M69

Members Music Magazine Issue 69 September 2018

REDEFINING BRITISH JAZZ

SHABAKA HUTCHINGS

+

COMMUNITY RADIO

PALE WAVES

A new space for sound

Riding high

digital edition

contents

COVER FEATURE

log on to make sure you don't miss out m-magazine.co.uk

18 SHABAKA HUTCHINGS Visionary and virtuoso: meet the formidable force behind Britain’s 21st century jazz resurgence

PALE WAVES Learn about life inside one of the UK’s hottest new bands

LONG PLAYER

30

22

Not fade away: all hail the format which refuses to die

26

JACOB BLICKENSTAFF, RIKARD ÖSTERLUND

JUST JOINED Familiarise yourself with some of PRS for Music’s most exciting new members

COMMUNITY RADIO Tune into a hyperlocal scene that’s bringing new life to the airwaves

4

60 SECONDS

I WROTE THAT

Boundary-busting composer Bishi on her latest venture

Bringing the Assassin’s Creed videogame franchise to life

5

34

SOCIAL @m_magazineprs @m_magazineprs prsformusic prsformusic

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Associate Editor Anita Awbi

Membership Advisors Simon Aldridge Myles Keller

CONTRIBUTORS Maxie Gedge, Ashley Howard, Alex Sharman, Kimberly Tan, Alex Rusted, Harriet Wybor.

m_magazineprs

cover photo: SHABAKA HUTCHINGS

If you would like to stop receiving a print copy of M Magazine from PRS for Music by post please contact us, confirming your full name, postal address and CAE number, at writerquery@prsformusic.com or publisherquery@prsformusic.com

PRS for Music, 2 Pancras Square. London N1C 4AG 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. cyan-group.com Advertising T 020 3225 5200 E tim.price@media-ten.com Advertising does not influence editorial decisions or content. The appearance of advertising in M is neither a guarantee nor an endorsement by PRS for Music of the product, service, or company or the claims made for the product in such advertising.

ISSN 0309-0019© PRS for Music 2018. 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.

m69_september 2018_3

just joined

sign up for information about becoming a member visit prsformusic.com/join

rival consoles

YOWL Rowdy Peckham five-piece marrying razor-sharp guitars with biting social commentary

kaWaLa Sun-drenched indie-pop duo from London who are lining up for a massive 2019

cOncrete natives UK soul and RnB-inspired quintet bringing a fresh take to the New York funk sound

Find out about some of the other new PRS for Music members at m-magazine.co.uk

Rival Consoles is Londonbased producer Ryan Lee West, who makes bleep-heavy synth sounds that lean on acoustic instrumentation for their beating heart.

Like Jon Hopkins or Max Cooper, his strain of electronica easily straddles the club, the afterparty and the bedroom, joining the dots between French electro, British techno and experimental composition.

It figures that Ryan was Erased Tapes’ very first signing, his CD of early demos falling into the hands of label founder Robert Raths back in 2007. With echoes of

Nils Frahm and Peter Broderick, Ryan’s music embodies the ethos of the label with lashings of ambient bliss and meaty bass.

Fast forward to 2018, and Ryan has released Persona, his fourth LP as Rival Consoles. It’s an audible step forward for him, bringing extra intricacy and intimacy to his subdued 3am melodies. Inspired

by Ingmar Bergman, his love of effects pedals and an outing to see shoegazers Slowdive, it’s his most cohesive offering yet. He will air the record at Evolutionary Arts Hackney (EartH), London, on 2 October. rivalconsoles.net

kirsty devaney ÖZGE CÖNE / MATT MACCOURT / ZUZANNA BUTKIEWICZ

British Composer Awards nominee Kirsty Devaney is one of the contemporary classical scene’s brightest new hopes.

The Birmingham-based talent studied under Joe Cutler, Howard Skempton and Ed Bennett, honing a precise craft that works equally well for professional contemporary music ensembles across Europe as it does for amateur and youth groups in her hometown.

As a composer-educator, Kirsty has worked with organisations including Stratford-uponAvon Literary Festival, Incorporated Society 4_september 2018_m69

of Musicians and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. She also founded the Young Composers Project, which has worked with over 200 young people and trained local emerging composers to work in educational settings.

She is currently completing her PhD at Birmingham City University and was awarded the prestigious Anna Craft Award for research into Creativity in Education from the British Education Research Association. kirstydevaney.com

Rival Consoles #fundedbyPRSF

members & music

sixty seconds

bishi Bishi is a London-based vocalist, composer, performer and multiinstrumentalist working at the cutting edge of art, music and technology.

Born to Bengali parents of a musical inclination, she’s been immersed in the classical sounds of her Asian heritage since a young age.

Alongside studying at the Ravi Shankar School for Music, Bishi has experimented in bands and as a solo artist, finally landing on an esoteric, electronically-fired sound all of her own.

She is also Artistic Director and Cofounder of the Women in Technology Creative Industries Hub (WITCiH).

WITCiH hosts its inaugural three-night The State of Gender? festival in late September, featuring kindred spirits Gazelle Twin and Chagall, plus a series of four new commissions from rising artists Miri Kat, Vicky O’Neon, Lia Mice and Rebekah Ubuntu.

What was your first introduction to music?

I come from a musical background. My mum was a well-respected Indian classical music singer. When she first emigrated to the UK with my dad, there were no real festivals or spaces for that kind of music. So, she teamed up with Ravi Shankar’s cousin Birendra, and they independently raised the money to take over the Southbank all through the seventies.

What pushed you over the line from music appreciator to music-maker?

I was trained in Indian classical music from an early age, and I was also a chorister and pianist. So, music is something I’ve been absorbed in for a long time. It’s very important to contextualise the fact that my parents were immigrants, as this for me was an immigrant community thing. It didn’t get picked up in any mainstream way; it was very much a DIY scene of artists supporting each other.

How did you draw inspiration from that DIY attitude?

Well, my mum’s story has very interesting parallels with my own life. I took action when I realised that there was no real support, infrastructure or space for multifaceted female musicians who utilise AV [audiovisual] in their

Bishi #fundedbyPRSF

I realised there is no real support, infrastructure or space for multifaceted female musicians who utilise technology, so I had to start a scene for us. work. There’s not really much investment in what we do, so I had to start a scene for us.

What motivates you to make music?

Everything, really. I’ve just joined a space called The Rattle in Wapping, which is for tech and music entrepreneurs, and also artists, bands and producers. It’s really inspiring to see people organise; they have to be their own businesses, they have to be their own labels.

It’s developed from that very DIY post-punk mentality into the digital sphere.

Also, I just got Ableton Push. The ability to write beats and synth lines, and to combine things like my voice looper and chaos pad to make quick sketches, has been really exciting for me. As ever, I’m interested in the intersection of where electronic artists, bands and orchestras meet. I’m drawn to dynamic groups of live musicians who interface with technology.

So where does your love of tech come from?

I used to be a real technophobe, and thought it wasn’t for me. But I was always really into women like Björk and Laurie Anderson, and I loved Wendy Carlos, Delia Derbyshire, Laurie Spiegel and Annette Peacock. I just wondered

why they weren’t getting as much credibility, exposure or support as they should. So, it really started from a cultural love, but then with the rise of home studios I gradually got into teaching myself.

What is your take on the position of women in music in 2018?

Well, if you are past the age of 25, not white, queer and slightly larger, you’re on your own.

The music industry only can get behind a very, very limited idea of what they think they can sell. And it’s not inherently inclusive - you only need to look at the state of the charts and festival line-ups.

Is that why you established WITCiH? Yes. There is no shortage of talent, but they need support and investment – and more space to perform and create. WITCiH is trying to form a community, so that we can stand together and make ourselves visible. I want the festival to grow into a commissioning platform and get more involved with developing projects and careers. There’s definitely been a subconscious shift, in that people now realise they have to be more inclusive. But I think we’re at the very beginning of that, and we’ve got a long way to go. m69_september 2018_5

members & music

SONG CAMP TO SINGLES CHART One Bit are writer/producers Joe Murphy and Jonty Howard, whose mastery of just about any instrument you can think of, coupled with their studio sorcery, has made them one of the UK’s hottest new duos.

Signed to Ministry of Sound and independent publisher Bucks Music Group, they’ve been steadily building a reputation for solid, upfront club bangers, which have garnered zillions of streams, plus props from both commercial radio and the BBC. In 2017, they teamed up with Noah Cyrus for the perky pop confection My Way, which went straight in at number one on the Cool Cuts Chart and made its way onto Radio 1’s B list. Since then, the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) graduates have also worked with JP Cooper, Stormzy and Nick Brewer, and remixed Chvrches, Hazers and Dan Caplen.

Last autumn, Joe and Jonty were invited to attend the PRS for Music song camp at the Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), alongside Night Slugs’ founder Bok Bok, and topline writers Kelli-Leigh (Duke Dumont) and Katya Edwards (Gorgon City). During one writing session, they penned the track Between You and Me with Laurell Barker and Stevie Appleton. The final vocals were later laid down by 2015 X Factor winner Louisa, and the track has just been released as a single, going straight to the top of the Cool Cuts Chart.

Joe and Jonty tell M: ‘The experience of writing the track at the song camp was amazing. Everyone went nuts! In the listening session afterwards, the room reaction was pretty exciting; we were all really happy with it, but getting that first nod of approval from a room of writers you really respect felt great.

‘Now it’s been released as a single, we’re feeling crazy excited and a bit relieved. It’s a track that we’re really proud of and Louisa’s vocal really turns it into something special.’

FINE CHINA

The PRS for Music song camp returns to ADE on the 15 and 16 October 2018, with producers, singers, and writers including SKT, Caitlyn Scarlett, Metric and Nvoy.

Read the full interview with One Bit at m-magazine.co.uk/tags/M69

Jasmin Kent Rodgman is a British-Malaysian composer and producer whose work flits across sound design, electronics and contemporary classical to arrive at a place unique to her.

The London Symphony Orchestra Jerwood Composer focuses on cross-arts collaboration, finding inspiration in the ways communities rub up against each other and stitching narratives together from what she overhears.

