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AEG Presents // Ticketing Manager (London)

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

IDOL // UK Label Manager – London/Hybrid

ALSO TODAY

TOP STORY

"Consent, respect and remuneration" crucial as music AI evolves, say UK music-makers

Organisations representing UK music-makers have called for "consent, respect and remuneration" to be central to the development of music AI platforms and tools, calling on technology companies and the music industry at large to meet five fundamental objectives.

The five objectives have been published by the Council Of Music Makers, which brings together The Ivors Academy, the Featured Artists Coalition, the Musicians' Union, the Music Producers Guild and the Music Managers Forum. They have been formally unveiled at a Global Creators Summit being staged by the Ivors Academy in London today, where AI is the focus.

Music-making AI has become a big talking point in the music industry, of course. The industry is generally adamant that any technology companies training their AI models with existing music must first get consent from whoever owns the copyright in that music.

However, there is a debate over whether artist and songwriter consent is also required - legally and/or ethically - even when they don't own the copyright in their recordings or songs. The Council Of Music Makers insist that such consent should be sought.

The CMM organisations say in a statement: "We all recognise that AI presents opportunities for the music business. However, the rights of music-makers - including artists, musicians, songwriters and studio producers - must be respected by technology companies and rights-holders as music AI models are trained and new AI-powered products and services are developed".

The five fundamentals state that the explicit consent of individual music-makers must be secured before music is used to train AI models, as well as calling for artists’ publicity and data rights to be strengthened and respected.

They also state that music-makers should be fairly remunerated from and consulted about AI licensing models, and that technology and music companies should be fully transparent about what music is being used to train any one model.

Click below to read the full story - including the detailed five fundamentals.

ONE LINERS

MusicBird, Midnight Mango, Scream, Art Feynman + more

DEALS

MusicBird has acquired the songs catalogue of songwriter/producer Alexander 'Alex P' Papaconstantinou, who has worked with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Enrique Iglesias and Khaled. Says MusicBird CEO Paul Brown: “We continue to be laser-focused on bringing timeless hits from diverse artists and writers into the MusicBird collection and to be able to work with such an incredibly talented writer in Alex, who has written some major Latin music hits as well as broader pop hits, is very exciting for our team”.

APPOINTMENTS

Warner Music has appointed former Disney exec Bryan Castellani as its new CFO, replacing Eric Levin, who is retiring at the end of the year. “I’m delighted to be joining WMG at such an exciting and pivotal time for the company and the music industry”, says Castellani. “Music is a powerful global force, unconstrained by any specific model or format, and has significant business upside”.

Downtown-owned distributor FUGA has hired Desiree Vach, formerly at Ingrooves, as its General Manager for Germany, Switzerland and Austria. She reports into Liz Northeast, FUGA's SVP of EMEA, who says: "The GSA region is an increasingly strong market for FUGA and we are excited to be welcoming Desiree in her new role to lead our team and business development on the ground. Her vast experience, knowledge and understanding of both the independent distribution space and the GSA market is unparalleled".

LIVE BUSINESS

Liberty Media - which owns Sirius XM and Pandora, and a big slice of Live Nation - has announced it has closed a new round of debt financing, specifically a “$1.15 billion offering of 2.375% exchangeable senior debentures due 2053". The debentures are secured against Live Nation stock owned by Liberty Media and give debenture holders the right to convert their debentures into Live Nation shares.

Booking agency Midnight Mango has established an Equality, Diversity And Inclusion group within the business to "to drive positive change, enact initiatives that promote diversity, address inequalities and promote a more inclusive workplace culture". It has also conducted an audit of its roster as part of efforts to "create a more level playing field for artists". Of the current roster, 34% are female-fronted and 45% have female members. The agency notes: "Whilst this is higher than many standard rates across the industry, there is still some work to do".

RELEASES

Scream have announced that they will release their first album for 30 years, ‘DC Special’, on 10 Nov. Among the numerous guests set to appear is their former drummer Dave Grohl. Out now is first single ‘DC Special Sha La La’.

Art Feynman has released new single ‘Early Signs Of Rhythm’. His new album ‘Be Good The Crazy Boys’ is out on 10 Nov.

LABELS & PUBLISHERS

Concord acquires Mojo Music & Media catalogue

Concord has announced yet another acquisition, this time buying the catalogue of Mojo Music & Media, which launched five years ago and rapidly expanded with more than 40 catalogue acquisitions of its own.

