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31.07.10 Music Week 3

ffice in coalition Government shake-up ns over live and DCMS

Moore calls for artist unity in EU piracy war

“Who knows, there could be a pleasant surprise for us around the corner where live music is taken out of the licensing regime completely…” PHIL LITTLE, LIVE MUSIC FORUM

potential scenarios that this could lead to,” he notes. “The worst case scenario is the DCMS announces yet another consultation, leading to further delays in changes to the licensing laws regarding live music.”

Little adds, “Who knows, there could be a pleasant surprise for us around the corner where live music is taken out of the licensing regime completely.”

Allen agrees there is a possibility that live music could be removed from the Licensing Act, but thinks it unlikely. “If a venue is blasting out music that upsets the local community, then someone is going to have to deal with that and there is a strong argument that it should be the Home Office as part of overall licensing,” he says.

But Allen adds the coalition Government appears to be more inclined to side with live music than the previous regime. “The new Government seems to be more promusic than the Labour Government, but we’ll have to wait to see how things pan out.”

Little and fellow live music supporters, including Culture Select Committee chairman John Whittingdale and Liberal peer Tim Clement-Jones, who recently restyled his Live Music Bill to deal with small venues, recently delivered a petition to Downing Street.

This urged the Prime Minister to implement exemptions for live music recommended by the allparty Parliamentary Culture Committee in 2009 following its public inquiry into the Licensing Act. Chief among those recommendations was a proposal to exempt venues of less than 200-capacity from licensing. gordon@musicweek.com dominance to digital ister); top 40 tracks at 40p; chart and classic ‘best of ’ albums from £4.99; and an Eminem promotion, with his back catalogue albums selling for £4.99.

Hughes calls the new site “a world-class download store that reflects both HMV’s music retailing heritage and our strategy to be a broad-based entertainment brand”.

Meanwhile, HMV wants to take its new HMVFestival Shop concept to events around the country, after exceeding sales expectations at the Lovebox Festival earlier this month.

The company debuted the concept at Lovebox in London’s Victoria Park over the July 16-18 weekend. The shop sold music, including signed CDs, technology goods such as headphones, merchandise and “festival essentials” such as umbrellas.

It also hosted live performance and signings.

HMVFestival stores were out in force at last weekend’s High Voltage Festival and will feature at Global Gathering near Stratfordupon-Avon at the end of the month. Both festivals are owned and operated by Mama Group, but HMV says in the long-term it wants to extend HMVFestival to nonMama events.

“We want to see how it goes at these three festivals of ours,” says HMV live planner Simon Eltringham. “But there is so much potential we have seen already with our partners. [Expanding to other festivals] is definitely the idea for next year, to see where we could go and what we could bring to other festivals.”

Piracy By Ben Cardew

NEWLY-INSTALLED IFPI CEO FRANCES MOORE is calling for artists to get more involved in the fight against digital piracy, as the organisation pushes for the introduction of an EU-wide framework for combating illegal downloading.

Moore, who has been in the job since succeeding John Kennedy at the start of July, says she will continue to pursue the goals established by the IFPI board – notably consumer education, working on licensing and fighting piracy.

would fit within this mooted framework, with other countries then free to develop their own specific piracy laws.

“The framework would be broader principles than something as detailed as the DEA and the Hadopi but still something to make sure that Europe was pretty much harmonised,” she adds.

The IFPI is hopeful such legislation could be tabled in 2011, although this would be just the first step towards its adoption. “We could be talking about four years along the line, or even longer if it is attacked – and it will be attacked by the Pirate Party MPs,” Moore says.

“ [ M e m b e r ] companies sell music, or give access to music,” she says. “They see our job as to make sure the environment they are working in works for them,” she explains.

On the subject of piracy Moore, previously executive vice president of the IFPI and regional director of Europe, believes the EU has an important role to play, despite legislation in the UK (the Digital Economy Act) and France (Hadopi).

Optimistic: IFPI CEO Frances Moore

As a veteran operator in Brussels, Moore explains EU ministers are “fascinated” by the music industry – and by musicians in particular – but the business faces powerful opposition from lobbyists working on behalf of the industries such as telecoms. “There is an eternal fascination,” she says. “And what can the telecommunications industry show – the latest handset? But there is a huge lobby against the creative industries. And they spend a lot of the time polluting the area.”

And she has identified the Directive on the enforcement of intellectual property rights, currently being revised, as the best way to move forward on the issue.

“We want that to be the vehicle for a European approach, because if not we need to get 27 patchwork approaches,” she says. “If the EU adopts legislation, that legislation is usually copied by countries all around the EU as well, so you’re talking about something like 40 countries watching to see what could be done.”

Moore believes this Directive could be the vehicle for an EU-wide framework on piracy, covering areas such as warnings for people who illegally share files online, as recently introduced into UK law by the DEA.

“I don’t think we’ll get – and we’re not looking for – something really prescriptive that has to pass into legislation word for word,” she adds. “What we are looking for is a framework in which national governments can develop the obligation to provide deterrent sanctions and warnings, and the national governments fit within it.”

She explains that current British and French legislation on piracy

The music industry, of course, cannot match the financial power of telecoms companies when it comes to lobbying. And it is for this reason Moore believes artists should play a greater role in lobbying Brussels on industry issues.