A few years ago, PRS Foundation’s China Residency programme caught her imagination – having always wanted to travel the country and explore the culture, it ticked all the boxes. Fast forward to 2018, and Jasmin is preparing to take part in the programme, travelling to Lanzhou later this year for a sixweek stint of musical exploration.

CHRISTOFFER ROSNFELDT / JONATHAN HINES

‘I’m buzzing,’ she tells M. ‘I can’t wait to get there, get stuck in, meet the local musicians and artists, discover some favourite hangouts, try all the food! I’m not sure what the final inspirations and challenges will be, but I think that this discovery will be the best part of my time there.’

Alt-pop princess Laura ‘FEMME’ Bettinson and soul, disco and funkinspired Love Ssega will also take up artist residences in China over the coming months as part of the ongoing PRS Foundation and British Council initiative.

Read the full interview with Jasmin at m-magazine.co.uk/tags/M69 and find out more about the PRS Foundation China Residency programme at prsfoundation.com 6_september 2018_m69

Jasmin Kent Rodgman / One Bit #fundedbyPRSF

members & music

ABBEY ROAD’S STUDIO SECRETS

MUSIC MINDS MATTER

Hidden within the unassuming leafy surrounds of St. John’s Wood, London, sits the now legendary Abbey Road Studios, an institution known for producing some of the most ground-breaking recordings, highest-selling releases and iconic film scores of the last 60 years.

So, what’s the secret to the magic? We felt it was about time to lift the curtain on the mysterious ritual of cutting a record inside the hallowed walls of Abbey Road Studios and find out exactly how the classics are made.

Over the coming months, we’ll be publishing a series of conversations with some of the best and brightest in the studio, breaking down how the engineers and producers make their records at Abbey Road and what they do to give each recording that trademark studio sparkle.

First up we talk to resident orchestral expert, Andrew Dudman, about his pioneering work on the scores for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Star Wars Prequels. We’ll find out how he records the immense orchestral pieces for some of the biggest blockbuster films released each year.

Chris Bolster then talks us through his definitive guide for recording a band in the studio and how picking the right microphones, assembling the perfect team and thinking outside of the box helped create seminal releases like Dig Out Your Soul by Oasis.

We’ll then talk to Alex Wharton about the dark art of mastering, and why one of the most misunderstood and often overlooked parts of the recording process is so essential in crystallising the intangible ‘energy’ of a song, as demonstrated by his work with everyone from Paul McCartney and Marvin Gaye to My Bloody Valentine and Radiohead.

Need help navigating your life as a songwriter or composer?

Struggling to conquer mental health issues? Get in touch with Music Minds Matter, a 24/7 support line especially for musicians.

The PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund has just teamed up with Help Musicians UK to support the service, which offers free information, advice, listening, emotional support and signposting to additional services.

Artists, songwriters, composers and musicians can also access telephone or face-to-face counselling and specialist advice on debt, welfare benefits, even hearing loss, via the service. Those needing help and emotional support can call 0808 802 8008 free of charge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Music Minds Matter was launched in response to the 2017 report, Can Music Make You Sick?, which found that musicians are three times more likely to experience depression than the general public.

Money worries, due to precarious and unpredictable pay, plus the juggling of many different jobs, can exacerbate the issue, with poor working conditions cited as a major issue. Elsewhere, the report found sexual abuse, bullying and discrimination may also be prevalent, with a musician’s working environment prone to being antisocial and unsympathetic.

Gordon Davidson then takes take us through the finite balancing act of mixing a record and how the subtleties of his trade can make the difference between a worldwide hit and a flop. He’ll also talk us through his work on Novelist’s Grammy Award-nominated LP Novelist Guy and how he helped refine the poignant sound on the grime upstart’s debut.

Artist Nadine Shah said of the new initiative: ‘It’s about time we had a service that is always there for people, one that really caters to the myriad of mental health challenges and complexities that musicians and people in the music industry face. As someone that has experienced struggles of my own, I know how important it is to know that I could access help and support when I need it.’

To read our first chat with Andrew and follow the series, head to www.m-magazine.co.uk/abbeyroad

For more info on Music Minds Matter, and the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund, see prsformusicfund.com m69_september 2018_7

members & music sound effect

Ed Poston is Senior A&R Manager at independent publisher Concord Music, whose roster includes Mark Ronson, Steve Reich, Justin Parker, Sean Lennon, Dolly Parton, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cathy Dennis and Daft Punk.

Before Concord, Ed led A&R and publishing for Glassnote in the UK, working with artists such as Aurora, James Hersey and Tor Miller, and songwriters including Jonny Wright and O. Martin. In 2009, Ed founded the widely used A&R tipping website, The Live List, and he has also worked in various other fields such as tour management, promotion and TV plugging.

The first record I ever bought was…

My first record was Green Day’s Dookie, however I definitely didn’t buy it. It was stolen from my big sister, followed by a whole raft of cassette tapes from the music library conveniently located in the room next to mine. Thanks Anna!

ANAKO PHOTOGRAPHY / ALISON GOLDFRAPP

The first record I ever officially bought with my own money was The Score by Fugees.

I heard Killing Me Softly through other kids at school and was taken by Lauren Hill’s incredible vocal.

The first song I developed an obsession for was…

The Obvious Child by Paul Simon. I was very young at the time, but when my dad bought that record, something clicked in me. I still know every beat of that drum part, and it definitely led to me being very rhythmfocused in my tastes and taking up the drums.

My favourite cover version is…

Isaac Hayes’ version of Walk On By; it still gives me chills every time I listen to it. It’s incredible! It almost seems unfair to call it a cover, because although the Hal David

8_september 2018_m69

lyrics and Burt Bacharach melody remain, Hayes made it completely his own. It’s impossible not to swell with emotion the moment the strings whirl in to life and that laid-back beat starts rolling.

The song that should’ve been a hit but never made it is…

Memphis Industries released a track years ago by Hooray for Earth called No Love. I was OBSESSED with that track and was convinced it should have been bigger than it was. Another track I thought deserved more attention was Kiss the Sky by Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra.

The last great record I listened to was…

I adore the energy of the Cardi B album Invasion of Privacy. It feels like a return to the quality of hip-hop that I love; big beats and hooks with cutting, on-point lyrics.

Also, Jon Hopkins’ Singularity. He brings such emotion to electronic music, you feel everything with no lyrics. He is a master.

The song I wish I’d written is…

One of my all-time favourite songwriters is Bill Withers. I think his songs are as close to perfect as are humanly possible;

accessible, emotional, memorable and unexpected. One of my favourites is Ain’t No Sunshine. It really embodies his writing style and I love the story behind it as well.

The song that makes me cry is…

Into My Arms by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds makes me swell with emotion every time, and I often tear up when listening to it. It feels so real and personal while still managing to be profound and grand.

The song that I know all the words to is…

Way too many to list, and often it’s the songs I didn’t even realise I knew - it’s funny how the brain works. Everyone knows and loves Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart, whether they openly admit it or not.

My all-time favourite film soundtrack is…

Oof, this is a toughie. Up until this year I would have always said Trainspotting. However… wow… Black Panther. The score by Ludwig Goransson is incredible and immersive, and Kendrick Lamar’s original songs, inspired by the film, are a knock-out too.

Hear Ed’s selection at m-magazine.co.uk/ listen

members & music

get connected Digital oblivion is a worry for even the savviest songwriters, composers and artists in today’s always-on culture. With that in mind, we asked you to tell us what works best for you…

TYNI When it comes to social media, it’s better to grow your fan base by being genuine and letting everything evolve naturally. Stardom doesn’t exist in the same way it used to, but it’s okay – we can all adjust, it just takes time. @T_Y_N_I

Shanaz Dorsett, Benin City Don’t be afraid to tell your story, no matter how mundane it seems. Also, make sure you unfollow any social media accounts that make you compare yourself to others too harshly! @wearebenincity

Ritzy Bryan, The Joy Formidable Be really quick, spontaneous and creative on social media. And be true to yourself. Everything is becoming so homogenised, so stop thinking about what ‘works’, or what is required to get the most out of a platform. Otherwise you’ll end up being another clone. @joyformidable

Will Gregory, Goldfrapp Don’t put all your eggs in the digital basket, I would say. There’s this idea that you can bypass record companies and publishers and do everything yourself these days – which is certainly true. But there are so many things that people do in these companies that you can’t necessarily do yourself. Just a thought… @goldfrapp

Paul Smith, Maximo Park Social media can take over your life so be sparing! It’s nice to engage with people, especially because my lyrics are trying to connect with people anyway, so there’s no point in being too aloof. As things have changed radically while I’ve been a musician, it’s good to stay abreast of new platforms, but I focus on Twitter/Instagram because they’re quick and simple. @paulsmithmusic

Matthew Whiteside, composer The digital world is built around sharing. By sharing, I don’t just mean shouting about your own work, I mean sharing what your peers are doing, interesting opportunities that you find or a concert or piece you’ve enjoyed. Be interesting and interested in what others are doing. This could be through retweets or making playlists. Find what works for you. @mwhiteside m69_september 2018_9

money & business PUTTING MEMBERS FIRST

ensuring our distributions are as accurate and frequent as possible and that what we offer is compelling and reflective of the pace of change underway in music currently.

What are the main challenges facing PRS members?

There are different challenges for writers and publishers, but the common issue is a musical ecosystem which continues to be complicated – and is changing at rapid speed. The way we navigate through these difficult seas has never been more essential to creators and rightsholders.

How are you steering through constant flux?

More than ever, the membership department has to keep a sharp focus on how we best serve our 135,000 members, from handling dayto-day enquiries through to the complexities of operating in a digital marketplace. Keeping ‘on it’ has to become our mantra and this will be embedded via a constant review of our structures and practices in combination with harnessing digital capability to tackle as many of our labour intensive/high volume processes as possible. Driving through these changes is already in train and will be a key feature of my first year in post.

Claire Jarvis has just become the new Membership Director at PRS for Music, where she is responsible for ensuring that 135,000 composers, songwriters and publishers get the best possible service from their society.

