CMU Daily 14.07.16: Industry hits out at Google's piracy brags, Beatport officially no longer for sale, HMV Irish stores closing

Music industry hits out at Google's latest anti-piracy bragging
So welcome to Fuck Google Day, a popular event in the music community, not as big as the Grammys Weekend, but up there with Record Store Day.

It's Google itself that has instigated these glamorous proceedings with the publication of its latest 'How Google Fights Piracy' report, in which the web giant brags about all the things it does across its various services to stop those evil pirates from fucking everything up by pirating pirated content through the employment of pirate-like piracy tactics on the big bad piracy networks.

But just in case someone – somewhere – isn't convinced by all that, the Google report also bigs up all the cash the web firm has been paying over to content makers, and especially music types. I mean, as well as that much touted $3 billion it's paid over to the music industry, do you know that YouTube's content management platform Content ID has resulted in $2 million of ad loot being paid over to rights owners from user-generated content? Did you know that?

Of course, the music industry has big problems with Google search, principally the fact the web firm refuses to do blanket de-listings of websites that have been deemed to be rampant copyright infringers by the courts, which then requires rights owners to submit a constant flood of takedown requests against websites like The Pirate Bay and Kickass Torrents.

But it's anything YouTube-related that really riles the music industry these days, with labels, publishers, artists, songwriters, managers and collecting societies all currently embroiled in that big battle with the Google video site over the royalties it pays - or rather the minimum guarantees it doesn't pay – and the copyright loophole it employs to allow users to upload videos containing other people's music.

Officially kick-starting the Fuck Google Day proceedings with a speedy overview of
Google's new 'Look At Us, We're Fab' report, the boss of UK record industry trade group BPI, Geoff Taylor, told reporters: "This report looks a lot like 'greenwash'. Although we welcome the measures Google has taken so far, it is still one of the key enablers of piracy on the planet".

He goes on: "Google has the resources and the tech expertise to do much more to get rid of the illegal content on its services. If Google is sincere about fostering creativity online, it will now commit to implement new measures that will effectively protect artists from sites and apps that rip off their work, and help more fans get their content legally".

Responding to Google's Content ID bragging, the BPI also said yesterday: "Google's Content ID system for YouTube is a great idea – content owners should only have to notify their content to Google once, and Google should then use automated technology to make sure that content is either monetised, or blocked from appearing illegally. That's a principle that should apply right across Google services".

"But" – because there's always a but – "despite its amazing innovations in mapping the Earth and inventing driverless cars, Google hasn't managed to implement a Content ID system that people can't easily get around. Of course the fact that Google refuses to remove YouTube videos that show you exactly how to circumvent Content ID doesn't help. Google should concentrate its formidable resources on making a Content ID system that is genuinely effective in protecting creators; and then apply a similar proactive system to Google search and its other services".

Elsewhere, while arriving at this year's official Fuck Google Day ball, the boss of the globally-focused record industry organisation IFPI, Frances Moore, said: "Google has the capability and resources to do much more to tackle the vast amount of music that is being made available and accessed without permission on its platforms".

Chipping in on Content ID, she continued: "Our member record companies' experience demonstrates that Google's Content ID tool is ineffective in preventing infringing content appearing on YouTube. Record companies and publishers estimate that Content ID fails to identify 20-40% of their recordings".

And then moving onto search, she added: "Google's search engine continues to direct internet users to unlicensed music on a large scale. Well over 300 million de-list notices have been sent to Google by IFPI national groups worldwide. Despite this, the amount of traffic to infringing sites from typical music search queries sent to Google is now higher than it was before Google changed its search algorithm to supposedly address levels of piracy. Google can, and must, do more to tackle these issues and return fair value to rights holders".

So there you have it. Happy Fuck Google Day everybody! Why not celebrate by reading our recent CMU Trends report on the music industry's war with YouTube? Or maybe even Google's big bad piracy report itself.

Virgin EMI announces Indian partnerships
Universal's UK-based label Virgin EMI has announced two new alliances that will seemingly see the division step up its brand partnerships presence in India. The new partners are Mumbai-based marketing firm Bottomline Media and Universal Music-backed brand partnerships agency Be Seen, businesses led by Tanaaz Bhatia and Vishal Patel respectively.

