CMU Daily 22.02.23: Eminem tries to block trademark bid of podcasting Real Housewives, BMG's latest George Harrison deal

Eminem objects to Real Housewives trademarking their podcast brand Reasonably Shady
Eminem has formally objected to efforts by Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon - who both appear in the US TV show 'Real Housewives Of Potomac' - to trademark the name of their podcast. And what is that podcast called? Reasonably Shady.

Launched back in May 2021, the official blurb of Reasonably Shady declares that the programme "features conversations about being fearless women" as Bryant and Dixon "recount stories from their exciting lives".

Which is all well and good, but earlier this month the duo filed an application to trademark the name of the podcast, so that Bryant and Dixon would have the exclusive rights to use their brand for the sale of beauty products, clothing and other assorted tat.

But hang on for one God damn minute, what does the Real Slim Shady have to say about all this? By which I mean, of course, what is the view of rapper, musician, producer and - most importantly of all - Shady trademark owner Marshall Mathers III

After all, as a legal filing with the US Trademark Trial And Appeal Board states, Eminem has "invested a substantial amount of time, effort and money in promoting the name and marks Slim Shady and Shady".

And those are not just names he uses when releasing some good old rap records remember. No, he provides other goods and services under those names too. In fact, he has also invested "a substantial amount of time, effort and money" in "ensuring the high quality of goods and services provided under the name and marks Slim Shady, Shady and Shady Limited".

"Applicant's mark Reasonably Shady so resembles opposer's mark Slim Shady, Shady and the mark Shady Limited in terms of appearance, sound and commercial impression as to be likely, when applied to applicant's goods, to cause confusion and mistake and to deceive", Eminem's filing continues.

And, of course, both Bryant and Dixon must have been aware of Eminem's use of the Slim Shady and Shady trademarks before launching their podcast and especially before applying to trademark its name. I mean, they are surely big fans of the US Trademark Office's database and that would have told them about the rapper's existing marks.

"As a matter of law, based on opposers' federal trademark registrations for the marks Slim Shady, Shady and Shady Limited, applicants were deemed to be on constructive notice of opposer's rights in the marks Slim Shady, Shady and Shady Limited", the legal filing goes on.

And just to be clear, "there never has been any relationship between applicant and opposer, and opposer has never authorised or consented to applicants use or application to register a mark containing opposer's registered mark Shady - which is also the dominant portion of opposer's marks - or Slim Shady or Shady Limited".

So that's them told. Bryant and Dixon are yet to respond to Eminem's opposition to their trademark bid. Which is kind of shady. Well, reasonably shady, I guess.

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BMG announces new deal around George Harrison's solo recordings
BMG has announced a new deal with the George Harrison estate. It can put it on the shelf next to its existing deal with the Harrison founded Dark Horse Records label and the deal to administrate the late Beatle's songs catalogue. The new deal covers Harrison's own solo recordings. Three deals and you get a free coffee, I think.

Under the new arrangement, Harrisons' solo output will become part of the Dark Horse catalogue, that label now being headed up by his son Dhani with distribution handled by the BMG machine. To celebrate the new deal and what would have been Harrison's 80th birthday on 25 Feb, his catalogue is being released in Dolby Atmos surround sound on Apple Music.

Says Dhani Harrison: "22 years since his passing, for what would have been his 80th birthday, I am overjoyed to announce that we are bringing my father's music catalogue back home to Dark Horse Records, the company he started back in 1974".

"We look forward to releasing only the finest of packages and hope the fans join us on the deepest of dives into our archives as we continue to grow his legacy through our partnership with BMG", he goes on, "starting with the release of his entire back catalogue in spatial audio, for the first time, on Apple Music. We also will be using this opportunity to make all the custom limited vinyl that we can get away with. Happy 80th Dad! We love you always".

And BMG boss Hartwig Masuch adds: "This is a banner day for BMG, bringing together for the first time the song and recorded rights of one of the greatest musicians in popular music history under one roof. Only BMG can do this. We look forward to working with the George Harrison estate and Dark Horse Records to promote George's peerless music to generations old and new".

Elsewhere in Dark Horse news, the label has announced a new deal with Yusuf/Cat Stevens to release a new album and reissue seven older LPs, the master rights for which are owned by Steven's Cat-O-Log label.

