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Web-blocks extend to proxy list sites As much previously reported, web-blocking has become an anti-piracy tactic of choice for the content industries in those countries where such measures are available, whether through court injunction or government agency. Web-blocks force internet service providers to block access to specific websites that exist primarily to enable copyright infringement, like The Pirate Bay. But as soon as the ISPs start blocking the URLs of such sites, so that users see anti-piracy messages instead, so called proxies appear that enable users to get round the blockades and continue accessing unlicensed music and movies. So the content industries had to start getting web-block orders for the proxies too. Every time one proxy is blocked another quickly springs up, and users keen for a freebie content fix can check in on web pages providing links to all the latest proxies, so getting around the blockades need not take more than a couple of clicks. So, somewhat unsurprisingly, the content industries are now targeting those web pages too, presumably citing legal precedent set when the courts ruled against those sites that helped users find the latest illegal streams of movies and telly shows once the content owners started issuing takedown notices against YouTube et al. According to Torrentfreak, among the proxy lists targeted by a recent web-block injunction were piratebayproxy.co.uk, piratebayproxylist.com and ukbay.org. The operator of the latter isn't very impressed with the development, telling Torrentfreak: "The new blocks are unbelievable and totally unreasonable. To block a site that simply links to another site just shows the level of censorship we are allowing ISPs to get away with". Ah yes, the 'c' word. How dare the law censor your free speech right to not pay for the latest Ariana Grande record? "UKBay is not even a Pirate Bay proxy", he went on. "It simply provides links to proxies. If they continue blocking sites that link to sites that link to sites, there'll be nothing left". Hmm, when it comes to sites linking to unlicensed content, I'm pretty sure that's the point. Though, of course, all this web-blocking is still heavily restricted while good old Google makes it so easy to find the latest proxies. And that's the fight that's still brewing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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PIPCU shuts down file-sharing karaoke site KaraokeWorld was a BitTorrent site with a specific focus on accessing unlicensed karaoke tunes, because who doesn't like a copyright infringing sing song from time to time? The service had a commercial element, with VIP memberships on offer from £5 to £90, which will have heightened the case for taking criminal rather than civil action against the operation. A 46 year old man believed to be the operator of the website was arrested as part of the shutdown. Confirming the action, PIPCU Detective Chief Inspector Danny Medlycott told reporters: "The public needs to be aware that by accessing sites like this, they are putting money directly in the hands of criminals, which often then funds other serious organised crime, as well as putting their own financial and personal details at risk of being compromised and used for other fraudulent scams. These websites are stealing from the creative industries that employ thousands of people and PIPCU will continue to work closely with our partners to tackle the criminals behind these sites and bring them to justice". Meanwhile PRS's piracy man Simon Bourn welcomed PIPCU's action, saying: "The livelihoods of songwriters represented by PRS For Music, both within the UK and internationally, and of all those who contribute to our rich and diverse creative community, are underpinned by fair licensing and the protection of copyright". He went on: "PRS For Music's Anti-Piracy Unit is committed to actively pursuing those who use our songwriters and composers' repertoire without permission, particularly the operation of online music services without the necessary licensing. The unit's dedication in this case, involving careful investigative support which it provided to the police, ensured that an unlicensed UK-based BitTorrent music service for karaoke was located and closed down". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kasabian extend Sony/ATV deal The company's UK MD Guy Moot says: "We are proud to have signed this new deal with Kasabian. Serge has an incredible catalogue of songs with so much more still to come and he should be rightfully acknowledged as one of the best contemporary British songwriters around". Pizzorno added: "I am delighted to continue my longstanding relationship with Guy and his team. Their support over the years has been invaluable and allowed me to grow as a songwriter and an artist". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sony boss shares his thoughts on freemium: "In general, free is death" For the record, my Great Aunt Marge thinks that ultimately Spotify Freemium will need to reduce either its content or functionality to allow the emergence of a mid-market subscription service, though she concedes that YouTube poses a challenge here, and the removal of some of the video site's playlisting tools might be necessary for it all to work. Which is interesting. Though I'm pretty sure she stole at least some of that off Mark Mulligan. But anyway, what does Sony Music chief overseer Doug Morris think about all this? That's the question my Great Aunt Marge was most eager to ask when we had our monthly streaming-chat-and-scones-get-together the other day. All talk of late has been about Universal Music boss man Lucian Grainge having a rethink about what kind of freemium services