New national radio station, Union Jack, launches today
The team who created Absolute Radio and brought JACK FM to the UK announce that Union JACK, a brand new national radio station celebrating pioneering British artists and supporting new homegrown British talent, will launch nationally today at 11am. Union JACK is a fully interactive national DAB+ station, available to stream live at unionjack.co.uk, via RadioPlayer and the Union JACK app. Union JACK will dedicate its mission to play, promote and entertain the nation with a broad and distinctive mix of British music. For the past six decades, Britain has been at the forefront of era-defining music. From The Beatles to Ed Sheeran, The Rolling Stones to Coldplay, The Who to The Stone Roses, Oasis to April Towers, Union JACK will explore six decades of pioneering homegrown music as well as new artists.
Women In Music Awards nominations close today
Nominations for Music Week’s Women In Music awards in association with AIM and UK Music close today. It’s the your last chance to put forward an artist for the PRS Foundation New Artist Award or an executive for the Roll Of Honour. You can nominate here. Tickets to the awards on November 11 are available here.
BPI Council Election results
The BPI staged its AGM on September 7, 2016 at its London County Hall base, with over 200 record label and industry guests in attendance. The keynote speech was delivered by the new Minister of State for Digital and Culture, the Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP. As part of the AGM, elections were also held to appoint designated independent and major label representatives to four places that had become available on the BPI’s Council due to rotation and the retirement of John Craig OBE, who has stepped down after 28 years’ service. From seven candidates standing, Katy Ellis of Anglo Management and Stephen King of Believe Digital, were elected designated independent label representatives for the two places available. Adam Barker of Universal Music UK and James Radice of Warner Music UK were respectively both re-elected as designated major label representatives.
Deutsche Grammophon signs Murray Perahia
Murray Perahia has signed to Deutsche Grammophon. The American pianist intends to record key works from his repertoire, thereby preserving insights gained over the course of a career that began in the mid-1960s and continues to flourish as he approaches his 70th birthday next April. Perahia’s artistry has been fêted for its many qualities, not least its poetic eloquence, tonal nuance and spiritual depth. His move to Deutsche Grammophon follows an exclusive association with Sony Classical and its predecessor Columbia Masterworks that began in 1973.
BMI posts record revenues of $1.060 billion
US collective management society BMI has posted record revenues of $1.060 billion for its fiscal year ended June 30. It is the highest revenues in the non-profit society in its 76-year history. During the fiscal year, BMI distributed and administered $931 million to its songwriters, composers and publishers, a 6% increase over the previous year. BMI claims that it returns approximately 88% of all revenue to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents. In a statement, BMI said these results "represent the most public performance revenue and royalty distributions by any music rights organisation in the world."
AEG Live names Brooke Kain chief digital officer
AEG Live, a wholly owned division of AEG and one of the largest live music companies in the world, announced today that the company has appointed Brooke Kain to serve in the newly created position of Chief Digital Officer, effective immediately. In her new position, Ms. Kain will oversee all digital operations at AEG Live and ensure that the company has a coordinated digital media strategy across its many music brands, events and properties. This will include the growth of existing digital channels and platforms, helping to leveraging data to drive ticket sales and new customer acquisition, creating event-based content as well as creating strategic partnerships with key digital entertainment companies.
Buzz Jam 3-day hackathon event returns to Red Bull Studios
For three days in September, collaborative music and tech event Buzz Jam will return to Red Bull Studios in London Bridge for a one-of-a-kind ‘hack day’, bringing five music artists and coders together under one roof. The participating teams will use the time to create a new musical instrument, ultimately culminating in a completely unique performance. Technology, especially coding, has become increasingly important to the music industry and while the collaborative coding process of a hack day is a concept more than a decade old, it’s also one that often takes place behind closed doors.
Off The Record announces first conference speakers
Brand new emerging multi venue music event and conference, Off The Record, has announced the first confirmed speakers as part of the conference element of the event held in Manchester on 4th November. Off The Record sees three of the UK’s premier independent music festivals; Kendal Calling, Sound City and Bluedot, team up with renowned music site, Louder Than War, to bring a new one day event to Manchester’s Northern Quarter, the heart of what has been ranked as the best city in the UK for live music.
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