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Click JUMP to skip direct to a section of this email or ONLINE to read and share stories on the CMU website (JUMP option may not work in all email readers). For regular updates from Team CMU follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A guide to upcoming events from and involving CMU, including seminars, masterclasses and conference sessions from CMU Insights and workshops from CMU:DIY, plus other events where CMU journalists are speaking or moderating. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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US industry rallies as safe harbours review deadline arrives Though this wasn't just an impromptu sing song to mark the arrival of April, this was a formal submission to the debate on safe harbour provisions contained within America's Digital Millennium Copyright Act, a discussion instigated by the country's Copyright Office right at the end of 2015. The deadline for such submissions was recently extended until midnight tonight, hence the music industry's only slightly made-up lyrical demand. As much previously reported, the so called safe harbours are rules in copyright law that say that intermediaries like internet service providers and server hosting companies cannot be held liable for the copyright infringement of their users, providing they have some sort of system in place via which rights owners can log when said users do infringe and demand the ISP or server firm remove the infringing files. Which is all super sensible, except platforms like YouTube have utilised the same safe harbours to build opt-out rather than opt-in streaming services. This means rights owners are obliged to monitor such services' servers 24/7 and request content be removed, and until they do so the digital firm can operate a set-up that competes with companies like Spotify, but without any of the liabilities and upfront costs incurred by opt-in streaming businesses. This, say the record labels and music publishers, has created a 'value gap', where YouTube-type services exploit the safe harbours to provide music streams at bargain basement (or zero) rates, which means they can offer the content free to the user without losing too much cash. This in turn makes it harder for the Spotifys of the world to hook in new users. It also results in Spotify and Deezer arguing that they need to offer free on-demand streams as well to have any chance of signing up sufficient paying subscribers. All of this has become the top bugbear of the music rights industry in the last eighteen months, with the "bloody value gap" now occupying the slot in record business press releases and reports that was traditionally reserved for "argh, piracy!" statements. With copyright law up for review in Europe, music firms have been lobbying hard to have safe harbours reformed in the EU so that YouTube et al would no longer qualify for protection. Then, over the Christmas break, the US Copyright Office announced that it too would be reviewing this controversial element of copyright law. Which is why, according to the Recording Industry Association Of America, nearly 400 artists, songwriters, managers and music industry trade groups and collecting societies have come together this week to ensure the American music community's viewpoint on safe harbours is loudly communicated. Hundreds of creators and performers, and over 40 artist managers, will make submissions, while "eighteen separate major music organisations representing virtually the entire music community" have come together to produce a one hundred page document that explains "the myriad flaws in the DMCA". Says the RIAA, everyone involved in this big submit is "demanding reforms to the antiquated DMCA which forces creators to police the entire internet for instances of theft, placing an undue burden on these artists and unfairly favouring technology companies and rogue pirate sites. All these diverse voices agree that the DMCA has failed to effectively prevent piracy and has distorted the music economy, undermining the next generation of creators and putting our cultural heritage at risk". RIAA boss Cary Sherman says: "I don't recall a time when the entire music community has united behind an issue like it has this one - speaking with a collective voice for reform of the DMCA. This outdated and dysfunctional law has hurt everyone involved in creating music, from the newest emerging artists and songwriters to the global superstars, from the smallest labels and publishers to the biggest majors. I hope this unprecedented coming together will encourage policymakers to take the steps necessary to update this law and ensure the creative future of music". That might be a bold ambition in the US, where even some of the industry's own people quietly admit that US Congress is unlikely to radically rewrite copyright law to Google's disadvantage. Though, presumably, the RIAA et al are hoping that the Copyright Office review coupled with this high profile push from key industry players and artists like Katy Perry, Steven Tyler and Lionel Richie might make some impact. While back in Europe, the industry's lobbyists seem much more bullish about their chances of getting safe harbours reformed, even if our sources in Brussels don't necessarily share that optimism. Google and the other web and tech giants will, of course, fight the music and wider entertainment industry on all of this. Already The Internet