Music Week articles from April 2009

Music Week archives from April 2009

Term takes a turn for the worse.
April 4, 2009... Government holds firm over blocking tactics as industry executives rage at latest move By Robert Ashton Ministers' phones will ring red hot over the next few days as a heavyweight team of senior industry figures turns up the heat on...

Conqueror Keating spares EMI blushes over Pet Shop Boys.
April 4, 2009... EMI's blushes have been spared by Ronan Keating after strong sales of his Songs For My Mother album rendered a slip-up over the release of the Pet Shop Boys' new album Yes largely irrelevant to the duo's chart fortunes. The Pet Shop Boys'...

THE PLAYLIST: 04.04.09.
April 4, 2009... BAND OF SKULLS I Know What I Am Shangri-La Southampton trio Band Of Skulls have secured global iTunes Single Of The Week placement for their debut single. This is a brilliant debut. (single, April 6) DISCOVERY Orange...

MEDIA: Parfitt seeks more coherent BBC voice.
April 4, 2009... New music controller speaks of Beeb's more articulate musical strategy By Christopher Barrett The BBC's ability to talk in a "coherent voice" is being refined following Andy Parfitt's recent installation as popular music controller....

Thomson unveils high-def MP3 format.
April 4, 2009... Some 14 years after the MP3 went public, technology company Thomson is hoping that high-definition will be the next key step in its evolution as it unveils the proprietary MP3HD format. With the major labels all stepping away from DRM, the...

Budd is back in business.
April 4, 2009... Producer manager Stephen Budd is re-entering the world of artist management and will be working with The Magic Numbers and Gang Of Four. Budd, who co-founded SuperVision Management alongside Paul Craig, will work with SuperVision...

Boulevard buys up ex-EUK product in a #30m swoop.
April 4, 2009... Film distributor Boulevard Entertainment has bought more than #30m of home entertainment products, including CDs and DVDs, from EUK administrator Deloitte. The deal, which includes "millions of CDs" from frontline to budget titles, means...

Industry in race against the clock.
April 4, 2009... Industry prepares submissions for Digital Rights Agency The industry is running right to the wire with its responses to the Digital Rights Agency consultation and may ask for more time to prepare submissions. The BPI and UK Music were...

Faculty Music John And Jehn.
April 4, 2009... A student label has demonstrated it is more than a plaything for college kids by delivering what may be the first credible band to come out on a UK university imprint in a number of years. The University of Westminster's student label...

Fair play to PRS for launching its songwriters site at an apt time.
April 4, 2009... Editorial Paul Williams YOU HAVE TO ADMIRE YOUTUBE'S hugely positive public persona. It has ensured that, despite it being owned by a multi-billion-dollar corporate giant, in its PR skirmish with PRS for Music it has been the music people...

RETAIL: Monocle welcomes Rough Trade.
April 4, 2009... Global recognition for East London store coincides with second annual Record Store Day By Ben Cardew LONDON RECORD STORE ROUGH TRADE EAST been named as one of the 20 best retailers in the world by Tyler BrPle's Monocle magazine, the...

Viewpoint: John Denham.
April 4, 2009... Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills Despite the UK Government's vote against copyright extension in Brussels last week, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham explains why he also wants...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Mean Fiddler Group.
April 4, 2009... The Mean Fiddler Group is to re-open North London venue The Garage in June. It is the first venue to open its doors since the Mama Group formed a new joint venture with HMV in January. The announcement follows a period of uncertainty for The...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Featured Artist Coalition.
April 4, 2009... The Featured Artist Coalition elected its first board last week and outlined the key issues it will pursue as part of its agenda. Board member Howard Jones says the organisation is committed to three main principles: it is against criminalising...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Tony Page.
April 4, 2009... Former Woolworths commercial director Tony Page has revealed that music sales will be a part of his new retail venture. Page is looking to buy up to 300 stores, many of them former Woolworths' outlets, and will create a new company carrying...

