We've covered the music business each day since 21 Jun 2002 Today's email is edition #5055 |  |
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| | | IMPALA comments on Deezer's "artist-centric" model | IMPALA has commented on Deezer’s new “artist-centric” model for allocating streaming royalties, expressing concern that it has been developed "in a vacuum" with only Universal Music being consulted | | | 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.
| 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 | LABELS | DEALS | DIGITAL | PUBLISHING | AWARDS | AND FINALLY... |
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Impala comments on Deezer's "artist-centric" model |
| Olivia Rodrigo, Joel Culpepper, Romy + more | Atlantic marks 75th anniversary with vinyl reissue | Believe partnership with Darkoo and Tion Wayne | ERA sets out vision for future growth | Hipgnosis announces intra-fund song catalogue deal | Scottish Album of the Year longlist announced | Taylor Swift is really quite famous |
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| Impala comments on Deezer's "artist-centric" model | One Liners: Olivia Rodrigo, Joel Culpepper, Romy + more | Atlantic marks 75th anniversary with vinyl reissue | Believe partnership with Darkoo and Tion Wayne | ERA sets out vision for future growth | Hipgnosis announces intra-fund song catalogue deal | Scottish Album of the Year longlist announced | Taylor Swift is really quite famous |
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TOP STORY | IMPALA comments on Deezer's "artist-centric" model | IMPALA - the pan-European trade group for the independent music community - has issued a statement on Deezer's so-called "artist-centric" model. IMPALA raises concerns that the plan could result in a “two-tier approach” that would negatively impact independent record labels.
IMPALA members have expressed concern about plans to provide a royalty "boost" for tracks released by what Deezer defines as "professional artists", but also that the new "artist-centric" model has been developed "in a vacuum" in consultation with just one single record company, Universal Music.
Under the new model, Deezer will stop paying out on functional audio like white noise and birdsong and will replace third-party content of that kind with its own non-monetised functional audio. Alongside this, money money will be allocated to streams where a user has proactively selected a track - and less money will be allocated where a track has been pushed to a user by an algorithm.
These changes seem likely to be supported by the majority of the music community.
More controversial is Deezer’s plan to allocate more money to tracks by what it deems “professional artists”. Its definition is any artist who gets more than 1000 streams from at least 500 unique listeners each month.
In a new interview with Billboard Deezer boss Jeronimo Folgueira insists that the threshold for being classified a "professional artist" has been picked so that most independent and niche artists will already be above it, and DIY artists trying to launch a career in music will quickly cross it.
"If an artist doesn’t get to 1000 streams and 500 listeners a month, they cannot make a living [through streaming] regardless of what the payout of the model is", says the Deezer chief. "So you’re not technically a professional. And any up-and-coming artist that is rising up gets to those levels pretty quickly".
This seems to disregard the fact that many professional artists do not make their living only from streaming. Furthermore, this part of the plan means that the so called "artist-centric" model splits the artist community into two, treating one group more favourably to the detriment of the other.
IMPALA has concerns, asking “whether the proposal could lead to a possible two-tier approach impacting the work of independent labels who account for 80% of new releases - including artists patiently awaiting discovery, artists who deliberately cater to niche audiences, artists from smaller territories and newcomers just embarking on their artistic journey - as well as label decisions on which services they choose to deal with".
One thing that Folgueira doesn't discuss in his Billboard interview is which, if any, artists were consulted about the "artist-centric" model. The fact that neither Deezer nor Universal have specifically explained how they consulted the artist community about all this suggests that they did not.
IMPALA says “the Deezer proposal has been developed in a vacuum with the market leader instead of the sector... Unless other stakeholders agree, IMPALA doesn’t see how it could apply outside of UMG repertoire.”
Executive Chair Helen Smith adds: “More debate is needed on this vital question and we look forward to further discussions to clarify the specifics of the Deezer proposal and its potential impact on the music ecosystem before commenting further. In the meantime, it can only apply to UMG repertoire unless or until other licensors were to agree”. | | | |
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| ONE LINERS | Olivia Rodrigo, Joel Culpepper, Romy + more | RELEASES
Joel Culpepper has released new single ‘Free’, featuring Tom Misch. His new EP ‘Happiness Is Only A Few Miles Away’, produced by Misch, is out on 27 Oct.
Bombay Bicycle Club have released new single ‘Turn The World On’. Their new album ‘My Big Day’ is out on 20 Oct.
Animal Collective have released new single ‘Gem & I’. New album ‘Isn't It I?’ is out on 29 Sep.
††† have released new single ‘Light And A Feather’. New album ‘Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete’ is out on 13 Oct.
Aesop Rock has announced that he will release new album ‘Integrated Tech Solutions’ on 10 Nov. Out now is new single ‘Mindful Solutionism’. L7 have released new single ‘Cooler Than Mars’.
Hannah Diamond has released new single ‘Poster Girl’. Her new album ‘Perfect Picture’ is out on 6 Oct.
Myrkyr has released new single ‘Mothlike’. Her new album ‘Spine’ is out on 20 Oct.
