ERA CHIEF CALLS FOR FASTER DEA IMPLEMENTATION, HUNT ALSO TALKS PIRACY
The Chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association yesterday called on government to speed up the implementation of the often controversial copyright provisions in the Digital Economy Act, arguing that ongoing delays in launching the sort-of-three-strikes system contained with that bit of legislation were costing the British music and DVD industries millions.

Paul Quirk added that since the DEA was passed into law in June 2010 the annual value of UK music and video sales has declined by £250 million, and that he believes a significant portion of that loss was down to the ongoing growth of online piracy.

Referring to the implementation of the DEA's 'graduated response' process, Quirk told his organisation's AGM yesterday: "The best information we have is that the first letters to suspected file-sharers will not be sent out until the second half of 2012 and disconnections of persistent pirates will not happen before 2013. This is unacceptable. We need action on internet piracy - and we need it now. Not all of the sales decline is down to piracy, but a substantial part of it certainly is and every further day of delay will only make those losses greater".

Media regulator OfCom, who are set to manage the anti-piracy elements of the DEA, are still finalising the exact process for sending out warning letters to suspected infringers, while also working out what the 'technical measures' employed against those who ignore them will be (under the DEA, that won't go as far as full on disconnection, as under the French system). Having suffered various set backs, it seems certain nothing will happen until 2012 now. Plus, of course, it remains to be seen whether three-strikes really has any impact on either piracy, or music and video sales, even once it's fully in force.

The government hasn't responded to Quirk's calls as yet, though, as expected, Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt was talking about piracy yesterday. He told the Royal Television Society that Google et al should bloody well stop linking to websites that exist just to infringe copyright. I think Google will tell you it already is doing that, which is a result for Hunt if you think about it: so powerful is he, the world's biggest search engine immediately listened to his speech, and had responded within minus nine months.

Hunt also called on advertisers to not buy ads with infringing sites, and credit card companies to refuse to take money on their behalf. I think the advertising industry and credit card firms are pretty much doing that already, too. So another speedy result for the Hunt man. Perhaps he should call for OfCom to get cracking with three-strikes, then it might turn out the letters started going out last year.

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AMY WINEHOUSE FOUNDATION LAUNCHES
The family and friends of the late Amy Winehouse officially launched a foundation in her name yesterday, on what would have been her 28th birthday.

The Amy Winehouse Foundation will have a pretty wide remit, "to support charities and organisations undertaking charitable activities in both the United Kingdom and abroad who help, support, or care for young people - especially but not exclusively those who are in need by reason of ill health, disability, financial disadvantage or addiction".

Commenting on the new organisation, the singer's father Mitch Winehouse told reporters: "I was in New York when I received the terrible news about Amy. It was almost instantaneous, this feeling that we need to help people she cared about. Amy was very generous and we kept coming back to the thought of how much she loved children. It seemed appropriate that the focus of our work should be with young people, those who are vulnerable either through ill health or circumstance. Amy touched millions throughout the world and I know she will continue to, through the Foundation".

Her mother Janis added: "We want to give money to projects that make a direct difference. It is a source of great comfort to know that Amy would be proud of this and right behind it".

Profits from the release of her duet with Tony Bennett, 'Body & Soul', which will appear on his album 'Duets II', will be donated to the Foundation, while donations can also be made direct via the organisation's website at www.amywinehousefoundation.co.uk.

Watch the video for the single here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OFMkCeP6ok

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POLICE CAPTURE CRIMINALS WITH RECORD SHOP
Most high street record stores are in a bit of bother these days, but the police, of all people, have been trying out a new business model to help keep them alive. To be honest, I'm struggling to see where the serious revenue is made, but the Enfield Advertiser has revealed that record shop Boombox in Edmonton, north London was actually a Metropolitan Police operation to ensnare criminals.

