PROMOTING MUSIC - MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA & 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 21 Sep

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 5 Oct

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

VIVENDI BUY SEETICKETS
It's thought Universal Music owners Vivendi have bought UK-based See Tickets from its current owners Parcom Capita in a deal worth a reported £80 million.

As previously reported, many expected European ticketing major CTS Eventim to buy See Tickets, giving them the slice of the UK sector they have long wished to gain. However, according to various reports, its French conglom Vivendi which has successfully bid for the music and theatre ticketing firm, which originally span out of the ticketing division of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful business.

It is not Vivendi's first play in the ticketing sector, they bought a 65% stake in French ticketing firm Digitick last year.

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[PIAS] CHIEF DENIES SONY DADC CENTRE TARGETED BY ORGANISED CRIMINALS
The MD of [PIAS] UK has dismissed those reports in the Telegraph last week that claimed the fire at the Sony DADC distribution centre in North London, started during last month's riots, was actually the result of a deliberate attack by a criminal gang, who used civil unrest in the capital to cover their tracks. [PIAS], of course, were one of the music companies who used the centre, and they and their indie label clients were among those who lost large amounts of stock in the blaze.

As previously reported, the Telegraph last week claimed that it was an organised criminal gang who initially broke through the Sony DADC centre's security fence as riots took place around the site. The broadsheet's sources claimed it took two hours and specialist wire cutting equipment to break through the fence, and that the motivation for those involved in the break in was the valuable consumer electronic goods stored at the site. As the original gang drove vans onto the premises to steal said consumer electronics, they encouraged other less organised rioters to flood the site to confuse and overwhelm security staff. Somewhere in amongst all that the fire was started.

However, [PIAS] UK chief Peter Thompson says that those claims are ridiculous, that they haven't come from any official investigation, and anyway the North London warehouse didn't store any of the consumer electronic products the report says the thieves were after. Speaking to NME, Thompson said last week: "The whole thing is a complete fabrication. The Sony warehouse doesn't have any of the hardware the report mentions. No PlayStations, no televisions, nothing like that. The report was so inaccurate it was unbelievable... I've no idea who planted the story or where the Telegraph got it, but there's not an ounce of truth to it. The investigation is still carrying on, but this came totally out of nowhere. I think that's why Sony and the police haven't commented, because it's so inaccurate".

Police investigations into the fire, that gutted the Sony DADC facility, are ongoing.

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REPORT SAYS RAID THAT LED TO SMILEY CULTURE'S DEATH "UNSATISFACTORY"
The police raid at the home of Smiley Culture, which resulted in the death of the former reggae DJ and MC, real name David Emmanuel, was "not satisfactory", but the conduct of officers did not amount to either criminal acts or professional misconduct, or so says the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

As previously reported, Emmanuel died at his Surrey home during a police raid in March. Police attended the reggae man's house to arrest him on a new drugs charge (he was already facing other drug-related charges) and to search his premises (they seemingly found a small amount of cannabis, but none of the cocaine the suspect was accused of supplying). Three officers conducted the search while a fourth stayed with Emmanuel. But before the search was over Emmanuel had died from a single stab wound. His stabbing, officers have insisted from the start, was self-inflicted.

Initial reports suggested Emmanuel stabbed himself while making a cup of tea. However, a more detailed description of events published in The Guardian suggests the stabbing occurred shortly after the cup of tea was made. Police papers seemingly say that Emmanuel, who had been calm throughout the arrest and raid (a niece who was at the house for a time during the search described him as "calm but bewildered"), suddenly became very angry right at the end of their operation as one officer filled out some paperwork.

It's claimed that it was while the officer was distracted filling out a form that Emmanuel grabbed a knife, shouted something like "do you fucking want some of this", and then stabbed himself. The officers, the official report continues, called for the emergency service more or less immediately, cuffed Emmanuel to "stop him doing any more harm to himself", and tried to administer first aid.

