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Michael Robertson found liable for MP3tunes infringement As much previously reported, MP3tunes, created by original MP3.com creator Robertson, was one of the original music-specific digital locker services to reach the market. EMI sued the new company and Robertson himself in 2007, claiming that the MP3tunes.com operation infringed its copyrights. And so a long drawn out legal squabble began. It initially looked like the case might result in some clarity on to what extent a basic music-focused digital locker service could operate without a licence from the music companies, though in the end much of the legal argument focused on a specific side-service offered by MP3tunes that enabled users to compile and share lists of music files they had found online (much of which was available via a sister site called Sideload.com). The initial judgement on the case did make some criticisms of MP3tunes, though in the main the digital start-up won the key arguments. But EMI appealed, and so the dispute continued, even as MP3tunes ceased to exist as a company and EMI was split up and sold to Universal Music and a Sony-led consortium. And this time, with a jury considering the case, the ruling is sort of the other way around, with some of the infringement claims against Robertson discounted, but the key elements of the dispute going in EMI's favour. Crucially, the jury reckoned that there was a case for holding Robertson liable for some of the infringement claims, both for direct involvement in distributing unlicensed files and for being "wilfully blind" to other copyright infringement on his site. As we say, although the MP3tunes squabble had the potential to test the legalities of unlicensed music locker services in the US, in the end those specific facts of the case mean wide-ranging precedents are unlikely to be set. And anyway, most of the big music-specific cloud storage services these days - like those run by Apple, Google and Amazon - are licensed anyway in order to offer more sophisticated scan-and-match services. It's also unclear whether the ruling offers any more clarity on the protection the Digital Millennium Copyright Act offers US-based web operators who allow users to upload or link to unlicensed content files, also the topic of the now settled Viacom v YouTube litigation. Though lawyers for EMI seem to reckon that the inclusion of the "wilfully blind" point in the ruling against Robertson could have impact on future disputes. Meanwhile the court now needs to decide what damages Robertson should pay EMI for all that infringement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Professor Green fined and banned from driving As previously reported, the rapper, real name Stephen Manderson, was originally arrested back in November. He initially contacted police, claiming to have been mugged. However, when police arrived on the scene, they found his car crashed into a van and a drunk Professor Green claiming that this was due to him going out to search for the alleged mugger. Another charge of perverting the course of justice was dropped earlier this month. -------------------------------------------------- Bieber offered plea deal on vandalism charge The website says that Bieber has been offered the opportunity to get away with being placed on informal probation, if he agrees to plead no contest to the vandalism charge and pay for damage caused to his neighbour's property - put at around $20,000. The charge will also remain at a misdemeanour level, so Bieber doesn't have to worry about the possibility of going to jail. That said, Bieber has plenty of other cases going through the courts at the moment too. His charge for alleged DUI in Miami earlier this year is also making its way through the system. And TMZ has an update on that case too, telling us that Bieber's defence for failing to walk in a straight line at the scene of his arrest was that he'd fractured his foot while skateboarding. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Tony Wadsworth to depart BPI Though before you all start saying "a-ha, so he is joining Sony Music UK in a senior role as was rumoured by American music industry website Hits Daily Double just last week", you could not be more wrong. Even if you made a t-shirt bearing the slogan "I AM more wrong", you couldn't actually be more wrong. Plus you'd now be dealing with trademark lawsuits from both Pharrell Williams and Will.i.am, by which point Wadsworth's future work plans probably wouldn't be a top concern. Unless he's planning on setting up a Fighting Ridiculous Trademark Claims consultancy. Which he isn't. Anyway, we're really all here today to read a lot of quotes remarking on how fab Tony is, each noting what a marvellous job he's done as BPI Chair since taking on the role in 2007. But first let's hear from the man himself, who confirmed this morning that he will exit the trade group later this year, once a succession plan has been worked out with the body's Council and CEO Geoff Taylor. Though Wadsworth does plan to retain two roles with BPI affiliated organisations, as a BRIT Trustee and BRIT School governor. Wadsworth: "After almost seven years in the role, I have decided to make 2014 my final year as Chairman of BPI and BRIT Awards Ltd. It has been a real privilege to be so involved in industry issues over this period of radical change and transformation and to sit around the Council table with colleagues who have such an amazing wealth of knowledge, experience and passion for our business. [But] in recent years, since leaving EMI, in addition to my BPI activities I have enjoyed getting involved in several new ventures, commercial and non-commercial, but all music related. By relinquishing my duties at the BPI, I hope to make more time available to focus on these and selectively add to the portfolio". The aforementioned Taylor paid tribute to Wadsworth for his time