ICE Licensing // Senior DSP Audit & Assurance Manager (London)

ICE Licensing // DSP Audit and Assurance Manager (London)

IDOL // UK Label Manager (London/Hybrid)

Nonclassical // Executive Director (London)

Free Trade Agency // Office Co-Ordinator (London)

Today's music business news

TOP STORY

Anti-touting campaign hopes new EU rules will help in the battle against for-profit ticket resale

The pan-European campaign against for-profit ticket touting, FEAT, has confirmed its priorities for the year ahead, seeking to capitalise on the European Union’s new Digital Services Act or DSA.

Anti-touting campaigners hope that the new responsibilities placed on major digital platforms by the DSA will help in the battle against ticket touting.

 Affected platforms have to the start of next year to comply with the new rules.

One hope in the touting domain is that the DSA will restrict the use of search engine advertising by secondary ticketing platforms.

This has long been a concern, because platforms like Viagogo can buy their way to the top of search results, meaning that when consumers search for tickets for any one artist's shows on Google, the link to touted tickets comes above the link to the official seller of tickets.

Even if the search engine puts a 'sponsored' label above the top link and the resale site states that it is a "secondary marketplace for tickets" on its home page, plenty of consumers will still assume that whichever link comes top is a legit place to buy tickets. When, in fact, they may end up paying more for tickets that the promoter of the show could technically cancel.

Following an Annual General Meeting of those involved in FEAT last week, the campaign noted in a statement yesterday that "the EU's Digital Services Act brought in tough new measures requiring large search engines to clamp down on illegal product listings. These include working with risk-affected parties to carry out assessments of 'systemic risks' relating to illegal content".

"FEAT members agreed", the statement continued, "that by failing to properly consider the continued prevalence of illegal ticket resale advertising, large search engines may already be in breach of their new responsibilities".

Other FEAT priorities for the year ahead include looking into adjusting ticket terms and conditions "to enable event organisers to de-list resale ticket listings more aggressively via the Digital Services Act's notice and action mechanisms once the regulation comes into force more widely in the new year".

ONE LINERS

Zacari x Ty Dolla $ign, Busted, PJ Harvey + More

RELEASES

Zacari has teamed up with Ty Dolla $ign on new single ‘Ave Maria’. “My dad told me a story about him as a younger kid in the Catholic Church being expelled for asking questions in a confessional booth”, says Zacari. “This song is supposed to invite you to raise questions and find God where you feel him/her/them. Despite not possessing a complete understanding of who or what God is to me, I feel him in the harps and 808s in this track”.

Flo Milli has release new single ‘BGC’. Her new album ‘Fine Ho, Stay’ is out next month.

Kali Uchis has released new single ‘Te Mata’. Her new Spanish language album ‘Orquídeas’ is out on 12 Jan. “The orchid is the national flower of Colombia and we have more species of orchid than anywhere on earth”, she says. “I always felt distinctly intrigued and magnetised by the flower. This album is inspired by the timeless, eerie, mystic, striking, graceful and sensual allure of the orchid. With this vast scope of fresh energy, I wish to redefine the way we look at Latinas in music”.

Lyam has released new single ‘Yamaha’, taken from his forthcoming mini-album ‘The Art Of Letting Go’. "In light of everything that has happened in my life while working up to finalise this record ‘Yamaha' highlights my belief, self confidence and new found purpose turning all those negatives into positives”, he says.

GIGS & TOURS

Busted have announced that they will play Leeds Millennium Square on 11 Jul next year. Tickets go on sale on Thursday.

PJ Harvey has announced that she will play London’s Gunnersbury Park on 18 Aug next year, with support from Big Thief, Tirzah and Shida Shahabi. “I’m grateful to Gunnersbury Park for inviting me to curate this event”, she says. “I have chosen what I feel to be some of the most exciting artists working today. With them I hope to be able to give the audience an emotional, heartening and uplifting experience”. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.

Stornoway have announced that they will tour the UK In February next year, following another round of touring that begins in Dublin tonight. Tickets for the 2024 dates go on sale on Friday.

