Apple rumoured to be in talks with Tidal
There have been a number of rumours that Jay-Z is trying to offload Tidal since he acquired the streaming service and relaunched it at that infamous press event back in March last year. Though less so since the digital platform's series of big-name exclusives actually started to pay off in terms of signing up new users.

But now we have a big fat new rumour to that affect, with the Wall Street Journal reporting that Apple has had some speculative talks about possibly acquiring Tidal and merging it with its own streaming platform.

The chatter goes that Apple is impressed with Tidal's close relationships with various A-list artists, many of whom are amongst the firm's cabal of celebrity shareholders, or are managed by Jay-Z's Roc Nation business, or the management agencies owned by his main business partner Live Nation.

Apple, of course, bought in its own direct line to musical talent by acquiring Beats and its founders Dr Dre and record industry veteran Jimmy Iovine before launching itself into the streaming music market, though bosses at the IT giant have possibly noticed that Tidal is scoring exclusives on more of the really big releases. And there are still those who believe that exclusive content is the way to secure competitive advantage in the streaming market, especially if you're not willing to operate a loss-leading freemium level.

While recent exclusives from Rihanna, Beyonce and Kanye West - and exclusive access to the Prince catalogue - have certainly helped Tidal gain some momentum this year, streaming music remains a risky and costly business for the platforms, and therefore requires deep pockets.

Which is one of the reasons behind the speculation that Jay-Z and his popstar buddies are looking for another partner in the Tidal business. The fact the company initially struggled to keep hold of its senior executives in the wake of Jay-Z's acquisition was also a reason why some thought the hip hop mogul might bail on the project early.

Though, while a merger with Apple Music might result in a quick return on the Tidal investment, it would also likely mean giving up quite a bit of control, which may or may not be an issue for Jay Z. But a merger with, say, Rhapsody/Napster, which has been previously mooted, would get Tidal a few million more users and some useful tel co alliances, and could see Team Roc Nation still in control.

Either way, we should note that while the WSJ's sources say initial talks have taken place between Apple and Tidal, reps for the latter say that's not the case, and even those sources claiming that there has been a conversation concede that it's early days and far from assured any deal with be done. So, don't be getting too excited about the prospect of a Tidal wave of Apples just yet.

YouTube exec bigs up the incoming 'value shift' as a thousand artists hit out at 'value gap'
YouTube's Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan has written an op-ed for Billboard in which he urges the music industry to stick with free streaming, wooing artists and labels with the promise that the big boom in online advertising income is yet to happen. He's also twisted the industry's anti-YouTube buzz term 'value gap' to do so.

Writes Mohan: "While the recent concerns artists have made about the copyright safe harbour reflect a fear of losing money from ad-supported streaming, the truth is, it is a new source of revenue that is poised to dramatically increase. As digital consumption grows and more print, radio and TV advertising dollars shift online, the music industry has a chance to reap a massive windfall".

Although in the early days of streaming the music industry did often talk up the potential of advertising as a big future revenue stream, of late most labels have lost their enthusiasm for ad-funded services, mainly because the premium subscription platforms are now bringing in way more money than any of the freebie set-ups, whether its YouTube, Pandora or Spotify freemium.

They tolerate the latter because of the theory that Spotify freemium signs up premium users. Meanwhile, Pandora can operate under a compulsory licence in the US, and - the labels argue - the safe harbours that allow YouTube to operate an opt-out rather than opt-in streaming service increase the Google company's negotiating hand, meaning labels have to sign up for a service they don't actually approve of.

Much is made about how the free streaming services have by far the most users but bring in a modest amount of money. Of course, to an extent, that's not an entirely new phenomenon, in that in the past the majority of people got the majority of their music via radio - free to access, and paying nominal royalties to the music industry - while a minority of consumers contributed the majority of the money by buying CDs.

The problem today, though, is that unlike with radio and CDs, the free and paid for options are very similar. But the upside, reckons Mohan, is that the potential ad income from free streaming services is significantly more than radio ever generated for the music community, partly because digital services commit to pay a much bigger share of ad income over to the labels and publishers.

"For all the people who purchase subscriptions, there is an even larger audience all over the world that won't pay, or simply can't afford the price of a subscription", he writes. "The majority of music listeners - around 80% - are casual fans who, rather than buying CDs or digital downloads, are happy just listening to the radio. And despite earning $35 billion a year in ad revenue, radio pays no royalties to labels and artists in countries like the US, and only a very small share of revenue in Europe".

