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 27 Jul

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 7 Sep

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

AMY WINEHOUSE POSTMORTEM INCONCLUSIVE
The results of a postmortem on the body of Amy Winehouse yesterday were inconclusive. An inquest was opened at St Pancras Coroner's Court but met for just two minutes before being adjourned until 26 Oct. Officials said they would now have to wait for the results of toxicology and histology tests, which will not be returned until next month. The late singer's funeral is expected to take place later today. A small gathering for family and close friends is planned.

Meanwhile, Winehouse's parents Mitch and Janis appeared outside the singer's North London home yesterday afternoon, having formally identified their daughter's body earlier in the day. Mitch thanked the assembled mourners for their support, saying: "I can't tell you what this means to us - it really is making this a lot easier for us. We're devastated and I'm speechless, but thanks for coming".

As other tributes continued to flood in, Russell Brand published a lengthy blog post about the singer, noting that, aged 27 when she died, Winehouse was now a member of the so called 27 Club of legendary musicians who died too young, at the age of 27. Other 'club members' included Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. A friend of Winehouse, and someone with first hand experience of the challenges involved in battling addiction, Brand called on the public to view people with drug and alcohol problems with more sensitivity.

He wrote: "Now Amy Winehouse is dead, like many others whose unnecessary deaths have been retrospectively romanticised, at 27 years old. Whether this tragedy was preventable or not is now irrelevant. It is not preventable today. We have lost a beautiful and talented woman to this disease. Not all addicts have Amy's incredible talent. Or Kurt's or Jimi's or Janis's, some people just get the affliction. All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill".

He continued: "We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care. We need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn't even make economic sense. Not all of us know someone with the incredible talent that Amy had, but we all know drunks and junkies and they all need help and the help is out there. All they have to do is pick up the phone and make the call. Or not. Either way, there will be a phone call".

You can read Russell's post at www.russellbrand.tv/2011/07/for-amy/

Extensive media coverage of Winehouse's untimely passing continued yesterday, though you sensed some websites were picking up on the story, or covering it from multiple angles, simply to capitalise on public interest to boost web statistics. Meanwhile some sites were openly criticised for seeming to take commercial advantage of Winehouse's death, most notably one of Microsoft's official Xbox Twitter feeds which was forced to apologise after tweeting "Remember Amy Winehouse by downloading the ground-breaking 'Back To Black' album over at [our download store] Zune".

Winehouse was, of course, found dead at her London home on Saturday afternoon. It is not yet clear what circumstances led to her death.

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JACKSON REHEARSAL FOOTAGE NOT TO BE SHOW AT MURRAY TRIAL
Previously unseen footage of Michael Jackson rehearsing for the 'This Is It' stage show in the days before his death in 2009 will not be show in court when Dr Conrad Murray is tried for manslaughter in relation to the late king of pop's demise, Judge Michael Pastor has decided.

As previously reported, it was Murray's defence team who originally suggested that the footage recorded by AEG Live, some of which was used to make the 'This Is It' film, could be useful in determining the state of Jackson's health prior to his death. They hoped it would show that the singer was in poor health. But after reps for both the prosecution and defence viewed a big chunk of the available footage, the defence team concluded that it didn't really help their case.

Sony Pictures, which now owns that footage, and which never wanted any of it shown in court, leapt on that conclusion and called on Pastor to ban the recordings from being shown during Murray's trial, arguing doing so would be a waste of court time.

Having viewed some clips himself, yesterday Pastor said he agreed with the Murray defence and Sony, that the footage wouldn't help jurors, that it wouldn't be a good use of court time to show it, and that the benefits of showing it were not significant enough to risk devaluing the content owned by Sony Pictures, who say they may use some or all of the previously unreleased footage for future Jackson related releases.

Clips from the 'This Is It' film will be admissible. It is thought the prosecution may use those to show that Jackson was physically well and in an optimistic mood in the days before his death. Murray, of course, is accused of causing Jackson's demise by negligently administering the drug propofol. Murray's people are expected to claim Jackson administered the lethal shot himself.