NEWS IN BRIEF: MP3 players.
April 4, 2009... MP3 players have been removed alongside the likes of wine boxes and DVD rentals from high-street stores by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which annually reviews and updates a "shopping basket" of 650 goods and services to calculate...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Twisted Wheel.
April 4, 2009... Columbia act Twisted Wheel are teaming up with HMV for the latest in the retailer's My Inspiration campaign. The band have chosen The Zombies' hit She's Not There to feature in their ad. In a twist, they have recorded a cover of the song, which...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Chris Smith.
April 4, 2009... Former Culture Secretary Chris Smith will chair a new conference addressing copyright issues next month. Smith will chair the Copyright and Enterprise meeting at the Royal Institute of British Architects, which will feature UK Music chief...

PPL steps into term fray with talent trip.
April 4, 2009... PPL IS LEADING a strong late push to persuade wavering MEPs and other Brussels decision-makers about the merits of copyright term extension this week, when it holds a high-profile reception in Brussels. The society is taking a group of...

MEDIA: 30 is the magic number for BBC's hip-hip celebrations.
April 4, 2009... Corporation plans to mark genre's birthday in style By Ben Cardew RADIO ONE AND 1XTRA are joining forces for a raft of special programming in April to celebrate the 30th anniversary of hip-hop. From this Friday (April 3) the two...

MEDIA: Burnham eyes gap in TV support.
April 4, 2009... CULTURE SECRETARY ANDY BURNHAM believes there could be a gap in the TV schedules for an Old Grey Whistle Test-style programme to help give new artists a career push. Burnham, who recently called for the BBC to rethink its position on Top...

AIRPLAY ANALYSIS: Halo puts shine back on Beyonce.
April 4, 2009... Alan Jones Beyonce is back at the peak of her powers, and to prove it, latest single Halo makes a massive leap to the top of this week's radio airplay chart. The third single from her current I Am... Sasha Fierce set arrives at the summit...

CAMPAIGN FOCUS: Pennies From Heaven.
April 4, 2009... UNIVERSAL'S DECCA LABEL WILL MARK the release of its Pennies From Heaven compilation this month with a one-off revisit to the 78rpm record format. A two-CD collection of music from the Twenties, Thirties and Forties, Pennies From Heaven...

MEDIA: Bananaz on the menu at launch of online platform.
April 4, 2009... SXSW and Gorillaz content on Babelgum's schedules By Ben Cardew A NEW INTERNET TV PLATFORM is marking its launch with exclusive live content from SXSW and concerts from acts including Franz Ferdinand. The flash-driven Babelgum site...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Absolute Radio.
April 4, 2009... Absolute Radio has inked a deal with Planet Rock to sell advertising on behalf of the specialist digital station. Advertising will be sold by Absolute's sales team, who already handle Absolute Radio, Absolute Classic Rock and Absolute Xtreme....