With all that in mind, Mike Franklin, the IPCC Commissioner, has written to Emmanuel's nephew saying: "On this occasion the investigation has identified aspects of the operation which were not satisfactory, and criticism has been made of some of the officers' actions. However, these do not meet the threshold for misconduct under the police misconduct system. [And the investigation has] not found any evidence which would suggest any criminal acts were committed by any of the officers in the house". The Metropolitan Police could still discipline the officers through their own procedures in relation to the raid, although the IPCC report alone is unlikely to result in any dismissals or criminal action.

Emmanuel's family and friends are unlikely to be satisfied by the IPCC report, which some are already dubbing a "whitewash". Some family members have also told The Guardian how hard they had to work in the weeks following their uncle's passing to ensure there wasn't any violent unrest in the local community, where anger over the circumstances of Emmanuel's death was high. This included holding the late reggae star's funeral in private. Some fear the IPCC's ruling will further antagonise the local community. Calls for a full public inquiry into Emmanuel's death are certainly likely to increase in volume in the coming weeks.

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SONY DIVISION SUED BY ELVIS COMPANY
In a slightly confusing lawsuit, Elvis Presley Enterprises is suing Sony Music subsidiary Arista Music in Germany in a bid to secure $9 million in royalties generated by ringtones, downloads and apps linked to Presley's 1000+ recordings.

The lawsuit relates to a 1973 agreement between what was then RCA and Presley's legendary manager Colonel Tom Parker. RCA bought out the worldwide rights to Presley's back catalogue for $5.4 million, with half the fee going to Presley and half to Parker. Presley - and now the Presley estate - receives only a nominal royalty under the agreement - in Germany it equates to about $10 per track per year.

The decisions to pursue this action in Germany, and in relation to digital revenues, are both key. Elvis Presley Enterprise's lawyers reckon they can overrule aspects of the 1973 contract using the concept of "equitable remuneration" that exists in German copyright law. Honing in on new digital revenues also arguably strengthens the case, they being something not directly covered by the 1973 contract.

The lawsuit is looking for a $9 million share of Elvis's digital revenues since 2002, and a share of future revenue until 2023, when under the current European system the final copyrights covered by the 1973 agreement will expire. Sony Music, who, through a series of acquisitions, are now owners of the Elvis catalogue, are yet to respond.

Elvis Presley Enterprises is, of course, majority owned by US entertainment industry firm CKX, who were themselves acquired by New York based private equity outfit Apollo Global Management earlier this summer.

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TI BACK BEHIND BARS
TI is back behind bars, it seems, after a dispute over how the rapper travelled from prison to a "half way house" last week.

As previously reported, TI left prison a month early last week after being jailed last year for breaking probation terms. He was due to spend the final month of his sentence in a residential transition facility, a move which allowed him to be filmed for a new reality TV show and to enter into a book deal.

However, this weekend it was confirmed that TI was back in prison, albeit in his home city of Atlanta, rather than Arkansas, where he was previously incarcerated. A prison spokesman confirmed TI was back in jail but said he didn't know why. But according to TI's legal rep, it was because prison officials took exception to the way the rapper travelled from Arkansas to Atlanta, ie by luxury bus.

Reuters quote attorney Steve Sadow as saying: "We are awaiting the opportunity to quickly resolve whatever the issue may be that the Federal Bureau Of Prisons has with TI's method of transportation - bus - from Arkansas to Atlanta, so that TI can return to the halfway house to complete the remaining days of his sentence"

If TI now has to serve all of his sentence in prison it means he'll be there until the end of the month. It's not clear whether that would impact on his VH1 reality show, which is due to start airing in December.

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PRINCE MAY HAVE TO PAY PERFUME MAKERS FOUR MILLION
Prince may have to pay $4 million to a perfume company who released a '3121' fragrance to coincide with the release of his album of the same name in 2006.

Prince was sued for nearly $4 million in 2008 by Revelations Perfume And Cosmetics Inc who claimed the singer failed to fulfil promotional commitments to help them flog their smelly stuff. And now a New York judge considering the case has ruled in the cosmetic firm's favour, though a second judge will have to confirm the ruling before it stands.

