Ever striving to further the endeavors of musical Britons from Lands End to John O Groats, UK Music has cut the ribbon on the first of 10 government-funded rehearsal spaces across the UK.
Headed by the musical partisan of Feargal Sharkey, UK Music have found themselves fast becoming the effective peoples in looking after both successful and emerging musical talent across the British Isles.
Bob Dylan has found himself atop the UK album charts for a second week running despite a dip in sales. This successive week at the top spot is an historic turnaround for the cult singer/songwriter, with a hiatus of nearly 40 years since his previous jaunt to the number one spot.
It appears EMI have defied these credit crunch times with reports that earnings for the label this year have trebled. This being the first full year under Terra Firma’s ownership, it appears those headline grabbing cost cutting directives from the new owners have paid off to a grand scale.
Let us not forget however the fine work of Coldplay, Lily Allen and Katy Perry – amongst other stable mates – in helping EMI to maintain their musical output.
The vote for copyright extension has gone in front of the European Parliament with the majority of MEPs voting in favour of extending copyright for music recordings to 70 years.
Originally intended to be an extension to 95 years, the revised decision will create the foundations for the European Council to vote – with the said European Council also needing to approve the decision before it becomes instated.
The last time the decision got this far the UK – and 11 other countries – voted against the extension deciding there was little in the 12-page deal that would truly benefit the artists and creatives who would license their recordings in this digital age.
The UK has since revised its considerations and is now reportedly ready to agree to the legislation.
In other copyright news the lawyer representing one of the Pirate Bay founders, Peter Sunde, has called for a re-trial in the case that saw the four founders of the file sharing network Pirate Bay sentenced to one year in jail and £2.4 million in damages to various musical outfits.
The request for retrial comes after reports surfaced that the judge who oversaw the trial was a member of several copyright protection organisations.
Snow Patrol’s frontman Gary Lightbody has spoken out in defense of the founders, saying “They shouldn’t have been jailed. A year in jail for someone doing that is crazy. The punishment doesn’t fit the crime.”
On the day of introducing a new law to tackle online piracy Sweden’s internet traffic dropped by a dramatic 33%, reports suggest.
The new policy coined the IPRED law works in a similar vein to that which was suggested for Britain’s internet service providers, where the ISPs have to reveal the details of those who are sharing copyrighted material.
While the dip (from 120Gbps to 80Gbps) suggests a dramatic impact for the new law many experts believe this is only an intermediary process before numbers climb back up. Christian Engstrom, vice-chairman of the Swedish Pirate Party, noted that “it takes people a few weeks to figure out how to change their security settings so that they can share files anonymously,”.
Keane impress with 3D show
Melodic pop band Keane have breached new boundaries by streaming a gig from the iconic Abbey Road recording studios on Thursday night. While the concept of streaming a gig may not be all that new the twist was that the whole show was done in 3D.
Claims from the band that they’re the new Pink Floyd may be a little over zealous, but they’ve certainly produced a novel idea sure to crop up again in the future.
UK government “no” to current plans for copyright extension
The UK government has aroused indignation from music industry bigwigs after they voted against a revised copyright extension on sound recordings.
Seeing that while the proposed deal would certainly benefit the rights holders of the material, there is little in the 12-page deal that would truly benefit the artists and creatives who would license their recordings in this digital age.
While the UK government’s decision has been met by consternation from senior industry figures, the move has been praised by the Featured Artists Coalition for “recognising that the proposed extension of copyright term in recorded music does not deliver real lasting benefits for artists or consumers.
“Under the proposals voted down on Friday, record companies would simply gain another 45 years of ownership, entrenching the terms of record contracts signed in an analogue age.”
Dylan joins the free music movement
Once a stalwart of the industry old school ways of life, Bob Dylan has made further leaps into the digital era.
Following 2007’s ‘exclusive content’ deal with Starbucks’ Hear Music label, which saw Dylan’s music pushed on digital platforms, he is now offering a free download on his website.