“They are beginning to do that,” she says. “For example, for the extension of term, we got 38,000 artists involved. And for the DEA in the UK, artists were speaking out. The days when artists didn’t have to speak out have gone because the situation has become dire.”

IFPI anti-piracy director Jeremy Banks adds, “In Asia there is a very strong artist movement; they will drive demonstrations to promote the value of music. There is a feeling that enough is enough.”

Despite this “dire” situation, Moore declares herself to be optimistic about the future of the industry. “Nothing [in the industry] turns me pessimistic. You don’t stay with it for 16 years if you are pessimistic. What I really love about the music industry is the constant striving. It is never complacent. And it is fascinating to be around that.” ben@musicweek.com

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THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC www.musicweek.com

NEWS IFPI CALLS FOR UNITY New CEO Frances Moore pushes for artists to join fight against piracy

FEATURES Q2 SONGWRITERS MW reveals the quarter’s biggest hit makers in the UK

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FEATURES URBAN TAKEOVER

Labrinth and the

UK mainstream explosion

Former A&M head takes over reins at ‘niche artist’ label

Decca shuffle heralds push to the frontline

Labels By Ben Cardew

UNIVERSAL IS TO TRANSFORM DECCA into a mainstream frontline record company to sit alongside Polydor, Mercury and Island, with Simon Gavin moving over to the label from A&M.

Gavin, formerly head of A&M, today (Monday) becomes managing director of Decca Affiliated Labels, with a brief to sign artists with “global appeal and mainstream, platinum-selling potential” to the Verve, Blue Thumb and Impulse labels.

He will also take responsibility for developing signings to Decca affiliates Rounder and Concord and will continue to A&R Duffy, who he signed to A&M.

Gavin says the idea is to turn Decca into a competitive, frontline label dealing with album artists. “I love great artists and great songs,” he adds, explaining that the label will sign artists from a broad genre.

“It is an area of music where people are still buying music and not stealing it and I am very excited about my brief.”

“Duffy could be on Decca,” adds Gavin, who was director of A&R for Polydor before joining A&M, signing artists including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Daniel Bedingfield and Ms Dynamite. “Duffy, or Norah Jones, or

All change: (l-r) Decca director Simon Gavin, president Dickon Stainer and managing director Mark Wilkinson

“He is an exceptional record executive whose passion for great artists and vision for the albums market make this a very natural promotion.”

At the same time, Decca general manager Mark Wilkinson is stepping up to become managing director of Decca Records, while Dickon Stainer is promoted to president of the Decca Records Group. His promotion brings Decca into line with fellow Universal labels Polydor, Mercury and Island, who are all headed by presidents.

Stainer says the changes at Decca continue the division’s recent evolution. “The change over the last few years – and David Joseph has been driving this – we want Decca to be signing international artists that have longevity and will resonate around the world.”

and we have no ambition to be one.”

Joseph adds, “I am immensely proud of what Dickon and his team have already achieved at Decca, creating a company which never thinks of itself as niche or specialist but instead demonstrates a breadth of vision and confidence which is unrivalled in the UK business.

“With Dickon, Mark and Simon in their new roles, I am certain Decca will grow further to sit alongside Universal Music UK’s other frontline music companies.”

Decca is perhaps best known for releasing records from artists such as The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones in the Sixties, later becoming a dedicated classical label within Universal after being acquired by Polygram in 1980. In April 2009 Universal Classics and Jazz was

Domino spots radio gap with Mercury shortlists

Domino Records founder Laurence Bell is hoping daytime radio will get behind Wild Beasts and Villagers (pictured) after both acts were nominated for the 2010 Barclaycard Mercury Prize.

Wild Beasts’ second album Two Dancers and Villagers’ debut Becoming A Jackal were shortlisted for the prize last Tuesday – the first time in the independent label’s history it has received a two nominations in one year.

Now Bell is looking to profit from the increased exposure that the nominations bring and has set his sights on Radio 1 airplay.

“We have always had fantastic support from stations such as 6

“The Villagers album has only been out for two months so the nomination could not be better timed,” he says. “However, Two Dancers has been out nearly a year so this will really help to give it a new lease of life.”

Domino has already triumphed in the Mercury Prize on two occasions, with Franz Ferdinand picking up the award for their eponymous debut album in 2004 and Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not winning in 2006.

Bell believes recognition from the Mercurys is extremely important to Domino, as it allows the label’s acts to be heard by a larger audience.

“Independent record companies

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NEWS ROBERT SANDALL 6 Tributes flow after death of muchloved industry figure

PUBLISHING NEWS EU PROPOSAL THREAT 7 BASCA warns of potential trouble in store for songwriters

MEDIA NEWS IRON MAIDEN IN 3D

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Metal Hammer gives rock fans a hi-definition treat

DIGITAL NEWS LAST.FM’S US EXPLOSION 10 Streaming service celebrates tripling its user base venues

LIVE NEWS LONDON WELCOMES XOYO 11 Joint-venture 800-capacity club comes to Shoreditch

UNEARTHED AEROPLANE LIFTS OFF 12 Wall Of Sound act comes good after early remix promise

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PLAYING FOR KEEPS 19 Exploring the symboitic relationship between bands and musical brands

URBAN INFILTRATION 28 How UK urban has discovered how to win a global audience