Songkick listings to be integrated into Shazam app
Songkick and Shazam have announced an alliance which will see the former's big fat database of upcoming gigs and events integrated into the latter's music discovery app, which seems like a highly sensible idea to me.

In fact, I'm not quite sure how it took this long for the two companies to hook up. I mean, they both begin with an 'S', so must have had lots opportunities to talk before now whenever the world's music companies are organised into alphabetical order. I expect Spotify, Syco and Sentric to all get involved with this too. Live Nation's Seatwave can sit it out though, due to the ongoing legal and political wrangling.

The Songkick/Shazam integration, which is due to roll out next year, will "seamlessly connect the experience of discovering artists and seeing them perform live, to hundreds of millions of fans". It will mean Shazam users get gig listings whenever they identify a song or artist via the app, while Songkick gets access to Shazam's massive community of music fans.

Says Songkick CEO Matt Jones: "The moment of discovery is such an important time to educate the fan about a show. Shazam plays such a pivotal role in music discovery, and we're excited to expand our reach to millions of more live music fans around the globe, ensuring Songkick is available wherever fans are engaging the most".

Meanwhile Shazam's Chief Product Officer Fabio Santini adds: "We're constantly looking for ways to branch out in new ways to serve our users, focusing on what is important to music fans. In partnering with Songkick to create this new offering, we are able to further connect the dots from discovery to fandom that make up a strong artist-to-fan relationship. We are extremely excited about bringing this to our global community in 2017".

Extreme excitement from Fabio there. And why not, I say. They should get Suggs and Shakira to launch it at the Shacklewell Arms.

Don Henley says US Copyright Office chief fired because she stood up for creatives
Don Henley off of The Eagles has voiced a concern expressed by a number of key players in the American artist community about the recent sacking of Maria Pallante from the top job at the US Copyright Office: that it's proof that the new Librarian Of Congress is anti-copyright and pro-Google.

As previously reported, Pallante was abruptly axed from the position of Register Of Copyrights last month. In that job she ran the US Copyright Office and, while that didn't mean she had much actual power over American intellectual property policy, it was nevertheless an influential role, with Congress often looking to the Office for guidance on copyright issues.

For historic reasons the Copyright Office sits under the Library Of Congress, and it was the recently appointed boss of that organisation, Carla Hayden, who sacked Pallante. Well, technically she reassigned the copyright chief into an advisory role within the Library itself, but Pallante turned down that new job.

The move shocked and concerned many in the American copyright industries and creative community who generally saw Pallante as their champion in Washington, where the lobbies of big tech and traditional radio often have a louder voice than the creative community and entertainment business

In a new piece in the LA Times, songwriter and music publisher Dean Kay called Pallante's sacking "a major affront to copyright", adding that "Google seems to be taking over the world - and politics ... Their major position is to allow themselves to use copyright material without remuneration. If the Copyright Office head is toeing the Google line, creators are going to get hurt".

Henley, meanwhile, told the newspaper: "[Pallante] was a champion of copyright and stood up for the creative community, which is one of the things that got her fired. The Librarian wants free content, and the Copyright Office is there to protect creators of content. They are diametrically opposed ideologies. [Hayden] has a long track record of being an activist librarian who is anti-copyright and a librarian who worked at places funded by Google".

Although the Library Of Congress didn't want to comment on Kay and Henley's remarks when approached by the LA Times, it pointed to a commitment its new boss made to the US Senate earlier this year to ensure the Copyright Office functions "in a way that will protect the people it serves, and that is the creators of content".

That won't stop many in the creative community fearing that a friend of big bad Google is now overseeing the department that advises Congress on copyright. Of course President Elect Trump has vowed to try and weaken the hold the big lobbying organisations have over Washington politics. Though no one's expecting his government to be a champion of musician rights either. If only we could find a popstar who hasn't declared Trump and all he stands for to be evil incarnate. If only Taylor Swift hadn't worn that grey vest.

City of Orlando buys Pulse nightclub to create a memorial to shooting victims
The city of Orlando has reached a deal to buy the Pulse nightclub where a gunman killed 49 people and wounded dozens more in June this year. The plan is to transform the site into a memorial for those who died and were injured during the shooting.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the city plans to pay the club's current owners $2.25 million in order to take control of the property. Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer says that once the city owns the venue it will be able to make what has already become an unofficial memorial safer, reducing the impact on neighbouring businesses, while considering plans for a more formal permanent memorial on the site.

