M Magazine Issue 46

northern echoes

Mining for new music

fan funding

Getting a slice of the pie

Members Music Magazine Issue 46 Members Music Magazine December 2012 Issue 45 September 2012

sly & robbie Jamaica’s other golden duo

contents

FEATURES 14

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14 richard hawley Collectors' item to national treasure

MEMO

Cast your minds back to Adele’s Grammy triumph in February, which was followed by a stellar Ivors ceremony in May. The summer’s explosive Olympics and Paralympics ceremonies only served to heighten the excitement.

The autumn/winter awards season honoured even more of our established and upcoming creators get the low down in the Member News section.

Two exceptionally talented songwriters who came into their own this year are Richard Hawley and Emeli Sandé. Both have triumphed through outstanding performances and releases.

We pay homage to the Sheffield crooner, who chats about his second near miss with the Mercury Music Prize and his dog-walking-andsongwriting routine.

Emeli led the charts with

Members Music Magazine Issue 46 December 2012

her debut album - the biggest selling record of 2012. But, while the headlines look rosy for women in music, elsewhere the gender gap is still a real issue.

Debates raged across Europe on equal pay and, closer to home, the male-to-female member ratio at PRS for Music is still skewed in favour of men. This prompted an M roundtable focussed on women in music.

But we can’t celebrate the achievements of songwriters, composers and publishers without mentioning UK hiphop. Once a marginal concern, it's blossomed into a vital genre.

Be sure to visit M online – we’ve had a record year and a nifty facelift.

We are still dedicated to bringing you the very best in news, live sessions, playlists and offers, so come on in and get involved!

Debating the issues

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Rising to the digital challenges

REGULARS 4 members and music

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8 money and business 11 comment and debate 27 i wrote that 34 picture this 34

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m-magazine.co.uk

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

CONTRIBUTORS

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Rosie Blanchard, KaKei Cheng, Jon Duncan, Laura Driffield, Eileen Fitches, Brana Lalin, Jules Parker, Sarah Thirtle

Business Editor Barney Hooper cover: richard hawley

22 women in music

Tweet: @m_ magazinePRS

Staff Writer Jim Ottewill

29/11/2012 12:49:45

Freestyling the future

Write in: magazine@ prsformusic.com

Associate Editor Anita Awbi

M46 Cover final copy test.indd 1

18 brit-hop

Membership Adviser Myles Keller

PRS for Music, 29-33 Berners Street, London W1T 3AB T 020 7580 5544 E magazine@prsformusic.com W prsformusic.com The printing of M Magazine is managed on behalf of PRS for Music

by Cyan Group Ltd, Twickenham. www.cyan-group.com Advertising 020 3225 5200 ISSN 0309-0019© PRS for Music 2012. All rights reserved. The views expressed in M are not necessarily those of PRS for Music, nor of the editorial team. PRS for Music accepts no responsibility for the views expressed by contributors to M, nor for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, nor for errors in contributed articles or advertisements.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

M is printed on paper manufactured using chlorine-free pulps and the raw materials are from fully managed and sustainable forests.

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BARRIE WENTZELL: J SAUL KANE; JAMIE HEWLETT

What a year in music! As the world’s gaze turned towards Britain, our members delivered jawdropping performances and globe-trotting music.

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new members 1. alunageorge Universal Music Publishing AlunaGeorge are a London duo responsible for blending 90s R&B with warped electronic beats to dizzying effect. Formed from the ashes of previous projects, Aluna Francis and George Reid met online after George remixed Sweetheart, a track topped with Aluna’s vocals. Since then, the pair have released singles You Know You Like It and Your Drums Your Love – both show off a sound which may be born from leftfield Timbaland-esque beats but have plenty of mass pop appeal. A debut album is anticipated in 2013. alunageorge.com

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2. peace Unpublished A year in the life span of a new band can be a long time – especially if you are Birmingham guitar loving foursome Peace. The group stamped their mark all over the 2012 Great Escape and Camden Crawl festivals, toured extensively with the likes of the Mystery Jets and Tame Impala and inked a deal with Columbia Records. Their self-proclaimed ‘dark melodic indie techno’ – which earned them widespread acclaim from the likes of The Guardian and BBC Radio 1 - is best heard on the rapturously received EP Delicious. peaceforeverever.co.uk

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3. king krule

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BMG/Chrysalis Music Publishing King Krule is 18-year-old singer songwriter Archy Marshall. Previously known as Zoo Kid, the Londoner is a student of the Brit School and was tipped for great things back in 2011 (we earmarked him as an artist to look out for). He’s spent the last 12 months honing his quintessentially British sound both on the stage and in the studio. A self-titled EP and latest single Rock Bottom/Octopus released on Rinse, the home of dubstep-pop star Katy B, are the perfect showcase for his worldweary baritone and dub-inflicted sound. kingkrule.com

4. engine-earz experiment Hatfield Music Publishing Multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer Prashant Mistry is at the musical heart of Engine-Earz Experiment, a live UK dubstep collective born back in 2009.

The group, often referred to as ‘Massive Attack for the dubstep generation’, have won a devoted following with a dancefloor-friendly sound drawing on everything from traditional Indian

songs to hard-hitting bass. Incendiary live performances including sets at Glastonbury and BBC Maide Vale have seen them labelled ‘ones to watch’ by a number of musical stars including Mike Skinner and Nitin Sawhney. engine-earz.com

5. the other tribe Sony ATV Music Publishing Bristol’s The Other Tribe became THE live act to look out for during 2012, moving from thrill-seeking outsiders to the centre of the dancefloor. The six piece’s euphoric synth pop, best heard on recent single Skirts, kept festival crowds bouncing, gained love from the likes of DJs Annie Mac and Rob Da Bank and garnered comparisons to Friendly Fires and Calvin Harris. The band are now signed to the independent Black Butter label, which has already enjoyed a number one with new PRS for Music members Rudimental. theothertribe.com

6. the edmondsons Unpublished Catherine, Ruth and Jane, three musicloving sisters from North London have been immersed in a huge range of music since their early teens. They’ve perfected a contemporary take on folk which shows off their love for the likes of Bon Iver as well as more traditional sounds. With their potent combination of beautiful melodies and vocal layers, the sisters have grown into a bewitching live act - which conjures up images of the sirens washing clothes down by the river in the Cohen Brothers’ film O Brother Where Art Thou. soundcloud.com/theedmondsons

7. james (jimbo) barry Unpublished Irish songwriter and producer James Barry has been steeped in music since he was a child - he studied sound engineering at college before helping cowrite and produce solo artist Bressie’s album. The record hit the top spot in Ireland’s charts and paved the way for more collaboration, most notably with multi-platinum selling Irish group, The Script. He co-wrote and co-produced their global smash Hall of Fame as well as further songs from their album #3.

Go online to see our new members playlist

m-magazine.co.uk m46_december 2012_5

members & music

new talent lead awards season

It has been great to see both emerging and established songwriters and composers pick up accolades in the autumn round of awards ceremonies. Congratulations to all PRS for Music members who were nominated or won a prize this season.

MOBO Awards Labrinth received the PRS for Musicsponsored Best Song award for Earthquake (published by Stellar Songs/ EMI). Meanwhile Emeli Sandé took home three awards from the ceremony at Liverpool’s Echo Arena. The Scottish singer-songwriter, who performed at the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, picked up the prizes for Best Female, Best Album and Best R&B/Soul. Elsewhere London rapper Plan B scooped gongs for Best Hip Hop/Grime and Best Male Act.

Mercury Music Prize Leeds quartet Alt-J triumphed at the Mercury Music Prize last month, denying fellow frontrunner Richard Hawley the award for a second time (see page 18). Meanwhile Django Django, Sam Lee and Roller Trio – all recipients of PRS for Music Foundation funding - were also shortlisted.

Sam reveals the songs that have shaped his life on page 32.

RACHAEL ROBB; KATJA OGRIN; JNR PICS; DANNY PAYNE

Music Industry Trust Awards In November, Gary Barlow received the 21st Music Industry Trust (MITs) award in recognition of his services to British music. The award was another highlight in a big year for Gary – he was named in the Queen’s birthday honours list in June while simultaneously scoring a Single and Album chart double. His Diamond Jubilee anthem Sing was number one in the singles charts while the album also took the top spot.

Gold Badge Awards Beatles producer Sir George Martin received a standing ovation when he picked up his Gold Badge Award at The Savoy, London. Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, Southbank Centre Artistic Director Jude Kelly OBE, journalist Chris Welch, BBC executive Mark Cooper and publisher Mandy Oates were among the other recipients. You can read our features with Mandy, Mark and Chris in this edition of M. British Composer Awards The 10th annual British Composer Awards (BCAs) took place in December at Goldsmiths Hall in London and opened with a performance of previous winner Gareth Moorcraft’s wind piece Rondo?

Of the 13 BCA categories, four were awarded to composers who were completely new to the event. Ray Lee, Christine Tobin, Paul Rissmann and Thomas Larcher. Meanwhile, Sir Harrison Birtwistle won his fourth BCA accolade for his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.

Top: Labrinth performing at the 2012 MOBOs Centre: Mercury Prize winners Alt-J Above: Four-time BCA winner Harrison Birtwistle 6_december 2012_m46

For more on the Gold Badge and British Composer Awards, and a full list of winners visit m-magazine.co.uk

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m online

visit: www.m-magazine.co.uk want to get involved? email: magazine@prsformusic.com

almost famous record crowd Upcoming acts Allman Brown, Grass House, Coves (left) and Jenn D performed to a packed crowd at the Almost Famous showcase in December.

Each of the four acts delivered unforgettable performances at London’s 229 Club, winning over music fans and industry bods alike.

The music varied wildly, from Allman Brown’s accomplished folk-pop to Jenn D’s high octane euro-dance. London trio Coves plumbed the darker depths of 80s indie in their six-song set, while Grass House combined classic 60s guitars with pounding rhythms.

Almost Famous is a great opportunity for artists and has established itself as an important platform for music industry and fans to engage with new talent’.

calling young composers The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) and BBC Radio 3 are calling for submissions for the NCEM 2013 Composer Awards.

Applicants can enter in one of two age categories: 18 and under, or 19 to 25. The winners will hear their composition premiered at Bath International Music Festival by the Florilegium ensemble next June. The works will also be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show.

Completed scores must be delivered by 8 March 2013. The awards will be judged in York on 27 April and shortlisted works performed by the Florilegium ensemble to a judging panel.

Two winners will then be announced for both categories. For more info visit: ncem.co.uk

supersonic 10th foundation celebrates 2012 anniversary PRS for Music Foundation funded the 10th anniversary edition of Birmingham’s annual aural and visual festival Supersonic. Promoter Capsule organised the new bands showcase and 2012’s bill included noise rock bands Hey Colossus and Drunk in Hell, and electronica act Free School.

