TODAY'S TOP STORY: Ah, the Digital Economy Bill, that old thing. Able to include anything vaguely digital, the latest DEB includes bits n pieces about both ticket touting and copyright. It's the latter bit that's in the news today after a group of campaigners, academics and lawyers wrote to the government on Friday expressing concern about the bit of the DEB that will ramp up the prison sentences for naughty copyright infringers who choose to do their naughty copyright infringement online... [READ MORE]
 | TODAY'S CMU APPROVED: Following guest vocal spots for Redlight and 30s, Zoee - the alter ego of musician Harriet Pittard - first emerged as a solo artist in her own right last year with 'Insecure (7, 8, 9)'. The track set out her stall for inviting but slightly off centre pop. Its video went a long way in setting the tone for her work too, with Pittard filmed from a fixed camera looking down on her in the street from a distance. [READ MORE] |
 | LATEST CMU PODCAST: CMU's Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week, including Viagogo's no-show at the latest parliamentary select committee hearing on secondary ticketing, Spinrilla's irritable response to the major record labels' lawsuit against the mixtape sharing platform, and how new acts should approach journalists.. The CMU Podcast is sponsored by 7digital. [READ MORE] |
 | LATEST CMU TRENDS: UK music creatives and their managers have called on the government to assist in their bid to secure more transparency in the digital music market. What do music creatives want to know, why do they need to know it, and can government really help? We review the transparency debate. CMU Trends articles are available to premium subscribers. [READ MORE] |
| TOP STORIES | Campaigners say new piracy jail terms could be misused READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LEGAL | Rick Ross appears in court on kidnap charges Kanye West settles New Slaves sampling case READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LABELS & PUBLISHERS | Ole investment recapitalisation may lead to company sale READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| LIVE BUSINESS | Coachella offers identity protection to hacked customers READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| EDUCATION & EVENTS | CMU Insights to talk digital dollars at Tallin Music Week this weekend Music charity Urban Development announces £600,000 of new funding READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| RELEASES | Faith Evans releases new Notorious BIG duet London Grammar announce truthful new album READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| ONE LINERS | Rag N Bone Man, Section Boyz, Future Islands, more READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
| AND FINALLY... | There's a Harry Styles mystery to be solved! READ IN THIS EMAIL | READ ON THE WEBSITE |
 | CR2 RECORDS - HEAD OF DIGITAL (LONDON) We are looking for an experienced Head Of Digital to manage the scheduling and direct delivery for all our digital releases to all DSPÂs ensuring quality control and accurate, timely delivery. The successful candidate will also prioritise content management on streaming retailers and be responsible for catalogue registrations for both copyright and publishing direct with many collection societies worldwide. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | MATERIAL - DAY TO DAY ARTIST & EVENTS MANAGER (LONDON) Material are looking for a passionate and enthusiastic new member to join a small but growing team based in Shoreditch. This is a position for an organised candidate with solid contacts and a real passion for electronic music. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | WORLD CIRCUIT Â MARKETING & PR MANAGER (LONDON) World Circuit is seeking a full time Marketing & PR manager at its offices in London. The ideal candidate is a creative, self-motivated individual with 3+ years music business experience in marketing and/or project management. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | MODEST! MANAGEMENT - SENIOR ARTISTS DIGITAL MANAGER (LONDON) Renowned artist management company Modest! seeks a Senior Artist Digital Manager to work across its exciting, international artist roster and join our busy London office. This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced and passionate music individual to deliver innovative and creative digital campaigns for a truly global roster. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | NINJA TUNE - SYNC CREATIVE, UK TV & ONLINE ADVERTISING (LONDON) Ninja Tune are hiring for a new member of our sync team working with both the record label and publishing catalogue from our London office. The role will be in the area of UK TV and online advertising which will entail creative pitching and creating, developing and maintaining new and existing client relationships. For more information and to apply click here. |
| NINJA TUNE - BUSINESS AFFAIRS ASSISTANT (LONDON) Ninja Tune are hiring for a junior business affairs role within the record label and publishing company. The role will involve both taking primary responsibility for certain tasks along with working closely with senior members of the team. For more information and to apply click here. |