The city official is in no rush to alter the property just yet though, beyond improving safety and security, saying: "There are lots of people that are making a visit to the site part of their trip [here], part of their experience of Orlando, so I think twelve to eighteen months of leaving it as-is would be appropriate".

The club venue, which was part of the Florida city's LGBT scene, has remained empty since the 12 Jun attack. Some of those visiting the site to pay their respects have left behind photos and notes, many of which have since been collected by the Orange County Regional History Center and which, therefore, could form part of any permanent memorial.

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Culture select committee to consider secondary ticketing and the bloody bots
As the recently re-energised campaign against secondary ticketing continues to put pressure on the UK government to better enforce existing regulation of online ticket touting, Parliament's Culture, Media And Sport Select Committee will consider the issue next week.

As previously reported, last month Nigel Adams MP proposed an amendment to the in-development Digital Economy Bill to make it illegal to use so called 'bots' to hoover up large numbers of tickets to in-demand events in order to resell them for profit on the secondary sites.

However, the amendment was withdrawn after the government pledged to investigate whether the use of such software is already illegal under the Computer Misuse Act, something suggested by Professor Waterson in his recent review of the secondary ticketing market. Though another ticket touting themed amendment could as yet be proposed as the DEB continues to work its way through the parliamentary process.

The bloody bots - and other secondary ticketing issues - will be discussed by the cultural select committee next Tuesday. Representing those in the music community who are campaigning against online touting will be Josh Franceschi from You Me At Six, artist manager Ian McAndrew and Annabella Coldrick from the Music Managers Forum.

While insisting that everything's fine - though if you're going to regulate anything, make it the bloody bots - will be Ticketmaster's Chris Edmonds, eBay's Alasdair McGowan and StubHub's Paul Peak. Also due to be questioned are Jonathan Brown from the trade body for primary ticket sellers, the Society Of Ticket Agents And Retailers, plus Reg Walker from Iridium Consultancy and the aforementioned Prof Waterson.

The meeting will take place in Parliament in a room to be confirmed later today, and will be available online at www.parliamentlive.tv.

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Eventbrite integrates with charity platform JustGiving
Ticketing service Eventbrite has announced a new alliance with "social platform for giving", aka charity fundraising website, JustGiving.

The tie-up aims to help those using Eventbrite to sell tickets to charity events, and means anyone buying a ticket for such an event can also set up a JustGiving fundraising page to help raise more money for said charity there and then with just the simple click of a button. Or something like that.

"We're delighted to be working with the team at JustGiving", says Eventbrite's General Manager for the UK and Ireland, Joel Crouch. "And we are pleased to announce this fundraising integration with Eventbrite's technology platform. We're looking forward to helping organisers make the most of our platform, and making it even easier for fundraisers to boost the money donated to good causes".

Also brimming with delight this morning is JustGiving Senior Product Manager Jamie Parkins, who adds: "This integration with Eventbrite combines JustGiving's dedication to using the power of technology for good with helping charities reach more people to raise even more. We're delighted to launch this to the events marketplace".

PPL pledges £200,000 per year to emerging talent
The UK record industry's collecting society PPL has pledged to donate £200,000 a year to the charity operated by its counterpart in the music publishing world, by which we mean the PRS For Music Foundation. The cash will be added to the funding body's Momentum Music Fund and International Showcase Fund and brings the total amount of grants provided to emerging talent by those two initiatives to over £1 million per year.

"We are very excited to be partnering with PRS For Music Foundation to provide financial and career development support to new talent", says PPL chief exec Peter Leathem. "The Foundation has played a pivotal role in the success story of many UK artists and we hope that, with additional significant investment and involvement from PPL, we can jointly fund more records, more tours, and more great music".

PRS For Music Foundation boss Vanessa Reed adds: "I'm delighted that PPL will be partnering with PRS Foundation on two of our flagship talent development programmes which are increasingly important to artists working in independent music. Both the International Showcase Fund and Momentum consistently receive high levels of strong applications. Thanks to this new partnership with PPL we will be able to reach and support more of those talented artists, increasing their chances of building a sustainable career and enabling them to take their music to audiences across the world".

The deadlines to apply for the next round of grants from both funds are approaching later this month.

Michael Buble pulls out of BBC Music Awards, following son's cancer diagnosis
Michael Buble will no longer perform at the BBC Music Awards next month, it has been confirmed. This follows the news that his three year old son has been diagnosed with cancer.

As previously reported, Buble led the list of performers at the broadcaster's now annual event when it was announced last month. However, in a statement last week he said that he was putting his career "on hold" in the wake of his son's diagnosis.