Mclusky have released an EP featuring four new songs - their first new music for nineteen years. “We recorded it and thought we might release it in order to raise money towards the ridiculously expensive US visas we require”, say the band, adding that a new album will be out next year.
Orka will release new album ‘All At Once’ on 29 Sep. Out now is the single ‘Mother’.
GIGS & TOURS
Olivia Rodrigo has announced that she will be in the UK for tour dates next May, including two shows at the O2 Arena in London on 14-15 May. Tickets go on general sale on Sunday.
Romy has announced that she will play Electric Brixton on 18 Nov. Tickets go on general sale on 20 Sep. | | | | LABELS & PUBLISHERS | Atlantic marks 75th anniversary with vinyl reissue campaign | Warner Music’s Atlantic Records has announced a year-long campaign of vinyl reissues to mark the label’s 75th anniversary.
The collection of 90 releases from across the the label’s catalogue - which will be put out in partnership with another Warner division, Rhino Entertainment - has been curated by the CEO of Atlantic Records in the US, Craig Kallman, who himself has a vinyl collection numbering over two million records.
“Our 75th anniversary has given us an incredible opportunity to revisit the amazing range and depth of the music that Atlantic has released across the decades”, says Kallman.
“These albums are not only an extraordinary musical journey through the years, but a cultural one as well, reflecting a series of seismic social shifts. As an admitted vinyl junkie, I’m honoured and THRILLED to join with our colleagues at Rhino to give all this brilliant music the royal LP treatment. It’s been a true labour of love and the perfect celebration of this landmark anniversary”.
The first block of releases is out now, including albums from Lizzo, Aretha Franklin, Janelle Monáe, Billy Cobham, Stone Temple Pilots and Kehlani.
For those not on board with the vinyl revival, the company is also putting out a series of remixes on streaming services. Check all those out in this Spotify playlist here. | | | | DEALS | Believe announces partnership with Darkoo and Tion Wayne | Believe has announced a new partnership with Afroswing artist Darkoo and rapper Tion Wayne around the release of their new collaborative single 'Shayo'. It's the duo’s third collaboration to date.
Under the new deal, Believe will handle distribution and digital marketing of the new track, including leading on playlist pitching and streaming service partnerships.
Says Malena Wolfer, Believe UK's Director Of Artist Services: “I'm delighted that Darkoo and Tion Wayne have chosen to partner with Believe. They're both amazing artists in their own right and I'm incredibly excited to see them join forces on a single that's destined to transcend borders".
"Empowering hugely successful artists like Darkoo and Tion Wayne to release their music independently and on their own terms is a key mission for us", she adds. "Believe's global scale is a perfect fit for a truly global collaboration like this, and our entire team is excited to support Darkoo and Tion’s vision".
Watch the video for ‘Shay’ here. | | | | DIGITAL & D2F | Entertainment retailers and streaming services set out vision for future growth | The trade body for UK entertainment retailers and streaming services - ERA - has published a new 'vision document' which sets out to, and I quote, "further drive an entertainment market which has grown over 40% over the past five years to more than £11 billion".
The key to further growth, it reckons, "lies in technology coupled with the passion for entertainment which characterises the sector".
Unveiling the new vision document at ERA's Annual Conference earlier this week, the trade group’s Chair Ben Drury said: "With AI throwing the spotlight on a new generation of technology, it's time to remind ourselves that new technologies are always a net positive for the entertainment industry".
"It's all too easy to forget that streaming, the CD and the vinyl record were new technologies once, and many of the concerns being voiced about AI would be familiar to executives of fifteen, 40 or even 75 years ago", he went on. "Growth in entertainment is a combination of innovation and the passion we all feel for music and video and games".
The new vision document - titled 'What We Stand For' - includes five values, four goals and three principles. Along the way the retailers and streaming services are aiming for collaboration, recognition, fan-focus, sustainability, diversity, choice, efficiency, pragmatism, fairness, transparency, value and service, and the embracing of technology and innovation.
You can figure out for yourself which of those are values, goals and principles. That’ll make for a nice Friday morning quiz, right? Answers in the vision document here!
Concludes Drury: "The digital entertainment and retail sector is the unsung hero of the entertainment business. This document will not only drive our work plan of advocacy and service for digital services and retailers but will also help define us to the outside world, including the musicians, actors, directors and games developers who depend on us to make a living”. | | | | LABELS & PUBLISHERS | Hipgnosis announces $440 million deal to boost share price of Songs Fund | Changes are afoot within the Hipgnosis empire, with a plan to sell a big old stack of music rights from one Hipgnosis fund to another. 20,000 "non-core songs" will also being sold on to a third party, so if anyone's interested in owing a load of "non-core songs", you're in luck!
The big deal that will see a number of catalogues move from the publicly listed Hipgnosis Songs Fund to Blackstone-backed Hipgnosis Songs Capital was first rumoured earlier this year as part of efforts to boost the former's share price.
In a statement to Songs Fund investors in July, Hipgnosis chief Merck Mercuriadis admitted that “the current share price does not reflect the success of our investment strategy and I know all shareholders share my frustration and disappointment that this is the case”.
