M71

Members Music Magazine Issue 71 March 2019

FIELD MUSIC Keep the boutique fires burning

PSYCH When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro

DIDO STILL ON OUR MIND

An encyclopaedic, blockbuster series of incredibly versatile, dry-stage strings, brass and woodwinds, recorded by Grammy award-winning engineer Simon Rhodes in the crisp and vibrant setting of Air Studio One.

digital edition

contents 18

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COVER FEATURE

DIDO Dido returns with her fifth record and talks about two decades in the business…

MONEY & BUSINESS International update, MAPS, SImon Platz and the 2019 PRS AGM

THE REST IS NOISE

28

M dives into a thriving psych scene.

PITCHED UP

22

The booming world of the indie festival

WILL ROBSON SCOTT, GEMMA DAY, KASIA WOZNIAK, JENNY MCCORD

12

JUST JOINED Familiarise yourself with some of PRS for Music’s most exciting new members 4

60 SECONDS Meet Nainita Desai, a media composer with a consistently fresh approach.

The Stranglers receive the latest PRS for Music Heritage Award

5

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SOCIAL @m_magazineprs @m_magazineprs prsformusic prsformusic m_magazineprs

cover photo: dido

PICTURE THIS

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Associate Editor Anita Awbi Content Editor Rebecca Bemrose

Membership Advisors Simon Aldridge Myles Keller

CONTRIBUTORS Ali Condon, Maxie Gedge, Ashley Howard, Alex Sharman, Coral Williamson, Harriet Wybor.

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 2019. 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.

m71_march 2019_3

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OCTAVIAN

BLACK MIDI Mysterious Croydon-based four-piece who create precociously executed math/noise-rock.

JENN KIRBY Composer and music technologist working across acoustic and electronic soundworlds.

CATERINA BARBIERI

BBC Sound 2019 winner Octavian is a French-British rapper who effortlessly combines grime, pop, house and drill.

Berlin-based electronic composer who builds complex, polyrhythmic pieces with modular synths.

He earnt a scholarship to the BRIT school at 14, and his distinctive, raspy rhymes, unusual flow and fluid approach to genre set him apart from his contemporaries, as did his primary inspirations, Bon Iver and James Blake.

In January 2018 Octavian received the starry endorsement of Drake, who appeared in an Instagram video singing along to his track Party Here.

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

Octavian released his second mixtape, Spaceman, in late 2018 and by January this year he had taken the 2019 BBC Sound of 2019 award.

HOUSEWIVES Housewives are a London-based, genre-defying, five-piece band who since forming in 2013 have become a respected participant of the city’s underground scene.

Their first full-length release appeared in 2015, and Work was a brutal introduction into the punishing monochrome textures and relentless repetition of their music.

This unyielding poise was extended with the release of their 2017 LP FF061116, which pitched them 4_march 2019_m71

somewhere between the starkly progressive industrial noise-rock of This Heat and the vicious post-punk of The Birthday Party.

In a bold move, they traded guitars for MIDI equipment for their next release, and although the computer-generated sounds of Twilight Splendour offer softer edges, their experimental spirit is intact.

Talking to M, the band explained that the new record deals with, ‘The confusion of spending so much of your headspace within an alternative reality.’

Black Midi, Housewives #fundedbyPRSF

GEORGE NEBIERIDZE

His first mixtape, 22, was released in 2016 and the following year he put out the Essie World EP.

members & music

sixty seconds

nainita desai Nainita Desai is an award-winning media composer. Her work traverses the worlds of television, film and gaming through mainstream scoring to more experimental sound design.

In the early stages of her career she worked with the director Werner Herzog, then secured a role at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios before making a name for herself initially for documentaries, and later feature films like the supernatural thriller Darkness Visible.

Maintaining a consistently fresh approach creatively, and an astute sense of the changing nature of the music business and technology, Nainita became a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit in 2016.

You obtained a degree in maths before attending the National Film and Television school, what motivated that shift?

I had a lot of cultural and personal pressures to get a stable job and to have a good education, so I ended up doing a degree in maths because I love numbers and the beauty of numbers.

After my degree I gave myself a five-year plan to make a go of it in the industry. I just love the marriage of music and film, they’re greater than the sum of their parts and it’s all about storytelling for me. I made a go of it.

What was your first big break?

When I was doing my post-grad, Peter Gabriel came to the studios. I was doing some MIDI programming and he said, “look me up when you finish your degree”. I was full of passion and enthusiasm and was bubbling with ideas, and they offered me the job of being Peter’s assistant, during the Real World recording week sessions.

I became a BAFTA Breakthrough Brit about two years ago and that was a huge break for me in terms of breaking through from documentary into feature films, and drama and narrative.

You work across a range of styles; do you think that’s an essential skill for a modern composer?

Absolutely, for a media composer. I believe that my strength is in my diversity and versatility, in being able to turn my hands to lots of different projects. For me, lots of crumbs make a biscuit.

You studied sitar, piano, guitar, tabla, and violin as a child how has this varied experience shaped your music?

Enormously, because it gave me an awareness of so many different genres of music, and musical cultures.

My second tip is to not have a creative ego.

A media composer’s job is to be a collaborator.

You never stop learning about music. You may think, ‘I’ve got a degree in music, that’s it, I know everything there is to know about it.’ After 10, 20, 30 years, I’m still learning.

Can you tell us a little about your company Soundology?

I sort of divide myself in two. Soundology is my mainstream TV company, and on my feature films and dramas I go under Nainita Desai.

It’s very easy to get known for writing in a certain style. That’s something I’m always trying to avoid, to not be pigeonholed, or boxed into a style.

In the UK when you cross between documentary and dramas, they don’t take you seriously.

And in feature films and dramas you can’t do documentaries. So, it’s a way that helps me keep those worlds separate but still connected at the same time.

What are the biggest challenges facing British composers today?

Our rights are being eroded. We have budgets that are being eroded, fees are being eroded.

So we have to be very creative with our business models.

Do you have any advice for young composers starting out in the world of film and television?

One of the things I always say when I’m talking to younger composers is to watch film and TV. I’m always amazed at how people talk about composers and musicians, and love music, but they don’t actually know anything, or watch any film and TV.

As for time schedules, because of the growth of technology over the last 15 – 20 years, everyone is aware that music is much easier to write and produce using technology. That is a great positive, but also a very dangerous thing for clients to expect music to be written by yesterday. Music begins to sound quite bland and homogenous when you have to write so fast. m71_march 2019_5

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Career Change Advice Ways we can help: Having a 'Plan B' for when things don't work out can sometimes minimise the impact.