The track, ‘Beyond Here Lies Nothin’’, is taken from forthcoming album ‘Together Through Life’ and is available for 24 hours from 5am (BST) today (March 30th).
Leeds and Reading Line-up and tickets announcement
The big hitting Leeds and Reading festivals are to announce their hotly anticipated line-ups this evening at 7pm (BST) with tickets going on sale at the same time.
Artic Monkeys are an early headliner while rumoured acts include the Doves, Funeral For a Friend, The Mars Volta and even suggestions Radiohead may be on the bill.
So we’ve all been there; you’ve put together a band that’s oozing with talent, you’ve enough track ideas for the most monolithic of EPs, and you’ve all the ‘cool’ a band could ever need… but you can’t agree on the name.
Well below we’ve got the definitive answer to all you moniker issues.
Here are the rules:
1 – Go to Wikipedia. Hit “random”
or click just click here
This first random Wikipedia article you get is now name of your band.
2 – Then go to Quotations Page and select “random quotations”
or just click here
The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your first album.
3 – Go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days”
or click here
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.
4 – Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.
So. We know who you are. We know who we are. You know who you are. But you don’t know who we are. Or (more importantly) what kind of amazing tunes we like.
So we’ve decided to make each of the fine folk who make amazingtunes be amazingtunes will be the feature of a glorified blog.
This week it’s my turn. I’m Lee, the Development Director at amazingtunes. I’d love say my musical taste is modern and diverse, but I’m over 40 and it isn’t (or so the rest of the office tell me). Morrissey and The Smiths are my biggest influences (isn’t that diverse enough?).
I’ve been asked to post my all time favourite amazingtunes act here. I was told only one. But as I’m a boss I’ll do two.
The very vogue CatwalkTrash are my current favourite. Lovely lo-fi tunes to make you go …. “was this really the work of one person”?
I also keep coming back to tsuki lala (a favourite shared by a few of the folk at amazingtunes).
And if they don’t do it for you listen to more of my favourites and let me know what you think.
Next week: Lee Simpson (Designer) who loves trashy 80s pop (oh dear).
“The times they are a changin’” seems all too poignant a comment in any climate or era, but none more so than the mutation the recording industry is at present experiencing.
Reports published this week have gone to further bear the naked truth of the decline of the music shop. With Zavvi slowly edging towards that great gig in the sky it has been revealed that over a quarter of the UK’s independent music stores have sold their final record over the last year. The sector now has only around 300 outlets left – a figure that is likely to drop further as trends continue.
It is a great shame and one that will undoubtedly hit a nerve with past and present generations, as the stalwarts of our musical indulgences begin to fritter away. But as new digital models are uncovered, like Spotify and We7, we are surely just bearing witness to the new, more convenient way by which the ‘kids of today’ will find, hear and buy their music.
Further forcing the issue, Nottingham’s wonderfully acclaimed indie record store Selectadisc has announced it is to close its doors at the end of March, while Spotify on the other hand has just announced its exclusive unveiling of the new U2 album. The said album, undoubtedly the biggest release so far for 2009, is an exclusivity that would have once been the sole reserve of Woolworths or alike.
To call it a shame is to put it lightly. I’m a child born into the digital world of the CD, and as such would wonder just what the old fogies were moaning about when they protested “it’s just not as good as buying vinyl”. Looking at the direction of music sales it’ll not be long before I’m the old codger reminiscing of the golden times when we perused the shelves of our local record shop to find our next piece of soul food.
On the bright side, I can at least take heed in the fact that I’m hip enough to know my way around the unsigned gold mine that is amazingtunes. Check out our office favourites here, it’s a good starting point and a bit like browsing a record store but from the comfort of your own PC.
Girl of the moment Lily Allen has managed to pull off a double in the UK charts as her album It’s Not Me, It’s You debuts at the top of the album listings. Her current single, The Fear, is on its third week at the top of the singles charts with Allen being the first artist to achieve this double feat since The Kings Of Leon back in October of last year.