Jenny Moore from Capsule said the support allowed them to ‘take educated risks within the programme, try out new acts and give established artists the opportunity to try out new ideas’.

‘Many of the acts will have only previously performed to perhaps 100 people at most. This support allows us to put these artists in front of a much wider audience as well as providing them with the production quality usually found at much larger events,’ Jenny added. For more information visit www.prsformusicfoundation.com/Grantees/Capsule

Pictured: Free School

PRS for Music Foundation kicked off 2012 at London’s Cargo with a showcase featuring emerging acts Dry the River, Serafina Steer, Abimaro and the Free, and the National Youth Orchestra. The orchestra performed their New Music 20x12 piece, from a 12-part programme commissioned by the foundation. The programme formed part of the Cultural Olympiad and was praised by both national and music press.

More than 250,000 people heard the New Music 20x12 pieces in concert, on BBC Radio 3, through NMC Recordings’ releases and via The Space, the new digital arts service developed by Arts Council England and the BBC. Also this year, a founding trustee and composer David Bedford passed away. The David Bedford Music Education Award was created to recognise his passion for music in education - so far Music for Youth, English Touring Opera and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council have all received the award. Musicians in Residence China, a partnership with British Council, enabled four UK-based musicians including Gareth Bonello and Jamie Woon to live and write in China for six weeks. The Foundation also worked closely with Urban Development on the MOBO Tour, which showcased some of the UK’s best new hip-hop and soul acts, including Lady Leshurr and Clement Marfo & The Frontline.

Pictured: Serafina Steer

from Foundation funding. Promoters The Local, Sexbeat and Swn also received grants while UK composers including Anna Meredith, Huw Watkins, Bushra El-Turk and Mira Calix all received support.

The Foundation has more innovative projects planned for 2013. They include supporting new commissions from British composers, developing partnerships offering musician in residence opportunities and greater activity in the UK’s rock and pop industry. For more information, visit prsformusicfoundation.com.

Kindness, Laura Mvula and Amplify Dot were among 2012’s musical success stories to benefit m46_december 2012_7

money & business

adding up the uk music industry

PRS for Music’s annual Adding up the UK Music Industry report showed that the total value of the UK’s music industry remained stable in 2011, an excellent result given the wider economic climate. Total revenue remained at £3.8bn for a second year despite losses in recorded music sales.

Live music revenue was a key driver behind the stability - the sector’s revenues hit £1.6bn - a substantial rise from the 2010 total of £1.4bn. The festival circuit went from strength to strength in 2011 with 272 events attracting two million attendees.

A dramatic surge in arena tours such as Take That’s Progress Live also had a significant impact on revenue. Eight and a half million people attended stadium events, with twice as many taking place than the previous year.

Stadium gigs generated more than £220m while box office receipts and the associated spend from these events were responsible for two-thirds of 2011’s live growth. The future of live music at grass roots level and beyond looks in good health, particularly with the implementation of the Live Music Act in October 2012.

Digital music revenues were a key factor in the industry retaining its total value. Sales increased by 20 percent to reach £379m for download-to-own and streaming subscriptions combined, showing the importance of technology in the way we now consume our music. The report stressed that while this figure was a significant rise, the digital market has some way to go before it realises its full potential, a prediction which bodes well for the future.

Recorded revenues dropped by three percent to £1.1bn in 2011 as consumers increasingly chose to leave physical formats on the shelf. Physical album sales fell by 13 percent in 2011 to £685m as Adele’s 21 proved to be an exception to the trend despite generating more than two million physical sales. However, 21 showed that a large market for physical product exists as long as strong titles are available.

2011 trends l Total

UK music revenues stable at £3.8bn l Live music revenues hit £1.6bn l Recorded music slips 3% to £1.1bn

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PRS for Music’s business to business revenues were another area of growth across 2011 with royalties rising £20m to £631m. International revenue rose by £17.9m to £188m. The report attributed the increase to extraordinary royalties payments from Poland, Germany, Canada and Belgium, strong repertoire performance in the US and live concerts in Latin America.

Many revenue streams were areas of growth for the industry. Broadcast revenue rose by £2.8m to £148.4m and online licensing royalties increased by £11.5m to reach £39.1m.

Revenues from public performance also grew by £2.9m to £153.9m.

Gross revenue for PPL, the licensing body for the use of recorded music in public or broadcast on radio, TV or internet, increased by £10m to £154m in 2011. Public performance and broadcast and online were responsible for an additional £5m of revenue each.

Music Publishers Association direct revenues dropped by 13 percent to £210m. According to the report, the fall was almost entirely based in European collecting society distributions and non-UK based synchronisation licensing, where music is used in television and advertising. However, the report emphasised that the fall was due to challenging economic circumstances and not operational problems within the publishing sector.

Advertising and brand spend rose to £98.8m in 2011, representing growth of 5.6 percent.

The report highlighted the recent collaboration between Gorillaz and trainer brand Converse as an example of how brands are working with creators to market their products.

The trainer company paid for the production of original track DoYaThing and accompanying video. Damon Albarn, James Murphy and Outkast’s Andre 3000 collaborated on creating a free download for the Converse website. Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett also designed four pairs of trainers for Converse which were promoted in the music video he directed for DoYaThing. Two Gorillaz Sound System live events also took place at the 100 Club, which Converse saved from closure in February 2011 by offering a sponsorship deal.

The relationship shows that the crossover runs much deeper than a simple product endorsement.

The report was compiled by Nicholas Brookes, Research Analyst at PRS for Music, with Will Page, Senior Economist, Spotify and Chris Carey, Global Insight Director, EMI.

Pictured: Gorillaz

sync and ‘360’ boost uk music Revenues from music synchronisation and ‘360 degree’ artist deals grew strongly in 2011, the BPI has revealed. 360 deals alone, which cover concerts, merchandise, tours and music sales from artist websites, brought in extra revenue worth £76m to UK record companies. Meanwhile the market for music synchronisation - the use of recordings in films, TV programmes, adverts and games – grew substantially to £18m, an increase of 11.9 percent year-on-year.

However the trade organisation also noted that revenue from games-related synchronisation deals slipped from £5.4m to £3.6m, as sales of games centred on music dropped. Commenting on the annual figures, BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor said: ‘British music is on a global high and the UK’s creative industries have enormous potential to generate new jobs and economic growth, if government gets serious about tackling online theft of content.

‘Music companies have reinvented their businesses for the digital age, marketing and promoting music intelligently through every channel available. They have diversified their revenue base and this has established a solid platform for future growth as the transition to a majority digital business continues.’

news

amazon and google get licensed

commission rate rise for mcps

Within the space of a month Amazon and Google announced the launch of new cloudbased music services and both were fully licensed by PRS for Music. Google Play launched across Europe in November, combining a digital music store with a freeto-user cloud-based music management service for existing music libraries. Scan and match technology allows a music collection of up to 20,000 tracks to be replicated in the cloud without the need to upload each song or work.

Cloud-based technology allows those tracks to be streamed across multiple devices such as smart phones and tablet computers.

All broadcast commission rates will rise from 12.5 percent to 13.75 percent from 1 June 2013.

These increases are proportionally equal to those applied to the PRS administration fee earlier this year.

Amazon’s service, known as Cloud Player, launched in October and offers a similar service to Google’s, using scan and match technology and providing access to music collections across a range of devices, including the e-reader Amazon Kindle.

Commenting on the deals Robert Ashcroft Chief Executive, PRS for Music, said: ‘We issued our first licence for a cloud music service in 2010 and have been licensing digital services for over a decade. Technology is allowing consumers in the UK and across Europe to discover music in new ways, while also providing new income sources for the creators we represent.

‘Amazon’s fourteen year success story in the UK demonstrates that it is in this country where technology and content combine so successfully for the benefit of users and creators alike.’

PRS for Music has supported the launch of over 70 fully-licensed online music services and has now licensed a range of cloud services from providers including iTunes and 7 Digital.

IPO considers cloud In related news, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, is set to announce a policy statement in December paving the way for exemptions to copyright and music licensing.

As M went to print it was believed that cloudbased music services, such as Amazon and Google’s recently licensed services, may fall within the scope of potential exemptions. PRS for Music said it would fight any such plans that result in creators losing the ability to earn when their music is used in this way.

The MCPS UK and Ireland Boards have agreed to increase broadcast commission rates in both the UK and Ireland for members. This follows a review of the rates and shared costs of running the PRS and MCPS Alliance.

PRS for Music said the change is designed to strengthen its position in the face of declining revenues from traditional recorded media streams. The last decade has seen rapid change, with the growth of digital music services from downloads to streaming, the boom in live music and the decline of the once dominant CD market.

Despite continued increases in total PRS for Music royalty collections, collections from

physical product sales have steadily decreased.

However, the costs of processing these royalties remain high. MCPS, which processes these royalties, is predicted to have significant financial losses in 2012 and the society is taking action to mitigate this.

Distributions are a vital source of income for songwriters, composers and publishers, and if the opportunity arises to reduce rates in the future, PRS for Music will seek to do so.

pubs shortlisted for music makeover PRS for Music has announced the five finalists of its competition to put music back at the heart of pubs. Launched earlier this year, Music Makeover will award a pub £5,000 to improve its venue with live music facilities. The finalists are: The Brunel Arms, Pontyclun, Wales; Pig & Whistle, Ladbroke Grove, London; The Burnaby Arms, Bedfordshire; The Grafton, Kentish Town, London; The Shepherds Crook, Portsmouth.

It is the third Music Makeover and has attracted a record number of entries from England, Scotland and Wales. Judges included Guy Fletcher OBE, PRS Chairman, representatives from the British Beer and Pub Association and Musicians’ Union.

The overall winner will be announced by 31 December 2012.

Cerys Matthews, singer, songwriter and broadcaster, said: ‘Open mic nights in pubs and clubs are usually the first port of call when you perform for the very first time. We played our first gig as Catatonia in Clwb Ifor Bach at an open mic night. We then went on to play the Yellow Kangaroo and other local pubs in Cardiff, Swansea and North Wales that welcomed live music. Pubs are the place where future band members meet, strategies are planned, ideas hatched, and the place where the dream begins.’

Paul Clements, Director of Public Performance

Sales, PRS for Music, added: ‘The pub is one of our much loved institutions and smart establishments are diversifying their business model to attract customers. It is encouraging to see so many new licensees in our Music Makeover final, who are dedicated entrepreneurs who want to make music central to their local communities again.’

Earlier this year, PRS for Music contacted 20,000 pubs to offer advice on making music work for them, including tips on genre choice, stage lighting, jukeboxes, gig promotion and ticketing.

