Music Week articles from June 2009

Music Week archives from June 2009

ID09 makes indie event into an annual fixture.
June 13, 2009... The indie community's opportunity to celebrate its achievements is becoming an annual fixture, with a second Independents Day now planned for next month. The event will see a series of gigs taking place over five nights - from July 6-10 -...

Burnham bows out with digital declaration.
June 13, 2009... New Health Secretary makes final speech at MW event By Robert Ashton Andy Burnham has made his parting shot to the music industry as Culture Secretary by revealing that the long-awaited Digital Britain report is not expected to ramp up...

AIM is 10 Celebratory AGM at The O2.
June 13, 2009... AIM is handing its AGM over to its members for its 10th anniversary next month. The July 13 AGM at The O2 will take a celebratory theme and also cast an eye on the future by creating a manifesto that will set out 10 big ideas that the...

THE PLAYLIST: 13.06.09.
June 13, 2009... MNEK If Truth Be Told unsigned A true innovator, this 14-year-old produces, writes and performs some of the freshest-sounding tunes to come out of south London. (demo) SHARAM FEAT. KID CUDI She Came Along Data ...

SIGN HERE: 13.06.09.
June 13, 2009... Cooking Vinyl has signed Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh of Deacon Blue. The duo are currently putting the finishing touches to their as- yet-untitled new album, which is due in September. Imagem has secured the publishing for hotly-...

EDUCATION: Nascent online project offers masterclasses.
June 13, 2009... Music PR Neil Storey seeks funding for major industry educational innovation By Paul Williams Seasoned music PR Neil Storey is behind an ambitious new project to allow music business students to learn directly from the experiences of...

PPL plans for billionaire status by 2034.
June 13, 2009... PPL has demonstrated the vast growth potential - and importance - of licensing revenue to the music business by boasting it could be collecting annual revenues of #1bn by its centenary year. The collecting society, which is now celebrating...

CONFERENCES: Two into one go for Midem.(Conference news)
June 13, 2009... Midem and MidemNet combine in a two-for-one offer By Ben Cardew Midem and MidemNet are combining from next year, as organisers look to stem falling attendance numbers. MidemNet, which focuses on the digital music field,...

Warp roar into US Top 10 with Grizzlies.
June 13, 2009... Warp Records is this week celebrating its first placing in the Top 10 of the US albums chart, with Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest debuting at number eight on week-one sales of 33,000. The album, the second for Warp by the band who are from the...

Last week suggest the industry and internet are working things out.
June 13, 2009... Editorial Paul Williams IT SEEMS HARD TO BELIEVE that, as Music Week's Making Online Music Pay conference was staged last week, exactly 10 years had passed since Shawn Fanning launched the original Napster. How the music industry, or...

Andy Burnham: Exit comes as surprise.
June 13, 2009... It is one of the great frustrations of the music industry, and especially those whose day-to-day job is dealing with the goings-on at Westminster, that just when one Secretary of State has been fully brought up to speed and lobbied about the...

D2C is the key in 09.
June 13, 2009... D2C WAS DECLARED THIS YEAR'S 360-degree-style buzz word at Music Week's Making Online Music Pay conference, as the event explored the potential benefits of selling products directly to consumers. Digital Stores CEO Russel Coultart made the...

DOWNLOADS: ISPs and music industry to explore launching services.
June 13, 2009... Licensing and pricing hurdles can be overcome, say speakers By Robert Ashton NEW LEGAL DOWNLOAD SERVICES from ISPs are expected to launch later this year if the industry and ISPs can hurdle a few "stumbling blocks". One of the...

Moneytalk at MOMP.
June 13, 2009... THE CRITICAL ISSUE OF how to make money online was examined during several afternoon sessions at MOMP, with panellists throwing open their business models to delegates. Two afternoon sessions were devoted to the subject - Identifying...

Ad funding issue remains the trickiest hurdle.
June 13, 2009... AD-FUNDED MUSIC SERVICES will only work in certain contexts and markets, while streaming services will not migrate easily onto mobile: these were the conclusions at the audio, video and mobile panels at Music Week's Making Online Music Pay...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Jonny Dollar.
June 13, 2009... Producer Jonny Dollar, who worked on Massive Attack's landmark album Blue Lines and was integral to the rise of the "Bristol sound" of the Nineties, has died. Dollar, real name Jonny Sharp, passed away on May 29 at the Royal Marsden hospital at...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Edgar Bronfman Jr.
June 13, 2009... Warner Music Group chairman and chief executive Edgar Bronfman Jr is moving to London. He will run Warner from both London - using Warner's Kensington office - and New York. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: Elektra Records.
June 13, 2009... Atlantic US is to re-launch Elektra Records under the leadership of Fueled By Ramen founder John Janick and Atlantic EVP of A&R Mike Caren. The label will be the US home for 679 artist Little Boots, dance act Justice and Cee-Lo. Copyright:...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Live Nation.
June 13, 2009... Live Nation is attempting to offer live music fans in the US a full day's ticket sales without charging service fees. Billed as `No Service Fee Wednesdays', the company will start the offer this week. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: 4AD.
June 13, 2009... 4AD is holding a celebration of music and art in London to mark the release of the new Pixies' boxed set, Minotaur. The event takes place on Monday, June 15 at Village Underground in London's Shoreditch. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