He added: "We have been working with the board, following consultation with many of the company’s largest shareholders, on a number of options to enhance shareholder value”. An update was then promised in September.
And that update has now arrived. Mercuriadis confirmed yesterday that a $440 million deal had been agreed between the two Hipgnosis funds which will see the rights in songs from the likes of Rick James, Nelly, Barry Manilow, Kaiser Chiefs, Shakira and Sean Garrett shift from the Songs Fund to Songs Capital.
The profits from the sale will be used to buy back up to $180 million worth of shares in the Songs Fund and to make some payments on its credit facility, with the aim of boosting the share price.
Says Mercuriadis: “I’m delighted that through this transaction with Hipgnosis Songs Capital, not only are we able to execute the strategy of share buy backs and reducing leverage but also give clear transactional evidence … of the current realisable value of the company’s catalogues to help investors understand and have confidence in the company’s asset value".
There is one technicality to complete before the transaction between the two Hipgnosis funds can go ahead. Other parties interested in acquiring the catalogues that are part of this deal have 40 days to make a competing offer, which Hipgnosis Songs Capital can then choose to match. That's to reassure shareholders in the Songs Fund that they are getting a good price for the rights being sold.
Assuming the deal between the Songs Fund and Songs Capital goes ahead, the songs that will change ownership will still be managed and administered by Hipgnosis Song Management, the separate company that manages the catalogues of both funds.
The 20,000 "non-core songs" that will also be sold came to the Songs Fund via its acquisition of a bunch of catalogues from Kobalt back in 2020. Mercuriadis says that the Fund will retain ownership of the works in those catalogues that motivated the Kobalt deal in the first place. | | | | AWARDS | Scottish Album Of The Year Award longlist announced | The longlist for this year’s Scottish Album Of The Year Award has been announced, with 20 artists - including Paolo Nutini, Young Fathers, Hamish Hawk and Lvra - vying for the £20,000 prize.
“Each year, artists, industry professionals and music fans alike eagerly anticipate which 20 outstanding Scottish albums will make up The SAY Award longlist”, says Robert Kilpatrick, interim CEO of the Scottish Music Industry Association, which organises the awards.
“The unifying platform that SAY offers compiled with the egalitarian nature of both our submissions and nominations process is, what I believe, makes the longlist stand up as important, credible and authentic”, he goes on.
“Scotland’s cultural identity is shared; it belongs to and is influenced by everyone that calls Scotland home”, he adds. “In a music context, it’s the SMIA’s job to make sure that the full spectrum of Scotland’s music industry is reflected in our work”.
“With The SAY Award longlist being determined by 100 impartial industry nominators - comprising individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and genre specialisms from right across the country - this means it’s much more than a list of 20 great records: it’s the soundtrack of life in Scotland”.
Kilpatrick also revealed that 437 albums had been submitted for consideration this year, so the 20 selected records really are standouts. Here's the full longlist:
Andrew Wasylyk - Hearing The Water Before Seeing The Falls | Becky Sikasa - Twelve Wooden Boxes | Bemz - Nova's Dad | Brìghde Chaimbeul - Carry Them With Us | Brooke Combe - Black Is The New Gold | Brownbear - Demons | Cloth - Secret Measure | Comfort - What's Bad Enough? | Eyes Of Others - Eyes Of Others | Free Love - Inside | Hamish Hawk - Angel Numbers | Joesef - Permanent Damage | Juliette Lemoine - Soaring | Kapil Seshasayee - Laal | Lvra - Soft Like Steel | Paolo Nutini - Last Night In The Bittersweet | Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower - Even Days Dissolve | The Snuts - Burn The Empire | Su-a Lee - Dialogues | Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy
The overall winner will be announced at Stirling’s Albert Halls on 26 Oct. | | | |
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| AND FINALLY... | Taylor Swift needs her own reporters and camera operators, apparently | Not that we really needed it, but we got double confirmation this week that Taylor Swift is the most important pop star in the US right now.
First, Variety Co-Editor-In-Chief Ramin Setoodeh reported that - at this week's MTV VMAs - there was a camera operator whose entire job seemed to be to make sure that Swift was being filmed whenever other artists were performing on stage, so that viewers wouldn't miss any notable reactions from the most important pop star in the room.
"How important is Taylor Swift to the VMAs?" he posted on X. "There is a camera operator tasked with filming her continuously during the live performances onstage".
Second, US media company Gannett - which owns USA Today among other news titles - started recruiting for the all important new journalistic post of Taylor Swift Reporter.
The media firm said it needed "an experienced, video-forward journalist to capture the music and cultural impact” of Swift. Her fanbase - the job ad noted, according to NME - “has grown to unprecedented heights, and so has the significance of her music and growing legacy". Which is true. Though I'm still not sure that warrants a full time reporter entirely focused on her.
I mean, there'll be plenty to write about in the weeks when she's beefing with Scooter Braun or Ticketmaster's website is collapsing under the demand for tickets for her shows. But the rest of the time they'll end up writing nonsense stories about how a Variety editor tweeted about the VMAs having a camera operator filming her throughout the show. | |
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