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members & music

members & music

LEADERS OF THE PACK

British artists have dominated the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame list of inductees, with UK acts making up five of the seven artists.

Art rockers Roxy Music, sixties psych rock outfit The Zombies, and gothic post punk group The Cure (pictured right) are among the acts to receive the honour. They are joined by metal band Def Leppard and alt-rock five-piece Radiohead, who are the most recent band to be inducted. The latter only became eligible last year, which marked 25 years since their debut single Creep was released.

Artists can only be inducted to the Hall of Fame 25 years on from the release of their first record, and then the nominated acts are voted in by a panel of 1,000 individuals from the music industry alongside the results of a fan ballot.

This year’s inductees also include Janet Jackson and Stevie Nicks, which makes the latter the first woman to be welcomed into the Hall of Fame on two occasions (she was inducted as a member of Fleetwood Mac in 1998).

Both Roxy Music and Def Leppard are inducted on their first nomination for the honour, while The Cure and Radiohead enter following two nods.

Meanwhile, The Zombies are finally welcomed into the Hall after four nominations, beginning in 2014.

The class of 2019 will be inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on 29 March.

PRS SUPPORTS JAZZ AT SXSW UK Jazz will be represented at SXSW festival in Texas with a showcase of top UK artists, with support from PRS for Music, The Association of Independent Music (AIM), and PPL. Music curator Jazz re:freshed returns to SXSW for the third time in 2019, in partnership with showcase producer British Underground, with a line-up that includes Nerija (pictured left), Joe Armon Jones, Sarah Tandy, Yussef Dayes and Ezra Collective.

The showcase follows the two-year Arts Council England supported Jazz re:freshed Outernational, a showcasing initiative in partnership with British Underground that presents UK jazz artists at key music events in USA, Brazil, and Europe.

Nerija, Joe Armon Jones, Sarah Tandy, Yussef Dayes, Erza Collective #fundedbyPRSF

The showcase is the first to be supported by key music industry organisations, and additionally, four of the featured artists have been supported by the PRS Foundation’s International Showcase Fund.

Nigel Elderton, PRS Chairman, says: ‘I am delighted for PRS for Music to be supporting Jazz re:freshed Outernational in showcasing the incredible talent of the UK jazz scene at SXSW.’ Justin McKenzie, Jazz re:freshed added: ‘It’s always exciting to showcase the vast array of UK Jazz talent at SXSW and this year is no exception.

We have a stellar line-up that is guaranteed to raise the roof.’

Find out more: jazzrefreshed.com m71_march 2019_7

members & music TELLING TALES

Songwriter Mara Simpson isn’t afraid to broach the big themes in her work, but it’s all played out with her characteristically light touch. ‘I think this album, and how I now play live, is braver, simpler, and maybe a little weirder,’ she says of this evolution in sound since her debut Our Good Sides appeared in 2016.

Mara’s youth was spent continent-hopping between Hertfordshire, Kenya and New Zealand, and the carefully balanced mix of folk, blues and Americana she makes now is informed by her classical training in composition, piano and guitar.

Currently based in Brighton, she has put out another arresting collection 285 Days Later – named after the period between beginning recording and giving birth to her daughter – and although she has embraced subtle electronics this time around, her understated approach frames rather than hinders the quality of her finely-drawn, intimate songwriting.

The record was produced by Chris Boot and Ben Daniel, features string arrangements from her friend Poppy Ackroyd, and was supported by PRS Foundation’s Women Make Music initiative.

She tells M: ‘The grant I was awarded enabled me to perform live shows with my band around the album release, which was a huge support. Producing creative work often requires both emotional and financial vulnerability; having an organisation like PRS Foundation back the work I’m doing means a great deal.

members & music

TURNING TABLES

Techno trailblazer Paula Temple has never really played to expectations. Despite her position as a revered DJ and co-developer of one of the first live performance MIDI controllers, she dropped out of the scene in 2006 to focus on social enterprise and charity work – ‘I’d reached a point where I didn’t really care about other people’s opinions.’

Now residing Amsterdam via Berlin, Paula reflects on her decision: ‘I was also getting a bit disillusioned with what was happening with techno music anyway, it seemed to have lost its energy and any direction.’

Yet the changing nature of her new job made her question her purpose.

‘I asked myself, what do I love? I decided I would completely commit myself to that, and it was making music.’

Her return has produced a series of celebrated releases via R&S Records, growing renown for her hybrid live sets, and co-production and remix credits for acts like Peaches, Fever Ray, and the Prodigy.

Paula is now preparing to put out her highly anticipated debut LP, Edge of Everything – a work of, characteristically, uncompromised noise and intent. ‘I decided that I wasn’t going to hide my fears and hopes,’ she explains.

The album will be released on her own label Noise Manifesto, which she set up with a distinct purpose.

She tells M: ‘I didn’t realise how consumed I was, and worried about being a woman in techno music. You’re having to work and prove yourself, not only ten times harder but 200 times harder, and still you’ll be ignored. You just accept that when you’re young. My passion for techno music had no gender.

‘This album is a collection of stories. Each track is about specific people and places, the music and lyrics having a very particular meaning to me but, at the same time, hopefully finding their own meanings with listeners. The songs draw on light and dark, on life and death, and the stories that help those things to make sense.’

‘After having all this experience with the charity work and social enterprise, and my own experience of misogyny, classism, and homophobia, I decided to set up this manifesto as a framework for me to filter who I’m going to work with.’

285 Days Later is released via Rough Trade and Republic of Music.

Read the full interview at m-magazine.co.uk/features

Edge of Everything is released on 3 May. Read the full interview at m-magazine.co.uk/features m71_march 2019_9

MUSIC

INDUSTRY

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ATTEND OUR OPEN DAY & FREE MASTERCLASS: 2nd APRIL WWW.POINTBLANKMUSICSCHOOL.COM For course enquiries call +44(0)20 7729 4884 or email admissions @ pointblankmusicschool.com

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members & music sound effect

Lucy Schaufer has confounded expectations and defied genre throughout her career, from her performance as Claire de Loone in the ENO’s production of Bernstein’s musical On the Town, to Jennie the dog in Oliver Knussen’s contemporary opera Higglety Pigglety Pop! The Grammy Award winning mezzo-soprano released her debut solo recording, Carpentersville, in 2013 and more recently could be found performing in Venables’ 4:48 Psychosis at the Royal Opera House, which later transferred to New York.