Barry Can’t Swim has announced UK and Ireland tour dates in March next year. The run includes a show at the Roundhouse in London on 7 Mar.

DIGITAL

Boomy announces alliance with Beatdapp to counter stream manipulation

AI-powered music generation platform Boomy has announced an alliance with Beatdapp, a company that provides tools to identify streaming fraud.

The "forward-looking collaboration", we are told, will see Boomy use Beatdapp's technology to stop anyone from using its platform to participate in stream manipulation.

Boomy allows people to “create original songs in seconds” and then distribute them to the streaming services. But earlier this year it confirmed that Spotify had temporarily stopped accepted new tracks from Boomy and had also removed some previous releases.

Spotify then confirmed that that was because it had identified “patterns of artificial streaming” in relation to some Boomy-generated tracks, ie Boomy users were using stream manipulation tools to boost the plays of their tracks in order to pull more royalties out of the system. The tie-up with Beatdapp is presumably a move to stop that from happening again.

“Boomy supports a new creative class of technology-enabled musicians and we are dedicated to providing them with the best possible experience by ensuring the integrity of our platform”, say Boomy co-Founders Alex Mitchell and Matthew Santorelli.

“Achieving Beatdapp certification”, they continue, “and leveraging its technology will provide certainty to [streaming services], allow our artists to be paid for their authentic streams, and help and support the long-term health of the creative economy".

Beatdapp’s co-CEO’s Andrew Batey and Morgan Hayduk add: “We are THRILLED to partner with the Boomy team, who shares our commitment to creating a transparent and equitable landscape for the next generation of musicians".

"Combating streaming fraud is among the most important priorities for the music industry today", they go on, "with artificial streams extracting more than $2 billion from the industry annually, harming both artists and labels. By combining our technology with Boomy's platform, we aim to safeguard the interests of Boomy creators and usher in a new era of trust within the music streaming landscape".

APPROVED: ATKA

Now London based, via rural Germany and the Gold Coast, Atka says she generally writes music while on the move, which makes sense when you hear it. Her songs have a cinematic, late night journey feel.

Influence-wise, she cites Joy Division and Kraftwerk, and while these are both apparent, filtered through her own mind these take on a more dreamlike mood, somewhat akin to Ethel Cain at her most melancholy, creating a perfect sound for the arrival of colder weather.

Following on from previous singles ‘Desiring Machines’ and ‘Lenny’, out now is ‘Eye In The Sky’. The song is inspired by three novels - Philip K Dick's ‘The Eye In The Sky’, Vladimir Nabokov’s ‘The Eye’ and Aldous Huxley's ‘Brave New World’ - exploring the loss of self in a world where we are constantly viewed by others in various ways.

Atka’s debut EP ‘The Eye Against The Ashen Sky’ is out on 3 Nov and you can catch her supporting Lucrecia Dalt at Studio 9294 in London on 7 Nov.

Watch the video for ‘Eye In The Sky’ here

LIVE

Skiddle partners with Music Venue Trust to offer financial support to grassroots venues

Skiddle has announced a new partnership with the Music Venue Trust which will see the ticketing company add a 50p levy to ticket sales to support grassroots music venues.

All funds raised through the levy will be matched by Skiddle, doubling the amount of financial support. It also plans to offer further assistance to small venues through a number of other schemes, which will include offering a share of booking fees and free marketing support.

Founded in 2001, Skiddle has sold over seventeen million tickets to date, so by our estimates this partnership could be worth anywhere from £300,000 to more than £500,000 a year to MVT and the venues it represents.

“The situation for grassroots music venues is critical”, says Duncan King, Head Of New Business at Skiddle. “As an independent business within the music industry, we understand the pressures that our grassroots venues are under better than most”.

“Our partnership with the MVT”, he goes on, “will provide essential funds to keep culture thriving in the UK. This partnership serves as a call to action for the entire music industry. It’s time to stand up and act. We hope to be the catalyst for change across the whole industry”.

Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd adds: “This is an incredibly important step from Skiddle which will be warmly welcomed by the whole grassroots music sector. It demonstrates that positive change is possible. We hope many other companies will be inspired to follow this groundbreaking initiative”.