Meanwhile, the Live Music Act came into effect in October, meaning pubs are now able to provide live music with less red tape. m46_december 2012_9

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money & business broadcasting in flux

copyright hub news in brief project begins

James Lancaster, former Head of Rights and Business Affairs at the BBC, has been appointed to chair a Copyright Licensing Steering Group (CLSG) to oversee work to implement proposals outlined in Richard Hooper’s Copyright Works paper.

New broadcast technology and an appetite for content on-the-go is presenting more opportunities for music creators – as long as PRS for Music continues to get the relationships between music creators and music users right.

While ‘linear’ or simultaneous broadcasting still accounts for the vast majority of our TV and radio consumption, we are moving into an ‘on-demand’ world where we can watch or listen to what we like, when we like, wherever we like. This means that increasingly, broadcasters need more and more rights in order to fully exploit the content they create and give consumers the choices they want. For PRS for Music, the challenge is to secure the appropriate value for these additional rights within licences which are administratively simple to operate and which give writers and publishers appropriate controls as to how their music is used.

So what does the future hold for broadcasting? This is an important question for collecting societies and their members. Read the Essential Broadcast Guide for Members, written by Andy Harrower, PRS for Music’s Head of Broadcast Licensing, to find out about the changing face of broadcasting and the implications for music creators.

This article was first published in BASCA’s The Works magazine and is available in full at m-magazine.co.uk.

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The report - based on Ian Hargreaves’ government-sponsored review of intellectual property laws and published earlier this year recommended the creation of a hub or exchange to streamline processes surrounding copyright licensing. The hub should make it easier for users to legally access rights and ensure that creators are rewarded when their works are used.

Robert Ashcroft, Chief Executive PRS for Music, welcomed the news of the appointments of Lancaster and Dr Ros Lynch, a member of the Senior Civil Service in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to oversee the work. ‘As previously stated, we believe that the Copyright Hub recommended by Hooper could place Britain at the very centre of the global, online market for the creative industries. Coupled with industry efforts for a Global Repertoire Database, it will prove to be a critical building block in what must inevitably be an international project,’ he explained.

Dr Lynch is to head up an industry funded office to lead work on undertaking many of the recommendations in the Copyright Works report.

revised code of conduct Following a consultation with members, customers, trade associations and other interested parties, PRS for Music has updated its Code of Conduct.

The new code covers all aspects of membership including PRS and MCPS and also its wide customer base from small businesses to its biggest music users. The new code aims to streamline processes across the business and provide a high level of service to all of those it deals with.

In 2011 the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property and Growth recommended that all collecting societies adopt codes of conduct for their customers and members. PRS for Music first launched a code for general licensing back in 2009 and was also the first to launch a membership code in 2010.

British music revenue abroad doubles.

Royalty income from British music abroad has more than doubled in the last decade, PRS for Music research revealed. Revenue earned from the use of British music overseas increased by £100m between 2002 and 2011. International revenues hit £187.7m, up by 10.6 percent on £169.6m in 2010. The study showed that the UK is now one of only three countries in the world that is a net exporter of music alongside the US and Sweden.

UK chart celebrates 60th anniversary.

Music fans have bought 3.7bn singles since the birth of the Official Singles Chart 60 years ago. The research, released to celebrate the chart’s 60th anniversary, claimed that this number of physical singles could fill London’s O2 Arena more than 185,000 times.

Further findings showed that in the 2000s, single sales hit 683m. The current decade is expected to the biggest yet for singles - 500 million (99 percent digital) have been sold with seven years still to go.

Asian Music Publishing launches. Asian Music Publishing (AMP) has signed a global sub-publishing and administration deal with Bucks Music. AMP is the first independent publishing company dedicated to representing the writers, composers and producers of Asian music. The company is aiming to encourage new international collaborations with Asian songwriters. Co-founder Terri Mardi said AMP is focused on generating ‘license and royalty income streams for our writers, creators and copyright owners’.

New UK digital content portal launches.

A new digital portal has been set up to help consumers legally access content on the internet. The Content Map will sign post the best online services for music fans to stream, download, share and save content in the cloud. Users will be able to find these sites by clicking on an icon on the website - this will link directly to an external site or service.

Members of the Alliance for Intellectual Property are behind the new portal.

Winter heating scheme. The PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund is running a winter heating scheme during the colder months. The fund will do its best to help elderly, sick or vulnerable members and their dependants who are worried about their heating bills. Help is given in conjunction with any state aid available. For further information contact fund@prsformusic.com.

View the new code at: prsformusic.com/ codeofconduct m46_december 2010_11

comment & debate what happened to live music on tv?

Mark Cooper, Creative Head, BBC Music Entertainment

As Head of Music Entertainment at the BBC I often get asked about that great British music institution, Top of the Pops. Will we bring the weekly series back? Why did we pull it? People get really nostalgic about the programme me included, I love it. But the circumstances that created Top of the Tops have changed forever. People who don’t think that are being sentimental. We’ve all grown up and we’ve all changed. You’d love Top of the Pops to exist and so would I, but would you tune in every week?

When 18 million people watched it in the 70s it was the only game in town and television was everything. But it’s such a different world now.

By the end of its Friday evening run on BBC1, Top of the Pops was attracting two and a half million viewers. The One Show, which is now in that slot, gets five million. The BBC has a duty beyond viewing figures to offer music programming and it is proud to do that, but on BBC1 your job is to appeal to mainstream Britain.

It’s certainly a tough environment for performance-based music programming these days, but I think that’s always been the case.

What has changed is the media landscape; when I started there was a very healthy kids TV and Saturday morning television culture. But music programming and Saturday kids TV in the old sense has died. That’s not to say that British broadcasters don’t make some great music programmes. The X Factor is a hugely powerful show and there are some great documentaries and Audience Withs on ITV. People have a very forced nostalgia about music programming and believe there used to be loads of it – but there never was. For instance, there hasn’t really been much dedicated live music on the BBC since the end of The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1987. The Late Show was probably the 12_december 2012_m46

one place that did it for a long time. Meanwhile Channel 4 tried a lot of music shows after The Tube ended, including Wired, Naked City, Big World Café and an awful lot more. None have stuck in the way The Tube did. I think performance-based music shows were imperilled then and imperilled now. They are a niche in broadcasting terms.

But underneath it all, music programming should be the same as any other programming - it’s about human stories. Generally, our task at the BBC is to find the human aspect to music stories on terrestrial and digital television and to encourage an audience that feels compelled to them. It’s no different from someone making a history or science programme.

Audiences love stories about bands and want to hear from people who go on a journey together.

The area in which the BBC has really grown recently is in documentaries and themed nights on BBC4, which have been incredibly successful.

Audiences love stories about bands and want to hear from people who go on a journey together. All our Britannia films on BBC4 and programmes on BBC2 such as I’m in a Boy Band or I’m in a Rock n’ Roll Band concentrate on these journeys. This type of programming is really important to British cultural life and to songwriters and musicians alike. Creators take their culture really seriously, and rightly so.

They’ve helped shaped people’s perceptions of this country and there’s huge emotional warmth for what they do.

It’s clear that the public is just as engaged with music as it ever was but I’m not so sure TV is the platform that people engage with it on. I think the way we engage with music as a nation has changed and we need to acknowledge that and keep innovating. There has been a vast proliferation of choice. The whole rise of music videos on YouTube means you can see anything you want from around the world whenever you want. Appointment-to-view music programming is becoming less popular, so it’s harder to get people to sit down at a certain moment to watch a music show.

Perversely, there are more hours dedicated to music programming on TV now than in 1990 when I first worked on Channel 4’s Wired programme. If you just take the BBC festival coverage, between the terrestrial hours dedicated to that, the red button content and online coverage, there’s a huge amount of programming – more than there was in The Old Grey Whistle Test years.

Mark Cooper is Creative Head of BBC Music Entertainment, the department responsible for much of the corporation’s popular music coverage.

His signature strand is Later… With Jools Holland, which he conceived with Jools Holland and director Janet Fraser Crook in 1992. Mark also instigated the BBC’s TV festival coverage, bringing Glastonbury to the small screen in 1997. This has now been extended to cover many of the major UK festivals.

Mark and his department oversee live sessions for BBC Four, BBC1 and Red Button, and produce Top of the Pops 2 and Top of the Pops Christmas edition. They have also produced the long-running Britannia music series.

forum

Beethoven’s nine symphonies, why have you chosen that one? What is it about that one which makes it different?

What was Beethoven doing at the time of writing it?

Who commissioned it? You can take those facts and treat them in an artistic way, without losing any element of finesse and precision to the musical performance.

reinventing classical music Edward Farmer, Conductor and Director, London Arts Orchestra When I first started going to orchestral concerts I noticed that the music was presented without any real explanation. Unless you’d studied the history of music you might not really understand the significance of whichever Beethoven symphony you happened to be listening to. It felt like classical concerts were an exclusive club and unless you were involved in orchestral music you were on the outside.

When I was going through university and music college I spent a lot of time composing for theatre and, after graduating, started working in film. There is a lot that goes on in those worlds that I think classical music can learn from. Both disciplines use visual and aural media to enhance your experience of an evening. That can apply to an orchestral concert too. You go to the Royal Shakespeare Company to watch old literature being performed in the most fantastic three dimensional way and browse an art gallery while listening on a pair of headphones to biographical details and interesting stories about the artwork. I’m experimenting with some of those methods in orchestral concerts.

Let’s create and promote orchestral experiences where we assume no prior knowledge from audience members; where they don’t need to do anything before they walk through the door because we will deliver a complete concert experience.

Cross-arts performance is a real buzz phrase at the moment. One thing I’m very keen to do is make sure we’re not dumbing things down. Whatever you’re doing, whether its serious or light hearted repertoire, you should treat it with same level of engagement. You need to offer a point of entry for audiences. If you are performing one of

We shouldn't just accept that classical music is a niche art

There is always demand for ‘pure’ musical performance; undiluted, undisturbed, traditional. But I do believe there is a place for both types of concert. As a musician, I love going to hear London’s finest musicians performing, to shut my eyes and just listen. But at the same time there are people who find that particular concert environment intimidating or dull. We need to change this perception.

We should be aiming to attract as many people as possible.

At the moment, orchestras generally do one performance of a particular programme. That’s due to lack of demand.

We should create demand by creating more performances that are engaging to more people. It’s about encouraging a wider cross section of society to enjoy classical music as an experience. At the moment its polarised; you either have Classical Spectacular with canons or uninterrupted Mahler Symphony without one single word spoken.

A way of engaging people is by playing more recently composed and culturally relevant music. London Arts Orchestra just performed the War Horse suite by Adrian Sutton; a fantastic piece of orchestral music rearranged from the score to the sell out National Theatre production.

Playing new music is a fantastic way of getting people into orchestral music as an art form.