Lucy is also the founder and artistic director of Wild Plum Arts, which supports composers by commissioning and promoting new works, and recently partnered with PRS for Music for the Wild Plum Songbook initiative.

The first record I ever bought was…

I guess my first purchase was Deep Purple’s Who Do We Think We Are, with Woman from Tokyo. Well, we were living in Japan at the time and my 7-year-old self thought that made me pretty darn cool.

The first piece of music I developed an obsession for was…

I might be branded a heretic for saying this, but opera wasn’t my first obsession. MGM musicals became my Saturday afternoons, they stole my heart and fostered a sense of playfulness and creativity. An American in Paris with Gene Kelly will always do nicely, thank you.

My favourite cover version is…

Every time any song, symphony, opera or anything is performed it is a cover version - what we as performers bring to the table in each performance allows for individual artistry and freshness, and therefore keeps music, in all its forms, moving forward.

The definitive version of anything is an El Dorado, sought at each generation’s peril.

EVERYTHING is a wondrous cover version.

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

Truly, how long do you have? Just look at the list of forgotten musicals Encores! in New York have performed, or the incredible unearthing of volumes of Entartete Musik which now form part of our regular concert seasons. I’m awfully fond of Hopper’s Wife, an intelligent and evocative opera by Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie.

The last great record I listened to was…

Oh, boy, hold onto your socks! Mike Lovatt’s 56º North with Foden’s Band what a stunner of a debut CD from this extraordinary artist.

The piece of music I wish I’d written is…

You’ve Got a Friend by Carole King. You hear that 8-bar intro and you know exactly who

you are, who you want to be, and why you put the kettle on and show up for others.

The piece of music that makes me cry is…

It’s true that Make our Garden Grow from Candide by Bernstein may flip my tear ducts on full flow, but Kleine Trauermusik from Higglety-Pigglety Pop by Oliver Knussen touches a profound space for me.

The song that I know all the words to is…

If I’m honest, I know all the words to every song written by James Taylor. A singer’s world revolves around remembering words, and the ability to share lyrics with friends is like a secret code which binds you together.

My all-time favourite film soundtrack is…

The Color Purple by Quincy Jones because it has a raw elegance that embraces the truest elements of Americana, and let’s face it, that’s exactly what makes my bones vibrate. wildplumarts.org.uk m71_march 2019_11

money & business

EMBRACING THE NEW

PRS is facing further competition from the US with some American societies offering large advances in a bid to encourage writers to join them for the world. I would warn writers and rightsholders that the promise of cash up front doesn’t always guarantee the best resources for long-term sustainability.

I believe PRS thrives on a foundation of transparency and accountability – something we have never compromised on. Trying to compete with big lump sums would be an exercise in short-termism. Far more valuable is good infrastructure that provides quick payments and clarity for our members. That is where we need to focus our resources.

Of course, technology and infrastructure are nothing without the right people. As you’ll already know, we’re currently searching for a new CEO, but it is not a process that can be rushed.

More than ever we need somebody who can be an active force in the PRS engine room, and a driving force in helping us achieve our day-today goals, as well as being a figurehead for the organisation around the world. That kind of person is hard to find – but the effort will be worth it.

I’m also keen to see some much-needed change at Board level.

Currently, only three women sit on a PRS Board of 25. I would like to see greater equality there.

The music industry is a much more optimistic place compared to only a couple of years ago.

With digital product now starting to realise its potential, there is a sense of excitement as bottom lines increase and lines on charts point in the right direction once again.

That’s not to say that the new music ecosystem has settled, however.

The uncertainty that persists is perhaps best illustrated by the wellpublicised tug of war that is Article 13. It’s probably the most high profile of a handful of significant issues where there is still plenty of jostling to be done before we can comfortably declare a new status quo across the music biz.

2019 feels like a potential turning point for PRS for Music, in particular.

We are faced with a handful of significant challenges, and how we respond to them now could very well define the shape of the organisation for years to come.

GEMMA DAY

We cannot ignore the fact that the UK’s blanket licence is looked upon unfavourably by players in some territories, particularly the US, and that some of the major writers are entertaining the idea of licensing certain rights directly.

I cannot emphasise enough the importance of the UK’s blanket licence to the health of our community. Make no mistake, it is the blanket licence that ensures value for rightsholders at every level. Its disintegration may mean a windfall for legendary catalogue owners, but everyone else would see their bargaining power become stunted and that would ultimately harm UK music as a whole.

12_march 2019_m71

The problem, however, is that the Board currently is reflective of the wider PRS membership, only 17% of which is female. Greater diversity across the publishing community at a management level, therefore, clearly needs to be encouraged, and PRS is well placed to spearhead that drive.

PRS Foundation is already doing some great work related to this issue in certain areas of the industry – such as the Keychange initiative, which encourages gender balance at festivals – and we will look for new ways to make greater headway within publishing. I’d welcome conversations with anyone wishing to contribute.

We are emerging from a turbulent time, and we still face numerous pressures. Where we were once crying out for more data, we are now having to grow and adapt quickly to accommodate more than we could have ever imagined a short time ago.

I hope we can embrace the new music industry with renewed vigour and confidence. There are exciting times ahead.

Simon Platz has been on the PRS Board since 2008 and was appointed as Deputy Chairman Publisher this January.

Simon is managing director of Bucks Music Group which has a varied roster of composers and active A&R and synch teams, signing many new and upcoming writers, nurturing them and helping them build lasting careers.

He chairs the Commercial Advisory Group, he is part of the PRS Distribution Committee, PRS Licensing Committee, PRS Audit Services Advisory Group as well as being on the ITV and BBC sub-groups.

Simon is also a Director of the Music Publishers Association, a Trustee of the PRS Foundation and on the boards of the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society and Printed Music Licensing Limited. He is also a founding member of the Independent Music Publishers Forum.

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business

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

MAPS CELEBRATES THIRD BIRTHDAY When you’re looking something up online and come across a 404 error – page not found – it’s normally annoying. But the number is somewhat auspicious for PRS for Music’s Rights Protection Unit and its Member Anti-Piracy System, known as MAPS. In the digital age, every stream counts towards the royalties ultimately generated.