NEWS IN BRIEF: British Black Music Month.
June 13, 2009... British Black Music Month will take place throughout June and the start of July. The initiative was created as a way of promoting British black music and highlighting issues, through discussions, courses, seminars, live performances, club...

The circle of love and jujitsu: how to succeed.
June 13, 2009... EXECUTIVES FROM FOUR COMPANIES that have made an impact in the digital sector gave the music industry their key recommendations for making money in the digital space, as MOMP examined how other industries were faring online. Seatwave...

AWARDS: Take That still rule as radio crown is retained.
June 13, 2009... Arqiva names act as most-played at commercial radio By Paul Williams TAKE THAT HAVE BEEN RECOGNISED as the most-played act on commercial radio for a second successive year at the sector's annual awards. The Polydor act, whose hits...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Stuart Bell.
June 13, 2009... Former Music Week Award-winning PR Stuart Bell has left the Outside Organisation. Bell, who won the award for best PR in 2008 for his work on Paul McCartney's Memory Almost Full album, is now on gardening leave, according to Outside. While Bell...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: BBC Worldwide Music.
June 13, 2009... BBC Worldwide Music has secured international television distribution rights for Radio One's Big Weekend. The deal means that Worldwide will be able to offer international broadcasters more than 10 hours of performances from the likes of Lily...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Emma Bunton.
June 13, 2009... Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton is to present a Saturday afternoon show on the Heart network from this Saturday (June 13). In addition, she will host Friday drivetime from 4pm on London's Heart 106.2, starting this Friday. Bunton recently...

AIRPLAY ANALYSIS: Red leads Daniel a merry dance.
June 13, 2009... Alan Jones Lily Allen's Not Fair enjoys its fifth straight week atop the radio airplay chart but continues to lose support, its audience declining by more than 10m to 55.48m. Allen's nearest challenger is Daniel Merriweather, whose Red...

CAMPAIGN FOCUS: Kenyan Boys Choir.
June 13, 2009... DECCA RECORDS WILL LAUNCH the Kenyan Boys Choir to British audiences this summer with the release of their debut studio album, Spirit Of Africa, on June 29. Signed to the label after A&R manager Tom Lewis spotted the group on CNN...

PROGRAMMING: BBC to decamp to Glasto for 24-hour radio coverage.
June 13, 2009... Raft of stations to offer extensive festival programming By Ben Cardew BBC 6 MUSIC IS TO LEAD THE CORPORATION'S COVERAGE of the Glastonbury Festival later this month, offering 24-hour coverage from the event. The station will...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Sony Music Entertainment.
June 13, 2009... Sony Music Entertainment has licensed content to Vevo, the music video site developed by Universal Music and YouTube that is due to launch later this year. Vevo intends to host videos as well as user-generated content. Sony Music will...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Dev.
June 13, 2009... BBC 1Xtra early breakfast presenter Dev is joining Radio One to take over the weekend breakfast show. He replaces Nick Grimshaw, who has moved to evenings on the network. Dev, who starts the new role in July, has been at 1Xtra since the station...

MEDIA NEWS IN BRIEF: Pam Ribbeck.
June 13, 2009... Polydor senior press officer Pam Ribbeck left Universal last week after almost three years at the company. She will, however, continue to represent Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Maccabees. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

TICKETING: STAR shines as candidate to take ticketing issues forward.
June 13, 2009... Agency aims to push DCMS for live legislation By Gordon Masson THE SOCIETY OF TICKET AGENTS AND RETAILERS (STAR) could be handed a pivotal role in any reorganisation of the ticketing market in the UK, following discussions with the...