New Zealand is on the verge of introducing a new law that would allow legitimate disconnection of any internet users who download music illegally. Proposed for February 28th, the “Guilt Upon Application” law would mean that connections could be cut without trial if copyright infringement has occurred. The Creative Freedom Foundation however are speaking out against the law.
Coldplay’s triumphant 2008 release Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends has been announced as the biggest selling album of the year, shifting 6.8m copies across both physical and digital platforms. Four UK acts made the top ten and you can see the top 50 here.
With the ever-growing number of websites and online communities, it can be tiresome and boring to keep track of every log-in username and password.
That’s why Facebook developed the Open ID-esque / Single Sign-Up process, ‘Facebook Connect’. Put simply, it lets you use your Facebook ID and password to sign-in to third-party sites like amazingtunes.
Now, when you see the Facebook Connect logo it means you can log in to amazingtunes without having to go through another registration process. Better still, if you are already logged in to your Facebook profile you need only click the ‘connect’ icon on amazingtunes and you will be immediately logged in and ready to discover great new music.
Using Facebook Connect also lets you publish your amazingtunes actions on your wall – fanning other artists, announcing a Gig, liking tracks etc. So you can share amazingtunes with your Facebook friends.
We hope you like Facebook Connect for amazingtunes
Every town has its scene, with its own acts held dearly to the hearts of those who make the regular pilgrimage to their local venues. Whether it’s a Saturday night at the local cricket club or an all-dayer at the Tap and Spinal, there is a hive of musical activity to be experienced at every corner of these Great British isles. As part of our own celebration of everything that is local in music we’ll be having regular installments in our blog from those involved in the heart of each of these local scenes.
First up is English… no, Scottish… no, English, no… beautiful British border town Berwick-upon-Tweed. Sat at the mouth of the Tweed estuary, just south of the Scottish border, Berwick is a wonderfully characteristic town boasting, amongst other things, some of the finest beaches the North East has to offer. Writing for us today is Briganties band member and freelance journalist Jonny Gray.
A couple of years ago I was asked to write a small article on Berwick bands for the NME. At the time the town’s best gift to the music world was Zane Lowe favourites Eastern Lane who were demoing new material for their anticipated third album. Unfortunately, the album was never completed as the band split in the week or so between the column being written and going to print, so let’s hope this piece doesn’t put the kiss of death on any of our latest batch.
Going back to the aforementioned Eastern Lane seems as good a place to begin, funded by the royalties from single “Feed Your Addiction” being used in a pre-credit crunch TV ad for a well known bank, former frontman Derek Meins relocated to the warmer climes of Brighton on the south coast, but once a Berwicker, always a Berwicker. These days he’s ploughing a solo furrow as the “Indie Poet Laureate”, releasing his debut album “The Famous Poet” on former Rough Trade A&R geezer, James Endeacott’s 1965 Records. A fine podium alongside some great label-mates including established group The View. The album, and Mr Meins’ articulate tongue, have helped him earn slots at the Reading/Leeds and Glastonbury festivals as well as a tour on a barge – nice work if you can get it.
Another fine act hinting towards greatness were Roy’s Iron DNA, who released their debut – and unfortunately only – album “Men in Wax Jackets” on Edinburgh label Alex Tronic. A thoroughly brilliant piece of music it was granted an ‘album of the month’ award on Vic Galloway’s Radio 1 show and was followed by successful tours with Lo-Fidelity Allstars and The Go! Team. Today Roy’s have reshuffled their name and lineup under the guise of Ordinaryson (it’s an anagram, Countdown fans) as a vehicle for singer/songwriter Ian Thompson’s material. I’m told we can expect an album sometime in 2009, so keep your earballs peeled for that and in the mean time check out the Ordinary Son ‘tunes profile here.
