Catfish And The Bottlemen's The Ride held off Spotify
Catfish And The Bottlemen are holding back sophomore album The Ride from Spotify on its release today, but the Island Records release has appeared on paid-for streaming sites such as Apple Music. The 1975's I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unware Of It and Coldplay's A Head Full Of Dreams were previously both held off Spotify in their first week of release.
Kanye West rejoins CAA
Kanye West has returned to CAA for worldwide representation after defecting to UTA in March 2015. West will be represented by CAA managing partner and music head Rob Light, Darryl Eaton, Emma Banks, Marlene Tsuchii and Jenna Adler. His former agent Cara Lewis left CAA last November and opened her own firm, CL Group, in January. (Hollywood Reporter)
Cooking Vinyl confirms raft of new signings
Cooking Vinyl has confirmed deals with four new artists - SKYE | ROSS, Area 11, Deap Vally and The King Blues. The indie label already represents artists including Richard Ashcroft, The Prodigy, Billy Bragg, Alison Moyet, Teddy Thompson & Kelly Jones, Dolores O’Riordan, Marilyn Manson, Lissie and Royksopp, among others. Cooking Vinyl has also announced the release of a new project from Amanda Palmer, who will join forces with her 72-year-old father Jack, a semi-professional choral singer, Amanda is preparing for the summer release of You Got Me Singing, a collection of 12 cover versions of classic and traditional songs spanning different eras recorded over a seven-day period last year. She has also extended her existing agreement with Cooking Vinyl to include North America and Australia.
PRS chief hails "landmark year"
PRS For Music CEO Robert Ashcroft hailed 2015 as a "landmark year" for the organisation during its AGM yesterday at the British Library. "We managed to increase distributions to members by £35.6m to almost £461 million, despite unfavourable exchange rates and a continuing dispute with the French tax authorities," he said. On its deal with Soundcloud, he added: "We had no choice but to launch legal action last August. In the event we concluded a licence with SoundCloud without going to court. This both set some helpful precedents and sent a strong message to the market that we are committed to enforcing members’ rights, but it also acted as a catalyst to other deals with publishers, record labels and other collecting societies." He concluded: "We cannot live in a world where the only Online model is funded by advertising revenues. Your works have an inherent value and this needs to be reflected in a proper price. We cannot live in a broken market, in which innovation is stifled, start-ups perish and growth is constrained. Nor, in the long run, can either the technology companies or consumers. We now have a unique opportunity to address the failing in the online market through the European legislative reform programme - whether or not the UK votes to leave the European Union next month.
Waterson report on secondary ticketing - reaction
A coalition of more than 30 music business figures has welcomed Professor Michael Waterson’s report on the secondary ticketing sector. Economist Waterson made a series of recommendations including that a lead body, such as National Trading Standards, carry out a compliance investigation to ensure enforcement action is taken if rules outlined in the Consumer Rights Act (CRA), such as the publication of details such as the face value of the ticket, the seat number and any applicable restrictions, continue to be flouted by online sites. This could require dedicated funding for a limited period. (Music Week)
UMG appoints new EVP, Human Resources
Universal Music Group has appointed Gautam Srivastava EVP, human resources. Srivastava, who will be based in Santa Monica and report to Universal Music Group Chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge, will oversee all aspects of UMG’s global human resources operations spanning more than 60 countries. He will also join the company’s executive management board and serve as a liaison to Vivendi, UMG’s parent company, on human resources matters. Prior to joining UMG, Srivastava was SVP, chief human resources officer at e-commerce photo publishing company Shutterfly, Inc.
Jon Platt set for Midem keynote
Warner/Chappell Music chairman and CEO Jon Platt will make a special keynote appearance at Midem 2016. Platt will be featured in conversation with American songwriter and musician Justin Tranter. The event will take place on Saturday, June 4, as part of the Midem Keynote Series.
Cherrytree Records partners with ADA
Cherrytree Records - the record label division of the Cherrytree Music Company - and ADA, the independent distribution and services arm of Warner Music Group (WMG), have announced a global partnership. Cherrytree Records will begin operating 100% independently and will exclusively distribute its music music globally through ADA.
'Indie Music Cup' planned to raise money for medical charity
Sixteen independent music companies are joining forces for a five-a-side football tournament to raise money for medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders. The Indie Music Cup 2016 is taking place on June 4 in Shoreditch and is uniting teams from across the independent music industry including Domino Records, 4AD, PRS for Musico, Last FM, Bella Union and Ninja Tune. DJ sets from Throwing Shade plus secret guests will also provide entertainment on the day. For more information and to make a donation, visit https://www.justgiving.com/IndieMusicCup or donate via SMS by texting ICUP66 £5 to 70070.
