Music Key may be part of wider YouTube subscription service
Could YouTube's long-in-development subscription music service go properly live not as a standalone proposition, but as part of a wider subscription package offered by the video site? Rumours to that effect have been doing the rounds for a while now, and tech site Re/code added fuel to that fire with a report this weekend.

As previously reported, YouTube's move into paid-for music streaming has been a very long time coming, the company finally putting what it calls Music Key into beta last November, after a run in with the indies over how the service would be licensed.

It's widely thought that the Music Key project was, in part, a bid to placate the labels and publishers, which have become increasingly tetchy about the preferential royalty rates the Google video site enjoys. Rights owners insisted that the freemium YouTube site, a low earner for the music business, should be upselling to something more in line with the other music streaming services that have become decent earners for the industry at large.

Though YouTube has been dabbling with going the subscription rather than ad-funded route elsewhere on its network. And now Re/code reckons that new terms for content owners, being instigated by the video site, are the Google service getting ready to offer its viewers the option to go ad-free in return for a $10 a month subscription. Content owners have been told they must sign up to the new terms by 22 Oct to continue monetising their videos, in the US at least.

That timeline suggests that YouTube could be offering ad-free viewing from late October or early November, which would fit in with the latest implied dates for Music Key properly going live. And Re/code's sources are saying that that's because these are now the same proposition, ie that there will be just one YouTube subscription product that will give users ad-free videos and the Music Key audio-streaming platform.

Though if that whole package is just $10 a month, which insiders seem to say it will be, that raises new questions about how the music side of the proposition will be licensed. The labels wanted YouTube to launch something akin to Spotify et al, so $10 a month, with about 70% of the revenue going to music rights owners.

Presumably under the wider YouTube subscription offer, the Google site would have to share royalties with other content owners whose videos are consumed without ads. Though YouTube might argue that this way there'll be many more users, and therefore much more revenue to share.

For its part, YouTube remains non-committal as to what it has planned subscriptions-wise, and as to when Music Key and any wider subscription offer will actually go live. A spokesman merely told Re/code that "we are progressing according to plan to provide fans more options in how they enjoy content on YouTube".

Though with the 22 Oct deadline on the new terms for content owners, maybe we'll hear more about what is launching in the weeks that follow.

MegaUpload rewarded top infringers, says prosecutor in extradition case
The extradition hearing of Kim Dotcom and three other former managers of the long defunct but often controversial file-transfer service MegaUpload continues in New Zealand. The US wants to extradite the four men to its courts to face charges of racketeering, money laundering and rampant copyright infringement.

As previously reported, core to the case against the company that was forced offline in early 2012 is the allegation that it financially rewarded users who uploaded large quantities of copyright infringing material to its servers, because that content ensured a steady flow of traffic and therefore advertising and subscription income. It also meant, prosecutors allege, that as MegaUpload removed infringing material to comply with US copyright law, it knew that same content would be re-uploaded elsewhere on its networks.

That MegaUpload operated a takedown system for copyright owners, in line with US law, will be key to Dotcom et al's defence. The prosecution want to show that MegaUpload only ever paid lip service to US copyright law, allowing users to continue uploading, and rewarding them for those uploads, even after multiple takedown notices had been issued against the uploading individual's account.

Speaking on behalf of the US government in the extradition case, lawyer Christine Gordon said that one MegaUpload user was paid more than $50,000 for his uploading efforts between 2006 and 2011. Payments were made to the user, Gordon alleged, despite over 1200 takedown requests being issued against his account. No efforts were taken to restrict that user's infringing activities, she added, and instead his server space was expanded to accommodate new unlicensed uploads.

However, the lawyer added, that particular uploader eventually fell out with MegaUpload, complaining that he wasn't being paid enough for his 'work' for the company. According to the New Zealand Herald, Dotcom allegedly responded by writing in an email: "You and your friends are at most 1% of our traffic so please don't overestimate your importance to us. We're thankful of your support of MegaUpload in the past and I think we have been fair to you".