A self-confessed ‘music industry lifer’, Claire first earned her spurs selling sheet music at independent publisher Peters Edition on Wardour Street, London. She was then drawn into the copyright world, joining the BBC for a mammoth 20-year stint which included various senior roles within music rights.

relationship between PRS and these members is quite unique. I was keen to get back to working more directly and closely with the people whose (infinite) creativity fuels the music business and other creative industries. Music is in my bones and so far, the interactions and experiences I’ve had here with members have been really great.

From there, Claire switched to join Sky as Director of Music Services, where she was responsible for overseeing the music team, leading the transformation of its music publishing business and cutting the large-scale commercial deals involving music.

The number one priority is to drive a sense of continuous, relentless improvement in the support and advice we give to our members.

Now she’s settled into her post at PRS for Music, we find out what she’s getting her teeth into and how she’s ensuring the organisation can exceed the demands of a diverse membership which calls the society home…

Why the PRS for Music membership department?

PRS members are a fantastic array and variety of songwriters, composers and music publishers, and the opportunity to lead on the

10_september 2018_m69

What are your key priorities and goals in the role?

The number one priority is to drive a sense of continuous, almost relentless, improvement in the support and advice we give to our members, be they writers or publishers.

Our goal is to be best in class among music rights organisations, and that’s going to involve

How do you see the department evolving to best serve members?

The evolution will be dynamic and, wherever possible within our financial constraints, ahead of the curve. As I said before, the evolution will come from us not taking our eye off the ball and a relentless focus on becoming best in class. Our member surveys are the main barometer of how we’re doing, and our current score puts us in what I’d mark as a ‘good’ category. I’d be disappointed if our planned evolution doesn’t move us to a ‘great’ mark within the next few years.

What’s the last great track you heard?

I tend to like new quirky stuff. For example, I had Bambi by Hippo Campus on repeat all summer.

Your next paydays Performing (PRS): 15 Oct, 14 Dec, 15 April, 15 July Mechanicals (MCPS) Non-Recorded Media: 15 Oct, 15 Nov, 14 Dec, 15 Jan Recorded Media: 28 Sept, 31 Oct, 30 Nov, 31 Dec

business news

business

for all the latest business news visit m-magazine.co.uk

VICTORY FOR CREATORS

DISINFORMATION OVERLOAD This summer, the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee released its Disinformation and Fake News: Interim Report, which explored growing concerns around the assimilation of misinformation, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and Russia’s alleged election meddling. Central to the report were recommendations relating to how much responsibility tech companies should take for the content on their platforms – an issue very close to the hearts of music creators and rightsholders.

Music-makers and rightsholders are a step closer to achieving fairer pay for their work online, as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) vote to approve the Copyright Directive and close damaging legal loopholes.

The result of the landmark vote, which took place on 12 September, was 438 in favour and 226 against, with the Copyright Directive now going to trilogue with the European Union Council, Commission and Parliament to negotiate a final text for passage into law.

Article 13 is of particular interest to music creators and the wider industry as it centres around whether large profitmaking content platforms should fairly reward creators for the use of their work.

If it passes into law, Article 13 will effectively close legislative loopholes which allow multinational internet companies to claim ‘host status’, which enables them to evade or minimise their liability for the copyright music uploaded by their users.

Robert Ashcroft, Chief Executive of PRS for Music, said: ‘The European Parliament has taken a bold step forward to ensure a functioning and sustainable digital single market for creative content. PRS for Music has fought from the beginning for digital services to pay all creators fairly for the content they use. This vote was a ringing endorsement of our work and that of our colleagues in the industry over the last five years.

‘We began this process in 2014 with the paper Is Copyright Law Fit for Purpose in the Internet Era and it has taken a huge amount of effort and work to get to this positive outcome. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported us throughout this process and stood with us in our fight for the rights of creators.’

John Mottram, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at PRS for Music, added: ‘In practice, this will mean that rightsholders, such as PRS for Music, will be able to both increase licensing of online platforms and at the same time agree a fairer share of the revenues these services generate.

Here, Damian Collins MP, Chairman of the Select Committee, shares his views ahead of a government white paper on the issue, which is expected later this year.

Can you clarify your position on the liability of tech companies which host illegal and harmful content?

We should define in law a very clear liability for platforms to act against harmful content and illegal content. I don’t believe there should be a legal exemption which says they’re merely hosts and the content is solely the responsibility of the person that posted it.

How do you intend to tackle this issue?

It’s a question of asking what reasonable actions these companies should take. If they fail to take down harmful and illegal content when it’s brought to their attention, there should be a sanction against them.

What if the content hasn’t been brought to their attention?

Well, I think there’s a question we need to ask around this content too.

The platforms should be able to reasonably identify any content as harmful or illegal; therefore, they have a duty to proactively monitor what goes on their site.

What is the Select Committee doing in this area?

Our recent Disinformation and Fake News: Interim Report looked into this issue and made a number of recommendations. We focussed on fake news and misinformation, but we know there are lots of areas of harmful content. Of course, the music industry has been fighting this battle for some time to get the companies to check against content on their sites which infringes copyright law.

‘This is because platforms will no longer be able to claim they are protected from liability and they are under no obligation to obtain a licence, or that any royalty payments are on a voluntary “take it or leave it” basis.’

This report is an important step forward to establish the legal liability for the government. There will be an Internet Safety white paper later this year, and it has already been acknowledged the current status quo is increasingly unsustainable. For example, I think it would be interesting to explore the possibility of introducing regulatory fines for companies failing to comply to legal requirements.

The Parliament-approved Copyright Directive will now enter the trilogue process, which can take weeks or months to complete. If approved, the Directive will pass into law and member states will be required to implement it. The UK government has indicated it is also likely to implement the new legislation, even after Brexit.

What have you learned from your dealings with the tech companies?

We’ve learned that, unless you establish real legal liability or there is a real threat of legislation, they won’t act. They have to be compelled to do so. Clearly, you’re asking them to commit their resources to something they don’t make money from.

m69_september 2018_11

Tell us what you think We want to hear your views about M Magazine so that we can make it more relevant, informative and enjoyable.

All we ask is for a few minutes of your time to fill out a very short survey.

In return, we’ll enter you into a prize draw to win a SONOS Play 5 speaker worth £450. We’re also giving away £25 in Ticketmaster vouchers to the first 10 people who complete the survey.

Don't delay: visit prsformusic.com/M-survey now.

money & business IS DATA CHANGING THE WAY WE WRITE MUSIC?

business

streaming services pay out royalties based on how often an artist’s songs have been streamed. For pop music that is fair, since most pop songs last about three minutes.

But classical and jazz songs typically last 10 minutes or more, sometimes even an hour.

In other words, pop music gets much higher royalties for one hour of streaming than classical and jazz get.

‘As a result, classical artists have an incentive to record shorter works. Composers also have an incentive to compose shorter works.

Some classical labels told us that they indeed focus on shorter works.’

And this is something echoed by Paul Smith, Director of A&R at Warner/Chappell: ‘Spotify is built around the pop song, and when you have these long classical movements it’s very difficult to fit into that mould.

Although it’s widely acknowledged that streaming services have played a large role in the financial recovery of the music business over the last decade, a recent report commissioned by the BPI claims that the industry’s relationship with these platforms has grown far closer than many could have predicted.

Entitled Magic Numbers – How Can Data and Analytics Really Help the Music Industry, it states that beside financial growth, the greatest asset streaming has provided is actually the data it collects, and this data is revolutionising the way the music industry operates entirely, all the way down to the songwriting process.

Eammon Forde, author of the report, told M: ‘I think everybody knows that if you don’t understand data then you don’t understand the modern music industry. There’s all these clichés about data: it’s the new gold, it’s the new oil, it’s all these things, but you could argue that data is the new politics. It’s going to define the future economic state of the music industry.’

These implications are being felt in the creative facets of the industry, perhaps most evidently by songwriters, composers and artists, who are being given new insights into the way their music is consumed and are acting accordingly.

‘From a musician’s perspective, it gives them accurate, up-to-the-minute information about how fans are reacting to their music, so they can compare and adjust their strategies depending on what is performing

well,’ said Lee Parsons, Chief Executive of global distribution service Ditto Music.

‘This approach influences the way artists create and develop their tracks, making them more aware of getting to the hook or chorus quickly to grab the attention of playlisters. Streaming data has become one of – if not the biggest – factor when it comes to emerging artists getting scouted and invested in by labels.’

If you don’t understand data, you don’t understand the modern music industry.

It’s long been established that a short, sweet pop track, which doesn’t waste time hitting the chorus, will do well on the radio. But the difference here is the way in which streaming data research is now motivating the creative decision, and genres like jazz and classical are straying drastically from their norms to fit this convention.

Thomas Steffens, Chief Executive of Primephonic, a streaming platform created to service classical music, explained: ‘Most

‘There are certain artists we’ve been talking to who are structuring their music completely around three-minute pop songs and now consider themselves pop artists, even though they’re classical artists.

He added: ‘Data will lead the industry to a certain level, but the crux of what we’re talking about here is the quality of the music, and as long as the music is still relevant and it’s still good quality then the two can fit quite nicely together.’

Not so long ago the music industry suffered huge losses, exemplified by the US music market’s annual overall revenue falling from $14.6bn (£11.3bn) in 1999 to $6.3bn in 2009.

But shortly after what many felt would be the death of the traditional music business, Universal Music Group posted revenues of over $5bn, attributing $1bn to music streaming. Earlier this year, it was announced that revenue from music streaming had surpassed that of traditional platforms.

It’s no wonder that, as streaming becomes one of the main generators of revenue in the business, artists are tailoring their approach to succeed on streaming platforms. But Forde warned that basing any strategy around data analytics may be the wrong approach: ‘It’s about refinement: the smart use of data will refine and support a good decision, but it will also accelerate a bad decision.

‘It’s just another tool in the marketing armoury, but if it becomes the only thing it’s dangerous. Data should be in the checklist, but if it becomes the entire checklist you’re in trouble.’ m69_september 2018_13

money & business

business

50:50 VISION

PRS Foundation’s Keychange is a pioneering initiative which is shifting the needle when it comes to gender equality in music.

When did it all get going?

