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Festival Republic cancels Norwegian festival, partly blames new Danish rival The statement reads: "It is with a great deal of regret that Festival Republic have announced that Hove Festival will not happen in 2015. The Scandinavian market has always been busy and the recent addition of Tinderbox Festival with a significant public subsidiary will make what was a tough event economically into an almost impossible one without similar level of support from the public institutions. We hope that the discussions in 2015 will lead to Hove making a return". Hove has been held annually on the Norwegian island of Tromøy since 2007, and was acquired by Festival Republic in 2008 after the second edition sent it bankrupt. Tinderbox, meanwhile, is due to hold its first edition in June next year in Odense, Denmark. This has been somewhat controversial because it will receive around £2.5 million in funding from the local council over the next ten years, with an additional £300,000 investment by local government to refurbish the festival site near the forest of Tusindårsskoven. Announcing the new festival last month, Odense's mayor Anker Boye said: "We are proud that such established and competent people have agreed to work with us. We are sure that Odense, its residents, associations, hotels and other businesses will benefit greatly from the festival". Despite Tinderbox only having a capacity of 25,000 in year one - with plans to grow to 45,000 by 2019 - there were accusations of unfair competition from nearby festivals, with Roskilde Festival, Smukfest, Nibe Festival and Jelling Musikfestival all reportedly boycotting the Danish booking agencies recently announced as being involved in the new event, Skandinavian and Beatbox. Along with German booking agency and festival promoter FKP Scorpio, they are linked to new company Tinderbox Entertainment. However, while Mads Sørensen and Beatbox Entertainment are part of that venture, its sister booking agency Beatbox Booking's director Peter Sørensen told CMU yesterday that his company had no direct involvement itself in organising the new festival (indeed the two Beatbox companies are now separate). He declined to comment further, though in an email to his clients, published recently by Danish music magazine Gaffa, he expressed surprise that festivals he had worked with closely for many years had so quickly moved against his agency. Meanwhile, on the cancellation of the Hove Festival in particular, Mads Sørensen told CMU: "It is a mystery how a festival in Denmark can lead to a festival in Norway being cancelled. I suggest you go look at their figures over the years. Maybe that is where the true reason is? Just a thought". Speaking to Norway's Aftenposten yesterday, mayor of Arendal, Einar Halvorsen, whose jurisdiction includes Hove-hosting Tromøy, said that he hoped to find a new promoter to bring a festival to the area next year, and also suggested that losses made at Festival Republic's event in recent years may have been partly to blame for the decision to not go ahead next year. Indeed, Aftenposten says that ticket sales were down in 2013, leading to losses on the event, though the festival's board stated in a report that better results were expected this year. Of course Festival Republic conceded in its statement that Hove was already a "tough event economically", and might add that - while a Norwegian festival may not directly compete for ticket buyers with a new event in Denmark - both events are competing for headline talent in a relatively small festival market, with the better funded Danish event possibly in a stronger position to go for the big names. One Danish newspaper speculated that all this is really linked to existing tensions between the big players in the European festivals sector, which includes FKP Scorpio. And earlier this year, reports Politiken, head of the Danish Rock Council, Gunnar Madsen, said that placing a new festival so close to the Roskilde site (and dates) would be a "declaration of war". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Flo & Eddie follow up win in Sirius lawsuit by suing Pandora As previously reported, Flo & Eddie's lawsuit against satellite radio firm Sirius centred on the legal debate over whether or not American satellite and online radio services need to pay royalties to record labels for playing tracks that pre-date 1972, like, say, The Turtles' biggest hits. Federal law in America is pretty clear that such services do need to pay royalties for post-1972 recordings, usually via the SoundExchange system, but generally federal copyright law doesn't apply to recordings from before that date. But should it in this case? And if not, what does state copyright law, which protects pre-1972 records, say about satellite and online radio. Of course it says nothing about satellite and online radio, so what can we imply? The labels and SoundExchange have also gone legal on this issue, but it was Flo & Eddie's lawsuit against Sirius that reached court first, with a Californian judge ruling in their favour, saying royalties were due on the pre-1972 catalogue, in California at least. As Pandora is covered by the same rules, it's not surprising that the musical duo are now pushing for a similar ruling to be made against the personalised radio service, which followed Sirius's lead in deciding royalties need not be paid on pre-1972 recordings. According to Billboard, the new lawsuit reads: "Pandora understands that having a vast range and array of music is critical to the success of any music service which is why pre-1972 recordings constitute a significant part of the music service. [But] Pandora is aware that it does not have any license, right, or authority to reproduce, perform, distribute or otherwise exploit via the music service any pre-1972 recordings (including The Turtles' Recordings)". It's not the first pre-1972 lawsuit