The five biggest stories in the music business this week...

01: The City Of London Police threatened two piracy sites with criminal action. The police body confirmed it had written to the operators of two UK-based websites requesting they get in touch, adding that "intellectual property crime is a serious offence that is costing the UK economy hundreds of millions of pounds each year". Copyright infringement can become a criminal matter where rights are infringed on an industrial scale for profit, and can result in jail time. It is thought both the music and movie industries are actively supporting the City Of London Police's latest anti-piracy initiative. CMU report | Torrentfreak report

02: Apple signed up Warner for iRadio, its planned Pandora-style streaming music service. The agreement covered both Warner Music's sound recording and publishing catalogues, the first deal Apple has struck for its streaming platform on the publishing side. Universal Music is reportedly also onboard on the recordings side, but Universal Music Publishing and both Sony's record and publishing companies are all reportedly holding out for better rates. Apple still seems keen to go live with its streaming service as soon as possible, with reports that it will launch at next week's World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco. CMU report | WSJ report

03: A US appeals court ordered Terra Firma v Citigroup retrial. This actually happened very late last week, and means that the messy legal battle between equity group Terra Firma and US bank Citigroup over advice the latter gave the former when it bought EMI in 2007 will return to court. Terra Firma claims that it would have never gone ahead with its disastrous (as it turned out) acquisition of EMI at the time and on the terms that it did but for misleading information provided by Citigroup, which bankrolled the deal. At first instance a US court rejected that claim, but an appeals court says that the judge hearing the case misadvised the jury on certain bits of English law, relevant because the EMI deal was done in the UK. So now all the squabbles can occur for a second time. CMU report | Financial News report

04: Scott Weiland countersued the Stone Temple Pilots. The band's former frontman, who claims his bandmates didn't have any right to sack him in February, has sued for damages and to try and stop the remaining Stone Temple Pilots from using that name. It follows a lawsuit by Weiland's bandmates last week, in which they claimed their former frontman was hindering their work by making erroneous claims about the STP trademark. CMU report | BBC report

05: Jacksons v AEG Live rumbled on. While the tabloid press are probably waiting for the celebrity witnesses that are due to appear down the line, the testimonies this week from senior AEG Live executives were fascinating. Legal reps for the Jacksons have focused on contradictions in various statements made by and emails sent between AEG management, while also honing in on the various incidents and occurrences that - they argue - should have made AEG bosses concerned about Michael Jackson's health. The Jacksons say AEG should be held liable for the late king of pop's demise for hiring and mismanaging his personal medic Dr Conrad Murray, who caused the singer's death through negligent treatment. AEG counters that it didn't recruit or manage Murray. The case is due to continue for a few more weeks yet. CMU timeline

This week on CMU we got a playlist from Emily Wells, while CMU's Aly Barchi reported on her visit to Primavera Sound and Andy Malt questioned the "music is more disposable in the digital age" mantra. We announced a load more CMU Insights training courses too, and along the way approved of Laura Welsh, Congo Natty, Hibou and DAVIDS.

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US INDUSTRY SET FOR MODEST GROWTH, BUT LED BY LIVE
The American music industry is set to grow by about 1% a year through to 2017 according to new predictions from PricewaterhouseCoopers, though that is in no small part aided by predicted growth in the live sector, with the music rights side of the industry still likely to see some declines overall.

According to the report published this week, PwC analysts reckon that the US concert business, which experienced a bit of a wobble three years back after a decade of growth, will continue to expand, with a 'compound annual growth rate' of 3%, meaning the sector would be worth in the region of $10 billion a year by 2017.

On the music rights side, PwC is optimistic that digital revenues will continue to grow, despite various signs that the download market may have peaked in the US, and the prospect of the American streaming services (of the Pandora variety) forcing more favourable rates out of the record labels and music publishers. Nevertheless, says the PwC report, the music rights owners could see digital revenues increase 5.1% per year across the board, which would equate to $4.6 billion a year by 2017.

Of course, that is countered by the ongoing decline in CD sales, the format now being in "terminal decline", according to the report. Decline in physical product revenues will continue, at between 11% and 16%, according to PwC. That would mean the physical product market, which includes all physical formats, would be worth just $1.4 billion by 2017.

Which will make for sobering reading for the record labels which still provide much of the investment that goes into new talent and which - despite all the talk of "360 degree deals" for years now - still only see nominal kick backs from the boom in live. Though with newer artist deals, labels are now often earning off other revenue streams too like merchandise and brand partnerships, plus there is always the growth occurring in various emerging markets, which helped global record sales grow, very slightly, for the first time in over a decade last year.