MegaUpload's rewards scheme was axed in June 2011, Gordon said, and Dotcom then became a critic of other file-transfer sites rewarding infringing uploaders, going as far as to report those rival services to Paypal. At that point the company described such payments as being "illegal" she claimed, "but Megaupload had done that [itself] for six years".

The case continues.

Live Nation UK management rejig rumoured
There was much chitter chatter last week about a rejig of the management team at Live Nation's UK and Ireland division, with veteran promoter Denis Desmond tipped for a top role, according to IQ magazine.

The rejig follows the recent departure of long-stranding Live Nation UK COO John Probyn, who left the live music major to work on a new sports event in Birmingham. It is thought that Melvin Benn, boss of Live Nation UK subsidiary Festival Republic, will also have an extended role overseeing other festivals owned by the firm, an expansion in remit that has been rumoured for a few months now.

Irish promoter Desmond has a long-standing joint venture with Live Nation through which the UK wing of the firm owns a number of its key assets, including the aforementioned Festival Republic, the Academy Music Group and the recently acquired MAMA & Company. It's still not clear whether MAMA will remain a standalone entity within the group, or if its key assets will be merged in with Live Nation's other venue and festival divisions, though there has been talk of the venues becoming part of the AMG network.

Live Nation is yet to formally comment on any rejigging plans.

Former Vodafone boss Arun Sarin joins Saavn as investor and advisor
Former Vodafone CEO Arun Sarin has taken a minority stake in Saavn, and will also act as a strategic advisor to the Indian streaming service.

Announcing the news, Saavn CEO Rishi Malhotra told reporters: "As CEO of the global telecom giant Vodafone plc, Sarin was one of the first to predict the mass adoption of mobile phones in emerging markets. His support for Saavn underscores a similar trend underway in the music industry".

"With over 90% of our usage driven by smartphones, Saavn users are moving data plan transactions and driving data engagement at an incredible pace", he added. "In the coming months, you'll see us work more deeply with carriers in India and additional territories".

The company, which is based in New York but remains focussed on the Indian market, also announced that it has seen its user numbers boom in the last twelve months, reaching eighteen million active daily users. It reported fourteen million as recently as July, when new investment of $100 million was announced.

"Music streaming is a core app on today's smartphones, and Saavn is superbly positioned to grow rapidly in the fast expanding smartphone market in India", said Sarin. "As an innovative and nimble music streaming company, at the heart of one of the world's most valuable markets, Saavn hits all the right notes. I look forward to working with the Saavn team on the company's continued progress".

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Aldi launches music streaming service in Germany
Supermarket chain Aldi has launched its own streaming service in Germany, called Aldi Life Musik. Powered by Napster, it will cost 7.99 euros per month, undercutting competitors like Spotify, Apple Music and, er, Napster.

Launched last week, the service has no freemium tier. Presumably the hope it that discounted access to what appears to be pretty much Napster's full offering (just rebadged) will be enough to attract a more mainstream userbase than other offerings.

Although Germany's physical music market has been one of the more stable in recent years, with digital generally lagging behind other European countries, streaming income has nevertheless been on the increase. The first half of 2015 saw a rise of 87% year-on-year.

Channel 4 to launch new "multi-platform" music show
Somethin Else has confirmed it is making a new music show for Channel 4 titled 'Best Before'. The production company said it was "thrilled" to announce the "multi-platform collaboration [that] will work across a daily updated blog site, social media, Channel 4 platforms and linear TV".

The main TV show will be a series of six 30 minute mixes, each compiled by "a respected musical curator", with the one rule being that all featured tracks must have been released in the last 30 days. Because, as we all know, after that time music goes a bit stinky. "Its aim is to promote the freshest new releases from the likes of Radiohead to future superstars", said Somethin Else in a statement.

The first episode will be broadcast in 11 Nov, and will be accompanied by daily content on the broadcaster's on-demand service All4.

Drake discusses ghostwriter accusations
Drake has commented on those accusations that he uses ghostwriters, which you might remember were made by Meek Mill earlier this year. And his response is basically, 'Yeah, and?"