"I'm THRILLED to welcome Yusuf/Cat Stevens to the Dark Horse Records family", says Dhani Harrison. "Not only is Yusuf a great musical legend but his songs could not fit the Dark Horse mythos any better. From his back catalogue, through to the new music we can't wait for you to hear. Yusuf is without question one of the most influential singer-songwriters of all time, It is a great honour to be able to give his music a home on our humble yet historic label".

Kicking off the partnership, and also marking George Harrison's 80th birthday, Stevens has released a cover of Harrison written Beatles song 'Here Comes The Sun'.

"George Harrison was beginning to explore Eastern mysticism around the time I was hospitalised with TB, in 1968", says Stevens. "Lying in bed, I had a lot of time on my hands and ended up reading a Buddhist book called 'The Secret Path'. That was the beginning of my own search for the light".

"While most of my generation were just into the music, I was a bit like George, where music became the key to something much higher", he goes on. "Following the rages of the 60s, his consciousness was awakened, and George transcended to levels not many people ever get to experience. You can hear it in his lyrics and see it in the way he lived and dealt with the material world - looking for a way out".

"I'm happy to sing one of his songs, especially as it represents the returning of light and hope to a seriously dark and broken world", he concludes.

Listen to Yusuf/Cat Stevens' version of 'Here Comes The Sun' here.

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Jaxsta acquires Vampr
Music credits database Jaxsta has acquired Vampr, a social network for musicians. The plan now is to bundle Vampr Pro with the Jaxsta Creator subscription package, which - Jaxsta reckons - "creates a much more compelling product for the independent artist and musician".

"The acquisition of Vampr represents a rare opportunity to accelerate the expansion of our business", says Jaxsta CEO Beth Appleton. "We continue to focus on driving revenue growth and profitability capitalising on the bedrock of the Jaxsta platform and the moat we have built through our industry leading music data solution".

"Together", she goes on, "I believe we are going to be an exceptional company that will be at the forefront of the rapidly evolving music industry landscape".

Josh Simons, Founder and CEO of Vampr, adds: "Combining our grassroots network with the definitive official music credits database is both a highly strategic and logical combination which we believe will provide great value to Vampr and Jaxsta's users as well as our mutual shareholders".

"Our team cannot wait to get started", he continues, "and I'm personally very excited to work with Beth and the Jaxsta team to build transformational products for the music industry and music lovers".

Vampr allows musicians to connect with other creators and music industry professionals, as well as distributing and monetising their music.

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Peermusic signs The Stereotypes' Jonathan Yip and Jeremy Reeves
Peermusic has signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with Jonathan Yip and Jeremy Reeves of songwriting and production trio The Stereotypes, who have worked with artists including Cardi B, Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber and Lil Yachty.

"Jonathan, Jeremy and The Stereotypes consistently prove that their hit-making capacity may be limitless", says Peermusic COO Kathy Spanberger. "They continue to go from strength to strength. When we get the opportunity to work with such caliber of talent and to be the guardians of a song catalogue like this, it's very much a vision to reality moment".

VP A&R Tuff Morgan adds: "The Stereotypes have harnessed their incredibly collaborative approach and undeniable talent into over sixteen years of hit-making magic. They just keep finding new opportunities and exciting creative moments in the studio. We're looking forward to big things ahead".

Meanwhile, Yip says: "Excited to partner with Peermusic. Meeting Tuff and the rest of the team, I immediately realised they were aligned with our vision. Not only as producers, but as a company".

And Reeves comments: "Thankful for the opportunity to build with Peermusic. Tuff and the team already feel like family, and I'm excited to see what lies ahead as we push the music forward".

The Stereotypes started out in 2003 and, as well as making it big in US pop, have also written and produced songs for K-pop artists.

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1Xtra announces new weekday daytime show to be broadcast from Birmingham
BBC 1Xtra has announced it is launching its first ever weekday show broadcast from a studio outside of London, the station having added a Birmingham-based weekend programme to its schedule last year and, in a surprise development, the universe did not end.

From April, new recruit Kaylee Golding will present an early afternoon show each weekday from the BBC's studios in The Mailbox in Birmingham. Says she: "I am super excited to be joining the BBC 1Xtra family! I've been listening to 1Xtra my whole life, so to be presenting such an important daytime show on the station is an honour".

"I can't wait to start the show and provide the happiness and good music we all need", she adds. "To make it even better, I get to do the show from my home town Birmingham. Birmingham deserves this, and I can't wait to bring some brummy flavour to 1Xtra!"