I think there are two types of composer that come out of the music college education system in this country; those that take the artistic route and those that take the commercial route. When I talk to my friends they tell me of all the millions of people who have listened to the film score they have produced. Then I talk to the classical composers and they tell me how two hundred people attended their one premiere performance. Of course, the numbers alone don’t mean everything, but I do think more can be done to take an amazing art form to more people. We live in a world where more people listen to orchestral music than ever before – through its use in film and videogames – but we must bring that audience to the concert hall. We shouldn’t just accept that classical music is a niche art and think that it’s OK that only a few people understand it and go to the concerts.

It takes two to tango. It’s about the orchestras taking a brave approach to programming and actively looking for pieces by current composers that will engage audiences.

It’s also about the composers; there are some for whom the number of people in the audience just isn’t a consideration. Many create music that can seem academic and impenetrable, which is fine, but if the result is that it only gets one performance in their lifetime, is it really worth the effort?

More of the composers on the commercial side in theatre and cinema need to be looking at the orchestral scene in Britain – all the fantastic new orchestras being created alongside the old orchestras – and writing

music for the concert stage. I often think, ‘What would Mozart be doing if he was alive now?’ He’d probably be writing film music! But I’m sure he’d also be finding opportunities for his music to be performed on a concert platform. So much amazing music is written for films and then just disappears. People should hear that, and hear it as music that isn’t drowned in sound effects. It would be great for composers to also think about the performance as a reason to compose. Writing pieces that include a narrative or scene setting is certainly nothing new, but it’s a tried and tested method of reaching many more people through music.

I am perhaps caught between two worlds - that of the traditional musician addicted to the buzz of high level musical performance, and that of the cross-arts enthusiast who understands the exciting relationship between music and storytelling. Whatever the mix may be, I hope contemporary composers and performers continue to look beyond the status quo because it will enliven and enrich orchestral music in Britain.

Edward Farmer is a British conductor, composer and co-founder of the London Arts Orchestra. Since it’s formation in 2009, the orchestra has experimented with visual media and theatre to create inventive concert experiences. Previously, he was a member of a Royal Opera House composer scheme to develop music with its singers and musicians. He has also written music for short films, documentaries and theatre shows.

After first studying as a pianist and double bassist, Edward attended the composition class of the Royal College of Music with the support of a Constant and Kit Lambert Scholarship, the Kit and John Gander Award and the Worshipful Company of Musicians. m46_december 2012_13

JOHN WRIGHT

Main image: Devlin

FUTURE

Chantelle Fiddy discovers how UK hip-hop came to conquer much more than just the charts.

The British hip-hop scene isn’t what it once was, that’s for sure.

Plan B, now three albums deep and with a couple of films under his belt, can be heard offering commentary over the BBC Radio 4 airways. Meanwhile, doing ‘an Ed Sheeran’ - setting up your project by successfully collaborating with rappers and emcees on an album - has become a marketing term in its own right.

Amplify Dot looks set to be leading the new female charge, having signed to Virgin earlier this year. Similarly it was Birmingham’s own Lady Leshurr (published by EMI for near on three years) who demolished Urban Development’s last MOBO Tour. She offered up more energy on the stage than Lil Wayne and a shot of e-numbers. Unsurprisingly, Busta Rhymes is a fan.

If you’re in your early 20s or younger, you would indeed be forgiven for thinking the urban stars have always shone bright, what with Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder, Wretch 32, Professor Green, Devlin et al hogging the limelight over the past few years.

The numbers are pretty impressive too. In 2010 Tinchy’s own Star in the Hood clothing range, then available in over 100 stores nationwide, grossed more than £1m. This year he‘s collaborated with Goji on a range of headphones, selling at between £29 and £69 a pair. Then there’s the music. Take Tinie Tempah; as well as enjoying international success, his debut album Disc-Overy spurned seven hit singles. He’s already performed at Glastonbury

with Snoop, collaborated with Wiz Khalifa and Kelly Rowland, and actually sold some albums while he’s at it. Not bad for a boy who used to run his own blog and mailing list.

As for Wretch, the rapper that nobody thought ‘looked right’ for the commercial game, he now boasts one of the best bands on the live circuit, The Team, and the chart hits to go with it.

Put that in your Traktor and ride it. While Devlin has quite possibly become the modern man’s Paul Weller-cross-Eminem, barely a month goes by without Music Week mentioning another business deal entered into by Professor Green - Doritos and Puma for starters.

But, of course, it wasn’t always like this. Kids, there used to be a time when Tim Westwood’s show was 90 percent US hip-hop.

Tis true. When Kano, then signed to 679 Recordings for his debut Home Sweet Home, made it onto Westwood’s BBC Radio 1 show in 2005, it was a BIG deal. You see, a decade ago our US counterparts really did rule the roost - Snoop Dogg, Slick Rick, Jay-Z, Nas - were we putting out music anywhere near as good? Hardly. Are we today? Definitely. Admittedly acts like Skepta, Wiley and Sway may find themselves having to take a more dance-led direction to finally enjoy the commercial success that critics have long had them down for, but the music still talks volumes.

Pull quote

M46_DECEMBER 2012_15

Top left: Amplify Dot Right: Tinie Tempah Bottom left: Mikill Pane

Now in my early thirties, even the supposed forefathers, the very foundations of hip-hop in this here green and pleasant land, passed me by. I’ve since been schooled on the massive achievements of stalwarts like The London Posse back in the 1980s, who at one point played before Nelson Mandela. But it was Fallacy, Fusion, Roots Manuva, Skinnyman, Rodney P and Klashnekoff that were fighting to be heard on Kiss 100 amid the UK garage and subsequent emcee-led style that was taking hold of inner cities. As record deals crumbled in garage’s wake, UK rap as a commercial entity was effectively dead.

Nowadays, the entire landscape has changed. Grime, rap, is there even a difference anymore? It was evolution in the rapping art form coupled with the growth of social networking that saw a ritual ditching of traditional American idiosyncrasies in favour of the all-embracing multicultural Brit. With a generation of emcees who’d grown up around jungle and sound system culture, as well as admiring the abilities of Eminem, 50 Cent and co, the melting pot really began to boil in the late 00s. And today we get to call it the UK rap industry.

The role the internet plays in the continued growth is apparent. It’s indeed the rap industry that has, for years, unintentionally set the pace when it comes to online marketing agendas. As DJ Semtex explained to me last year, much of the power lies in a collective approach to services like Twitter. ‘Everyone on our scene is working together artists, DJs, journalists, bloggers and fans. Collectively we push the same iTunes link for an artist on the day of release.

Everyone wants to see each other succeed - even artists that don’t like each other are encouraging their following to buy their rivals’ music - that’s got to be worth at least several thousand sales on a Sunday afternoon.’

One such example is Boy Better Know record label boss JME, aka Jamie Adenuga. While more of the commercially successful artists have shunned the organic grime and rap sound that took them to pirate radio in the first place, acts like JME still exist in all of their authenticity. His track 96 F**Kries from earlier this year was reportedly just ten sales short of entering the UK Top 40. For a song with no chorus or structure, it was a big statement.

With a financially sustainable underground scene running parallel to the mainstream antics, those artists with big YouTube hits or mixtapes are given a leg up to make money on the live circuit. How unsigned rappers like north Londoner Joe Black, whose online-only Reallionaire mixtapes have notched up over 100,000 downloads, achieve nearly a million views on a video they tweet just once has many well-paid executives scratching their heads. But the challenge for artists like Joe, who’s now working on his debut album, is converting the views into sales.

‘We’re looking at ways to deliver the product directly to the audience,’ explains Ashley McDermott, A&R manager at Urban Development, where a recent deal with Bucks Music is allowing the company to develop, publish and release acts with a fresh approach. ‘There are distribution channels that while not necessarily chart eligible will give us the sales we need to make an impact on the live circuit and beyond. The strategy we have in place for Reallionaire: the Album isn’t that dissimilar to what a label would do, but when it comes out in early 2013, we’ll be looking at fan-led incentives, and putting the product directly in the consumers hand at shows. We don’t expect to sell 100,000 copies but if we can translate 10 percent of downloads into sales, we’ll be very happy.’

FUTURE

Another act that the tastemakers have their eyes fixed on is Mikill Pane, who’s been waiting in the wings for many-a-year.

In the past six months he’s secured a deal with Mercury Records and was signed to Bucks Music by its new A&R Director Sarah Liversedge. He’s a witty wordsmith; his photos and accompanying captions on Instagram are enough to rival anything The Sun’s subs have to offer, and have allowed his star to rise both online and on the live circuit.

Finding ways to utilise the technology that many major labels have long since fought against has revolutionised the ever-growing capitalist set-up of the rap industry in this country. While a decade a go, a job at Touch Magazine, Hip Hop Connection or RWD was one of the few career options you had in the urban music industry, we now have the American infrastructure we long envied. Friends become managers, stylists, social media assistants, grass roots PRs, A&R, brand consultants, directors, entrepreneurs… Its the bigger picture.

One such example is Jamal Edwards, 22, better known as the founder of SB.TV, whose strap line boasts ‘the UK’s leading youth broadcaster’.

‘Suddenly the bio on Edwards’ Twitter account – media mogul – doesn’t seem like an exaggeration...’ says The Sunday Times. ‘SB.TV’s Jamal is grime’s Simon Cowell…’ adds Dazed & Confused. With Richard Branson on speed dial, it’s hard to believe that just a few years ago Edwards was a one-man band, gushing over his work experience placement with the BBC. Having begun his career as an aspiring footballer and emcee, it was a college course in Media & Moving Image that saw Jamal edge closer to his actual beginnings as an entrepreneur. Juggling filming on his £20 NEC phone with a part-time job at Topman, events unfolded on his estate when he began filming his friends rapping.

‘I’d wake up in the morning and I’d film myself but then I realised music channels weren’t playing what people wanted to hear,’ Edwards explains. ‘They weren’t supporting the scene like they do now… I just wanted to create a platform where I could push all these good artists. Showcase talent not status, as my colleague Liam would say’. Last year also saw the launch of Just Jam, Edwards’ own record label imprint over at Sony.

The channel, credited with launching Ed Sheeran’s career, has also tipped Chepstow’s finest Elro, who’s now signed to 679 Recordings and working with Mike Skinner and The D.O.T. Even listening to a selection of Elro’s bars gives a real indicator as to the variety of styles now been channelled in the UK rap scene: ‘Cause I’m a chilled out drunk when I drink right/ And I’m aware of the fact my body ain’t built for the fight night/ But it gives me a chance to relax and forget the fact that I’m tall and white/ But a bottle of vodka neat later/ I keep drinking that ego inflater/ I start thinking I’m Brad Pitt only less chiseled and more tragic…’

With more upcoming bloggers and videographers following in SB.TV’s wake, it’s clear to see that UK hip-hop has surfaced and is here to stay. The burgeoning scene can safely harbour both boundary-pushing and populist songwriters, producers and publishers. And, while the world watches the likes of Tinchy Stryder, Wretch 32 and Tinie Tempah leading the pack with their shrewd, progressive attitude to success, their ambition is obviously catching on at home.