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: XFM Big Night Out.
April 4, 2009... The Noisettes, Dinosaur Pile-Up and Trip will play the XFM Big Night Out, which takes place on April 9 at the O2 Academy in Brixton. Meanwhile, Doves are to follow the likes of The Prodigy, Coldplay and Kings of Leon by embarking on The Xfm...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: 96.3 Radio Aire.
April 4, 2009... Leeds radio station 96.3 Radio Aire is auctioning an advertising promotion on eBay. The winner of the lot will sponsor the Live With Logie competition, under which five listeners will live with a life- size doll of the station's breakfast host...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: BBC London 94.9.
April 4, 2009... Tony Blackburn and Gary Crowley head up BBC London 94.9's new weekend line-up, which comes into force this Saturday (April 4). Crowley's new show, which highlights music from the Seventies and Eighties, will air on Saturday lunchtimes from...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Sony Music.
April 4, 2009... Sony Music won best advertising campaign at last week's Media Guardian Awards For Innovation for its AC/DC Rocks The Office Excel spreadsheet video. The Megas, as the awards are known, launched in 2007 to recognise innovation across the media...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: BBC.
April 4, 2009... The BBC is drafting plans to offer an online catch-up service for all commercial and public service radio stations in the UK on a single platform. The proposal requires the approval of the BBC Trust to move forward. Copyright: UBM...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: EMI Music.
April 4, 2009... EMI Music has dropped its copyright infringement suit against Project Playlist, licensing content to it instead. Sony Music has already signed up to the service, which lets users create and share playlists online. Copyright: UBM...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Last.fm.
April 4, 2009... Last.fm is scrapping its ad-supported model in markets outside of the UK, the US and Germany. Features such as recommendations and videos will be free in affected markets but users there will have to pay E3 (#2.79) a month for the Last.fm Radio...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: MySpace Music.
April 4, 2009... There have been a raft of key appointments at MySpace Music, among them Jamie Kantrowitz (SVP of strategy and global marketing), Nancy Taylor (lead counsel, VP business development and legal affairs) and Frank Hajdu (executive director,...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Nokia.
April 4, 2009... Nokia has confirmed that it will be offering video content via its Ovi Store. It is expected to open in May and will also sell mobile apps to compete with Apple's App Store. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

DIGITAL: Hardware uptake reaching saturation point, says ERA.
April 4, 2009... Research reveals sales of broadband and MP3 players slowing, but 3G set to surge By Eamonn Forde NEW FIGURES FROM THE ENTERTAINMENT RETAILERS ASSOCIATION suggest that although digital music sales are thriving, broadband penetration is...

DIGITAL: `Digital drives how we listen to music'.
April 4, 2009... Quickfire Cory Ondrejka FRESH FROM ANNOUNCING that digital will no longer operate as a standalone digital unit, EMI Music has promoted Cory Ondrejka to the role of EVP of digital marketing. He replaces president of digital and COO new...

DIGITAL ROUNDUP: This week's launches.
April 4, 2009... Echodio Hailed as "iTunes meets The Cloud", Echodio enables the user to sync iTunes playlists between three different computers and stream them. ListenTo.fm Enables users to share music and video via Twitter. MixTape.me ...

LIVE: Edge steals live advantage.
April 4, 2009... Low-risk scheme yields big dividends for financiers By Gordon Masson LIVE MUSIC FINANCIER EDGE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT is approaching promoters and entrepreneurs, asking for suggestions for events in which it can target funding. At...

LIVE: Plastic Head gets busy with Thin Lizzy.
April 4, 2009... Rock Classics merchandise range for heritage acts leads to healthy retail profits WITH THE LIVE SCENE BOOMING, band merchandise companies are reaping the benefits. But it seems a band does not even have to exist nowadays to sell...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: Womad.
April 4, 2009... Womad will return to London this summer for the first time in more than a decade, when it sets up camp at the Tower of London during September 19-20 as part of the annual Tower Festival. Legendary Algerian singer Khaled has been confirmed to...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: Digital Stores.
April 4, 2009... Online consumer retailer Digital Stores last week experienced one of its busiest days to date when it placed tickets on sale for The Prodigy and Spandau Ballet. Digital Stores run websites for both bands and they report that The Prodigy sold...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: Sonisphere Festival.
April 4, 2009... Organisers of the Sonisphere Festival at Knebworth are following Glastonbury and Bestival's lead by introducing a deposit scheme for fans to secure tickets. The system allows customers to pay an initial #40 to reserve a #132.50 weekend ticket...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: Land of Kings.
April 4, 2009... London festival Land of Kings is set to make its debut in April, connecting a range of venues in Dalston and Stoke Newington with some of the area's finest artists, DJs, promoters and labels. Theatres, bars, clubs, forgotten pubs, cafes and...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: U2.
April 4, 2009... U2 have broken more records, with their forthcoming 360x Tour selling out dates within minutes for Amsterdam, Dublin, Gothenburg, London, Paris, Nice and Milan. In London, more than 6,700 tickets sold in just 60 seconds for the first date at...