Labels and publishers have previously reacted negatively to YouTube trying to position itself as the modern equivalent of radio, and of course the US is almost unique in not forcing radio stations to pay any royalties to the labels (publishers are paid). Though it is true that streaming platforms commit way more of their revenue to the music industry than traditional broadcasters ever did.

"The industry now has a fantastic opportunity to earn revenue from these casual fans thanks to digital advertising", Mohan goes on. "Unlike radio, ad-supported digital services like the free tiers of Pandora, Spotify, SoundCloud and YouTube pay out the majority of their ad revenue to labels, publishers and artists, which means they only earn revenue when their partners do".

So there's lots more cash incoming, says the YouTube man. "As casual fans consume more of their music online and less on radio, the industry will begin to earn revenue from 100% of the people who enjoy music, not just the 20% who buy CD's, vinyl or streaming subscriptions. This could result in a multi-billion dollar 'value shift' from radio to artists and songwriters. While a healthy subscription business may eventually sign-up 200-300 million people worldwide, the ad-supported market has the potential to earn money from three billion people who are currently online".

Did you see it? 'Value shift'. Give that man a buzzword gong. It's a gallant attempt to talk round the increasingly tetchy music community, in a bid to counter the war of words on both sides of the Atlantic which has seen labels, publishers, collecting societies, managers and, crucially, artists all hitting out at YouTube, its business model and the royalties it pays, and the safe harbours in copyright law that allow it all. Though I don't see it having a big impact. Not until this promised new flood of advertising cash starts to flow in.

Meanwhile, talking about the tetchy music community and its war of words against YouTube and safe harbours, a small phone directory of artists have put their name to a letter sent to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker calling on him to fix the good old 'value gap' in Europe.

"This is a pivotal moment for music", says the letter. "Consumption is exploding. Fans are listening to more music than ever before. Consumers have unprecedented opportunities to access the music they love, whenever and wherever they want to do so. But the future is jeopardised by a substantial 'value gap' caused by user-upload services such as Google's YouTube that are unfairly siphoning value away from the music community and its artists and songwriters".

"This situation is not just harming today's recording artists and songwriters" the letter goes on. "It threatens the survival of the next generation of creators too, and the viability and the diversity of their work".

Ed Sheeran, James Bay, Lianne La Havas, Little Mix, Mark Ronson, Paloma Faith, Tom Odell and The 1975 are among the Brits whose names are included at the bottom the letter, though I'm not sure how much sway UK artists will actually have with the top man at the European Commission just now. But don't worry, there are plenty of music makers from elsewhere in Europe in amongst the 1000+ signatories, none of whom would dream of dumping the EU just for laughs. Not at all. So fix things, Juncker.

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Lawyer who led song-theft lawsuit against Led Zeppelin suspended
The lawyer who led the plagiarism case against Led Zeppelin has been suspended from practicing law for three months in relation to his conduct during another copyright infringement lawsuit.

Before scoring over one hundred sustained objections against his statements in court during the 'Stairway To Heaven' song-theft trial last month, attorney Francis Malofiy was previously accused of misconduct over allegations that he tricked a defendant into signing an affidavit as part of copyright battle around Usher's 'Bad Girl'.

A three-judge panel ruled against Malofiy in relation to the case last year ordering the three month suspension. The lawyer appealed, arguing that he didn't break any rules, and even if he did, the proposed punishment was too harsh. But this week an appeals panel upheld the earlier ruling, meaning Malofiy cannot now practice law until the autumn. Which could affect his involvement in any appeal of the 'Stairway' case.

As previously reported, Malofiy's client - who accused Led Zepp of ripping off Spirit song 'Taurus' when writing their big hit - lost the case. Although Malofiy's ban technically relates to Pennsylvania, it is unlikely he'd be allowed to front a case in California while the suspension was underway. So if there is a 'Stairway' appeal incoming, it may be the less high profile co-counsel which worked for the plaintiffs who would have to lead second time around.

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NWA manager case against 'Straight Outta Compton' to proceed, just
The defamation lawsuit being pursued by former NWA manager Jerry Heller against the producers of the 'Straight Outta Compton' movie will proceed, despite the judge saying that most of the scenes in the film to which the one-time manager took offence were just fine.

Judge Michael Fitzgerald previously knocked back an attempt by the film's producer to have the lawsuit dismissed, but in a new ruling has concluded that many of the scenes in which Heller is portrayed have parallels with the former manager's own telling of his time managing the legendary hip hop outfit, while adding that a biopic is allowed to portray events in a "colourful and hyperbolic" way.

But, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Fitzgerald says that one thing possibly does amount to an inaccurate and unfair portrayal. "The film arguably portrays plaintiff as an exploitative record label manager who attempted to take advantage of an unsophisticated artist by discouraging him from retaining an attorney during contract negotiations", wrote the judge earlier this week. There is nothing in the record to suggest that is in anyway true, it seems.

He goes on: "Viewers would not necessarily interpret the manager's attempts to prevent an unsophisticated artist from hiring an attorney in a favourable or even neutral light. Those attempts go beyond what is normally expected at the negotiation table, and agents who engage in such tactics may well carry a bad reputation in the industry".

And on that point - which seemingly relates to two scenes in the film - the defamation case can continue. Though the judge concedes that Heller's team might struggle to show that this particular portrayal of the manager was done with actual malice, which would be required to win a defamation case in this jurisdiction.

Absolut and Deadmau5 team up for VR game
Absolut and Deadmau5 have teamed up to create a new virtual reality game, which you can play on your Google Cardboard headset.

"[Absolut] wanted to get outside of the normal commercial cycle of our regular advertising and media promotions", Afdhel Aziz, head of Absolut Labs, told Adweek. "Every brand needs to start thinking about how to create experiences, whether they are digital experiences or physical experiences, that are really either delightful or useful".

Is this game delightful or useful? Here's an eighteen second video on which you can judge for yourself.

NME confirms extra distribution at ten festivals this summer
NME will be distributing itself at ten festivals this summer, the magazine's publishers has confirmed, having dished out the now freebie music mag at Glastonbury last weekend. Time Inc UK says that it will have over 240 distributors handing out extra copies of the magazine "at the most popular travel points for each festival, as well as at festival hot spots"

Says Time Inc UK's Paul Cheal: "NME's intelligent distribution strategy is agile and responsive to audience trends. Launching one-off distribution points is an important part of that strategy and it makes sense for us to have a presence at large scale events targeting the same audience".

Noting how that agile, responsive and, blimey, intelligent festival distribution strategy is already working, he goes on: "The active hand-to-hand distribution optimises the opportunity to put the product directly into the hands of our audience and our festival distribution at travel hubs around Radio 1's Big Weekend delivered solid results with 10,000 copies distributed".

Slipknot frontman falls off stage on second show back after spinal surgery
Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor fell of stage at a gig in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this week. Not the best thing to happen at any show, but certainly not what you want when it's only your second performance after undergoing spinal surgery.

Assuring fans all was well, Taylor tweeted yesterday: "Don't worry, I'm okay! I think that fall was one for the ages, haha! DAMN it hurt".

Slipknot were forced to postpone the start of their US tour with Marilyn Manson earlier this month, after Taylor was admitted to hospital suffering from a broken back. He had apparently sustained the injury some weeks prior, but had not sought treatment until the pain had become too severe.

Anna Meredith wins Scottish Album Of The Year Award
Anna Meredith has won this year's Scottish Album Of The Year Award, as well she should. 'Varmints' should probably receive any award you've got going, so this is a good one to start with.

"It has been a total honour and a privilege to be on the longlist and shortlist for the SAY Award", said Meredith. "It has been great getting to know all of the other albums and during these politically difficult times to see positivity, creativity and spirit coming out of the longlist and shortlist. Thank you to all of those artists. Huge thanks to the SAY Award and my long suffering and hugely talented band who helped me make this real labour of love".

Of the album, she adds: "Pacing is a physical thing. I can feel when stuff has to happen in a track. I knew I wanted 'Varmints' to end privately but start confidently, have moments of privacy and moments of power and build. I love writing a build - my friends talk about 'the Meredith Build'! I love the feeling of 'get on board, we're building up now!' Even if you're dancing at a club, there's an amazing transparency to a build. When somebody is creating anticipation, it's a very communal experience and I don't like hiding those structures".

Here's the video for 'Taken' from 'Varmints'.

Rihanna, Years & Years, ILMC, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• ILMC is shifting to a midweek format in 2017, taking place on Wednesday to Friday, rather than Friday to Sunday. So that's the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington on 8-10 Mar.

• Rihanna's new video for 'Sledgehammer' was premiered in IMAX cinemas yesterday, but you can watch it here now.

• Do you remember when releasing four singles from an album was consider a bit much? Here's the video for 'Worship', the eighth single from Years & Years' debut album.

• Of Montreal have posted the video for 'It's Different For Girls'.

