CMU Daily 10.08.17: Madonna sues over pants auction, Warner allies with Steve Aoki's publishing business

Madonna goes legal over pants auction
Madonna has gone fully legal over recent attempts by a former friend to auction off some of her belongings. The singer wants items that were sold returned and is seeking both compensatory and punitive damages.

As previously reported, last month Madonna successfully blocked the sale of some of her former possessions – including a love letter from Tupac Shakur, an old hairbrush complete with hair, and a pair of the star's pants – after the Gotta Have Rock And Roll auctions website announced a Madonna-themed sale.

The items were put up for auction by Darlene Lutz, a former friend of the pop star. When seeking the initial injunction, Madonna said that she had no idea that Lutz was still in possession of the items that were now being sold.

In the new lawsuit, filed yesterday, Madonna expands on how Lutz came to have the items at the heart of the dispute. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the legal filing says that Lutz was once a friend of Madonna and as such, "on several occasions, plaintiff welcomed defendant Lutz into her homes, including as a frequent overnight guest".

Though it was probably a house move that led to Lutz having so much of Madonna's stuff. "Defendant Lutz also assisted with the packing up of plaintiff's former homes. Upon information and belief, defendant Lutz gained possession of certain of plaintiff's belongings when they were sent to defendant Lutz's storage facility in order to aid in facilitating the sale of plaintiff's former residences at a time when plaintiff and defendant Lutz were friends and when defendant Lutz performed professional art consulting services for plaintiff".

Madonna and Lutz fell out in 2004, and the former says that she was unaware that the latter still had some of her belongings after that falling out. Right up until last month's auction was announced.

Although Madonna managed to get a speedy injunction blocking some of the items in the Gotta Have Rock And Roll auction from being sold, others were duly auctioned off, while Lutz's lawyers vowed to appeal said injunction.

Through the new lawsuit, Madonna wants a new court order stopping the items that have been sold from being transferred to the winning bidders, as well as securing her full accounts relating to the auction, and ultimately the return of all the items put up for sale and some nice compensatory and punitive damages to boot.

Lawyers for Lutz maintain that their client was entitled to sell the items put up for auction, including those blocked by last month's injunction. They also cite a 2004 legal settlement between Madonna and Lutz which, they argue, prevents the new litigation. Something the star's legal team seem to deny.

We now await Lutz's response to the new legal filing.

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Taylor Swift's mother says grope incident resulted in overhaul of meet and greets
Taylor Swift's mother was among those testifying yesterday during her daughter's legal battle with former radio DJ David Mueller.

As previously reported, Swift alleges that Mueller groped her during a meet and greet backstage at a concert in Detroit in 2013. Mueller actually went legal first, in 2015, suing the musician for defamation after he lost his job on a local radio station two days after meeting her. He claims that a complaint from Swift's security team about the alleged grope directly led to him being fired. Swift then countersued for assault and battery.

In her testimony, Andrea Swift, who is also part of her daughter's management team, told the court that Mueller's behaviour during the meet and greet upset her to "the extent that I was feeling like I wanted to vomit and cry at the same time". According to Billboard, she then added: "He sexually assaulted her - right there - that guy".

The incident resulted in Swift's team changing the way they organised the musician's meet and greets, Swift Senior added. "It made us do a bunch of things differently. Our meet and greets are much smaller. We now have metal detectors. We wand people. We now do background checks. It scared us really badly".

The court hearing in relation to the dispute began on Monday and is expected to run nine days in total.

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Warner/Chappell signs on to administrate Steve Aoki's publishing business
Warner Music's music publishing division Warner/Chappell yesterday announced a new deal with Steve Aoki which will see the top EDM peddler's own music publishing business ally with the mini-major, which will administrate its rights worldwide.

Aoki is already signed to Warner/Chappell as a songwriter himself, but the new deal will see the Warner publisher also work the roster of Dim Mak Publishing, the song rights side of the DJ/producer's Dim Mak company, that also has recording, event and fashion wings.