The Skiddle partnership follows the announcement last week that the UK Parliament’s Culture, Media And Sport Select Committee plans to review the financial issues faced by grassroots music venues. Speaking at MVT’s annual Venues Day conference in London, committee Chair Caroline Dinenage MP said that there will soon be a call for evidence as part of the review, ahead of a full hearing.

“One of the pillars during my campaign to become the Chair of the select committee was to say that we need to do a full review of grassroots music venues in the UK, the challenges that they are facing, but also what the opportunities are and what more we can do to support them”, the MP stated. “And that's what our committee has agreed to do”.

“We will be announcing a call for evidence quite soon and then, probably just after Christmas, we'll start taking live evidence from people as well”, she went on. “We will then work to produce a full report and to put forward recommendations. It will be recommendations not just to the government, but also to the industry and recommendations for local authorities”.

The findings are expected to be published in 2024.

LEGAL

Dr Luke and Juice WRLD estate sued over 'Not Enough' copyright dispute

Dr Luke and the estate of Juice WRLD were sued last week by a musician/producer in a dispute over copyright ownership and allegedly unpaid royalties.

The lawsuit, filed by Pierre Dejournette - who performers as PD Beats - centres on 'Not Enough', a track that featured on 'Fighting Demons', the posthumous Juice WRLD album released in 2021.

Dejournette is listed as a co-writer on that song in various places, alongside Juice WLRD, producer Dr Luke and others. And that includes in the public database of US mechanical rights collecting society MLC. However, it seems, there was no formal agreement about the ownership of the 'Not Enough' copyright and, on that basis, Dejournette reckons he has missed out on royalties he is due.

"PD Beats contributed original guitar, performance and production to the subject song in addition to writing the beats and programming the 808s in the subject song", the lawsuit states. "Without PD Beats contributions the subject song would be missing key elements that form the basis of the subject song’s audience appeal".

As a result, the lawsuit goes on, 'Not Enough' is a joint work and "PD Beats and defendants equally own the copyrights in the composition of the subject song. Because the subject song is a 'joint work' the co-authors must account to other co-authors for any profits earned from licensing or using the copyright".

Generally in the music industry, once co-ownership of a song - and each party's split of the copyright - has been agreed, each co-owner will then manage and monetise their respective slice of the copyright and collect any resulting revenue.

However, under US copyright law, in the absence of any agreement to the contrary, each co-owner has an equal share of the copyright and any one co-owner can unilaterally license the entire work, providing they pass on a pro-rata share of any income to the other co-owners.

Hence Dejournette's claim to equal ownership and the obligation on his former collaborators - or their business partners - to account on any revenue generated by the 'Not Enough' song copyright.

The lawsuit adds: "Defendants have released, marketed, distributed and monetised the subject song without accrediting or providing PD Beats his proportional share of the revenue".

With all that in mind, Dejournette wants the court to confirm his co-ownership of the 'Not Enough' copyright, force the defendants to account for the exploitation of that copyright, and pay him any share he is due.

We await to see how the defendants now respond.

DIGITAL

Simon Cowell invests in Lounges.tv

Simon Cowell is backing direct-to-fan streaming platform Lounges.tv. He has invested in the company and will also act as an ambassador for it.

Also backed by former manager Kiran Sharma and BBC iPlayer creator Ben Lavender, Lounges.tv aims to help creators - including musicians, comedians, educators and more - to deliver live or on-demand streams in way that offers better monetisation options than when making content available via the big user-generated content platforms like YouTube and TikTok.

“I am proud to be involved with and to support Lounges.tv”, says Cowell. “The artists and the audience, rightly, are making 100% of the decisions and Lounges.tv is giving talent another new type of platform to promote themselves”.

“I was really interested”, he goes on, “to learn that on Lounges.tv creators get paid within 24 hours and I thought that was a really good idea and hopefully will make a difference”.

Lounges.tv CEO Scott Green adds: "We are THRILLED to announce Simon Cowell as a shareholder of Lounges.tv. Simon is the undisputed global authority when it comes to talent recognition in this country and aligns perfectly with what our platform represents. Lounges.tv serves as the haven for exclusive content, where exceptional creators shine amidst the noise, garnering the recognition they truly deserve”.