he should be licensing, but what about Morris, who was leading Universal when free-to-access music platforms first emerged before taking over the reins at the Sony record company? Well, good news, Hits Daily Double has only gone and asked the man himself. "Basically, I equate 'free' with the decline of the music business", he said. "Why should anyone pay for anything if they can get it for free? In certain instances, it's worth a discussion. But in general, free is death". So, a bit negative towards freemium then. But don't worry Spotifyers, you're not the problem here. "The biggest culprit is YouTube, with their links to free sites", he went on. "This has to be curbed if we're going to have a successful business". And if you're not sure what he means by 'links to free sites', well, me neither. But don't worry, people. Jimmy Iovine's going to fix everything. "If there's a subscription model that gives people what they want, it'll work. I believe Jimmy Iovine will do well with Apple Beats; he knows how to market things brilliantly. He'll make it sexy enough to have a real chance. They've got 850 million credit cards and $160 billion in the bank - that's a good start". And Spotify's great too, remember. "Daniel Ek from Spotify deserves a tremendous amount of credit for pushing the rock up the hill. Everybody's trying to find the magic key to open that box. But no one's done it yet. I hope they both win. We're counting on it". So now you know. Shall we all now agree to not mention the word 'freemium' for at least a week? And yes, that includes all of you heading to Austin. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A Greener Festival Awards to take year off to restructure As previously reported, the AGF Awards are a kite-mark type scheme, whereby festivals are assessed according to their green credentials. Events that fulfil various environmental criteria are given awards at different levels, depending on their achievements. Confirming that the awards would now be taking a year off, AGF co-founder Claire O'Neill said yesterday: "After eight consecutive years of delivering the Greener Festival Awards globally, we have really noticed how event sustainability has matured and moved into the mainstream. The fact that audiences want environmentally conscious events - and that sustainable practices are often money saving - means that the sustainable events industry has really grown up". She went on: "AGF are using 2015 to reconfigure the awards format and assessment processes to reflect this maturity. 2015 seemed a apt time to take a breather as Yourope - the 80 event strong European festivals association - have re-launched their Green N Clean Award for their member events, and the industry now has a number of other certification routes for sustainable events". Other AFG activities, such as the Festival Wood and the Green Events & Innovations Conference, will continue, plus the organisation's new look website is set to become "a comprehensive knowledge hub for green events and individuals". | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Live Nation announces global brand alliance with Smirnoff And amongst the lucky dance music events set to have Smirnoff splashed around the place are the US-based Electric Daisy Carnival, HARD and Wonderland events, and UK festivals like Creamfields, Wireless, Latitude and Reading. Hmm, I guess the deal isn't specifically EDM-focused on this side of the Atlantic. Nevertheless, Matt Bruhn, Global Brand Director for the vodka brand, told Billboard: "Smirnoff as a brand is all about inclusivity, enjoying life and having a great time, so we saw a natural fit in the electronic music genre and lifestyle. What we're trying to do is not just advertise our way to success but act our way to success". And those of you playing brand-partnership-quote bingo should enjoy this second quote from Bruhn too. "This long-term partnership with Live Nation will amplify our global vision around our passion for music and always making the fan experience a top priority. Together we have the opportunity to enhance this experience even further through tearing down the barriers between fans and artists". For his part, Live Nation's President Of Media & Sponsorships Russell Wallach contributed some quality quoting action too, explaining that "Live Nation has the biggest and most diverse festival platform in the world. We are focused on finding partners that want to enhance the fan experience on-site and create compelling content for the fans not there". You know, all this talk of "enhanced experiences" makes me wonder... are the kids mainly swallowing their MDMA these days, or is snorting the consumption method de jour? If it's the latter, well, I wouldn't recommend then snorting the vodka. Believe me, that's an initiation task you'd rather avoid. But hey, I'm certain that Live Nation did its research, and if the kids were mainly snorting their drugs in 2015 it would be Kleenex not Smirnoff badging all the festivals this summer. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Radio 1 again forced to deny ageism claims "I thought it was so discriminatory and unfair", said Madonna in an interview with The Sun this week, when asked about not being played by the nation's favourite. "We've made so many advances in other areas - civil rights, gay rights - but ageism is still an area that's taboo and not talked about and dealt with". In a statement, a spokesperson for Radio 1 responded: "Radio 1 do not ever ban artists and Madonna's track 'Living For Love' has been played on the station. The tracks are chosen on musical merit and their relevance to our young audience on a case-by-case basis, and whilst around 40% of the country's 15 to 29 year olds tune into Radio 1 each week, an artist's age is never a factor". The station issued pretty much the same statement last month when this issue was first blown up by the anti-BBC newspapers. Except on that occasion it noted that old, old man Paul McCartney had two tracks on its playlist at that time (albeit as a guest to younger, younger artists). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Artwork designers announced for this year's Secret 7" project In total, 700 artists will each create a one-off sleeve design, into which will be popped one of seven singles by The Rolling Stones, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, St Vincent, Peter Gabriel or The Maccabees. Each record and its sleeve will be available for sale for £50 (though you will know what sleeve you're buying, the music will remain a mystery until such time you can get it on a turntable). They'll be available on 4 May, following an exhibition at Somerset House from 10 Apr to 3 May. Attendees of the exhibition will also be able to cut their own single in a vinyl-cutting booth, and there will be several events running alongside, including a screening of Chemical Brothers film 'Don't Think' followed by a Q&A with director Adam Smith on 16 Apr. Full details of everything Secret 7"-related can be found here. -------------------------------------------------- Jaakko Eino Kalevi announces spelling-focussed debut album "I played the 'self-titled' card this time because for many people this album will be their first encounter with my music", he says. "Also, I get my name misspelled so often that I think it's good to focus on that at this point". If you have ever met me, I've probably enthused about Kalevi's deadpan stage chat at some point. I'm very glad to see that has now translated into his press statements. He will also play a couple of UK shows in June - a specific album launch show at the Courtyard Theatre in London on 19 Jun, plus a Brighton show for good measure at the Green Door Store on 23 Jun. Here's a track from the album, which you'll probably also hear at those shows I'd wager, called 'Double Talk'. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Blur gigs, Active Child songs, Azealia Banks videos, and other marvellous things Other notable announcements and developments today... • There's a trailer for that Kurt Cobain documentary now. • Björk has released a video for 'Lionsong', off her new album. • Azealia Banks has done one of those interactive video things. If you're using Google Chrome, you can look at it now. • If I wanted to hear a new Mastodon song, specifically one recorded for some 'Game Of Thrones' mixtape, I'd probably click here. • Active Child has a new song out, called '1999'. It pre-empts his new album, 'Mercy', which is due out in June. "Fingerprints", says Pat Grossi (aka The Active Child). • The CMU approved Kero Kero Bonito have just released a new single. It is called 'Picture This'. • Henry Rollins will be doing one of his spoken word tours next year, which will include two nights at the Barbican on 14 ad 16 Jan. • Blur have announced that they will play an "exclusive one-off show for fans" on 20 Mar. Which I assume means that only people who don't like them are allowed into the Hyde Park gig. Anyway, at this show next week, they will play new album 'The Magic Whip' in full. Here's a trailer thing. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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CMU Beef Of The Week #246: Beef v Music Long gone are the days when Bill Hicks could happily stand on stage and tell us that any artist who took money from advertisers could count themselves "off the artistic roll call". And not just because he's dead. If Bill Hicks were alive today, he'd be advertising dishwasher tablets and going on tours sponsored by Kraft cheese slices. Well, maybe. Comedy has become the new rock n roll at least twice in my lifetime and so hasn't quite had the shot to its principles that music has. Musicians, though. Oh, they're having their music placed in adverts here and taking the brand dollar there all the time these days. And it's easy to see what each side gets out of the deal. The musician gets a pile of money to quell the nagging nausea that selling themselves out will bring. And the brand gets to pretend that it has actually absorbed some of the inherent coolness of which it has just robbed the artist. No one will ever admit this is the deal though. They always try to dress it up with some faux mutual appreciation, which leads to Taylor Swift saying things like, "Diet Coke just 'gets me'", and alcohol brand Absolut to claim that Icona Pop are "almost the embodiment" of its new vodka and wine-based drink. I used to write a whole column about the inherent ridiculousness of these press statement, until it became too depressing to continue. I can see how these things happen though - and I realise the irony of writing this on a website supported in part by advertising. Everyone's got to feed the monkey, and when someone turns up and offers a chunk of money that will ensure you and it will be kept in bananas for a good few months, that's a very difficult thing to turn down. A good example of how far this has gone is the South By Southwest festival, which begins next week, and has now embraced sponsorship to such a degree that it has to have a policy on drones to stop all the brands at its trade fair flying them around the place and risking the safety of its customer base. Last year, of course, brand prominence at the event peaked with a Lady Gaga-headlined show sponsored by Doritos. The company reportedly paid her $2.5 million, in return for which she got someone to vomit on her while she stood next to a neon sign bearing the company's logo. Of course, because no one is willing to actually state the simplicity of the cash-for-cool relationship