DAVE RUSSELL DIES 31/03/05
We are very sad to have to report the death of one of the 'all time great' production managers, Dave Russell, who passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 24th at his home in Hudson, Ohio, after several months of illness. A formal announcement from Dave's family contained the following message to all of his many friends and colleagues around the world:
"Over the
course of the last few weeks, he spoke often of the love and friendship
he experienced over his years of touring. He tried responding to many of
your emails, until he simply ran out of strength to do so. To everyone
he wished to say how much he truly valued the opportunity to have known
you. At David's request there will be no memorial service. A celebration of his life is being planned to take place sometime this summer. Memorial donations may be made to:
The Hospice of the Western Reserve,
300 East 185th Street,
Cleveland,
Ohio 44119."
GLOBAL MUSIC RETAIL SALES FLAT IN 2004 23/03/05
Global sales of recorded music were flat in 2004, with a slight reduction in physical audio sales offset by growing sales of DVD music videos and a sharp increase in sales of digital music. Regionally, 2004 saw strong markets in the US and UK and a slowing rate of decline in other major markets. Sales of physical formats declined by 1.3% in value (and by 0.4% in units) to US$33.6 billion,
(The growth calculation is net of exchange rate fluctuations, comparing with US$34.1 billion in 2004). But with sales of music downloads via the internet and mobile phones making their first mark on the global market in 2004, total global sales are estimated to be flat in comparison to the previous year.
Even excluding digital sales, 2004 was the best year-on-year trend in global music sales for five years. Sales of top-selling albums reversed several years of decline. Top 10 albums sales globally rose by 14%, while the top 50 albums were up 8% in value. Eight albums sold more than five million in 2004, up from five in 2003. Digital sales rose exponentially, with the total number of tracks downloaded in 2004 (including album tracks) up more than tenfold on 2003, to over 200 million in the four major digital music markets (US, UK, France, Germany).
The trend has continued in 2005, with digital sales in the US in the first two months more than double that of the same period in 2004. However, the picture globally is very mixed, with online and physical piracy continuing to depress sales in major markets, particularly in Continental Europe and parts of Asia.
IFPI Chairman and CEO John Kennedy said: "There are now good signs that the pattern of falling sales is behind us, but there is still a long way to go to get satisfactory rates of market growth. On the positive side, digital sales are booming, helping the overall market to its best year-on-year performance in five years, and this growth is set to continue strongly in the coming year. This is testimony to the tremendous progress of the legitimate digital music sector in the last 12 months, as well as to our decisive enforcement actions against illegal file-sharing. However, the global music market currently presents an extremely mixed picture. Commercial piracy and illegal file-sharing are continuing to depress our markets, particularly in Continental Europe and Asia. The priority in the coming year is to step up the advance of legitimate digital sales, sustain our anti-piracy efforts and reverse the declines that we are continuing to see in all but a small handful of major markets".
Source: IFPI
LA SCALA ROW LUMBERS ON 22/03/05
The opera house La Scala continues to be in a state of crisis after its musical director, Riccardo Muti, said that he would no longer conduct the orchestra and the chairman of the board proposed handing the running of the orchestra and theatre over to government placed commissioners. La Scala's musicians and staff have been in open revolt against the board and the musical director after the board dimissed the previous general manager ands replaced him with one of Muti's choice. Muti had accused the previous manager of 'dumbing down'La Scala's programme.
CHRISTIAN ACTION FORCES SPRINGER OPERA CHRISTMAS CANCELLATIONS 22/03/05
A campaign by radical christian pressure group Christian Voice has forced 11 regional theatres to pull out of a proposed tour of the controversial Jerry Springer The Opera. The 11 theatres, nearly a third of the total venues on the tour, have been facing negative publicity. Richard Haswell, manager of the De Montfort Hall in Leicester and an ILMC regular is reported as saying that his local authority had encouraged him to withdraw from a Christmas tour date. Other venues have said they may stage the show but not in a christmas period.
