We've covered the music business each day since 21 Jun 2002 Today's email is edition #5053 | |
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| | Lambeth supports Brixton Academy re-opening but police don't want AMG in charge | Lambeth Council's licensing committee is now considering the future of the Brixton Academy after hearing arguments from both AMG and London’s Metropolitan Police about changes that are planned at the venue following last year’s fatal crowd crush - police still think AMG’s licence should be revoked. | | LATEST JOBS | CMU's job ads are a great way to reach a broad audience across the industry and offer targeted exposure to people at all levels of seniority who are looking for new jobs. Our job ads reach tens of thousands of people each week, through our email, and our dedicated jobs pages.
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| | | TOP STORY | ONE LINERS | PEOPLE | AWARDS | LABELS | RELEASES | PUBLISHING | AND FINALLY... |
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Brixton Academy: Lambeth says yes, police say no |
| ONErpm, Poppy, Explosions In The Sky + more | PPL's David Harmsworth has died | Welsh Music Prize shortlist announced | Exec rejig at Spinnin' Records | Cat Power Dylan show to drop as live album | New publishing division at Range Media Partners | Armada makes airports groovy again |
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| Brixton Academy: Lambeth says yes, police say no | One Liners: ONErpm, Poppy, Explosions In The Sky + more| PPL's David Harmsworth has died | Welsh Music Prize shortlist announced | Exec rejig at Spinnin' Records | Cat Power Dylan show to drop as live album| New publishing division at Range Media Partners| Armada makes airports groovy again |
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TOP STORY | Lambeth Council says it supports the re-opening of the Brixton Academy, but police still oppose AMG running it | A legal rep for London's Metropolitan Police has stated that the police force does not want Brixton Academy to close, but still opposes its management by Live Nation's Academy Music Group. Lambeth Council, in contrast, is open "in principle" to the company resuming operations at the venue.
At a hearing to consider the future of the venue earlier this week, AMG explained that it had worked with "leading professionals" to ensure that the kind of crowd crush incident that killed two people there last year could never happen again.
Concert-goer Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson, who was part of the security team at the venue, both died during the crowd crush, which occurred at a sold out Asake gig at the Brixton Academy last December. The venue has been closed ever since the incident, with the Metropolitan Police recommending that Lambeth Council revoke AMG’s licence to operate the building.
At this week's hearing, the lawyer speaking for the Met, Gerald Gouriet, stressed that that does not mean that the police want the venue to close. According to NME, he said: “The police do not wish to close the Academy … The police have brought a review of the licence because they think that the Academy Music Group shouldn’t be the licensee”.
The hearing heard in some detail about the changes AMG proposes to make at the south London venue in response to last year's crowd crush. According to the Evening Standard, the company's lawyer, Philip Kolvin, said that his client had done "all in its power to analyse what went wrong".
He acknowledged that “things went very wrong” last year, adding that the venue operator expressed its “profound sorrow” for the families of those who died. However, he went on to explain that AMG has now put in place a plan to ensure that the venue can re-open safely.
Among the changes planned are stronger doors, a better queuing system and more secure ticketing, as well as a commitment to undertake more detailed risk assessments for each show, which will be shared with the council and police.
Horatio Waller, the lawyer speaking for Lambeth Council, the local authority that regulates the venue, spoke positively of AMG's plans.
He said that AMG had undertaken a “complete overhaul” of their security procedures and had a new attitude to risk assessments, and that the planned reforms had been “independently audited” by consultants, making them “comprehensive and robust”.
As a result, he confirmed, officials at the council support the re-opening of the venue "in principle", based on the commitments made by AMG. The ultimate decision, though, falls to Lambeth Council’s licensing committee, which staged this week's hearing and now plans to make a decision on the future of the Brixton Academy - and AMG's role in running it - within the next five days.
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| ONE LINERS | ONErpm, Poppy, Explosions In The Sky, Shygirl + more | APPOINTMENTS
Music distributor ONErpm has announced that it now has bases in six Asian countries following a series of appointments over the last year or so, including Isaac Miranda in Malaysia; Lachmi Baviera in the Philippines; Dorcas Chiu in China; Aldo Sianturi in Indonesia; Krittaya Teppaitoon in Thailand; and Bryan Le in Vietnam.
SMACKSongs has promoted Lee Krabel to SVP Publishing. “Lee has been a huge part of the success of SMACK for the past seven years and helped grow the team to what it is today”, says company president Robert Carlton. “I’m excited to see what this next chapter has in store. With Lee here, I know our writers will always be in good hands”.
LABELS & PUBLISHERS
IMPALA - the pan-European organisation for the independent music sector - has a new member in the form of the recently established trade group for independent labels and publishers in Bulgaria, ANMIP. Its board director Ruth Koleva says: "Becoming a part of a European network of independent music companies is a tremendous opportunity for ANMIP Bulgaria. It enables our members to exchange knowledge and expertise with other companies, fostering an environment of collaboration and growth".