that is behind all band-brand alliances, sometimes the brands forget that the musicians aren't just doing this because they actually love those companies so much. And so enter McDonald's. The fast food chain is currently in something of a crisis. While it remains a multi-billion dollar international company, and owns one of the world's most recognised brands, it has seen sales fall in the last year. The issue, according to Ad Week, is the 'millennial', which I think I managed to confirm means 'people who are aged between eighteen and 35' before I had to stop reading up on the term and try to force my soul back into my body. So the young people, basically. They're the problem. In many ways, McDonald's is like the music industry. Except that no one is downloading burgers illegally. Actually, I think the problem is probably partly down to the fact that it's now quite easy to buy burgers that have flavours. And so McDonald's ruse of trying to mask the blandness of its food with gerkins and ketchup has been scuppered. But you can't admit that, can you? Not if you're McDonald's. So you have to instigate some cool-for-the-kids marketing nonsense, and say things like: "Our presence at SXSW will highlight our commitment to digital innovation and enhance the onsite experience for attendees. McDonald's has never been involved with SXSW in an official capacity, making this an even more exciting time for our brand". Yeah, you can't fault McDonald's and its commitment to digital innovation. I mean look at all those... all those... Happy Meals...? Anyway, part of this 'commitment' will be to drive in a 'Fry-Fi' (seriously) truck that will offer mobile device charging stations, wi-fi, and screens streaming images from around the event. And because that isn't really enough, the truck will also serve breakfast and lunch to anyone not aware that Austin is full of good barbequed meat. Plus, of course, there will be a McDonald's-hosted showcase. And therein lies the problem. Because while McDonald's has recognised that it could do with appearing a bit cooler to young people, it failed to spot that the people who can help it with that are also among the demographic that doesn't think the fast food chain is cool. They aren't so bowled over by the company that they're willing to chip in just for the love of Big Macs. Alt-rock duo Ex Cops revealed in a Facebook post this week that they had been approached to play the McDonald's showcase but were told that "there isn't a budget for an artist fee (unfortunately)". The band's Brian Harding continued: "In lieu of being paid like a real artist, or anyone who is employed to do a service, McDonald's assures us that we will 'be featured on screens throughout the event, as well as POSSIBLY mentioned on McDonald's social media accounts like Facebook'". Now, McDonald's might argue that it's not exactly cutting corners on this thing. Let's not forget that there will be free food for the audience. McDonald's food doesn't come cheap, you know. Oh wait, hang on... Well, there's probably a venue hire cost, and all the staff in that venue are probably going to want paying. I mean, how many people work in a venue? Including bar and tech staff, maybe 30? 40? More? And those people don't get to have any fun, like that band does. They're grafting up there, doing real work. All a band does is turn up and play. Nothing else. Because as we all know, there are no financial or time costs to being a musician. This is presumably what led McDonald's to issue a statement, responding to the Ex Cops post, claiming that it follows "the same standard protocol as other brands and sponsors" at SXSW and that any media interest in this story was the result of a "#slownewsday". I mean, imagine being so confident in your stance on something that you'd conclude it with a hashtag. What could possibly go wrong? After all, Harding admits in his Facebook post that "it is our choice (pretty much) to fly to Austin, play shows without soundcheck, and get paid nothing to a little". However, he adds: "I'm aware that to achieve any exposure is a Herculean task in 2015, but the Boethian Wheel is a real thing, and this will continue to exist if we, as artists, keep saying 'yes' in exchange for a taste of success. Even if smells like a shitty Fish Filet". Speaking to Rolling Stone, he continued: "The people that have been supporting the music industry lately understand that we don't make money off albums anymore, and that's why you see so much merchandise and bands tour all the time. It's our only kind of income". His musical partner Amalie Bruun added more bluntly: "If we're not going to get paid for our live shows, what are we going to get paid for?" A few days later, McDonald's finally realised that the continued interest in its unwillingness to pay the only people who really matter in its campaign for some cool was not just because there was nothing else to report on. As a result, this week it backtracked completely, telling Billboard that it had planned a 20 band showcase that would see the company totally "honouring the spirit of the festival" and that "all bands performing at our showcase will be compensated". It didn't say "fairly compensated", but it's a step forward, I guess. Ex Cops, perhaps unsurprisingly, will still not be one of the bands on that bill, but they said that they were "thrilled" at the news. Nice work employing that ubiquitous press language there guys. I assume it was intentional. So, all's well that ends well. Well, except for all that stuff with McDonald's still sponsoring a music event. But apart from that, I think we can all sleep soundly at night again. 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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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