Alt-Fest organisers confirm cancellation, blame high costs and low ticket sales
Alt-Fest's organisers issued a lengthy statement on Friday evening, confirming that the event has been cancelled two weeks before it was due to take place.

As previously reported, following signs that all was not well in the Alt-Fest camp when organisers admitted that they were dealing with "some extremely challenging and stressful issues", it was two of the artists on the line-up, Marilyn Manson and Gary Numan, who actually broke the news of the cancellation.

The event, which had been due to take place at the Boughton Estate in Kettering on 15-17 Aug, was in part funded by £60,000 raised on Kickstarter. However, despite that being twice what organisers had set as their original funding target, it was still a long way from the £1,703,000 total cost of putting on the festival, which was revealed in last week's statement.

Organisers Missy and Dom Void blamed low ticket sales, the last minute departure of an investor, a "costing error" and the usual cash flow traumas for the cancellation.

The pair wrote: "We were doing very well for a first year festival. We sold over seven and a half thousand weekend tickets, and as you were aware we had a great line-up with plenty going on. This, however, meant we had to pay [substantial band advances], with the remainder due just before and at the festival itself. Securing bands was not the only cost".

They continued: "[Even] if we were to sell a minimum of another 1000 tickets between now and the festival, we'd have suffered a significant loss that we couldn't carry. This recently came to light based on a costing error and ... the fact that an investor unfortunately pulled out last minute. We were expecting to sell more tickets based on our line-up, and if we had sold just 3000 tickets more then we would have been over the break even line".

Responding to some online criticism, they added: "We have not gone on any exotic holidays or feathered our own nest, in fact exactly the opposite. We did not embezzle the money, or spend it recklessly, we used it to secure some of those great bands we had in the line-up, who required considerable deposits".

Of course, the festival business is always a risky one, especially for grass roots events. Though it seems that part of the problem at Alt-Fest may have been that, on the back of the success of its Kickstarter campaign, the event's organisers allowed the event to grow too quickly, certainly in terms of level of artist.

Explaining the logic behind the Kickstarter fundraising to the Northants Telegraph earlier this year, Dom said: "We already had the support of a lot of the smaller bands. However, as soon as you want to move it to the next level and book more 'known' bands, you get into the realms of having to commit to quite large deposits. We looked at the bands we hypothetically wanted to book and then decided if we raised £30,000 we could book X, Y and Z. The whole process was structured in a way that every time we moved forward we could impact positively other forms of funding".

The husband and wife team have been running London clubnight Club AntiChrist for ten years, also explaining in the Northants Telegraph interview: "We were on holiday a couple of years ago, had probably had one too many Sangrias and were chatting about corporate festivals and our views on them. We wanted to do what we'd achieved with Club AntiChrist in a festival environment. To treat the people who would come as shareholders so it's as much their vision of what they want and who they to see - a proper crowd-led event".

As well as the crowdfunding, Alt-Fest's audience involvement included consulting fans on everything from what bands they'd like to see to what drinks they wanted in the bars. Though while that idea might seem like a sound one, it clearly didn't translate into ticket sales. Perhaps because many of the most-engaged fans took tickets as their reward for investing on Kickstarter.

Arguably it's better to cancel the entire event two weeks in advance, rather than attempting to salvage something from it until it's too late, or putting on a sub-standard festival. However, with the production company set up to run the project now going into liquidation, this means that those early champions of Alt-Fest, who invested money via Kickstarter, now join the list of creditors attempting to get their money back.

Meanwhile, ticketholders are advised to contact the outlet from which they purchased their passes and any other extras. A full list of options is provided in the statement on the Alt-Fest website.

Vince Power responds to PRS ruling
Veteran promoter Vince Power has issued a slightly confusing statement in response to that High Court ruling last week that said he may not stage any live events in the UK until a legal dispute with PRS For Music is settled.

As previously reported, editions of the Hop Farm music event from 2009-2012 seemingly went ahead without a licence from PRS, which covers the copyright fees that are due for the performance of songs in the public domain.