For more, including Chantelle’s hip-hop playlist go online

m-magazine.co.uk M46_DECEMBER 2012_17

REAL STEEL

2012 has been a classic year for Richard Hawley - Christopher Barrett talks to the troubadour about his new sound, Sheffield and why missing out on the Mercury (again) meant he couldn’t afford a new shed…

Richard Hawley’s solo output has long resonated romance and realism in equal measure. But his Mercury Music Prize-nominated album, Standing At Sky’s Edge (published by Universal Music Publishing), saw the velvet voiced singersongwriter make a stylistic volte-face - his career has soared in a whole new trajectory ever since.

‘Being an older musician with a past doesn’t give me the excuse to sit on my comfy arse, that’s deadly for a writer. I wanted to push myself into a new mental space and widen the ground I stood on; you can’t do that by staying the same. It was time to move on,’ says Richard.

With guitars and emotions turned up to 10, Standing At Sky’s Edge mixes everything from psychedelia to politics and raw rock riffs to rustic references.

Richard’s muse was, as usual, his native Sheffield and with echoes of The Stooges and Spiritualized in the mix, the results are an album that is both euphoric and entrancing.

Following its May release, Standing At Sky’s Edge received widespread critical acclaim and debuted at number three, a new chart high for the Steel City songsmith.

Now in his mid-forties, Richard has been wielding his guitar on stage since he was 14. There have been stints with bands Treebound Story, the Longpigs, Pulp and rockabilly act The Feral Cats. He has seven solo studio albums under his belt alongside collaborations with an array of artists ranging from Lisa-Marie Presley to All Saints. He has also stepped up to the production desk for albums by the likes of Duane Eddy and Tony Christie.

There is no doubt Richard’s career has had its fair share of highs and lows, but 2012 is proving to be something of a vintage year. As it draws to a close, so does Richard’s most successful European tour to date. It has seen him sell out shows across the continent including, for the first time, London’s 5,000-capacity Brixton Academy.

Then of course there was the Mercury Music Prize. From 12 September, when the nominations were announced, to the moment the doors opened on the ceremony nearly two months later, Richard remained firmly among the favourites with odds never straying far from 4-1.

PROFILE

I’m not exactly mainstream material and I don’t intend to change that, ever

M46_DECEMBER 2012_19

I was very lucky; I stand on the shoulders of giants

Above: Richard Hawley, Shepherds Bush Empire 2008

Of course, Richard had been there and not done it before. He was denied a Mercury victory in 2006 when his album Coles Corner was overlooked in favour of Arctic Monkeys’ debut set Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. ‘Someone call 999, Richard Richard’s been robbed!’ quipped Alex Turner when collecting the award. It was a gracious nod to his Sheffield brethren that Richard remains grateful for to this day.

‘Coles Corner got nominated and that was more than enough for me somebody has got to win it and it was the Monkeys’ time. I was really glad for them. Alex said what he said in his speech and that didn’t exactly do me any harm,’ says Richard.

When it comes to missing out on the Mercury prize for a second time, Richard says he was more than happy simply to ‘turn up for the buffet’. But it has meant him abandoning a plan to invest the winnings in a new shed. It was a suitably unpretentious intention for a man whose outlook and songwriting remain firmly focused on the nuts and bolts of reality.

As with all Richard’s album titles, Standing At Sky’s Edge references his beloved Sheffield. Sky Edge is a hillside area, with views over the city, once blighted by crime-ridden council estates.

When he was a boy Richard used to play at Sky Edge and the title track tells of desperation, prostitution, robbery and murder.

Non-too happy with the current political situation, Richard says the song is a ‘metaphor for where we’re at as a society’ and that the album was heavily influenced by a fear of the things he loves being lost forever.

‘Things are being set in train by greedy politicians and irresponsible businessmen that will seriously fuck us up. These people are an evil cancer in our world; they are nearly as bad as arms dealers.

A civilised society, by definition, cares for its sick and elderly,

21_DECEMBER 2012_M46

nourishes and cherishes the young but this isn’t happening on any level that I can see.

The riots are the tip of the iceberg. If you don’t educate folks and give them a purpose they revert to pre-civilised behaviour. I see it everywhere I look; the petrol bombs are being lit all over the country,’ he explains.

As for the album’s rockier sound, to the fore on singles Leave Your Body Behind You and Down In The Woods, Richard explains that it was driven by a desire to use his guitar playing as the main focus of the album.

‘Once that door was opened, the influence of a zillion guitar players I’d absorbed over the years came into being. It was really liberating and a shit load of fun to do,’ he says.

The result is a far cry from the genteel charm of much of Richard’s back catalogue. But, amid the howling guitar solos and heaving riffs are lyrics laced with references amorous and arboreal, most apparent on The Wood Collier’s Grave and Down In The Woods.

‘I’ve always been a nature boy at heart as well as an inner-city dweller.

My grandfather passed on a deep love of the Peak District and nature in general to me. You are never far away from the ancient greenwood in Sheffield,’ he enthuses.

Richard admits that he often finds songwriting inspiration while taking his dog Fred for a stroll amongst the local flora and fauna.

‘Walking shuts off the pragmatic side of my mind and I drift off into a kind of dreaming. I don’t want to try and explain it further; don’t mess with the song genie she might go away,’ he says.

While Richard enthusiastically experimented with a new guitarfueled sound on Standing At Sky’s Edge, lyrically it appears nothing will deter him from staying true to his native Sheffield and working class upbringing.

PROFILE Check out our Richard Hawley inspired playlist

m-magazine.co.uk

Born into a musical family, Richard first picked up the guitar at a young age - by 14 he was already gigging overseas with the Chuck Fowlers Band.

Richard’s father, Dave, was a steelworker who played guitar in local bands including The Black Cats and touring acts such as Little Walter and John Lee Hooker. Meanwhile, Uncle Frank was firmly established as one of Sheffield’s great guitarist while his grandfather was a music hall violinist. ‘I was very lucky; I stand on the shoulders of giants,’ says Richard.

In 2007 Richard recorded the album Lady’s Bridge. At the time his father’s health was deteriorating and Dave Richard’s eventual death influenced the sombre mood of his son’s follow-up set Truelove’s Gutter. One of Richard’s most treasured possessions is his father’s ‘65 Gretsch Tennessean guitar which he keeps by his side on tour.

‘That’s a beautiful guitar. I can feel dad’s hands on that instrument.

It’s pretty much all I’ve got left of him so I treasure it and look after it so my kids can play it too one day. Maybe they’ll feel my hands on it,’ says Richard.

Whatever new sounds Richard chooses to embrace, his love of rockabilly remains as firmly in place as his trademark quiff. Ongoing endeavours with rockabilly act The Feral Cats appear to be a welcome distraction from the day job. ‘I do for its own sake, just for the fun and love of it, without any pressure,’ he says.

Richard’s love of sharing time and ideas with other artists has led to some interesting collaborations - this year alone he has worked with

the BBC Philharmonic, Arctic Monkeys and Lisa-Marie Presley.

‘I just love fooling around with songs and guitars. It’s a real pleasure for me to see something appear out of nothing. I think it’s why the arts are so undervalued; they can’t be measured,’ he enthuses.

More than three decades have passed since Richard first started on a career path that has seen him move from session musician and band member to star of the show.

He certainly appears to be enjoying the spotlight. On stage at Brixton in October, Richard told the audience that prior to that gig he had always been ‘the bridesmaid, never the bride’.

‘It was just a bit of a laugh I had with the audience but it was true in a way. I never thought I’d sell that gig out. I’m not exactly mainstream material and I don’t intend to change that, ever,’ he says.

Proud, pragmatic and not a little charismatic, Richard has produced an impressive body of work with a near timeless quality. He has had a lengthy and uncompromising musical career and as 2012 draws to a close it’s one that has never looked in better health.

Does he have any tips for aspiring young songwriters? Perhaps unsurprisingly, Richard suggests they keep their feet firmly on the ground and do not stray from their chosen path.

‘Decide where you want to go musically, stick to the plan and never compromise, because if you make it by compromise you’ll never be happy with your success; it wont have any joy or meaning.’

M46_DECEMBER 2012_21

HOW TO MIX

BUSINESS AND BEATS Dance music’s profile has never been higher - growing numbers of electronic artists, tracks and club nights emerge each week. Jim Ottewill asks if dance music producers and songwriters are doing enough to make sure every beat counts, both on the dancefloor and in their bank balance.

EVERY MUSIC SCENE has its ‘big bang’ moment - electronic music’s was the ‘energy flash’ of acid house which coursed through the UK in the late eighties.

the correct creators - challenges include the accurate registering of compositions with PRS for Music, the collection of performing data from clubs and live events and the effective licensing of dance music in international markets.

That energy crashed through the doors of pop culture, opening them wider than they’d ever been before. Fast forward 25 years and the ongoing digital evolution is creating almost endless possibilities for the dance music community. Electronic songwriters and composers can make, release, distribute and promote music without leaving the house.

Registering of compositions John Truelove, the creative force behind his own Truelove Publishing and chair of the group, says that the evolution of musical formats from physical vinyl to digital and the growing use of online retailers have created these concerns for dance music artists – particularly when it comes to the timely receipt of royalties.

But this shifting landscape also raises a question. Can these artists successfully balance their musical and business assets? Revenue generated by dance music needs to pump from studios through dancefloors, radios and retailers and back into the pockets of creators. Otherwise, these music makers may have to look elsewhere to sustain themselves.

Challenges PRS for Music’s Director of Membership and Rights, Mark Lawrence and Truelove Publishing’s John Truelove have established a working group to tackle the challenges facing the electronic music community. The group, including music publishers and label representatives, wants to engage with more dance music writers to increase awareness of what they can do to ensure they are paid for their creativity.

Mark says: ‘Dance music was once the discerning underground music fan’s genre of choice. Now all that has changed - electronic dance music producers are now very much part of the mainstream – their music is everywhere.’

The group wants to ensure royalties from performance and mechanical sales reach

‘It’s all well and good to see one’s music used and critical success garnered,’ says Truelove, ‘but livelihoods depend on being paid. Getting money from digital downloads for composers and publishers is a very central concern at the moment, not just from exploitation in the UK but exploitation worldwide.’

Without the correct registration of compositions, collecting societies will struggle to match songwriting data with songwriters. Common mistakes from artists include registering incorrect edits or mixes of tracks or pseudonyms instead of the correct artist names – all can lead to errors or delays when payments are made.