A legal rep for Prince has told the New York Law Journal the singer plans to fight any attempts to make him compensate the '3121' perfume makers.

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'DON'T STOP ME NOW' CONTAINS QUEEN FANS' FAVOURITE LYRIC
Queen fans have voted the chorus of 'Don't Stop Me Now' as the band's best ever lyric. The survey, conducted by HMV ahead of this year's 'Freddie For A Day' fund-raiser, found 20% of the band's fans liked the lyric "Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time, I'm having a ball" best. The second favourite lyric came from 'The Show Must Go On' and is "My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies, fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die, I can fly my friends".

Commenting on the poll, HMV's Gennaro Castaldo told reporters: "Whilst you'd imagine there might be more obvious choices, we shouldn't be too surprised that a lyric from 'Don't Stop Me Now' is a clear favourite among fans - it's such a feel-good, life-affirming song".

Freddie For A Day is run by the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the AIDS charity set up in Freddie's name in 1992, and Queen fans are encouraged to dress up as the iconic frontman on 5 Sep, Mercury's birthday, and to get sponsored for their efforts. This year's Freddie For A Day is particularly special given today would have been the singer's 65th birthday, plus, of course, it's the fortieth anniversary of Queen's original formation in 1971.

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MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE SACK DRUMMER
My Chemical Romance have fired their drummer, Michael Pedicone, after he was caught stealing from the band last week. It's not clear what he stole, though no one seems to be denying that something was stolen somewhere along the line. Pedicone only joined the band late last year after previous drummer Bob Bryar quit.

The band's guitarist Frank Iero said in a statement this weekend: "The relationship between My Chemical Romance and Michael Pedicone is over. He was caught red-handed stealing from the band and confessed to police after our show last night in Auburn, Washington. We are heartbroken and sick to our stomachs over this entire situation. The band has no intention of pressing charges or taking this matter any further than we have to. We just want him out of our lives".

Pedicone himself took to Twitter to respond, saying: "What happened is more complicated than it sounds but I did make a mistake. It was never my intention to hurt this band or all of you. It was an error in judgement based on a whole other situation that's way deeper but this does not define me".

According to Altpress Jarrod Alexander of Dead Country filled in on drums for the band this weekend, though it's not known if he is a permanent replacement.

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MOBB DEEP LAUNCH LABEL, SIGN DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH SONY
Hip hop duo Mobb Deep have set up their own label and signed a deal with Sony Music's RED Distribution division. Infamous Records and RED will now coordinate the release of any future Mobb Deep projects, and any other artistic ventures Infamous gets involved in.

One half of the duo, Prodigy, told reporters: "After almost twenty years in this industry, it was inevitable for us to take matters into our own hands. We feel that RED is the perfect home for our brand. We know who our fans are and what they want from Mobb Deep. We're excited to take a new step in our career".

Meanwhile RED chief Bob Morelli said: "Mobb Deep is an iconic act, having been on the cutting edge of music and social commentary for years. We are happy and excited to distribute the next chapter in their musical career".

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LETO MAKING FILM ABOUT HIS EMI FALL OUT
Jared Leto's plans to make a movie about his band's fall out with EMI are reportedly back on. 30 Seconds To Mars were sued by EMI in 2008 over a dispute regards their contract with Virgin Music in the US. The legal squabble was settled in 2009.

That the whole thing may be documented on film comes from Bob Lefsetz, who has been filmed by Jared discussing EMI's recent history, including its 2007 acquisition by Terra Firma. Writes Lefsetz in the Lefsetz Letter: "He is making a movie about 30 Seconds To Mars and its fight with EMI in the wake of the Terra Firma takeover. They were bugging me eons ago [about this], but then faded away. I saw the album came out [and] I figured the film was shelved. But then Jared himself tracked me down, said it was still on and would I come on camera and testify".

The full post is at lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2011/08/31/jared-leto/

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UK FESTIVAL CONFERENCE TO RETURN
Organisers of the UK Festival Awards have again announced that they will stage a conference for the music festival sector alongside their big awards show in November. The awards take place at the Roundhouse this year, while the UK Festival Conference will take place at the HMV Forum.

