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23.10.10 Music Week 3

NME to offer in-house production

NME IS TAKING ITS FIRST STEPS into the world of music production with the launch of a bespoke service which will enable bands to plug into a variety of the title’s media platforms.

NME Productions, which will be part of IPC Inspire, offers acts and labels the opportunity to pay for a range of production services, including interviews, DVD extras, viral content and press. It will also allow them to record tracks at the magazine’s inhouse studio.

The bespoke service follows NME’s From The Studio feature, which has seen acts including Kasabian, Florence + The Machine and Doves recording sessions for the NME website and TV station in the company’s studio. The media brand will work with unsigned acts as well as established artists.

NME editor Krissi Murison (pictured above) says the new service, which has been in development since the summer, will not only provide a platform for up and coming artists to make their name, but give the magazine the opportunity to discover new talent early on. “All the content generated through NME Productions will be watched by us so if there is something we like we can get behind it,” she adds.

Murison adds the step into production was a natural move for the brand, which finds the weekly title at its heart. “We have some amazing studios in our office and we thought that anything we do which increases the magazine’s awareness and helps new bands can only be seen as a positive thing,” she explains. “It’s fantastic from NME’s point of view as it will have something of high quality which can be put out across all platforms, whilst it will be a great way for a band to gain exposure.”

Murison adds the company, which will be headed by IPC senior video producer Phil Wallace, will cater for all of a band’s production needs, but in the future it may focus on just one or two of the most popular areas. “NME already has a record label and, although there are no plans to release anything else through that at the moment, there is always that option open to us, too,” she says. “It’s difficult to predict where it will end up.”

New support-services division is ‘logical next step’ for PIAS

PIAS adds global services

Labels By Ben Cardew

PIAS IS LAUNCHING a Global Project Management division to offer a wide range of support services to bands and indie labels.

Based in London, Global Project Management will build on – and replace – marketing service department Integral and is described as “the logical next step” for PIAS.

GPM brings together PIAS’s existing range of in-house services, which include traditional, digital and mobile marketing, sync, brand work and direct-to-consumer ecommerce, as well as adding new elements such as PR management and tour marketing.

PIAS says these elements will combine to provide “a fully integrated marketing and project management solution for new and established artists”. While GPM will draw upon the company’s network of physical and digital sales operations, the aim is for the service to go beyond the traditional emphasis on “product”.

PIAS co-founder and CEO Kenny Gates says the new model will drive business and serve the changing needs of artists and managers. “Providing services is and always has been at the heart of

PIAS’s culture,” he explains. “GPM brings the con-

cept of label and artist services to a whole new dimension.”

“The key is changing from the pure product focus,” adds Edwin Schroter (inset), previously international director of PIAS, whobecomes managing director of group repertoire. “The success of campaigns is still based on sales of the product – that is the thing we are monitoring. This is about being able to analyse and see the success of other areas.”

It is also, of course, about helping bands to make money from a range of different areas. Schroter explains, “What we are thinking in marketing terms is building brands to go with the artist, building their profile.”

The GPM service will build on existing relationships with artists including Placebo, Tiesto, Carl Barat and The Jim Jones Revue. “This is the logical next step for our premium services – we believe it’s unique in the market and represents a truly tailored solution that is a direct response to the needs of the labels, managers and artists we work with,” adds Schroter.

The global aspect is also important for PIAS. “Global to PIAS

means more than our multi-territory approach, it’s about really focusing on the artist as a whole, and broadening the revenues that a strong and cohesive marketing strategy will generate,” says Gates.

GPM will be headed by a new director of global project management, to be announced soon. He or she will take on many of the jobs previously done by PIAS product director Ian Dutt, who recently left the company to join Columbia.

The launch of GPM coincides with that of the PIAS Label Portal, which is designed to give the company’s label clients increased information about how their releases are performing, from press clippings to sales data.

“This is something we’ve been trying to do for a long period of time,” says PIAS director of digital and business development Adrian Pope. “It shows the importance of transparency.”

“If you are offering extended campaigns you should be able to view every aspect of that campaign,” adds Schroter of the Portal, which will launch internally in two weeks before rolling out to label clients within the month.