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FEIST ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM
Leslie Feist has announced that she will release her fourth solo album, entitled 'Metals', via Universal/Polydor on 3 Oct.

Co-produced by Chilly Gonzales, Mocky, and Valgeir Sigurðsson, the album will be teased via twelve vignettes, the first of which you can view below. You can follow the release of the other eleven at www.listentofeist.com.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=R98GTZobZ24&

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POLYVINYL ANNOUNCES JAPAN BENEFIT COMPILATION
As the clear up operation in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan in March this year continues, US label Polyvinyl has announced the release of a new compilation to raise money for the Red Cross and its work in the country.

Entitled 'Japan 3.11.11: A Benefit Album', the album will feature 23 tracks, many of them rare or unreleased, from artists including Of Montreal, Deerhoof, St Vincent, Xiu Xiu, Efterklang and more. Available now from digital stores, it will be released on limited edition vinyl on 26 Sep.

Tracklist:

Deerhoof - Giga Dance (Live)
Love Is All - Pappas Tant
Efterklang - Alike (Opiate Remix)
Birthmark - Big Man
Kit - Brass Palms
Shugo Tokumaru - Video Killed The Radio Star
Asobi Seksu - Vicious Bears
Caithlin De Marrais - Sorry
Alright - Moving
Owen - Guest List
Pele - Pequod
Take Care - Living Forever
Toe - Ordinary Day
Xiu Xiu - Hyunhye's Theme (Acoustic)
David Bazan - American Flags
XBXRX - Want
Midstress - Too Many Shoes, Not Enough Feet
Starfucker - The Wisdom Of Insecurity
Of Montreal - Sex Karma (St Vincent Remix)
Casiokids - London Zoo
Lizard Police - Same Socks
Joan Of Arc - Steady (Demo)
Common Loon - A Moment In Energy Transfers

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EMIKA ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM
In news that just made me shout "at bloody last" at my computer, Berlin-based techno and dubstep-influenced producer Emika has announced that she will release her eponymous debut album through Ninja Tune on 3 Oct. At bloody last.

She says that the album is particularly inspired by techno culture, as "it's a movement with sound and dancing at its very core. It's not about idols or stars, it's about sound and people coming together to dance and feel free". But, she adds, the music "all comes from my imagination. My imagination is key. It's a solo project, and the listener can feel this unity".

The next single from the album will be the double A-side 'Pretend/Professional Loving', which will be released on 5 Sep. You can download the Kyle Halls remix of 'Pretend' from Emika's website now, in exchange for your email address: www.emika.co.uk

Tracklist:

Three Hours
Common Exchange
Professional Loving
Be My Guest
Count Backwards
Double Edge
Pretend
The Long Goodbye
FM Attention
Drop The Other
Come And Catch Me
Credit Theme

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TOMMY MOTTOLA BIO DOC IN THE MAKING
Casablanca Records boss, former Sony Music chief and one time Mr Mariah Carey, Tommy Mottola, is set to be the subject of a new VH1-backed documentary, which will follow the music business veteran's career as a talent manager and record industry big cheese.

It is being directed by Richard Stratton, who is also working with Mottola on a tell all book to be called 'The Last Starmaker', so presumably it will be favourable to the former Sony Music boss.

Among the music types set to contribute to the programme, according to the New York Post, are Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Randy Jackson and Arista Records founder and current Sony Music Chief Creative Officer Clive Davis.

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50 CENT TO PUBLISH COMIC
50 Cent is planning to publish a graphic novel adaptation of his book, 'The 50th Law'. A self-help book, written with Robert Greene, it explains how to become successful by looking at the lives of Fiddy and other famous figures, including civil rights activists Malcolm X and James Baldwin.

Due to be published by SmarterComics later this year, the company's CEO Franco Arda said in a statement: "This powerful book is both entertaining and educational, a perfect fit the growing young adult book market, graphic novels in general and last but not least e-book reading".