When we announced the seven festivals which had originally come together to take the pledge last September, everyone else immediately said they wanted to sign up too. We had to react really quickly; we saw an opportunity to galvanise a sentiment that was growing in the outside world and give it a musical context which could actually change things.

This is a worldwide initiative – how has it been received overseas?

People get it. There’s a definite understanding of the need for something like this in places like Canada and Australia. I’d say the biggest differences in opinion we’re seeing are across the European countries.

What support do you offer those working towards the pledge?

We’re creating a group of festivals which understand each other’s models and can work together to share advice and experience. We know it’s about listening to festivals’ concerns, especially when signing up. Some are unsure about being able to make 50/50 due to various factors, and we’re trying to look at how we tackle those issues. We tell them it’s not necessarily about reaching 50/50 in exact numbers, it’s about getting festivals to think and recognise it’s their issue they need to work on, no one else’s.

What sort of challenges do they face in balancing line-ups?

A lot of them struggle to widen their information feeds to make them more diverse. They’re so used to getting information – and good recommendations – from certain places that they don’t vary where they’re getting it from. It doesn’t matter who you are, you need to look at your feeds and ensure they’re diverse – that’s your responsibility.

Through a global network, it empowers women to transform the future of the industry and encourages conferences and festivals to achieve or maintain a 50:50 balance by 2022.

By bringing together likeminded organisers and programmers committed to positive action, it’s kickstarting a much-needed change in live music and beyond.

This September, Keychange celebrates its first birthday and all the work it has done to ensure that more than 100 festivals are now signed up to the pledge.

Here, project manager Jess Partridge looks back on the last 12 months and shares her thoughts on the future of gender parity in music…

More than 100 music conferences and festivals have now signed up – what’s that been like?

It’s been a really natural process. People are excited to be part of it and they’re approaching us all the time. The response has been so positive and self-perpetuating that it hasn’t been too difficult at all.

We saw an opportunity to galvanise a sentiment that was growing in the outside world and give it a musical context which could actually change things.

14_september 2018_m69

What have been your biggest milestones?

The event we hosted at the Canadian High Commission in London earlier this year to announce that 45 festivals had signed up. That felt huge. We realised then that we’d made something, that we were part of a movement, and that people were taking notice.

Are you seeing any positive effects yet?

A lot of festivals are really keen to tell us about the percentage change in their line-ups, which is really nice. You can see the changes in the numbers right there. And the Creative Commission at the European Union has changed its criteria for applications based on our project, to acknowledge the gender balance of the people applying.

In general, we’re seeing the conversation moving forward. We’re extending the message in a positive way; it’s not about excluding men from line-ups, and when you sit down with festivals to communicate why these things are important you can get really far.

Is there anyone across the music industry who has emerged as particularly inspirational?

There are too many to mention, but all 60 main participants are incredible, inspiring and interesting. It’s been really nice for big artists to speak out about gender equality at festivals too, people like Lily Allen.

More generally, where do you think the industry is headed in terms of gender equality?

It really varies depending on which country you are in, which has been a real eye opener for me. You have Sweden, which is so far ahead that it’s looking to abolish all notions of gender. Then, when you look at somewhere like Spain, the conversation is so much further behind, and the movement is not embraced in the same way.

See keychange.eu to learn more or sign up to the initiative.

MUSIC MINDS MATTER

PRS for Music members can now access counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy as well as emotional support or just a listening ear.

PRS Members Benevolent Fund have created a unique partnership with Help Musicians UK to provide dedicated mental health support to members through Music Minds Matter - a free and confidential 24/7 mental health support line and service for the music industry.

If you are struggling to cope, contact Music Minds Matter on 0808 802 8008 or email MMM@helpmusicians.org.uk It doesn’t have to be a crisis, there are trained advisors that are ready to listen, support and help at any time.

CD • DVD • Vinyl • Blu-ray

www.dbmasters.co.uk +44 (0)1795 597 755

CD MANUFACTURE SPECIAL OFFERS

£960 1,000 CDs in digipaks

£744 1,000 CDs in jewel cases

both offers include:

artwork design, glass master, full colour on-body CD print, full colour printed packaging, cellowrap, delivery & VAT. (Prices correct at time of printing.)

M_2018_dBMasters.indd 7

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP Standard £90

(£7.50 per month via direct debit)

Professional £162 BASCA exists to celebrate, support and protect the professional interests of all writers of music.

(£13.50 per month via direct debit)

INSURANCE Free £1million public liability, equipment/IT insurance and live performance insurance at venues/events with attendance of up to 200 people, plus discounts on writer indemnity insurance, travel insurance and more.

LEGAL & TAX ADVICE Sample contracts and agreements. Free legal and tax advice from the industry’s top firms.

Tel: 020 7636 2929

TRAINING Over 20 free professional development seminars, industry training sessions, critiques and masterclasses per year.

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION Discounted rates with digital distribution companies.

INFORMATION Music industry news, songwriting and composition advice.

DISCOUNTS Reduced costs for industry events, music magazine subscriptions, equipment and software, healthcare and many other useful savings.

BASCA, 2 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG

We campaign to protect the rights of composers and songwriters and celebrate excellence through world-class awards ceremonies – The Ivor Novello Awards, the British Composer Awards and the Gold Badge Awards. We also offer our members an array of benefits to help support their careers as music writers. From professional development seminars, industry training, critiques and master classes, joining BASCA provides the opportunity to join a community of the UK’s most talented music creators. info@basca.org.uk

MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE INCLUDES: Everything you need to support your career as a music writer.

SOCIAL EVENTS Opportunities to meet fellow songwriters/composers and labels, publishers, managers and producers.

JOIN US

www.basca.org.uk

10/07/2018 09:57

7

Turning tides: a victory for creators creativity’s sovereignty over a digital market that used legal loopholes to exploit our work and drive business without fairly sharing its rewards with creators.

PRS for Music Chief Executive Robert Ashcroft, together with the society’s public affairs team, should be recognised for their vision and determination in establishing 'transfer of value', or the 'value gap', as a paramount market-failure issue. Publishers and the broader music industry should also be applauded for driving the issue towards success.

But it was most likely the creators’ voice that clinched it and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat: respect due to all.

BASCA's pivotal role in this success is a keen demonstration of what a united creator voice can achieve. My heartfelt thanks and congratulations go out to all who engaged in the action - it worked!

Strength in numbers The tide is turning for the value of creators’ rights online, and with it, there is a sea change at BASCA. I’m delighted that some of the most innovative music creators in the industry have joined our board – Jo Thomas, Orphy Robinson, Dru Masters and Martyn Ware.

Crispin Hunt, Chairman of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), considers the passing of the Copyright Directive through the European Parliament, and celebrates the success of songwriters and composers in helping to instigate this important victory.

BASCA has fought hard to reduce the ‘value gap’ for creators and, yes, the gap just got a whole lot smaller.

The European Parliament did the right thing in September by approving a landmark Copyright Directive to safeguard creative works online. The parliament voted, by a significant majority, to preserve the cultural diversity and dignity of Europe's cultural future and rebalance the rights of creators against the power of those who exploit our creativity.

The Copyright Directive is a milestone for our movement.

This is a significant victory for music, journalism, photography, indeed for art of any kind. The directive aims to redefine the digital copyright market, providing fit-for-purpose online accountability to help ensure the internet once again runs on competition as opposed to (arguably) oligopoly.

Jo is an award-winning electronic music composer who continues to push the boundaries of the genre under her own label, Soft Apple. Multiinstrumentalist and former Jazz Warriors member Orphy Robinson is the first musician from the UK to achieve a top placing in the leading industry jazz magazine, Downbeat. Award-winning TV and film composer, Dru Masters, has also worked as a songwriter and producer with artists as diverse as George Michael and Mediaeval Babes. As a record producer and artist, Martyn Ware (Human League, Heaven 17) has featured on recordings totalling over 50 million sales during his seminal career.

Award-winning opera composer and former BASCA Chairman, Stephen McNeff, also returns to the board along with nine re-elected members – myself, Gary Carpenter, Issie Barratt, Mark Ayres, Marc Sylvan, Helienne Lindvall, Paul Hartnoll, William Sweeney and Rupert Hine.

We also have many new additions to our songwriting, jazz, media and classical committees, which include Grammy Award-nominated classical composer Dobrinka Tabakova, award-winning composer for film and videogames Tess Tyler, and multi-platinum-selling songwriters Fiona Bevan, Ian Archer, Jake Gosling, Jim Duguid and Amanda Ghost.

We want BASCA to become the most influential voice for music creators on the planet. I believe these elections are an essential first-step on our journey. Not least because six of our board members were voted for directly by our members, via new, fit-for-purpose reforms to our electoral system.

The EU parliament has decreed that newly-defined ‘active’ platforms should be liable for, and hence obliged to, properly license our work at competitive, negotiable market rates. But the fight is not over by a long way. The directive still has to go through a lengthy 'trilogue' process before it is fully implemented. Nevertheless, this is a definite milestone for our movement.

BASCA is making a difference and the more who join, the stronger we become. It’s harder than ever these days to stay afloat as a music creator. Never has BASCA's role been more essential as a forum for labels, publishers, innovators, collecting societies, platforms, politicians or interests of any kind to set forth on a voyage towards the fairer, more accurate, transparent, progressive, innovative and competitive music marketplace we all seek - and the future demands.

Together, PRS for Music and BASCA led the way in this critical endeavour and were jointly instrumental in the global campaign to reassert

To paraphrase Jimi Hendrix: 'All “streams” run into the sea, eventually’.

The tide has turned.

basca.org.uk

PIERRICK GUIDOU PIERRICK GUIDOU

DON’T THINK, PLAY

JAZZ

Anita Awbi checks in with prolific composer, saxophonist and bandleader Shabaka Hutchings to learn how he’s redefining British jazz.

‘Don’t think, play!’ says British-Barbadian wunderkind Shabaka Hutchings. He’s paraphrasing Marshall Allen, the 94-year-old bandleader who helms the mighty Sun Ra Arkestra. Shabaka guests with the jazz cosmonauts whenever they hit the UK, and their ‘chaotic melting pot’ forces him to find his limits and push right through.