Christian Voice, a small pressure group, has previously swamped the BBC with 50,000 emails before BBC2 screened the opera in full.
SILLERMAN BUY'S FULLER'S 19 MANAGEMENT 22/03/05
Fresh from acquiring 85% of the Elvis Presley Estate at the start of the year, Robert Sillerman's Sports Entertainment Enterprises (soon to be renamed CKX) has bought Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment in
a deal estimated at £100M. Fuller will receive £64.5M
in cash, 1.9M shares in Sports Entertainment and a further £19.2M
in cash or stocks for the company he set up 15 years ago. He will also become
a director of CKX while still controlling 19 and its subsidiary companies. The deal has been read as Fuller making a play to expand his entertainment interests (artist management, TV formats etc.) more globally.
ILMC ARTHUR AWARDS WINNERS 16/03/05
The International Live Music Conference's annual awards ceremony was held last weekend at the Gala Dinner at Claridges in London. The winners were as follows:
NEW JERSEY AND TORONTO FINDS NOISE A PROBLEM TOO 16/03/05
A state appeals court has rejected a bid by the former owner of the Clarksburg Inn to overturn two convictions of violating the township's anti-noise ordinance, ruling that such terms for noise as "loud,""unnecessary," and "unusual" don't have to be defined by decibel levels.
A 2003 trial before Municipal Court Judge Debra Gelson resulted in $1,250 in fines and $60 in court costs for summonses issued to the restaurant by the State Police, which provides police coverage to the township. The decision was upheld on an initial appeal to the Law Division of Monmouth County Superior Court. Roger Weltner, one of three witnesses at the municipal trial, testified that he lives 81 feet from the Clarksburg Inn and endured ongoing disturbances because of loud music. Weltner said he called police three times to complain on the night of Feb. 1, 2003. A three-judge panel of the Appellate Division of Superior Court wrote in its decision last week that attorney Richard J. Simon's main argument for vacating the convictions that the township ordinance is unconstitutional because its definition of noise is vague was "unpersuasive."
Though 46 New Jersey municipalities regulate noise based on decibel levels, there is no requirement that towns establish such criteria, the justices ruled. Millstone's anti-noise ordinance states it is "unlawful for a person to make, continue or cause to be made or continued any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise." The playing of a musical instrument so that it is "clearly audible" 100 feet away is a violation, the ordinance says. This has been held to be a legal ordinance.
In Toronto an appeal court has upheld a conviction against the Docks Entertainment Complex for violating noise bylaws.The nightclub must pay $6,000 in fines and is prohibited from excessive noise at one part of its complex.The conviction, stemming from music events in the summer of 2001, adds fuel to the longstanding feud between the nightclub and residents of the Toronto islands. In July and August 2001, two live music events, the heavy-metal OzzFest and Area: One, an assembly of electronica, rock and hip hop were held in the club's parking lot. The Docks has not held any music events on that parking lot since.
RECORD INDUSTRY GETS EXTRA TIME TO LOBBY ON COPYRIGHT CHANGES 16/03/05
The International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) and other interested parties in the music industry have been granted extra time to present their case for the extension to the 50 terms for the life of copyright for sound recordings in Europe after the European Commission altered its timetable for reviewing legislation. Recordngs by classic rock and roll artists such as Elvis Presley are beginning to fall into the public domain. Alreday nearly 140 European artists, managers and trade organisations (including the IFPI and BPI) have provided comment to the EC.
NOISE BREACH
RESULTS IN £5000 FINE 16/03/05
Noise from a UK public house which was so loud that a shelf in a nearby home was "clearly
vibrating" has resulted in a £5,000 fine for the licensee. Mid Suffolk District Council area environmental health officers visited a home in Debenham at around 9pm on August 10, 2003, after receiving a complaint about the level of noise from the Cherry Tree pub, where music was being played.
