Erased Tapes Records // Label & Production Manager (London)

ICE Licensing // Senior DSP Audit & Assurance Manager (London)

ICE Licensing // DSP Audit and Assurance Manager (London)

Nonclassical // Executive Director (London)

Today's music business news

TOP STORY

US senators propose new laws to ramp up the battle against ticketing bots

Two US senators have introduced new legislative proposals to beef up existing laws that seek to stop the use of bots by ticket touts (or scalpers) to hoover up tickets to in-demand events.

One of those senators, Marsha Blackburn, previously instigated the 2016 BOTS Act, which banned the use of ticketing bots. The new proposals seek to better enforce the ban.

“A fan should be able to buy tickets to live events without bots stealing them and hiking the price”, the senator says. “We have given the FTC the tools they need to help reduce ticket costs and protect consumers and artists from scammers. Now we must ensure they are enforcing it. This bipartisan legislation builds upon my work to safeguard artists and their fans in the online ticket marketplace”.

The new proposals are set out in the Mitigating Automated Internet Networks for Event Ticketing Act - or the MAIN Event Ticketing Act if you prefer - with Democrat Ben Ray Luján joining Republican Blackburn in introducing the legislation in Congress.

A summary of the act states that the new laws would create "reporting requirements whereby online ticket sellers have to report successful bot attacks to the FTC". There would also be "data security requirements for online ticket sellers" and obligations to share information between the FTC and law enforcement.

The act would also require the launch of a complaints database via which ticket-buyers “can share their experiences with the FTC", which would in turn be "required to share the information with state attorneys general". And there would be a requirement for the FTC to update Congress on BOTS Act enforcement.

There have been lots of proposals for new laws in relation to ticketing in the US this year, after the debacle last year around the sale of tickets to Taylor Swift's tour put the wider ticketing business very much back into the spotlight. 

Generally speaking, different stakeholders in the live music community have different priorities when it comes to what new rules should be introduced.

That said, pretty much everyone opposes the use of bots by touts to access tickets from primary ticketing sites. Other than the bot users, obviously. But the resale platforms that touts and scalpers utilise to sell on their tickets are also usually supportive of anti-bot legislation.

The US National Independent Venue Association said yesterday: "We believe in restoring trust in the ticketing experience for fans, and we stand ready to work with Senators Blackburn and Luján to ensure this legislation advances as part of critical comprehensive ticketing reform".

And Live Nation's Ticketmaster told Billboard: "We see first-hand that scalper bot armies are only getting larger and more sophisticated. Scalpers make billions each year and, until there are real consequences, they will continue to rob fans of tickets at the onsale, which is why we’ve long supported much stronger enforcement".

ONE LINERS

The Beatles, Pendulum, Mount Kimbie + more

DEALS

Warner Chappell has renewed its deal with songwriter Rick Boardman, who has penned hits for the likes of The Jonas Brothers, Marshmello, Louis Tomlinson and Khalid. “Since streaming became the dominant way to consume music, music has become more global, and subsequently I’ve taken a much more global approach to my writing”, he says. “Working with the Warner Chappell team I hope to continue to collaborate with the world’s biggest artists and enjoy more global hits”.

APPOINTMENTS

UK collecting society PRS For Music has appointed Janeace Thompson to the newly created role of Director Of Talent, Culture And Experience. “Learning and development, recruitment, and attraction are the enablers of diversity and inclusion”, she says. “The design of this role is genius because I'm across all those three areas and, with the broad view I have, I can merge it all together”.

Blue Raincoat Music has appointed Dan Walton as Project Manager (Catalogue), James Batsford as Project Manager, Ben Asplin as Copyright Manager (Commercial Music Operations), and Tian Anderson as Artist Management Assistant. “As Blue Raincoat Music continues to enjoy growth across all of its divisions, finding the right people to help oversee our strategy and steer our projects is mission critical”, says COO Alison Wenham. “In Dan, James, Ben and Tian we have added four hugely talented and passionate members to our team”.

RELEASES

The Beatles have released their last EVER EVER EVER song ‘Now And Then’, featuring contributions from all four members of the band. Created from a demo recorded by John Lennon, prior attempts to complete it in the 1990s were abandoned due to sound quality. It has now been revived using AI technology.

Take That have released the title track of their upcoming new album ‘This Life’. The album itself is out on 24 Nov.

Grimes and Sevdaliza have teamed up for new single ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’. “Admiration and adoration turn into weapons when women challenge expectations”, says Sevdaliza on the inspiration for the track. “True liberation is breaking free from inner and outer expectations, a journey worth embracing despite the bruises”.

Pendulum have released new single ‘Mercy Killing’, featuring rapper Scarlxrd. “We generally get bored very easily and suffer from artistic ADHD”, says the band’s Rob Swire. “So when the opportunity came through to work with an artist as different as Scarlxrd, we jumped at the chance”. The band's new EP ‘Anima’ is also out today.

Love Minus Zero - aka Hudson Mohawke and Tiga - have released new single ‘Silence Of Love’, featuring Jesse Boykins III. Their first album ‘L’Ecstasy’ is out on 1 Dec.