According to Sharan Ghuman, Manager of the Rights Protection Unit (formerly known as the Anti-Piracy Unit), this has made PRS for Music’s fight against piracy more critical than ever before.

She explains: ‘Stream-ripping piracy, which has grown quickly, is currently considered more harmful than any of the longerestablished methods of piracy. Although we are also combatting stream-ripping piracy using a range of other measures, MAPS has been instrumental in shutting down streamripping download sites.’

MAPS tracks PRS for Music repertoire on unlicensed and infringing websites. When it finds something, it automatically sends a notice to sites requesting removal. At the same time, notices are sent to search engines, Google and Bing, which can delist the results for those infringements from their results.

Since launching in March 2016, MAPS has aided search engines in delisting 404,000 links to live infringing sites – a welcome number to see. It has been instrumental in forcing more than 1,109 sites to completely shut down, and in total, 76 percent – more than three quarters – of the 5.3 million links reported have been removed.

The Rights Protection Unit launched MAPS with UK book publishing industry trade organisation the Publishers Association.

Three years later, it’s proven to be an incredible way to combat piracy, exceeding Sharan’s expectations.

She notes: ‘Using MAPS for this type of overwhelming disruption has been by far the most successful form of anti-piracy method employed by the PRS for Music Rights Protection Unit.

‘More recently, we’ve been able to grow and improve the tool to achieve automatic notice sending, which means a better user experience and a better allocation of user resource dedicated to this area of protection, a feature that isn’t offered by third party notice and takedown systems.’

the big numbers

100%

Success rate in disrupting apps.

5.3m

Number of links reported in MAPS.

We encourage users to add pre-release and new content to the system as piracy is at its highest during this early stage of a track’s release cycle.

With piracy at its highest during the early stages of a track’s release cycle, members can add pre-release or new content to the MAPS system to protect themselves, reviewing the repertoire regularly to make sure MAPS can detect a greater number of infringements and provide protection on more content.

‘Detailed reporting is a feature of MAPS which allows users to see exactly where their content has been illegally uploaded and shared and gives them a sense of the amount of content being pirated,’ says Sharan.

She adds: ‘We encourage users to add prerelease and new content to the system as piracy is at its highest during this early stage of a track’s release cycle. MAPS can detect infringements as soon as content has leaked, thereby reducing the harm to our members significantly.’

Members can also contact the Rights Protection Unit for any other piracy matters.

Alongside MAPS, the team has multiple ways to tackle piracy, including a collaborative partnership with the City of London Police IP Crime Unit.

404k

Number of links delisted.

76%

Percentage of reported infringing links have been removed.

850

Number of sites completely taken down.

To join MAPS, email maps@prsformusic.com m71_march 2019_13

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WHAT’S UP IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

So, what is PRS going to do to make a difference? Rather than repeating what has been tried before and expecting a different result our 2019 plan is to change the approach entirely.

Instead of venturing into the region itself we intend to focus on licensing the gulf region airlines as the initial wedge into broader licensing in the region.

The Middle-East remains an out-of-reach revenue stream for our members, but the PRS for Music International team are stepping up their efforts to extract remuneration. Sami Valkonen Director of International eaborates: The PRS for Music International department ensures our members are treated fairly by most countries in the world, from China – where copyright is still in in infancy – to more obscure places like the tropical island of St. Lucia.

Of course, we still have some blind spots like North Korea, Iran and some of the least developed African countries, but even for the most successful writers these markets don’t prove to be the most lucrative. But there is a region of substantial wealth where we are still not collecting revenues – the MiddleEast, and especially the oil-rich Gulf region.

The GDP per person in the United Arab Emirates is £31,000, which is on par with the United Kingdom. While outside the main cities the market share of our member repertoire is probably low, in destinations like Dubai and Abu Dhabi our members’ music is widely used. So why are these affluent areas as dry as the desert that surrounds them to our members?

Firstly, there are no authors’ societies in the region. Secondly, indifference, and even hostility, to copyright by the ruling monarchs makes the region the final frontier in our efforts to ensure our members get fair remuneration for their works.

With little domestic pressure for authors’

Rather than repeating what has been tried before and expecting a different result our 2019 plan is to change the approach entirely. rights, there is scant incentive to compensate western artists when, unhindered, that money can happily stay in the local economy.

Efforts to derive revenues for Western copyrights have been extended through the years. Despite some promising starts, the intransigence of the local licensees and the indifference of the authorities have stifled the efforts to get licenses in place.

PRS for Music have by no means been the only society to seek licensing in the region in vain – our sister societies in France (SACEM) and Canada (SOCAN) have made substantial efforts as well, with meagre results on par with ours.

We have licensed the Burj Khalifa fountain in Dubai, SACEM the local online service, and SOCAN a local radio station. Altogether the global community has been able to extract a tiny fraction of the value to songwriters are legitimately due from the region.

Emirates Airlines has spent £250 million for naming rights for the Emirates Stadium in Highbury, and hundreds of millions more for premium sponsorships for not only Arsenal, but also teams such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germaine among many others. Etihad Airways paid a reported £400M for their sponsorship of Manchester City hailed as “the largest deal of its kind” by The Guardian.

Qatar Airways is not far behind, with all these airlines boasting premium in-flight entertainment that depends on musical works by PRS members.

Companies that can afford hundreds of millions on sports sponsorships should have the decency of paying a fair licence for their in-flight entertainment, which makes heavy use of music from PRS members.

The difference between these airlines and our efforts locally in the region is that they all fly into the United Kingdom and have a substantial presence here.

We believe that by providing an understanding of authors’ rights in the UK these airlines will appreciate the value of our members’ music as part of their in-flight entertainment offering.

Also, as a result of their substantial connections with the United Kingdom these airlines, unlike the local establishments in the region, are subject to our laws which gives us a further opportunity to make our case for member renumeration.

In the end, our goal is to get to the point where these airlines understand that obtaining a reasonably priced licence for the music they use is, in fact, good for their business.

We do not expect overnight success, but with hard work and perseverance the International team is determined to turn the Gulf region into the oasis it rightfully should be for our members.

m71_march 2019_15

“Important Opportunity for Songwriters!”

Become our next success story...

HURRY! Deadline: May 31st

“I’m grateful my song was selected winner of the top prize in the USA Songwriting competition. This recognition inspires me to continue the work. I love the process of writing, and this will help me follow through when the next song idea pops into my head.

Thanks to the judges, and thank you to everyone at the competition for supporting the art of songwriting.”

