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IDOL // UK Label Manager (London/Hybrid)

Today's music business news

TOP STORY

BOSS-SWIFT Act to regulate ticketing in the US introduced in Senate

Another set of proposals for regulating for the American ticketing business has been introduced in US Congress, though this is the Senate version of legislation already proposed in the House Of Representatives.

It’s the snappily titled Better Oversight of Stub Sales and Strengthening Well Informed and Fair Transactions for Audiences of Concert Ticketing Act. Or the BOSS-SWIFT Act, if you prefer.

One of the senators introducing the act in Senate is Richard Blumenthal, who says: “This measure will be a major step toward stopping all the hidden fees and exorbitant prices that have plagued concertgoers for far too long. These standards bring fairness and transparency to fans, artists and venues who power this industry".

Ticketing has become a big talking in US political circles again over the last year ever since Ticketmaster's Verified Fan system collapsed when tickets went on sale for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour last November.

Although Bill Pascrell, in the House Of Representatives, has been pushing for more rigorous regulation of the ticketing market for years. He originally proposed what he called the BOSS Act in 2009 following another Ticketmaster scandal, that time involving Bruce Springsteen tickets.

There have been various versions of the BOSS Act over the years, with the most recent iteration named the BOSS-SWIFT Act to capitalise on the latest Ticketmaster scandal.

Within it there are proposed new laws to regulate both primary and secondary ticketing. Among other things, it would force US ticket sellers to declare upfront the total cost of any one ticket - including all commissions and fees - and require more transparency around ticket availability and refund policies.

Those proposed rules would deal with some common gripes regarding ticket sales. Though some of those in the music community who have been calling for tighter regulation of ticketing are critical of the BOSS-SWIFT Act. That’s because - while it does propose some new regulation of secondary ticketing - the act also protects the right of touts, or scalpers, to resell tickets for profit.

Which, for some campaigners, makes Pascrell's proposals too pro-tout. Other new ticketing regulations have been proposed in Congress, however. So those who are pro-reform but not so keen on the BOSS-SWIFT Act could just pick one of the other proposals.

ONE LINERS

Sky Ferreira, Barry Can’t Swim, UK Music Video Awards + more

APPOINTMENTS

John Saunderson has rejoined Notting Hill Music as Head Of Creative Services. “As JFK once said ‘the time to fix the roof is when the sun is shining’, so we are THRILLED to add John’s energy and unique talents to the mix at a time when he can help to build further success for our writers from a starting position of great strength”, says company Chair Andy McQueen.

Universal Music Greater China has appointed William Hsieh as Managing Director of Universal Music Taiwan and SVP of UMGC. “I'm THRILLED to be returning home to Taiwan, especially with the privilege of leading Universal Music Taiwan - a music company with an unparalleled legacy”, he says. “I look forward to collaborating with our exceptional team at Universal Music to cultivate talent, bridge cultures, and forge innovative partnerships across this vibrant landscape. Collectively, we will harness the vast potential our region presents”.

RELEASES

Barry Can’t Swim has released new track ‘Deadbeat Gospel’, featuring somedeadbeat. “I hadn’t seen my mate somedeadbeat for about six years but he’d come along to the show that night”, the producer explains. “As everyone was sitting around getting steaming, he started reciting this poem he’d written. It was class. I pulled out my phone, pressed record and asked him to recite it one more time. Long story short, we turned it into a tune”. Barrys debut album ‘When Will We Land?’ is out on 20 Oct.

Armand Hammer have released new El-P produced single ‘The Gods Must Be Crazy’.

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes have announced that they will release new album ‘Dark Rainbow’ on 26 Jan 2024. Out now is new single ‘Man Of The Hour’. “We talk about how rock and roll will never die, but we never really talk about how maybe the idea of the rock star should die”, says Carter of the song. “The whole concept and what it means has always been this glamorised moment, but ultimately when I put that suit on, it didn’t go very well for me”. UK tour dates are also on the cards for February. Tickets on sale now.

Grove has released new single ‘Milf Magnet’, the first taken from new EP ‘PL*Y’, which is out on 1 Nov. “The ‘MILF’, from my perspective, translates to appreciating beauty, respecting commitment to life-giving and appreciating the often thankless monumental task of being a mother... a far cry from the Pornhub perspective”, they say. “That said, my DMs are open to all you fine older women <3”.

Madge will release their debut album ‘Boxcar’ on 17 Nov. Out now is new single ‘Saraghina’. "I don’t write many ballads - this one was brewing in my mind for a while”, they say. “Saraghina is largely a composite character but the main inspiration is an extended relative who passed away when I was a teen. She had an enigmatic, brief and tortured life. And while I would love to mythologise her story and our relationship, the lived experience remains so deeply mundane. Sometimes this smallness is what feels tragic”.