Integral was launched in the UK in 2006 to offer support to indies, and recent clients include Dizzee Rascal, Placebo and Tiesto. ben@musicweek.com

Breakout: ‘We exceeded our expectations’

More than 800 people attended the launch night of new Music Week-backed live event Breakout at Proud Galleries in Camden.

The event, which aims to showcase the most exciting new music to both industry executives and the gig-going public under one roof, was hailed a resounding success by organisers, acts and attendees.

MusicWeekeditor Paul Williams says, “This is an excellent start to what we hope will become an important monthly fixture in the music industry calendar. The high turnout clearly demonstrates there is real demand for such an event showcasing new talent.”

Breakout, in association with All Night Long Promotions, kicked off last Wednesday with six acts and attracted media and music executives at every level of the industry as well as the general public interested in catching the “next big thing”.

Gary Prosser from promoter All Night Long

Promotions adds, “We are frankly over the moon with the response to the launch of Breakout. We exceeded our expectations and then some. There was genuine anticipation and appreciation for every act that played in front of the industry and public. And with over 800 people through the doors we achieved the busiest Wednesday Proud has seen this year. We can only see Breakout going from strength to strength.”

Every second Wednesday of the

PHOTOS: Sally Evans month Breakout aims to showcase some of the best new label signings, hottest A&R buzz unsigned acts or artists likely to emerge and/or deliver the most exciting new music in the next 12 months.

Artists who played the launch night included Missing Andy (inset, bottom), Toxic Funk Berry (left), Informant, The Carolines, Call Me Animal and Kieran Leonard & The Horses.

TFB manager Pearse Grady says, “I thought it was a great night. I think everyone was loving our energy. It definitely showed in the crowd and even the industry heads and producers down to check them were bopping along as well.”

Informant manager Angus Blair adds, “It was great to see the main room of Proud so packed on a Wednesday night, with industry and punters alike, the quality of the acts was impressive and I think this night will become a key date in the A&R diary.”

The next event is on November 10. For more details and a round-up of photos from the launch night see: www.musicweek.com/breakout.

IN THIS

ISSUE

THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC www.musicweek.com

NEWS BREAKOUT BEGINS Music Week’s brand new live event kicks off at a packed-out Proud venue

FEATURES FRAN’S NEW PLAN In his 10th year in the job, PPL chief Fran Nevrkla eyes some unfinished business

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7 7 6 1 3 6

7 7 6 6 6 9

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23.10.10 £5.15

FEATURES SUPERSTAR DJ

Paul Oakenfold –

a life lived through music

New releases will not be on sale at Tesco as retailer’s terms ‘not economically viable’

Warner pulls CDs from Tesco stores

Retail By Paul Williams

WARNERMUSIC HAS SPECTACULARLY FALLEN OUT with Tesco over proposed new trading terms, resulting in the retailer not stocking any of the major’s new releases.

A repackaged version of Michael Bublé’s multi-platinum Crazy Love, which is released today (Monday), has become the first key Warner release to be hit by the dispute and will not be available in any of the supermarket’s 800-plus UK stores selling music.

Unless a settlement is quickly reached, other forthcoming Warner albums by acts including James Blunt, Cee-Lo Green, Katherine Jenkins and Rumer will also be affected by the row, which has been sparked by what the music company says are “unacceptable” new trading conditions offered by Tesco.

Warner Music UK CEO Christian Tattersfield says, “They came to us wanting to renegotiate the terms and conditions and these were not economically viable for Warner Music.”

However, the dispute has taken a curious twist because Tesco entertainment director Rob Salter claims the first time he became

‘We are not prepared to be bullied’: without a settlement, Warner’s new-release CDs will not be on sale at Tesco stores aware negotiations had broken down was when Music Week told him of Warner’s position. According to Salter, the two sides “weren’t that far apart”.

“To be honest I’m quite surprised,” says Salter who has already negotiated Q4 terms with the other three majors. “We’ve been talking to Warner about Q4 and about terms and conditions and certainly weren’t aware they had effectively ceased trading with us. They certainly hadn’t told us that.”