The station will also get a new drivetime host at the start of April, with Remi Burgz moving into that slot, taking over from current presenter Reece Parkinson who is stepping down from the job.

"I am so grateful for this opportunity", says Burgz. "I can't believe I've been trusted to continue this amazing slot. My friends don't even trust me to drive them around town but now I'm keeping people company through drivetime - skrr skrr beep beep. Reece Parkinson has left big shoes to fill but I'm ready for the ride!"

And if you're wondering what Head Of 1Xtra Faron McKenzie has to say about all this, wonder no more. "We've said it before", he declares, "1Xtra are committed to increasing investment and supporting broadcasting talent across the UK".

"As a Birmingham native myself", he goes on, "I'm so proud to be delivering on that promise and bringing 1Xtra to such an amazing and diverse city. I'm excited to see Kaylee represent, connect with new audiences, and inject her fun, Brummy energy into 1Xtra afternoons".

"Remi has also forged an incredible relationship with our listeners in such a short space of time", he adds, "proving her status as a broadcasting superstar. I know she's going to deliver that huge energy she's known for into the drivetime slot".

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Bauer launches ad-free premium version of Greatest Hits Radio
Bauer Media has launched a premium version of its Greatest Hits Radio station, just in case any Ken Bruce fans are considering following the long-time Radio 2 presenter over to the commercial station, but can't face the thought of having to listen to a load of terrible radio ads.

Like the premium packages already available for other Bauer radio brands Absolute and Kiss, listeners who pay £3.99 a month will be able to tune into Greatest Hits Radio without any ads.

They can also skip any hits that get played which, despite the promise in the station's name, turn out not to be the greatest after all. Well, they can do that six times an hour. They just have to hope all the other tracks really are great.

And on top of that, subscribers have access to some extra stations which go by the names of Good Times Anthems, Greatest Hits Of The 70s, Greatest Hits Of The 80s and Greatest Hits Of The 90s. Oh, and there's also one called Simon Mayo's Album Tracks, which basically turns Mayo's weekend album-centric show for the station into its own channel.

Mayo, who also hosts drivetime on GHR, announced on Twitter yesterday: "Greatest Hits Radio Premium is a very lovely thing indeed. It's GHR with no ads, plus a whole bunch of extra stations including one devoted to album tracks. If you enjoy the Sunday album show, this could be for you. Anyway, it's shiny and fabulous! Give it a try!"

In April, Mayo will be joined at GHR by his former Radio 2 colleague Ken Bruce, with Bauer presumably hoping that that will persuade some of the BBC station's audience to switch over.

And especially older listeners who are annoyed that many of the longer serving DJs at Radio 2 are departing as it tries to refresh its schedules in order to better appeal to the younger end of its target demographic.

Actually, when big names at the BBC stations shift over to commercial radio, while they do take some of their listeners with them, that listener shift isn't usually anywhere near as big as you might expect.

Though maybe if there's an option to remove the ads on the commercial station, it makes shifting more attractive. Though, I guess the question is: "£3.99 a month attractive?"

Commenting on the launch of a premium package around the brand which his company has been expanding most prolifically in recent years, Bauer Media Audio UK COO Graham Bryce says: "At Bauer, we pride ourselves on truly understanding our audiences and constantly innovating to ensure we deliver high quality content - whenever and however our listeners want it".

"We're THRILLED to be able to launch this premium service for Greatest Hits Radio", he adds, "delivering our listeners new content and new levels of control in a way no other company in the UK is offering right now".

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APPOINTMENTS

Management company YMU has hired Yvette Medina as Head Of Latin Music. She joins from her own management business the Creative Management Firm. "YMU's global resources and commitment to continue driving Latin music forward on a global scale aligned with my vision and passion, making them a perfect partner", she says.

Music publisher Wise Music has promoted Marcus Wise to CEO for Europe. Meanwhile, Dave Holley becomes Chief Operating Officer. "It is both an honour and a privilege to take over the reins of my family's European business", says Wise. "I look forward to supporting our historic publishing houses by increasing our core activities in sync and classical music".