David Wilcox, Overall Grand Prize winner, 23rd Annual USA Songwriting Competition.

Photo by Lynne Harty

“We are so excited to win this competition. We entered this competition as unsigned acts, came out as top winner, signed to Island Records and we hit #1 on the Billboard charts!”

Dave Rublin, past winner of the USA Songwriting Competition, hit #1 on the Billboard Charts

It’s time for you to take that all-important step to enter the 24th Annual USA Songwriting Competition!

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money & business MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT

business

BUSINESS AS USUAL DESPITE BREXIT Equally, PRS for Music has over 150 agreements in place with societies in 110 countries all over the world that are independent of the UK’s membership of the EU or any trade deals.

Whether members are inside or outside of the EU, the services PRS for Music provides to songwriters, composers and publishers around the world won’t be affected, including members residing in Malta and Cyprus.

PRS for Music members can expect distributions to continue as normal despite the uncertainty surrounding Bexit.

The PRS 2019 Directors’ Ballot will soon open, giving Principal Voting (formerly known as Full) and Voting (formerly known as Associate) members an opportunity to have a say in how the Society is governed.

Voting will take place in the run up to the next Performing Right Society Limited Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 21 May at 30 Euston Square, London.

PRS members play a fundamental role in determining which candidates will be appointed to the PRS Board as Directors. Six new directors have been appointed over the course of the last two AGMs and there has been an increase in the number of eligible members voting.

PRS is keen to see that continue and is urging eligible members to have their say in the Ballot this year.

They are also encouraged to attend the AGM, as it offers a chance to ask questions of senior management, learn about what PRS has in store for the future and receive the annual accounts.

Nigel Elderton, Chairman, PRS says: ‘Our membership is incredibly diverse and we are keen to see this reflected on the PRS Board.

So please make use of your vote and ensure that you are choosing the candidates who you feel will best represent your interests.

This is your opportunity to make your vote count and ensure that your voice is heard.’

Emails and letters will be sent to eligible members by PRS’ independent scrutineers, Electoral Reform Services, in early April confirming the Ballot opening date, the deadline for votes, and information about how to vote.

While it’s impossible to predict what will happen on or after the 25 March, when the UK is officially due to leave the EU, the royalties PRS members receive in April won’t be affected.

Brexit will not change how PRS for Music functions in processing and paying royalties, because although EU legislation forms the basis of that operation it’s also already part of UK law and the UK government has indicated that it has no intention of amending the copyright law.

Ali Condon, Project & External Affairs Advisor, PRS for Music says: ‘The uncertainty as to how Brexit is going to play out and the shape of any future relationship inevitably raises questions for all of us.

But to be clear, PRS for Music is in quite a fortunate position in that our operations aren’t dependent on being a part of the EU, we work closely with our sister societies world over, EU and non-EU – from Japan to Argentina, from Spain to South Africa - to secure the income of PRS members. Brexit doesn’t change that, regardless of whether or not there is a deal.’

ACCESS ALL AREAS It’s an important time for PRS for Music as we move closer to launching multiple digital projects. The first will introduce improved technology to make logging on to the website easier and more secure.

Phone authentication will replace security questions used to access restricted parts of the website, whereby we will send a pin to your mobile.

The simple system puts users in control no matter how many accounts they access or

how many people access them with a single log in for multiple accounts and improved management of additional users.

In the long term, the update lays the foundations for future projects such as bringing member statement information online. Members are encouraged to make sure their login details are up to date to ensure they maintain access when we launch the new system, and to keep an eye out for emails with other questions about their account set up.

Your next paydays Performing (PRS): 15 April, 13 July, 15 Oct, 14 Dec

Mechanicals (MCPS): Non-Recorded Media 15 May, 15 June, 13 July, 15 Aug Recorded Media 31 May, 29 June, 31 July, 30 Aug

m71_march 2019_17

PIERRICK GUIDOU

PROFILE

EVER THE OPTIMIST Twenty years after Dido’s debut became one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history, the singer-songwriter returns with her fifth record.

She chats to Rhian Jones about two decades in the business…

Dido is one of a handful of British artists who’ve survived the last twenty tumultuous years in the music industry, through the tumbling trajectory of the CD and subsequent recorded music revenues thanks to piracy, and the transition from downloads to streaming. During that time, she’s released four albums with sales that have reached more than 40 million worldwide, and her fifth, Still on My Mind, has just arrived. What’s the secret to longevity when surrounded by so much disruption?

'I have absolutely no idea! I feel very lucky that I’m still doing this and still doing exactly what I want to do,' she answers. 'I’ve never really compromised on that, ever.'

Given the level of drama happening on the other side of the door, perhaps it’s for the best that Dido — a selfconfessed 'eternal optimist' — doesn’t distract herself too much with the business side of music, preferring instead to focus on the creative. She continues: 'I don’t get too bogged down in the detail of it. I just get so excited by new music, when a song didn’t exist in the morning and it does by the evening, that to me is still the pinnacle. The thing that is amazing about music is that it’s completely limitless, there are always more songs, more thoughts, more ideas. There is always something out there to learn.'

Still on My Mind arrived on 8th March and is another fruit from the tree of her hugely successful production/ songwriting partnership with brother and Faithless founder, Rollo Armstrong. The project, preceded by single Give You Up, is Dido’s first new music since 2013 and was born out of a desire to enjoy writing with friends and family, who also included producer/songwriters Ryan Louder, Rick Nowles and Dee Adam. The creative

process was stripped back and lyrics span emotional and personal themes.

Dido explains: 'For me, the theme of making the album was simplicity, warmth, emotion, and wanting to use new sounds that move me, but keeping it really simple.

There are very few instrument parts, I’ve unashamedly used all the electronic sounds that I love, and the vocals were all done just sitting on a sofa in the room – I didn’t step foot into a vocal booth. I just had this real need to be around people who were close to me, make music and see what happens. The whole thing has been really easygoing, it’s been a real joy to make.'

In the streaming age, when album sales are decreasing every year, what’s her definition of success? 'Being able to make a record, that’s always been it for me. I’ve made an album that you can listen to from beginning to end, it tells a story and I’ve very consciously put the songs in a certain order. I know that’s not as relevant anymore, but it can be listened to like that, or you can just pick whatever tracks you like. I’ve always enjoyed having the music heard and I don’t really mind how that is.'