Association in the US has insisted that the DMCA is actually "smart law" that is working as intended. And anyway, artists and songwriters all surely love having to monitor the internet 24/7 for all and any infringement of their works, and if they didn't have all that to distract them, they'd just do something stupid like write a new song and record it. They didn't actually say that second bit. But I bet they thought it. And the IA did say in a blog post this week: "These smart laws allow people to post content that they have created on platforms - such as videos, reviews, pictures, and text. In essence, this is what makes the internet great. The safe harbours enable platforms to operate at the scale necessary to create huge benefits for consumers and creators. They have fuelled the creation of a booming domestic internet economy that was worth nearly $1 trillion or 6% of GDP in 2014". Yeah, whatever. Those angry artists should all do a We Are The World style version of my little folk song and truly engage their fans and American voters on this issue by posting it on, oh, hmm, probably YouTube. Damn. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tidal confirms it has served "legal notice" to service's former owners Reports appeared in the Nordic press that such notices had been filed with the former owners of the originally Norwegian streaming service earlier this week, just as Tidal was celebrating its first anniversary as a Jay-Z led concern. It did so by bragging about the various exclusives it has scored in the last year, while also announcing that it now has three million subscribers, up from the half million (maybe, maybe not) it inherited from the original Tidal company, that mainly traded under the WiMP brand in Europe. Confirming that those legal notices had indeed been sent, a spokesman for Tidal said yesterday: "We are excited that one year after Tidal launched, we have surpassed three million subscribers globally. The growth in our subscriber numbers has been even more phenomenal than we've previously shared". But, the spokesman added: "It became clear after taking control of Tidal and conducting our own audit that the total number of subscribers was actually well below the 540,000 reported to us by the prior owners. As a result, we have now served legal notice to parties involved in the sale". One of those parties, media firm Schibsted, has insisted that WiMP's original owner, Aspiro, was a publicly listed business and complied with all the transparency rules that come with being a public company. Tidal didn't want to get into the specifics of the squabble, instead concluding that: "While we cannot share further comment during active legal proceedings, we're proud of our success and remain focused on delivering the best experience for artists and fans". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Universal Music's US production music business announces new alliance with SESAC Confirming the new deal, the Worldwide President of Universal Publishing Production Music, Gary Gross, told reporters: "We're proud that this agreement provides greater value to our songwriters and pleased to expand our relationship with SESAC. Today's announcement reflects our commitment to maximise writers' revenues and bring them as many creative opportunities as we can". Fans of song rights administration technicalities should note that "the agreement removes a specific universe of works from the ASCAP repertory and does not affect a songwriter's decision to continue overall membership in ASCAP". Also, Universal Publishing's relationship with ASCAP "remains close", Gross insists, despite this monumental "fuck you". I mean, small change in administrative emphasis. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SFX founder pens departing memo Sillerman is being replaced as the firm goes through the bankruptcy process, the plan being that a new privately owned SFX cut free of most of its liabilities will come out the other side, under new management and with a new focus - likely prioritising the core festivals business - and with high hopes of turning its portfolio of still respected dance music brands into something closer to a profitable enterprise. "As most of you are aware Thursday, 31 Mar will be my last day as CEO of SFX", Sillerman wrote in his memo, published by Billboard. "The disappointment I know we all feel should not be the lasting impression that remains. We had a bold vision, a revolutionary one. That we stumbled along the way can never detract from the energy and hope that brought us all together". Ah, hope. If only you could monetise that. "As we enter this next phase, despite the place we find ourselves, there is much to be proud of", he goes on. "It remains incumbent on all of us to refocus our energies and find the path to success that is out there. I am confident that with renewed discipline combined with passion and creativity that our original goals can and will be met". Sillerman becomes Chairman of the all-new SFX, which means, he says, "I remain available to help in any way that I can. I maintain both an emotional and financial interest in our company's success and intend to participate as and when called upon. As such this is anything but a goodbye; rather a reset of roles with a renewed emphasis on collaborative success. While we aren't where we wanted to be, and will be, it has been an honour and a pleasure". Indeed it has. Though I didn't buy any stock in the company and see it slump in value to basically nothing. Still, most of the people who did were Wall Street gits who bought the "EDM isn't just a bubble" myth, so, it probably serves them right. An honour and a pleasure it is, then. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radio 1 to air student radio curated show Airing on Monday evenings, the Student Radio Playlist show will "feature an hour-long mix of themed music that will reflect students lives". Any student radio station affiliated with the Student Radio Association can submit a proposed playlist that they would like to see aired, and Radio 1 chiefs will pick their favourite twelve. Says Hughes: "I've been increasingly impressed over the last few years with the quality of student radio content and I'm delighted that Radio 1 can offer the opportunity for twelve student radio stations to showcase the best of their curatorial and mixing talent with these themed playlist programmes". I had a student radio show once, over there on Edinburgh's Fresh Air. That was a very long time ago now, so I don't qualify for this new venture, but I've still put together a little playlist consisting of all the songs we played during one particularly memorable two hour show. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Emerging artists discuss the challenges of making it in music "Being a musician is like setting up a company, and you're the product", says Anna Lena Bruland. "So you need this bank-load of money to start with to get your first record, to get all your press shots, to get music videos, to get funding to go on tours. It's insane how much money goes [into it]. Rehearsals cost a lot of money - in London it's very expensive. You need new equipment, you need new gear, it's very expensive. If you go on tour, it's very expensive". "It's incredibly emotionally draining to have this rollercoaster ride where one month you might be gigging and touring around and getting great success, and then the next month you've got nothing going on", adds Douglas Dare. "And that's just one side of the emotional [challenge]. It could [also] be the reaction you get from people online. That can be difficult". If that hasn't put you off, then there are some positive sides to life as a musician too, of course. But find out more of the challenges in the video here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kanye's Life Of Pablo no longer a Tidal exclusive, rapper working with Scooter Braun As previously reported, one track from the album, 'Famous', appeared on other streaming services over the Easter weekend. It was then followed by another, 'I Love Kanye', earlier this week. Then the biggest of a series of updates to the album on Tidal were made, with new versions of twelve tracks being uploaded. This possibly marks the end of the album as "a living breathing changing creative expression", as West has previously described it; its release across other services seemingly marking its completion. Which is an interesting way of working if nothing else. And one only really feasible in the streaming age. Elsewhere in Kanye news, Billboard reckons that the rapper has new management, in the form of Scooter Braun. West has reportedly been working with Justin Bieber's manager alongside his existing rep Izzy Zivkovic for around a month. Although a second source suggests that this is more of a consultation than a formal management deal. -------------------------------------------------- Paul McCartney announces "fun to listen to" solo best of "Me and my team came up with the idea of putting together a collection of my recordings with nothing else in mind other than having something fun to listen to", says noted egotist McCartney. I'm not sure at what point someone actually suggested that this collection might be something they could sell, though where you might listen to it was definitely on the agenda early on. "Maybe it's to be enjoyed on a long car journey or an evening at home or at a party with friends? So we got our heads together and came up with these diverse playlists from various periods of my long and winding career". "The word 'career' is a bit misleading, because to me it has been more like a musical adventure than a proper job", he corrects himself. "It pleases me, and often amazes me, that I've been involved in the writing and recording of so many songs, each of them so different from the others". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AIM, Rihanna, Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld, more Other notable announcements and developments today... Â The Association Of Independent Music has extended its "ground-breaking licensing deal" with the BBC and BBC Worldwide which has seen "AIM members release numerous new commercial projects". That's this 2014 deal, in case you wondered. Â Rihanna has released the video for 'Kiss It Better'. Click here if you don't believe me (and also if you do). Â Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld have teamed up again to write the soundtrack for psychological thriller 'Lavender'. Directed by Ed Gass-Donnelly the film will premiere later this month at the Tribece Film Festival. Â Babymetal's new album 'Metal Resistance' is out today. Here's the video for seven minute epic 'The One'. Â Perfume are set to release new album 'Cosmic Explorer' on 6 Apr. Here's a bit of new single 'Flash!' Â Yoni Wolf from Why? and fellow alt rapper Serengeti have made an album together as Yoni & Geti. It's called 'Testarossa'. This is 'Madeline'. Â The Body have released a video for 'The Fall And The Guilt'. Â 18+ will release new album 'Collect' on 20 May. Here's lead single 'Drama'. Also on 20 May, you'll be able to catch them at The Pickle Factory in London. Â Yulippe has released a new track called 'Touch'. Listen to it, it's great. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
