In today's CMU Daily: The US Copyright Office is currently reviewing whether the MLC should continue to administer the compulsory licence used by streaming services in the US. It will almost certainly conclude that it should, but in the meantime the review provides opportunities for griping. A key gripe of the digital services is that they pay the MLC’s running costs and it has started using that money to sue them

One Liners: GMM, Downtown, Gun deals; Spotify, TikTok, MNRK, UMG, Wasserman hires; Yourope diversity toolkit; Vauxhall Tavern campaign; New music education initiative; Youth Music NextGen Fund; Marina to support Kylie; BBC Radio 2 In The Park; new releases from Pixies, Blossoms, Divorce, Fat Dog, Los Bitchos

Also today: Coldplay pledged to cut the carbon emissions of their current tour by at least 50%. So how are they doing? Pretty well. They’ve passed that target but say there is still more to do. 

Plus: Karousel Music East London Showcase in the spotlight 

Change MLC dispute procedure so we don’t pay to sue ourselves, say streaming services

The US Copyright Office is currently conducting a review to decide whether The MLC should continue to be the collecting society that administers the mechanical rights compulsory licence used by streaming services in the US. The compulsory licence sets out how - and how much - songwriters and music publishers are paid when songs are streamed. 

The Copyright Office will almost certainly conclude that The MLC should continue to do what it already does, but as part of the process the users and beneficiaries of the licence - so the digital music services on one side, and songwriters and publishers on the other - have an opportunity to set out their gripes and grievances with the current system. And we all know how much digital music services, songwriters and publishers enjoy a good gripe.

This all comes admist The MLC suing two of those digital services, Pandora and Spotify, who are members of the Digital Media Association, or DiMA, which made its submission to the review last week. This means, not entirely unsurprisingly, that key amongst the gripes raised by the digital services is that they are effectively underwriting the costs of the MLC suing them. This is because the money that funds the MLC’s operations - and, critically, any costs of legal action - comes from the digital services themselves. 

“Litigation should be a last resort”, declares DiMA’s submission. However, because “the MLC and its music publisher members do not expect to bear the cost of litigation” they “lack the normal financial disincentives to commence litigation without fulsome legal and business analysis or without attempting to resolve the matter in a less costly way”. 

Or, in plain English, DiMA reckons that the MLC is a bit trigger happy when it comes to suing people, because it knows that the publishers and writers on its board aren’t going to have to pick up the costs.

As a result, DiMA wants the Copyright Office to put in place new dispute resolution mechanisms which would make it harder for the MLC to go straight to litigation. But the National Music Publishers Association opposes such proposals. 

When US Congress passed the Music Modernization Act in 2018, the NMPA writes in its submission, Congress “authorised the MLC to protect the interests of copyright owners through enforcement”. That the MLC has that power - including recourse to legal action - is, the NMPA argues, crucial - otherwise publishers and songwriters “will be left with no protection against bad faith by digital music providers”, because they are compelled to operate “under a compulsory license which they cannot negotiate or refuse”. 

Prior to the MMA, digital platforms relying on the compulsory licence had to undertake a lot of administration, including sending paperwork to each rightsholder. Primarily because of data issues on the songs side of the music industry, a lot of that admin didn’t happen. Which meant

lots of song copyrights were being infringed, which, in turn, resulted in litigation being filed by the publishers and songwriters. 

The MMA was the result of a compromise between the streaming services and the music publishers, to try and avoid that sort of messy situation which benefited no one. 

The services would pay for the creation and running of a collecting society to administer the compulsory licence, removing their administrative burden and the risk of songs being unlicensed. That, in turn, reduced the risk of them being sued for copyright infringement, which benefited everyone - though maybe not the lawyers.

The MMA set out how this new collecting society should work. The Copyright Office then appointed the MLC to undertake that role. It is that appointment - or ‘designation’ to use the technical term - that is currently being reviewed.

PPL // Events Manager (London Hybrid)

BSI Merch // Digital Content & Campaign Manager (London)

terrible* // Finance Assistant/Bookkeeper (London)

Secretly Distribution // UK Account Relations Director (London)

Republic of Music // Label Manager (Brighton Hybrid)

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Horizon is CMU's new weekly newsletter - published each Friday - that brings you a hand-picked selection of early-stage career opportunities from across the music industry.

Whether you're looking for your first job in music or you're ready to take a step up, Horizon is here to help you find your dream job faster.

👉 Click through to see the current selection.

ONE LINERS

Tencent, MNRK, Marina + more

DEALS 

Tencent Music has taken a 10% stake in Thailand-based music company GMM Music, giving the business a $700 million valuation. “As the music industry is entering the second wave boom, with revenue surpassing all time high and continuing on the upswing, GMM Music has developed a new strategic roadmap to drive our future growth, along with continuously improving the infrastructure for the Thai music industry”, says GMM CEO Phawit Chitrakorn. 