There had been previous complaints about noise from the pub and a noise abatement order had been issued in October 2003. The Environmental Helath Officer, Eric Foxton, told the court that in his opinion "the level of noise was a nuisance and it was taking away from that family the ability to enjoy their property." Magistrates decided there had been a breach of a noise abatement notice, and fined licensee Zoe Hearn £5,000 and ordered her to pay prosecution costs of £3,548 in her absence after hearing evidence from Mr Foxton and householder John Bridges. Mr Foxton told the court that he set up noise monitoring equipment in Mr Bridges' garden during an event at the pub in August 2002. Over two five-minute periods he found the noise reached up to 81 decibels and measured around 60 decibels as a continuous sound pressure level. This roughly equated to the noise of passing traffic when standing by the roadside, he said. Noise came from bands and discos and the court heard that doors and windows were left open causing noise problems. The council wrote to Ms Hearn on various occasions reminding her the notice was in place.
ILMC 17 HEARS THAT TICKET RESELLING NEEDS LEGISLATIVE ACTION 16/03/05
European promoters and venues aired their worries about the secondary market in tickets at ILMC 17 at the Just The Ticket session chaired by Peter Tudor from Wembley Arena. Events such as 3A's Kylie Minogue and Cream concerts and Glastonbury were highlighted as events where prices on aucion website Ebay rise to many multiples of original face values.
In the USA ticket broker Chris Lipton has agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by the state that he scalped tickets to a benefit concert featuring Bruce Springsteen. Under a deal announced Monday by the state Division of Consumer Affairs, $7,500 of the settlement money would go to the Rock and Roll Music Fund, the charity getting proceeds from the 2003 concert in Red Bank that also featured Jon Bon Jovi.
Lipton, who operates A Good Time Tickets Inc., was accused of reselling tickets to the Hope Concert. The Concert raised money for Robert Bandiera Jr., son of guitarist Bobby Bandiera of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, who has a neurological disorder. Lipton admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement, and denies he did anything wrong The deal was approved late february by a state judge. But in Europe most speakers at the ILMC said that there was nothing to prevent concert ticket re-selling. In the UK it is only a criminal offence to resell football tickets and that the rise of Ebay had led to a rise in re-selling - not justby touts but by members of the public. Most delegates felt that legislative action was the only way forward.
U2'S US TICKETS FLY OUT 16/03/05
Tickets for the fall leg of U2's Vertigo Tour in North America sold out quickly, resulting in the addition of several dates. Twelve cities went on sale Saturday, bringing in 23 more sold-out performances. Tickets quickly sold for October 7th, 8th and 10th shows at Madison Square Garden. Two more concerts were added for October 11th and 14th, and also immediately sold out. As a result, a final two performances - November 21st and 22nd have been confirmed, with tickets going on sale March 21. U2 are due to be inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame tonight (March 14th).
HALLETT JOINS AEG TO LAUNCH UK BLITZ 16/03/05
Millennium Dome owner Anschutz Entertainment has recruited Rob Hallett to run a newly launched division. The former Mean Fiddler executive has been put in charge of the London based AEG Live to oversee touring and promotions activities.
UNIVERSAL TOPS MUSIC WEEK AWARDS 16/03/05
Universal dominated the annual Music Week Awards winning four gongs including record company of the year for the second successive time. Polydor's Sundraj Screenivasan won best PR campaign for the Scissor Sisters.
Sony-BMG won two awards for best regional promotion and best UK marketing campaign and EMI Music won best music exploitation for the Zuton's ad.
Pinnacle took best sales force and HMV won best retail chain. Kerrang! 105 won best radio station and Napster won best digital music service. The newly re-introduced best venue award went to the Shepherds Bush Empire.
EUROPEAN LIVE MUSIC FORUM LAUNCHES AT ILMC 17 16/03/05
The European Live Music Forum held an inaugural meeting at ILMC 17 on Thursday March 10th and formally announced itself at the ILMC Sunday (March 13th) main session looking at legislation chaired by Sarah Waddington and Leon Ramakers.
The newly elected board members are:
The new Forum was broadly welcomed but Leon Ramakers in particular expressed concern about the wide interest base of the Forum and stressed the need to keep lobbying as simple as possible - concentrating on protecting and brining quality services to the end user - concert goers. Ramakers suggested that it should be concert promoters who took the lead in both funding and lobbying.