CMU Beef Of The Week #299: Keith Richards v Artists Today Both Richards and Mick Jagger chatted to Time Out about their upcoming career retrospective exhibition at the Satchi Gallery in London, which opens on 5 Apr. "The Stones are prolific songwriters", posited the interviewer. "So do you think it's crazy that huge artists today like Adele and Rihanna use so many songwriters?" The premise that the use of songwriters is a ruse thought up by "huge artists today" is a shaky one to start with. Though I suppose you could possibly argue that the fact artists like Rihanna use such a large number of songwriters to craft their songs is a newer phenomenon. Though her success would suggest that this is not a "crazy" strategy. "Well, they can't rely on themselves, can they?" came a particularly Richardian reply. And that's a fair assessment, I guess. Rihanna is not a songwriter, she is a performer. Therefore, she requires songwriters to create songs for her to perform. These songwriters, in the main, are not performers. So why not ask, "do you think it's crazy that huge songwriters today don't perform their own songs?" It wouldn't be any less daft. Adele also muddies this question and Richards' answer too. Adele and Rihanna's processes aren't really comparable. Adele, for one thing, is a songwriter. And she tends to write with a single writing partner each time, finding the collaborative process useful. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger also write together, so should we assume that they are inferior artists too? After all, I'm going to guess that you'd rather listen to a Rolling Stones album than one of their solo works. And anyway, the early part of The Rolling Stones' career was largely built on covers and songs written by other people, so I'm not sure how much stone throwing should be going on here. "Fair enough", replied the interviewer, incorrectly. "What do you make of music nowadays?" "Music nowadays" is a very unspecific term, isn't it? But whatever, vagueness allows the interviewee to decide what the question means. So what, in the opinion of Keith Richards, constitutes "music nowadays"? "It goes round in cycles", he began. "We're in the midst of a heavy-duty showbiz period, even stronger than when we killed it last time. 'The X-Factor' and all this competition shit. It's just for people who want to be famous. Well, if it's fame you want, good luck. You'd better learn to live with it". Did The Rolling Stones "kill" the previous "heavy-duty showbiz" period? I'm not sure how history views that war. Still, maybe he's right that we now have a young generation of artists who are simply waiting around for their turn at fame, expecting that to just happen, while being unwilling to respect the hard graft behind true artistry - or even the compromised artistry of co-songwriters Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. Though, it's possible one reason so few 'X-Factor' finalists actually sustain long-term careers is the post-show realisation of how much work goes into it such a thing. "You'd better learn to live with it", is probably sound advice. "Be careful what you wish for", might also fit. Of course, for those that want to put the work in, it's a lot harder to set yourself up in London today while you perfect your act, as The Stones did in the early 60s. "I know that Brian [Jones] and Keith were [at home] all day, while I was going to the LSE", said Jagger of their early days. "And it was definitely a time when we were working hard, learning the blues, endlessly, all night... imbibing it. It was a major part of the band coming together". Of course, pointed out the interviewer, that kind of existence isn't possible now, so is Jagger aware of how lucky they were? "We were just living a student lifestyle", shrugged Jagger. "There were lots of other people living that kind of lifestyle back then. We didn't think we were particularly lucky. During those days we hardly had any money at all. Our parents used to give us some, like if we'd spent too much money in the pub and didn't have enough for food, know what I mean?" I think we can take that as a "no". An existence where you just needed the occasional loan for a sandwich sounds delightful. But with those days gone, perhaps it's easier to see why some try to sidestep the hard part of making it in music, and why the few who succeed in doing so employ others to ensure their work is as good as it can be when they get there. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Send ALL press releases to musicnews@unlimitedmedia.co.uk - this is checked daily by the whole editorial team meaning your release will definitely get to the right person. For details of the training and consultancy services offered by CMU Insights click here - Andy and Chris are also available to provide music business comment, just email them direct. To promote your company or advertise jobs or services to the entire UK music industry via the CMU bulletin or website contact Sam on 020 7099 9060 or email ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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