These errors prevent artists from receiving the correct royalties, whether that be in the form of mechanical royalties from digital sales or from performance royalties. PRS for Music statistics show specialist dance programming made up 15 percent of broadcast hours on BBC Radio 1 in 2011 – however, 54 percent of the total value of unclaimed works for BBC Radio 1 was for music broadcast during these shows.

DANCE

Main image: Daniel Avery

‘People need to be told a more forcefully that there’s potential money waiting for them’

M46_DECEMBER 2012_23

Left: John Truelove Below: Mark Moore

‘But it’s definitely not part of the culture with new DJs. In fact, I know some quite big acts who haven’t registered any of their work.

I think people need to be told a bit more forcefully that there’s potential money waiting for them. I’m fortunate that my label now takes care of everything but I’m sure not everyone has this luxury.’

Tom Kelsey is part of independent drum n’ bass imprint Hospital and works with the likes of High Contrast and London Elektricity as well as newer artists such as Metrik.

He said that his imprint does its best to pave the way for new artists looking to starting off navigating their way through the complex business world. ‘At a label like Hospital we try and instil the right mindset into our artists as soon as we sign them,’ he explains.

Set list submissions So how do dance music producers make money from the performance of their songs in clubs or festivals? It’s obviously big business.

DJs are expected to submit their own set lists from performances from clubs or festivals to collecting societies such as PRS for Music – this enables the organisation to correctly distribute performing royalties to the music creators. However, DJs and producers suggest that this is not part of the current mindset existing in their community.

‘Getting money from digital downloads for composers and publishers is a very central concern Rising to the digital challenge So how do the dance music creators themselves see this digital challenge? Mark Moore, the man behind acid house act S’Express, who had a number one UK hit with Theme from S’Express in 1988, warns that when producers step off the dancefloor and into business, it’s easy for them to become lost. As he says, most producers working in the field of dance music do so to feed their creative impulses rather than fulfil long-term career plans.

‘I’ve established myself – so I have a publishing deal, a lawyer, an accountant – they’re all making sure my licensing and legal commitments are correct. But I’m sure there are a lot of people who don’t know about these things. If some people blow up, they won’t know about the next step. We’re talking about people who make music in their bedrooms.’

STEVE DOUBLE . SHAUN BLOODWORTH

Moore says creating a working relationship with a label or publisher is the most sensible action for dance music producers looking to navigate through these thorny issues – and the new breed of DJs and producers appear to agree.

Daniel Avery, resident DJ at London’s Fabric and recently signed artist to Erol Alkan’s Phantasy Sound label, is a new dance music producer to have made some serious waves in 2012. A series of key releases including the Water Jump and Need Electric EPs have culminated in a FabricLive mix for the club’s esteemed series - he says he would be none the wiser about making a living from creating music if it wasn’t for his label.

‘The second a track is finished, it gets properly registered at every level and in every territory. They also encouraged me to fill in set lists regularly and help them chase any inaccurately listed radio plays. As long as everything is done at an early stage, it shouldn’t be a problem and can only be a positive thing for someone like me.’

‘In my career I’ve submitted a set list only a handful of times – that’s terrible isn’t it? But you forget that you have to do it,’ says Moore.

PRS for Music figures show that dance music producers are less likely to submit set lists than their guitar-wielding counterparts. Statistics revealed that only 36.5 percent and 14.3 percent of set lists were collected for Creamfields and Glade festivals respectively in 2011.

This was compared to Reading last year, a predominantly guitarbased event, where 88.7 percent of set lists were shared. An average set list for a major dance festival such as Creamfields or Glade can be worth as much as £250.

DANCE

The power of performance Matt Walsh, producer, DJ and label manager at Clouded Vision, says it pays for producers to get out into the clubs as DJs. He and Avery regularly DJ together at their Movement club night in East London – and the pair agree that performance as a DJ is where certain revenues lie, although this doesn’t necessarily help songwriters.

Above: Coldcut Below: Toddla T

Walsh says: ‘Most new artists realise that their daily bread comes from the shows they play. I’m sure record labels have begun to take fees from live shows by now - if not they soon will.’

James Masters, one half of techno imprint Rekids, formed alongside Radioslave’s Matt Edwards, agrees that the emphasis is on producers leaving their studio and getting behind decks or playing live.

‘I try and encourage all of the artists I work with to understand that the focus of any income will be through their DJ or live performance fees. They really need to see physical product as a business card and digital product as social media,’ he explains.

How to mix business and beats It’s clear technology does afford great opportunities to release, promote and distribute music, but electronic producers need to be wary of the various pitfalls it creates, particularly as the genre continues to grow and the stakes get higher. Calvin Harris, Example and Hot Chip are indicative of acts who have taken electronic bleeps and beeps out of the club and into the mainstream.

Meanwhile on the other side of the pond, the rise of the ‘EDM’ juggernaut is seemingly unstoppable.

Adrian Kemp, from Ninja Tunes’ Justisntmusic - representing works by the likes of Toddla T and Coldcut - says that technological change should not be feared, particularly if artists align themselves with a reliable publisher and label.

‘Technology certainly poses certain administrative challenges but it’s not rocket science if you work with a decent publisher. It’s just about keeping pace with the new retail landscape. As publishers our job is to relieve the creatives of the administrative burden to leave them to what they do best. Which is make great music.’

Tom from Hospital believes that the future of the genre is in good hands.

The new generation are proving to be more savvy and business aware.

‘The busier and more popular an artist becomes, the less and less time they put into keeping on top of this sort of admin themselves. But a lot of new artists do come in to the scene with a real entrepreneurial

attitude. Sometimes they just need a bit of help and guidance with how to direct that energy.’

Mark Lawrence is optimistic about the group’s work and what the future holds for the electronic music ‘ecosystem’: ‘Discussions over digital recognition technology to improve the accuracy of DJ set reporting are currently taking place and PRS for Music is working with the International Music Summit in Ibiza to increase awareness of the importance of registering compositions.

‘The whole creative industry is underpinned by electronic music – it features heavily in television, advertising and film. And the live sector is growing. It is such an exciting time for electronic music writers and producers and one PRS for Music is right behind.’

Truelove agrees about the future of dance music looking bright: ‘It’s really exciting. We can get income from places that we’d never even dreamed we could. The whole digital thing is a blessing as much as bringing in new challenges.’

For the extended interviews, and more visit

m-magazine.co.uk M46_DECEMBER 2012_25

CHANGING PLACES:

women in music

We gathered some leading women in music to hear their experiences of working in a changing industry.

The current crop of high profile women in music seems to reflect a healthy and diverse industry. Emeli Sandé’s album Our Version of Events is the biggest-selling record of the year so far. Meanwhile, Adele has continued to dominate both sides of the Atlantic, the pinnacle of her year being the six awards she scooped at the Grammys back in February.

Closer to home, women songwriters received seven nominations in four of the judged Ivor Novello Award categories. They won three of those, and also picked up the Ivors Inspiration Award and Songwriter of the Year.

But behind the headlines, PRS for Music membership has a ratio of 13 percent female to 87 percent male, a figure that remains pretty constant among both new joiners and existing members. Sarah Rodgers, Chairman of the British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors (BASCA), says that her society’s membership is 20 percent female to 80 percent male. Meanwhile, the Music Producers’ Guild (MPG) is even more divided, with women making up less than four percent of its members.

M wanted to hear from some of the industry’s leading women about the current state of play. So we organised a round table to mull over the big issues currently facing women in music. It was attended by Shelly McErlaine (singer, songwriter, producer), Helienne Lindvall (songwriter, author, journalist), Adrienne Aiken (producer,songwriter, director at MPG), Paulette Long (PRS deputy chairman, Westbury Music director), Mandy Oates (director Eaton Music Publishing), Sarah Richardson (Head of Digital, Anorak PR) and Kelly Wood (live performance official, secretary to Gig Section, Musicians’ Union). Here’s what they had to say: M: How has the industry changed over the last decade?

Shelly: Since I’ve been in a band it’s totally changed. My first band was in the late 90s and I’ve worked with men and women across the industry. All attitudes have changed. Everyone’s more fearful of their jobs whereas back then money was thrown at anything.

Sarah: If you look at the role of a press officer these days, it’s very different because of digital technology. I deal with bloggers a lot and it’s all hidden behind email. Traditionally public relations (PR) was very much about building those personal relationships and taking clients out schmoozing.

Adrienne: Possibly there are more women in PR now because you can get on the phone or have a digital conversation – you don’t have to do the whole social thing in quite the same way.

Sarah: Yes, it’s pretty much unlimited now. There are so many blogs, websites, publications, you need to be better organised. It’s less about being seen at the right gigs, being out every night, being able to drink a lot...

Helienne: A&Rs don’t even go out to that many gigs any more. They look on YouTube to check out how many hits things are getting!

M: Which areas do you think are more male-dominated and why?

Adrienne: I am the first female producer on the board of Music Producers Guild – they voted me on because the odds are so low – especially within production. The engineers are 99 percent men – the only female live engineer I’ve met is me!

Kelly: I definitely deal more with men than women through the Musicians’ Union. Our membership is split 28 percent to 72 percent, female to male. From my perspective, there are women in certain pockets of the industry, such as PR or performance, but there are other areas where it’s probably around one percent. If you look at sound engineering and production, the figures are really low.

Shelly: But you need to know the technical side to be a songwriter these days.

Helienne: And it’s not that women are inherently bad producers; we’ve seen competent producers who are female. It’s just that women don’t even think about going into that field.

Kelly: Probably to a lot of college kids it looks like a man’s world. It can feel like they’re trying to get into something that isn’t really theirs.

Really it shouldn’t be an issue.

Sarah: If you look within the labels, the pockets of people who have relationships with the producers – the A&Rs for example – are predominantly male. Whether you like it or not, they have these little boys’ clubs. I’m good friends with male producers and they get a lot of work through being pally with A&R bosses.

Shelly: But that can work in our favour as well – I do it all the time too. It’s necessary to schmooze A&Rs. I don’t mean to say that I use my feminine wiles but I’m happy to go and party with the boys.

OVERSEAS FOCUS

Main image: Emile Sandé

M46_DECEMBER 2012_27

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FOCUS

Read the extended interviews, and share your views

m-magazine.co.uk

Clockwise from below: Mandy Oates, Paulette Long, Kelly Wood, Helienne Lindvall, Adrienne Aiken and Sarah Richardson.

I’ve never found it to be a man’s world, maybe because I’ve always run my own ship.

Paulette: Is that because you are a singersongwriter?

Shelly: I’m a producer as well, and the production world has completely changed. I know a lot of older men who call themselves producers but nowadays loads of songwriters are producers as well – you have to be. So if that’s the producer role these days, women are doing that and they’re good at it.

Mandy: I think the traditional roles have changed a lot too. In orchestras there are so many more women now, not so much within older age groups but if you go to the young orchestras they are often 60-40 female to male.