SHARKEY CALLS FOR UK LIVE MUSIC VIEWS AT ILMC 17 16/03/05
Feargal Sharkey , chair of the UK's Live Music Forum, has said that the music industry could directly shape new Government policy through a new consultation with the live music sector. Speaking at ILMC 17, Sharkey added that the terms of the reference was as wide as necessary and asked contributors to think as broadly as possible. The consultation follows the first extensive survey of the health of the live music scene. A further survey will take place once the UK's new Licensing Act 2003 comes into force in November 2005.
A number of organisations including the CPA, BPI and Musicians Union will be quizzed by the Forum but direct comment can be made to livemusicforum@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Forum member Peter Jenner (IMMF) added that individual forum members could also be sent comment which they will pass on to the Forum itself for consideration. Sharkey also announced the main elements of fee levels for the Licensing Act which beginning at £100 for a premises licence. The controversial fee level for exceptionally large scale events begins at £1,000 for events of 5,000 to 9,999 rising to £64,000 a local authority can charge in total for an event of 90,000 plus persons.
SAFETY ROCKS WEBSITE LAUNCHES AT ILMC 12/03/05
The ILMC Safety Focus Group's Mike Gartside will launch the Safety Rocks website at the 17th ILMC Conference in London on the 12 March 2005. The site, developed by the SFG and Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College and funded by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work provides risk analysis tools and good working practice for the live events industry. The website is at www.safety-rocks.org
GERMAN COURT CONFIRMS PRISON SENTENCE FOR LANDSER SINGER 11/03/05
Germany's Supreme Court has ruled that neo-Nazi rock group Landser spread racial hatred and was a criminal organization, upholding the first such judgment in the country against a musical group. The court also upheld the three year and four month prison sentence against Landser lead singer Michael Regener. A Berlin court had ruled in December 2003 that Regener, 39, had formed a criminal organization, incited racial hatred and spread Nazi propaganda in a case that set a legal precedent by bringing a collective action against a group of musicians.
The Supreme Court ruling upheld the lower court's judgment, saying the group had acted together to produce and distribute right-wing, racist material. Two other group members had received suspended sentences of 21 and 22 months at the trial.
Landser is an old German name that means soldier.
GLASTONBURY PICKS UP TOP TELLY GONG 11/03/05
The BBC's coverage of Glastonbury 2004 picked up 'Best Live Event' at the prestigious Indies television awards in London last night (10th March) beating of challenges from television coverage of musical Chicago! on Channel 4 and ITV's live coverage of the British Comedy Awards.
Glastonbury TV producer Ben Challis who picked up the award on behalf of the Festival gave thanks to BBC TV, BBC Radio 1 and Playlouder.com for the Festivals TV, radio and webcasting and specially thanked BBC TV producers Mark Cooper and Alison Howe. He also thanked Michael Eavis for 'putting on the best party anyone has ever been too'. The awards are voted for by independent tv and film producers. Other winners on the night included the best comedy for 'Peter Kay Live at Manchester Arena' produced by Phil McIntyre TV and best music and arts for 'John Lennon's Jukebox' from Initial TV.
CLEAR CHANNEL AND MCD MOVE ON MEAN FIDDLER 11/03/05
Hamsard 2786 Limited , a newly incorporated company has acquired an interest, by way of an irrevocable undertaking in 21,524,240 shares of Mean Fiddler Group PLC from the JV Power Jersey Trust binding the Trust to accept an offer of 60p in cash from Hamsard. The undertaking represents some 34.9% of the issued share capital of the Company. Hamsard is a newly incorporated company which currently has two shareholders, Clear Channel Entertainment (Music) UK Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications Inc and MCD Productions Limited.
MCD Productions already owns 15,000,000 shares in Mean Fiddler, representing 24.3% of the issued share capital of the Company.