“Creators and artists now have the opportunity to not only showcase their talent but also earn a fair income while pursuing their passion”, he goes on. “By eliminating the reliance on ads and introducing diverse fan-funding options, our platform departs from the conventional ad-centric model that values creators solely based on ad views and follower count, rather than their genuine talent. Together with Simon, Lounges.tv will be shaping the world of online talent”.

Founded in 2020, Lounges.tv says it now has thousands of creators signed up, using its on-demand and livestream video features, with the option to offer content for free or put it behind a paywall. The company pays out 80% of revenues to the creators.

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

CMU's Chris Cooke to interview YouTube's Chiara Santoro at BIME this week

Bilbao-based music conference and showcase festival BIME returns this week, with a packed programme of panels and discussions alongside more than 50 showcases and concerts as part of BIME LIVE.

Within the BIME PRO programme, CMU's Chris Cooke will be in conversation with Chiara Santoro, Head Of Scaled Markets And Label Relations EMEA at YouTube.

They will discuss the different ways artists and labels can build audience and generate revenue across the YouTube ecosystem, including via YouTube Shorts and YouTube Music.

What kind of content engages fans, and how can activity on the main YouTube platform be used to drive listening on YouTube Music and other music streaming services? And what innovations at YouTube should the music industry be aware of?

In addition to the on-stage interview with Santoro during BIME PRO, a separate interview between Cooke and YouTube's Director Of Independent Music Business Development & Partnerships, Eduard Castelló, will also be made available by BIME online.

Elsewhere in the conference programme there will be discussions and workshops on topics like AI, playlist pitching, brand partnerships, US touring visas and sustainability, with other speakers including Alfonso Javier Perez from Warner Music, Amanda Cecilia Alvarez from [PIAS], Ana Villacorta from Sony Music, Christian Castro from See Tickets, Elsa Bahamonde from Believe, Javier Doria from BMG, Jaime Díaz Otero from BMAT and Lil C from XL Recordings.

BIME Bilbao 2023 runs from 25 to 28 Oct - full info here.

AND FINALLY

New Zealand city calls for end to Celine Dion ‘siren battles’

Residents of Porirua in New Zealand are being plagued by the sound of cars blasting out Celine Dion hits through emergency sirens. And they'd quite like it to stop.

The ‘siren battle’ subculture - which has grown in New Zealand over the last 20 years - sees aficionados attach multiple emergency sirens to their cars, and then compete to see who can create the loudest and clearest sound. Music played is often interspersed with actual siren sounds too.

And while various types of music is usually played at such events, Dion is seemingly popular because her songs have a lot of treble and little bass, which suits this type of sound system. ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and ‘The Power Of Love’ are apparently particular favourites.

While not new, the number of events in Porirua has seemingly been increasing, plus this activity has been moving closer to residential areas, much to the dismay of those who can hear the noise being made. Especially when they often take place in the early hours of the morning.

Commenting on a petition launched this month, calling on Porirua mayor Anita Baker to act, one woman wrote: “I’m sick of the disturbing of the peace that sometimes goes on for hours. Although I enjoy Celine Dion in the comfort of my lounge and at my volume, I do not enjoy hearing fragments of it stopping and starting at any time between 7pm and 2am”.

However, while Baker says she is also “sick to death of the siren battles”, she is unable to stop them. “I wish I had the power to”, she tells RNZ.

The issue, she says, is the mobile nature of the siren battles. "For noise control at council, we can go into people's houses and take [their] stereo”, she explains. “When people are in a moving vehicle and they're moving around, that becomes a police issue, not a council issue”.

Police seemingly disagree though, saying that if a car is moving then they can do something about it, but if not in motion then it is actually a matter for the city or state councils.

However, a police spokesperson said that "preventative and enforcement patrolling” was being undertaken, and that officers were engaging with siren battle clubs to try to get them to move to areas that would create less of a disturbance.

There have been complaints about around 40 siren battle events in Porirua in the last eight months - most of them taking place in September and October.

Celine Dion has not commented.