EmuBands // Artist Relations Assistant (Glasgow/Hybrid)

SJM // VIP Assistant (Manchester)

PPL // Senior Communications Manager (London/Hybrid)

terrible* // Production Assistant (London)

Republic of Music // Digital Operations Manager (Brighton/Hybrid)

IDOL // UK Label Manager (London/Hybrid)

TODAY'S MUSIC BUSINESS NEWS

TOP STORY

Electric Group is granted "shadow licence" for The Leadmill

Sheffield City Council last week granted the Electric Group a shadow licence covering The Leadmill. That followed a hearing earlier in the week when a legal representative for the current Leadmill management team raised safety concerns about the Electric Group taking over operations at the venue.

Confirming that decision, Council Leader Tom Hunt said: "The application for a shadow licence was approved because the council's licensing sub-committee found that the applicants demonstrated they could uphold all four of the licensing objectives".

The Electric Group owns the building that houses The Leadmill and has been seeking to take over operations at the venue for more than a year now. But the current management team, led by Phil Mills, have so far refused to vacate the premises, instead running the Save The Leadmill campaign.

For that campaign, attempts by the Electric Group to secure its own licence to run The Leadmill became a key focus. However, the council's licensing committee can only legally refuse to grant a licence based on specific concerns around safety, disorder, nuisance or harm.

As a result, it seemed unlikely that the Electric Group's attempts to take over running The Leadmill could be blocked via that committee.

At last week's hearing, the lawyer representing Mills said that the licence application by the Electric Group and its boos Dominic Madden was "unsafe". Citing reports and reviews about Madden's other venues in London, Newcastle and Bristol, she said there was "a consistent theme ... Mr Madden has a fundamental disregard for safety".

Madden strongly denied those claims and the licensing committee ultimately sided with the Electric Group on that point.

In his statement, Hunt stressed that the job of the licensing committee was to confirm that the Electric Group's licence application complied with the law, not to form opinions on whether or not a London-based venues company should be allowed to take over the operations of a Sheffield venue.

The shadow licence runs concurrent to the licence already held by Mills to operate The Leadmill. It means that, if and when the Electric Group successfully evicts Mills - and eviction proceedings are ongoing - Madden's company will be able to immediately start running the venue.

In a statement, the current Leadmill team said: "The fight for the future of The Leadmill and its staff is far from over, and we will be considering our next steps over the next few days. All scheduled events will still go ahead as planned and we will continue to programme events further into the future while the legal process continues".

They then added: "We remain defiant against a London landlord trying to get his hands on one of Sheffield’s cultural assets in such a cheap and underhand way".

SETLIST PODCAST

Musicians and songwriters draw AI red lines

CMU’s Andy Malt and Chris Cooke review key events in music and the music business from the last week. On this edition, the call for "consent, respect and remuneration" to be central to the development of music AI platforms and tools, and the RIAA’s latest stats on US recorded music revenues.

ONE LINERS

Take That, X Ambassadors, Rolling Stone UK Awards + more

DEALS

Belfast rap trio Kneecap have announced that they have signed to Heavenly Recordings. “We’re absolutely delighted to have signed to Heavenly”, they say. “We met a load of labels over recent months but wanted to work with good people, people who understood what Kneecap is all about, what we stand for, and who share our belief that we can bring our music around the world! Signed to such a historic label, and with a brand new album and movie coming in 2024, we are fucking buzzing!”

APPOINTMENTS

Downtown Music Holdings last week announced the appointment of Pieter van Rijn to its board of directors. He is President of the company’s business services division, Downtown Music. “When we first set out to transform Downtown Music, our B2B division, into a fully integrated suite of business service offerings, we were fortunate to have such a strong executive in our organisation who could help us execute on that vision”, says CEO Andrew Bergman. "The addition of Pieter to our board further demonstrates Downtown's commitment and mission to empower creators and the businesses that serve them”.

Dotun Bolaji has joined Primary Talent as an agent. He joins from Runway Artists and brings with him a roster that includes Agajon, B-ahwe, Jay Prince, Jords, Karl Benjamin and Planet Giza. “I’m THRILLED to join the team at Primary Talent, with note to their stellar reputation”, he says. “In this digital age, music of black origin and black artists who make music beyond conventional expectations are reaching unprecedented heights. As fans embrace diverse sounds, I’m dedicated to amplifying these voices, bringing new and creative experiences to broader audiences. The future of live music is bright”.

RELEASES

Take That will release new album ‘This Life’ on 24 Nov. Out now is its first single ‘Windows’. “It’s been a wonderful experience being back in the studio together making this record”, say the band. “It has that feeling of spreading your wings, letting out the old and bringing in the new”. They will also be touring the UK and Ireland from April until June next year.