Virgin EMI chief Ted Cockle is quoted thus: "Discovering individuals of the calibre of Tanaaz Bhatia and Vishal Patel has been a breath of fresh air to us. These two amazing people have totally excited us with a plan and strategy that previously seemed impossible and are connected at the very highest level within the Indian market".

Confirming the new alliance, Bhatia said: "At Bottomline Media we have successfully merged the two worlds of entertainment and brands keeping in mind the sensibility of both the worlds for the widest possible reach. With Virgin EMI we will bring on-board major collaborations of the best musicians from UK and India. We will also develop brand partnerships for the talent pool of Virgin EMI records in India".

Virgin EMI's new branding adventures in the Indian market will seemingly sit alongside the mega-major's existing division in the country.

HMV to close Irish stores
HMV is set to withdraw from the Republic Of Ireland once again.

As previously reported, when the old HMV business collapsed in 2013, it took the Irish side of the enterprise with it. However, new HMV owners Hilco then re-opened an albeit seriously streamlined network of stores in Ireland, ultimately running four shops.

Though HMV's brand got a further boost in the country via an alliance with another Hilco-owned retail chain, DVD outfit Xtra-vision, which introduced HMV-branded music sections. But then, earlier this year, Xtra-vision was wound up as a high street business.

And now Hilco has confirmed that its four standalone HMV stores in Ireland will close in the coming months, meaning that the firm's only outlet on the island of Ireland will be in the North in Belfast.

MJR and Propaganda acquire Sheffield venue Plug
Live music firm MJR Group and club promoter Propaganda have joined forces to acquire Sheffield venue Plug. They are acquiring the business from Adele and Scott Bailey, who set up the venue just over ten years ago. It's MJR and Propaganda's second venue venture together, with the two companies already in business running newish Cardiff venue The Tramshed.

Confirming the Plug acquisition, Propaganda founder Dan Ickowitz-Seidler told reporters: "I have had the pleasure of working with Adele and Scott for several years with Propaganda at Plug. They've been amazing operators and have created one of the best venues in the country. I am THRLLED for Propaganda to be taking over the venue with MJR and we intend to continue their amazing work and ethos while continually growing the number of events at Plug".

Plug co-founder Adele Bailey added: "We are so pleased that we have been able to work with Dan at Propaganda and the MJR Group to put a deal together that will see Plug move forward building on what has been an amazing and emotional eleven years for us. We are confident that the venue, the amazing customers - past, present and future - and the awesome team that have worked with us over the years, will not only be in good hands, but we know that Plug will go from strength to strength under its new stewardship".

Beatport officially no longer for sale
Dance music download store Beatport is officially off the market, with owner SFX submitting paperwork with the US bankruptcy courts to that effect this week.

As previously reported, when flagging EDM firm SFX went into bankruptcy, Beatport was one of the first assets put up for sale in a bid to raise some cash to shore up the company. But the deadline for bidding for the digital firm was at first extended and then suspended, though at the time SFX said it would continue considering offers.

SFX bought Beatport in 2013. In an iTunes-dominated download market, Beatport had enjoyed some success by specialising in the dance music genre, and with SFX buying up anything vaguely EDM at the time, it wasn't a surprise acquisition, despite the parent company's core business being live events.

On SFX's watch Beatport tried to expand, partly into a media platform that could support the wider company's festivals and other activities, and also into the streaming domain, presumably as it became clear that the wider download market had peaked. But setting up a streaming service is expensive, and with SFX's finances already wobbling, that looked like an ambitious diversification.

On announcing that the Beatport sale had been suspended in May, the digital platform basically shut down all but the original elements of the business, withdrawing back into the safe domain of selling downloads, though that's a domain that is now in significant decline.

With the sale of Beatport now officially off the agenda as a possible short-term cash generator, it's not clear what's next for SFX, which last month terminated the restructuring support agreement that was announced when the firm originally applied for bankruptcy protection back in February.

It has successfully offloaded two assets though, selling digital marketing agency FameHouse to Universal Music, and ticketing firm Flavorus to Universal parent company Vivendi.

Colin Murray quits TalkSport after Sun owner buys the station
Former Radio 1 DJ Colin Murray has announced he is quitting his most recent radio gig, hosting mornings on TalkSport, after it was announced that the station is to be acquired by Sun publisher News UK, the British wing of Rupert Murdoch's publishing business.