LIVE: Smirnoff initiative rewards promoters.
April 4, 2009... FOUR LONDON-BASED PROMOTERS are each being rewarded with a #10,000 bursary by drinks company Smirnoff to fund events across the capital. The Smirnoff Night Vision initiative asked up-and-coming events promoters to submit their proposals...

LIVE: Latitude wins green stamp of approval.
April 4, 2009... THE INDUSTRY GREEN MARK has been extended to the live sector with Latitude Festival becoming the first event to pilot the standard. The IG mark, which was unveiled by music industry environmental body Julie's Bicycle on the sleeve of the...

LIVE: Submissions pile in for ticket consultation.
April 4, 2009... THE GOVERNMENT'S CONSULTATION INTO TICKETING PRACTICES in the UK has already attracted more than 100 submissions from agents, promoters and related businesses in the live sector. Officially, the Department for Culture Media and Sport cannot...

PUBLISHING: UK talent adds to YouTube protest.
April 4, 2009... ANITA BLAY (THECOCKN-BULLKID), JAY JAY PISTOLET AND SAM ISAAC are among the latest names to express their dismay at YouTube's decision to block UK access to premium music videos. The three artists voiced their concerns on www.fairplayfo-...

PUBLISHING: Sony/ATV gets the Max factor.
April 4, 2009... SONY/ATV HAS SECURED the signature of 16-year-old West Londoner Max Tuohy in a global publishing deal just weeks after the singer- songwriter signed a long-term agreement with RCA Records. Industry and media got an early taste of Tuohy's...

ANALYSIS: Co-Op pulls an ace with Dylan ad sync.
April 4, 2009... Chas de Whalley IN A CLEAR BID TO ASSERT ITSELF as a player on the high street, The Co- Op has harnessed Bob Dylan's 1963 classic Blowin' In The Wind to drive its latest Pass The Benefits Around screen campaign. According to Sony,...

PUBLISHING: Savage home moves to major.
April 4, 2009... AUSTRALIAN PUBLISHER ROUGH CUT MUSIC has been acquired by Sony/ATV in a deal that sees the major securing worldwide publishing rights to Savage Garden's catalogue. Formed in the Nineties by Australian industry veteran and artist manager...

PUBLISHING: Edge to broker German catalogue.
April 4, 2009... THE PUBLISHING COMPANY OF German songwriter and composer Frank Peterson has been put up for sale, releasing a catalogue boasting more than 150 copyrights. Corporate finance house Edge Media has been instructed to broker the sale of...

PUBLISHING: BALLET: BACK.
April 4, 2009... Spandau Ballet followed in the footsteps of the Spice Girls, Take That, Blur and The Police last week by becoming the latest heritage act to announce their reformation. The group embark on a world tour in the autumn with eight dates across...

UNEARTHED: Indie and major unite over Skeef.
April 4, 2009... Mpho Skeef RISING UK STAR MPHO SKEEf is the recipient of a new multi-album deal between Wall Of Sound and EMI. The major has inked a global licensing deal with EMI for Skeef's completed debut album Pop Art, and will fulfil marketing,...

STEVEN VAN ZANDT: ANGLOPHILE ON E STREET.
April 4, 2009... Although better-known for his roles in Bruce Springsteen's band and The Sopranos, Steven Van Zandt also hosts a long-running US radio show with the Sixties' British Invasion at its heart. Following the show's debut on these shores, Van Zandt...

DANCE: PUT THE NEEDLE ON THE SOUND FILE.
April 4, 2009... First there was a gradual shift away from vinyl to recordable CDs but now with laptops running specific software, DJs are rushing headlong into a digital revolution and it is changing their business and their roles By Ben Osborne ...