‘Marshall said I think too much. If you keep thinking about what is appropriate to play, you hesitate, and you create a blockage to the higher intuition that’s trying to guide you,’ he says. ‘That’s probably been my biggest learning curve so far.’

Now in his mid-thirties, Shabaka is becoming mentor to a whole new generation of sonic explorers himself. Earlier this year, he compiled the We Out Here album for Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood label, selecting an army of bright-burning talent including Moses Boyd, Ezra Collective and Nubya Garcia.

He’s known them all since they were kids, and they look to Shabaka for their cues.

Just as well, then, that the saxophonist and bandleader is redrawing the genre through several guises, reaching for soca, calypso, hip-hop, roots reggae and Afrobeat to help form a new psychedelic sound.

Through the spiritually-minded South African outfit Shabaka and the Ancestors, his electronic-jazz trio The Comet is Coming and the low-slung bop of Sons of Kemet, he’s showing young musicians – and the world – that jazz isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving.

In recognition, Shabaka received a second Mercury Prize nomination this year for the Kemet’s acerbic antiestablishment album, Your Queen is a Reptile. It joins a previous nomination for Channel the Spirits by The Comet Is Coming back in 2016, plus a MOBO Award win for Kemet in 2013 – putting a cherry on top of what has already been a stellar career.

Barbadian beginnings ‘I’ve always really loved performing in public; I physically like the sensation of playing an instrument,’ says Shabaka, remembering his first brushes with music as a kid in Barbados. Back then, he was devoted to the classical clarinet, and played regularly in church and at school. But all that was about to change when Shabaka returned to the UK aged 16.

It was the mid-nineties and his head was full of New York

hip-hop and Jamaican reggae. A week later, Shabaka ran into Soweto Kinch at a Courtney Pine gig and his love affair with jazz – and the saxophone – began.

‘It was the first time I’d seen someone young, cool and into hip-hop relate to the jazz tradition as though it was fluid, not something stuck in a particular time,’ he says of Soweto. ‘I learned from him that making jazz is about trying to reclaim the coolness and relevance of the music in the eyes of the general public.’

By day, Shabaka was still studying classical music, but at night he was digging deep into London’s nascent jazz scene, cutting his teeth on sax alongside Soweto in sweaty nightspots. He’d also perform at Soweto’s The Live Box jam sessions in Birmingham, turning up week-in, week-out for two years.

‘Afterwards, he’d invite me to his house so I could listen to records and practice,’ Shabaka remembers. ‘It wasn’t formalised in any way but, really, it was a type of hands-on training and I got to see what it is to be a jazz musician.’

Distinct origins It’s through this apprenticeship that Shabaka began to explore the UK jazz family tree and trace how it branched off from its American roots. He talks about discovering Brotherhood of Breath, John Surman, Evan Parker and Steve Williamson, and finding ‘a very specific UK lineage that goes really far back.’

He explains: ‘I think, apart from the specific people and styles, it’s a lineage of trying to position ourselves in relation to the American tradition. To ask, “What is going to differentiate us” and, actually, “What is our tradition?”'

Shabaka believes that, within jazz, the audience inspires the music. When you perform in a club, you’re riffing off the energy in the room and your music forms around the needs of the crowd.

‘After many years that music starts to take on a different form, outside the abstract consideration of what the audience needs.

And that’s how British jazz evolves,’ he explains.

Personality clash Look for the beating heart of 21st century British jazz and you’ll find Shabaka front and centre, a kinetic reedsman whose music pollinates a hothouse of creative talent across the UK and beyond.

M69_SEPTEMBER 2018_19

radiopluggers.com

JAZZ

I learned from Soweto Kinch that making jazz is all about trying to reclaim the coolness and relevance of the music.

But, although he’s a compulsive collaborator, Shabaka often writes alone, imagining gaps for others, and building in space for them to breathe. As bandleader, his ideas mingle with those of the other group members, leaving room for soloists to improvise as they choose.

With everything so fluid, does Shabaka feel a tension between composition and improvisation? ‘Not really,’ he offers. ‘Even in a composition there is improvisation in how you treat the melodic material on a day-to-day basis, what you choose to include and ignore. That’s one of the defining features of all the bands that I’m in; there’s a feeling that anyone can actually be whatever they want within a certain framework.’

Across each band – Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, and Shabaka and the Ancestors – he takes on a different personality, depending on the other characters he’s playing with, and their musical and social backgrounds.

‘It’s something that I’ve only just started to appreciate,’ he says. ‘There’s a level whereby your persona relaxes or tenses in relation to who you’re around. Sometimes, a tension is what’s great, it’s what’s interesting,’ he says.

Finding the flow Shabaka learned through his experiences with the Sun Ra Arkestra to act first and think later, and it’s this quality that makes him such an in-demand musician today. Over recent years – outside his main bands – he’s performed improv with Steve Beresford, penned chamber music for the Ligeti Quartet, reinterpreted Caribbean folk tunes for kora and toured with Ethiopian jazz great Mulatu Astatke as a member of Heliocentrics.

PIERRICK GUIDOU

Throw in his collaborations with nocturnal beatmaker Floating Points and live shows with post-punk-jazz-fusion concoction Melt Yourself Down, and you’ll find his DNA all over this decade’s most innovative sounds.

It’s an enviable position for any musician to be in, never mind one operating in the jazz scene, which is crossing over in ways unimaginable just a few years ago. And it’s something Shabaka is forever grateful for, as it’s this rubbing up against diverse characters that fuels his creative flow. ‘I don’t think I’d

Shabaka Hutchings #fundedbyPRSF

be able to continue like I’ve been doing if it wasn’t for playing in all the different groups,’ he admits.

Above: Sons of Kemet

‘I’ll play for a certain number of months in one band consistently and then I go away and do and it with another set of musicians.

That changes my attitude, it changes my outlook on music.

Then, when I come back to the band that I was touring with, something has shifted. I start to see the music in a different way.

‘After years of having that happen, it feels like my centre, in terms of who I am, has been in some way shaken. So, I approach every situation trying to search for what my role is, as opposed to going, “I am Shabaka Hutchings. I obviously do the Shabaka thing.”’

Wise counsel So what advice can Shabaka share with young composers and musicians who are just beginning to master their craft?

‘In terms of composing or finding a way to express your ideas, it’s just a matter of trying not to see music as a sacred artform.

You’ve just got to let go and see what happens if you go in a certain direction,’ he says. ‘One of the biggest traps young musicians or composers can find themselves in is to selfidentify too much.’

Instead, Shabaka urges the next generation to take themselves out of that mindset and learn to experiment, with different styles, new ways of writing and novel types of notation.

‘Some people get self-conscious if they don’t read or write music, but writing conventional notation is just a tool for other musicians to translate your ideas. There are loads of other interesting ways you can convey your ideas outside of those rules,’ he says.

And for jazz musicians and composers in particular? ‘There’s a special kind of relief you get with jazz,’ he smiles. ‘You can dig yourself into it and see how far you can go emotionally. There is something about the freedom you have when you don’t stick to a set chorus and verse formula; when you are improvising you are literally seeing how far your mind can travel.’

Shabaka Hutchings is published by Touch Tones Music

M69_SEPTEMBER 2018_21

Although much has changed in music since Joy Division’s Ian Curtis implored us to ‘Dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio’ nearly 40 years ago, Anita Awbi tunes in to a new community-powered movement which is helping to keep the airwaves alive.

These stations serve as important community hubs at a time when lots of people seem to be losing that sense of community.

RADIO

Contrary to pop wisdom, video didn’t kill the radio star, and although streaming has been touted as the new station slayer, reality in 2018 is serving up a different storyline.

The latest figures from media monitoring company RAJAR tentatively herald a radio revival, with its DAB, online and app incarnations grabbing the attention of 34 million listeners, or three in five UK adults. On average, these audiophiles are tuning in to a whopping 20.8 hours of live radio each week.

Peer in closer and, between the commercial bandwidth and BBC public service remit, you’ll find a fresh, hyperlocal radio model which is exhuming the glory days of the wireless for a new, digital audience.

Presided over by the likes of NTS, Soho Radio, KMAH, Reform, Reprezent, Resonance and MCR in the UK, these licensed stations are part of a growing guerrilla movement offering idiosyncratic music selections from both local talent and bigname DJs. Linked via online hive minds such as Mixcloud, they form part of a wider global network which also numbers award-winning stations like Berlin Community Radio, New York’s The Lot and Red Light Radio in Amsterdam.

With more than one million creators uploading to Mixcloud from around the world – including a healthy blend of bedroom producers, DJs, record labels, publishers, venues, festivals, magazines and community stations - the platform sits at the heart of the current radio revival.

Xanthe Fuller, the company’s Head of Community, works with curators and creators to help them reach their full potential.

Each year, they run the Mixcloud Online Radio Awards, which highlights and celebrates the best in class and attracts sponsorships from the likes of Roland, Discogs and SXSW. She says: ‘As technology has advanced, it has opened the doors to people who might have previously struggled to gain access to the industry. All you need is some basic kit and the right software and before you know it, you have a station.

‘These radio stations quickly attract new and exciting talent and are often the best place to hear cutting edge, new formats. In some ways they’ve replaced pirate radio in that sense,’ she adds.

The appeal of these channels is that, unlike the larger FM and DAB stations, they are often manned by alternative voices and amateur enthusiasts, freed from the burden of on-air advertising or heavy-rotation playlists. As such, they provide a platform for pet sounds which are too often crowded out of the airwaves.

Editing the present As an avalanche of new music is made and shared each week, those doing the job of wading through and making sense of it all have never been more important. And, while the streaming platforms continue to jack up their playlisting algorithms, they’re still looking to big-name radio DJs to wear the face of their brand. From Zane Lowe at Apple Music’s Beats 1 to

Austin Daboh at Spotify, platforms are at pains to attract curatorial talent and underline the human element.

This is where community-minded online stations can shine.