Mount Kimbie are back with new track ‘Dumb Guitar’. They’ve also announced UK tour dates in May, kicking off with a show at the Roundhouse in London on 3 May.

Torres has released new single ‘I Got The Fear’. “Most days I really believe humanity will find a way”, she says of the inspiration for the song. “But there’s a nagging anxiety that maybe that won’t happen. One has to wonder if it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that a species that believes it’s doomed will doom itself”. Her new album ‘What An Enormous Room’ is out on 26 Jan.

The very much excellent USA Nails have released new single ‘Feel Worse’ and announced that they will release their latest album - also called ‘Feel Worse’ - on 22 Mar 2024. The new song looks at teenage bullying, with frontman Steve Hodgson reflecting: “As youngsters, we jostle for social positioning and at times it’s at the expense of other people’s well-being. I used to say my teenage years were character building but, on reflection, I’d probably say they were character destroying, and those who made me feel so small through physical and emotional attacks probably don’t remember”.

GIGS & TOURS

Green Day have announced two UK shows next summer. They will play Manchester’s Old Trafford Stadium on 21 Jun and Wembley Stadium in London on 29 Jun. Tickets are available now. The band’s new album ‘Saviors’ is out on 19 Jan. From it, this is new single ‘Look Ma, No Brains!’

LIVE

Glastonbury delays ticket on-sale by two weeks

The Glastonbury Festival has pushed back the on-sale date for tickets to next year’s edition by two weeks. Coach and admission bundles were set to go on sale yesterday evening, followed by general admission tickets this Sunday.

The last minute shift in dates is down to issues in relation to a recent call for ticket buyers who registered with the festival before 2020 to re-confirm their details in order to avoid being deleted from its See Tickets-managed system. The deadline for that was 30 Oct.

However, it seems that after the deadline passed, many people were surprised to receive emails saying that their details were being removed. Some individuals affected by this have complained online that they got that email despite going through the re-confirmation process.

“Unfortunately”, says the festival in a statement, “it has come to light that some individuals hoping to buy tickets for 2024 have discovered after Monday's registration deadline that they are no longer registered, despite believing they were”.

“Out of fairness to those individuals, we will be re-opening the window for registration at twelve noon on Monday, 6 Nov”, it went on. “It will remain open until 5pm on Monday, 13 Nov”.

It is unclear how many individuals were affected by the mix up. If you’re planning to purchase tickets for next year, it’s probably a good idea to go to glas.to/lookup and double check that your details remain on file.

The delay means that coach and festival ticket bundles will now go on sale at 6pm on 16 Nov, followed by general admission tickets at 9am on 19 Nov.

DEALS

Concord completes acquisition of Round Hill Music Royalty Fund catalogues

Concord has completed its acquisition of the catalogues previously owned by the Round Hill Music Royalty Fund.

The board of the publicly listed fund, which was set up and managed by Round Hill Music, confirmed it had negotiated a $468.8 million deal with Concord back in September. Shareholders in the fund then approved that transaction last month.

The acquired catalogues include songs written and/or recorded by The Beatles, Alice In Chains, The Offspring, Elvis Presley, Meatloaf, James Brown and Billie Holiday. Concord also gets a stake in the Carlin Catalogue, which includes songs made famous by the likes of Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and George Harrison.

Confirming the acquisition was now completed, Concord CEO Bob Valentine said: “The entire team at Concord is THRILLED to be able to represent these iconic catalogues. It is now our obligation to expose these songs and recordings to an even larger audience than their existing extraordinary fanbases. Furthering the cultural impact that these works have is certainly a responsibility we take seriously".

“Since our inception", he added, "Concord has demonstrated a clear track record of preserving the legacy of our artists while leveraging new and innovative opportunities to create new fans. I can’t wait to see what our global creative teams of sync, licensing, marketing, copyright and royalty experts come up with next".

LIVE

AIF calls on government to support festivals as NASS cancels 2024 event

Organisers of the NASS Festival in Somerset have announced that the 2024 edition of the event will not go ahead, citing spiralling costs. Following the news, the Association Of Independent Festivals again called on the UK government to support the festival sector by lowering VAT on tickets.

“We're gutted to announce that NASS will not be taking place in 2024”, the festival’s organisers said in a statement. “This decision has not been made lightly. Unfortunately, we have found ourselves impacted by both the cost-of-living crisis and the significant increase in operational costs to run a show like NASS”.

“Regrettably, despite our best efforts, it's just not economically feasible to continue”, the statement continued. ”We want to say a huge thank you and heartfelt appreciation to all the artists, athletes, suppliers, partners, media and staff who have been part of NASS. And to you, our fans, thank you. NASS wouldn't have existed without you. We feel incredibly privileged that so many of you chose to party with us each summer - many for your first time at a festival”.

The music, street art, skateboarding and BMX festival launched in 2008 and this year hosted 30,000 people at the Royal Bath & West Showground in Shepton Mallett.