It's been a busy week for music industry stats, some upbeat and some less so. Stats from French record industry trade group SNEP seemed pretty gloomy, with a top line figure that revealed recorded music sales were down 6.7% year-on-year for the first quarter of 2013.

Though, perhaps more worrying at first glance was the revelation that not only were CD sales down 7.3% in the quarter, which you'd likely expect, but digital revenues had also dropped, for the first time since such a revenue began, down 5.2%. Though SNEP said that that was due to some anomalies caused by shifts in certain licensing arrangements in the French market, and that without said shifts digital income would have been stable.

Though stability isn't growth. And while iTunes-style download revenues haven't actually peaked yet in most territories, many commentators now seem to think that future digital growth will primarily come from the rapidly expanding subscription service space. And on that front, there was some optimistic stats in a new report this week commissioned by Norwegian streaming music firm WiMP, which assessed consumer "willingness to pay" for streaming services such as those operated by WiMP, Deezer and Spotify.

The survey, which focused on five Northern European markets, found that on average a third of those surveyed expressed a willingness to pay to access a decent streaming music platform (ranging from 25% in Germany to 48% in Norway), while only a quarter said they'd never consider paying for such a service.

Unsurprisingly, most said that their willingness to pay would depend on the specifics of a service. Though the WiMP research didn't really tell us what things a streaming service should provide to turn those 'willing to pay' into actual paying subscribers. Then again, why would the digital firm want to share that information with its rivals?

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LOSTPROPHETS FRONTMAN TO FACE TRIAL IN NOVEMBER
Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins will stand trial on various sexual offences on 25 Nov, he was told at a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday, according to Wales Online. This was Watkins' second appearance at the court this week, having appeared on Monday to enter his plea of not guilty.

As previously reported, Watkins faces 24 charges, including two relating to the rape of a one year old girl; several other instances of child abuse; making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children; and owning "extreme" pornography involving an animal. Two women also face similar charges. All three deny all the accusations against them.

As has been the case throughout, Watkins appeared in court via videolink from Parc Prison in Bridgend, as did one of the women. The second woman was absent. All three remain in custody, where they are expected to stay until the trial is complete. This means when the trial begins, they will have been incarcerated for almost a year already.

The next hearing set is a case management session on 12 Aug.

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POLICE WILL NOT PRESS CHARGES AGAINST GEORGE MICHAEL OVER CAR FALL
Hertfordshire Police will not press charges against George Michael following an incident on the M1 motorway last month in which he fell out of a moving car, a spokesperson told the BBC yesterday. The singer could have been prosecuted for not wearing a seatbelt.

As previously reported, Michael was seen falling out of a car in which he was travelling as a passenger at around 70 miles per hour on the M1. The exact circumstances behind the accident are still unknown. He was kept in hospital for nearly two weeks to monitor head injuries sustained in the fall, but was discharged before the end of May.

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MIGUEL REP DENIES REPORTS THAT SINGER WAS ADVISED AGAINST STAGE DIVE
A PR rep for Miguel has denied that the singer was advised against jumping between two stages and over the heads of audience members at the Billboard Awards last month.

As previously reported, the jump went wrong and saw Miguel land on an audience member, Khyati Shah. Although he was interviewed with a seemingly OK Shah afterwards, she has since begun persuing legal action against him.

The spokesperson told TMZ that "the reports claiming that Miguel was warned by producers not to jump are completely false", before adding that: "A number of attempts were made to reach Khyati and her lawyer after the performance to see how she was doing and whether any assistance could be offered. Khyati's well-being has been and continues to be of the utmost concern to Miguel".

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INTERNATIONAL MUSIC+SOUND AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Winners have been announced for the international version of the Music+Sound Awards, the previously reported initiative that celebrates the use of music and sound with moving image, so original composition, sound design and sync in the TV, film, gaming and advertising sectors.

After the UK awards were presented in London back in February, winners of the globally-focused equivalent were announced online this week, with an informal Music+Sound party also due to take place in Cannes later this month alongside the city's Festival Of Creativity

Commenting on the international awards, Music+Sound co-founder Nick Payne told CMU: "It's been overwhelming to see such an impressive array of work entered from all four corners of the globe. With so many outstanding entries, winning an International Music+Sound Award is truly a mark of excellence and we are delighted to congratulate all winners in each of the categories".

And the winners (with agencies and composers/creatives in brackets) were as follows...

