APPOINTMENTS
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Following last week’s UK General Election, new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been very busy appointing new ministers. The music industry lobbies various departments of government, but especially the Department For Culture, Media & Sport, which will now be led by Lisa Nandy, MP for Wigan, who has been appointed Secretary Of State For Culture, Media & Sport. The UK’s Intellectual Property Office, meanwhile, sits under the Department For Science, Innovation & Technology, which is now being run by the new Secretary Of State For Science, Innovation & Technology, Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Portslade.
AWARDS
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The O2 Silver Clef Awards took place on Friday, raising lots of money for music therapy charity Nordoff & Robbins. Blur were presented with the flagship Silver Clef Award, while AC/DC won the Legend Award, Chaka Khan received the Global Impact Award and Mark Knopfler won the Music Icon Award.
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The National Arenas Association has announced the recipient of its annual Outstanding Contribution Award, which is presented each year by the trade body to celebrate an individual’s contribution to the live entertainment sector. This year’s winner is promoter Barrie Marshall, founder and Chairman of Marshall Arts. NAA Chair John Drury says, “Barrie and his team have become almost as legendary as many of the acts they represent, and have been a consistent and welcome supporter of the UK’s arena business for many years. We’re so pleased to be able to present this well-deserved award to such an industry icon”.
DIGITAL
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Apple’s SVP Of Services Eddy Cue has given an interview on the SuperSaf YouTube channel in which he discusses Apple Music and why people should choose it over other streaming platforms. Conceding that “everyone pretty much has all the same songs”, he reckons Apple's commitment to spatial audio, human curation and radio shows make its music service stand out. Yeah, maybe. “We still think there’s a people part here, as much as we love technology”, he says, according to 9to5Mac. “There’s still an aspect of people that’s critical to us. That starts with radio, where we do live radio shows with real DJs, and the playlists we’re creating that are algorithmic but always with a personal touch to it”.
GIGS & TOURS
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Stevie Nicks has had to postpone some UK shows, including a performance in Glasgow over the weekend and tomorrow’s gig in Manchester, after sustaining a leg injury. A performance at the BST Hyde Park festival in London on Friday should go ahead. A statement says, “Due to a recent leg injury requiring a minor surgical procedure that will need a few days of recovery time, Stevie Nicks’ scheduled performances in Glasgow and Manchester have been postponed. Ticketholders are advised to hold on to their tickets as rescheduled dates will be announced soon”.
RELEASES
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Sault have released their new album ‘Acts Of Faith’. It’s currently one 32-minute track available to download for free as a .wav file through a WeTransfer link that the group shared online.
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Will Young has released new single ‘Light It Up’, taken from his new album out on 9 Aug.
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Cassyette has released new single ‘Friends In Low Places’, taken from her new album 'This World Fucking Sucks' out 23 Aug.
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deadmau5 has released his new single ‘Quezacotl’.