Thursday 23 April 2009

Fall in Global Music Sales

The IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, the organization that represents the global music industry, has released figures that show global music sales have plunged more than 8 percent in 2008 compared to the year before.

CD sales were hit hard, dropping by 15 per cent. Meanwhile, sales of digital music, which includes streaming through advertising supported services, online subscriptions, mobile music, and song downloads saw a 24 per cent increase, but this rise wasn’t enough to make up for the huge losses in other areas.

Obviously, factors such as illegal downloads should be taken into consideration here, but the figures demonstrate just how tough things are for the music industry.

However, there were some areas of growth including income from television plays and the radio. Royalties from these sources rose by 16% last year to £548 million, proving how dependent the industry is on these areas.

In Britain, the PRS has had a lengthy row with Youtube over royalty payments, which threatens to re-write the way these are paid. Europe remains the healthiest music market, with European agencies taking in some £394 million.

In response to changing circumstances British artists have formed the Featured Artists Coalition with members including Radiohead, Billy Bragg and many more.

Chance for Unsigned Act to Play Onstage at Benicássim Festival

How would you like the chance for your band to play live at Europe’s coolest festival?

You could be joining the likes of Oasis, The Killers, Kings of Leon and Paul Weller on the bill for this year’s legendary FIB Heineken festival in Benicássim, Spain.

The event takes place in the small beach town of Benicassim, located between Valencia and Barcelona, from Thursday 16th July until Sunday 19th July.

Offering the chance of a lifetime, promoter Vince Power is on the look out for a unique unsigned act, to warm up the stage playing to thousands at the festival.

If you are a new unsigned band or artist with a great song that showcases your talent, then register your music in the Fast Track for FIB Heineken competition at www.supajam.com

Judges will compile a short-list of five acts, who will be invited to play at a live showdown in front of an industry panel at the London’s Pigalle Club on June 23rd.

Two weeks later the winner will be performing their music on one of the most exciting festival stages in the world.

If you want to be in with a chance you need to upload your track before 15th May.

Wednesday 22 April 2009

Unknown Warehouse Worker Up For Ivor Novello Award

A little-known musician has been plucked from obscurity to compete for an Ivor Novello Award, the British music industry's foremost accolade for songwriting talent.

35 year old warehouse worker, Nick Hemming, has been nominated for the 'Best Song Musically & Lyrically' category at the prestigious event. Nick’s band, The Leisure Society, will go head to head with Mercury Prize winners Elbow and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner's side-project The Last Shadow Puppets.

The band from Staffordshire have no record deal and their self-published debut single, The Last of The Melting Snow, although it received widespread critical acclaim, failed to make the Top 40.

It is the first time in the Novellos' 54 year history that a songwriter without a publishing deal has been nominated for the award.

Meanwhile, Coldplay and Duffy lead the nominations with both acts going head-to-head for best album, best-selling British song and most performed track of 2008.

Other contenders for this year’s awards include Dizzee Rascal, MIA, Jonny Greenwood, Gabriella Cilmi and The Ting Tings. The winners will be announced at a ceremony, which takes place at London's Grosvenor House on May 21st.

The full list of nominations for the 54th Ivor Novello Awards are as follows:

Best Song:
My Mistakes Were Made For You - The Last Shadow Puppets
One Day Like This – Elbow
The Last Of The Melting Snow - The Leisure Society

Best Contemporary Song:
'Dance Wiv Me' - Dizzee Rascal
'Grounds For Divorce' – Elbow
'That's Not My Name' - The Ting Tings

Best Original Film Score:
'Quantum of Solace' - David Arnold
'The Escapist' - Benjamin Wallfisch
'There Will Be Blood' - Jonny Greenwood

Best Television Soundtrack:
'Fiona’s Story' - Ben Bartlett
'Trial and Retribution 2008' - Anne Dudley
'Wallace And Gromit (A Matter of Loaf & Death)' - Julian Nott

PRS For Music:
'Mercy' - Duffy
'Sweet About Me' - Gabriella Cilmi
'Viva La Vida' - Coldplay

Best Selling British Song:
'Mercy' - Duffy
'Paper Planes' - M.I.A
'Viva La Vida' - Coldplay

Album Award:
'Rockferry' - Duffy
'Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends' – Coldplay
'We Started Nothing' - The Ting Tings

Friday 17 April 2009

The Pirate Bay - Creators Jailed in Copyright Case

A Swedish Court has jailed the four men behind the world's most high-profile file-sharing website, The Pirate Bay.

Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Peter Sunde Kolmsioppi, Fredrik Neij and Carl Lundstrom were each handed one-year prison sentences and also ordered to pay a total of $4.5m (£3m) in damages.