The company through which Power ran Hop Farm, Music Festivals plc, then went under in 2012, in theory taking any liabilities with it. But PRS seemingly sued the promoter direct anyway, claiming he was liable for 'authorising infringement' as the controlling figure at the Hop Farm company, who had a duty to ensure licences were secured.

But, despite that legal action getting to court, a statement last Friday on behalf of Power began: "Vince would like to state that he has not had any correspondence from PRS regarding this situation and was surprised to read about these supposed outstanding fees of £7987, this is miniscule compared to the amount of money paid to PRS over the years by Vince Power and companies".

It continued: "If there was any money outstanding to PRS, this would have been dealt with by the administrators for Music Festivals plc which went into administration in October 2012; PRS were notified".

The statement seems to ignore two elements of the PRS claim - first the authorising infringement argument, and second that the £7987 is the collecting society's legal fees, not the monies that may or may not be due for copyright infringement. Which suggests Power genuinely is in the dark about this dispute, as bizarre as that seems.

Power himself is also quoted directly in the statement, saying: "I am angry and disappointed that PRS have not contacted me by post, email or telephone. To say that I am banned from staging live music events for the sake of 7k, is damaging to my career".

He then turned the tables on the royalty collecting body, and started laying out his own accusations, continuing: "In light of the long strained relationship I have with them, I can only see this as PRS being vindictive and a means of deflection for what I see as the real problem within PRS; They have a long list of artists that are owed money which they do not pay. I am very happy for any artists who have been chasing PRS unsuccessfully to contact me to see if there is a way we can group together and get the money they are owed".

How exactly Power plans to claim outstanding royalties for artists, or whether any artists will take him up on his offer, remains to be seen. Meanwhile, PRS For Music declined to comment directly on Power's statement, but said: "You need a licence to perform music. If you don't get a licence when you perform music, we will pursue it. We're here to ensure that songwriters and composers can earn a living from their craft".

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Ne-Yo sues former business manager
Ne-Yo has filed a lawsuit claiming that his former business manager, Kevin Foster, used $4.5 million of the singer's personal wealth without permission.

According to New York Daily News, Shaffer Smith, aka Ne-Yo, has submitted legal documents claiming that Foster was put in charge of managing the singer's bank accounts to ensure that the R&B star "was financially situated as to maintain his accustomed lifestyle for the remainder of his life".

However, after discovering that Foster had moved some money without permission, Smith hired an accounting firm to examine his finances, which "uncovered instances of Foster engaging in self-dealing and inappropriate conduct". This included forging Smith's name on a loan application and investing the singer's money into a water company on the verge of bankruptcy. Foster allegedly failed to divulge that he was President and CFO of this company.

Ne-Yo is now suing for the return of the $4.5 million, as well as a further $3.5 million in fees paid to Foster during his time working for the singer.

In other Ne-Yo news, the singer has just revealed the video for the first single from his sixth album, 'Non-Fiction', called 'Money Can't Buy'.

Jody Gerson named new CEO of Universal Music Publishing
Jody Gerson has been named the new Chair and CEO of Universal Music Publishing, following the previously reported departure of Zach Horowitz last week.

In a statement, Universal Music Group chief Lucian Grainge said: "Jody Gerson is simply one of the best music publishers in the business, and we are thrilled that she will be bringing her creativity, savvy and vast experience to UMPG. Jody represents a new breed of music industry leadership, with a keen understanding of the evolving role of music publishers in the digital era and a track record of artist successes that places her among all-time greats. I'm excited for what we will accomplish together".

Gerson entered the music publishing industry upon graduating from university, working for Chappell Music in the mid-80s, before moving to EMI, where she worked in various roles for over fifteen years. During her time with EMI, she signed songwriters including Jermaine Dupri, Alicia Keys, Enrique Iglesias, Kelly Clarkson and many others.

In 2008, she became co-President of Sony/ATV, where her first signing was Lady Gaga. In 2012, of course, she was reunited with the EMI artists she had worked with previously, when Sony/ATV bought the company's publishing division.