World-conquering DJs, creators and curators such as Four Tet, Nina Kraviz and Bonobo, who understand the movements of micro-scenes, regularly tap into the local zeitgeist. Trevor Jackson, lauded label boss, electronic music producer and tastemaker, is one such regular. He’s been spinning sounds on London-based NTS for over four years. ‘When you’re being bombarded by so much music, the role of a good editor is more important than ever,’ he says.

‘I never play promos or recommendations. On NTS, I can showcase 50, 60 tracks every fortnight by new artists. All it costs me is the amount of money it takes to download the tracks. I don’t have to deal with any egos. I can just say, “This is music I love. You probably haven’t heard it before. Listen to it.” For me, that’s a hugely satisfying role to have.’

Outside the capital, stations in Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and Margate are flying with their own local flavours and formulas.

Thea Hudson-Davies, who works at the long-running Leaf Label, which releases jazz, noise and electronica from artists such as Snapped Ankles, Warmduscher and Matthew Bourne, hosts a regular show on Leeds’ KMAH. The station is a new hub for local artists, promoters and DJs, and sits at the centre of a blossoming local scene.

‘Independent stations like KMAH are starting to pop up everywhere at the moment, which is great for the smalltime promoter, DJ or artist,’ Thea says. ‘It’s a free way to help promote what you’re doing as well as the scene your working in. Our local club/DJ scene has been really growing over the last five years, and KMAH's existence is proof of that.’

Community glue For DJ Paulette, a dance music veteran whose career started during the heady days of the Hacienda in the early nineties, community radio offers a perfect marriage of online autonomy and local action. She hosts regular shows on Reform, MCR and Gaydio, all of which are enjoying a growing following among local businesses, artists and discerning music fans.

‘At Reform, we run seminars on DJing, mental health, life skills, business and enterprise, production – all sorts of things. These stations also offer a chance to work in radio with people who are willing to teach you everything they know on state-of-the-art equipment. They’re a feeder for the wider music industry,’ she explains.

‘There’s also the live music element. Reform and MCR have live bands in the studio and they really encourage Manchester talent to play at their various showcases, events and parties.

Whether you’re a singer, rapper, MC, band, whatever, there’s space for you.’

Mixcloud’s Xanthe agrees: ‘Independent radio stations serve as very important community hubs at a time when lots of people

M69_SEPTEMBER 2018_23

RADIO

seem to be losing that sense of community. I don’t think we can underestimate the importance of the role they play.’

Forward thinkers They may not have the advertising budgets or brand bandwidth, but community stations are often able to innovate in ways their mainstream contemporaries can’t.

Rinse, which started life as a pirate before fledging into a fully-licensed service, has an impressive track record for incubating new musical genres. With a heritage you can trace back to the mid-nineties, the station was there at the start of dubstep, nurturing the DJs and talent who were making strides. Via its now-legendary FWD>> club night, these new sounds migrated from the airwaves to the dancefloor, and then on to the mainstream. It was a similar story for UK garage and funky.

Finn Ryan, Chief Operating Officer at Rinse, explains: ‘One of the main reasons we’ve been right inside these big movements is that we support and nurture the scenes and and talent we believe in, rather than only jumping on things when they become popular.

‘We show genuine support by having multiple DJs from each scene instead of just one who represents that sound; we get behind the wider scene and act like an incubator. And, as well as being a radio station, we have the record label, produce film content and put on dozens of parties every year. It means we're in a unique position because we have multiple ways to engage with the music community.’

London-based online station Soho Radio is similarly keen to expand outside its bandwidth, hosting street parties and installing a record-cutting lathe in its studio to record live Vinyl Sessions. Created in collaboration with vintage audio obsessive and musician Lewis Durham (from Kitty, Daisy and Lewis), it has so far been used to record the likes of Paul Weller, IDLES, Django Django, and Lewis’ own band too. Once the artists have performed live on air, the acetate is cut for repeat plays at the station or is auctioned off for charity.

Brixton station Reprezent is yet another community-minded enterprise which punches well above its weight: with a team of 135 switched-on music scouts, its curatorial reach is the envy of many mainstream giants. Since 2009, the station has given a leg up to the likes of DJ Jamz Supernova, who’s now on BBC 1Xtra, and Snoochie Shy, who moved over to Boiler

Room. And, on the creator side, Reprezent boasts some impressive alumni – both Mercury Prize-nominated Novelist and Ivor Novello Award-winning Stormzy were presenters on the station for a good while.

Previous page: DJ Paulette This page clockwise from top: Xanthe Fuller; Kitty, Daisy and Lewis; Trevor Jackson: Paul Weller

‘Sometimes the word “community” makes people think you’re in a tiny shed with a studio that’s held together by gaffer tape and string, and everyone is talking about the local vet – but that’s just not the case,’ says Reprezent Station Manager Adrian Newman.

‘We’re vital in some respects, because we’re not just driven by commerce, we’re driven by a desire to give a platform to new artists, and to give airtime to voices that don’t normally get heard,’ he adds.

Unlike some community stations, Reprezent does run a playlist policy, but it’s always crammed with unknown talent.

‘Our playlist is democratic,’ Adrian explains. ‘We’ve got 135 young people who submit music for it every two weeks.

They’re not traditionally fed by the radio industry, pluggers or artist managers. I am 100 percent certain that commercial and public broadcasters look at our playlist, knowing that some of those artists are going to be big next year.’

There’s no doubt that stations like Reprezent have become important talent hubs which serve both music-makers and fans – while keeping the wider industry on its toes. It’s their unique drive and passion which is helping to keep radio relevant. As Xanthe says: ‘We’re definitely in a golden age for radio… It can take you on a journey that no algorithm can ever produce, and that is why the medium still has so much relevance today.’

Want to learn how to access airtime on your local station?

Head over to m-magazine.co.uk/features to garner the best advice from everyone mentioned here and more.

M69_SEPTEMBER 2018_25

RISING TIDE

Alex Rusted meets Pale Waves, one of the UK’s most hotly tipped new bands, to learn how they went from zero to hero in less than two years.

‘Going from no one caring to a lot of people caring is a big step.

We’re still trying to understand how to cope with it - it’s strange and it takes some adjusting.’ Pale Waves’ frontwoman Heather Baron-Gracie is in high spirits when we talk on the phone from London to LA, but she’s audibly exhausted by the US tour they’ve just wrapped up.

Getting exactly what you’ve always wanted is something you can never really prepare yourself for, and despite the fact that the Manchester goth/pop darlings’ recent rise is a long-held ambition for Heather, it’s been explosive enough to knock back even the most tenacious musician.

Since the opening shimmer of debut single There’s a Honey back in 2016, Pale Waves rocketed to the forefront of new British music; something about the glistening juxtaposition between sugary sweet pop ballads and brooding goth aesthetic has struck a chord with listeners and pushed the band further and further into the limelight.

So how have they done it? What is it about Pale Waves that has fans and naysayers alike so riled up? Perhaps it’s their evocative lyricism, glittery pop production or inescapable closeness to The 1975’s enigmatic figurehead, Matt Healy. Whatever it is, it’s working. And Heather has some theories of her own.

Piling on the pressure ‘When we released There’s a Honey, everything kicked off and everything changed for us,’ Heather recalls. ‘It was really different because everyone started listening to us and

watching what we say and do, and we’ve never had anything like that before.’

Since the earliest iterations of the band, Heather has had lofty ambitions for the project’s potential. Herself and Pale Waves’ drummer/songwriter/producer Ciara Doran are perhaps two of the most driven individuals in pop – as slated

by Heather herself.

‘We’re very ambitious people and we’ve always hoped for this, and now it’s coming true,’ Heather says, not really surprised at all. ‘I always knew from an early part of my life that I was going to do this.’

You would assume that the pressures of being one of the most hotly-tipped new bands in the world would begin to weigh heavy on them as they settle into the task of crafting a debut album. But in this case pressure is a boon, something to keep the band sharp and on the path towards their larger goals.

‘The excitement has put a lot of pressure on us, it has. But I think the pressure has worked in my corner. I wrote four or five songs under a lot of pressure that are on the album now – it helped me write,’ explains Heather. ‘It makes you focus, you think about that one things and that’s it. You can’t really think about anything else.’

Basic beginnings You’d be forgiven for believing the Mancunian quartet entered the world as pop-star perfect as they stand before us today, but

PROFILE

no matter how far they’ve come, the first rung on the ladder for any band will always be the same.

‘Our first gigs were a shamble. Literally just our family were there, the sound was always awful, and no one would ever turn up. They were always the typical first gigs.’ But the opportunity to play to empty rooms through shit PAs is something Heather relishes.

‘I think it’s important for every band – you’ve got to experience playing to no one to be a big band. You learn a lot about yourself on those stages; as a performer it influences you at a later date when there’s actually loads of people in front of you.’

It’s something that certainly seems to have done the trick for Heather and the band. As we spoke, Pale Waves’ debut album My Mind Makes Noises had already been signed off, pressed and was awaiting release - which couldn’t happen soon enough for Heather.

‘I can’t really wait, I just want it to be out now.’ she says excitedly, ‘I hate waiting for things. There’s just so many tracks on there that I want everybody to hear!’

The big reveal Over the last few months the band have come under criticism for a number of similarities in their music, the first being a supposed similarity between themselves and label-mates The 1975, the second being a similarity to themselves, with the harsher critics saying the band lack sonic variety from song to song.

That’s perhaps why Heather is so excited for the album to be released, she’s confident the diversity on the album will showcase their eclectic potential and quell any dissidences that the band are a one-trick pony.

‘I’m really excited for everyone to hear Karl. That’s my favourite track on the album,’ she urges. ‘I feel like people haven’t heard us that way before, it’s just me and an acoustic guitar – it’s as real and as raw as it gets. People will be shocked when they hear it.’

And sonic diversity is something that seems core to Heather’s motivation in the band right now. Even as they prepare to release the album, she thinks they haven’t really found the ‘Pale Waves’ sound.

‘I think we’re still developing right now. It’s going to take time to figure out what we want to be like and we’re still exploring some things that I think are really important for our sound.’