Discussing 'reference tracks' that were recorded for him by other rappers, some of which were leaked during the dispute, Drake told Fader: "I need, sometimes, individuals to spark an idea so that I can take off running. I don't mind that. And those recordings... they are what they are. And you can use your own judgment on what they mean to you. There's not necessarily a context to them. And I don't know if I'm really here to even clarify it for you".

He added that if Meek Mill's various rambles on this issue had sparked a wider conversation about originality in hip hop - him being far from the only rapper to use ghostwriters from time to time - he's happy with that. "If I have to be the vessel for this conversation to be brought up - you know, God forbid we start talking about writing and references and who takes what from where - I'm OK with it being me".

Read the full interview with Drake here.

Pope releases prog-rock single
The Pope - you know, like the actual Catholic pope - is releasing an album later this year, featuring excerpts from some of his speeches set to music, and everything from prog-rock to Gregorian chant.

Released by Believe Digital, the album is titled 'Wake Up!' and will be released on 27 Nov. The first track to be released from it leans more towards prog, which I guess fits its title, 'Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!' The Pope's, er, vocals were recorded live in South Korea last year.

The album's producer and artistic director Don Giulio Neroni told Rolling Stone: "For many years, I've been the producer and the artistic director of albums by the Pope. I had the honour to work with John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Pope Francis".

He goes on: "As in the past, for this album too, I tried to be strongly faithful to the pastoral and personality of Pope Francis: the Pope of dialogue, open doors, hospitality. For this reason, the voice of Pope Francis in 'Wake Up!' dialogues music. And contemporary music (rock, pop, Latin etc) dialogues with the Christian tradition of sacred hymns".

Listen to 'Wake Up! Go! Go! Forward!' here.

She Shreds, Janet Jackson, Corey Taylor, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Female-focussed guitar magazine She Shreds has launched a new website featuring tutorials and articles from its print counterpart.

• Fred Bolza from Sony Music, Karen Pearson from Folded Wing, Victoria Campoamor from Google Play, Chris Meehan from Sentric, Phil Barton from Sister Ray and Sammy Andrews from Cooking Vinyl are amongst the speakers just added to the line-up for this year's Music Futures Conference, which takes place in Gateshead on 12 Nov. More info here.

• Would you like to hear a new Babymetal track? I will hurt you if you say no.

• Rae Sremmurd have released a video for 'Come Get Her'. Line-dancing and rap, together at last.

• Janet Jackson has released a new track, titled 'Burnitup!', which features Missy Elliott. "Unbelievable", said Elliott. "Natural", countered Jackson.

• If that Sam Smith's Bond theme isn't to your taste, indie band Spectres have recorded one of their own. This is 'Spectre'.

• Team Me have just released a new song called 'June'. "The song is about someone turning loopy, and how scary and fucked up it can be for everyone involved", says Marius Hagen, slightly insensitively.

• Having recently announced that he is to appear in an episode of QI's spin-off podcast, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor is infiltrating another British institution. He will provide the scream of monster Fisher King in this week's episode of 'Doctor Who'.

Sam Smith's Bond theme "no number one single", says Sam Smith
It's not a number one single. And the vocals aren't up to scratch. Just two of the comments levelled at Sam Smith's James Bond theme, 'Writing's On The Wall', when it was unveiled last week. And that was just from Smith himself.

It's fair to say that opinion was split by the song. Actually, if you went by my Twitter feed alone, it was universally hated. But I only follow people who don't like anything.

Appearing on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show for the big first play of the track, Smith told Nick Grimshaw: "I don't think it's a number one-friendly song, if you know what I mean. Who knows, but I don't think it will be at all. I'm not looking for that".

Asked if there was anything about the track he wasn't happy with, he said: "I'm never ever happy with my vocals". But then he's previously said that the vocals on the track are from the original demo he recorded just after writing the song. So it's not like there wasn't time to change them. If I was as cynical as the people I follow on Twitter, I might say he was lying again.

If you fancy, you can have a little listen to 'Writing's On The Wall' over on Spotify.