Quarter of kids think popstars look "silly" in sexy pop videos
There's been much debate in political circles in recent years about the perceived increase in sexualised content in pop videos, and the performances of pop stars targeting younger consumers, and that has resulted in some chatter within the music business too. But what do the kids actually think?

Well radio station Fun Kids asked that very question in a recent survey of its target audience, in which 2000 eight to fourteen year olds were questioned. And while there doesn't seem to be wide concern within that demographic, a quarter did say that they thought popstars in 'sexy' videos just looked silly, while 11% said such pop promos made them feel uncomfortable, the same again said they would respect popstars more if they stripped off less often, and 13% said they wished their favourite singers would make their video output "less sexy".

Significant numbers of those surveyed also looked for their pop idols to behave responsibly. Nearly a third said they might stop listening to a singer's music if they lost respect for them, and that might include breaking the law, dabbling in drugs or singing offensive lyrics.

Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch set for sale
Michael Jackson's former home Neverland could soon be on the market, according to the finance firm that has controlled the property since 2008 when it helped bail the late of king of pop out during one of his debt crises.

It was the singer's famous home for nearly two decades, before he decided to shun the property in the wake of his 2005 acquittal over child abuse allegations - the unproven abuse alleged in the case having supposedly taken place at the ranch. There was speculation before Jackson died that he might sell the property - or lose it as a result of defaulting on loans - and new rumours circulated about the future of the site after his untimely death in 2009.

There was much talk of turning it into a Graceland-style museum honouring Jackson, maybe with his body buried there as well, though those plans never seemed too real, not least because of all sorts of planning restrictions that would make such a set-up tricky to launch. Other rumours included that the Jackson Estate would buy the site back for Jackson's children, or to launch a music academy.

But it seems the Estate - which, it's thought, does still have an interest in Neverland - has no plans for the site, so Colony Capital has been sprucing it up, removing some of the iconic Jackson idiosyncrasies, and will now put the property up for sale. It's a large valuable bit of land to start with, though it's history could increase the price tag further if mad rich Jackson fans start to bid.

According to Billboard, Colony's Thomas Barrack Jr said in an email last week: "We've really just been custodians of an irreplaceable estate and are proud to say we've restored it to the original elegance Michael first envisioned. We are now considering putting it up for sale".

Melvins still holding it in
So Melvins are still going strong, still not appearing to give a single damn; and to that same end have released details of a new LP they shall be releasing on 13 Oct, titled 'Hold It In'.

The band's first sign of LP-based life since 2010's 'The Bride Screamed Murder', it sees guitarist Paul Leary and bass player JD Pinkus, both of Butthole Surfers, join a re-redesigned Team Melvins.

On the new record and the new recruits, main Melvin, Buzz Osborne, says this: "'Hold It In' is a refreshing piece of fiction in a boring world of fact and bullshit. Paul is one of the best guitar players I have ever heard and Pinkus has an outside-the-box type of approach to both guitar and bass that you just have to let it ride. I can't believe this actually happened. I'm thrilled".

Well if he's thrilled then so am I. In spite of his admiration for his bandmates, the only tour on Buzz's horizon ATM is a lone one, in honour of his solo LP 'This Machine Kills Artists'. And there's only the three nearby (ie based in Britain) dates on it, at Brighton's The Haunt on 30 Aug, London's Oslo on 20 Sep, and The Exchange in Bristol on 21 Sep.

Info's here, weirdos.

Classical artists Coates and Orazbayeva playing Rough Trade in-store
London's Rough Trade East is to go off its 'rock remit' on 21 Aug, hosting a dual in-store showcase by two classical artists, cellist Oliver Coates and gonzo violin soloist Aisha Orazbayeva.

Staged by the pair's shared label PRAH, which is owned by Moshi Moshi's Stephen Bass, the set celebrates Radiohead/DOOM/Massive Attack collaborator Coates' new LP 'Towards The Blessed Islands', and also his split twelve-inch with Brooklyn house producer Bryce Hackford.