When Dido last released an album in 2013, streaming was only just gathering pace. Its ubiquity today is a welcome development due to the freedom it gives artists to release music when they want. She explains: 'I quite enjoy the fact that I can write a song tonight, put it up and there it is, there is something very exciting about that artistically. I’ve never been afraid of change, I like it and to me, streaming feels like a free forum to put music into, if that makes sense.'

‘The thing that is amazing about music is that it’s completely limitless, there are always more songs, more thoughts, more ideas.

There is always something out there to learn.’

M71_MARCH 2019_19

I quite enjoy the fact that I can write a song tonight, put it up and there it is, there is something very exciting about that artistically.

While she’s not a big goal setter, Dido’s immediate ambition is to put on a good show for fans in what will be her first world tour in 15 years throughout 2019.

After spending nine years on the road practically non-stop during her early career, she’s had a wellearned break and is looking forward to being back in the bubble again. She adds: 'I’ve got a really lovely band who are proper friends and have been for a while which is going to count for a lot. It’s a really magical moment when you’re with the band, doing the thing you most love doing, singing and playing the songs to people who have made this effort to come out and genuinely like what you’re doing. That’s not recreated by anything else in life.'

Dido wrote her first two songs on the piano one day aged nine, one of which was an innocent tune about being nice to people and the other was titled, So Blind.

She started writing with Rollo — who had always been clever with words — when she was at school, and he’d gone travelling to Australia after graduating from university. They kept up what was quite possibly the slowest ever songwriting partnership by post, with Rollo mailing lyrics to Dido who would turn them into songs using her Casio keyboard, before posting the finished result back to him on cassette.

When Rollo returned to the UK he set up a studio where Dido would frequent, singing guide vocals and helping with melodies until 'the real singers would turn up.'

She ended up doing backing vocals for Faithless (Rollo paid her in the form of a chicken korma for singing the lead on ’95 hit Salva Mea) but it wasn’t until others started recognising her talent that Rollo, who owned his own label Cheeky, started to take her seriously as an artist in her own right.

'I went and wrote [the first track for debut album No Angel] Here with Me with two brilliant guys, Pascal Gabriel and Paul Statham, played it to my brother and apparently he went into his label and said, I wish we could find something like this to sign… everyone was just looking at him like, "Why can’t you sign that?"

He was like, "No no, that’s just my sister, let’s find someone who does something like this." Everyone said, Just try and sign your sister.

'I’d been offered other record deals by that point but hadn’t taken them, and that was the point he came to me and said, "Look, we can’t really offer you money but you can make the record you want to make and I’ll make it with you." That’s exactly what I’d been waiting for. I just wanted to be able to make a record with my brother, I loved what he was doing and thought it was brilliant.' The way No Angel was created — between the

two of them before signing a label deal — then set a precedent for the rest of her career. After being signed to Arista, it hit #1 in the UK and #4 in the US and Dido and Rollo were trusted to get on with writing without much interference from thereon.

Today, Dido can write songs anywhere, and finds inspiration while out walking, listening to conversations or chatting with Rollo. 'I tend to find inspiration in very small things, I’ve never been someone who can look at the big picture or the world as a whole,' she explains.

'I’ll find a bigger emotion in a very small moment, a conversation or one sentence someone has said.' A song can come together in a myriad of ways — she was sat on the chorus of mega hit White Flag for six months before writing the verses, while new track Have to Stay, which is about her son, was written from start to finish in the moment.

Dido continues: 'I’m also a big believer in just starting to play guitar or piano and singing to see what comes out. Every single song isn’t a flash of inspiration for me, sitting in my studio and making music whenever I can is when most of the songs come out because you unlock the part of your brain that writes songs.'

While she tends to always be thinking about music, Dido also knows when to down the tools and move on.

'I’ve always felt very sure when a song is finished from day one, it’s an instinct which I think is a huge part of songwriting. I’ll pull things apart, change things and songs will have different versions, but there’s a point where you’re like, No, this is the right version.'

While it took him a while to get over his perception of her as his little sister and nothing more, today Dido credits her long and amicable partnership with Rollo to mutual respect. 'It’s a mixture of being strong and sticking to your guns but also always listening to what the other person is saying too. When I’m writing with Faithless or with any of his artists or projects, he gets the final say on what is working and when we are doing my stuff, I get the final say. It’s quite a simple dynamic in a way.'

After her tour and album is out the way, Dido wants to lend her songwriting skills to others. She’s interested in distinct soulful voices and attitudes, naming Khalid as her favourite artist of the moment.

Finally, any parting words of advice for new artists and songwriters starting out today? 'Do the thing that you want to do and that you believe instinctively is the right thing for you to do. Then you can always look back and think I’m absolutely making the music that I want to make and don’t worry about the rest of it.'

PROFILE

M71_MARCH 2019_21

The behemoth of the festival world, Glastonbury, returns this year but in its fallow year, smaller, alternative events attracted music lovers in their droves. Jim Ottewill dons his wellies and pitches up his tent to learn how the world of indie festivals is booming‌

LIVE

Pictured: Shambala

‘It was a complete war zone. You’d be confronted by burger vans, crap lager, then on Monday morning the toilets would be on fire with helicopters flying above. Festivals used to be grim, man.’

Glittering Scottish songsmith Pictish Trail is reflecting wryly on the evolution of the music festival. The US’s infamous Fyre Festival aside, the majority of British events have risen from the primordial soup of pot noodles, warm lager and faeces-filled chaos they were once notorious for. Back in the noughties, the smell of frazzled portaloos coupled with the sight of riot police bashing heads would be common at some of the UK summer’s livelier live music events. But everything is now a little less grizzled and slightly more civilised.

‘It’s all about the experience these days,’ nods Pictish who hosts his own Howlin’ Fling knees up on the Isle of Eigg, the remote Scottish outpost he calls home.

‘Big stages, crap food and corporate branding just don’t cut it for everyone. People want to be removed from their normal lives and transported to a whole new world.’

Howlin’ Fling The ever-evolving landscape of music festivals will shift again this year as it welcomes back Glastonbury. But, while Pilton’s Worthy Farm will see almost 200,000 starry-eyed revellers descend in June, across the length and breadth of the land, the UK summer reverberates with unorthodox sonic anarchy.

From Gottwood, a cosy electronic party on the Welsh enclave of Anglesey, to Lancashire’s eclectic boutique Cloudspotting event via Boardmasters on the south coast, Ava Festival in Belfast and countless others, some of our most idyllic spots

are now annually transformed into kaleidoscopic weekends of musical (mis)adventures.