| NINJA TUNE - REPERTOIRE & AUDIO MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT (LONDON) Ninja Tune are hiring for an assistant to our record label and publishing catalogue manager. The job will entail both creative and administration elements and any candidate should be proficient and enthusiastic for both. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | FABER SOCIAL - SENIOR MARKETING EXECUTIVE (LONDON) We are looking for a Senior Marketing Executive to join the Faber books marketing department, working on strategy and campaigns for Faber Social, and key campaigns on the fiction and non-fiction lists. With responsibility for planning and implementing the marketing for authors such as Viv Albertine, Jon Savage, Billy Bragg, Paul Auster, Edna OÂBrien and Goldie, weÂre looking for a capable and creative marketer who can deliver industry-leading campaigns. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | AEI - PUBLICIST (LONDON) An exciting opportunity has arisen for a talented and passionate music publicist to work in-house across AEI's variety of global music brands and artists. We are looking for an independent, well-rounded individual with a strong creative streak and passion for electronic music, a nose for a unique story and a strong contact base. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | THE ROUNDHOUSE - MARKETING MANAGER, MATERNITY COVER (LONDON) The Roundhouse is looking for a Marketing Manager to join the marketing team on a maternity cover basis for four days a week. This role will devise and implement marketing campaigns for Roundhouse-produced shows and events and co-productions, managing substantial budgets and handling media and PR agencies. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | LISTEN UP - EVENTS PRESS MANAGER (LONDON) Listen Up are currently recruiting for an Events Press Manager to join our Events department in our UK office. The candidate will report to the Head of Festival & Events Press and will have a minimum of two years experience in a similar role, with thorough knowledge of print and online press campaigns, as well as experience with on-site publicity and communication. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | EVENTIM APOLLO - ASSISTANT TECHNICAL MANAGER (LONDON) The Eventim Apollo is recruiting an Assistant Technical Manager to support and in the absence of the Technical Manager oversee the Technical aspects of a production from start to finish. You will also keep the stage and backstage area functioning in accordance with Health & Safety guidelines. For more information and to apply click here. |
 | KILIMANJARO LIVE - ONE YEAR PAID INTERNSHIPS (LONDON) Kilimanjaro Live are offering two separate year-long internship programmes with a view to help individuals establish a career in the live music industry. One programme will give individuals an opportunity to learn the various elements of concert and festival booking, promotion and production and the other will be predominately focused on marketing. For more information and to apply click here. |
| 29 Mar 2017 | CMU:DIY x Barod: Getting Your Artist Business Started CLICK FOR INFO |
| 1 Apr 2017 | CMU Insights @ Tallinn Music Week CLICK FOR INFO |
| 21 Apr 2017 | CMU Insights @ Canadian Music Week CLICK FOR INFO |
| 6 May 2017 | CMU Insights @ SPOT+ CLICK FOR INFO |
| 18 May 2017 | CMU Insights @ The Great Escape - The Media Conference CLICK FOR INFO |
| 18 May 2017 | CMU Insights @ The Great Escape - The Drugs Conference CLICK FOR INFO |
| 19 May 2017 | CMU Insights @ The Great Escape - The Export Conference CLICK FOR INFO |
| 19 May 2017 | CMU Insights @ The Great Escape - The Royalties Conference CLICK FOR INFO |
Campaigners say new piracy jail terms could be misused
Ah, the Digital Economy Bill, that old thing. It feels like this bit of catch-all legislation has been going through the motions ever since - well - probably 2010, the last time there was a Digital Economy Bill. Able to include anything vaguely digital, as previously reported, the latest DEB includes bits n pieces about both ticket touting and copyright.
It's the latter bit that's in the news today after a group of campaigners, academics and lawyers wrote to the government on Friday expressing concern about the bit of the DEB that will ramp up the prison sentences for naughty copyright infringers who choose to do their naughty copyright infringement online.
The proposal that those found guilty of criminal-level copyright infringement online be subject to the same potential jail terms as those found guilty of criminal-level copyright infringement in the physical world has been on the table for sometime.
The argument goes that online operations involved in industrial-level infringement are potentially just as profitable and just as damaging as someone bootlegging CDs and DVDs on a commercial-level, so the potential prison sentences should be the same. To that end, the DEB will increase the maximum jail term for online infringers from two to ten years, so it is in line with physical copyright crimes.
When talk about such an increase was first occurring in political circles there were, somewhat predictably, claims in the tech community that the entertainment industry was looking to lock up casual file-sharers for ten years.