Orazbayeva is present to... erm, present her first record, 'The Hand Gallery', which features original works alongside interpretations of pieces by John Cale, Steve Reich and Morton Feldman.

Praising the "energy and daring" of Coates' and Orazboyeva's live recitals, PRAH boss Bass says: "They are truly punk. They're ignoring the rules and pushing themselves and the music to the edge".

Details here. And taken from Coates and Hackford's new split EP - orders of which via Rough Trade will grant wristband-entry to the PRAH sets - this is Coates' spin on Hackford's track 'Another Fantasy'.

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Jonny Greenwood touring new composition with Australian Chamber Orchestra
Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, poster boy for reconciling the pop and classical kingdoms, is teaming with the Australian Chamber Orchestra on 'Water', a new composition for strings, piano and tambura (a kind of South Asian 'long-necked lute').

The piece will have its international premiere on 2 Oct at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, thereafter travelling to London's Queen Elizabeth Hall (4 Oct) and Birmingham's Symphony Hall (5 Oct). And as well as 'Water', each show will feature the ACO playing works from Mozart, Haydn and Tchaikovsky. Details and tickets are available here.

Speaking via press release robot, Jonny has said of his time so far with the orchestra: "I loved every second of being around these players. They were enthusiastic, patient, energetic and enormously musical. Just overhearing them rehearse a Shostakovich string quartet really floored me: nothing beats being in a small room with a bunch of players like this. And they really do go surfing afterwards!"

He adds of 'Water' in particular: "I wrote and rehearsed about twice as much music as there is in the final piece. It's a great feeling being able to edit things down like that. And as often as the workshops showed up ideas as not working, they also rescued promising half-ideas. The whole experience was very inspiring".

ACO Artistic Director Richard Tognetti says of Greenwood: "He obviously loves music so much. I believe he's the first celebrated pop musician who has been able to straddle the world of classical music. In terms of the cross-fertilisation of ideas, it's a great time to be a musician".

Watch a clip in which Tognetti says a bit more of his collaboration with JG (from 2.00 onwards) now.

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BBK, A$AP Mob and Chase & Status taking part in Red Bull Culture Clash
JME, Skepta, Wiley and the various MCs of Boy Better Know are going crew-to-crew with A$AP Rocky's A$AP Mob (aka A$APs Ferg, Nast, Ant et al); Rebel Sound's David Rodigan, Shy FX and Chase & Status; and a TBC line-up from reggae label Stone Love in this year's Red Bull Culture Clash.

Taking place live London's Earls Court arena on 30 Oct, the Jamaican-PA-system-style battle will find all crews vying to make the most noise, and please/deafen the audience by playing games like 'The Selector' (in which they're assessed on their choice of tracks), and 'Sleeping With The Enemy' (in which opponents switch styles). The finale is 'Armageddon', in which pretty well anything can happen, even the end of the world. Also, take-downs are mandatory.

Annie Mac and comedian Doc Brown are hosting this year's clash, and the latter says: "Sound clash culture has been filtering over from Jamaica since the early 1950s, but this is the biggest event of its kind the UK has ever seen. As for my role, I'm going to be like a good football referee, keeping things running smoothly from the side lines".

Tickets if you want those are via www.redbullcultureclash.com

Mastodon frontman works his wood
Mastodon's Brent Hinds has carved a "giant pawnus". A Mastodong, as Exclaim put it. A big wooden penis, basically. Why? I don't know. Is it news? Not really. But let's pretend for a moment.

"First carving in over a year", wrote Hinds under a work-in-progress photo on Instagram. "Giant pawnus!"

The effort was apparently filmed by Fret 12 for a new instalment of its 'The Sound And The Story' guitarist profile documentary series. Though I wouldn't both buying it, because I can't imagine there's anything more informative in it than Brent announcing, "The balls came out nice. Balls are always kind of weird, flopping every which way", which you can see him do here.