• Mick Harvey has released the video for 'Deadly Tedium', his translation of Serge Gainsbourg's 'Ce Mortel Ennui'. It's taken from his recently released third album of Gainsbourg translations, 'Delirium Temens'.

• Van Morrison will release a new album, 'Keep Me Singing', on 30 Sep. He's touring in November too.

• You remember the other day when you were saying it was about time Still Corners released another album? Well it's called 'Dead Blue' and it's out on 16 Sep. Here's the first single, 'Lost Boys'.

• A former Pipette has recorded some music in Welsh. No, not Gwenno. Her sister Ani. Here is 'Y Ddawns' by Ani Glass.

• Dena has a new single called 'Trust' coming out on 2 Sep. Here's the first single, 'Lights, Camera, Action'.

• Lovestarrs have got a new single out, 'Somebody Like You'.

• Jherek Bischoff will play his first ever UK headline show at the Courtyard Theatre in Shoreditch on 26 Jul, with Amanda Palmer and a string quartet. Album and ticket bundles here.

• Peaches is going to be over here on tour in November, including two shows at London's Oval Space. Here are the dates.

CMU Beef Of The Week #312: David Cameron v The Smiths
Yeah, you're right, this would be the perfect time to resurrect the 'pop v Brexit' theme in this column, given all the chat there's been in the last week about the utter disaster the UK is currently sliding itself into. But pop didn't stop us from getting into this mess, did it? In many ways, I think pop is the real villain in this story.

No, not really. It's David Cameron, isn't it? For all the various bit players who have and are in the process of entirely fucking us all over, his unwillingness to do his job before or after the referendum is the catalyst for all of what we now face. So let's just needlessly poke fun at him for the rest of this article.

Thankfully, David Cameron makes it easy to laugh at him, due to his long proclaimed love of The Smiths. Amazingly, this has now been rolling on for ten years, ever since Cameron picked 'This Charming Man' by The Smiths as one of his favourite songs on Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs'. His repeated claims to be "a big fan" of the band eventually led guitarist Johnny Marr to proclaim in 2010: "David Cameron, stop saying that you like The Smiths, no you don't. I forbid you to like it".

Cameron has since defied this, saying that he will "go on and listen to The Smiths". Has he though? Has he really? Has he, in fact, ever heard The Smiths, beyond once catching a bit of a song on the radio by accident?

During Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday, Cameron invoked Morrissey and the gang in a dig at Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, saying: "I've never felt greater support from my party and I'm leaving. And I've never seen an opposition leader with less support and he's staying. As someone about to enter the political graveyard perhaps I could misquote my favourite man and say 'let's meet at the cemetery gates'!"

He did indeed misquote his "favourite man", because the actual line form 'Cemetery Gates' is "So I meet you at the cemetery gates". Labour MP Kerry McCarthy - not for the first time - then attempted to engage Cameron in debate via the means of lyrics from other songs on the band's 'The Queen Is Dead' album.

"If the Prime Minister is going to dig out his copy of 'The Queen Is Dead' album, he might want to depress himself even further by listening to my favourite track, 'I Know It's Over'. Although as far as the Labour Party's concerned, it's 'There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out'".

"I was interested that the Labour Party's favourite Smiths song was 'There Is A Light That Never Goes Out'", Cameron shot back, at least getting the title right. "Because it actually involves a double suicide. And I think the lyrics are, 'And if a double decker bus crashes into us, there's no finer way than by your side'. I think I'm right in saying. I'm not sure that's wholly reassuring to the front bench. I think the next verse is, 'If a ten tonne truck crashes into us'".

Passing the floor back to Labour for the next question, speaker of the house John Bercow said: "I didn't know the Prime Minister had quite such a compendious knowledge of modern music. I'm extraordinarily impressed".

Right, first, Bercow, 'The Queen Is Dead' came out in 1986. Secondly, David Cameron is always banging on about The Smiths and what a big fan he is. And thirdly, he just got arguably the most famous lyric Morrissey ever wrote wrong. That's twice he misquoted his "favourite man" in the space of a few minutes.

The correct words are, "And if a double decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die". A subtle difference, perhaps. But "there's no finer way than by your side", come on man. That sounds like the kind of lyric only a man entirely out of touch with society would come up with. Oh.

It's worth going back and seeing what other songs the soon to be ex-Prime Minister picked on 'Desert Island Discs' now, because some are starting to seem more apt. He closed his playlist with 'All These Things That I've Done' by The Killers, and the song he said he'd save over the others if the waves washed them away was 'Tied Up In Blue' by Bob Dylan.