Through this exploration though, Heather has clearly established a platform that allows her to craft something deeply personal, introspective and cathartic. ‘It’s about my brain, my experience, my people and my friends and family,’ she says about the album, giving a simple explanation to its title: ‘It’s just my world. I prefer writing about things than speaking about them, so I found it easier – I had a lot to talk about. The album came at the right time because I could just write and write. I just write real, honest lyrics.’

And honesty is something Heather believes is important in music today, but feels she rarely sees enough of. ‘People aren’t honest in pop music, so it’s good to be one of those that are. There’s a lot of dishonesty in music and I hate it.

‘It’s not even just pop music, it’s people that are just trying to start a band for the image. They’re not doing it because they’re passionate or because they have to, they’re doing it because they think it makes them look cool. It’s vapid, not cool. You can see right through those people.’

M69_SEPTEMBER 2018_27

‘EXCELLENT’

Specialist Music Insurance that will keep you playing From just £8.50 a year!

Visit M online

24-hour instrument protection against accidental damage, theft or loss

Up to £5 million Public Liability cover available Certificate of insurance sent instantly to your phone

Get 10% OFF your quote now www.insure4music.co.uk /MA68 or call 08000 469 859 (Quote MA68)

PLUS

10% OFF

ALL POLICIES

Insure4Music® is a registered trademark and trading name of Ripe Insurance Services Limited which is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 313411. Registered office: The Royals, Altrincham Road, Manchester M22 4BJ. Registered in England No. 04507332. Terms and conditions and exclusions apply. Policy wording available on request or online. Available to UK residents only. From price is based on equipment cover only and based on instruments under the following categories: String, Woodwind, Reed, Percussion, Piano, Organ and Brass and includes 10% discount which is available for a limited time only and not available to previous or existing policyholders.

RipeThinking_M68_Jun_HP.indd 1

11687

We’ll repair or replace your instrument or cover the cost of hiring one - so you don’t miss that important performance

23/05/2018 15:16

SONGWRITING RETREAT

OPEN UP YOUR IMAGINATION FRI EVE TO SUN EVE T C HALSWAY MANOR O 8 2 SOMERSET 26 Suitable for songwriters of all genres and levels of experience, this retreat in the beautiful house and grounds of Halsway Manor consists of workshops and songwriting exercises designed to help you open up your imagination to new ways of songwriting, with plenty of space to walk, relax, think and write as well as two evening sessions in the bar where everyone gets a chance to share songs with the group and facilitators (REG MEUROSS, MELISSA HOLDING, KATIE WHITEHOUSE & JESSI NORGARD).

“REG MEUROSS will be a good man to listen to when the time comes to look at developing your own way to be your own singer-songwriter” PETE TOWNSHEND

REG MEUROSS SINGER SONGWRITER STORYTELLER FromtheWhitehouse_M_Sept_1HP.indd 1

PHOTO: RACHEL SNOWDON

FIND OUT MORE regmeuross.com

31/08/2018 09:51

PROFILE

It’s always been about image in music, but recently it’s developed, and people have become obsessed with the visual side of things

Standing out When we spoke, Pale Waves had just finished a hefty slog through the States, six dates coast-to-coast.

Now, smashing through a US tour before the release of their debut album isn’t really the norm for a new indie band from the North of England. But very little of the Pale Waves’ story so far is.

‘Visuals are just as important as everything else these days,’ she insists. ‘It’s always been about visuals in music, but recently it’s developed, and people have become obsessed with the visual side of things – but that’s just the way the world’s going.’

Through impeccable imagery, poignant relatability and a series of inexorable, dazzling indie-pop nuggets, Pale Waves have subverted expectations and used their particular quirkiness to their advantage.

It’s refreshingly honest and shows an acute awareness of the industry – a certain amount of savvy that’s all too essential an ingredient in success. But despite her awareness of the importance of a great look, Heather splits responsibility of the band’s success firmly in three camps. The image, the music, and most importantly – the internet.

‘I feel like we’re different, you know,’ Heather muses. ‘People identify with us for that and internalise it, I think that’s why our fans connect with us so much. We have a young fanbase and when you’re growing up you try to figure yourself out and you look up to people, I think that’s why we connect to our fans – we’re different.’

‘I’ve not really seen a band like us, a pop band like this. We have an intense fashion sense - we have the music and the look. The internet has helped us a lot too, in releasing music and forming a fanbase through social media.’

Love them or loath them, Pale Waves certainly are connecting with audiences in a huge way, and Heather believes the time was just right for something different to come along and grab people’s attention.

Viral potential is not to be ignored in giving rise to a band like this. Heather herself acknowledges the age of her fanbase, she knows where they are and exactly how to reach them through omnipresent digital exposure, or as she puts it: ‘We’re just keeping people interested by being there, and by being present.’ Sounds simple enough.

‘There’s four guys in an indie band pretty much everywhere you go, in every city, playing Arctic Monkeys covers or something,’ she explains. ‘I think there needs to be more people who are a bit more diverse these days, instead of trying to copy what’s already happened.’

Looking like more than just another indie band has had a huge part to play in the essence of making the band stand out something that Heather knows all too well. ‘I guess we appeal to people because we have good fashion sense,’ she says, with only the slightest hint of irony.

She knows it’s difficult to discuss Pale Waves without acknowledging the striking image the band cuts. Draped in monochromatic goth trappings, each member pays homage to a particularly mopey Robert Smith phase in their own way.

Importantly, Pale Waves have succeeded thus far because they know how to play the game. They understand that great music only gets you so far, and they’re willing to strike a pose and run a killer Instagram account to move some records.

By the time this is published the band will have released their debut album; their very first statement of intent. And come what may, the only dead certainty is that Pale Waves will keep pushing on with integrity because, since they formed in the shadow of Mancunian goth royalty, that’s all they’ve ever really done.

My Mind Makes Noises by Pale Waves is out now via Dirty Hit Records. Pale Waves are published by Kobalt Music.

M69_SEPTEMBER M68_JUNE 2018_29

PLATINUM STATUS

MAISIE COUSINS

As the album celebrates its 70th anniversary this October, what lies ahead for the format in a universe dominated by digital? Naysayers claim it’s spinning ever-closer towards its final track, but Jim Ottewill discovers rumours of its demise have been greatly exaggerated…

The idea of just releasing singles or the occasional EP doesn’t sit right for songwriters; many want to tell a story.

ALBUMS

What keeps music industry professionals up at night?

As technology continually evolves, with each exciting opportunity comes a nightmare-inducing scenario capable of ravaging the dreams of even the deepest-sleeping exec.

‘Is the album dead?’ is one such perennially thorny conundrum for artists and songwriters, labels, publishers and retailers.

The question is becoming increasingly acute as demands for content outside the actual music increase.

For some, streaming platforms are pallbearers of the album’s coffin, constantly threatening to dump it unceremoniously into a grave of CDs, Mini-Discs and other obsolete formats.

But others question why songwriters should be beholden to something originally created as a response to the advent of vinyl in the forties. Especially when there’s now so much more innovation at their fingertips.

Artistic manoeuvres ‘As an artist, the album is the most creatively enriching thing you can ever do,’ says Mercury Prize-nominated star Anna Calvi. ‘It’s like a slow-motion snapshot of the state of mind an artist experiences when they’re making it.’

For Anna, and many other songwriters, it’s clear there’s still much to love about the album format as it nears its 70th anniversary. As much as creators like to make them, industry statistics show music lovers are equally in thrall. Figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) revealed that, in 2017, 135 million albums, or their equivalent, were either purchased, downloaded or streamed, a rise of 9.5 percent on the previous year. More than four million of these were on vinyl - the highest level since the start of the nineties - while the BPI estimates a jaw-dropping five billion albums have been sold in the UK since the end of the Second World War. At the heart of the full-length record’s enduring popularity is the platform it offers songwriters to truly flex their creative muscles. Anna Calvi’s The Hunter is her third album, a darkly pulsating work and arguably her most coherent and fieriest release yet.

‘It allowed me to write about what I’m always thinking and talking about, exploring themes around the restrictions of being made to perform your gender even if it doesn’t necessarily feel a part of your character,’ she explains. ‘It let me really go deep into this subject, something which is far harder to do with just one song.’

MNEK Since signing a publishing deal in his teens, songwriter and vocalist MNEK has played a key role in huge hits for everyone from Rudimental to Kylie. Despite such success, it’s only now with the release of his debut album Language that he feels truly fulfilled.

Streaming shouldn’t infiltrate how you write. It’s just another medium through which you listen to music.

Pictured: Anna Calvi

Anna Calvi #fundedbyPRSF

‘I am still a new artist. I never thought I’d feel established until I released this album, so here we are,’ he states.

As a young songwriter-for-hire turned artist, what’s his take on the impact of streaming on the creative process? ‘I admit it makes me question the longevity of the album but at the same time I’ve always wanted to create a body of work people can appreciate,’ he says of his debut.

‘I grew up listening to albums like Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope and all of Michael Jackson’s records. They were all thought about from start to finish and I hope fans will listen to my debut in the same way. Ultimately, streaming shouldn’t infiltrate how you write. It’s just another medium through which you listen to music.’

National Album Day The same can be said for the album, but as a musical conduit between fans and artists, it’s taken on greater meaning than mere format. Leaf through classic albums such as Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys or anything in The Beatles’ rich back catalogue and these releases have huge cultural cache, establishing life-long bonds between acts and audiences.

Taking place in October, the BBC’s National Album Day will celebrate the format with a week of events, thanks to organisers the BBC, the BPI, the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), Cherry Red Records and Classic Album Sundays.

Rather than killing off the LP, Colleen Murphy, Classic Album Sundays founder and renowned DJ, believes digital’s rise has heightened the value of the full-length release.

‘Now fans are looking for a more authentic, analogue experience and one of the best ways for the uber-fan to support their favourite band is to buy a vinyl copy of their record.’

The success of Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys 2018 LP, Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino, is indicative of this behaviour. An initially uncommercial-sounding collection of songs conceived around a resort on the moon and unleashed without any leading singles, the record was a definite departure from their indie crowd pleasers. Yet it proved to be a mammoth success, becoming the fastest-selling vinyl album of the last 25 years and shifting 24,000 copies during its first week of release.