Downtown Artist & Label Services has agreed a partnership with AI-powered music marketing operating system SymphonyOS. “As we see the needs of artists and their teams evolving rapidly, SymphonyOS’ suite of tools represents an important shift in the way we and our partners can make the most informed decisions, with the goal of developing a targeted fanbase of authentic listeners”, says the Downtown division’s VP Marketing Geoff Halliday.

23rd Precinct Music has signed Gun to a new publishing deal covering their latest album ‘Hombres’, which came out in April. The band’s Giuliamo Gizzi says they’re “THRILLED” to sign the deal, which they hope “will take our music to the next level".

APPOINTMENTS 

Spotify has promoted Federica Tremolada to General Manager for Europe. She replaces Michael Krause, who revealed earlier this week that he is leaving the company. “I’m super honored and THRILLED to continue this amazing journey at Spotify by extending my scope and being appointed as General Manager for Europe”, says Tremolada. “A huge thanks goes to everyone inside and outside Spotify who supported, inspired and trusted me in every single step along the way”.

TikTok has hired former Warner Bros lawyer John Rogovin as its new General Counsel. He arrives as the video-sharing platform attempts to fight its looming ban in the US. “I am incredibly excited to be joining this world-class team and look forward to helping to ensure that our platforms continue to provide a critical forum for more than two billion users worldwide to entertain, teach and connect with one another”, he says. 

Universal Music has announced the formation of a new Global Impact Group, appointing Susan Mazo as Chief Impact Officer and hiring Dylan Siegler as Head Of Sustainability. “The formation of the Global Impact Team reflects our commitment not only to accelerating our work in these critical areas but to do so in a way that leverages the experience and talent of these exceptional individuals to drive positive impact across our company, our industry and in the communities in which we serve”, says CEO Lucian Grainge. “With this new structure we are ensuring that these functions are not siloed, but rather positioned to meaningfully influence all aspects of our global strategy”.

MNRK Music Group has announced that President and CEO Chris Taylor has resigned. He will officially step down at the end of this month. Taking his place will be current COO Sean Stevenson. “We wish Chris the best in his future endeavours”, says Stevenson. “He’s been a great leader and partner over the years, and I look forward to continuing the growth of MNRK with the whole team”.

Booking agency Wasserman Music has promoted Lee Anderson to the role of President. “I’m honoured to accept this new role, but my mission remains the same: to work closely with my colleagues on our executive leadership team to ensure that we remain true to our vision and consistently deliver the best results for our clients and our global team”, he says.

LIVE BUSINESS 

European festival trade body Yourope has launched a new Diversity & Inclusion Toolset, a collection of resources to help organisers make their events more diverse and inclusive for their ticketholders, artists and staff. “When we talk to festival organisers about diversity at their events, we sometimes hear that they would like to do more, but they don’t know where to start”, says project manager Katharina Weber. “With this toolset, we give festival organisers a chance to fight this insecurity. It’s a place to start their diversity journey”. 

Promoter of the Duckie club night Simon Casson is attempting to rally support to buy South London LGBTQ+ venue the Royal Vauxhall Tavern through the formation of a community trust. The current operator of the venue, James Lindsey, is stepping down and is looking to sell the business, though Casson proposes buying the building instead. “The only way the Royal Vauxhall Tavern can survive is to be taken over by a community trust”, he writes in a post on Facebook. “It’s a wonderful building with a wonderful history and its soul doesn’t belong to the asset stripping James Lindsey”. 

MUSIC EDUCATION 

Following a pilot programme in Manchester, Casio Music UK and Manchester City footballer Nathan Aké are launching Playing For Change. The initiative aims to improve music education provision in disadvantaged schools and colleges by donating free pianos. “Every child deserves the opportunity to experience the gift of music, regardless of their background, and I’m proud to be working with Casio to make that a reality”, says Aké. “Learning to play the piano during lockdown was a revelation for me. It gave me a sense of calm and focus during a difficult time, and it continues to bring me joy and stress relief, especially between games”.

FUNDING

Applications for the latest round of Youth Music’s NextGen Fund are now open. It offers grants of £2,500 for 18-25 year olds to fund creative projects in the music industry. The deadline to apply is 28 Jun.

GIGS & FESTIVALS

Marina will play her only UK show of 2024 supporting Kylie Minogue at BST Hyde Park in London on 13 Jul. Tickets are on sale now. 

Sting and Pet Shop Boys have been announced as the headliners of this year’s BBC Radio 2 In The Park. The event is set to take place at Moor Park in Preston on 6-8 Sep. Other acts set to perform include Sugababes, Manic Street Preachers and Snow Patrol. Tickets are on sale now. 

RELEASES

Pixies have released new double A-side single ‘You’re So Impatient/Que Sera Sera’. The band will be on tour in the UK in August. 