However, supporters of the rule change insisted that the increased sentences would only affect those accused of criminal-level copyright infringement, which usually assumes infringing activity on an industrial scale. Casual file-sharers - if targeted at all - would still be sued through the civil courts for damages, rather than being charged with a copyright crime that might now result in the tougher jail sentence.
The new open letter, posted by Torrentfreak here and signed by academics from East Anglia, Essex, Strathclyde, Cardiff and Glasgow universities, among others, says that - as it is currently worded - the proposed new legislation doesn't provide certainty that the tough new sentencing would only apply to commercial-level copyright infringement. And that could result in the new measures being open to abuse.
The problem, the letter says, is that criminal copyright infringement is defined too widely in the draft DEB, so in addition to covering infringement conducted in the "course of a business", it also covers any other activities that "cause a 'loss' or create a 'risk of a loss' to the copyright owner". That latter bit could pretty much cover any form of infringement, including downloading a single track without licence.
Arguing that the proposed new rule could be in conflict with both European Union and European human rights law, the letter says: "As currently drafted, the DEB seems to be wide enough to encompass not-for-profit, small-scale online copyright infringement [as criminal infringement] which could lead to any individual spending ten years in prison for sharing a single file". The simple solution, the letter writers say, would be to insert 'commercial-level' before any use of the word 'loss'.
Those pushing for the tougher sentencing for online infringement only intend such a thing to apply to commercial-level infringers so, in theory, shouldn't oppose the newly proposed amendment. Though some might fear that by narrowing the remit of the new rule, it provides get outs for those targeted with the new legislation down the line.
The Digital Economy Bill will be back on the agenda in the House Of Lords on Wednesday.
Rick Ross appears in court on kidnap charges
Rapper Rick Ross appeared in court last week, pleading innocent to charges of kidnapping and assault dating back to 2015.
As previously reported, Ross was arrested two years ago, along with his manager Nadrian James, accused of attacking former employees Jonathan Zamudio and Leo Caceres at his home in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ross and James claim that they were acting in self-defence, after discovering that people unknown to them were being allowed into the rapper's home by the two workers. Things apparently came to a head when Ross confronted Zamudio.
James has testified that it was Zamudio who struck first and denies that any kidnap took place.
The case continues.
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Kanye West settles New Slaves sampling case
Kanye West has settled a lawsuit that claimed he had illegally sampled Hungarian rock star Gabor Presser on his 2013 track 'New Slaves'.
According to the New York Post, West agreed to an out-of-court settlement two days before he was due to give a deposition in the case. Presser had been seeking $2.5 million in damages, claiming that West had used parts of his 1969 song 'Gyöngyhajú Lány' without permission for a large portion of the 'Yeezus' track.
Presser apparently became aware of the use of his song when West's lawyers contacted him after 'New Slaves' was used in a promotional campaign for the rapper's 2013 tour dates. He says that the lawyers offered him a 48 hour deadline to agree to a deal and sent him a $10,000 advance, acceptance of which his lawsuit says would have provided "consent to West's unlawful use of the original composition".
Instead, Presser refused the advance or the deal offered and continued to negotiation through to March last year, when he went legal. A trial was due to begin in May.
Ole investment recapitalisation may lead to company sale
Canadian music publisher Ole is seeking bids of at least $650 million as part of what is known as a recapitalisation process. The move seemingly comes after a major investor decided to pull its money out and could lead to an outright sale of the music rights company.
"Ole has hired RCB Capitol to conduct a process to recapitalise the equity portion of Ole's capital structure", a spokesperson for the company told Billboard. "It is certainly possible that some party may suggest buying the company [but] that is not the intention of this process. Ole entered into a $500 million credit facility last summer. It remains well capitalised and will continue to operate as usual for the foreseeable future, including seeking acquisitions that make strategic sense".
The company has made various acquisitions in recent years, fuelled by investment that largely came from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund. It is reported that this is the investor now seeking to move its money elsewhere.
As mentioned by the company's spokesperson, Ole was granted a $500 million credit facility by a consortium of US and Canadian banks last September.
Coachella offers identity protection to hacked customers
Coachella promoter Goldenvoice - a subsidiary of what we all now always remember to call AEG Presents - is offering one year of identity protection services for free to certain people affected by the recent data hack on the festival's website.