INDUSTRY RESEARCH
ESEA Music has published a study into representation of East and Southeast Asian people in the UK music industry. “The under-representation of ESEA artists in Britain is self-evident”, says the organisation. “It is evident from the responses that representation of ESEA artists in the mainstream, and of ESEA professionals in the industry itself, leaves much to be desired”. Read the full report here.
RELEASES
Thundercat has partnered with Listerine to release a new song for the brand’s Increasing Diversity In Dentistry campaign.
Poppy has released new single ‘Motorbike’, taken from her upcoming album ‘Zig’, which is out on 27 Oct.
Actress will release new album ‘LXXXVIII’ on 3 Nov. Out now is new single ‘Game Over ( e 1 )’.
Explosions In The Sky have released new single ‘Loved Ones’, ahead of the release of their new album ‘End’ this Friday.
Cherry Glazerr have released new single ‘Sugar’. New album ‘I Don’t Want You Anymore’ is out on 29 Sep. “‘Sugar’ is one of my favourite songs on the album”, says frontwoman Clementine Creevy. “I actually started it with Jonny Pierce from The Drums and he had that sick bassline. We then built everything around it, and he had this idea to do a big ‘I'm your sugaaar’ towards the end of the song which gives it this fun kinda dancy lift”.
Casisdead has announced that he will release his debut album ‘Famous Last Words’ on 27 Oct. Out now is new single ‘Matte Grey Wrap’, featuring Desire.
GIGS & TOURS
Shygirl has announced UK tour dates in December, starting with a show at Drumheads in London on 2 Dec. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
Camille O’Sullivan is set to play London’s Union Chapel on 8 Mar 2024. Tickets are on sale now.
| | PEOPLE | PPL chief pays tribute to General Counsel David Harmsworth | PPL CEO Peter Leathem has paid tribute to David Harmsworth, the UK collecting society's General Counsel, who has died after a short illness.
The society said in a statement yesterday: "PPL is devastated to announce that David Harmsworth, PPL General Counsel, died this morning after a short illness. David was a much-loved figure in the music industry; a highly respected lawyer, a peerless colleague, and a friend to many. He leaves behind a legacy to be proud of".
Harmsworth joined the PPL Legal & Business Affairs team in 2003 having previously worked at City law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. After various promotions over the years, he was appointed as the society's General Counsel in 2018.
He had other roles in the music and wider copyright industries too, including as Chair of the Rights & Legal Affairs Committee at cross-sector trade group UK Music and as a director of the British Copyright Council.
Leathem said yesterday: “David was my first appointment at PPL nineteen years ago and he turned out to be one of the key people who created the PPL of today. An incredibly able lawyer, a thoroughly kind and conscientious friend and colleague. I will miss him greatly".
"His ability, and his friendly and collaborative nature, made him very popular across the music industry and creative copyright world more generally", he added, "which is why he operated in so many external roles as well as his role at PPL. He will be missed by so many and my thoughts, and those of everyone at PPL, are with his wife Heather, his three young children and their families". | | | AWARDS | Welsh Music Prize shortlist announced | The shortlist has been announced for this year’s Welsh Music Prize, with fifteen acts vying to win the award for best album of the year by a Welsh artist. Among those nominated are John Cale, Overmono, Stella Donnelly and H Hawkline.
“This year’s shortlist is another great collection of albums from Wales”, says award co-founder Huw Stephens. “The Welsh Music Prize is a globally recognised award and an important part of Wales’ music calendar, and this year’s line-up at the Welsh Music Prize promises to make it a very special night”.
The judging panel for this year are Larynx Entertainment’s Dave Acton, journalists Huw Bains and Tegwen Bruce Deans, BBC Radio Cymru’s Mirain Iwerydd, Nest Jenkins of ITV Cymru Wales, and Virgin Radio presenter Eddy Temple-Morris.
The overall winner will be announced at the Wales Millennium Centre on 10 Oct as part of Cardiff’s Llias cultural festival.
This year’s nominated albums are: Cerys Hafana - Edyf CVC - Get Real Dafydd Owain - Uwch Dros Y Pysgod H Hawkline - Milk For Flowers Hyll - Sŵn O'r Stafell Arall Ivan Moult - Songs From Severn Grove John Cale - Mercy Mace The Great – SplottWorld Minas - All My Love Has Failed Me Overmono - Good Lies Rogue Jones - Dos Bebés Sister Wives - Y Gawres Stella Donnelly - Flood Sŵnami - Sŵnamii Ynys - Ynys | | | LABELS & PUBLISHING | Executive rejig at Spinnin' Records | Warner Music-owned dance label Spinnin' Records has announced a good old rejig at the top of the company which will see Roger De Graaf and Ewout Swart become co-presidents.
De Graaf co-founded the label and has been its CEO since Warner bought the business in 2017. The executive rejig means that he will now be able to focus on artist relations and creative projects while Swart will be responsible for operational matters as well as, and I quote, "global acceleration". My very favourite kind of acceleration!
They will both report to Warner's President of International for recorded music Simon Robson, as well as its EVP Global A&R And Marketing for dance music Bart Cools.