Topics up for discussion will include preparing for bad weather, the potential of social media, and how to stand out in a saturated market place. Meanwhile Festival Republic chief Melvin Benn will take part in a Q&A, and the results of the UK Festival Market Report will be presented.

Says UK Festival Awards chief James Drury: "Since it was launched four years ago, the UK Festival Conference has become a focal point for discussion of key issues and an opportunity to review the season just passed. The pace of change in the industry makes it one of the most exciting in the world, and the determination to keep improving is inspirational. I'm looking forward to insightful discussions on the back of a year of new challenges".

Info and tickets from: www.festivalconference.com

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CAREERS SITE LAUNCHES MUSIC INDUSTRY GUIDE
Careers charity icould has teamed up with BlackBerry to launch an online guide to working in the music business. The website includes interviews with and advice from EMI's Miles Leonard and Janet Choudry, and NME's Krissi Murison, among others, plus opportunities to win work experience in the music space, including on music video and photo shoots.

icould Director David Arnold told CMU: "'Music Insiders' aims to give young people the confidence to follow their passion in music, by considering careers beyond the spotlight that are often more accessible, better paid, longer lasting and just as rewarding as the careers of the artists themselves".

Meanwhile Stephen Bates, UK MD of BlackBerry owners Research In Motion, added: "We're proud to support icould and its commitment to young people through inspiration, encouragement and discovery. The UK has one of the most dynamic and exciting economies in the world and this project highlights just some of the career opportunities available in music and entertainment. The videos provide insight and advice, and are a great resource for young people considering a career in the industry".

More at icould.com/musicinsiders

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ROCK RADIO BECOMES REAL XS
The Guardian Media Group's Rock Radio station in Manchester rebranded as Real XS this weekend, bringing it inline with the firm's other Real Radio brand.

Although it will continue to have a more rock than pop based playlist, the radio company hope that the rejig will make the station more attractive to advertisers. Real XS will also have a wider reach than Rock Radio - as well as broadcasting on FM in Manchester, the station is already available in Yorkshire, the North East and South Wales via DAB, and will now also broadcast digitally in London, the West Midlands and the wider North West.

The Glasgow version of Rock Radio will continue, for the time being at least. As previously reported, GMG is considering selling the Scottish version of the station to a consortium led by one of their former execs, Billy Anderson.

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ROLLING STONE COMES TO COMMUNITY STATION'S RESCUE
A community radio station on the Isle Of Wight will be able to replace damaged transmission equipment after a donation from Rolling Stone Keith Richards.

Angel Radio's kit was damaged when it was struck by lightning earlier this summer. The community station began fund-raising to replace the equipment in July, and listeners contributed £1300. But then the cheque from Keith arrived.

It's not clear how Richards heard about the damaged kit, though Angel Radio operate another community station in West Sussex where the guitarist lives, so it's possible he heard about the fundraising efforts on there.

Angel Radio's Bev Webster told reporters: "We couldn't believe it when we received his cheque in the post. We thought it was a joke at first, it was so generous and unexpected. I have written a letter of thanks and asking how he heard about us; and he is more than welcome to come and visit us in the studio".

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BILLIE JOE EJECTED FROM FLIGHT OVER TROUSER DISPUTE
Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong was removed from a Southwest Airlines flight in California last week for refusing to pull his trousers up higher. Armstrong tweeted about the incident last Thursday, telling fans "Just got kicked off a Southwest flight because my pants sagged too low!"

A TV exec on the same flight later blogged about the incident, reporting that the rocker was asked to leave after a flight attendant suggested he "hike up his pants" and he responded "don't you have better things to do than worry about that?" Unfortunately for Billie it seems there were no greater worries.

That said, the flight attendant's bosses thought otherwise, later apologising for the incident. According to Reuters a spokesman for the airline told reporters: "As soon as we became aware of what had happened, we reached out to apologise for this customer's experience. He elected to take the next flight". Perhaps he'd bought a belt in duty free.

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