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RELEASES

Everything But The Girl have released new single 'Caution To The Wind'. "Lyrically, 'Caution To The Wind' is a simple song about arrival and seizing the moment, so with the music we tried to capture the feeling of a perpetual point in time", says the duo's Tracey Thorn. Their new album 'Fuse' is out on 21 Apr.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra have released new single 'Nadja', taken from new album 'V', which is out on 17 Mar. The band's London show at Brixton Academy on 31 Mar has now been moved to the Troxy, with a second night added at the same venue on 1 Jun.

Ahead of the release of new album 'Bless This Mess', US Girls has released new single 'Tux (Your Body Fills Me, Boo)'.

Frankie Rose has released new single 'Come Back'. Her new album 'Love As Projection' is out on 10 Mar.

Meet Me @ The Altar have released new single 'Kool', ahead of the release of their debut album 'Past // Present // Future' on 10 Mar. "'Kool' is the love child of everything we're into musically", they say. "There's rock n roll guitars, heavy drums, and a crazy, catchy, pop-inspired vocal melody on top. It's a fun, anthemic song about having a crush on someone, and wanting them to know how 'kool' you think they are".

Gruff Rhys has released new song 'I Want My Old Life Back', taken from his soundtrack for upcoming film 'The Almond And the Seahorse'. "I actually wrote the song after my van got nearly totalled in early 2020 during a flash flood on the A1 at 3am after a gig", he says. "I was stranded in a pub for three days as I waited for it to be fixed, like my own personal lockdown a few weeks before the big one when the song seemed to make even more sense".

Lvra has released new single 'Venom', featuring Spent. Her new EP 'Soft Like Steel' is out on 22 Mar. "'Venom' is a song that oozes confidence out like green sticky dew, and was written after a particularly eventful night out", she says. "For me, going to clubs is a chance to put on all the shit I can't wear during the day - it's a place where I've seen so much individuality and style, and the queer club scene here in London has been where I've been able to explore my own queerness - something that I never felt safe enough to do before I came here".

Tiny Ruins have released new single 'Dorothy Bay'. Their fourth album 'Ceremony' will be out on 28 Apr.

Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily - updated every Friday.

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50 Cent settles part of lawsuit over penis enlargement implying photo
50 Cent has settled part of his litigation over a photo of the rapper at a medical centre that may or may not have implied he'd had penis enlargement surgery. He hadn't, by the way. He'd just popped in for a spa treatment.

The main defendant in this lawsuit is Angela Kogan, who was sued by 50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - last September. He had his photo taken with her in 2020 and that photo subsequently popped up on the social media profiles of Kogan's company, which trades as Perfection Plastic Surgery and MedSpa.

In his lawsuit, Jackson insisted that he thought he was just having his photo taken with a fan back in 2020, and therefore he was somewhat pissed off when it was posted to the MedSpa socials, because it implied he had used and endorsed her company's services.

Worse still, the photo was also used in an article on gossip site The Shade Room in which Kogan discussed the rise in plastic surgery for men, including penile enhancements.

The use of the photo alongside that interview - which Jackson argued was basically advertorial - again implied that he had used and endorsed Kogan's company, and also possibly suggested he'd had surgery on his penis.

In her response, Kogan argued that the "it was just a photo with a fan" claim wasn't credible, because the picture was taken in her office after Jackson and his girlfriend had received free spa treatments. And it was clear at the time, she claimed, that the photo was some kind of quid pro quo for the free treatments, meaning it was a given she might post it to social media.

She also insisted that her posting of the photo to her company's socials was purely for entertainment purposes, and that she wasn't making any claims of endorsement, or that Jackson had received any treatments from her company, penis-based or otherwise.

The legal dispute between Jackson and Kogan continues to go through the motions, but the rapper also sued The Shade Room over its use of the photo, and the implication he had used MedSpa's services, maybe even for a penis enlargement. Which, Jackson reckoned, constituted defamation.

I'm not sure it really did, but we'll not now get any judicial insight on that. "Plaintiff Curtis J Jackson III pka 50 Cent hereby gives notice that he has reached an agreement to settle with defendant The Shade Room LLC", a document logged with the court yesterday reads.

"Jackson and TSR are in the process of executing their respective obligations pursuant to the agreement and will file a notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice of defendant The Shade Room LLC shortly thereafter", it adds.

But, just to be clear, the filing concludes: "This notice does not apply to defendants Angela Kogan and Perfection Plastic Surgery Inc [trading as] Perfection Plastic Surgery and MedSpa".

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