Codenamed Operation Peyzac, police opened the record store following a series of murders in Edmonton in 2008. They then used a back room in the shop to purchase guns and drugs from criminals and, in April of this year, they raided 35 addresses across London, arresting 37 people who had been involved in the illegal transactions. All were convicted in August, with their accumulated sentences adding up to over 400 years - individual jail times reaching up to 21 years.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Harwood told the Enfield Advertiser: "Operation Peyzac is seen as one of the most innovative and successful covert operations run by the Met, and this is down to the bravery and dedication of the undercover officers. My investigation team worked relentlessly to ensure the success of the operation and, due to the strength of evidence gathered and produced by the officers, 34 of the defendants pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. 21 firearms were recovered and it was clear that those selling the firearms had no regard as to who they were selling to or for what reason".

The entire operation cost £500,000, which does suggest it may not be a viable business model for other struggling record stores. Unless they sell on the guns and drugs at a profit I suppose. But that would be illegal, and we do not condone such things. So don't do it. And while we're on the subject, we probably shouldn't be making light of this whole thing. I blame you for encouraging us.

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TEENAGER REPORTS RAPE AT BESTIVAL
A fifteen year old girl has told police she was raped at Bestival last weekend. The teenager has told officers that she was approached by a man she did not know at the festival on Sunday afternoon, who then sexually assaulted her between 7.30pm and 8.30pm near the event's main stage. The man is described as black, in his 20s, about six feet tall with braided hair, he was wearing a white top with a blue collar and sleeves.

A spokesman for Hampshire police told reporters: "We are appealing for witnesses who know this man or who may have seen someone matching this description walking with a teenage girl in or near the Bestival main area on the evening of Sunday. Officers are also appealing to this man directly to make contact so the full circumstances can be established as soon as possible".

They continued: "The fifteen year old girl, who is from the Isle Of Wight, is being looked after by police officers and staff with expertise in dealing with sexual offences. Her family are being kept informed about the investigation, and Bestival promoters are assisting police with inquiries".

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KELIS RACIALLY ABUSED IN LONDON, COMMENTS ON RIOTS
Kelis has claimed that she was racially abused at a London airport after being accused of queue jumping at passport control. The incident happened on Monday as she returned to London following her appearance at Bestival at the weekend.

In a series of tweets, Kelis said: "Apparently [I] pissed this one man off cause he thought I cut the line, which wouldn't be far fetched of me, but this time I actually didn't (not entirely, anyway). Well, the point is from zero to 60 this fat red faced sweaty 'man' (I use the word man loosely here) started calling me a slave and told me to call him sir and how I was probably a disgusting Nigerian. He called me 'Kunta Kinte' [the name of the main character in Alex Haley's novel 'Roots: The Saga Of An American Family' who is kidnapped from Gambia and forced into slavery in America] and ranted and raved some more".

She continued: "The man behind the passport desk laughed, shook his head, in agreement I guess, and said 'Kunta Kinte'. All the while the entire line full of people I just sat on a plane with for almost three hours - over 50 people - said nothing. I mean literally nothing. Didn't flinch".

This latter point, she said, is indicative of the UK, and why, she thinks, the recent riots in London erupted. She said: "I didn't say anything at the time of the riots in London for a lot of reasons. But I am in London all the time and today I'm gonna say that the racial issues in the UK are disgusting. It's racially decades behind progression because everything is swept under the rug. People don't talk about it. People don't fight about it. Not mentioning a problem doesn't make it go away".

She added: "I bring it up now because, as an American, it is abundantly clear that my country has a smorgasbord of disgusting racial problems. We are the poster child for racial inequality even still with a black president, but [at the same] it's NO SECRET! And that I can fight against. I can try to prepare and teach my son. Because it's out there. But you can't fight for or against something no one is willing to talk about or even admit exists. Everyone wants to be politically correct. But who really cares? And what does that help? I could go on and on. I won't. But maybe someone will start to talk about it from here".

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THIS JUST-IN: BIEBER RECORDS WITH BOYZ II MEN
Justin Bieber has revealed that he recently recorded a track with Boyz II Men for his forthcoming Christmas album. At least I think he did, it's possible it was all a dream.

Bieber tweeted on Tuesday: "Today I woke up and realised that the group that made me want to sing - Boyz II Men - are now on the Christmas album singing with me. Dream big. I used to listen to their music and practise the runs. That is how I learned how to sing. Now I'm in the studio with them [and we're] making music together".