The latter says: “I’ve worked closely with Roger and Ewout since we acquired Spinnin' and they’ve done a stellar job at bringing the company under the Warner Music umbrella without sacrificing the independence and unique culture that makes it such a special label. As dance music goes from strength to strength, they’ve ensured Spinnin' is the first choice for discerning DJs and producers".
Artists Spinnin' Records has worked with over the years include Afrojack, Bingo Players, Cheat Codes, Don Diablo, Fedde Le Grand, Kriss Kross Amsterdam, KSHMR, Martin Garrix, Martin Solveig, Nicky Romero, Oliver Heldens, Sam Feldt, Sander Van Doorn and Timmy Trumpet. | | | RELEASES | Cat Power’s recreation of 1966 Bob Dylan show to be released as a live album | Cat Power is set to release a recording of her recreation of Bob Dylan’s 1966 ‘Royal Albert Hall concert’ later this year.
Dylan’s original performance actually took place at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall, but for years was billed as having taken place at the London venue due to a mislabeled bootleg.
Setting the record straight (or perhaps not), Power did take to the stage at the Royal Albert Hall last November, performing the same setlist as Dylan and, like him, switching from acoustic to electric guitar halfway through.
“More than the work of any other songwriter, Dylan’s songs have spoken to me and inspired me since I first began hearing them at five years old”, says Power.
The set opens with ‘She Belongs To Me’, one of the Dylan songs she has played for many years, of which she explains: “When singing ‘She Belongs To Me’ in the past, sometimes I turned it into a first-person narrative – ’I am an artist, I don’t look back’. I really identified with it like that. But for the show at Royal Albert Hall, I, of course, sang it the way it was originally written - with respect for the composition and the great composer”.
The most famous part of Dylan’s performance, of course, was an audience member shouting “Judas!” before he played ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’, in response to Dylan ‘going electric’. Unexpectedly, this was recreated in Power’s show too. Although she responded by saying “Jesus”.
“It was something impulsive”, she explains. “I wasn’t expecting the audience to recreate their part of the original show as well, but then I wanted to set the record straight - in a way, Dylan is a deity to all of us who write songs”.
‘Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert’ is set for release on 10 Nov, almost exactly a year after the show took place. Listen to her versions of ‘She Belongs To Me’ and ‘Ballad Of A Thin Man’ now. | | | LABELS & PUBLISHING | Range Media Partners launches new music publishing division | Range Media Partners has announced the launch of a new music publishing division. It will be led by Casey Robison, formerly of Big Deal and Hipgnosis.
Confirming the new division, Range Media co-founder Matt Graham says: “Casey and the team believe there is a tremendous opportunity to launch a boutique publishing company inside of the Range ecosystem. The connectivity to our management roster, label, film/TV relationships and music supervisors provide a fertile ground for developing writers and producers".
Robison had stints at Chrysalis Publishing and US collecting society BMI before joining the Big Deal Music Group, which was then acquired by Hipgnosis in 2020. In his new role, he will work alongside a number of existing execs within the music side of Range Media, including Sam Drake, Federico Morris and Jared Cotter.
Graham continues: "[Casey's] experience as a builder at Big Deal and Hipgnosis is essential to getting our strategy and culture honed to ensure maximum opportunity for our talent. We couldn’t be more excited about what we can create together".
While Graham couldn't be more excited, Robison himself is, well, you know, "THRILLED" about his new job. “I’m THRILLED to be joining the creative team at Range", he confirms.
"Since the company’s creation just a few years ago, I’ve admired its spirit, culture and dynamic growth", he goes on. “Range’s curated approach to identifying and fostering talent across genres will serve as a blueprint for how we build the publishing company, which will be dedicated to long-term career growth for both artists and writers". | | |
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| AND FINALLY... | Armada Music to kick off ADE programme with DJ sets at the airport | Dance label Armada Music will kick off its activities at this year's Amsterdam Dance Event by staging two DJ sets at the city's Schiphol Airport on 18 Oct. Not next to check-in or duty free though, oh no, in one of the airport’s 360-degree-view watch towers. Snazzy!
Joris Voorn and Ferry Corsten will each perform a one hour set while watching the planes land and take off. Twelve competition winners will be able to join them, though everyone else can join in via a livestream.
The label has various activities planned for ADE this year under the banner 'Welcome To Our Home' and - I guess - lots of attendees to the showcase festival and music conference will arrive to Armada Music's home city via Schiphol.
So that makes sense, right? Even if most people will have to actually watch the DJ sets on their phones while in the line for passport control.
Says the label's CEO and co-founder Maykel Piron: “We wanted to go all out for ADE this year, especially with it being the Armada’s 20th anniversary. It’s not every day that our artists get the opportunity to perform in one of the world’s most famous airports and what better way to commence our biggest ADE programme to date!”
Arthur Reijnhart, Director Commercial at the airport, adds: "It's fantastic to see the coming together of two iconic Dutch brands. For many fans and artists, Schiphol is the gateway to ADE. The tower where Armada Music's ADE kick-off is taking place provides an iconic backdrop. It’s extra special that we’re able to offer a select group of fans the chance to attend". | |
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