Jamie Oliver to benefit charities including The Prince's Trust, other on-site attractions include restaurant showcases and free samples galore. www.thebigfeastival.co.uk

V FESTIVAL, Hylands Park, Essex/Weston Park, Staffordshire, 20-21 Aug: Adding some variety and soul to the otherwise pop-dominated V bill are Aloe Blacc and Ziggy Marley, who are joined by the likes of Kassidy, Twenty Twenty, Big Country and rap posse D12. The most famous D12er, Eminem, shares headline duties with Rihanna, who take centre stage on an existing roster that also boasts Arctic Monkeys, Dizzee Rascal and Primal Scream. www.vfestival.com

back to top

BURN LAUNCHES MUSIC MAKING PLATFORM AND PRODUCER COMPETITION
Energy drink Burn has officially launched a new electronic music platform called the Burn Studios Audiotool, which will "enable music creation, discovery and sharing" in that good old cloud in the digital sky. The aim is to build a community of grass roots dance music makers.

Burn soft launched is Burn Studios programme at the International Music Summit in Ibiza this time last year, and has been developing and beta testing the Audiotool platform ever since. It went properly live at this year's IMS yesterday, with Richie Hawtin confirmed as the new venture's Creative Director. He told CMU: "The use of cloud technologies will revolutionise the way we think and do things, especially how we approach music making in the future... well the future is now".

To coincide with the launch, Burn also announced a big competition for aspiring dance producers, fourteen of whom will be flown over to the Burn Studios physical base on Ibiza in July for a production bootcamp. One overall winner will then go to New York to work with Sasha no less. To enter bedroom producers must remix a track created by Sasha and upload it to the audiotools platform. Full info will be posted at burn.com I'm sure.

Commenting on all this shenanigans, Burn's Dan White told reporters: "Burn Studios is the epitome of Burn's personality, it captures the essence of the brand and blasts it into a real life dimension of energy filled passion and fearless creativity. I'm proud that we are able to ignite creative passion and bring the community together with this pioneering studio concept".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

UNIVERSAL TO LAUNCH FASHION LINE WITH TOMMY HILFIGER
Universal Music in the US has signed a deal with Tommy Hilfiger - the designer direct, rather than the company that bears his name - to launch a line of music-related clothing to be sold in high-end boutiques and department stores. It's not clear which artists Universal hopes to involve in its new fashion venture, though it is thought they will be recruited from across the major's various labels.

back to top

SONY REVENUES DOWN, BUT PROFITS UP
Revenues at Sony Corp's music division, which includes Sony Music, Sony Music Japan and the Sony/ATV music publishing company, were down 9.9% in the financial year that ended on 31 Mar, or 5% if currency fluctuations are taken into account.

The decline was, in the main, Michael Jackson's fault, in that the previous financial year's revenues were higher than normal because of all those people rushing out to re-buy the late king of pop's back catalogue just as soon as he was dead. Although the Jackson legacy remains valuable, the value of his catalogue definitely peaked in the months following his passing.

The more general and continued decline in record sales also played its part, I suppose. On the up side, Sony's musical profits rose 6.6% to $469 million, mainly because, like all the majors, Sony Music has been quietly downsizing its workforce and other overheads over recent years.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

MARK MULLIGAN TO LEAVE FORRESTER
Music business analyst Mark Mulligan, who is particularly known for his insights on the digital music domain, has announced he is leaving Forrester Research. Mulligan has been analysing the music industry for eleven years, originally for Jupiter Research, who were acquired by Forrester in 2008. He's also know for his blog posts about the music sector.

Confirming his departure from Forrester, Mulligan said this week: "I'm taking a little bit of time out before making my next move. In the meantime I'll still be blogging on music industry stuff over at my MusicIndustryBlog and basically making a nuisance of myself as an independent voice".

back to top

MOST OF THE AVERAGE DIGITAL MUSIC COLLECTION GOES UNPLAYED
Tech firm Music WithMe, who provide tools to help users transfer their iTunes collections to non-Apple devices - especially Android phones - say they have been monitoring the play counts of music collections transferred via their system, and have found that on average 81% of a user's MP3 collection never gets played - ie 81% of tracks would have a zero play count.

Writing on their blog, Music WithMe, revealed "The average iTunes library has 5,409 songs of which 4,195 have never been played. Put another way: we listen to about 19% of the music we own".

Of course such a claim might not account for the circumstances in which a user's iTunes play stats would reset, but as a general stat it's possibly not that surprising, especially for the P2P generation, many of whom downloaded huge quantities of unlicensed music via P2P networks more the prestige of having the biggest MP3 collection rather than with any intent of listening to all the tunes.