In other Bieber news, the popstar yesterday launched a new charity campaign with the company behind his Someday perfume, Give Back Brands, called 'Hearts Across The Web' to raise money for school-building charity Pencils Of Promise. More on that here: justinbiebersomeday.com

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MACCABEES FINISHING WORK ON THIRD ALBUM
The Maccabees have nearly completed work on their third album, which is apparently going well. Although, they're struggling to think up names for some of the songs.

The band's Hugo White told NME: "Some of [the songs] don't have names, we're finding the names really difficult. You should never leave the names to last [minute], you should do that early otherwise you get stuck!"

He added: "We're trying to finish mixing the record at the moment, it's at the final stage. So, it's all go".

Sounds like they need to think up some song names pretty quickly, then. Here are some suggestions:

I Swallowed A Hat
Boys Will Be Buoys
The Third Time Ian Broke His Leg
This Isn't The Last You'll Hear Of Magnus Magnusson
If Only There Were More Police Cars Here, We Could Have A Disco

Oh, and do remember that Maccabees drummer Felix White once put together a playlist for us?

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FLORENCE NAMES NEW MACHINE LP
Florence Welch and band, aka Florence And The Machine, have announced they are to release their second album via Island Records on 31 Oct. Christened 'Ceremonials', it will be available both in regular old twelve track form and as a deluxe 20 track edition featuring demos, acoustic versions, and other such extraneous things.

Official lead single 'Shake It Out', a well-produced portion of tempered shoutiness in the same style as its predecessor 'What The Water Gave Me', is available to stream here: soundcloud.com/listenbeforeyoubuy/florence-the-machine-shake-it

Here's what the non-deluxe 'Ceremonials' tracklist will look like:

Only If For A Night
Shake It Out
What The Water Gave Me
Never Let Me Go
Breaking Down
Lover To Lover
No Light, No Light
Seven Devils
Heartlines
Spectrum
All This And Heaven Too
Leave My Body

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BJÖRK ON BIOPHILIA DELAY
Björk has taken to Facebook to justify setting back the release of her app-driven new album, 'Biophilia', by two weeks. Originally due out via One Little Indian on 26 Sep, the revised release will now take place on 10 Oct.

Says Björk of 'Biophilia' in its initial form: "I felt sonically it fitted that underworld of apps and virtual reality like a glove, kinda acoustic and clean with a slick dark sub, but somehow the CD needed more blood and muscles, oxygen and stuff".

She goes on: "I felt the album had different kinda growth potential than the app box and it is important to follow those hunches even though they are slippery and you don't know sometimes where they are taking you". Indeed, it's often wise to pursue a slippery hunch.

She adds that the experience of playing a residency at this year's Manchester International Festival sparked further evolution in the music. "I ended up even using a live recording of one of the songs on the album, taking my hunch the whole distance, but in order to do that I had to put the album back a bit. I am really happy I did this, [because it] seems like 'Biophilia' the album [now] has a body".

Hurrah! Better a belated album than a disembodied one. Read Björk's full post here: www.facebook.com/notes/bj%C3%B6rk/biophilia-new-release-date-announcement/270617842956232

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KELE OKEREKE ANNOUNCES NEW EP
Kele Okereke is set to forge on with his solo foray with a new seven track EP titled 'The Hunter', set for release via Wichita on 31 Oct. Featuring collaborations from the likes of Fred Falke, Sub Focus, and singer Lucy Taylor on lead single 'What Did I Do', the album was recorded in New York with producer XXXChange, who also presided over the some-time Bloc Party boss's debut album 'The Boxer'.

Here's a tracklist:

What Did I Do? (feat Lucy Taylor)
Release Me
Devotion
Goodbye Horses
Cable's Goodbye
Love As A Weapon
You Belong To Someone Else

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CHAPEL CLUB TOUR
As they prepare to close the campaign on their debut album 'Palace', it's all aboard the tour bus for London-based indie lot Chapel Club, who are due to head out on a run of dates in early support of their forthcoming second LP. While older songs will still take a prominent place in the main part of the band's nightly live set, they'll be preceded by a special performance made up entirely of new material.