As previously reported, the hack was reported last month and subsequently confirmed by the festival. At the time, it said that usernames, first and last names, shipping addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth had been taken during the attack, though no passwords or financial information had been accessed.
In a new page on the Goldenvoice website, offering more information on the attack and what to do if you are affected, the firm adds that ID uploaded to the website has also been taken. Customers are asked for information about their drivers licence, or other forms of identification, in order to verify who they are when they collect their wristbands. It is the people who had provided this information who are now being offered identity protection.
"Certain individuals may be eligible to receive identity protection services from AllClear ID for twelve months at no cost to you", says the website. "These services include AllClear Identity Repair and AllClear Credit Monitoring. Only individuals with a driver's license or other form of ID in our database are eligible to receive these services at no cost".
It adds: "We continue to investigate the security incident, in partnership with law enforcement and independent computer forensic investigators, to learn more and prevent a similar issue from occurring in the future. Though the security vulnerability has been remediated, we will continue to monitor the situation closely for any additional suspicious activity. Furthermore, we have applied important security updates to our systems and taken other proactive measures to help safeguard our services and protect your personal information".
More information here.
CMU Insights to talk digital dollars at Tallin Music Week this weekend
The conference programme has been published for this year's Tallinn Music Week and CMU Insights is presenting a session at the popular showcase festival for the first time.
The CMU Insights session, at 1.15pm on Saturday, will provide a ten step guide to how streaming services are licensed and digital royalties paid based on the 'Dissecting The Digital Dollar' report we produced for the UK's Music Managers Forum.
CMU MD and Business Editor Chris Cooke will lead the session, and talk through the various issues with the streaming business raised in the 'Digital Dollar' reports, before discussing possible solutions with Toomas Olljum, manager of Ewert And The Two Dragons and founder of 311.ee, an e-commerce platform for Estonian artists, and James Morgan, founder of Pieces of 8 Music, a boutique management and publishing company.
The Digital Suite session will also include a presentation from Malena Wolfer at Believe Digital looking at how data pulled out of the digital platforms should be used to inform decisions, future marketing campaigns and each artist's business.
TMW festivities kick off today, with the core showcase festival programme beginning on Thursday and the conference on Friday. The full conference programme is live here.
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Music charity Urban Development announces £600,000 of new funding
Music education charity Urban Development has secured £600,000 in funding for the next year, allowing for further expansion. Organisations providing funding include Vivendi, the PRS Foundation, the BRIT Trust and the Esmee Farbairn Foundation, with the new monies coming in addition to £350,000 in National Lottery funding and £97,000 from Youth Music secured last year.
The organisation provides a wide range of music education and talent development initiatives, with a skew towards urban music, and a particular focus on supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and creative talent in the black and minority ethnic communities. Its programme includes the monthly Industry Takeover Seminars at the Red Bull Studios that UD presents in partnership with CMU:DIY, the music business education programme that sits alongside the CMU media and consultancy business.
"I'm proud to announce this new round of funding with thanks to all our funding partners", says Urban Development founder Pamela McCormick. "It will bolster Urban Development's continuing commitment to build a centre of excellence for UK urban music, while playing an integral role within the music industry as a whole".
She continues: "With the various satellite projects Urban Development leads across the UK - whether it be the Industry Takeover All-Dayer, showcasing some of our incredible stable of artists at The Great Escape, or this summer's Urban Artist School - Urban Development's purpose is to develop, champion and educate this country's diverse, young musical talent and contribute to lasting change that will benefit the social mobility of underprivileged youth".
UD alumni Devlin adds of the support the organisation provides: "Urban Development have provided me not only with the powerful support team and expertise a label and publisher would give, but also genuine care and consideration that only an organisation with social conscience and authentic passion and affinity with youth culture would have. Urban Development is important and gives young talent the opportunities to fulfil their potential, this benefits not just communities, but our music industry hugely".