Blossoms have announced that they will release their fifth studio album ‘Gary’ on 20 Sep. The title track is out now. 

Divorce have released new single ‘My Room’. The band will be on tour in the UK in October. 

Fat Dog have released new single ‘I Am The King’. Their debut album ‘Woof’ is out on 6 Sep, with UK tour dates set for November. 

Los Bitchos will release their second album ‘Talkie Talkie’ on 30 Aug. Out now is new single ‘Don’t Change’. UK tour dates are also scheduled for September and October.

A long way to go on carbon emission reductions say Coldplay as they beat their own target

Coldplay have published an update on their efforts to tour more sustainably, revealing that they have now met their target to reduce carbon emissions on their current tour by 50% compared to their last round of touring in 2016 and 2017. A year ago they were in sight of that 50% goal - with carbon emissions down 47%. This new announcement sees them comfortably pass the 50% threshold, with the latest reduction coming in at 59%.

Commenting on that achievement, the band say, “As a band, and as an industry, we’re a long way from where we need to be on this. But we’re grateful for everyone’s help so far and we salute everyone who’s making efforts to push things in the right direction”. 

That reduction in emissions is not just hot air: the figures are verified by the Environmental Solutions Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology. 

Commenting on the latest stats, MIT boffin John E Fernández commends the band’s “evolving vision and expanded commitment to move the entire music industry toward true and humane sustainability and planetary resilience”. He goes on, “From collecting unprecedented amounts of data to taking specific actions today based on rigorous analysis, Coldplay is modelling a trajectory toward a low carbon, biodiverse and equitable future”. 

The band have implemented an assortment of environmental initiatives on their Music Of The Spheres Tour, including employing an electric battery system that allows them to use 100% renewable energy, using electric vehicles and alternative fuels wherever possible, and putting power bikes and kinetic dance floors into venues so fans can help charge the batteries. 

Beyond dancing and pedalling to keep the batteries topped up, fans are encouraged to do their bit in other ways too. Although Coldplay’s top level carbon emissions figure doesn't include the impact of fans travelling to the venue, ticket buyers are encouraged to use public transport to help out - and that seems to be working. 

The band add, “data gathered by our tour app suggests a higher proportion of fans travelling by public transport and a significant reduction in indirect emissions compared to previous tours”.

A third of audience members used public transport, those stats suggest, and the average carbon footprint per traveller is 48% lower than on the previous tour. 4% of fans are really doing their bit by travelling to the show via zero carbon transport, so on foot or by bike. 

Other stats in the latest update include that eighteen shows in 2023 were powered entirely using the tourable battery system; an average of 17kWh is generated each show by a combination of the power bikes and kinetic dance floors, as well as some solar panels; over 3000 tCO2e (‘tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent’) was saved by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel for flights; and 72% of all tour waste was diverted from landfill and sent for reuse, recycling and composting. 

Topping off all of that, a tree has been planted for every concert-goer, which works out at about seven million trees. Which is really quite a lot, when you consider that the whole of London has around eight million trees.

As for how this might impact on the live music industry more generally, the band say, “as yet, there is no industry standard for sustainable touring or centrally-mandated methodology for emissions reporting in this sector. This is something that we will continue to promote and try to establish. We have made all efforts to align ourselves with the principles of recognised standards such as the greenhouse gas protocol, and follow best practices and guidance”. 

Earlier this year Coldplay announced that they, their promoter and their label - Live Nation and Warner Music - were now all working with MIT on a comprehensive study of the live music industry’s carbon footprint. The aim is to identify and promote practical solutions to reduce the environmental impact of live music events at every level, from grassroots music venues through to arena and stadium shows and tours.

Spotlight: Karousel East London Showcase

Karousel Music’s East LDN Showcase takes to the stage this evening at Paper Dress Vintage in Hackney. Sponsored by SESAC and MMF, this event is designed to boost industry visibility for up-and-coming artists, with industry professionals attending for free and all public ticket revenue going directly to the artists and the sound engineer. The evening kicks off with an industry drinks reception at 6.30pm, followed by live performances starting at 7.45pm.

Tonight's line-up features Ruby Duff, Sister, Holly Riva and Rico Furs - each bringing their own unique sound and style. This showcase provides a platform for these artists, aiming to connect them with influential industry figures and enhance their profiles. With a mix of genres and performances, the event underscores Karousel Music’s dedication to fostering new talent.

Setlist Podcast: It’s been a bad week to be Live Nation

In this week's Setlist Podcast: Chris Cooke and Andy Malt discuss the US government’s legal action against Live Nation that seeks to force it to sell off Ticketmaster, ticket touts’ plans to fight the Labour Party’s proposed 10% price cap on the resale of tickets, and more.

🎧 Click here to listen - or search for 'Setlist Podcast'