KEY RELEASES: 04.04.09.
April 4, 2009... Out this week Singles * Doves Kingdom Of Rust (Heavenly) Previous single (chart peak): Sky Starts Falling (45) * Funeral For A Friend Rules And Games (Join Us) Previous single: Kicking And Screaming (did not chart) *...

KEY RELEASES - 04.04.09: The panel.
April 4, 2009... Each week we bring together a selection of underground tips from specialist media tastemakers JOHN ROGERS (JOURNALIST) Storsveilt Nix Noltes: Royal Family-Divorce (FatCat) An Icelandic 11-piece Balkan folk ensemble, Storsveilt Nix...

KEY RELEASES - 04.04.09: Single of the week.
April 4, 2009... Doves Kingdom Of Rust (Heavenly) For a band who concentrate their attentions so much on texture and atmosphere, Doves have a canny knack of delivering a killer pop song to kick-start an album's campaign. As with previous singles There Goes...

KEY RELEASES - 04.04.09: Album of the week.
April 4, 2009... Peter Bjorn And John Living Thing (Wichita) Living Thing marks a further step into the leftfield for the Swedish trio. Recorded in Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles with Lars Marten co- producing, the band's fifth album has been...

KEY RELEASES: Doves and a Bat swoop pre-releases.
April 4, 2009... AMAZON, HMV AND PLAY'S pre-release charts are in a state of suspended animation this week, with no change at number one for any of them. Eminem's Relapse is on its fifth week at the top at Play, while Elbow's Seldom Seen Kid: Live At Abbey Road...

KEY RELEASES - 04.04.09: CATALOGUE REVIEWS.
April 4, 2009... VARIOUS 101 Pirate Radio Hits (Virgin/EMI VTDCDX 952) All 16 releases in Virgin/EMI's 101... Hits series to date have made the Top 40 of the compilation chart, amassing total sales of well over 1m, so this collection - released to...

CHARTS CLUBS: Halo, halo, it's Beyonce with a double top again.
April 4, 2009... Beyonce is firing on all cylinders again, and has scored three straight Top 10 sales hits from her new album I Am... Sasha Fierce. The latest of these, Halo, is also a major club hit, which explodes 7-1 on the Upfront chart and 10-1 on the...

CHARTS ANALYSIS: Yes men lose out on the top spot.
April 4, 2009... Alan Jones No change at the top of the singles or albums charts this week, with Lady GaGa and Ronan Keating continuing their reigns. Lady GaGa underlines her claim to be the hottest new act of 2009, with Poker Face spending its second...

INTERNATIONAL CHARTS COVERAGE: Euro appreciation for Alesha.
April 4, 2009... Alan Jones In the absence of any new phenomenon, U2's No Line On The Horizon is the world's biggest seller for the third week in a row. Initially number one in upwards of 30 countries, it remains at the top of the charts in Australia,...

Salvation in digital form for albums market.
April 11, 2009... Sales of digital albums rose 64.0% in the first three months of 2009, giving hope to an industry that has seen physical sales continue to fall. There were 3,806,921 digital albums sold in the 13 weeks to March 28, nearly 1.5m more units...

DIGITAL: World-first as OCC charts ad-supported services.
April 11, 2009... Ranking the most popular tracks on alternative-funded streaming services By Ben Cardew "What are people on these services listening toand what does that tell us about consumer behaviour..." CLIVE GARDINER, WE7 The industry...

THE PLAYLIST: 11.04.09.
April 11, 2009... The Field The More That I Do Kompakt There is a wealth of techno treats on the new album from Sweden's The Field, and this is one of the finest, buzzing and droning menacingly. (single, May 4) Kris Menace Scaler ...

SIGN HERE: 11.04.09.
April 11, 2009... Faryl Smith has signed a deal with Decca US. The label will release her eponymous debut album there on May 5. Island Records has signed Ben's Brother to a worldwide (including the UK) licensing deal for his new album Battling Giants. ...