Pictish Trail, aka Johnny Lynch, resides on the otherworldly Isle of Eigg. As far removed from reality as can be, this artist and Lost Map label owner’s Howlin’ Fling weekend is at the smaller end of the festival spectrum. But, as Eigg’s population is only 105, it triples the amount of island dwellers and can’t physically get any bigger. A combination of intimacy and location tempts an eclectic mix of guitars and electronics toting artists such as James Holden and Mogwai to make the gargantuan trek to perform and party.

‘Eigg has a magical quality of being like nowhere else, it feels almost like it shouldn’t exist,’ says Johnny.

‘So travelling to the island and removing yourself from the everyday plays a big part,’ he continues. ‘The island’s community are also all behind it. The size pushes the definition of “festival” but that’s partly why people who make the effort to attend love it as much as we do.’

Playlist experiences Eigg’s event embodies an entrepreneurial, independent spirit eagerly shared by tuned in festival organisers. As a greater variety of experimental, genre-flipping music becomes accessible via streaming, the ears of music fans are wider than ever. It means they’re becoming more judicious when choosing where to set up camp.

Paul Reed, Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) Chief Executive Officer, agrees that trends surrounding music consumption are pulling live music in exciting new directions.

M71_MARCH 2019_23

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‘Music is less tribal now and audiences generally want more eclectic playlist-style experiences.

How they discover music is reflected in how they want to experience it live.’

He says: ‘Music is less tribal now and audiences generally want more eclectic playlist-style experiences. How they discover music is reflected in how they want to experience it live.’

The trade body represents events ranging from 500-66,000 capacity, offering a support network and collective voice for the world of indie festivals. And the sector it represents is mushrooming. The AIF’s 2018 report revealed its members contributed an estimated £1bn to the UK economy between 2014 and 2017. What does he think has powered this growth?

‘Smaller scale traditional music festivals are thriving because they have become trusted gatekeepers to their audiences,’ explains Paul.

‘In a world where you can access all music at any time, a carefully curated festival line-up can cut through the noise.’

KASIA WOZNIAK, JANINA SABALIAUSKAITE KHRIS COWLEY FOR HERE & NOW

Enjoy sonic anarchy While the moniker of ‘indie festival’ paints a picture of glumlooking guys and guitars, the summer’s musical calendar runs amok through style and genre. Every conceivable aural flavour from Americana to jazz, folk, acid rave and beyond is now catered for.

The Cheltenham Jazz Festival has been flying the flag since the late nineties, hosting killer performances from the likes of Van Morrison, Eartha Kitt, Laura Mvula and Kamsai Washington down the years. Emily Jones, the festival’s Head of Programming, cites digital as holding sway over its evolving audience.

‘Streaming and social media have enabled music fans to find their niches and make new discoveries. At the same time, they also allow us as promoters to target audiences more effectively when it comes to marketing,’ she states.

These events are important for artists in giving them a platform from which they can broadcast their musical wares. Not only does it let them get themselves heard, but it offers a wealth of networking opportunities and the chance to build a devoted fanbase.

‘Musicians often talk about the great ‘hang’ in Cheltenham so it’s really exciting hearing about all the collaborations

which happen between artists here – it’s like a big musical incubator,’ says Emily.

‘Talent development is a big part of what we do, and I love watching the growth of artists we’ve supported.’

Live branding Originally trailblazed by Jane Addiction’s Lollapalooza in the US, an increasingly popular trend is the artistled event. Now everyone from The xx (with their global Night+Day event) and grime star Stormzy (and his Merky Festival) alongside the likes of Pictish Trail are compiling and curating their own bashes.

‘It’s no longer about just being a fan of an artist’s music but about the world they’ve created around them; the other artists they support, the clothing brands they wear, their artistic references,’ explains Jason Edwards, Head of Music at ticketing app Dice.

Previous page: Shambala Above left: Andrew Weatherall at Gottwood Above: Pictish Trail

The app is doing its best to transform going out by bringing fans closer to events via its Discover recommendation tool.

He believes stepping into promotion is key for artists wanting to deepen their connections with fans.

He continues: ‘When an artist hosts their own festival or event it brings their fans into that world. It can create a stronger sense of community and identity than perhaps other event brands can.’

New challenges Despite ostensible growth, the indie festival scene has seen the occasional wobble with some battling to keep their heads above water. Bestival and its sister events, Camp Bestival and Common People, have been beleaguered by financial difficulties.

Martin Maguire, PRS for Music’s Membership Development Manager (Live), says a certain ebb and flow within the market is not uncommon.

‘It’s important to realise that the public only ever has a certain amount of disposable income to spend on entertainment. So while the festival market seems to be expanding, what you typically find is that new events come at the expense of older ones.’

M71_MARCH 2019_25

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Big stages, crap food and corporate branding just don’t cut it for everyone. People want to be removed from their normal lives and transported to a whole new world.

PRS for Music has strived to improve relations with the festival community when it comes to licensing and the collection of performance data. A recent consultation on the live tariff (Tariff LP) led to a reduction in the royalty rate after ‘the festival sector made a compelling argument to be treated differently to concerts due to their unique infrastructure’, says Martin.

The collecting society has also launched its online reporting tool, a new system to enable music creators to report on their festival set lists, and started trialling Music Recognition Technology at large dance events. It points to a concerted effort to sustain this indie festival community.

5:27

‘Our challenge is to ensure our members get paid correctly from the performance of their works at festivals,’ explains Martin.

‘We want to enhance the accuracy of reporting while ultimately trying to reduce the administrative burden on the event promoters themselves.’

JAKE DAVIS FOR HERE & NOW

Highs and the lows ‘I had to shovel human poo out of three blocked toilets on the ninth day on site once,’ winces Marina Blake, Creative Director of the sensory assault on the senses that is Brainchild Festival. She’s reflecting on some of the highs and the lows of running the DIY event, which has twice claimed the Association of Independent Music’s Award for Best Independent Festival while receiving backing from the PRS Foundation. Although creative control and the satisfaction of running your own successful party mean a lot, logistics can be tricky.

‘We got locked out of our production office twice in 2015 and the office had all the other keys in it, so we had to find locksmiths at 6.30am on a Sunday morning in the middle of Lewes,’ she says. As the festival has grown, more memorable moments have thankfully come from artists on stage. What have been the highlights?