“My nearly 30 year adventure in music publishing has always been about surrounding myself with the greatest songwriters, getting them paid, keeping them inspired, and elevating the power of their songs in pop culture so they vibrate forever”, says Mojo co-founder and CEO Mark Fried.

“Concord has been on the same mission since its founding”, he goes on. “My partners and I feel like we’ve come full circle working with [Concord’s Chief Business Development Officer] Steve Salm, whom I’ve known and respected since his first days in the business, and other old friends at Concord, to bring our catalogues together”.

“I feel a deep responsibility to the artists, songs and legacies we represent”, he continues, “and I’m excited to see them continue to prosper in the hands of such capable and passionate caretakers”.

Salm himself adds: “Mark Fried is a true original who’s repeatedly seen the value in songs and catalogues well before market trends, always putting songwriters first. Over the last several decades, he’s built two premiere independent catalogues with Mojo here and Spirit Music prior, winning the trust of some of the most legendary songwriters and artists”.

He goes on to say that Mojo co-founders Fried, Peter Shane and Alan Wallis “have assembled a stellar collection of incredible hits spanning genres, eras and territories. The Mojo catalogue is a perfect fit with Concord’s catalogues, and we’re honoured by the trust they’ve now put in us”.

Mojo Music & Media was founded in 2018 and has been backed by Crestline Investors since 2019. Its own acquisitions in that time include HoriPro Entertainment and Emerald Forest Entertainment. Its roster, meanwhile, includes songs by Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen, Earth Wind & Fire’s Al McKay, Jacknife Lee and Bernie Wayne.

Concord’s Mojo acquisition follows the news earlier this month that the company has proposed a deal to buy the catalogue of the Round Hill Music Royalty Fund.

LIVE BUSINESS

The Sage Gateshead becomes The Glasshouse

The Sage Gateshead has announced that it has changed its name to the Glasshouse International Centre For Music. Or just The Glasshouse, if you’re in a hurry.

The switch comes nearly two decades after the venue originally opened as Sage Gateshead. Accounting software company Sage paid £6 million for the naming rights in 2004. It now plans to move those naming rights to a neighbouring arena and conference centre, which is set to open between 2025 and 2027.

It was thought that having two venues with Sage in their name right next to each other might be confusing. The existing venue is also run by a charity whereas the new arena will be operated by ASM Global, and the former is keen to distinguish itself from the latter.

“We agreed that we would change our name in order to maintain the distinction between ourselves as a charity and The Sage, which is part of a large multinational commercial entity”, Glasshouse MD Abigail Pogson tells The Guardian.

A public consultation on the new name began last year - and it was originally announced that the venue would have a new name by September 2022.

After sifting through hundreds of suggestions, the venue’s operators settled on The Glasshouse in reference to its impressive outer walls, made up of 630 panes of glass.

LEGAL

Congress member Deborah Ross introduced proposals to empower indie artists in digital deals

US Congress member Deborah Ross yesterday introduced an updated Protect Working Musicians Act which seeks to make it easier for independent music-makers to collectively negotiate with digital and technology companies that want to make use of their music.

An explainer for the proposed legal reforms states: "Under current laws, small and independent musicians have little ability to bargain for market value rates for the use of their music by global streaming platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Music".

"Instead", it adds, "they are forced to accept whatever terms are offered by these platforms, while also having almost no ability to engage with AI companies who routinely scrape and use their music without permission or consent. This legislation allows independent artists to band together and collectively negotiate with large streaming platforms and AI developers, without the obstacles of antitrust laws".

Independent artists usually get their music onto streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music via distributors. That means artists are always at least one step removed from any deal negotiations and are not allowed to know the specifics of any deals that have been agreed.

With user-generated content platforms, artists can usually directly upload their music, and read the terms and conditions published by the platform. Though, of course, those terms are non-negotiable. With music AI platforms, it’s not yet clear how things will work.

Although it doesn't go into too much detail about what alternative approaches could be employed to allow independent artists to interact with digital platforms and technology companies in a more equitable and transparent way, Ross's act seeks to ensure things like competition law wouldn't get in the way of any such alternatives.

LABELS & PUBLISHERS

Production music library Fold launches with music from Steve Mason, Red Snapper and more

New production music library Fold has launched with a catalogue of music from labels and publishers including Warp, Mute, Domino and Hyperdub. It also says it is offering a new kind of deal that is fairer to artists and composers.