at the head of the BPI, telling CMU: "It has been a great privilege and pleasure to work with Tony over the last seven years. His encouragement, support and advice have been fantastic as we have developed a forward-looking agenda for the BPI and sought to help our independent and major members in practical ways. Tony's wise counsel and experience have helped us to navigate radical changes in the industry and to steer the business towards a future which feels genuinely brighter and full of possibilities". Meanwhile the BPI's Deputy Chairman, Dramatico chief Mike Batt, said: "Tony has been a fantastic Chairman for the BPI. The fact that we were able to retain him as Chairman after [he departed] EMI is testament to the high regard in which he is held amongst his colleagues here. I shall personally miss him not only as a strong Chairman but also for his wisdom and cheery personality. I wish him the best for all of his ventures and hope that we can call upon his talents and authority in the industry from time to time in the future". The BPI provided other quotes from British record industry bigwigs too, but we all know you've left this report already to go order your "I AM more wrong" t-shirt, so we'll call it a day. See you next week in the Legal section when that Will.i.am lawsuit arrives. -------------------------------------------------- Sylvia Rhone becomes President of Epic US Confirming the appointment, Reid told reporters: "Having worked closely with Sylvia Rhone, I've witnessed firsthand how she shares a passion for an artists-first culture. I look forward with genuine enthusiasm to the next chapter of Epic Records". Rhone herself added: "I'm honoured to have the opportunity to expand my relationship with the talented team and amazing artists at Epic. What makes this opportunity different from any other is my partnership with renowned music executive LA Reid. I'm looking forward to what I think will be the finest chapter in my career". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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RockNess not going ahead this summer So yes, organisers of Scotland's RockNess festival have announced that the event will not go ahead this year, because apparently there's far too much sport going on this summer for people to be heading north for some musical good times. In a statement the events promoters said: "Due to the addition of a number of events alongside the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games we've decided to take a year off. We're using this break to make the event bigger and better than ever in 2015 so have an amazing summer and see you back at the Loch next year". So there you go. And now the 'Family Ness' theme tune. -------------------------------------------------- Field Day brand expands into Europe with club-based shows It's a good job we like this event, otherwise we'd be getting all distracted from reporting on the news Field Day is expanding its brand into three new European markets by dwelling on the lack of fields and precise time-spans of advertised events. Anyway, here's Field Day founder Tom Baker confirming earlier this week details of his three new club venue-based events in Turin, Amsterdam and Paris: "I'm thrilled that Field Day is hosting some brilliant line-ups in some exciting and unique club spaces across Europe. It's great to have partnered with like-minded and creative promoters that I've worked with for many years. I very much look forward to the first of many [events] in the magnificent city of Turin, Italy, and it's just a Eurostar ride away to Amsterdam and Paris. So perhaps make a weekend of it in May and then again in London's Victoria Park in June". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Turntable.fm founder muses on company closure As previously reported, the briefly very buzzy online DJing website struggled after trying to gain licences from labels and publishers, those pesky music companies feeling they should get some money from a service entirely based on the content they paid for the creation of. In a bid to placate the rights owners, access to Turntable.fm was locked to the US only, after which the company gradually shut down various features as it struggled to make any of them pay. Then last year it was announced that the core website was closing down altogether, and instead the company would focus on a pay-per-view service featuring exclusive sessions by bands. But that last project was shut down in January as well, and now the company is gone altogether, writes Chase. "Ultimately, I didn't heed the lessons of so many failed music startups", he said. "It's an incredibly expensive venture to pursue and a hard industry to work with. We spent more than a quarter of our cash on lawyers, royalties and services related to supporting music. It's restrictive. We had to shut down our growth because we couldn't launch internationally. It's a long road. It took years to get label deals in place and it also took months of engineering time to properly support them (time which could have been spent on product)". Read Chasen's full blog post here. -------------------------------------------------- Afrojack launches music production thing Called Afrojack Production Studio, the product is the first to come out of a partnership which Razer and Afrojack embarked on last year. Apparently the producer has also been consulting on the Razer Blade Pro gaming laptop and Razer DeathStalker Ultimate gaming keyboard, which possibly means he's been seen using them in public. Though I assume he must have also nodded a bit when asked some questions about the devices, because that's how consultancy works, isn't it? Afrojack's app will work in conjunction with FL Studio, by adding some shortcuts and tutorials from the producer. I'm still not entirely clear how this is a benefit, but the company insists it makes FL Studio a lot easier to use. So, good news for