M: Do you think there are still perceived roles for men and women?

Adrienne: Yes. Whenever someone doesn’t know me sees me in the studio, the first thing they say is, ‘Are you the singer?’ It’s weird because I understand it – I have that perception when I see a woman in the studio. I’m just not used to seeing a girl in that role so you automatically make assumptions.

Paulette: One role that has changed is the artist manager. It’s become acceptable for women to do this and I’m seeing many more women managers these days.

M: Is it as easy for women to work their way to the top?

Paulette: While there are definitely more women than ever in the low and mid tiers of the music industry, there’s a third level at the top – the big boys – and women haven’t penetrated that. I think it’s generational and in the next 10 years we’ll move up and become part of the heavy pack.

Sarah: Even though there has been a seismic

shift within record labels over the past 10 years, at director level it’s still predominately male. Aside from that it feels really mixed in most departments.

Paulette: With regards to the perceived glass ceiling, I think a lot of women look at who is up there and what’s going on up there and decide not to do it!

Mandy: It’s not just in the music industry, it’s across all industries. I think it’s down to choice. Do you think the music business will ever become truly equal? Women might want families or not want the lifestyle that goes with being in music.

M: Does raising a family still present an obstacle for career women?

Paulette: The problems with regards to family are the result of the way different countries view family life.

Kelly: It’s the time away from the industry that represents a problem, as opposed to the return to work and juggling a family and job. The industry moves fast, and freelancers are aware that other people are happy to take on work they turn down during maternity leave. Whether that work comes back to them when they return is anyone’s guess.

Helienne: I’m from Sweden where attitudes are very different. Maternity and paternity rights and pay are much more equal and it doesn’t matter if you’re self employed or whatever, because the government takes care of it. It hasn’t always been like that: you can see a big difference in attitude with the younger generations.

M: How does the music industry differ from other businesses?

Shelly: It’s so fast moving that if you don’t keep up you can’t do it anymore. Music is changing all the time. I’m always scared of my position, everywhere.

Mandy: We look after 16 screen composers and two of them are women. We haven’t chosen it like that. It’s very hard to get into but I don’t think being male or female should make any difference. There are far fewer females that go in that direction, for one reason or another.

Paulette: There is a hole somewhere in the industry that we’re not quite covering, where the numbers of women seem to drop off somehow. They don’t get far enough to register with PRS for Music.

Adrienne: If the girls aren’t producing the demos they aren’t presenting their songs successfully to the A&Rs. They can’t manifest their ideas without getting in the studio and just doing it.

M: Are there any quick wins for women in music?

Paulette: Networking is very useful. We haven’t quite established the networking mentality yet, the guys are more used to doing that.

Helienne: Networking can bring women together and make them more successful in their roles as they share skills and tips.

Mandy: But I fear that may increase the divide.

There should be openness.

Shelly: At the moment we’ve got a lot of female artists so the charts are quite female heavy, which actually makes a topliner’s jobs easier. They need my vocals on the demos because there are more female artists which is great.

Kelly: I think it starts at the top and drips down. If we do all we can to redress the balance, it’s better than just expecting or hoping things will change.

Adrienne: This business has always been about who you know, more than just what you know, so communication and networking both within female groups and across the sexes is key to success.

M46_DECEMBER 2012_29

Whether you are just receiving your first royalty cheque or you’ve been writing music for years, BASCA can support your career!

BASCA campaigns in the UK, Europe and throughout the world on behalf of all members.

We are the UK’s independent association representing music writers in all genres, from songwriting, through to media, contemporary classical and jazz.

Our members include Sir Paul McCartney, Dizzee Rascal, Michael Nyman, Gary Barlow, David Arnold, Sir Elton John, Imogen Heap, Howard Goodall, John Powell, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Kate Bush, Chris Martin, and many more.

BASCA member events offer access to industry professionals and an invaluable opportunity to network with contemporaries.

Held within the members’ section of the BASCA website, professional resources available include advice sheets, sample contracts and agreements.

The professional services BASCA offers include an online collaboration service, a legal service, tax helpline and a digital record label.

www.basca.org.uk

SongLink

by Olly Betts

BESPOKE DRUM TRACKS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX! FOR A

FQUOTE REE WWW.DRUMSFORYOURSONGS.COM olly@drumsforyoursongs.com

The leading tipsheet for songwriters and music publishers, established in 1993 and still going strong. Every month we publish great leads detailing artists, labels, managers and producers worldwide who need songs or co-writers. Covers all styles of music including pop, rock, dance, R&B, country, MOR, jazz crossover, folk, blues etc. Leads sent by e-mail every month with interim updates. “Easily the best service of its type in the world” - Ed Chalfin, Magic Fire Music, New York City.

Cuesheet Sister publication to SongLink which details upcoming Film & TV productions in need of music, songs, full scores, cues etc. Sent twice a month by e-mail, our listings include leads from some of the industry’s top music supervisors and commissioners based in the UK/Ireland and USA/Canada. Covers all types of productions including major & indie feature films, TV drama & documentaries, plus the occasional advert, video games, web tv, etc. Contact us for a free sample issue today.

Special combo-discounts available if you subscribe to both services. Please note that unpub lished writers need subscription approval - send 2 sample works by MP3, web Links or CD.

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www.songlink.com • www.cuesheet.net

song writing

i wrote that

Sheffield synth-pop legends Heaven 17 are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their iconic second album, The Luxury Gap. Songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Martyn Ware recalls how they wrote the album’s second single and their biggest hit Temptation back in 1982.

We’d done well with our debut album Penthouse and Pavement so our record label Virgin were happy for us to go into any studio we wanted to record the follow up.

We opted for AIR Studios, which was located near Oxford Circus. At the time, it was one of the most expensive studios in Britain. People like Paul McCartney, Elton John and Roxy Music recorded in there. It was a nice, creative place to hang out and a very inspiring place to be. The irony of it was that most of the songs had been written on a keyboard in a portastudio in a little flat in Notting Hill. When we got in the big studio, we were allowed the luxury of arranging and experimenting with them in the best possible facilities. You can’t imagine a record label allowing that now.

One day during the recording period I woke up and had a flash of blinding inspiration – I wanted this song Temptation to resemble an Escher staircase of escalating inversions and chords, all in a major key.

It had to be like a soundtrack to a big epic Western film. I rang up the label and asked if we could get a 50 piece orchestra in for next Monday. Could we get an arranger? They agreed, which was amazing.

We got an arranger in called John Wesley Barker, who I’m still friends with now. We met and got along like a house on fire. He was obviously a bit of a maverick and agreed to work on the song with a brief to make it sound as epic as possible. At the same time, he’d worked on our previous singles Come Live With Me and Let Me Go. We went through a briefing session for the orchestra which referenced music by Ennio Morricone, other soundtracks and impressionistic music like Debussey.

A lot of our influences got thrown in the pot. I’ve got total admiration for John – he interpreted what we wanted and the end product was the epic sound of Temptation. His arrangement is a large part of what makes the song what it is.

The song started out as one of sexual tension which would subtly or not so subtly build and build throughout until the final release. We wrote the lyrics with enough openness to interpretation that people could populate it with their own meaning. It is different to being vague. If you imbue a song with enough metaphor, that touches enough people, then it will hopefully touch everyone. And that’s what we did with the lyrics and music – there are enough episodes there to keep people excited and interested throughout.

We always do things awkwardly – it’s just our way. We’re not traditional We initially did audition a few people for the female vocal and no one was really cutting it. Carol Kenyon was recommended by a mate of ours who’d heard her on a dance record – and she was amazing of course.

She didn’t write any of the song – just turned up for a session. Now it’s quite a common thing to have a featured vocalist on a dance record. But back then it was quite unusual. We always do things awkwardly – it’s just our way. We’re not traditional in a lot of senses.

The only way we could conceive her part was as a backing vocal – even though it features quite heavily in the track. Essentially we had written Temptation as a duet but we didn’t have a female singer. After we’d recorded her take and mixed it, we absolutely loved the song. We thought we had a stone cold hit on our hands. But the record company were very nervous because they didn’t have Carol Kenyon under contract.

They were against having her feature so heavily when she was not even part of the group. We were like, ‘Does it matter?!’ If it sells, everyone will be happy. I

don’t want to sound conceited but we just knew it was going to be a hit. Simon Draper from Virgin, who normally makes all the right decisions, was wrong in this case. He tried to give it to one producer to do a remix but it came back from him in an absolute mess.

We told Simon he had to trust us and put it out as a single. It wasn’t even the first single off The Luxury Gap album as Let Me Go had been. But Temptation was released, went on to sell three quarters of a million singles and was just narrowly beaten by New Edition’s Candy Girl to number one.

We always thought we were really pushing the boundaries – but what we wanted to do was create great pop music, which I think is a noble enterprise.

These days the term ‘pop’ has changed. I’ve got a 16-year-old and 14-year-old and they think the word is an insult. Which just about sums it up doesn’t it? For me that period between 1980 and 1985 was possibly the UK’s last golden age of innovative and creative songwriting.

Temptation Written by: Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory UK publishers: Virgin Music, EMI Virgin, Sound Diagrams, Warner Chappell m46_december 2012_31

sound effect the first music i remember hearing was…

Yiddish folk songs, sung to me by my grandfather as I sat on his knee. They made no sense to me but seemed so wonderfully exotic. Then my dad used to sing the Paul Simon Songbook to me when I was growing up, so luckily music was within the family.

the first record i ever bought was…

When I was 13 I joined one of those music clubs where you get five free CDs and I chose Michael Jackson Dangerous and Thriller, Madonna Erotica and some others I care not to publicly mention! All three albums I still love to this day, especially Dangerous which has maintained such a fresh and inventive sound.

the last great record i listened to was…

Sam Lee is a pioneering musician and songwriter who is changing the face of the British folk scene. His debut album Ground of its Own was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize this year.

Sam is also an award-winning promoter and his Nest Collective initiative offers a vital platform for both new and traditional folk musicians.

Members Fund M December 2012 halfpage advert.indd 1

32_december 2012_m46

I am in love with Gerry Diver’s Speech Project - a unique piece of work - but lately have fallen in love with trumpet player Ibrahim Maalouf ’s new album Diagnostic.

the song i wish i’d written is…

Joni Mitchell’s Old Furry Sings the Blues from her Hejira album. It’s a song that captures the decay of the old order and the relationship between new enthusiasts looking into this other world.

the song that makes me want to dance is…

I made a pact with myself when I was younger that if I

ever hear a Michael Jackson song I have to dance. It is a repaying of the debt I owe to him for learning how to dance from him.

the song that makes me cry is…

Whenever I hear songs sung by my late teacher Stanley Robertson (the Aberdeenshire traveller), and if it’s late and I’m tired or emotional, I struggle to stay dry-eyed at all.

the song i know all the words to is…

The Irish folk song Whiskey in the Jar, which I learned as a kid. The last verse goes: ‘Some folks take delight in their carriages a-rolling, some folks take delight in the hurly and the bowling, me I takes delight in the juice of the barley and courting pretty women in the morning bright and early’. I remember each moment in my growing life when the penny dropped on each line and that verse piece by piece made sense.

the song i want played at my funeral is…

I have saved a little song called The Linden Tree that will be my little requiem. One day I shall record it, but until then all I can say is that it’s a stunning and tiny little ode to the cycle of life I once found. It’s a gem.

www. samleesong.co.uk

29/11/2012 12:29:50

making music

sixty seconds When I booked Gregory Porter in 2011, it was his first UK appearance.