Hannah Deland has released new single ‘Strawberry Moon’. Her new album 'Goodnight Summerland’ is out on 13 Oct.

The recently Approved  Duvet have released new single ‘Sweaty Dog’. It is, they say, “a simple song about the state you become after a long night out going from place to place trying to stay out till you develop an animalistic state, covered in sweat, booze and other substances, while trying to still dance and have fun waiting for your next drink”.

GIGS & TOURS

Sky Ferreira has announced UK and Ireland tour dates in March next year, including a show at Koko in London on 5 Mar. At the shows she will preview long-awaited second album ‘Masochism’. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Nerina Pallot will play the London Palladium on 13 Apr. Tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Mew will perform with the Danish Chamber Orchestra at the Barbican in London on 3 Apr. “Mew’s music is born with a symphonic sound that is extremely well-suited for the concert halls we will be visiting along the way”, say Andreas Vetö, director of the Danish Chamber Orchestra. “When performed with our orchestra, the music soars even higher into the dreamy symphonic layers”.

Noname will play the Manchester Academy on 4 Feb and London’s Hammersmith Apollo on 6 Feb next year.

AWARDS

More winners have been announced for this year's Artist & Manager Awards, which will be presented by the FAC and MMF on 23 Nov. Bello will be declared Manager Of The Year for developing Central Cee's global business; Debbie ‘Cookie’ Pryce and Susan Banfield - aka The Cookie Crew - will be presented with the Pioneers award; and The Flight Club’s Samuel Ademosu and Ruth Gyaniao will get the award for Producer/Songwriter Manager.

The nominations for this year’s UK Music Video Awards are out, with Harry Styles leading the pack, scoring six nods - two of them in the Best UK Pop Video category. Other artists up for multiple nominations include Stormzy, The 1975, Little Simz, Jungle, Troye Sivan, The Hives, Yves Tumor, Royal Blood, Mette and Stone. The ceremony will take place at Magazine in London on 26 Oct. See the full list of nominees here.

LABEL & PUBLISHERS

IFPI launches four new charts in Middle East and North Africa

The International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry has launched four new charts for the Middle East and North Africa region.

Weekly charts will be published listing the most streamed tracks in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE, plus there will be a fourth chart for North Africa, which covers Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The charts will be prepared by BMAT with data from streaming services like Anghami, Apple Music, Deezer, Spotify and YouTube.

The four new charts will sit alongside the existing weekly chart for the whole MENA region, which was launched last year. All five charts are accessible at theofficialmenachart.com.

Says IFPI boss Frances Moore: “We are very pleased to be expanding the Official MENA Chart to show for the first time the top hits in Egypt, North Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Each of these countries have their own unique music heritage and the MENA region continues to grow strongly thanks to the breadth and diversity of talent, and through investments by record labels.

These new charts are a platform to celebrate and showcase this diversity".

In case you wondered, the current number one tracks are 'Mekhasmak' by Nawal (Egypt), 'Janant Galbi' by Majid Almohandis (Saudi Arabia), 'Chaleya' by Shilpa Rao, Kumaar, Arijit Singh and Anirudh Ravichander (UAE), and 'Noss Ellil' by ALA (North Africa). Number one in the overall MENA chart is ‘Janant Galbi’ by Majid Almohandis.

DEALS

BMG acquires Jet catalogue

BMG has acquired some of the rights in the recordings catalogue of rock band Jet, a deal that runs alongside their existing publishing deal.

The new agreement sees BMG take ownership of the rights to the Australian band’s first two albums, ‘Get Born’ and ‘Shine On’, in Australia and New Zealand, as well as the global rights in their third LP ‘Shaka Rock’.

"With big decisions like this it comes down to personal relationships”, says Jet’s Chris Cester. “We've known the BMG team for years. We're already with BMG for our publishing and they do what they say they're gonna do. That's a rare thing in this business. Sooner or later you figure out that's the only thing that matters, if you're serious about what you do".

President of BMG Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia, Heath Johns, adds: "Jet are a generation-defining band who achieved global success of the rarest kind. BMG couldn't be more honoured to acquire these iconic global hit recordings and we thank Nic, Chris, Cam, Mark and their manager Andy Cassell for the faith they have shown in our team via this landmark deal”.

“BMG has become the fastest-growing music company in Australia via our organic recordings and publishing growth”, he adds, “and now - as we expand our scope via acquisition - I can think of no bigger statement than the acquisition of the Jet catalogue”.

LEGAL

Fortnite maker takes Apple battle to US Supreme Court

Fortnite maker Epic Games has asked the US Supreme Court to review its legal battle with Apple.

