IDOL // UK Label Manager (London/Hybrid)

Nonclassical // Executive Director (London)

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

AEG Presents // Senior Marketing Manager – Festivals (London)

Ninja Tune // Social Media Coordinator (London)

Ambassador Theatre Group // Ticketing Operations Specialist (London)

Lex Records // Worldwide Retail Operations Manager (London)

EmuBands // Artist Relations Assistant (Glasgow/Hybrid)

Today's music business news

TOP STORY

Half of Bandcamp’s staff made redundant as Songtradr acquisition is completed

Bandcamp has made half of its staff redundant as the direct-to-fan platform’s sale to Songtradr by previous owner Epic Games is completed.

The news was initially shared on X by Bandcamp Daily Senior Editor JJ Skolnik, who wrote: “About half the company was laid off today. Some of the most incredible people I’ve ever worked with, including two of my amazing editorial colleagues Diamond Sharp and Atoosa Moinzadeh, and most of the incredible support staff among many others. This is a loss, no two ways about it”.

Songtradr subsequently confirmed in a statement that just under 50% of Bandcamp’s staff - 58 of 118 people - will continue to work at the company following the change in ownership.

It said: “Over the past few years the operating costs of Bandcamp have significantly increased. It required some adjustments to ensure a sustainable and healthy company that can serve its community of artists and fans. After a comprehensive evaluation, including the importance of roles for smooth business operations and pre-existing functions at Songtradr, 50% of Bandcamp employees have accepted offers to join Songtradr”.

The new owner had already confirmed earlier this month that redundancies would have to be made. Noting that Epic announced the sale of Bandcamp at the same time as instigating a round of redundancies within the wider gaming company, Songtradr added at the time that: "Those that don’t receive offers within the next few weeks will receive severance from Epic as part of their layoffs as communicated on 28 Sep".

In its new statement, Songtradr also reiterated that it is “committed to keeping the existing Bandcamp services that fans and artists love”.

Speaking to Variety, a spokesperson for Songtradr said a decision had not yet been made on whether it would recognise the Bandcamp United union, which was formed under Epic Games’ Bandcamp ownership.

ONE LINERS

ERA, Raye, Ice Spice, Easy Life + more

DEALS

Payment solutions firm (and owner of the Tidal streaming service) Block last week confirmed it has acquired musician-focussed fintech startup Hifi. In a statement, Hifi says the acquisition will “further our shared purpose of economic empowerment with the financial technologies and services we have built to help artists thrive”.

Audoo has announced a wider roll out of its music recognition technology in Australia and New Zealand as part of a deal with collecting society APRA AMCOS that was agreed last year. “This is another step towards music modernisation”, says Audoo CEO Ryan Edwards. “We are now dealing with rights management organisations around the world and seeing different data standards and processes”.

Concord Music Publishing has signed Amaarae to a worldwide publishing deal in partnership with Immensum Music. “I feel very much at home among Concord’s roster of stellar artists and I’m confident that the teams at Concord and Immensum will ensure my music is optimised in all the right global spaces”, she says.

APPOINTMENTS

ERA - the UK trade group for streaming services and entertainment retailers - has appointed Lucie Caswell to the role of Chief Innovation & Government Affairs Officer. She was previously CEO at the Featured Artists Coalition and Chief Policy, Rights & Public Affairs Officer at the Music Publishers Association. Confirming her new role, Caswell says: "As we navigate another entertainment revolution, driven by dynamic technologies including AI, I look forward to working with ERA’s innovative members and their partners to ensure a sustainable and progressive ecosystem for all".

Sony Music’s The Orchard has appointed Lanre Masha as Director, West Africa. “West Africa is no longer a young market. We are leading the global expansion of music from the region, connecting artists with fans worldwide”, he says. “The Orchard’s cutting-edge technology, vast global network, entrepreneurial spirit and best-in class solutions to not only build but sustain a global business is how we offer unparalleled support to our clients”.

BandLab has appointed Drew Silverstein as Senior Advisor, AI, Innovation And Strategy.

Nashville music company Banner Music has appointed Zach Green as Creative Director and Sabrina Stewart as Operations Manager. Stewart is “beyond excited” and Green is “THRILLED”.

RELEASES

Raye has released live album ‘My 21st Century Symphony’, a recording of her performance of her debut album at the Royal Albert Hall last month, backed by The Heritage Orchestra. The album is available on streaming services now. From it, this is ‘Oscar Winning Tears’.

Ice Spice and Remi have teamed up for new single ‘Pretty Girl’.

M83 has released ‘Mirror’, a song previously only available as a hidden track on 2011 album ‘Hurry Up We’re Dreaming’ and a Record Store Day seven-inch.