Quite what the industry can do with a stat like that though, I'm not sure. Though, if all those unplayed tracks were sold rather than nabbed from P2P, I suppose it does suggest some artists might benefit more from a la carte download systems rather than pay-per-play streaming services.

back to top

CMU EDITOR GUESTS ON NET INFLUENCED 6MUSIC SHOW
CMU editor Andy Malt will tonight guest on 'NowPlaying', the newish Tom Robinson hosted 6music show which takes its musical leads from what's being talked about, recommended and played on the internet, whether that be YouTube plays, blogger comments or listeners interacting via Facebook, Spotify or the BBC website.

Explaining the concept of the show, Robinson says: "For the last 50 years music radio has basically been a shop window for the music industry to advertise and promote its products - and for me 'NowPlaying' reperesents a small but important step away from that model. All the tunes we're playing are sourced from public conversations with our listeners - and what's happening out there in the big wide world of the blogosphere. Not from the promotional activities of record companies".

He continues: "For the first time ever, I've actually had to ask pluggers to take me off their mailing lists because we can no longer 'just slip in' some latest release or other as a favour to them or anybody else: the audience really is in the driving seat. Instead of us choosing the music that gets broadcast, our job is simply to 'reflect the online conversation about music, on air'".

Andy will appear at some point on tonight's show, which airs from 7-9pm on 6music, recommending three artists and tracks himself. More at www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nowplaying/

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

COLE MAY TURN DOWN X-UK RETURN OVER TREATMENT ON X-USA
So Cheryl Cole was almost certainly pushed from her role as a judge on 'X-Factor USA' it seems, even though neither the 'X' machine nor the Girl Aloud have commented on her sudden departure from the new American version of the pop talent show.

Insiders are saying US TV bosses wanted a number of changes to the 'X' format after early auditions, and losing the least famous (in the US) judge was among them. The tabs reckon Cole only found out on Tuesday that she'd been axed, and has now fled back to the UK where she is getting over the high profile rejection.

It is widely assumed ITV would gladly welcome her back to the British version of the programme, but some are speculating that she is so angry with Simon Cowell and his Syco team for failing to fight her corner in America that she'll likely turn them down.

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

4MUSIC TO LAUNCH POP UP POP QUIZ
Everyone loves a pop quiz, right? Well, Box TV has announced details of a new show planned for this summer on 4Music called the 'Pop Up Pop Quiz'. Each edition will be filmed in a different location. And although they're employing that rather fashionable term for 'temporary venue', this programme will literally 'pop up' in that the set is inflatable. Audience members will be recruited from anyone who happens to be in the vicinity once the set has inflated.

Dave Young, Box TV Programming Director, told CMU: "We're really excited about 'Pop Up Pop Quiz' - it's bright, brash and funny, and the outdoor locations and inflatable set will bring a breath of fresh air to the classic quiz show format. At Box TV we're totally committed to being the UK's no 1 innovator in music TV, and this is another fresh format".

He continued: "We're also delighted to be supporting new talent again with [our choice of presenters] Rickie and Melvin, [who will be] building on the success they've had at Kiss radio - their chemistry is going to be dynamite on 'Pop Up Pop Quiz' - it's perfect for them".

back to top

--------------------------------------------------

GMG RADIO APPOINTMENTS
The Guardian's radio company GMG Radio has announced the appointment of its first ever Deputy Group Programme Director, James Rea.

The new role will support the radio firm's Group PD John Simons with regards the "strategic development of on-air content", whatever that means. Rea previously oversaw the news teams on GMG Radio's three networks, Smooth, Rock and Real Radio.

Elsewhere at GMG Radio, Mark Matthews has become Brand Programme Director for the Real Radio network of stations, which presumably isn't as tedious a job as it sounds.

The aforementioned Simons told Radio Today: "James and Mark have played a key role in the development and direction of our on-air brands in recent years and their new roles enhance senior programming support across the business and enable us to look at new opportunities to extend our content beyond our on-air services, at a time when our content is nominated for, and winning, more awards than ever before".

back to top

LOVE: DRUGS MADE ME CELIBATE
Presumably the government will put this up on posters at every school in the land - listen to Courtney kids, she knows what she's talking about: rampant drug use destroys your sex life.

In the same interview in which she dissed people who still refer to her as a 'drug freak', the now seemingly clean living Hole frontwoman told Thefix.com that too many drugs "neutered" her.

Love: "When I was on drugs, I felt like this nunnish, non-sexual person. After I stopped doing drugs I started to fuck like a bunny! Before that I suffered from years of celibacy. I was on this whole Morrissey kick, no masturbation, no romance, no nothing!"

back to top