LIVE: Festival task force tour starts at Rock Ness.
June 13, 2009... A NEW NATIONWIDE SECURITY TASK FORCE to cut crime at UK festivals is being launched this weekend after the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) awarded the contract to Showsec. Scotland's Rock Ness will see the debut of the new...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: T in the Park.
June 13, 2009... T in the Park organisers are urging music fans to get in step with its environmental efforts next month to turn the lager-sponsored event into a greener event. Three years ago the annual gathering became the world's largest carbon-neutral...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: The Big Chill.
June 13, 2009... The Big Chill will take audience participation to the next level this year, with fields full of revellers to be given a makeover to take part in the shooting of new zombie movie I Spit On Your Rave. Director Chris Boyle and producers Warp Films...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: Banned in Chester.
June 13, 2009... Music fans will be descending on the north-west next week for Banned In Chester, a four-night celebration of new songwriting talent. The festival is the brainchild of Welsh musician Luke Oldale, who wanted to put on an event to promote the...

LIVE NEWS IN BRIEF: Tech Music Schools.
June 13, 2009... Tech Music Schools are giving aspiring artists visiting the International Music Show at London's Excel arena the opportunity of some free tuition from the institution's music teachers. The June 12-14 event will see staff from the school on hand...

LIVE: Mama partnership opens Garage doors.
June 13, 2009... MAMA GROUP IS PARTNERING with energy drinks company Relentless to rebrand The Garage venue in Islington ahead of its reopening later this month. Now known as The Relentless Garage, the club will relaunch on June 26 when Peter Bjorn and Jon...

LIVE: Editors booked for new O2 venture.
June 13, 2009... EDITORS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED as the first headline act for the new O2 Academy Birmingham which opens in September. The venue, formerly the Dome nightclub, is undergoing a #5m transformation to create three performance rooms with an overall...

LIVE: MW.com launches unique festival map.
June 13, 2009... MUSIC WEEK'S WEBSITE NOW FEATURES what is believed to be the most comprehensive interactive map of the festival market available. The UK music festival business has grown significantly in recent years and navigating the array of events held...

PUBLISHING: Jenkins and B&H look to the future.
June 13, 2009... BOOSEY & HAWKES HAS CONCLUDED a new deal with classical composer Karl Jenkins that includes the acquisition of Karl Jenkins Music Ltd and a long-term publishing agreement for his future works. A one-time member of Soft Machine, Jenkins has...

A&R: Howard steps up at EMI.
June 13, 2009... Europe the key to success, says new A&R boss By Stuart Clarke felix howard has been nameD head of A&R at EMI Music Publishing, following the departure of Kenny McGoff to Columbia earlier this year. In his new role, Howard's...

PUBLISHING: `I will write about your underwear'.
June 13, 2009... US SONGWRITER BUTCH WALKER is best known to British audiences for the songs he has written and produced for artists such as Pink, Avril Lavigne, Hot Hot Heat and Fall Out Boy. Now the EMI-administered writer and former Marvellous 3 frontman...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Sainsbury's.
June 13, 2009... Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has signed a deal with Disney to sell #5.99 gift cards in 600 stores that are based around the Hannah Montana movie. The cards allow purchasers to download a variety of branded mobile content including ringtones,...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Free music samples.
June 13, 2009... A study published in International Journal Of Internet Marketing & Advertising has found that users are engaged more by longer and high- quality free music samples rather than 30-second snippets. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Nielsen Online.
June 13, 2009... Nielsen Online has reported that in the US the total number of minutes spent on social networks grew 83% over the last year. Dwell time on Facebook grew 699% to 13.87bn minutes in April but dropped on MySpace by 31% to 4.97bn. Twitter use grew...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: AlbumReminder.com.
June 13, 2009... AlbumReminder.com is a new service that prompts users when their favourite acts release an album. It currently has a database of 146,000 acts and users can open a free account and list the acts they want dedicated alerts for. Copyright:...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: China Mobile.
June 13, 2009... China Mobile, the largest mobile operator in the world, is reported to be seeking a 50% cut of all revenues generated by third-party developers targeting its subscriber base. Apple only takes 30% of paid app revenues on its own App Store. ...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Apple.
June 13, 2009... Bernstein analysts estimate that Apple could double its iPhone sales in the US by switching its exclusive carrier from AT&T to Verizion, the country's largest mobile network since it acquired Alltel. Copyright: UBM Information Ltd.

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Google Wave.
June 13, 2009... Google has unveiled Google Wave, its "real-time communication platform". It combines aspects of email, IM, blogging, social networking and project management into a single in-browser client. It will be open to the public later in the year. ...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: Aardvark Records.
June 13, 2009... Aardvark Records has partnered with People's Music Store to offer its full catalogue for sharing and sub-retailing by the public. They can build their own store of up to 50 albums stripped of DRM and get 10% of profits to use as credit to buy...