On why he felt such a book would be suitable for conversion to comic form, he said: "In under an hour, these books will help you become more successful in both your professional and personal lives. We aim to entertain and empower at the same time. Processing pictures is natural to humans; we started learning through pictures at a young age. We tend to absorb visual information better than text. Why not embrace that for business purposes?"

Maybe we should start publishing the CMU Daily as a comic strip.

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MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE SHOW ANNOUNCED, THOUGH FAMILY SPLIT
Another attempt to stage a fund-raising Michael Jackson tribute concert was launched yesterday, with the late king of pop's mother Katherine, accompanied by children Jackie, Tito, Marlon and La Toya, telling reporters at a press conference in Beverly Hills that Cardiff's Millennium Stadium had been selected for the 'Michael Forever' tribute show. Mrs Jackson said the benefit concert, due to take place on 8 Oct, will be a "world-class event", though no performers have as yet been confirmed.

However, the show is not supported by the entire Jackson clan. Jermaine Jackson, who himself has tried to organise a tribute concert for his late brother in the past, joined with Randy Jackson to issue a statement saying they felt it was inappropriate to have the tribute event while Conrad Murray's manslaughter trial in relation to Michael Jackson's death, due to start in September, could still be in full swing.

Jermaine and Randy said: "While we wholeheartedly support the spirit of a tribute that honours our brother, we find it impossible to support an event that is due to take place during the criminal trial surrounding Michael's death. There will come a time and place for an amazing and deserving tribute to Michael. But we feel that the most important tribute we can give to our brother at this time is to seek justice in his name".

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BOB DYLAN ANNOUNCES UK TOUR DATES
Bob Dylan is going to tour some UK arena's later this year. That's nice of him, isn't it?

Here are the dates:

8 Oct: Glasgow, Braehead Arena
9 Oct: Glasgow, Braehead Arena
10 Oct: Manchester Evening News Arena
11 Oct: Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
13 Oct: Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
14 Oct: Bournemouth, International Centre

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS ANNOUNCE UK SHOWS
Red Hot Chili Peppers are insisting on releasing a new album, and it looks like there's nothing we can do to stop them now. Oh well, it'll be called 'I'm With You' and will be released on 29 Aug. It would be unfair of me to write it off completely before I've heard it, but the first single, 'The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie', did make me recoil when I heard it.

The band will also be touring the UK in November, and the good news is that they'll be supported by Fool's Gold, who are very good. Tickets go on sale on Friday.

Tour dates:

4 Nov: Dublin, O2 Arena
7 Nov: London, O2 Arena
9 Nov: London, O2 Arena
10 Nov: London, O2 Arena
12 Nov: Glasgow, SECC Hall 4
14 Nov: Manchester Evening News Arena
15 Nov: Manchester Evening News Arena
17 Nov: Sheffield, Motorpoint Arena
19 Nov: Birmingham, LG Arena
20 Nov: Birmingham, LG Arena

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OSLO'S ØYA FESTIVAL TO CONTINUE AS PLANNED
Øya Festival, which is due to take place in Oslo's centrally located Medieval Park, will continued as planned, following the shocking events that took place in Norway last week.

Festival director Claes Olsen told CMU: "The last few days have been heavy and unreal. Our thoughts go out to everyone who has lost someone or in some other way has been affected by the tragedy in the centre of Oslo and at Utøya. We send our condolences and compassion to the people who are struggling right now. These are times for mourning and reflection, and we know that many will now have to use all their time and energy on working through what has happened".

He continued: "In the midst of all this, we find it important that our city and its citizens shall not be broken by what happened this weekend. Organisers of concerts and events in Oslo have jointly agreed that this shall not stop us. The police, the government and the general audience have expressed a strong wish that Oslo resumes some kind of normality as soon as possible. Together with the population of Oslo and visitors from abroad we wish to take our city back".