“All of our music is new and unique to Fold - it is either unreleased music from artists that hasn’t found an outlet yet, or it is new and specially composed directly for us”, explains Paul Sandell, formerly of Domino, Sony and KPM. He is a co-founder of the company, alongside music supervisor Chris Shirt and Lo Recordings’ Gavin O’Shea.

“We want to see the catalogue get used in a multitude of places”, Sandell continues. “From brands wanting to find great independent music to showcase their products, films looking for the right music to needle drop, TV series wanting to add authenticity, podcasts, radio, everything. From A24 movies to YouTube videos of cats - from Burberry to Hollyoaks - it will all work”.

When production music libraries commission new music, they have traditionally taken ownership of most of the rights in that music (in the UK, all but the performing rights in the songs, which will normally go the writer’s collecting society). However, Fold is taking a different approach.

"We are offering royalty splits to composers that are the best in the industry and, in trying to make the industry a fairer place, are going against production music tradition and norms by not taking copyrights away from the artists who create the music”, says Sandell. “It is a tough economic world right now for artists and we want to do our bit to make it fairer”.

Shirt adds: “We also believe that a more artist-friendly and ‘conscious’ approach to the production music model can help brands, ad agencies, content makers and music supervisors to have peace of mind when working with music and the artists within this space to help ensure their projects, from top to bottom, can be constructed in a mindful way”.

Artists with music in the Fold library include Steve Mason, Red Snapper, Slugabed, Shackleton, JK Flesh and Daniel O’Sullivan.

LISTEN TO THE FOLD MUSIC LIBRARY SAMPLER HERE

LEGAL

Travis Scott answers questions about Astroworld during eight hour deposition

Travis Scott was questioned for several hours earlier this week as part of a deposition relating to the 2021 Astroworld tragedy. According to the Associated Press, Scott answered questions under oath on Monday during an eight hour session in Houston.

Ten people died and hundreds more were injured in a crowd surge that occurred during Scott's headline set at the 2021 edition of the Houston-based festival he founded.

Following an extensive police investigation into the incident, in June this year a grand jury concluded that there were no grounds for pursuing criminal charges against Scott or anyone else involved in organising the festival.

However, hundreds of lawsuits were also filed following the tragedy, including by the families of those who died. Various defendants are named in those lawsuits, though most prominent are Scott himself and the promoters of Astroworld, Live Nation and its Scoremore subsidiary.

Three of the families of those killed in the crowd surge have now settled their lawsuits, but hundreds more continue to go through the motions. Hence this week's deposition involving Scott.

There is a wide-ranging gagging order in relation to all the Astroworld litigation, limiting what those involved in the lawsuits can say in public, although a spokesperson for the rapper has confirmed that the deposition took place.

That spokesperson, Ted Anastasiou, also noted that such depositions are pretty routine and then referenced the conclusion of the grand jury back in June.

He is quoted by the AP as saying: “Travis Scott’s deposition is typical legal procedure. What is not typical is how the media continues to focus on him despite being cleared of any wrongdoing by extensive government investigations, including by the Houston Police Department".

“Travis is fully cooperating with the legal process", Anastasiou added, "while still remaining committed to his tour in support of his record-breaking album ‘Utopia,’ and his charitable efforts to support at-risk communities".

AND FINALLY

Snoop Dogg is “fucking scared” of horses

Snoop Dogg has outed himself as an equinophobe. That’s someone with a fear of horses. He’s a lover of animals in general, but he’s “fucking scared” of horses. And that - as I’m sure you’ve wondered many times - is why you have never seen him act in a scene with a horse.

“I am scared of horses”, Snoop admits in a newly published episode of his Double G News YouTube show. “I don’t know why, I’m just fucking scared of them. I’m so serious. You ain’t never seen me in a scene with a horse”.

“I done been in a scene with ostriches, iguanas, all kinds of shit”, he goes on, but he “ain’t never been in a scene with a horse. Nah, get that motherfucker away from me. I don’t know why”.

He adds that his wife previously owned a horse and that she found riding it relaxing, “so I understand what a horse mean to people”. But for him, he’s never clicked with the animal. Although he would be willing to try.

“Maybe one day somebody could introduce me to a baby horse”, he says. “A little jackass or something, so I can learn how to be around you motherfuckers”.

This leads to a discussion about the difference between jackasses and ponies, and ultimately horses having sex with donkeys.

See the whole thing unravel here