Another band on the cusp of releasing an album, sooner rather than later are anthemic indie rockers, The Briganties. Over the last year or so, the boys have released two singles with good support from press (Q, NME, Is This Music?, The List, The Skinny etc) and radio (Radio 1, XFM, Old Jock Radio, Leith FM, IC Radio). As well as playing alongside the cream of new Scottish talent (Attic Lights, Grace Emilys, Isoceles and bizarrely Coolio!!) at the Scotcampus Freshers Festival in George Square, Glasgow the band were more recently seen, along with another local favourite singer/songwriter Mark Reid, helping raise over £5,500 for Marie Curie at the Rockoncology event at Glasgow Barrowlands. Currently the band are putting the finishing touches to their debut full-length album which will be released on a new label setup by longtime supporter of the local scene, Brian Martin from PFL studios. I understand you may not be able to wait that long however, so there are a few offerings from The Briganties here.
Speaking of local labels, we also have Airhead Records, which was started by local model/singer with Italian lineage, Nathalie Petronelli and exiled Londoner Kezz Stone as a publishing company to look after Kezz’s back catalogue, but developed into a an outlet to release music and has to date already held two Billboard EPs and three Billboard albums. They have also enjoyed success in having songs placed in shows for Channel 4, ITV and independent films.
2009 will see the return of Won Mississippi, who will finally get round to releasing a follow up to 2003’s “Welcomes Careful Drivers” which was honoured by Is This Music? as one of the 100 greatest Scottish rock albums of all time. They have a sound which constantly keeps your ears on their toes, so it’ll be interesting to hear what they serve up this time. Also due this year is the debut single (a split single setup with Manchester’s Arficeden) of instrumentalists Sona Di who are blessed with an atmospheric, dynamic sound, almost cinematic enough for you to close your eyes and see films of your dreams projected onto your mind’s very own silver screen.
I’ve always been aware of the music talent within the town’s walls but it’s only when I’ve come to put into words about Berwick bands when I can appreciate the wealth of talent there is out there. I’ve already rambled on at length and I haven’t even mentioned the soothing sounds of Saint Monday, the infectious Espionage of the Loc (their songs are infectious, not diseased!), the quirks of Robert, Knox and Wize or the golden voice of Lizzie Bell… Maybe for the next one.
Saturday 21st February sees ather showcase of local talent with performances by The Briganties, Ordinaryson and Espionage of the Loc at The Maltings Arts Centre, so if you’re in the area, don’t be a stranger.
If you think your local scene is worthy of a mention and you’ve got the journalistic skills, drop us a line and spread the word.
The music industry, and in particular the recording industry is going through something of an evolution. I don’t want to bore you with the things you already know, but digitization has single-handedly forced the framework of the current distribution model to become obsolete and a race is ensuing to find new successful models of ensuring the sale and subsequent worth of sound recordings.
A key event in the industry calender which focuses on this matter is Midem (short for Marché International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale) and as is the case every year, MidemNet is held (a separate two-day conference devoted to monetizing music in the digital age).
From this years event many great presentations were made, however, one by industry analysts Mike Masnick stands out in particular. This 15 minute case study looks at how Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails has managed to combine two key factors within monetizing recordings on a digital platform. This presentation is relevant to performers of all levels and subsequently acts as a great foundation from which you can begin to develop your own models of:
Live events giants Ticketmaster and Live Nation could soon been merging according to various US reports. A history of synergy between the companies, alongside the appointment of a new CEO at ticketmaster have led to the rumors.
Coldplay have announced a forthcoming North American tour. Setting off from Portland, OR on July 10th the tour will take them through the US and Canada. You can see their complete tour schedule here
In some lesser news, Goldie Lookin’ Chain’s P Xain has found time out of his busy schedule to brand current Number One artist Lily Allen “thick as pig ####.” He went on to remark “She’ll say anything to get in the news.” ensuring himself many a column inch in the Daily Star with his misplaced drivelling irony…
Internet Service Providers, like Virgin or BT, the Government has decided, should not be made to disconnect illegal file sharers from their connections.