BEST COMPOSITIONS

TV Advertising: Guardian Media Group - Three Little Pigs (Woodwork Music, Phil Kay)

Cinema Advertising: Deutsche Grammophon - Rebirth (Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Sven Helbig)

Non-Broadcast or Viral Advertising: Deutsche Grammophon - Rebirth' (Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Sven Helbig)

Trailers and Promos: Hunger Games (Pusher LLC, Stefania Ziliotto, Lorenzo Montanari)

Titles & Branding: Sky Arts 2012 (SATV Publishing Ltd, Radium Audio)

Film Soundtrack: Brave (Cutting Edge Group, Patrick Doyle)

TV Soundtrack: The Paradise (Blaze Music Limited, Maurizio Malagnini)

Gaming: Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment America, Austin Wintory)

BEST SOUND DESIGN

TV Advertising: Hero's Return (Factory, Anthony Moore, Jon Clarke)

Cinema Advertising: Vogue Italia - Get Richard (750mph)

Non-Broadcast or Viral Advertising: Amnesty International - Torture (Audentity, Niels den Otter, Hecq)

Trailers & Promos: F1 Season Opener 2012 (The Jungle Group, Toby Griffin).

Titles & Branding: Honda Channel 4 Idents - The More We Look, The More We Learn (Factory, Daniel Beckwith)

Film Soundtrack: Private Peaceful (Goldcrest Post)

TV Soundtrack: Downton Abbey Series 3 (Carnival Films & Television Limited, Hackenbacker)

Gaming: Journey (Sony Computer Entertainment)

Radio Advertising: UHU GmbH & Co.KG - Transformer (Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Studio Funk GmbH & Co)

BEST SYNC

TV Advertising: Durex - Vinyl (Sync Agency, Soundlounge, Wave Studios)

Cinema Advertising: Nike - 2 Priority Sports (Soho Music)

Trailers & Promos - BBC One - All Together Now (RKCR/Y&R)

Film Soundtrack: Moonrise Kingdom (Imagem Creative Services, Randall Poster)

TV Soundtrack: Hit&Miss (Manners McDade, Iain Cooke)

Re-Records: Supergroup (Manners McDade, Lester Barnes)

Non-Broadcast or Viral Advertising: O2 - Little Boxes (Leland Music, Abi Leland)

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PET SHOP BOYS SIGN TO BMG CHRYSALIS
The Pet Shop Boys have signed a new worldwide publishing deal with BMG Chrysalis, covering their back catalogue and new album 'Electric'.

Alexi Cory-Smith, SVP of BMG Chrysalis UK told CMU: "Pet Shop Boys are pre-eminent songwriters and we are honoured that that they have chosen BMG Chrysalis to represent their music".

Pet Shop Boys manager Angela Becker added: "Choosing BMG was an easy decision. [BMG A&R guys] Ben [Bodie] and Hugo [Turquet's] passion and feel for Pet Shop Boys' history alongside the company's clear vision for their future make this an exciting partnership".

As previously reported, 'Electric', out on 15 Jul, will be the duo's first album released through their own label x2, launched in partnership with Kobalt.

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LORDE ANNOUNCES NEW EP
CMU approved musician Lorde has announced that she will release her debut UK EP, entitled 'Tennis Court', through Virgin EMI digitally on 10 Jun, with a ten-inch vinyl release on 22 Jul.

Listen to the EP's title track here, and check out the full tracklist below:

Tennis Court
Swingin Party
Biting Down
Bravado

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GEORGE CLINTON TO PUBLISH AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Legendary funk producer and musician George Clinton has revealed that he is currently working on an autobiography. He is working with assistance from novelist and New Yorker journalist Ben Greenman, who also co-penned Questlove's 'Mo Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove'.

The book will be published by Simon & Schuster subsidiary Atria next year, if all goes to plan, and will, according to the publisher's Vice President Malaika Adero, be "outrageous, revolutionary and intoxicating".

For an idea of some of what he might cover, check out this recent Fast Company article on how to have a "funktastic career".

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I WAS A CUB SCOUT ANNOUNCE FAREWELL SHOW
I Was A Cub Scout have announced that they will play a farewell show later this year. You may remember that I Was A Cub Scout split acrimoniously mid-tour in 2008. That it's taken five years for the duo to agree to perform together again gives you some indication of just how acrimonious that split was.

All's well now though, as vocalist and synth handler Todd Marriott explained: "I am very exited, obviously, at the prospect of playing songs I once truly loved with someone I very much admire. Our project ended on bad terms and for many years we did not speak, and for me there was a lot of bad feeling towards the whole thing. We are both young adults in very different situations, I feel that after such a long time feeling downbeat it will eradicate the negative feelings I once had".