DIGITAL NEWS IN BRIEF: YouTube XL.
June 13, 2009... YouTube XL has gone live, offering a dramatic increase in video quality. It is designed to make content on the site more watchable on TVs and large-screen monitors. This comes after the launch of Hulu Desktop which delivers a similar...

MOBILE MUSIC: TrackID to be catalyst for Sony Ericsson's music sales.
June 13, 2009... Handset manufacturer urges industry to "reap the benefits" of its TrackID tool By Ben Cardew Sony Ericsson is working with carrier partners to boost music sales via its TrackID song-recognition tool, which it considers to be the next...

Gaming Music video games to light up Q4.
June 13, 2009... New details of several key music-based video games, including The Beatles: Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5 and DJ Hero, have emerged, suggesting the final three months of the year will be a boom time for both music and gaming. All three games are...

UNEARTHED: Crisis in the making.
June 13, 2009... It has been MORE THAN a year since Music Week first caught wind of New York natives Boy Crisis. Our introduction to the five-piece was a chaotic live performance that took place in a Brooklyn warehouse space normally reserved for local drama...

MUSICALLY: WHAT NEXT FOR SPOTIFY?
June 13, 2009... After a remarkable period of rocketing growth and gushing user reports, music streaming service Spotify faces a number of challenges in order to stay ahead. Will its much-vaunted mobile app and a daring grab for the US market see them continue...

LABELS: A TWO-WAY STREET.
June 13, 2009... Harnessing the streetwise approach they adopted at Loud Records, SRC founders Rich Isaacson and Steve Rifkind keep the focus firmly on innovation as they move their vision of the street online By Stuart Clarke Rising from the ashes of...

DIGITAL: MAJOR CHANGES.
June 13, 2009... eMusic has sealed its first deal with a major label - Sony Music - which will supply DRM-free content to the music service in the US. With other majors tipped to follow Sony onto the consumer site, could we be entering the final chapter in the...

KEY RELEASES: 13.06.09.
June 13, 2009... Out this week Singles * The Airborne Toxic Event Happiness Is Overrated (Mercury) Previous single (chart peak): Sometimes Around Midnight (33) * All-American Rejects I Wanna (Geffen) Previous single: Gives You Hell (18)...

KEY RELEASES - 13.06.09: The panel.
June 13, 2009... SCANT REWARD (CLASH) Sam Isaac: Sideways (Hear You Me) Sam Isaac has been honing his craft for years, and it's been worth the wait. Tipped by Zane Lowe and Jo Whiley, Sideways is an almighty pop song. Combining romantic melodies with a...

KEY RELEASES - 13.06.09: Single of the week.(Sound recording review)
June 13, 2009... The Yeah You's 15 Minutes (Island) A song about the fleetingness of fame sounds just the ticket to provide The Yeah You's with their own. 15 Minutes is three-and-a-half minutes of pure pop, packed with radio-friendly hooks that will grab...

KEY RELEASES - 13.06.09: Album of the week.
June 13, 2009... Kasabian West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum (Columbia) At times on Kasabian's third studio album, the band possess the synthesized psychedelic feel of early Chemical Brothers; at others they reach a crescendo with anthemic, rousing anthems...

KEY RELEASES - 13.06.09: Beatlemania takes hold at Amazon.
June 13, 2009... KASABIAN TOPPED THREE E-TAILER PRE-RELEASE CHARTS last week but their album's release this week means it is no longer eligible. In its place, their buyers head off in completely different directions: Amazon customers elect Florence & The...

KEY RELEASES - 13.06.09: CATALOGUE REVIEWS.
June 13, 2009... MIKE OLDFIELD/JEFF WAYNE Tubular Bells (Mercury 2703550)/Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of War Of The Worlds (Sony Music 88697536102) Two of the best-loved and biggest-selling albums of all-time - with combined UK sales of more than 5m -...

CHARTS CLUBS: Enigmatic Guru beats the Pixie to victory.
June 13, 2009... LEADERSHIP OF THE UPFRONT CLUB CHART remains in continental hands as it passes from Paul Van Dyk to The Dubguru. Little is known about the new chart-toppers, but it is thought they are a collaboration between Belgian Johan Gielen and...

CHARTS ANALYSIS: Nutini - a victory for Scottish men.
June 13, 2009... Alan Jones After two weeks at the top of their respective charts, Eminem's Relapse album and Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden's Bonkers single are both toppled this week. Eminem loses his throne to Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini,...