Explaining why now was the time to sign up with a bigger business partner, the President of Aoki's Dim Mak business, Lee Kurisu, told reporters: "Three years ago we started Dim Mak Publishing and, much like the way Steve has started everything at Dim Mak, we dove in head first and did it completely indie. Now that we've built the foundation, the time was right to seek out a bigger partnership".

Kurisu added: "This new administration deal will allow us to retain our independent spirit, while at the same time benefit from Warner/Chappell's best-in-class creative, synchronisation and collections abilities. We're HONOURED to be a part of this legendary publishing house".

Over at Warner/Chappell towers, Marc Wilson said: "Steve is an extremely talented songwriter, artist and businessman and, for the past seven years, we've had the privilege of working closely with him, while both he and the Dim Mak brand have reached incredible levels of worldwide success. The music coming from Dim Mak is fresh and exciting, and we're HONOURED that Steve and Lee have asked Warner/Chappell to help look after these amazing songwriters".

So everyone's HONOURED, that's good. Though not Aoki himself, of course. No, ever the maverick, he's EXCITED about the deal. As am I. "As Dim Mak continues to grow having the right partners becomes all the more crucial", says the man himself. "Warner/Chappell has been important to my development as a songwriter, and now I'm EXCITED to expand that relationship to Dim Mak Publishing's talented roster of up-and-coming artists".

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The Orchard hires new director for Japanese market
Sony Music's music distribution business The Orchard has appointed a new director on Sony's home-turf. Not that it's Sony Music's home turf, it's Sony Music Japan's home turf, but it's also Sony Corp's home turf, and both Sony Music and Sony Music Japan are part of Sony Corp, even if Sony Music Japan isn't part of Sony Music, unlike The Orchard, which is part of Sony Music, unlike Sony Music Japan. I'm glad I cleared all that up for you.

Ken Seki joins The Orchard in the new role of Director for Japan, and will be charged with the task of "managing relationships with local artists, labels and retailers" in the Japanese market. The appointment is part of the acquisitive music services company's bid to "expand its global presence and open doors to opportunities in this key Asian market".

Seki reports into The Orchard's VP Of Global Business Development, Tom Wheeley, who isn't just EXCITED about the new hire, he's BEYOND EXCITED. Whatever that means. Says Wheeley: "We are BEYOND EXCITED to welcome Ken into The Orchard's growing global family. His diverse and dynamic experience in the Japanese market makes him an ideal candidate to promote The Orchard's business locally".

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Samsung and Live Nation to live stream Coldplay show in VR
Samsung and Live Nation have announced a tie up that will see them broadcast Coldplay's upcoming gig at the Soldier Field stadium in Chicago.

But get this, not only will the broadcast be live, it will also be delivered using the latest, new fangled, hi-tech, state of the art, cutting edge, future looking, agenda setting, mind blowing, out of the box thinking, fuck me to high heaven what the fuck is this, I can't believe it's not butter, virtual reality technology. Yeah, VR! Woo!

You'll need some Samsung VR kit to enjoy the spectacle, but if you have the technology you'll be in for the night of your life. Like the official announcement states, "from the pyrotechnics to the laser lights and the phenomenal setlist" users will be able to "experience the magic of Coldplay's performance" at home. Unfortunately it will still be Chris Martin doing the singing. Even Samsung's technical wizardry can't prevent that.

Says Samsung's Michael Schmier: "Through our industry-leading VR hardware and platform ecosystem, we are THRILLED to offer Samsung Gear VR owners access to premium, immersive live entertainment and experiences in full 360. By partnering with Live Nation and Coldplay, music fans across the globe with Gear VR can tune in to the live concert, experiencing the energy of the show like never before".

Meanwhile Live Nation's Kevin Chernett added: "Live Nation is a trailblazer when it comes to producing live virtual reality concerts, and we've been excited to bring Coldplay into the mix since announcing our collaboration with Samsung and Gear VR in late May. We not only give fans the best in-seat experience, but we're also committed to working with the best technologies to provide every music fan an extraordinary concert experience, regardless of where they are".