IFPI ASKS INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS TO POLICE FILE SHARING 10/03/05
In the week after the BPI sued 23 file-sharers and launched lawsuits against a further 31 in the United Kingdom, the International Federation of Phonographic Industries's John Kennedy has called for ISPs to put in place a 'code of conduct' to help in the fight against P2P piracy.
He wants ISPs to alert copyright holders to copyright infringements over P2Ps and to take steps to prohibit such activities. Currently, the music industry can identify the ISPs addresses of file-sharers but must go through the courts to get the ISPs to hand over the names and addresses of those identified. Kennedy argues that the help and cooperation of the ISPs here will see the legal services boom which will help simultaneously drive the broadband subscriptions market.
Source: Five Eight Magazine
CHER SEEKS ROYALTIES 10/03/05
Cher , currently is on tour in Australia is suing Warner Chappell Music Inc over claims it failed to pay royalties estimated at more than $316,000.The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that the music publisher has not paid song and performance royalties for the past four years. Other plaintiffs include Chastity Bono, her daughter with late former husband Sonny Bono, and Christy Bono, his daughter from his first marriage.
LABELLE SUES PROMOTER FOR NON-PAYMENT 10/03/05
Patti Labelle has brought an action through her management company, Pattonium Inc, against an American promoter Kensey
WrightFifth Degree Entertainment after she was promised $150,000 to perform
at the annual football classic between N.C. Central University and N.C. A&T
University during the summer of 2003.
She alleges that she was told that a portion of the money from the concert would go to scholarships. She also says she was led to believe that travel and hotel expenses for herself, her band and her stage crew would be covered. The suit is for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and fraud and filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court. According to the lawsuit, Labelle arrived at the RBC Center in Raleigh on August 29th 2003, and performed, even after she realized she would not be paid in full, according to the lawsuit to entertain fans.
LaBelle was to be paid $75,000 before the concert and the remaining $75,000 just prior to taking the stage. Wright allegedly gave LaBelle $9,873 before the concert, then gave her a "promissory note" or an IOU for $75,126, plus interest payable on September 10th 2003. In the promissory note, Wright listed as assets his interest in the concert and entertainment business and a dwelling. Wright, the lawsuit names Wright, Fifth Degree Records Inc. and Fifth Degree Entertainment Inc and seeks $179,377 in expenses and an additional $350,000 in punitive damages. The expenses, according to the lawsuit, are for the following: $140,126 for the concert performance; $12,004 for airfare; $11,550 for the band payroll; $11,725 for the crew payroll; and $3,970 for the hotel.
Source: home.hamptonroads.com
CLEAR CHANNEL TARGET CHINA 09/03/05
Twenty years after Wham!'s ground breaking appearance Live appearance in China in 1985, Clear Channel has entered an agreement with the Chinese government to export live music and sporting events from the West into China. It's a 50-year joint venture with the Beijing Gehua Cultural Development Group. Does this mean a Wham! reformation is on the cards?
Source: www.reuters.com
WARNER MUSIC TO GO PUBLIC? 09/03/05
Barely a year after being bought out from AOL Time-Warner Inc., Warner Music is reported to be gearing up to go public within the next 30-60 days if it gains regulatory approval. The move - designed to capitalise on what is described as a "rebounding
market" for initial public offerings - could raise between $0.75 to $1 billion. The money raised will be used to cut the company's debts and also pay its private equity owners. These payments, alongside the payouts last year, could mean that the consortium investors will now recoup the $1.25 billion they stumped up to acquire the company early last year. The company could potentially be valued at $6 billion.
Source: Five Eight Magazine
EUROPEAN LIVE MUSIC CONFERENCE TO MEET AT ILMC 07/03/05
The European Live Music Forum (ELMF), first announced at the Noorderslag Seminar in Holland, is to have a foundation meeting in London just before the ILMC begins on the 10th March 2005. The ELMF, currently being proposed by eight associations including Europe wide festival association Yourope, The Concert Promoters Association (CPA), the Agents Association, Network Europe and the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) will try and identify issues, themes and objectives and formulate a constitution over the next few months but will hope to make a preliminary announcement at the ILMC. An invitation has been extended to all national and Europe wide live music, festival and cultural events to be involved with the ELMF.