anyone who enjoys listening to shitty dance tracks made by people who don't really know what they're doing. "I've been getting so much out of my Razer Blade Pro over the past several months - at gigs, at home and everywhere in-between", says Afrojack. "The new Afrojack Studio Production app is going to be super useful, and I'm excited to offer it to aspiring DJs and producers who love FL Studio as much as I do". Also failing to explain what this thing actually does, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan adds: "The journey to becoming a global icon and Grammy Award winner has no doubt been fuelled by Afrojack's talent and unwavering passion, but also by his clear obsession with the most advanced gear in the world. It's our mutual preoccupation with the pursuit of perfection that brought us together to champion new music technology, and it's our common love of gaming that has made the relationship particularly rewarding". Here's a video depicting a man failing to make enjoyable music, even after one-on-one tuition from Afrojack himself. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Chris Martin joins The Voice USA The show's Executive Producer Mark Burnett then told USA Today: "He's such an authentic voice in the industry. We could not be happier. There's a massive level of respect from the singers and the surprise from them [when they met him, was]: 'Whoa! Chris Martin. Wow!'" Martin will make his first appearance on the show on 31 Mar, then again on 1 Apr and 7 Apr. Billboard hires fashion editor Janice Min, Chief Creative Officer and co-President of Billboard owner Guggenheim Media said of the appointment: "I am looking to bring people in who are great journalists first and foremost and people who can help bring Billboard to a larger audience". In similar news, we're pleased to confirm that long-serving CMU Editor Andy Malt has expanded his role here at the UK's leading music business news service, and will now also work as the title's Cookery Correspondent. The additional area of remit will build on the popularity of Malt's existing weekly beef-related column. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Iggy Pop pays tribute to Scott Asheton "Scott played drums with a boxer's authority", said Pop. "When he wanted to, he had a heavy hand on the drums. He hit the drum very hard, but there were never a lot of elbows flying. He wasn't showy. He didn't have to make a physical demonstration to get the job done. When he played with you, it was always swinging. He brought a swinging truth to the music he played and extreme musical honesty". The singer also said that he couldn't see The Stooges doing anything in the "near future", saying that "it would just be wrong". Read the article in full here. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rolling Stones cancel Australia and New Zealand dates As previously reported, the band postponed last night's show in Perth as Mick Jagger flew back to New York following the death of his partner, fashion designer L'Wren Scott. Ticketholders are currently being advised to keep hold of their tickets until new dates for the shows are announced. It's not clear when such an announcement will be made. -------------------------------------------------- Rihanna and Eminem partner on US tour -------------------------------------------------- Tune-Yards announce new UK shows Speaking about said record and the creative process behind it, leading lady Merrill Garbus says: "I had to let go of Tune-Yards being rigidly my production. I have a very specific vision for the sound of the band and I don't think women producers get enough credit for doing their own stuff, so I was resistant - but we grew, Nate and I both, and the songs grew. And it turns out that's what's most important: the songs, not my ego". You wanna hear something from the album? Sure you do. Here's 'Water Fountain'. And here are those live dates I was talking about: 12 May: London, Village Underground (sold out) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kian Egan reckons Westlife would have cried at 1D sales figures Even though 1D scored the best selling UK album of 2013, the units shifted overall wouldn't have impressed Team Westlife circa 2001, Egan says. Though of course that ignores the fact that for One Direction, putting out records is just a promotional gimmick for their actual business of perfumery. Egan, busy talking up a solo record (but with no accompanying perfume to sell, fool), told the Daily Star: "I was told the other day that One Direction's album sold around 700,000 copies in the UK and it was the biggest-selling album of [last] year. Back in the day with Westlife, that would have been fairly poor, we were selling more like 1.7 or 1.8 million". Though Egan does concede that "times have changed", noting that "there were loads of bands around then - Blue, Steps, A1, S Club - there was room for all of us. But now there's only really room for one One Direction". Ah, for the days when the music business was able to sustain multiple shit pop groups all at any one time. For younger readers, Westlife were a popular covers group back in the olden days when people bought real music on real discs from real shops, like ASDA and Tesco Metro. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Send ALL press releases to musicnews@unlimitedmedia.co.uk - this is checked daily by the whole editorial team meaning your release will definitely get to the right person. For details of the training and consultancy services offered by CMU Insights click here - Andy and Chris are also available to provide music business comment, just email them direct. To promote your company or advertise jobs or services to the entire UK music industry via the CMU bulletin or website contact Sam on 020 7099 9060 or email ads@unlimitedmedia.co.uk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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