Finally, he said: "We hope that our events can help ease the sadness and also be good meeting places in the days and weeks to come. We wish to take Oslo back by once again filling it with the great variety of cultural activities this city is known for and also by spreading a clear message that our population wants to take care of each other".

The festival will take place from 9-13 Aug, and will feature performances from artists including Kanye West, Pulp, Fleet Foxes, Aphex Twin, Warpaint. More information at oyafestivalen.com/pages/eng/.

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE

THE BIG CHILL, Castle Deer Park, Herefordshire, 4-7 Aug: Mingling 70s psychedelia with live performances, DJ sets and a series of informative talks, this year's all-new White Rabbit Lounge stage will present the likes of Connan Mockasin, Mixmaster Morris, Last Man Standing, and White Bicycles, the joint project between Robyn Hitchcock and Joe Boyd. Elsewhere at Big Chill, bill-toppers are The Chemical Brothers, Kanye West and Rodrigo Y Gabriela, while the rest of the remaining roster features Wild Beasts, 2manydjs, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Aloe Blacc, Warpaint, Empire Of The Sun, and that pesky Jessie J. www.bigchill.net/festival

SPLIT FESTIVAL, Ashbrooke Sports Club, Sunderland, 17-18 Sep: This buzzworthy north eastern bash is primed to host brand new bill residents Mystery Jets, The Rifles, The King Blues, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Ganglians, Little Comets and Beth Jeans Houghton. As put together by The Futureheads' Ross Millard, the existing programme of events boasts performances from The Drums, Dutch Uncles, BEAK>, The Charlatans, Frankie And The Heartstrings and Hyde & Beast. www.splitfestival.com

VINTAGE FESTIVAL, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London, 29-31 Jul: Vintage organisers have confirmed that Adam Ant will head up proceedings at this family-friendly music and fashion fusion fest. Also invoking nostalgic feelings and vintage vibes will be time-honoured artistes including Robin Gibb, Sandie Shaw, Percy Sledge, Thomas Dolby, Booker T and David McAlmont. www.vintagebyhemingway.co.uk

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ALBUM REVIEW: Various Artists - Fabriclive 58: Goldie (Fabric)
In the drum n bass world there is probably no bigger figurehead than Goldie. From his junglist origins nearly two decades ago, this larger than life character has continued to innovate and impress (and occasionally dance), while still keeping his hand on the tiller at his Metalheadz label. Here he presents a Frabriclive mix, a whistle stop tour featuring 27 cuts, at least half of which come from his own label. On first listen it doesn't feel especially earth shattering, though on repeated listen it is more complex than I first thought.

In terms of the tracks chosen, they are variable. The melodic textures of Marcus Intalex featuring SPY early on in the mix work well, but then we stumble onto average fodder with Enei's 'One Chance VIP'. And while we get the 1996 classic 'Metropolis' from Adam F, and Youngman's 'Hold It', a truly anthemic track, not everything reaches those peaks. That said, there is plenty of variety here, and while the highlights may come from nostalgia, the mix isn't entirely rooted in the past, the Mikals track 'Higher Forces' bringing some more recent dubstep into the proceedings. And, to be fair, it's that variety that means this record improves on repeat listening.

So, not an instant classic, but a possible grower from Goldie. PV

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BMG SUBMITS EMI BID, SAYS POST
BMG Rights Management has already submitted its bid for EMI, according to the New York Post, which also adds that Warner Music is expected to make its bid this week.

As previously reported, according to Bloomberg current EMI owners Citigroup distributed information about the company's finances to serious bidders for the music major earlier this month, asking for offers by the start of August.

Both BMG and Warner, the latter now backed by Access Industries, have long been expected to bid. It's thought Sony, Universal, and equity outfits the Gores Group and MacAndrews & Forbes, will also make offers for some or all of the London-based music firm.