Epic objects to Apple's App Store rules that force app-makers to use the tech giant's commission charging transactions system when taking in-app payments on iOS devices. Another rule, often called the anti-steering provision, stops companies from sign-posting other payment options online from within their apps.

Plenty of app-makers, including Spotify, have complained about the Apple rules. Spotify has urged law-makers to intervene and force a change to Apple's policies. Meanwhile, Epic filed lawsuits in multiple countries, accusing Apple of anti-competitive conduct.

The highest profile legal case was in California where the judge concluded that Apple's App Store rules do not violate US-wide federal competition law. Although, she also said that the anti-steering provision did contravene unfair competition law in California.

As a result, neither Epic nor Apple were happy with the judgement, and both appealed to the Ninth Circuit Appeals Court, which pretty much upheld the lower court's ruling.

Hence why Epic has now taken the case to the Supreme Court. Apple is also expected to file an appeal with the top court later today.

LIVE

Vivendi considering a sale of See Tickets

Vivendi is considering a sale of the See Tickets business and its other interests in live music, which includes a number of festivals. According to Sky News, sources say that the French company is already working with advisers on a sale process that could kick off imminently.

Having originally begun as the ticket-selling business of Nottingham-based record shop Way Ahead Records, See Tickets adopted that name when owned by Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group in the mid-2000s. Vivendi acquired the business in 2011, it being very active in the music sector at the time as the owner of Universal Music.

The ticketing firm - which now operates in various European markets as well as the US - sits within what is called the Vivendi Village division, which also owns a number of festivals, including UK-based events Love Supreme and Kite.

The sources who spoke to Sky News say that Vivendi bosses have concluded that the live music division is not of sufficient scale to compete with the major global players in live entertainment, in particular AEG and Live Nation/Ticketmaster.

And that's why they’re considering selling the Vivendi Village assets, although the sources add that it's not yet 100% certain any sale will actually go ahead.

Vivendi spun Universal Music off as a standalone business listed on the Dutch stock exchange back in 2021, of course. It retains a nearly 10% shareholding in the music major.

The big businesses within Vivendi today are the Canal+ TV and movie company and the Havas marketing agency group.

ARTIST NEWS

The 1975 to go on “indefinite hiatus”

The 1975 are set to go on an “indefinite hiatus” from touring following their current run of dates. Although, before you get too excited, that probably just means they’re going to go and record a new album.

“We love coming to this place and playing for you guys whenever we have the chance, and it’s wonderful you’re all here”, frontman Matty Healy told an audience in Sacramento, California earlier this week. “After this tour we will be going on an indefinite hiatus of shows, so it’s wonderful to have you guys with us tonight”.

The band’s ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour is set to run to March 2024 - with UK shows scheduled for February - so we’re currently some way off this promised hiatus. And that gives Healy plenty of time to stir up more controversy.

In recent months, he has done an apparent Nazi salute on stage, made racist comments on a podcast, and caused the cancellation of an entire festival in a botched attempt to speak up for LGBTQ+ rights in Malaysia.

Not that any of that seems likely to be the reason for band deciding to stop performing for a while. After all, after two years on the road it’s quite usual for bands to stop for a bit and record a new album. So we can probably take Healy’s announcement as confirmation that there is a sixth 1975 album on the way.

AND FINALLY

Meta launches celeb-faced AI bots, including Snoop Dogg as adventure gaming guide

Meta has announced plans to launch 28 AI chatbots - half of them played by celebrities and influencers - to assist users in a range of activities from DIY to gaming. Among them, Snoop Dogg  is set to play the character Dungeon Master, who will guide you through adventure games.

Announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at Meta’s annual Connect conference yesterday, the aim is apparently to make AI seem more appealing to a younger audience.

“This isn’t just about answering queries”, Zuckerberg said during the announcement. ”It’s about entertainment and about helping you do things to connect with the people around you”.

Launching in beta, and initially only in the US, the bots will have some limitations. There are plans for them to be able to access real-time information, via a partnership with Microsoft’s Bing search engine. However, right now their responses will be based on information from before 2023, meaning that the things they tell you may be out of date.

Previewing the plans earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal said that there had been problems with some of the AI chatbots. One - a “sassmaster general” robot - was deemed to just be rude by one tester, while another was critical of Zuckerberg and Meta.

Whether these teething troubles have been ironed out remains to be seen. The bots reported on by WSJ were not ones fronted by celebrities. If bots with a famous person’s face start mouthing off, that could present bigger problems for Meta.

As well as Snoop Dogg as a gaming guide, other celeb-bots include Paris Hilton as a detective to help you solve whodunnits; American footballer Tom Brady, who will debate sports with you; and YouTuber MrBeast as “the big brother who will roast you - because he cares”.