COPYRIGHT: Term fate could be decided this week.
April 11, 2009... Senior European officials to meet Wednesday to consider revised draft By Robert Ashton The music industry's frustrating, nailbiting and stomach-churning ride on the rollercoaster of term extension could soon be over, following a big...

JOBS: Music business leads with "New Deal" to buck downturn.
April 11, 2009... New Deal Of The Mind project aims to create jobs and opportunities in the creative sector The music business is at the centre of an ambitious new project to create jobs and opportunities in the creative sector, as the recession continues...

All Vine and dandy as the Music Week Awards loom.
April 11, 2009... Jeremy Vine, whose two-decade career at the BBC has ranged from war reporting in Africa to replacing Jimmy Young at Radio Two, is adding hosting the Music Week Awards to his impressive CV. Vine will front the annual awards ceremony for the...

Brits overseer Freeman falls victim to ITV cuts.
April 11, 2009... ITV controller of music and events Guy Freeman, whose responsibilities include the Brits, is set to leave the broadcaster as part of a round of job cuts. Freeman, who is presently subject to a consultation process, has, since taking up his...

This new, New Deal could mean a great deal indeed for the industry.
April 11, 2009... Editorial Paul Williams AHEAD OF THE G20 GATHERING IN LONDON LAST WEEK, Gordon Brown spoke of the world's leaders doing "whatever it takes to create growth and the jobs we need". The UK Government's delivery of this so far has been...

ORGANISATIONS: Music industry cools to Digital Rights proposal.
April 11, 2009... Mixed reaction to Government's Agency plans By Robert Ashton THE DIGITAL RIGHTS AGENCY'S ability to gain traction appears to be slipping, with the music industry giving the Government-proposed body a lukewarm reception. UK Music -...

Foundation to help promoters.
April 11, 2009... THE UK'S LARGEST INDEPENDENT BACKER for new music is supporting a pilot scheme to place eight music promoters with a number of London-based arts organisations. The PRS Foundation's New Music Plus scheme will launch on April 21 and will see...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Rolling Stones.
April 11, 2009... Universal has announced the first batch of its Rolling Stones reissues, in a series that will take in all the band's post-1971 studio albums. The programme will start with the reissue of Sticky Fingers, Goats Head Soup, It's Only Rock'n'Roll...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Spotify.
April 11, 2009... Spotify has appointed former Pandora international managing director Paul Brown as its UK managing director. His areas of responsibility will include building on Spotify's relationships with labels, artists and management and overseeing...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Mubito.
April 11, 2009... Swedish new media company Mubito has gone into administration. The company, which builds direct-to-consumer web platforms for artists and record labels, has subsidiaries in London, Kiev, Denmark and Sweden and offices in Malmo, Kiev and London....

NEWS IN BRIEF: Pat Foxton.
April 11, 2009... Pat Foxton (nee Stead), wife of The Jam's Bruce Foxton and a former employee of both EMI and CBS, has died during intensive treatment for cancer in Tel Aviv. She passed away peacefully on Monday March 30. Pat joined the industry in 1979 at...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Dusty Springfield.
April 11, 2009... Dusty Springfield will make history on April 12 when she becomes the first artist to be honoured at the British Music Experience (BME),The O2's interactive music exhibition. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Barclaycard.
April 11, 2009... Barclaycard has inked a deal to become the title sponsor of the Mercury Prize for the next four years. The partnership means that the event is to be rebranded the Barclaycard Mercury Prize. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: IFPI.
April 11, 2009... The IFPI has welcomed the decision by the French National Assembly to adopt a clause in its proposed "creation and internet law" that will allow a state agency to cut internet connections of users who illegally download copyright material. ...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Andrew Lloyd Webber.
April 11, 2009... In a speech in the House of Lords last week, Andrew Lloyd Webber warned that the music industry could "fall" if the current levels of music piracy continue. Lord Webber explained that all creative industries are suffering, but none more so than...