Says Chapel Club frontman Lewis Bowman: "We all have a lot of love for the songs [on 'Palace'] and we love that so many people have taken them to their hearts. But when we wrote them we were still learning how to write songs together. Now we have a bit more experience, we're better able to explore the possibilities. Everything feels freer and fresher and more relaxed and more exciting; hopefully the new songs reflect that". Hurrah!

Tour dates:

10 Oct: Manchester, Sound Control
11 Oct: Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
12 Oct: Sunderland, Independent
13 Oct: York, Duchess
15 Oct: Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
16 Oct: Brighton, Komedia
17 Oct: Oxford, Academy
18 Oct: London, Shepherds Bush Empire

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PLANNINGTOROCK ANNOUNCE LIVE DATES
Planningtorock, the solo project of Berlin-based visual artiste and baroque-pop peddler Janine Rostron, will embark on a flying three-date UK visit next month. Known for pushing genre and gender envelopes, Rostron's shows are sure to be intriguing, especially with CMU approved twosome Creep as a support act.

'Living It Out', the latest single taken from Planningtorock's second album 'W', will be released by DFA on 14 Nov, coming complete with remixes courtesy of When Saints Go Machine, Laurel Halo, and Hot Chip's Felix Martin. Here's the accompanying video: www.vimeo.com/28655121

Tour dates:

8 Oct: Glasgow, Berkley Suite
10 Oct: Brighton, Sticky Mike's Frog Bar
11 Oct: London, Scala

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NEW SEASON OF CMU TRAINING KICKS OFF
A new season of CMU Training courses kicks off next week with a full-day session on promotions, which reviews the music media, how they can be used to promote new and established talent, best practice marketing and PR techniques, and the role of social media in generating interest, engaging fans and driving revenues.

There are three CMU Training courses in total, each of which will run twice in Shoreditch, east London between now and Christmas. CMU Business Editor Chris Cooke, who runs the courses, says: "Our affordable one-day courses provide in depth information and insights into copyright, music promotions, music business models and deals. We cover a lot in each course through a series of lectures, discussions and practical exercises, but there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions, debate issues and network with other participants".

The courses are designed for existing music business practitioners, and cover the basics as well as providing more advanced information and a bang-up-to-date summary of current trends. Cooke continues: "Past participants have included those at the start of their music careers, artists and managers looking to take more control of their output, entrepreneurs launching new music companies, and more experienced industry professionals looking to brush up on the basics and catch up on recent developments. In a rapidly changing industry, success increasingly relies on knowledge of both solid traditional principles and new approaches, and we help you get that".

For more details about the CMU Training courses on music promotions, music rights and business models, or to book, go to www.theCMUwebsite.com/training. Each course costs £95 plus VAT.

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FORMER CHRYSALIS MD JOINS COLUMBIA
Mike Smith, the MD of Sony Music's Columbia Records UK, has announced the appointment of Alison Donald, formerly MD at publisher Chrysalis Music, to the role of Senior Director Of A&R.

Says Smith: "I am delighted at having Alison Donald join Columbia Records as Director Of A&R. I have known Alison since the early 90s when she signed an act I published to Capitol Records. I loved making records with her and always wanted to repeat the experience. Her taste, and A&R skills are second to none and she is one of the most accomplished executives in the business. Her experience in rights management as well as artists relations make her the ideal person to be running an A&R team as we face the current challenges in the music industry in 2011".

Donald herself added: "I am very happy to be joining the Columbia team and am looking forward to working closely with Mike. This label has a rich history and a legacy of incredible artists; I'm excited to now be part of it going forward".

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ABBEY ROAD LAUNCHES ONLINE MIXING AND BOARD GAME
EMI's Abbey Road Studios has announced the launch of an online mixing service, which will enable artists, labels and producers to upload recordings that need mixing to the studios' servers, where - for a fee, obviously - one of the facility's engineers will do the mix. The new service follows the launch of an online mastering platform by Abbey Road last year.

The online mixing website actually went live last month, though the studio spoke about it in more detail yesterday, explaining: "The online mixing service offers a more accessible alternative to working personally at Abbey Road Studios, while still providing the opportunity to tap into their unrivalled range of equipment and skilled engineers. Simply upload your music to the dedicated online mixing website, and they will take care of the rest".