The four men were charged with assisting the distribution of illegal content online and the more serious charge of illegal distribution of copyrighted content.

The defendants declared an early victory claiming the prosecutor didn't understand the technology, after the illegal distribution charge against them was dropped on the second day of the trial, but the prosecution said it would make it easier to achieve a guilty verdict.

However, the judge ruled that despite the fact that The Pirate Bay does not host the copyrighted materials, it nevertheless assists in the distribution of illegal content.

Kolmsioppi described the verdict as "bizarre” at an online press conference, he also said "It's serious to actually be found guilty and get jail time. It's really serious. And that's a bit weird."

The $4.5m awarded to a number of entertainment companies, including Warner Bros, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and Columbia Pictures, fell short of the $17.5m in damages and interest the firms were seeking.

The ruling is the industry’s biggest triumph since successful lawsuits against music-swapping sites Napster Inc., Kazaa and Grokster Ltd.

CEO of the British Phonographic Industry, Geoff Taylor said in a statement “This may be the verdict of a Swedish court, but it is a great outcome for British music,”

“Criminal sites like Pirate Bay seriously undermine investment in music and in legal online services and do nothing to reward artists or creators.”

The four men are to appeal against their conviction; Kolmsioppi said they would also refuse to pay the fine.

Glasgow Named As Host City for the 2009 MOBO Awards

The 2009 Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards will be held in Glasgow this September, marking the first time the event has been staged outside London in its 14-year history.

Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) will host the ceremony which will take place on the 30th of September.

The announcement was made today by Kanya King MBE, R&B superstar and triple MOBO award winner Lemar and X Factor finalists, JLS.

Announcing the news, MOBO founder Kanya King said, “We are delighted to be able to announce that the MOBO music awards show for 2009 will take place in Glasgow. Throughout MOBO’s history we have prided ourselves on finding innovative ways to bring MOBO music and stellar artist performances to our audience.”

"This year we are making another unprecedented move by bringing the awards to Scotland."

Wednesday 15 April 2009

The Fratellis Set to headline the Hop Farm Festival 2009

The Fratellis have been announced as the headliners on Saturday 4th July at the Hop Farm Festival 2009.

The Scottish rockers, famed for tracks like ‘Chelsea Dagger’, ‘Henrietta’ and ‘Whistle for the Choir, will head up a bill that includes Noah And The Whale, Pigeon Detectives and Echo And The Bunnymen.

Other acts set to perform include Paul Weller, Doves, Editors, Super Furry Animals and The Twilight Sad. Organisers also promise more big acts in the coming months.

The complete line up for Hop Farm 2009 so far is:

Saturday 4th July
The Fratellis
The Pigeon Detectives
Echo and the Bunnymen
Florence and the Machine
Noah and the Whale
Howling Bells
Etienne De Crecy Live
Dr Lektroluv
D.I.M
Jape
The Twilight Sad
Let’s Wrestle
The Good The Bad

Sunday 5th July
Paul Weller
Editors
Doves
Super Furry Animals
Mystery Jets
Ladyhawke
The Rifles
That Petrol Emotion
2ManyDJ’s
Scratch Perverts
Alex Gopher
Burn the Negative
R.S.A.G.
65 Days of Static
Dananananakroyd

The two day festival takes place on the 4th-5th of July at Kent’s Hop Farm in Paddock Wood. Tickets for the event, which has a no sponsorship policy, are on sale now priced at £125 for the weekend or £65 for a day pass.

For more information go to: www.hopfarmfestival.com

Thursday 9 April 2009

French Internet Piracy Law Rejected

France's parliament rejected the new ‘Creation and Internet Law’ that would have allowed Internet Service Providers to disconnect internet users who illegally download copyright material.

The Internet bill, which is backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy's government and heavily supported by the music industry, would give users caught illegally downloading files two warnings and then, after a third breach, have their internet connection disconnected for up to a year.

Although the ruling UMP party backed the bill, many of its MPs were not present at the time of the vote. The Bill which had already passed through France's lower house was rejected by 21 votes to 15, following strong opposition from the Socialist party.

The government plan to re-submit the bill. It will now be put in front of the Assembly for a second time after parliamentary recess on the 27th of April.

Governments, under pressure from a struggling music industry, have long been trying to crack down on online file-sharing.

"The proposed law is an effective and proportionate way of tackling online copyright infringement and migrating users to the wide variety of legal music services in France," said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI, a music industry group.

The music industry has been lobbying for similar laws to be introduced around the world. In January, Irish Internet provider Eircom agreed to disconnect users who download music illegally in a settlement with four major record companies.

Wednesday 8 April 2009

Coldplay Deny Plagiarism

Coldplay have denied allegations that they copied part of another artist’s music for their song ‘Viva La Vida’.