As previously reported, TalkSport was owned by Belfast-based media firm UTV which also operated the ITV channel in Northern Ireland. But the company sold its TV assets to ITV plc last year, rebranding as the standalone radio business Wireless Group back in March.

It was then announced last month that the UK wing of Murdoch's News Corp was buying the Wireless Group, which has recently expanded its portfolio of British radio outlets with the launch of a number of digital channels, including the all new Virgin Radio.

But Murray isn't happy with the prospect of working for The Sun publisher. In a statement posted to Twitter, the DJ said: "I have resigned from my morning show on TalkSport due to a change of ownership, with the Wireless Group being bought by News Corp. While there are parts of News Corp that aren't a problem, it is the inevitable future working relationship between TalkSport and The Sun that has made my position unsustainable".

He continued: "Commercially, I delivered all-time record ratings and creatively, I was left alone to mould a show of which I was intensely proud. I had been offered a new contract until 2019". After thanking his team and co-presenters, he added: "Most importantly, thanks for listening. My last show will be on September 2nd. I shall not be commenting further".

Although he didn't go into any details about the specific problems he has with The Sun, the fact he signed off with the hashtag #JFT96 – "Justice for the 96" - tells us that for Murray, as a Liverpool supporter, the tabloid's coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, in which 96 fans of the club died, was a key factor.

Of course The Sun's infamous coverage of that incident at the time, in which it presented wholly unsubstantiated and since debunked allegations against Liverpool fans, remains sufficiently controversial to this day that the tabloid's sales are nominal on Merseyside.

Confirming Murray's departure, a spokesman for TalkSport said: "It is with much regret that, after three years of working with us, Colin Murray has taken the decision to move on from his presenting role at TalkSport this September. Colin has been a fantastic asset to the station and, while we respect his decision, we will be very sorry to lose him. We wish him all the best for the future".

Jack White helps launch Council For Gender Equality in Nashville
That there Jack White has joined a Council For Gender Equality in Nashville, a committee set up with the task of providing the city's mayor Megan Berry with "data-informed recommendations and advice to address systemic differences in benefits and opportunities that might be unfairly provided to one gender but not another".

Joining Berry at the launch of the new initiative, White, whose Third Man Records business is based in Nashville, said: "In my life in the arts, I have always considered it unfair when producing a record, for example, that a drummer would be paid less than a singer, simply because that singer had an agent or representative. They are both creating regardless of their instrument or even their experience. They should be paid the same".

"Now wouldn't it be just as ridiculous to pay two fiddle players a different wage because one of them is male and one is female? I think so. It is embarrassing that in 2016 there are any differences in benefits or wages between genders in our society. Gender equity is something that should've been solved a century ago worldwide, and it is sad that we even need to address it. If the person does the work, the benefits of doing that work should be equal among all human beings".

Talking about his own business, he went on: "As owner of the record label Third Man Records, with locations in both Nashville and Detroit, I am proud to say that since 2013 all employees of my record label have had a minimum wage of fifteen dollars an hour, regardless of gender. I encourage small businesses to do the same, it is possible. You wont go broke. A person shouldn't need two jobs just to have food and shelter. And if small businesses like mine can do this, billion dollar businesses like Walmart can do it as well".

He then outlines the benefits his staff receive, which are pretty decent in the context of the US, and include health insurance, six months paid maternity leave and three months paid paternity leave. Again he says: "If my small company can enact these ideas, then so can McDonalds and General Motors".

Expanding onto other issues of the moment Stateside, he went on: "I also must stress that the labels of gender and sexuality are completely up to the individual and not the people who employ them, or the government. If a person is born into a different scenario or a different type of physical body, they shouldn't be treated in any degrading fashion. If they choose to represent themselves as transgender or gender neutral even, it should not effect their wages or benefits or how they are treated by other human beings".

You can read the full speech here.

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James Blake talks Beyonce collaboration, and Drake non-collaboration
James Blake has been a chit chatting about collaborating with Beyonce, and not with Drake. On the former, he reveals that he turned down lyrics Beyonce herself had written for the 'Lemonade' track on which he appears, 'Forward', preferring to warble his own words.