In a statement on behalf of Buble and his wife Luisana last week, he said: "We are devastated about the recent cancer diagnosis of our oldest son Noah who is currently undergoing treatment in the US. We have always been very vocal about the importance of family and the love we have for our children. Luisana and I have put our careers on hold in order to devote all our time and attention to helping Noah get well".

Confirming that Buble would no longer perform at the awards ceremony, BBC Music director Bob Shennan said: "We send Michael and his family our very best wishes".

Buble recently released his latest album, 'Nobody But Me'. He is also due to host the BRIT Awards on 22 Feb next year, followed by the Juno Awards in Canada on 2 Apr.

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Bob Dylan will collect Nobel Prize, but he's not talking to the press
Hooray, Miserybob is back! He's now said that in the event he does turn up to receive his Nobel Prize in Stockholm, he won't speak to any journalists about it.

As previously reported, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize For Literature last month, recognising him "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition". A big deal, you might think. Something worth shouting about. But Dylan said nothing, leaving us all to speculate wildly about what he might be thinking.

Although initially confident he'd accept the honour, the Swedish Academy, which organises the award, got increasingly nervous about his silence. Eventually it started putting it about that if the musician didn't turn up to accept his prize and give the required lecture, he wouldn't get his $900,000 in prize money.

Then, after two weeks, Dylan announced in an interview that he was super chuffed to have been chosen as this year's winner. He also got on the phone to the Swedish Academy and gushed about what a bloody honour it was. Of course he'd turn up to pick up the prize (schedule permitting). He was just so happy about it all.

Which, to be honest, was a bit of a disappointment. Although it was quite a nice twist in the story, it didn't really fit in with what we know of Bob Dylan. Thankfully though, it seems that negotiations over the organisation of the prize ceremony are re-introducing a good level of grumpiness into proceedings.

According to Swedish news agency TT, Dylan has now committed to attend a banquet and give a lecture in Sweden at some point in the next six months. However, if they want him to promote that fact, they've got another thing coming. There will be no press conference, nor will there be any other interviews. There will only be Bob.

Universal, David Bowie, Run The Jewels, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Artist manager Steven Victor - who is also COO of Kanye West's GOOD Music set-up - has just been named as a SVP of A&R at Universal Music, seeking new talent for all of the major's US labels.

• Universal Music Publishing Group has appointed Adam Fujiki to head up its Canadian operations, replacing Shawn Marino who is moving over to the recordings side of the Universal empire. Evan Lamberg, who is President of the Universal publishing firm across North America, is "incredibly excited" about the new hire.

• A Kickstarter campaign has been launched, attempting to raise £100,000 to erect a statue of David Bowie in Aylesbury. Ahead of the 6 Dec deadline, almost £30,000 has already been pledged.

• Run The Jewels have released a new track in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential triumph. "For everyone who is hurting or scared right now, here is a song we wrote months ago", say the duo. "We weren't planning on releasing it yet but... well it feels right, now".

• Richard Ashcroft has shared the video for new single 'Out Of My Body'.

• Regina Spektor has released the video for new video for 'The Trappier And The Furrier'.

• Pulled Apart By Horses have released new single 'The Big What If'. They've also announced that they'll be touring the UK in March and April next year.

• Banks & Steelz - aka Wu Tang Clan's RZA and Interpol's Paul Banks - will perform at XOYO in London on 18 Nov. Tickets on sale now.

• Tall Ships will be touring the UK in February and March next year. Their new album, 'Impressions', is out on 10 Feb.

Martin Shkreli airs unreleased Wu-Tang music to mark Trump win
Martin Shkreli has aired music from Wu-Tang Clan's one-off album 'Once Upon A Time In Shaolin', having promised to do so if Donald Trump was elected US President.

"If Trump wins, my entire unreleased music collection, including unheard Nirvana, Beatles, and of course, Wu-Tang, comes out, for free", tweeted Shkreli last month.

While he's a way off making good on all of that (and what unreleased Nirvana and Beatles music he might have both copies of and permission to distribute isn't known), he did stream a couple of tracks from the single-copy Wu-Tang album that he bought for $2 million last year.

According to Pitchfork, Shkreli told Wu-Tang fans that he hadn't been expecting Trump to win, so would still need to negotiate terms in order to release the album in full. Whether he'll be able to do that, or if he'll even bother, remains to be seen. It's not as if he's on great terms with the rap troupe as it is.