You will find more information on Urban Development here, and the monthly CMU:DIY x UD nights here.
| Approved: Zoee Following guest vocal spots for Redlight and 30s, Zoee - the alter ego of musician Harriet Pittard - first emerged as a solo artist in her own right last year with 'Insecure (7, 8, 9)'. The track set out her stall for inviting but slightly off centre pop. Its video went a long way in setting the tone for her work too, with Pittard filmed from a fixed camera looking down on her in the street from a distance. Next, she gained further ground releasing another single, 'Betcha', through Ryan Hemsworth's Secret Songs label, followed this year by a collaboration with fellow lo-fi pop upstarts The Rhythm Method, 'Cruel'. Now she's back again with new single, '1-2-1', of which she says: "'1-2-1' is inspired by my fascination with serial monogamy, moving from relationship to relationship in quick succession. I feel the need to be wanted can sometimes override the need to be loved. That need is reflected in the manic arpeggios and voice-in-your head backing vocals". Listen to '1-2-1' here.Stay up to date with all of the artists featured in the CMU Approved column by subscribing to our Spotify playlist. |
Faith Evans releases new Notorious BIG duet
Faith Evans has released a new song that also features her late husband Notorious BIG, taken from her upcoming album 'The King & I'.
Due for release on 9 Jun, Evans' new LP features 25 songs that include vocals recorded by Biggie Smalls before his death in 1997. Together they tell the story of their life together from their meeting on a photoshoot in 1994, their marriage the following week, up to his murder.
Various guests join her on the album, including Lil Kim, Busta Rhymes, DJ Premier, Salaam Remi and Smalls' mother Voletta Wallace. Two other songs have previously been released from the record, 'NYC' featuring Jadakiss and 'When We Party' featuring Snoop Dogg.
Listen to new single, 'Ten Wife Commandments', here.
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London Grammar announce truthful new album
London Grammar have announced that they will release their second album, 'Truth Is A Beautiful Thing', on 9 Jun.
"We are over the moon to announce that our second album 'Truth Is A Beautiful Thing' will be released on 9 Jun", say the band, basically just repeating what I already told you, like they think that you think I'm lying or something, the shits. "It's been a wonderful process and a long journey, so thanks especially to all those who waited. Now it culminates with us handing the music over to you. We can't wait for you to hear it in full".
Yeah, whatever, they've upset me now. Here's their new single, the album's title track. Not sure if the band want to confirm that or whether you're all willing to trust me. Okay? Okay. Good.
Rag N Bone Man, Section Boyz, Future Islands, more
Other notable announcements and developments today...
 Rag N Bone Man's released the video for new single 'Skin'. So you can watch that now if you want.
 Section Boyz have released a new mixtape, 'Soundcheck'. It's nineteen new tracks, with production from Rudekid, HeavyTrackerz, Sx and Z Dot, among others.
 Future Islands have released a new track, 'Cave'. Their new album, 'The Far Field', is out on 7 Apr.
 Tei Shi has just released another new track from her debut album, 'Crawl Space', which is out this week. Here's 'Justify'.
 Spiral Stairs, aka ex-Pavement man Scott Kannberg, released his new album on Friday. Here's the video for new single 'Emoshuns'.
 Anathema are set to release new album 'The Optimist' on 9 Jun. "I suppose you might say the album is semi-autobiographical because this time we used a surrogate", says the band's Daniel Cavanagh says: "We put sound, feelings and crucially, our own hopes and fears into another person and made him the subject of the songs, then weaving my own internal monologue into the narrative of 'The Optimist'". Here's a trailer.
There's a Harry Styles mystery to be solved!
Mystery! There is mystery in the world of Harry Styles. And who doesn't like a bit of mystery? If this mystery had a title, it would be 'The Mystery Of The Blank Instagram Posts (Again)'.
On Saturday, Styles posted three white images to his Instagram account, which has been dormant for months. Actually, last time he was active on there, he was posting blank images too. Though that was the tease a photoshoot for a magazine.
However, this time there was a concurrent TV ad too. It aired during Saturday's episode of 'The Voice'. It shows Harry stepping out of a dark room into bright light, ending with a date splashed across the screen: 7 Apr.
What could it all mean? Not another magazine shoot, surely. But could it be that there is new music on the way? Do we dare dream such a thing? Oh, the mystery! The mystery!
Of course, this whole mystery thing is slightly ruined by whoever uploaded the advert to Styles's Vevo account titling it 'Harry Styles ad for debut single'. But maybe that's meant to throw us off the scent. And maybe throwing us off the scent is code that he's releasing a new perfume. Yes, that must be it. Last time he blanked out his Instagram account it was for the sight of a new photoshoot. The next obvious sense to cover is smell.
Look out for a new Harry Style fragrance on Friday next week, you mark my words.
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