"I've never sung anybody else's lyrics", says Blake, "so I just assumed that's not what I would be doing". Presented with suggested lyrics from Beyonce's people, he said, "I got my phone out and sang some of my own lyrics, that were about something else, and about somebody else. But it somehow fit into the song and it fit into the album. I'm just honoured that they used it".

On not collaborating with Drake, Blake discussed how he once asked that a beat he had created be removed from the rapper's 2014 track '0 to 100 / The Catch Up'. "I sent them some stuff just hoping to just do a collaboration of some kind", says Blake.

"And I got an email the day before '0 to 100/The Catch Up' came out. And it just said, 'hey we're using this beat you made from like four years ago'. I only sent it as a collaborative idea, not to be sampled on a record. 'Hey we're using this. Just quickly send me your approval so we can just put it out'. I was like 'no', so I got them to take it off".

The forced beat removal is seemingly why Drake didn't include that track on his album. "I remember having a conversation with my publisher later", Blake continues, "and saying: 'what did you think of that decision?' Because, you know, that was a massive album. I asked how much money exactly I turned down by doing that. I spat out my drink".

But where was Blake chit chatting all this stuff? Well, on Spotify, that's where. It just launched two new original content initiatives, with 'AM/PM' seeing pop types discussing their favourite morning and night music, and 'Secret Genius' having artists, like Blake, talking about stuff and choosing some tunes.

The Orchard, ASCAP, MusicTank, more

Other notable announcements and developments today...

• Digital distribution firm The Orchard has announced the appointment of a new EVP & General Counsel to lead all things legal and business affairs out of New York. New guy Tucker McCrady previously worked at Warner, and more recently for a law firm that helped negotiate SoundCloud's licences. So, you know, he knows hard work.

• Warner Music has announced Andy Ma as Chief Commercial Officer for Greater China. But don't worry, he'll continue being the mini-major's SVP Commercial & Business Development for Greater China and South East Asia too.

• US collecting society ASCAP has revamped its publicly accessible songs database ACE, which is now super mobile friendly. Ace.

• Music industry think tank MusicTank has also revamped its website to offer more resources to music business types. The University Of Westminster owned organisation has also formally launched a new consultancy service.

• New PM Theresa May told us she wanted more justice in her first speech as the boss yesterday, and here it is! Justice have shared their first new song in five years and it's called 'Safe And Sound'. Though just to clarify, there is no justice, and no one is safe or sound.

• Alongside being a Prophet Of Rage, Rage Against The Machine bassist Tim Commerford also has his other outfit Wakrat, who also rage a bit. And they've just put out a lyric video for their track 'Generation Fucked'. The group's debut album will come out on 8 Nov to coincide with the US presidential election. After which we could all be fucked.

• King Creosote will put out a new album called 'Astronaut Meets Appleman' on 2 Sep on Domino. Get in the mood with this seven minutes of fine hymnal drone pop complete with harps – it's called 'You Just Want'.

• The MMF and FAC's Artist And Manager Awards will be back on 24 Nov at The Troxy venue in London. So stop reading this and put that in your diaries. Go on, in your diary. Now. Done it? OK, now you can read about Cher calling Boris Johnson a "fucking idiot".

Cher on Boris: "He's a f-king idiot"
So, new UK Prime Minister Theresa May made Boris Johnson her Foreign Secretary yesterday. Which is a perfect appointment. Because some reckon World War Three is now on the horizon, and who better to lead our foreign affairs during the inevitable farce that will be nuclear Armageddon than comedy sociopath Boz Johnson?

But I know what you're thinking. Because it's what I was thinking. And I checked. I called Barbara. And she was thinking it too. And all the research has proven that whatever Barbara is thinking is what you are thinking. That's just maths.

And what you're thinking is this: but what does Cher think about Boris Johnson becoming Secretary Of State For Foreign And Commonwealth Affairs for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? Well, good news people: the NME asked her. "[I] think he's [a] f-ing idiot" responded the pop icon on Twitter, "who lied to [the] British ppl and didn't have the **** to lead them once [the] 'Leave' vote won".

So there you have it. And all the more apt because some are tipping Cher's 'Believe' to soundtrack the end of humanity as we know it.