BPI SETTLES WITH 23 WEB PIRATES 06/03/05
The UK record companies' trade association the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) today announced that 23 UK internet users have agreed to pay a total of nearly fifty thousand pounds (E70,000) in compensation for distributing music illegally via peer-to-peer networks on the internet. Three cases remain outstanding. The BPI said it will also bring 31 new cases against filesharers from across the UK as it steps up its campaign against illegal filesharing.
In a broadening of the campaign the new actions will span eight different filesharing networks and that further cases will follow. The story made front page news in the UK and quoted BPI Chairman Peter Jamieson as saying,
"Unauthorised filesharing is against the law. It effectively steals the livelihood of musicians and the record companies who invest in them. We will not hesitate to protect the rights of our members and the artists they represent."
BPI General Counsel Geoff Taylor said, "We are determined to find people who illegally distribute music, whichever peer-to-peer network they use, and to make them compensate the artists and labels they are stealing from."
Source: www.bpi.co.uk and The Times 5th March 2005
VIRGIN RADIO THROUGH YOUR PHONE 03/03/05
Virgin Radio fans will soon be able to listen to their favourite station anywhere in the world on their 3G enabled mobile phone handsets. The software to enable this is free and, once downloaded, allows 3G handset users to tune in at the touch of a button.
This promises a clear signal and access in areas of the country where radio signals are weak. The move is the latest step taken by the Scottish Media Group owned company to reverse the decline in listening on its AM channel by broadcasting over the internet and to 3G phones. Over the last 5 years Virgin has lost about 40% of its listeners but internet broadcasting has worked well for the company.. Will consumers really pay a premium for the 'convenience' of mobile access to a plethora of services? Of course the answer is 'yes', as they have already done so with voice calls but this willingness to pay is linked to scale of the premium. A clearer signal and interactivity may not be enough to tempt listeners away from existing free alternatives.
Source: Five Eight Magazine
WALKMAN WALKS AGAIN 03/03/05
Sony Ericsson yesterday paved the way in resuscitating the Walkman brand by unveiling a new mobile phone carrying the iconic name - which launched personal players in 1979 and is now synonymous with mobile disc and tape devices. The new handset would rival Apple's iPod and will initially have a 512 megabyte memory allowing users to store about 150 songs - about 12 albums.
The W800 phone would combine mobile technology and telecomms services with the music function and could eventually have a 32 gigabyte memory . Other mobile handset operators are also working hard to develop the digital music component of handsets and Motorola has agreed a development deal with Apple's iTunes and Nokia plans to work with Loudeye and Microsoft.
FUJIROCK BILL FIRMS UP 02/03/05
Sigur Ros , Mercury Rev, The Pogues, the reunited Dinosaur Jr. and Fatboy Slim are among the first acts to sign on for Japan's annual Fuji Rock Festival. The event will be held July 29-31 at the Naeba Ski Resort about 2 hours outside Tokyo.
Other confirmed artists include The Music, The Coral, Dresden Dolls, Kaiser Chiefs, The Bravery, Cake, The Beach Boys, Steel Pulse, Aqualung and Juliette and the Licks.
COLDPLAY TO HEADLINE MAJOR SHOWS 02/03/05
Coldplay will kick off their 2005 world tour with the biggest headlining shows they have ever played in the United Kingdom. The group will play London's Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium on June 27-28, Glasgow's Bellahouston Park on July 1 and Bolton's Reebok Stadium on July 4-5; each venue holds around 30,000 people.
The band will in June release the long-awaited follow-up to its 2002 breakthrough album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head" although delays in releasing the album sent EMI's shares into a sharp delclien last week. Some new material is nearly guaranteed to be debuted when the band plays a March 12 benefit show for Los Angeles-area radio station KCRW at the Hollywood Bowl.
Source: www.billboard.com