Easy Life have released Finneas-produced track ‘Trust Exercises’. The track is set to be the last released under their current name, following legal action by easyJet owner easyGroup.

Joel Culpepper has released new single ‘Casual Lies’. “The truth hurts”, he says. “I feel this song provides the vehicle and place that something important has passed and is no longer present. A common and maybe familiar story and merely a statement that life does indeed go on”. His new EP ‘Happiness Is Only A Few Miles Away’ is out on 3 Nov.

Barry Can’t Swim has released new track ‘Always Get Through To You’. His debut album ‘When Will We Land?’ is out this Friday.

GIGS & TOURS

Christine And The Queens has cancelled all remaining tour dates in 2023. A statement on social media reads: “Red (aka Christine And The Queens) was taken ill today and on advice of doctors forced to make the difficult decision to cancel all remaining tour dates for 2023. The tour was scheduled to resume tonight in Montreal and end in Paris in late November. Refunds are available at point of purchase”.

LABELS & PUBLISHERS

Universal Music launches production music subscription for online creators

The production music division of Universal Music Publishing has launched a new subscription service for online creators, providing easier access for content makers looking to license production music for use in videos posted to platforms like YouTube and Instagram.

At launch, Universal Music For Creators offers access to a catalogue of over 50,000 pre-cleared tracks starting at $5.99 per month.

“We’re THRILLED to become the first major publisher to offer production music to content creators as a subscription service and grow the accessibility of our music catalogue”, says Jane Carter, President of Universal Production Music.

“With a brand heritage that signifies trust, quality and prestige, Universal Music For Creators will provide affordable, hassle-free music and sound effects for the most imaginative creators”, she continues. “We are excited to provide yet another innovative opportunity to support our talented production music songwriters and composers”.

Online creators that look to monetise their videos on platforms like YouTube commonly make use of production music, because if they include commercially released tracks the owner of that music is likely to claim the creator’s share of any ad income generated by their videos.

That said, although in theory production music is simpler to license, there are still some complexities with traditional production music licensing, which created opportunities for companies like Epidemic Sound, which developed a licensing model specifically with online creators in mind. It’s interesting to see Universal now do something similar.

The basic $5.99 Universal Music For Creators package offers access to over 50,000 tracks and 200,000 sound effects for personal use in videos and podcasts. A $12.99 a month package is aimed at more professional operations.

Find out more here.

APPROVED: DESIRE MAREA

Having released his second album ‘On The Romance Of Being’ back in April, Desire Marea is set to return with new EP ‘The Baddies Of Isandlwana’ next month.

Musically, the EP is inspired by the sounds of South Africa’s nightlife now, but lyrically it delves further back into the country’s history.

The title refers to the 1879 Battle Of Isandlwana, the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu war which ended with a decisive victory for the Zulus. Seeking to find himself in that history prompted Desire to contemplate the lives of the LGBT+ soldiers in the Zulu army.

He explains that the EP features “a trio of songs inspired by my time living in Amandawe, KZN. It’s an infusion of sounds that dominate nightlife in SA, such as gqom, amapiano and afrobeat. The EP is symbolic of a time when I was trying to find myself in the world I occupied, which extended to my ongoing quest to find myself in history, hence the title”.

Out now is the song ‘The Only Way’, of which he says: “I was really just feeling myself here, it’s one song where I fully express my bad bitch energy. It’s giving pheromones at a beach party on the African coast”.

You can catch Desire Marea live in London at Hoxton Hall tonight.

Listen to ‘The Only Way’ here.

LIVE

FREENOW launches new scheme to support grassroots venues

Taxi app FREENOW has announced a new scheme to support Music Venue Trust’s Pipeline Investment Fund, which in turn provides financial support to grassroots music venues.

With the Ride For Music scheme, users of FREENOW will have the option to make a £1 donation to MVT when booking a ride, with the donation not actually adding to the cost for the user. The taxi app company has committed to provide at least £200,000 in support.

The new scheme has been launched alongside the results of a new survey in which 80% of respondents agreed that a music scene is very important to city life and 84% said they enjoy discovering new music through live events. Two thirds said they prefer more intimate shows at smaller venues. And 43% would prioritise a gig over meeting their friends at a pub, and one in ten would even decline a wedding invite in favour of seeing some live music.

And yet it’s no secret that grassroots music venues are facing significant financial challenges at the moment, with MVT reporting that 16% of venues operating at the grassroots level have closed in the last year. Nearly half of those surveyed by FREENOW were not aware of this trend.

Welcoming the new scheme, MVT CEO Mark Davyd says: "The Ride For Music initiative from FREENOW gives every music fan in the UK an incredible opportunity to play a role in directly supporting grassroots music venues. It's exactly the type of joined up, creative thinking that we need to tackle the crisis facing our grassroots sector”.