This is the latest controversial twist in the piracy saga that has the BPI pitting its (now very disgruntled) wits against an unconvinced ISP collective who are unwilling to take part in the battle against piracy. The participation of internet companies, with their abilities to control a customers’ connections, seems to be the most logical step in attempts to stem the transference of illegal files. So much so that last year Government officials spoke of “serious legislative intent” in order to coerce internet companies into disconnecting offending customers.
However, after months of debate and many more months of legal wranglings, the Government now feels such legislation is just too complex. David Lammy, the Intellectual Property Minister, let the latest findings be known ahead of the publication of a report into Britain’s digital industry.
It certainly looks like it is a damning report for the BPI, especially in light of the latest IFPI findings on piracy (blogged here last week ), and given the lack of cooperation from the internet companies it may be some time before any sort of agreement can be found. In the mean time however, you can still support music as well as download all the legitimate free music you like through amazingtunes…
“How?!” I hear you cry. Simply by following any ‘Tag’ link and clicking on the ‘Free MP3s’ tab. Happy listening…
Pop songstress Lily Allen has been out and about promoting the release of her second album ‘It’s Not Me It’s You’ (released February). Appearing on Q-Radio however she gave the impression all things aren’t quite so rosy as we’re led to believe. Frustrated at the lack of money she is receiving from a hit album and a number one single she let out a stark warning to future bands and acts that presume putting pen to paper is their route to riches.
“I don’t make any money out of recording. I don’t make any money out of record sales at all. I make money out of touring and ‘syncs’ – publishing, you know, my songs being put on Gray’s Anatomy, things like that. I don’t make money at all from selling an album which is probably why I feel so angry about having do to all this promotion, because I’m not earning money out of it. Someone else (is) and
they don’t have to live with the lasting effects.”
The singer went on to warn of the need to be prepared to work hard, wanting to tour and wanting to write, “ There’s no point in going into music if you don’t write your own stuff because you’re not going to sustain any kind of income and unless you really want to tour because that’s the only way you’re going to get any money.”
Signed to EMI’s Parlophone label this isn’t the first time one of EMI’s artists has drawn attention to their frugal nature. In 2008 1,500 jobs were cut under Guy Hands’ new direction and earlier in the year spearhead artists Radiohead left the label in light of its new, business focused direction.
It is quite possible however, given the current US plight with record sales and the digital revolution (a.k.a piracy), musicians should no longer be expecting to make their money off physical releases. Maybe recordings are now one more promotional tool and maybe Lily should just focus on live performance. Major acts are increasingly seeing gigging as their best (copy-protected) revenue stream and using recorded music simply to draw people to live Gigs. It’s where the grass roots acts see their contact with their fans, and it’s where fans of artists (from local to world-famous) get the real experience. Look at amazingtunes for example, here is the future of music, letting you sample their music free of charge while telling you where to see them play.
Follow the links below for some of the finest free music that your intrigue and a mouse can get you:
If you’ve been struggling to find that all important, all impacting name for your band then look no further for your inspiration than the Heavy Metal Band Names Flowchart.
Breaking up your basic topics of satanic indulgence – like Death and Religion – over the points of a pentagram, each category is then broken down into its sub-categories with the appropriate names following. There’s a section for the trusty umlaut, a bit for names referencing (gothic American author) Faulkner, and a viking section to name a few.
This has set us off at amazingtunes, since amazingtunes obviously has its fair share of gore-inspiring metal acts gracing its pages, so below is a handful of our favourite metal monikers for you to devour.
A couple of years ago I was asked to write a small article on Berwick bands for the 
Saturday 21st February sees ather showcase of local talent with performances by The Briganties, Ordinaryson and Espionage of the Loc at The Maltings Arts Centre, so if you’re in the area, don’t be a stranger.