He continued: "[With this show] we can 'end' it all properly, hopefully in front of what where once fans of our band. It will be a fantastic opportunity for me to see many people who for five or so years have not been part of my life in any way, many of these people I have missed a lot. But of course to play an instrument and sing like I have not sung in five years with a friend I've also missed for many years".

Drummer William Bowerman, who is now a member of instrumental outfit Brontide and provides live drums for the likes of La Roux and Summer Camp, added: "We never got the chance to close the door on our band and send it on it's way with the respect we felt it deserved. Five years on we are a little older, a LITTLE wiser and have ironed out the creases that we once had in our friendship. It seems like the perfect time to celebrate something we really enjoyed and a great excuse to get our old friends together".

The show will take place at The Borderline in London on 14 Sep.

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SAN CISCO ANNOUNCE UK SHOWS
Buzzy Australian quartet San Cisco have announced two UK headline shows ahead of their appearances at the Reading and Leeds festivals in August. And ahead of that, the band will release a new single, 'Awkward', through Sony/Columbia on 29 Jul (the video for which you can see here). They'll then release their eponymous debut album on 7 Oct.

Tour dates:

19 Aug: Southampton, The Joiners
20 Aug: London, Sebright Arms

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HMV CANADA STILL DOING ALIGHT
HMV Canada has announced that revenues in the first five months of 2013 have continued to grow, following a trend started last year. So far this year the company has seen 1% growth in sales, while its gross margin is up 2.1% year-on-year.

This, of course, is of particular interest to us here in the UK, because HMV Canada owner Hilco, which bought that business in 2011, also officially took control of the HMV UK company in April this year, and is now looking to spearhead a similar revitalisation.

Announcing the new figures, HMV Canada President and CEO Nick Williams told CMU: "Building on the momentum of 2012, we entered 2013 with a renewed strength and excitement for our business which is evident in our results. We are experiencing an even stronger demand for CDs and DVDs at the start of 2013 than we did during this time in 2012. This, combined with the continuing growth of our new product categories, means we are in great shape for the summer. Despite a softer new release schedule when compared to the same period in 2012, we find ourselves ahead of our forecast and on track to deliver another strong year and maintain our position as Canada's top choice for music and entertainment".

He continued: "In addition to strong sales, we improved our audio and visual market shares by 4.2% and 0.6%, respectively, over the same period in 2012. Regionally, we saw strong performances in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Ontario which significantly contributed to these increases. We realise, though, that there is still a lot of work to do. We must continue to broaden our in-store offer in a way that is relevant to Canadians, while expanding the penetration of our online offering, The Vault. We are in a terrific position to provide a combined in-store and online offering and, through this model, we expect to continue delivering strong results in the months ahead".

It remains to be seen if Hilco can actually turn around HMV UK's fortunes in the same way, its strategy in Canada having parallels with that already adopted by UK and Ireland stores a decade ago. Though some in the UK industry have expressed some confidence, so we shall see.

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7DIGITAL OFFERING WHITE LABEL STREAMING SERVICE IN US
7digital, which, in addition to its own consumer-facing digital music services, has always provided a back-end infrastructure for tech, consumer electronics and other brands looking to operate their own download stores, is now offering its US clients a Pandora-style streaming music service that they can plug into.

The 7digital streaming service is of the interactive radio variety, meaning that it can be licensed on the sound recording side via the statutory rights body SoundExchange, removing the need to do direct deals with rights owners. To qualify for a SoundExchange license, a streaming service must comply with various limitations, particularly when it comes to interactivity, something the 7digital white label platform will help its clients achieve.

As part of its interactive radio package - which is already being used by doubleTwist's Magic Radio for Android, Senzari's Wah Wah, Turntable.fm, Piki and Sourcetone - 7Digital will also handle all reporting to SoundExchange, plus clients can opt to integrate download sell-through, something that has never really taken off in the streaming music space, but which is thought to be central to Apple's planned interactive radio service.

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MORE SONOS INTEGRATION, 7DIGITAL, RARA.COM
Elsewhere in 7digital news, the London-based firm is one of two digital music companies to announce new Sonos integration this week, the other being Rara.com.

7digital has expanded its existing partnership with wi-fi hi-fi maker Sonos into three new markets. Where the platform is integrated with Sonos, owners of the wireless hi-fi system can automatically stream any content bought via the 7digital download platform from the cloud locker all 7digital purchases are stored in. The integration was already available in numerous European territories and the US.