"People can make a genuine difference to Music Venue Trust's ability to prevent venue closures, support artists, crew and staff”, he adds. “FREENOW have made it simple for you to be part of the solution, and help the whole music and night time economy”.

LEGAL

Pras requests retrial over lobbying conviction, says lawyer bungled defence with AI

Former Fugee Pras Michel has asked for a new trial after being found guilty earlier this year of conspiring with Malaysian billionaire Jho Low to instigate unlawful foreign lobbying campaigns. His new attorneys raise an assortment of issues which, they say, resulted in prejudiced trial proceedings, including his former lawyer's use of an AI tool to write his closing arguments.

The musician was convicted in April. The case related to what was known as the 1MDB scandal in Malaysia, which resulted in Low facing criminal charges in the US as well as his home country. Keen to lobby officials in the US, Low paid Michel who used his contacts in an attempt to influence the governments of Barak Obama and Donald Trump.

That resulted in the Fugee being charged with campaign finance violations, acting as an unregistered foreign agent, witness tampering and lying to banks.

During his trial, Michel blamed former advisors for giving him bad advice about his interactions with Low and how he spent the money that was provided by the Malaysian business man. In his latest legal filing, he is now blaming another set of advisors, the lawyers who represented him during his trial earlier this year.

He alleges that his former defence attorney - David Kenner of the Kenner Law Firm - relied on a "never-before-used" AI programme called EyeLevel-AI to write the closing arguments that he delivered in Michel's trial. The lawyer, it's also claimed, has a financial interest in the AI tool, so was keen to demonstrate its abilities.

But the AI screwed up Michel's case, his new lawyers argue. According to Law360, they claim that Kenner's closing statement during the trial earlier this year "failed to make the 'strongest and most obvious' defence arguments, rebut government evidence or refer to key elements of Michel's charges".

Not only that, but "Kenner's closing arguments also conflated the two criminal schemes Michel was accused of participating in during two different presidential administrations when they should've been addressed separately", and "additionally, he attributed a lyric from rapper Diddy's song 'I'll Be Missing You' to Michel's former group The Fugees".

As a result, Michel's new legal filing concludes, "the AI programme failed Kenner and Kenner failed Michel. The closing argument was deficient, unhelpful, and a missed opportunity that prejudiced the defence".

Assuming the new legal filing wasn't also written by robots, we await to see how the judge responds.

DIGITAL

Spotify adds new Merch Hub to its app

Spotify has added a new Merch Hub to its app, which will aggregate merchandise from multiple artists, selected based on the music any one user has listened to.

Currently when artists connect Spotify to their Shopify merch store their products appear on their artist profile and release pages, as well as via the Now Playing view. By also featuring products in the new Merch Hub, Spotify reckons artists will be able to drive more sales.

In a blog post announcing the new feature, the streaming firm says: “When new merch drops, fans don’t hesitate. We’ve seen that in the days and weeks after an artist releases shirts, totes, hats, vinyl and more, fans flock to their Spotify profiles to get what’s new”.

“So to give the fans what they want”, it goes on, “and make it easier than ever for listeners to browse and shop for merch from their favourite artists - we’re unveiling a dedicated Merch Hub in the Spotify app”.

“Sporting merch from your favourite artists is a vital part of music culture”, it concludes, “and our new Merch Hub provides personalised merch recommendations based on your listening habits”.

AND FINALLY

Earl Sweatshirt says he was “staunchly against playlists” until recently

How many streaming playlists would you say Earl Sweatshirt has made in his life? 20? 100? 1000? The answer, readers, is one. Just one. And he made it very recently. Why? Because up until now he has always been “staunchly against playlists”.

“I just made my first playlist the other day”, he tells Triple J. “I was staunchly against playlists [because] they're threatening the album, bro, and the album is like an institution”.

An album, he reckons, is a better way to “interact with an artist”. When you listen to an album, he says, you’re not just hearing the songs that most grab you attention, but the artist’s full vision, whether you like it or not.

“You might hate those songs initially but then, through repetition of listening to this album, now you start to at least become familiar [with the artist’s body of work], you start to acquire the taste”, he goes on. “So even if it's not your favourite thing you're still endeavouring to understand this person's complete idea”.

With a playlist, he muses, “there's less work, it's all a highlight reel”.

However, he concedes, he can now see the benefit in that too, saying that he made his first playlist to keep himself energised in the gym. And, it is, he admits, “the coolest thing I've done for myself recently”.

So, there you go, it’s impressive that someone could hold out against playlists until 2023, but apparently no one is immune to their allure. Don’t forget though, Earl Sweatshirt’s new album ‘Voir Dire’ is out now.

Watch the interview here.