Despite this apparent breakdown in negotiations, already-released Warner albums, including Paolo Nutini’s Sunny Side Up and Plan B’s The Defamation Of Strickland Banks, which are respectively the third and sixth biggest-selling albums of the year to date, will continue to be stocked by Tesco as these come under previouslyagreed terms. But the dispute could now hit what Warner believes is a very strong Q4 line-up.

“We’re very confident with our release schedule, but we are not prepared to be bullied and we believe,

unlike some people,

there’s an incredibly strong future for music,” says Tattersfield. The Warner executive will clearly be keen to get the dispute resolved as soon as possible given his rivals will now have the distinct advantage of having their new albums stocked by Tesco while his will be missing, but he is holding firm on not agreeing to the new conditions.

“I’ve no idea how long it’s going to take, but the bottom line is we’re not prepared to do deals that don’t make economic sense,” he says.

The dispute comes four years after another fallout between Tesco and the major over trading conditions, which similarly resulted in new Warner albums being barred from the supermarket’s shelves, including titles by My Chemical Romance and P Diddy.

Since then the retail landscape for music on the high street has changed dramatically with key players such as Woolworths and Zavvi having gone out of business, leaving Tesco as one of the few physical retailers left selling music.

Given its more powerful position when dealing with music companies,

the supermarket under Salter has adopted what could be described as a more aggressive stance, repeatedly warning labels the space Tesco provides for music in its stores could decline.

“In the end we’re not forcing anybody to do anything,” adds Salter. “We actually think we should be on the same side here and we need to find a solution for us to take music in the future. It cannot be lost on anybody the space devoted to music by retail has shrunk alarmingly. We think there’s a solution, but that has to be done collaboratively with our clients and ourselves. If Warner think the best thing for them is their releases shouldn’t be stocked in Tesco then that’s their choice.”

The tougher stance by Tesco comes against the backdrop of the supermarket’s attempt to sign deals with artists to sell their albums exclusively, a trend more common with retailers in the US. Although deals have been struck with Faithless, Simply Red and Nadine Coyle, whose first album outside Girls Aloud is released on her own Black Pen label through Tesco on November 8, these are all acts who self-release and Salter has publicly acknowledged he has “struggled” to secure exclusives with artists signed to labels. paul@musicweek.com

PPL boss in ‘very little doubt’ about UK Music budget approval

ONE OF THE MEN with his fingers on the purse strings of UK Music is confident the organisation’s new budget for next year will be approved earlier this year. “It’s funded one year at a time and we are just agreeing the budget for next year. I have very little doubt it will be agreed this time around ” reveals

In a wide-ranging interview (see pages 12–13) the PPL executive, who has now spent almost exactly 10 years in the top job at the society, reserves high praise for chairman excitement and ideas... we need people like that.”

But the architect of the modern PPL, who also reveals he is planning his exit strategy and succession last year to his disappointment the industry has not been able to win the battle against filesharers.

“I don’t think we have done a great job as an industry in terms

NEWS IN THE CITY COVERAGE 5 News from Manchester conference

MEDIA NEWS TAKE THAT EXCLUSIVE MARKS Q PROGRESS 6 Bauer title leads print coverage for the reunited quintet

LIVE NEWS LIVE GIANTS ENTER OLYMPIC TUG-OF-WAR 8 Promoters link up with football clubs in Olympic stadium battle

DIGITAL NEWS CLASSICAL TAKES THE DIGITAL STRAIN 9 Sony to launch new service to push classical genre online

PUBLISHING NEWS A TROUBLE SHARED 10 James Blunt’s writing partners speak about his new album

UNEARTHED TWIN SHADOW

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US solo artist attacks on two fronts with double-label deal

FEATURES FRAN NEVRKLA

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Despite 10 years of success at PPL, Fran Nevrkla still has unfinished business LORD OF THE TRANCE 15 Paul Oakenfold is still breaking new ground more than 30 years into a glittering career DVD’S NEW DIMENSIONS 23 New technologies deliver more innovation in music video market A NEW CHAPTER FOR SHEET MUSIC 24 Sector adapts to digital publishing