X Ambassadors have released new single ‘Devastation’, featuring Pamé. “’Devastation’ is a song for those of us who need to do everything in extremes”, says the band’s Sam Nelson. “So when it comes to love, let it be all-consuming. Let it eat us alive. From the Dominican Republic via the Bronx, Pamé is a bonafide superstar in the making. For a song called ‘Devastation’ we needed a devastating voice. She’s got that and then some”.

DJ Shadow has released new single ‘You Played Me’. His new album ‘Action Adventure’ is out on 27 Oct.

070 Shake has released new single ‘Black Dress’.

GIGS & TOURS

Yard Act have announced UK and Ireland tour dates in March next year, including a show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on 27 Mar. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.

AWARDS

The inaugural edition of the Rolling Stone UK Awards will take place at the Roundhouse in London on 23 Nov. It will see thirteen acts inducted into the Rolling Stone UK Hall Of Fame. “It’s time”, says Rolling Stone UK publisher Darren Styles.

DIGITAL

Spotify codebase gives possible insight into new "supremium" tier

A user on Reddit last week spotted code within the Spotify app that provides some indication about what the streaming service's long-anticipated higher-priced premium package might offer.

Reports circulated in June that Spotify would finally launch a higher priced subscription tier - dubbed 'supremium' - later this year. Among other things, that tier will offer higher quality audio, something Spotify has been actively promising since early 2021.

However, whereas other services did once provide higher quality audio at a higher price, most of Spotify's competitors now offer it as part of their standard premium packages. Therefore Spotify will need to offer other benefits to justify the higher price tag.

Sources previously told Bloomberg that free access to a certain number of audiobooks would be included, which is not surprising given that audiobooks are a priority for Spotify at the moment. And Reddit user Hypixely reports that the Spotify code indeed suggests that audiobook access will be part of the package alongside 24-bit lossless audio.

In addition to that, extra curation tools will seemingly be included, allowing users to sort their library by mood, activity, genre or beats per minute. And, the code also suggests, all this will be available for 19.99 a month, although Hypixely points out that the price could as yet change.

Asked for comment on all this by The Verge, a Spotify spokesperson said simply: “At Spotify, we are constantly iterating and ideating to improve our product offering and offer value to users. But we don’t comment on speculation around possible new features and do not have anything new to share at this time".

LIVE

New guide published to inform music city policy-making

The Music Cities Network and Center For Music Ecosystems last week formally launched a European Music Cities Policy Guide which offers "solutions, best practices and frameworks to incorporate music into the heart of local policy".

In producing the guide, its authors sought to answer the questions: "Can we better understand the economic, social and cultural value that music has in our towns, cities and places? And in doing so, can we argue for more investment - financial and political - in it, if we can demonstrate that investing in music benefits everyone’s quality of life?"

Based on a series of roundtable discussions involving representatives from cities across Europe and beyond, as well as various music industry groups and organisations, the guide is split into eight sections: equality, diversity and inclusion; climate action; jobs and skills; music education; tourism; music and the night-time economy; infrastructure; and impact and implementation.

Commenting on the guide, which was launched at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Music Cities Network MD Lena Ingwersen says: “This guide is the groundwork for all those involved in music policy, but also for all those who are not yet involved, to get inspired and to link city policy areas that have not been thought together before”.

READ THE FULL STORY INCLUDING GUIDE DOWNLOAD LINK

DIGITAL

YouTube unveils new AI-powered tools for creators

YouTube last week announced a number of new tools for creators making content on the platform, most of which - the Google company would like everyone to understand - are "AI-powered". Because, you know, if it's not AI-powered, what's the point?

Among them is a new tool called Dream Screen, which will begin testing later this year, and which aims to help users "to create AI-generated video or image backgrounds" for use in videos posted to YouTube Shorts.

"Ever wish you were filming in outer space?", asks a blog post announcing these new tools. "Trekking through an enchanted forest? Dreamt that your pug drove you to school? With Dream Screen, creators will be able to generate new, fantastic settings for their Shorts that are only limited by what they can imagine. We'll start to introduce Dream Screen to select creators before we roll out more broadly next year".

On top of that, there will be "AI-powered insights" that will "tap generative AI to spark video ideas and draft outlines to help creators brainstorm", and an "AI-powered dubbing tool" that will make it easier to make content available in other languages. AI will also be employed to help people make better use of Creator Music, YouTube's micro-licensing platform that allows professional creators to use commercially released music in their videos and still monetise their content.

"The future of creation on YouTube is bright as we start to see how AI-powered tools can help transform people’s dreams into reality", the blog post concludes, "and we can’t wait to see what gets made on YouTube next".

And neither can we. Although, given most of these new tools won't appear until sometime next year, we will have to wait a little longer to see how the power of AI impacts on all that content.

MEDIA

Greatest Hits Radio adds another spin-off station to its premium package

Bauer Media's Greatest Hits Radio has announced another new station that will be available as part of its premium subscription package.