‘The concept album has made a big comeback this century,’ says Colleen. ‘It just shows that artists want to create, and listeners want to digest a full musical narrative.’

Multi-channel experience While the digital age implies only older generations are still investing in full albums, figures from ERA’s quarterly tracking study of more than 2,000 consumers reveals millennials are getting in on the act too. While 60 percent of people listen to at least one album in full each month, more than half of the under 25s are consuming whole albums weekly.

Kim Bayley, ERA’s Chief Executive, believes digital and physical are not arm wrestling over control of our ears. Instead, the two complement each other. ‘Our consumer research shows that multi-channel listening is the norm. Streaming will continue

M69_SEPTEMBER 2018_31

Worth making a Song and Dance Over

Prism Sound Lyra user Justin Hurwitz.

Academy Award winning film composer (La La Land, Whiplash)

When Academy Award winning film composer Justin Hurwitz went looking for a new interface that exuded both quality and class in its construction and sound quality he looked no further than the Prism Sound Lyra. The crystal-clear transparency of even the smallest details in the mix made it the perfect choice.

The Prism Sound Lyra has 30 years of interface design expertise implemented in a small half rack mount unit which contains a wealth of professional features.

Prism Sound is the only choice for professionals worldwide.

START YOUR AWARD WINNING JOURNEY CONTACT US NOW

sales@prismsound.com | www.prismsound.com UK +44 (0) 1353 648 888 | USA +1 973 983 9577

ALBUMS

Left: Colleen Murphy Below: MNEK

Artists want to create, and listeners want to digest a full musical narrative.

to grow but streamers will also continue to supplement their subscriptions with physical purchases to collect or gift.’

Cherry Red Records, an indie imprint responsible for releases from the likes of Felt, Hawkwind and Luke Haines, celebrates its 40th birthday this year. Its Chairman Iain McNay agrees that labels have to increase the value of their physical releases to compete.

‘It has to be a great package both musically and visually, especially with catalogue,’ he says. ‘Sales on box sets, both artist compilations and genre compilations, are on the increase. Plus, these formats are often a great source of discovery.’

CHARLOTTE RUTHERFOD / EILON PAZ for Dust & Grooves - dustandgrooves.com

New income streams While the album format is invaluable as an artistic endeavour and for the so-called super fan, how does it add up for songwriters and music publishers as a revenue source?

Sentric Music is a publisher based in London and Liverpool, which looks after a range of artists from returning indie heroes The Wombats to grime MC Coco. Simon Pursehouse, Sentric’s Head of Sync, says although in his role he prefers to service the company’s networks with individual tracks over albums, the publisher’s purpose is to ultimately support artists’ and songwriters’ creative endeavours.

‘Working single tracks gives me a reason to talk about an artist to key music supervisors every six weeks rather than chucking them twelve tracks once every 18 and hoping they listen,’ he states.

‘But the idea of just releasing singles or the occasional EP doesn’t sit right for songwriters; many want to tell a story and as a publisher it’s our job to facilitate that need, even if, at times, it might not be the most profitable way to release music in the modern industry.’

So, in a streaming world, does the album make economic sense for artists? And do publishers like Sentric help fund the making of full length releases? For Simon, value comes in many different forms.

‘We’ve helped fund multiple records over the years: it’s resulted in new copyrights which we can then go and generate income for from syncs, licences and placements.’

But the arrival of streaming has proved to be game changing for this relatively young business as well as the wider industry.

‘Streaming has been a boon to us and our songwriters, from emerging artists releasing their first records who get picked up by key playlists, to the deep catalogue by genre-defining artists getting discovered by an entirely new generation. As long as we stay one step ahead with our data, we’ll continue to see growth.’

The future So where next? While the National Album Day, Record Store Day and the Mercury Prize ensure the format is still very much a part of our cultural conversations, it’s clear that technology is having an undeniable impact.

But the format is loved by fans and creators alike: while new bands celebrate their first release and older acts breathe new life into their classics through lengthy tours, artists are doing their bit to make the album work hard in the digital age.

Beyonce’s Lemonade used video to position itself as a visual album. It seems that the industry is striving to retain the album and simultaneously get closer to the fan.

Iain at Cherry Red agrees: ‘Music lovers feel coming direct to us and getting the limited editions means they have something a bit special, that they feel more connected to the source. Many of our releases are inspired by fans' ideas. We listen.’

HMV’s dog logo was always pertinent, and it seems as a cultural totem there’s plenty of life left in it yet. Vive l'album…

M69_SEPTEMBER M68_JUNE 2018_33 2018_29

song writing

i wrote that Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey is the latest instalment in Ubisoft’s long-standing blockbuster game franchise. Scored by Joe Henson and Alexis Smith, better known as the Ivor Novello Award-winning duo The Flight, the game is on track to be one of the biggest releases of the year. Set in ancient Greece, its score is enigmatic and steeped in history. Here, Joe and Alexis tell us how they brought the game to life…

Joe: I’ve always loved Assassin’s Creed. I remember sending the first trailers to my little brother and saying, ‘Oh my God. Have you seen this game?’ I’ve always held the scores to this game in very, very high esteem.

I think they’re some of the best.

Alexis: As soon as we found out where it was set and at what time, it was very inspiring we knew that we’d be able to do something completely different. In February 2017 they called us to say they’d like us to do it, and we started about a month later.

Joe: We made all the music you hear in the game. So, there’ll be music playing while you’re exploring the environment and for when you are in an action situation. There are lots of cinematics, which are just scoring sections where the story is told; the music here works very similar to how it does in a film. And then, there are themes that reappear when different characters get involved in the game.

Alexis: Also, there were long bits of interactive music that we had to do, which react to what the player’s character is doing in the game.

In those sections, you’re not scoring directly to picture. You’re writing to the atmosphere, the mood, scene-setting; not specifically frame-by-frame to the action, because it’s different every time a gamer plays it.

Joe: We started writing it as we would any other piece, because the most important thing, no matter what, is whether the music is good or not. Sometimes we have to tailor things to get them to work in the game - but we still begin by writing every piece of music the same way. m69_september 2018 _34

...having real music in the score makes you feel like you’re actually there.

Alexis: In the game, we quite often have different musical groupings for different places on the map, or different characters. I suppose it’s the same as when you’re making a record. It’s always good to constrain yourself a little bit. Because of technology you can do anything, you can have any sound, and sometimes you can get lost.

Joe: So, the first thing we did was find the direct descendants of the modern instruments we use, instruments that you may have found in ancient Greece. We use them heavily throughout the score.

Alexis: We learned how to play them as we went along. By the end of it, we got good.

I’m great at panpipe now! It’s nice to pick up things you haven’t played before, because your fingers will go to different places, and you find notes you wouldn’t have played on your normal instrument.

Joe: We really enjoyed the imperfection and human-sounding element of the the experience. Also, at the very beginning of the project, they sent us lots of art, videos and stories - we soaked all that up first to immerse ourselves in ancient Greece. We

got very inspired even just from a demo of someone walking through a world and seeing the colours, the lights, the setting, and the overall atmosphere and vibe.

Alexis: It’s a beautiful setting. While it’s quite heavy when you actually think about what you’re doing in the game, the world itself is beautiful. So, it’s the juxtaposition of those two; the story which is quite serious, and then the beautiful setting, which we can instantly hear in our heads. We were able to play the game quite early on too, which helped.

Olivia Andrews makes great games, so it was amazing to be involved in this project. She always gives amazingly interesting briefs, which makes everything more exciting for us as composers. Plus, having real music in the score makes you feel like you’re actually there. We’re really happy with it.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey will be released on 5 October.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey Written by Joe Henson, Alexis Smith and Michael Georgiades Published by Ubisoft Music

I Quit My Day Job Because I Make More Money From My Music.

That’s every musician’s dream, isn’t

it —quitting your day gig because you make more money with your music.

Well, that’s my life now, and here’s how I did it…

I joined TAXI. Looking back, I wish I’d joined years earlier. TAXI taught me how to create music that people in the industry actually need. Then they gave me 1,200 opportunities a year to pitch my music!

Matthew Vander Boegh, TAXI Member My income keeps growing exponentially, and my music keeps getting better because it’s my full time gig now! Here’s the ironic part…

I live in Boise, Idaho, not Hollywood, yet my music is on TV nearly every day.

My studio is in a glorified tool shed in my backyard, and my gear setup is so quaint other musicians ask, “Really?

That’s it?!” I’ve got a computer, monitors, a few mics, and a cheap little interface.

No fancy outboard gear, no rack-mounted anything!

I’m getting paid for my music now instead of sitting on my couch dreaming about it. I’m my own boss, and some day my music will probably pay for my retirement, a vacation home on an exotic beach, and some umbrella drinks!

My Two Secret Weapons

Targets and deadlines are my secret weapons. Knowing who needs music and when they need it motivates me to get things done. It’s changed my life!

Actually, TAXI changed my life.

It Didn’t Take That Long

I promised myself I’d quit my job as a college professor when my music income became larger than my teaching income. I reached that goal in less than five years because of TAXI.

The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company

Don’t wait until you’ve built a catalog…

Join TAXI now and let them help you build the right catalog! Be patient, be persistent, and you’ll hit critical mass like I have. My income keeps growing every year!

I’m all the proof you need that a regular guy can make enough money with his music to quit his day job! Do what thousands of other musicians have done to become successful—join TAXI. You might never have to work another day gig in your life!

1-800-458-2111 • TAXI.com

Sam Smith • Adele • Howard Shore • Damon Albarn • John Lunn Stephen Sondheim • Debbie Wiseman • Steve Sidwell • Guy Chambers Charlie Mole • Guy Barker • Simon Hale • Dario Marianelli George Fenton • Anne Dudley • Cliff Masterson • Phil Ramone Duncan Sheik • Michael Nyman • Dominik Scherrer • Marius de Vries Craig Armstrong • Steve Power • Alison Balsom • Pip Williams Steve Anderson • Ian Brown • Steve Lipson • Trevor Horn Rufus Wainwright • Paul Englishby • Chris Egan • Lorne Balfe Graham Stack • Sigma • Elbow • Rob Lane • Kylie Minogue