Confirming the latest expansion, 7digital chief Ben Drury told CMU: "Our partnership with Sonos showcases the fact that digital music is no longer about downloads v streaming, but about users having access to their favourite music on the device of their choice. With our expanding global footprint and API, 7digital's service is customisable for any number of devices or listening experiences. Sonos has done an amazing job of elevating the music listening experience in the home through partnerships and smart technology".

He added: "Our global vision and open access model make this a very logical partnership and we are excited to bring new forms of music access to Sonos users in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Through our strong network of partners and label relationships we are expanding to different territories at a healthy pace, and look forward to adding value to the Sonos products in countries where there isn't yet a plethora of choice for music access".

Elsewhere, London-based streaming service Rara.com also announced a Sonos alliance this week. The streaming platform is being integrated with the Sonos platform, and this week arrived in the Sonos Labs section where it is available for beta testing.

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NOISEY ANNOUNCES NEW MUSIC SERIES
Vice's music-based Noisey channel has announced a new partnership with Philips to create a new series of music-related content called You Need To Hear This. Similar to other Vice brand partnerships, such as the Intel-backed The Creators Project, the new outlet will explore creativity in music with an ongoing series of short films and music videos.

Amongst the You Need To Hear This content that will soon appear on the new venture's YouTube channel will be short films on the cassette and vinyl revivals, Is Tropical's recent tour of Mongolia, and a behind the scenes look at the new DOOM video. Though things kicked off yesterday with a new video from The xx for their track 'Fiction', which you can watch here.

Announcing the new venture, Vice's Head Of Music Alex Hoffman told CMU: "While Noisey's year one success on YouTube has mainly been due to our original content programming around rappers, cute kids and stupid stuff, Noisey is also serious about the more serious side of music, and You Need To Hear This will be our platform for that. 'That', being engaging music lovers and audiophiles with incredible films, content, stories and events that quite frankly, you won't find elsewhere".

As Noisey expands, it also announced yesterday the appointment of two new members of staff within Vice's London office, who will work alongside Hoffman and Noisey editor Jo Fuertes-Knight. Guardian journalist Sam Wolfson joins as Executive Editor, while Ryan Bassil has been appointed as Staff Writer. Kim Taylor Bennett also joins as Style Producer & Editor and will be based in New York.

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ANOTHER US INDIE DOES DIRECT LICENSING DEAL WITH CLEAR CHANNEL
Clear Channel Radio has announced yet another direct licensing deal with a US independent, this time Nashville-based rock label Dualtone Music Group. According to Billboard, it means the radio giant now has such deals in place with ten indies.

As much previously reported, radio broadcasters in the US are not obliged to pay any royalties to record labels when they play their tracks on traditional FM and AM stations, because under American copyright law a public performance royalty is only due to the publishers (though the labels are trying to get that law changed). However, with online radio services a royalty does have to be paid to the label as well as the publisher, though this is generally done via the statutory rights agency SoundExchange.

But Clear Channel, which has been putting lots of effort and resource in the last couple of years into its Pandora rival iHeartRadio, has been doing deals directly with sizable indies in America, under which it gets more favourable digital rates than those offered via the SoundExchange framework, in return for pledging to give said labels a share of revenue when their music is used on the broadcaster's conventional radio networks.

The first deal of this kind was with Big Machine Records, and since then Fearless Records, Glass Note Entertainment Group, DashGo, rpm Entertainment, Robbins Entertainment, Naxos, eOne and Wind-up have also signed up to similar arrangements.

Dualtone is the latest, the CEO of which, Scott Robinson, said: "Dualtone is dedicated to the long term career development of each artist on our roster, and radio plays an essential role in their success. We will do whatever we can to help ensure a vibrant future for internet radio as well as recognising the continuing importance of broadcast radio. This is how our artists can reach as many of their fans as possible - wherever they are, on whatever device they're using - and is an invaluable factor in their success".

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NO BEEF BETWEEN OLD AND NEW SUGABABES
So, this is sort of the anti-Beef Of The Week. Mutya Keisha Siobhan have told Radio 1 that there is no longer any ill-feeling between them and the current line-up of the Sugababes.

The original Babes have reformed, of course, under the Mutya Keisha Siobhan moniker, and will now compete with the current incarnation of their former group, which consists of Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. But everyone's fine with that, says Buchanan.

She told Newsbeat: "It's all fine. We are moving on. We have moved on. And it's all positive. Jade messaged me on Facebook the other day. I think, for us, we just want to concentrate on just being positive. We have been through things both as a band and as individuals".

So that's all lovely, isn't it? Hopefully it won't last.

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