BMG's Zach Katz elected to the board of ASCAP

Zach Katz, president of repertoire and marketing at BMG US, has been elected to the Board of Directors of US performance right society American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Katz was elevated to his new role in February, taking over from Laurent Hubert. He is gradually taking over the position held by Hubert at the various organisations BMG is part of. In August, Katz joined the board of the National Music Publishers’ Association, filling in for Hubert. “Zach will be such a valuable asset to ASCAP as we work to best serve our members,” commented Paul Williams, president/chairman of ASCAP. “His years of truly excellent work in the music business reflect a deep respect for the art of songwriting, and a nuanced understanding of the issues facing our members in this industry. Zach will surely contribute meaningfully to our continuing mission to protect the rights of our writer and publisher members.” Katz said” “It is truly an honor to join ASCAP, an organization whose unwavering commitment helps songwriters reach for their highest dreams every single day. We are experiencing a crucial time in the music business and I am grateful to have an opportunity to have a voice in this conversation. I am here to serve and make a positive difference.”

Bicycle Music Australia and New Zealand representation deal with peermusic

US independent publisher peermusic has inked a long-term sub-publishing agreement to represent the catalogue of works controlled by Bicycle Music in Australia and New Zealand. Bicycle Music is the music rights arm of US indie music company Concord Bicycle Music. The deal was brokered by Kathy Spanberger, President, peermusic USA and Jake Wisely, CEO, The Bicycle Music Company. “Peer is the model of independence, whose industry leadership, global presence and innovative approach makes them the obvious partner for Bicycle’s growing business. Kathy, Geoff and Gary built from a new blueprint in Australia, and we are thrilled to be on the ground floor!” said Wisely. peermusic already represents the Bicycle Music catalog in South America and South East Asia. peermusic said that as it will work "to maximise opportunities for Bicycle Music’s copyrights, including registering them with the performance societies and handling all aspects of the local copyright administration including issuing all mechanical and synchronisation licenses."

BASCA Gold Badge Award winners revealed

Yesterday saw the 43rd BASCA Gold Badge Awards ceremony take place at the Savoy London. The awards, which were founded in 1974, recognise exceptional people from across the industry who have made a unique contribution to British music. Among those to receive Gold Badges on the day were The Kinks legend Ray Davies, Radio 2 DJ Janice Long, singer Dame Cleo Lane and composer Neil Brand, among many others.

Venues Day 2016 reveals opening panel

The opening panel, UK Music presents Building on Progress, will kick off the debate at the national gathering of grassroots music venues on Tuesday October 18 at The Roundhouse, London. UK Music has worked with Music Venue Trust to reconvene the Venues Day 2015 opening panel to assess what has been achieved in the last year and what should happen next. The majority of last year’s panel will return, with Steve Lamacq (BBC 6Music), Jo Dipple (UK Music), Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP, Mark Davyd (Music Venue Trust) being joined by Laura Dyer (Arts Council England) and Lord Tim Clement-Jones for a discussion chaired by Adam Sherwin (The Independent). The 2015 panel debated issues around planning, development, licensing and the role of cultural funding. As a result of comments made during the debate, Music Venue Trust, UK Music and Musicians’ Union worked with government to change the Town & Country Planning Act to protect grassroots music venues.

Oasis streams up 73% on Spotify after documentary premiere

Spotify has revealed that Sunday night’s premier of Matt Whitecross’ Oasis documentary Supersonic has increased the band’s streams on the platform by 73%. The spike occurred most notably between the hours of 10-11pm across the UK. To date, Wonderwall remains the bands most streamed track, having been played 199,694,641 times globally. This is closely followed by fellow singles from the (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? album Don’t Look Back In Anger, which has 55,073,209 plays and Champagne Supernova, which trails closely behind with 42,180,955 streams.

Red Bull Records appoints new global head of marketing

Katie Robinson Addis has joined Red Bull Records as its new global head of marketing. Based in Los Angeles, she will report to general manager Joe Calitri. Robinson Addis will spearhead all marketing efforts worldwide, including branding and conceptual oversight, digital marketing, advertising, and D2C amongst other responsibilities. With over 10 years’ music industry experience, she joined Red Bull Records in February of this year. Prior to that, she served as marketing executive for Interscope, Geffen and A&M Records, overseeing projects such as The 1975 and Madonna. She was previously senior director of marketing at Fueled By Ramen/Elektra Records, where she was responsible for the development and execution of strategic global marketing plans for artists including Bruno Mars, Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, Fun and Panic! At the Disco.

One Direction’s Niall Horan tops Official Trending Chart

One Direction member Niall Horan, who recently announced that he will be releasing solo material, tops this week’s Official Trending Chart with his new track This Town. In second place is Ellie Goulding with Still Falling For You, while Zara Larsson is at No.3 with her track Ain’t My Fault. At No.4 it’s Chainsmokers feat. Phoebe Ryan, whie Craig David & Sigala complete the Top 5 with Ain’t Giving Up. See below for the Top 20 in full.

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