The new service is at www.abbeyroadonlinemixing.com.

Elsewhere in Abbey Road news, the studio has teamed up with Imagination Games, DCD Publishing and sister company EMI Music Publishing to create a music trivia board game to coincide with the legendary studio complex's 80th anniversary celebrations. The Abbey Road Studios Music Trivia Game will be launched - in Tesco only initially - in November. Oh look, just in time for Christmas. Five sets at launch will include a golden ticket that allows the recipient a tour of the studios, Willy Wonka style (though I don't think there's any chance a crazy old guy will give you ownership of the building at the end of the tour; but who knows, by the time of the tour EMI might have a crazy new owner).

Commenting on the game, and the collaboration between the various partners involved, EMI Publishing's Ruth Anderson-Davis told CMU: "This is a classic example of how EMI works together as a team - developing a new music-related product by combining the quality of our publishing roster with the strong brand identity of Abbey Road to create a fantastic experience for music fans. The hidden golden tickets in the first batch of games being sold through Tesco are the closest thing to a modern day Willy Wonka chocolate factory experience. It's where the magic happens and it's great to be able to offer five lucky winners the chance to see the historic Abbey Road Studios for themselves".

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BELIEVE ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS, DEALS
Digital distributor Believe Digital has announced two new appointments, Alex Clapworth, formerly with sync firm Synch Inc, and Craig Evans, previously with PPL. Both will have the title of Label Acquisition & Product Manager, looking after existing label clients and seeking new repertoire.

Both will report to Believe's Head Of Sales & New Business, Lee Morrison, who told CMU: "Alex and Craig are two highly talented individuals who are joining our rapidly expanding team here at Believe. They bring with them hands-on knowledge of the contemporary music industry and a hunger to help drive our business forward. Their energy and creativity will add outstanding value to our already strong UK offering".

The new appointments coincide with a number of new label deals at Believe, which will see the firm distributing releases from Southern Fried Records, Moda Music, Cr2 Records, Komplete Music Group, Hospital Records, Air Records and Tru Thoughts.

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MOG LAUNCHES FREE SERVICE - PREPPING FOR FACEBOOK MUSIC PERHAPS?
US streaming company MOG is about to launch a freemium service, despite its top man David Hyman previously saying that free streaming platforms - like Spotify's free option - are not commercially viable.

That said, according to Billboard, MOG's FreePlay won't be a direct copy of its European rival's free service. While there will be a limit as to how many tracks users will be able to listen to for free, said users will be able to increase their listening allowance by performing various tasks, such as watching a promo video or engaging with a brand in another way.

It's easy to think that MOG's move into freemium is a response to the arrival of Spotify Stateside, though insiders say that the new add-on service is as much about preparing for the opportunities Facebook Music will offer browser-based digital music set ups. As previously reported, the soon to launch Facebook Music won't be a music provider in itself, rather it will offer access to existing music platforms via the Facebook interface.

According to Billboard, Hyman recently remarked regarding his new FreePlay service: "One could imagine that if a Facebook platform were to launch soon after the launch of this, one could envision that this was built very much with that in mind".

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ROBBIE FORGETS TO DRESS FOR 'X-FACTOR' APPEARANCE
So, Robbie Williams will be guesting on the 'wannabes-go-to-the-made-up-home-of-a-judge' section of 'X-Factor' this year, helping sometime bandmate Gary Barlow select and then coach those 'X' hopefuls that fall into the 'boys' category.

And how did he introduce himself when Gary, the TV crew and the wannabe pop stars arrived at the LA house where that bit of the show is being filmed this year? Totally naked, of course. Well, more or less, he was wearing so called 'naked pants' and had a strategically placed fig leaf.

But it's alright, this wasn't a pathetic attempt to get all the attention in any media covering this year's 'X-Factor'. No, it was prank conceived by Mrs Robbie Williams, Ayda Field.

A source told The Sun: "Ayda has a cheeky side and convinced Rob it would be a good laugh. He was immediately game".

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