INTERNATIONAL CHARTS: Coldplay show sticking power.
June 13, 2009... Alan Jones Eminem and Green Day continue to dominate the global stage but both have lost significant ground since last week. They took fewer than half of the number one positions available to them, with local replacements including Eros...

CHARTS: Indie charts get a new lease of life.
June 20, 2009... The OFFICIAL CHARTS COMPANY is overhauling the indie charts for the first time in their 30-year history to create a new promotional platform to the independent sector. From this coming Sunday (June 21) the independent singles and albums...

Collecting societies combine to offer proof that.
June 20, 2009... The first "robust" research providing evidence that music really does attract drinkers to pubs and persuade office workers to toil harder has been produced by two collecting societies in a bid to drive up the number of their licensees. ...

THE PLAYLIST: 20.06.09.
June 20, 2009... THE TEMPER TRAP Sweet Disposition Infectious With their UK audience growing by the day, this is the song to seriously push the button on the Aussie band's assault. A big hit. (single, July 27) AMANDA BLANK I Love You ...

SIGN HERE: 20.06.09.
June 20, 2009... Australian group The Galvatrons have appointed new management in the shape of Sarah Guppy from This Much Talent Daisy Dares You has signed a publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music (see page 12) Singer/songwriter Dave Gibsone has signed...

Heartbreakers unites Universal and Global.
June 20, 2009... Heart brand extended with new compilation album inspired by radio show By Laura Brooks Global Radio is partnering with Universal on the release of a new compilation, marking the first extension of the Heart brand. The two-CD...

`Now is the best time' manager tells goNorth delegates.
June 20, 2009... The 200-strong delegation at last week's goNorth conference in Inverness was left in little doubt as to the challenges presented by breaking an act in the ever-evolving music industry, following a keynote speech by The Orchard founder Scott...

`Pioneers' to speak at inaugural event.
June 20, 2009... Warner/Chappell head of film and TV Jim Reid, Sincere Management's Peter Jenner and Bandstocks creator Andrew Lewis lead a line-up of "pioneering" speakers at the inaugural International Music Industry Week. Jenner will deliver the keynote...

Placebo enjoy their place in the sun - and in the Top 10.
June 20, 2009... Battle For The Sun set to enter Top 10 in albums chart By Ben Cardew Placebo are set to enjoy one of their strongest chart showings in years with their new album Battle For The Sun. The album, the band's sixth, and the first to be...

Lammy stays in place despite Government reshuffle.
June 20, 2009... The music industry can look forward to dealing with the same Government minister for Intellectual Property, after David Lammy was charged with continuing to handle the brief last Thursday. A week after the Department for Culture Media and...

The state of independents has at last been addressed by OCC's shake-up.
June 20, 2009... Editorial Paul Williams IF YOU THOUGHT THE ISSUE OF sorting out MPs' expenses was a nightmare it feels like a walk in the park compared to the years of debates trying to establish some independent sales charts that have any real value. ...

RETAIL: HMV and Mama break new ground for La Roux launch.
June 20, 2009... Flurry of promotional activity for Polydor act's debut album incorporates live appearances at the rebranded HMV Forum By Ben Cardew HMV HAS ANNOUNCED ITS FIRST "360 MULTI CHANNEL" promotion since signing its groundbreaking deal with...

Veterans sign up for further education.
June 20, 2009... SIR GEORGE MARTIN AND JEFF BECK are among five industry figures who are offering to support musical education in the UK after signing up as patrons to Berkleemusic UK. Launched last Thursday, Berkleemusic UK offers an online education...

NME and Rough Trade unite for online deals.
June 20, 2009... ROUGH TRADE AND NME.COM are joining forces on a retail offer that will see the two companies offering exclusive deals to the site's users. From today (Monday), NME-.com will link to Rough Trade's online store www.roughtrade.com, which...

NEWS IN BRIEF: Jocelyn Brown.
June 20, 2009... Jocelyn Brown is suing Snap! over the alleged use of her vocals in their 1990 hit The Power. The singer claims that the German group used a sample of her without permission on the song, which was a worldwide hit. Snap, however, insist they...

NEWS IN BRIEF: The Pirate Party.
June 20, 2009... The Pirate Party, which advocates the legalisation of peer-to-peer filesharing and wants a complete ban on DRM technologies, has won a seat in the European Party elections. The party won one of Sweden's 18 seats, with 7.1% of votes with...

NEWS IN BRIEF: musicFIRST Coalition.
June 20, 2009... The musicFIRST Coalition has filed a request that the Federal Communications Commission in the US investigate radio stations that have banned artists who have spoken out in favour of radio royalties. musicFIRST has been running a campaign to...