As previously reported, the overall boss of BMG co-owners Bertelsmann, Hartmut Ostrowski, recently told the Financial Times he expected his music division to bid for EMI, but said he anticipated that there would be quite a bit of competition, as there was for Warner Music earlier this year, and added that his company wouldn't bid more than EMI is really worth just to win the race.

Inside EMI, everyone is waiting to see whether the company will be sold as a going concern, free to continue to proceed with CEO Roger Faxon's strategy of more closely integrating the major's recordings and publishing businesses, or whether they will be split up for sale, or merged with an existing music major. The latter option, of course, is likely to result in regulatory hurdles needing to be crossed.

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PHILIP GREEN HAS NO STAKE IN SYCO
Arcadia Group chief Philip Green has no stake in Syco Entertainment, The Guardian has revealed, having seen a Companies House filing for the Simon Cowell led music and entertainment firm.

As previously reported, in 2009 Green and Cowell announced they were forming a joint venture business that would have both retail and entertainment interests. The comments led to speculation as to what that meant for Cowell's existing partnership with Sony Music, which owned his Syco company.

Then in early 2010 Sony announced a new deal with Cowell, which would keep the A&R man and talent show star within their empire. Syco was spun off as its own company, in which the music major and Cowell would each have a 50% stake. It was quite a coup for Cowell, as it gave him co-ownership of the various TV franchises his Syco business had created.

But it wasn't clear what that meant for the Green/Cowell partnership, although reports suggested Green had helped negotiate the new deal with Sony. Some wondered whether Cowell's half of Syco would actually be held by the mooted JV between him and Green.

But no, it seems. The Guardian says Cowell owns the vast majority of his stake in Syco, 49.95% of the company to be precise, personally. Another 0.05% is owned by Zelltore Ltd, a company wholly owned by Cowell. As Sony owns the other 50% of Syco, Green therefore isn't involved at all.

The Guardian has previously reported that the Green/Cowell partnership cooled somewhat once new negotiations with Sony began in late 2009. Cowell was keen to stay in business with the music major, partly because of personal friendships, and partly because they controlled most of the intellectual property he had helped build over the previous few years. But, The Guardian says, Green didn't get on with Sony execs, forcing Cowell to rethink his business relationship with the retail man.

So, it seems, the great Cowell/Green partnership was just a short-lived ambition that never came to much, with both men returning to their individual successful business empires. Though The Guardian adds that a source close to Green told the newspaper that he still had a confidential "informal business agreement" with Cowell. So, who knows?

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TRACKITDOWN LAUNCH NEW COST CUTTING SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE
Dance-orientated download store Trackitdown.net launched a new subscription offer last week, called TID Pro, which enables dance fans to buy tracks available via the platform at what the company says is cost price. The subscription will cost ten pounds a month, and will reduce the cost of downloads to 99p for WAVs (from £1.75) and 79p for high quality MP3s (from £1.49).

Says Trackitdown.net founder Ed Real: "Customers know the frustration of deleting tracks at the checkout because they've simply gone over budget. TID Pro means their money now goes much further. It's great for artists as they sell more and our unique model means labels don't take a knock either. All labels will receive the same return as the full priced tracks so they can continue to reinvest in new artists and new music. We feel this is a groundbreaking development for the music industry which has traditionally associated discounting and subscription with loss in revenue".

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ROBERT PLANT PERFORMS IN VILLAGE HALL
This is nice. Robert Plant performed in a community hall in Monmouth earlier this month. The surprise gig was part of a tribute show for Pat Moran, the engineer on Plant's first solo album, who died from a rare form of dementia, known as Pick's Disease, earlier this year.

One attendee told the BBC: "It was amazing - he's a rock god and he was playing in a village hall. It was a real honour to be there and he chatted with the audience afterwards".

Moran's brother Brian, who organised the show said: "It was very kind of Mr Plant to join in; Pat would have been very proud. Mr Plant was even kind enough to sign a T-shirt which will be auctioned on eBay this week".

The event itself raised £1500 for the Pick's Disease Support Group.

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