Guitarist Joe Satriani claims that that they used his music for the track, which appeared on their most recent album of the same name.

The case was filed in a Los Angeles court yesterday, and the band’s attorneys said that Satriani’s song “lack’s originality” and the similarities between their song and Satriani’s ‘If I Could Fly’ are not enough to pay Satriani damages. Satriani is saying they used “substantial, original portions" of his 2004 song, reports the Associated Press.His lawyer Howard E King says the response by the band is commonplace in a copyright infringement case such as this one.

Tuesday 7 April 2009

More Acts Added to Wireless Festival bill

Some of the biggest names in electro and hip hop have been added to the bill for this year’s Wireless Festival. The two day festival takes place in London's Hyde Park on the 4th and 5th of July.

Saturday the 4th of July will be headlined by Basement Jaxx with performances from other acts, just added such as German duo Digitalism, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Manchester trio Delphic and Filthy Dukes.

Sunday the 5th of July will see Kanye West headlining, now joining him are the legend Q Tip, hot prospect Kid Cudi, and Right Round rapper Flo Rida, Young Jeezy and Mr Hudson.

The line up so far:

Saturday
Basement Jaxx
The Streets
Dizzee Rascal
Paul Oakenfold
Frankmusik
Sneaky Soundsystem
N.A.S.A.
Tommy Sparks
Digitalism
Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Delphic
Filthy Dukes

Sunday
Kanye West
Q-Tip
Flo Rida
Kid Cudi
Daniel Merriweather
Young Jeezy
Mr Hudson

Many more acts across both days will be announced soon. Tickets for both days are on sale now priced from £40.

For more information go to www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

Monday 6 April 2009

Tiësto, Basement Jaxx and Mylo for Creamfields 2009

Creamfields have announced their 2009 line-up which includes Basement Jaxx, Dizzee Rascal, Tiësto, Paul Van Dyk, Calvin Harris and Mylo amongst others.

The two day event which takes place over eight arenas will also see a host of superstar DJs appear, including Pete Tong, John Digweed, Erick Morillo, Ferry Corsten and Erol Alkan.

Bringing Parisian glamour to Creamfields is France’s hottest house export superstar DJ David Guetta, a force to be reckoned. Joining him for an exclusive performance is Techno legend Laurent Garnier Live. Many more acts are still to be announced.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of the earlier confirmation that their ticket prices have been reduced this year. Tickets are running from £53.50 to £175.

Creamfields is one of the biggest events on the dance calendar, returning for its 11th year and its second year as a two day event.

Creamfields takes place at the Daresbury Estate in Cheshire over the August Bank Holiday, Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August 2009.

Thursday 2 April 2009

Red List Live Festival Scrapped Due to Economic Crisis

Organisers of the inaugural Red List Live festival have cancelled the event due to the current economic crisis.

The festival was due to take place at the Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent from the 19th to 21st of June, with The Zutons, British Sea Power and The Wombats all lined up to play.

The event was aiming to raise £1 million for animal charity The Aspinall Foundation; organisers said staging the event in the current economic climate would have been an "unacceptable risk".
"Directors of Red List Live – a multi-events project conceived as a fundraising initiative for endangered animals – have been forced to postpone plans for an inaugural festival to be held at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent this summer."A primary consideration is the obligation to the charitable aims the festival was set-up to support. Red List Live was due to donate a sum of money from the event to The Aspinall Foundation which is committed to conservation through captive breeding, education and reintroduction."The decision has been made at an early stage, before final acts were booked, promotion began and site work undertaken, as a pragmatic response to current troubled and uncertain financial conditions."The statement also added that organisers plan to bring Red List Live back in 2010.

Other festivals that have been scrapped include Heavenly Planet in Reading, Scotland's Hydro Connect and the Isle of Wight Jazz Festival.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to attract fans, dance festival Creamfields, has cut its ticket price. Weekend camping tickets for the Cheshire event will be sold for £100, £15 less than last year.

Weekend Tickets for Reading and Leeds Sold Out

Organisers of the Reading and Leeds festival have confirmed that all weekend tickets for both sites have sold out.

In addition, all day tickets for this years Reading festival have sold out. Although, there are still a small amount of day tickets available for the Leeds site. "This is the seventh year in succession that both events have sold out within 24 hours of going on sale and I am very, very pleased of course," said organiser Melvin Benn.

"The stature of the events have grown and grown each year and this year's line up only adds to that. However, I must express caution towards all those who will now try to get their hands on tickets in whatever way they can as they do need to be careful of dodgy sites." He added.The Reading and Leeds Festivals take place on the 28th – 30th of August, with The Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and Kings Of Leon set to headline.

For more details on the bill and further information on the event please visit http://www.readingfestival.com/ / http://www.leedsfestival.com/