Pandora has been hit with, though it is the first one in California. It will be interesting to see if the digital firm looks to settle out of court given the ruling in the recent Sirius case. For it's part, the digital firm has said it would welcome clarity from law-makers on the status of pre-1972 recordings with regards federal law, saying it wouldn't necessarily object to federal rules on digital music being applied to the entire sound recordings catalogue, as long as it was done in a fair way. Digital services also enjoy some protections under federal copyright law. In related news, the CFO of Sirius XM, David Frear, has confirmed at an finance conference that the company will appeal the Flo & Eddie ruling, adding that the recent judgement seemed to say that "every AM/FM station, bar, restaurant, stadium, internet webcast or satellite guy has been operating in violation of California law since 1982 [and yet] not one case [has been] brought by one act ever". Though, according to the Wall Street Journal, he too said he'd not necessarily object to the royalties set out in federal law being extended to pre-1972 tracks if done in a fair way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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New report considers Austin's ability to host a safe SXSW Both of those things were being mooted yesterday after a new report into Austin's big annual event by a firm called Populous, though commissioned by SXSW itself, emerged. The report concluded that, with South By's continued rapid growth, various issues need to be addressed by the city to ensure the continued smooth running of the vent. According to Texas monthly, the report states that "like any business they [SXSW management] will eventually need to make decisions about whether or not they can continue to exist in their current format and location", adding that SXSW may well "have no choice but to entertain notions of bidding their event to other cities to sustain their business model". It should be stressed that the idea of SXSW leaving Austin seems to be very much a 'worst case scenario' kind of thing, not least because the festival's identity is in part tied to Austin's laidback, beers n bars-type 'vibe'. Though that said, big events need big planning, and the threat that SXSW could always go elsewhere will presumably make Austin, which is trading off its music credentials more than ever, aware of its role in those plans. But what could that mean? Well, elsewhere in the Populus report are fairly radical proposals to ensure crowd safety, not least access restrictions like "soft searching" people looking to cross into certain locales, banning buskers from playing while the festival is on, and restricting events that take place near carparks. Another proposal is the creation of a so called 'clean zone', an area cordoned off to... well, the details are still fairly sketchy, but the jist is that it'd be there to preserve the "brand equity of SXSW and its sponsors". So, go figure. The notion of a 'clean zone' comes from major sporting events in America, the organisers of which have sought control over spin-off events and outdoor advertising in the locale near their big games. Another notable point in the report reads that "the current policy of the city with respect to the permitting process as 'first come, first served' and/or 'must treat everyone equally' appears to have become detrimental to event planning process and management of the key stakeholder interests". But SXSW management were last night keen to stress that, while they agree with much of what is said in the report about the organisation of their event and Austin's role in delivering that, moving from its host city is not currently on the agenda, and South By promoters have no wish to outlaw unofficial events that take place during their festival. Team SXSW said in a statement: "We've been careful not to say anything that implies we're trying to ban unofficial events because, even if we could, we wouldn't try to do that. We totally get that unofficial events are part of the appeal of SXSW, though the line between 'official' and 'unofficial' can be hard to distinguish". But unofficial events need to be managed so to ensure overall safety, they add. "What we're asking the city to do is put a limit on the number of permits issued for events that require temporary permits, based on location, capacity and infrastructure. The majority of the unofficial events are in existing businesses and this would not affect them". However: "The most important part of what we're asking for is a comprehensive safety plan that will include not just SXSW events, but every other significant activity downtown during our event. Marketing companies are fond of the tactic of keeping everything a secret until the last minute to avoid scrutiny. SXSW, the unofficial events, and the city all need transparency in order to plan for safety properly". -------------------------------------------------- Leading EDM agents launch new company As previously reported, the management side of the ATM business, led by Amy Thompson, recently allied with Irving Azoff's Azoff MSG Entertainment company in the US. Booker will continue to represent ATM-managed artists via the new agency. Describing the new firm's roster as "a who's-who of international DJs, producers and EDM artists", which the firm will rep worldwide excluding North America, Ayassotelis and Booker said in a statement about the decision to merge their respective ventures: "We both felt we were offering the same level of boutique services to our respective artists and wanted to combine to continue to offer an ever-evolving strategy to enable our clients to achieve their professional goals". They go on: "We believe Connected Artists will offer the best level of ability to enhance our artists in this space and we look forward to this move and welcoming other agents and genres to our company". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Birmingham's NIA to become Barclaycard Arena The NEC Group has spent a rather fine £26 million overhauling what you know and love as the National Indoor Arena, but what will be known henceforth as the Barclaycard Arena, as a result of an existing sponsorship deal between the venue operator and the plastic card peddler (though the Buble Arena would be so much better a name, let's all start calling it that instead). As is the norm with these naming rights sponsorship deals, Barclaycard customers will get extra benefits when visiting the arena that carries the company's name, including permission to pat any staff members on the head three times per visit, first use of the hand-dryer in any of the washrooms, and free Michael Buble fridge magnets for the first 309 Barclaycard holders through the door on opening night, 2 Dec. Confirming all of this (well, at least 27% of what I've written thus far), NEC Group's CEO said Paul Thandi: "The renaming of the NIA to the Barclaycard Arena continues to build and strengthen our partnership with Barclaycard. The new name reflects the enhanced and improved experience that the refurbishment will provide visitors, artists and promoters. The arena has a rich 21 year history in Birmingham, welcoming world-renowned singers, athletes, comedians and performers who all help to shine a light on what our city has to offer. The renaming is another historic moment". It's not, but whatever helps pay for that lovely new glass façade, hey? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lynsey de Paul 1950-2014 Born Lyndsey Monckton Rubin in Cricklewood, de Paul began releasing singles in the early seventies, writing her biggest solo hit in 1972's top five track 'Sugar Me'. She became the first ever female songwriter to win an Ivor Novello Award with latter single 'Won't Somebody Dance With Me', winning again in 1974 for 'No Honestly', the theme to an ITV sitcom of the same name. Then in 1977, de Paul was chosen to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest, eventually placing second with her single 'Rock Bottom'. Throughout the late 1970s, 80s and 90s she primarily composed television themes, radio jingles and songs for films, though also worked as a songwriter for other artists - not least Shirley Bassey - while taking various acting and TV-presenting roles. She became a director on the PRS board in 2006, and was re-elected in 2009 to serve an additional three year term. Esther Rantzen, a long-time friend of de Paul's and host of BBC One series 'Hearts Of Gold', for which Lynsey wrote the theme, has described her as "a renaissance woman", adding: "She could do everything - she could sing, she could compose, she was an immensely talented artist. She became a huge star but she was also a loyal and generous friend. It's an absolutely tragic loss". De Paul is survived by her brother, John. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Brit acts dominate in album chart of the year so far Anyway, here's the big top ten best selling artist albums of the year so far, which we are allowed to share with you thanks to the generous dudes over at the Official Chart Company, who only asked for a link back to their website in return, cos you know, everyone's mee-ja now. Click the link now for one of the best McDonalds ads you'll ever see. I'm not sure Farage would approve though, better switch it to Little Chef. 1. Ed Sheeran - X -------------------------------------------------- Prince criticises U2 for giving away music for free "That's a designer deal... of course they got paid", he told the Associated Press. "But what about the others?" So that's Prince there, the man who once did a deal to release his album for free with popular music magazine the Mail On Sunday. And on another occasion gave away an album with concert tickets. -------------------------------------------------- Roger Waters is nothing to do with Pink Floyd, okay? Kindly confirming the above most basic facts, in case anyone was (foolishly, like a silly idiot might) thinking otherwise and say, harassing his wife Laurie about it, Rog has, as his FB followers might've seen already earlier this week, released a statement setting things straight. The first bit read: "Some people have been asking Laurie, my wife, about a new album I have coming out in November. Errhh? I don't have an album coming out, they are probably confused". Definitely clearing up the confusion, the next bit went on: "David Gilmour and Nick Mason have an album coming out. It's called 'Endless River'. David and Nick constitute the group Pink Floyd. I on the other hand, am not part of Pink Floyd. I left Pink Floyd in 1985, that's 29 years ago. I had nothing to do with either of the Pink Floyd studio albums, 'Momentary Lapse Of Reason' and 'The Division Bell', nor the Pink Floyd tours of 1987 and 1994, and I have nothing to do with 'Endless River'. Phew! This is not rocket science, people. Get a grip". Phew! Well, glad we're all clear on things now, at last, finally. Let's all breathe a sigh of relief - errrrrrhhhhhh. The all-instrumental 'Endless River' will be released on 7 Nov, and, whilst it does not feature Roger 'The Grinch' Waters, it does centre on a series of old sessions recorded with late Pink Floyd man Richard Wright, who died in 2008. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mute, Columbia, OfCom, and more Other notable announcements and developments today... • The Mute Group has promoted David McGinnis, a Mute man since 1999, to the position of Head Of Mute Song, the firm's publishing company. An "excited and honoured" McGinnis takes over the job from Andrew King, who'll move into a consulting capacity. • Steph Segaer, formerly of Domino Records and most recently of Stellar PR, is returning to former employer Columbia Records, within Sony Music UK, as Senior Radio Promotions Manager. • Boss of UK media regulator OfCom Ed Richards is to resign as Chief Exec at the end of this year. Richards, who has held the position since 2006, has said he feels it is "the right time to move on". His successor is expected to be ID'd soon. • Hot on the heels of its recent Sonos tie up, Deezer has announced a new global alliance with hi-fi firm Bose via which the streaming firm's standard premium service (ie standard quality audio) will go live in the US for the first time. • CMU approved band Rökkurró have announced that they will release their new album, 'Innra', on 27 Oct. You'll also be able to catch live them at Iceland Airwaves next month, as well as being one of the bands to perform as part of Eurosonic Noorderslag's Iceland focus in January. • The nominations are out for this year's UK Music Video Awards, and hey, here's a thing, Metronomy lead the way with six noms. The prize-giving takes place on 10 Nov at London's Southbank Centre, this parallel to the first ever Music Vid Fest conference, which will highlight the business of creativity in music videos. Info via www.ukmva.com • MusicWeek held its first ever sync awards last night, where I'm sure everyone moved around the room in perfect synchronisation to any music being played. Fans of lists of winners are going to be in for special treat if they click this link. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CMU Beef Of The Week #225: Steve Aoki v Wunderground The reach of the new copyright exemption is very much open to interpretation, so it's probably lucky for comedy website Wunderground that it has fallen foul of a law firm in the US, where the parody right is much older and more clearly defined. Someone's going to have to be a test case for our own parody law, but I suspect Wunderground would rather not be it. Anyway, for those not familiar with Wunderground, it's a satirical website focussed entirely on the world of EDM. It makes up stuff about big name DJs like Calvin Harris and David Guetta in order to make people laugh. Satire and parody, that is what it deals in. As one of the rewards in a crowdfunding campaign the site ran earlier this year, the website offered a t-shirt, bearing the slogan, "Ask me about my shit DJ impression". How is that a problem? Well, if you were to pull the t-shirt up over your own face, it would show that printed on the inside was that of Steve Aoki. You remember Steve Aoki, right? He recently wrote that 2500 word article denying accusations that he's not very good at DJing, and that anyone who says he is on the grounds that he often leaves the decks to throw cake at people is dead wrong. (That's not parody, he really does that). Upon learning of the t-shirt's apparent existence, Aoki's lawyers wrote Wunderground a cease and desist letter. They accused the site of infringing various rights, including the DJ's likeness rights and the copyright in an image owned by Ultra Records. All the t-shirts should be destroyed, they said. Any money from the crowdfunding campaign should be placed into a bank account controlled by Aoki, and detailed accounts should be handed over so that the lawyers could work out exactly how much they should ask for in damages. Although Wunderground is based in Ireland, a US court would likely agree to hear the case because the t-shirt was available to people in America. Specifically California, in this instance The man behind the site, Mikey Maguire, did not take kindly to this, penning a long, sarcastic response to the letter this week. In it he pointed out that the t-shirt in question had never actually gone into production. The cease and desist had come before any could be made, and only eleven people had actually requested it as a crowdfunding reward (though since this went viral, potential custom has probably shot up). "I'll use an analogy here, maybe one Steve can understand", wrote Maguire. "If I own a cake shop, and had that cake shop open for a full month, 24 hours a day and seven days a week (in a similar fashion to the way the Indiegogo project ran online) and at the end of that month I've only sold eleven of a certain type of cake... well, you couldn't beg me to stock that cake ever again. It's a non-seller, a complete dud". The image used in the mock-up of the t-shirt, he also claimed, is not the one the lawyers claim it is. And regardless, at this point he invoked the US parody right, under which the appearance of Aoki's face on the t-shirt would almost certainly be deemed 'fair use'. Wrote Maguire: "The image in question is clearly a completely different image to the one you claim we are reproducing, and is a complete parody based on this extremely public figure and his extremely controversial and ludicrous actions on stage. This man puts himself out there in the most public of fashions in a way that not only opens itself up to ridicule, but demands it. Steve has chosen to be this controversial public figure, perhaps he needs to build a bridge and accept that there are opinions out there concerning his public persona that he will not like, but it does not make them illegal". And as for handing over money and accounts - the latter, reckons Maguire, would contravene data protection laws in Ireland, and as for the former: "Your client couldn't control a single buttoned CDJ, so he certainly isn't going to control our bank account. As I have already stated, any funds in our account did not get there through reproducing your image, or by fulfilling orders for a non-existent shirt. T'was simply an idea we shall look back at in years to come while wondering where the hell Steve Aoki ever went to". Ironically, the spreading of this incident online this week has probably made people more aware of Steve Aoki. And it has certainly made people more aware of the concept that he might not be a competent DJ. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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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