It is run by Vision Nine, which also operates the Boardmasters festival in Cornwall. Live firm Superstruct Entertainment took a stake in NASS ahead of the 2022 edition. Headliners this year were Chase & Status, Wu-Tang Clan and Little Simz.

Commenting on the cancellation, AIF CEO John Rostron said: “NASS Festival’s cancellation highlights the continued pressure festival operators are suffering in the face of sky high operating costs, and the urgent help many of them need to survive. NASS is a particularly painful loss for the UK’s cultural landscape. As a key gateway festival for many young people, its cancellation will have repercussions for the entire sector”.

“This is further evidence of the compounding impact of both COVID and the cost of living crisis, which means many young people have missed out or not returned to the live event experience”, he continued. “This coupled with high supply chain costs means the squeeze on festivals is increasing, leaving many with no choice but to close”.

Rostron closed his statement by reiterating a call on the UK government to lower the rate of VAT on festival tickets to 5% in order to aid the recovery of the sector.

LABELS & PUBLISHERS

Dua Lipa buys back song rights from TaP Music Publishing

Dua Lipa has bought back the rights in her songs catalogue from TaP Music Publishing.

In a short statement, the publishing division of TaP said: "TAP Music Publishing has sold the rights to Dua Lipa’s publishing in a move that sees Dua acquiring the rights to her songs. We wish Dua all the best for the future".

Lipa was previously managed by TaP Music, as well as being allied with its publishing division. She first started working with the company and its co-CEOs Ben Mawson and Ed Millet all the way back in 2013. The management relationship ended in February 2022.

The deal around her publishing comes as Lipa prepares to release new single 'Houdini' next week. A new album - her first since 2020's 'Future Nostalgia' - is expected next year.

Meanwhile, back at TaP, co-President Anna Neville stated yesterday: “This is an exciting time for our publishing company - we are expanding our services and teams globally and continue to add talented writers and artists to our already stellar roster”.

DIGITAL

Beatport launches new membership product for producers

Beatport has announced the launch of Beatport Studio, a new membership scheme for music producers which brings together tools and resources from different services within the Beatport group.

"Structured around a flexible and cost-effective model", says an official blurb, "Beatport Studio encompasses all the essentials for producers to establish, expand and refine their production style".

That includes "a diverse array of creative instruments and effects from the Plugin Boutique catalogue, the extensive sample libraries from Loopmasters, and the user-friendly workflow of Loopcloud".

Beatport boss Robb McDaniels adds: "Beatport Studio marks a significant milestone in our commitment to empowering music producers worldwide. We've harnessed the collective creative strength of Beatport’s Producer Group to deliver an integrated production marketplace that reflects our dedication to innovation and flexibility to ensure our users are at the forefront of shaping the sonic landscape".

The VP of Beatport’s Producer Group, Gareth Halsall, says: “It's an exciting time for music producers. We're proud to bring a new dimension to the industry by combining flexibility and choice, ultimately enriching the creative experience for our users. Beatport Studio is more than a membership: it's a gateway to a vast world of sound, right at your fingertips".

Beatport Studio is available for a monthly subscription of £11.99 or on an annual basis for £119.99.

AND FINALLY

Song theft claim against Mariah Carey's Christmas classic re-filed with US courts

It's a common debate at this time of the year: when is it too soon to start playing Christmas songs? Can festive hits be played as soon as Halloween is out of the way, or is US Thanksgiving the starting point, or maybe midday on 24 Dec? But here's another question for you: when is it too early to be filing your Christmas song litigation? Is 1 Nov ahead of the mark for such things?

Well, songwriter Vince Vance will be hoping not, because he's just filed his latest lawsuit claiming song theft in relation to Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'. That's exactly a year to the day that he was last making filings with a court in relation to this claim. Though on 1 Nov 2022 he was actually dismissing a lawsuit, not launching one.

Anyway, Vance co-wrote a song called 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' that was originally released in 1989 and then enjoyed notable success around Christmas 1993. You know, the year before Carey released her big Christmas hit.

"Carey’s 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' copies plaintiffs’ compositional structure of an extended comparison between a loved one and trappings of seasonal luxury, and further includes several of plaintiffs’ lyrical phrases", says Vance's new lawsuit.

Just like the original 'All I Want For Christmas Is You', it goes on, "defendants’ work contains a repeated two-part sequence with seasonal trappings being rejected in favour of a longing to be with an unnamed 'you' through an extended comparison".

And "defendants undoubtedly had access to 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' prior to writing and releasing 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'", the lawsuit adds, "given its wide commercial and cultural success".

Vance's original lawsuit on this claim was filed in the decidedly un-festive month of June with the courts in Louisiana. The new legal battle is being fought in the state of California. Like last time, Carey's co-writer on her hit, Walter Afanasieff, is a co-defendant. However, this time the co-writer of Vance's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' - Tory Powers - is also involved as a plaintiff.

Sony was the only corporate defendant last time, whereas this time Universal and Kobalt are also being pulled into the dispute.

Vance and Powers want the court to confirm that Carey and Afanasieff's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' infringes their version, and they'd like some very festive damages of no less than $20 million.