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PRS pays tribute to Frances Lowe
PRS For Music has paid tribute to Frances Lowe who died last week. Lowe had a long career working with and alongside the UK collecting society, most recently in a key policy and public affairs role.

Lowe worked as International Counsel at PRS in the 1990s before going on to run British Music Rights, the organisation set up to lobby for the collective interests of songwriters and music publishers, which later morphed into sector-wide trade group UK Music.

After taking some time off from the music industry, she retuned in 2007 to consult on the setting up of digital licensing entity CELAS, before rejoining PRS in a full time role as Head Of Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, subsequently setting up the society's public affairs team.
Leading the tributes to Lowe was PRS For Music's General Counsel Debbie Stones, who said yesterday that: "It cannot be overstated that the music landscape would not be the same without Frances and the incredible work she undertook throughout her career".

Stones added: "At PRS For Music, she was instrumental in setting up our first class policy and public affairs team, helping to shape the [EU] Collective Rights Management Directive and placing the issue of 'transfer of value' squarely on the political map".

Referencing Lowe's work beyond PRS itself, Stones went on: "Similarly, in her years as Director General of British Music Rights, the forerunner of UK Music, she represented the rights of PRS members with passion and professionalism. Through all these things and more, Frances truly left an indelible mark on the industry and we will all miss her insight, experience and intellect".

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Blazin Squad announce reunion
While Blazin Squad may be on the bill for the Now That's A Festival in Dagenham this weekend, squeezed in there between 911 and Dane Bowers, we'd like to point out that that show is not the official reunion.

Please note that. In fact, I need you all to write it on a post-it note and put it somewhere prominent. Probably next to the kettle. But not immediately above the kettle. We all know the steam would cause the sticky bit to lose its stickiness and then the post-it note would fall behind the coffee jar and tea bag box, and then you might forget that the official Blazin Squad reunion is on 26 Nov at Koko in London and not in Dagenham this weekend. And just imagine if you forgot that! Donald Trump ending humanity in its entirety via a reckless skirmish with North Korea would be nothing compared to that.

So, yes, eager to capitalise on Rocky B's new found fame courtesy of his involvement in the bizarrely popular 'Love Island' show – where he appeared under the stage name Marcel Somerville – him and much of the rest of the Squad are reuniting for an "exclusive live show" at Koko on 26 Nov. And who else is taking part you ask? Well, only Krazy, Melo, Spike-E, Freek, Reepa and your main man Tommy B. Good times.

Say the Squad in perfect unison: ''It's exciting to be doing what we love, with the people we love, for the people we love". And all thanks to the island of love. Lovely.

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Liam Gallagher has a go
Liam Gallagher is continuing in his admirable bid to fill the 'and finally' slot throughout the quiet news month that is August, which is such a quiet news month that it once resulted in a CMU Daily controversially being published without an 'and finally' story. Just once mind. In 2014. But still, controversies of that scale are hard to forget.

But fortunately, this August Gallagher is in promo mode for that new solo album, so whatever happens there'll be a sweary Gallagher quote to fall back on.

"The majority of solo stars are cunts", Gallagher says in a new interview with Noisey, when asked about a previous commitment to never launch a career as a solo artist because he was "not a cunt". Embellishing on the cuntishness of those solo star cunts, he goes on: "The ones that split bands up because they need their egos fucking stroked are the biggest cunts".

Gallagher has made no secret of the fact he'd rather be fronting a new Oasis album rather than a new solo album. Though – presumably – he can at least take solace in the fact he's not having to peddle a new Beady Eye album.

"If someone said to me, 'OK, get Oasis back or go solo?' I'd get Oasis back" he says in the Noisey chat. "There's not enough bands out there. There's far too many fucking solo stars. It's shit. This is the last fucking roll of the dice for me. For me to go and get another band back together it'd only be compared to Oasis anyway, so what's the fucking point? So the solo thing? I'll give it a fucking go, man".

And you can't ask for more than that, can you? At least he's having a fucking go at it. Are you having a fucking go at it? No. See. Well done for having a fucking go at it Liam. You cunt.

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