He was completely unknown.

Between the booking and his gig, he performed on Later... With Jools Holland and Jamie Cullum’s radio show. Suddenly he was a name. You could tell from the audiences - they weren’t the usual jazz crowd. It was a whole new set of people but those who could still really appreciate great live music. Maybe they wouldn’t even think about the improvisational element of it – but there certainly was and they loved the gig.

LARA LEIGH

There’s still a stigma attached to the genre suggesting that jazz is difficult to comprehend, as there’s little exposure to these artists and their music. It’s an old fashioned notion as the music isn’t like that - it really is with the times. There are just fewer chances for audiences to hear it and more importantly to see it, see the interaction between musicians and feel the excitement of a live performance.

Georgia Mancio is an award-wining vocalist, songwriter and organiser of London’s international voice festival, ReVoice! The annual event, which is now three years old, recently ran over nine nights featuring a host of musicians and singers from the world of jazz and beyond.

American jazz vocalist Gregory Porter played his first UK show at the event in 2011 while other high profile performances have come from the likes of Tuck & Patti, Raul Midón and Karin Krog. Georgia manages and promotes the festival as well as performs. She regularly sings at jazz events throughout the rest of the year and has released three solo albums on her own Roomspin Records.

What are the main concerns facing the jazz genre?

The age of the audience. In London you get a younger, more diverse crowd but elsewhere there doesn’t seem to be this sense of renewal.

Musicians are getting more professional from a younger age because of the college route. The standard of playing is also very high

and there is a wealth of amazing talent out there. However, it feels like the audiences are the same ones from 15-20 years ago. What do we do when that generation is no longer around? How do we attract a younger audience and more interest in the art form? That’s a key problem.

A TV appearance has a huge impact on the make up of an audience.

London’s jazz scene seems in good health. Is it the same outside of the capital?

Manchester and Birmingham and certain places in Scotland have very strong scenes - there’s a lot going on. However, it does seem to be London-centric. Many musicians move down to London and it is where events get talked about in the press. Scenes elsewhere probably get a little bit forgotten about.

Despite this, there is a healthy amount of people playing, wanting to learn about and wanting to hear the music. Even if it is just a bit London-heavy - the scene needs to expand and reach new people. It’s certainly not for the lack of great artists all over the country making and playing the music.

Is there anything which can improve its health?

The change to the Live Music Act [which removed the need for small venues in England and Wales with a capacity of 200 or less to require local authority permission to host live music between 8am and 11pm] should be a bit of a lifeline for those who wanted to have music but were put off before. Previously, we definitely lost venues who didn’t

think it was worth their while paying for it. I’m hopeful that this change might make up for what’s been going on with the recession – there’s definitely been a loss of work.

The problem in the UK is in the culture of listening to this music.

We’re so centred on pop music and have been since the 60s. There’s just something about the appreciation of jazz music. In Europe it’s something to take notice of, to applaud and respect. Here there just isn’t that mindset. People will go to rock and classical shows – but there isn’t a cultural context for this music in-between. That’s the fundamental problem. Until we have that woven into the cultural fabric, jazz musicians are always going to be the ones stuck in the bar who you can talk over.

The ReVoice! festival saw you sing with a different performer every night. Does this collaborative spirit impact your songwriting?

I’m working on some writing now fresh out of ReVoice! and I think there is a subliminal impact. At the festival I mainly work with just one other artist each night which means it’s a really intense conversation.

The sonic landscape we create definitely informs more than just my performance - I think it has a linguistic and melodic influence too as I’m still carrying these artists’ ideas around in my head. That suits my way of writing.

Is there much new jazz material being written and released?

Absolutely! I think jazz has always been at the forefront of songwriting by the very nature of improvising which is in effect instant composition. There are so many talented jazz musicians working at the moment and the music is getting ever more sophisticated.

Writing is definitely a big strand to musical development and I think jazz is sub-dividing more and more, meaning its influences are broader than ever.

To read the full interview with Georgia go online

m-magazine.co.uk

m46_december 2012_33

picture this

making music

got a photo to share and a story to tell? magazine@prsformusic.com

Former Melody Maker journalist Chris Welch remembers a fun night with Keith Moon, Ronnie Lane and Vivian Stanshall.

Journalist and author Chris Welch joined Melody Maker in 1964 and during 16 years with the weekly music paper interviewed dozens of stars including The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Dusty Springfield and David Bowie.

During the 80s he wrote for Kerrang! and in 1989 became editor of Metal Hammer and Rock World.

Then in 1995 he joined Repertoire Records as an editorial consultant.

BARRIE WENTZELL:

During his career, Chris has written more than 30 books on music. He was awarded a Gold Badge for his services to the music industry by BASCA in October 2012.

Pictured l-r: Keith Moon, Ronnie Lane, Vivian Stanshall and Chris Welch

Keith Moon gained a terrifying reputation for wrecking hotels during his American touring days with The Who. He’d set off cherry bombs in toilets, throw TV sets out of windows and drive cars into swimming pools. But when he actually bought his OWN hotel he was always on his best behaviour. At least he was the night when I was among his guests at The Crown & Cushion in Chipping Norton, in the Cotswolds.

‘Keith’s bought a pub, come on down and have a drink!’ was the intriguing message from the drummer’s press officer one summer’s day in 1970. In truth the idea of spending an evening with Mr. Moon often filled folks with dread.

There was a strong risk of being de-bagged, flour bombed and thrown into a fountain.

But arriving at the scene of his latest madcap adventure, Keith was not only on his best behaviour, he was taking the task in hand very seriously. He had invested in the purchase of the 15th century coaching inn with business partners Ron and Yvonne Mears and planned a sensible career away from The Who. 34_december 2012_m46

Arriving with photographer Barrie Wentzell, the lounge was almost deserted. But there was Keith behind the bar, beaming and resplendent in a huge bow tie. ‘What will you have dear boy?

By the way, have you seen this? It’s the latest gadget, a microwave oven’. I was fascinated by this technological marvel but distracted by the unexpected arrival of old friends, Ronnie Lane of Small Faces and Faces fame and Vivian Stanshall formerly of the Bonzo Dog Band.

‘The service here is outrageous. I demand to speak to the landlord.’ Keith popped his Marty Feldman eyes and replied haughtily, ‘I AM the landlord.’

Exit dissatisfied customer grumbling loudly.

Barrie’s photograph of us all clustered around the bar, casually smoking our Benson & Hedges and delighting in Keith’s company perfectly captures the spirit of a more carefree era. When I saw this picture for the first time in over 40 years it was rendered all the more poignant by the realisation that I was the only surviving member of this happy scene.

Ill health and hard times would take a terrible toll. Keith passed away in London in September 1978 from an overdose of tablets taken to combat alcoholism. Stanshall died tragically in a fire at his North London flat in March 1995 and Ronnie Lane passed away in America in June 1997 as a result of multiple sclerosis.

It also reminded me of the prank that Moon had played, as the bar filled up with customers. A white haired man with a military moustache and clipped accent to match barked loudly at Keith

I hastily scribbled down this exchange in my notebook not realising it was all set up for my benefit by Moon, in cahoots with Lane and Stanshall, who cheered loudly on cue. Sadly, I never saw them all quite so cheery again.

As we Picture This, we can savour a moment in time, when these wonderful, remarkable people were at their happiest. Cheers Keith.

“Make Money with Your Music No Matter Where You Live” Martin Haene – TAXI Member

M

y name is Martin Haene, and since I was a kid, I dreamed of earning my living with my music.

Sound familiar?

I live in Switzerland, so I thought it was nearly impossible. After all, who wants to hear music from a guy with a home studio who lives 5,920 miles away from Hollywood, in a country the size of West Virginia?

What Didn’t Work…

I tried sending out hundreds of unsolicited CDs, but it was expensive and unproductive. Just like you, I needed a “vehicle” for my music.

What Did Work!

I discovered TAXI in 2006 and quickly understood the value of having a well-connected U.S. based company “filter” my music and get it to the right people. I thought the people on the receiving end would be much more likely to listen to well-targeted music from a trusted source, rather than the hundreds of unfiltered songs they get every day.

The number of my Film and TV placements has increased dramatically since joining TAXI: In just 2 ½ years, my music has been used in international TV Shows like Lincoln Heights (ABC Family), Stylista (CW Network), Degrassi (CTV) as well as feature films like Graduation (Independent) and Bring it on – Fight to the Finish (Universal). I’ve also licensed four of my tracks for a Sony/BMG, Latin Music CD that was released internationally.

Your Music as Your Retirement Fund

Having also signed deals with several top publishers through TAXI, I have little doubt those will turn into an ever-increasing number

of Film & TV placements down the road. I’m beginning to see how my music could easily become my retirement fund. How many musicians can make that claim?

You can if your music is top notch and you use your TAXI membership well.

More Than Just Great Contacts

TAXI is also the perfect way to learn what the market needs and how to produce it. Every member gets two free tickets to TAXI’s annual convention, the Road Rally.

It’s such a great learning and networking experience that it’s more than worth the price of the plane ticket – even from Switzerland!

I’ve also made friends, contacts, and met co-writers by becoming part of TAXI’s online community. The possibilities are limitless if you take advantage of them. And the best part is, you can make money with your music no matter where you live.

Where do you live and what are you waiting for? Call TAXI!

The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company

800-917-0406 www.taxi.com

Angel Recording studios

Adele • Cliff Masterson • Richard Hartley • David Arnold Biff Stannard • Debbie Wiseman • Labrinth • Steve Sidwell Craig Armstrong • Emeli Sandé • Simon Hale • Eric Clapton George Fenton • Anne Dudley • John Yapp • Nigel Wright Dominik Scherrer • Marius de Vries • Angelo Badalamenti Michael Nyman • Steve Power • Steve Lipson • Nick Ingman Nitin Sawhney • Chris Walden • Trevor Horn • Graham Stack Elbow • Guy Barker • Frazer T. Smith • Rachel Portman

Part of the de Wolfe Music group info@angelstudios.co.uk

www.angelstudios.co.uk