This one is called Greatest Hits Groove and is fronted by Des Paul, host of the station's weekend late show 'Rhythm Of The Night'. It will, says the official blurb, play "24/7 soul, funk, disco and Motown with the very best from legendary soul superstars and disco divas including Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Luther Vandross, Chic, Diana Ross and more".

Says Paul: "It’s going to be the weekend all week long on Greatest Hits Groove! I’ll be bringing the good times to our listeners 24/7 with a truly uplifting mix of soul, disco and funk grooves from the 70s, 80s and 90s".

The £3.99 Greatest Hits Radio premium package allows subscribers to listen to the main GHR station without ads and with the ability to skip tracks. They can also access feeds playing back-to-back music from the 70s, 80s or 90s, as well as standalone channels built around GHR presenters Ken Bruce, Simon Mayo and, now, Des Paul.

LEGAL

Sirius XM responds to SoundExchange lawsuit

US satellite broadcaster Sirius XM has responded to a lawsuit filed against it by American collecting society SoundExchange.

According to Billboard, Sirius says that SoundExchange's claim that the broadcaster has underpaid royalties to the tune of $150 million is based on a “flawed and biased examination” of its operations.

Satellite and online broadcasters in the US can rely on a compulsory licence when it comes to recorded music, meaning they can make use of any recordings at royalty rates set by the good old Copyright Royalty Board. SoundExchange administrates the compulsory licence, collecting the money that is due on behalf of artists and labels.

There are different licences for satellite and online broadcasts, the former based on a revenue share system and the latter on a per-play payment system. Sirius offers both satellite and online services, and has a subscription package that includes both.

That's where the dispute with SoundExchange comes from. With that package, Sirius needs to allocate a portion of each subscription payment to the satellite service and a portion to the online service, with its revenue share commitment only applying to the former.

The collecting society disagrees with the way the broadcaster is making that allocation, arguing that Sirius is employing a system that "ignores its actual business practice" and "relies on patently unreasonable surveys".

 SoundExchange's lawsuit concluded that the current allocation system is "Sirius's cynical attempt to avoid paying the royalties it plainly owes”.

In its response, Sirius argues that a “proper audit” would conclude that it “properly calculated its royalty payments to SoundExchange".

It also accuses the collecting society of “misguided allegations”, adding that the rights body seeks to “justify its existence, lofty executive salaries and luxurious operating style through repeated litigation against its biggest contributor".

As well as disputing SoundExchange's claims, Sirius also wants the legal battle to be moved to a court in New York or Washington DC, arguing that the lawsuit has been filed in Virginia because cases there are more likely to be fast-tracked, resulting in less time for discovery.

AND FINALLY

The 1975 promote US tour with fake political ad

Frontman of The 1975, Matty Healy, has posted a fake political ad to promote the band’s US tour dates, which get underway this week. Why? And why so late in the day? Hard to say. But he’s done it. That is an inarguable fact.

In a voiceover set to images of construction workers, school buses, hospitals and more - some of which feature Healy himself dressed as a politician - he says in the Instagram post: “Here in the heart of America, we know that redemption is more than just a word. It’s a promise we make to ourselves and to each other”.

“Our nation’s story is one of second chances, of forging a path forward even in the face of mistakes. It’s about rebuilding what’s broken, healing what’s wounded, and coming together to create something stronger than before”.

“But redemption isn’t just an abstract idea”, he continues. “It’s something we see every day in our communities. It’s the single parent working two jobs to provide for their children. The veteran who finds purpose in serving others. And the neighbour who lends a hand when times are tough”.

“As a nation, we must embrace redemption in our policies and in our actions. We must reform our criminal justice system to focus on rehabilitation, not just punishment. We must ensure that every American has access to quality education and affordable healthcare, so that opportunities for redemption are within reach for everyone, instead of the few”.

“Together, we can build a future where no one is defined by their past, where everyone has the chance to contribute, and where compassion is the way for progress”, he goes on. “I believe in an America where redemption is more than a distant dream. It’s a reality that we create every day, hand-in-hand”.

“Join us in this journey towards a better tomorrow”, he concludes. “We can write a new chapter in America’s history. Together, here, on the ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour”.

So, yeah, it makes no sense and looks like it was quite expensive to make. I’m sure Healy would tell you it’s very clever though.

Anyway, this video arrived following the latest controversy surrounding the singer, after he made an off-colour joke on X.

Tweeting from an account separate from his main one on the platform, he referenced the indie rock supergroup Boygenius, made up of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.

“I told Lucy Dacus that Boygenius had inspired me and [The 1975 drummer] George [Daniel] to start a new band called Girlretard”, he wrote. “I don’t really hear from her that often”.

Dacus reposted the tweet, adding: “You don’t hear from me at all”.

Following that, Healy posted that “this never goes well” and then deactivated the account.