‘Having Sons of Kemet play last year was a dream come true. Watching hundreds of happy sweaty people vogue

with Jay Jay Revlon also brought me to tears. The people at Brainchild always impress me and make me emotional,’ she reveals.

Above left: Gottwood Above right: Festival goers arriving on Eigg for Howlin' Fling.

Free your mind and your movements Administration and portaloos aside, there are a few other murky waters for indie festivals to navigate. Sustainability and reducing the use of plastic has been an initiative for AIF while PRS Foundation’s Keychange campaign aims to achieve a 50:50 gender balance by 2022. Brexit and its uncertainty surrounding UK borders is another possible headache.

‘We have built in some contingency for the potential currency fluctuation we’ll see around the end of March due to Brexit, which is only a month before the festival,’ says Emma. Freedom of movement for musicians could also be hindered if the UK does break with the rest of the EU after March.

‘I’m finding that fewer artists and agents I deal with abroad are willing to agree artist fees in sterling. Looking ahead to 2020, any change in visa and work permit regulations for EU musicians will probably bring some extra paperwork our way too.’

While the political landscape could throw up some hurdles, the outlook for the festival circuit is one mainly full of blue skies. Increasingly, events are offering novel and exciting experiences both on and off stage. Pictish Trail is hyped about the return of Glastonbury to the fold, believing it will complement the wealth of other events already locked and loaded for 2019.

‘Small is good but I love Glastonbury and Green Man is my favourite event,’ he says. So size doesn’t matter?

‘As long as a festival can offer something different, then it doesn’t. What does is thoughtful planning and catering to a switched-on audience in a way which works for them.’

Amen to that: see you in the summer fields…

M71_MARCH 2019_27

T H E R E ST

I S

N O I S E Bekki Bemrose dives deep underground into a scene that toall-intents-and-purposes seems to be thriving, despite largely subverting perceived wisdoms regarding the industry in 2019…

Psychedelia readily suggests the LSD fuelled hippies of the sixties and the failed ambitions of that subculture’s brief infiltration of the mainstream, but mind-expanding music didn’t die with turncoat baby boomers, it evolved through krautrock, funk, soul, hip hop and rave. Roll forward to present day and UK psych has taken a noisy, and ostensibly successful turn.

PIERRICK GUIDOU AL OVERDRIVE

‘I think the music industry has always underestimated the appeal of heavy bands. I mean just look at metal, it’s perennially underrated, both critically and via radio, but it sells fuck loads of records.’

Anthony Chalmers, promoter of Baba Yaga’s Hut at Corsica Studios, is considering the recent successes of bands like Goat, Snapped Ankles and the ludicrously dubbed Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs who frequently create challenging, experimental music that requires investment beyond the dip-in culture of streaming.

‘We could sell two or three hundred tickets to a Pigs show, but then they got played on 6 Music every day and now we can sell a thousand tickets to a Pigs show,’ he elaborates.

It’s a phenomenon that Jimmy Martin of psych rock outfit Teeth of the Sea finds delightfully curious: ‘I don’t really remember a band that heavy being played on 6 Music… I don’t know exactly how it’s happened, but I can only applaud 6 Music and Pigs for that.’

Jimmy sees this shift as indicative of how the music industry model has changed in that aggressively media-hyped acts with major label money behind them are increasingly a thing of the past.

‘So, the 6 Music playlists are going to be slightly more interesting, and they’re going to be slightly less full of bands desperate to have a radio single who have compromised fodder that they’re banging out for the sake of trying to make back their massive advance that they’ve entirely spent on cocaine.’

Going Underground Often ripping up the rule book both musically and in performance, the UK scene is a broad church that welcomes the heavy rumblings of Pigx7 and Gnod alongside the cosmic jazz of The Comet is Coming through to the krautrock/postpunk of Snapped Ankles and the brutalist electronics of Gazelle Twin.

Gazelle Twin, The Comet is Coming, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs #fundedbyPRSF

PSYCH

Baba Yaga’s began life as the in-house night at Corsica Studios about 12 years ago but has since mushroomed to become London’s foremost promoter for experimental music, which welcomes every facet of the UK’s psych and noise scene.

For his part, Anthony is reticent about including certain bands within this nebulous movement.

‘Snapped Ankles are more of a dance band, and Pigs are more of a metal band, I think of Pigs as metal band anyway.

Certainly, a rock band. There’s nothing really experimental about them at all – they’re sort of like a tops off, riff band,’ he muses.

Although Snapped Ankle’s AUSTIN concurs with Anthony’s view of his own band’s music at source, he recognises a shift towards psychedelic textures as a reaction to audience’s needs.

‘I don’t think we make any conscious effort to play psychedelically but I do think that the psych comes from audiences who demand to be fully immersed in their music, which in turn encourages bands to create dense washes of sound and layers of euphoria to enhance this need.

‘Snapped Ankles actual origins were to create sparse cold rhythm tracks inspired by eighties cold wave bands but over time we’ve added and added layers, like you do when it’s cold outside.’

Meanwhile, Manchester four-piece ILL produce psych-rock with riot grrrl fangs while delivering socio-political bangers with jet black humour and have few reservations about being labelled part of the movement.

Keyboardist and vocalist Harri Shanahan believes those psych overtones are largely due to the improvised nature of the way they work, while bassist and vocalist Whitney Bluzma highlights the theatre at the heart of their music.

‘It’s a play on appearances and lyrics. I’ve always enjoyed the theatrical aspect of it, of taking things over the top.’

‘We’re psych for the drama, for the community experience,’ adds drummer Fiona Ledgard.

Similarly, Jimmy is wary of branding his own band’s music too definitively suggesting, ‘it can be quite limiting,’ but he also recognises the function of genres.

‘The thing is I hate it when bands moan about not wanting to be categorised, because it’s just gonna happen if you like it or not. It’s how people make sense of the world around them.’

Community Alongside his work with Teeth of the Sea Jimmy is also a director of Supernormal Festival, which specialises in music at the weirder end of the spectrum, and his tenure there has given him a unique perspective of the scene’s growth over the last ten years.

M71_MARCH 2019_29

Previous page: Teeth of the Sea Above: Snapped Ankles Right: Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

‘The vast majority of bands involved with it have played that at some point or another, so I kind of know all these people. I’ve watched that scene cohere, and generally it’s all been very inspiring, and I’m very happy to be seen as a part of all of that,’ he says.

One character that pops up again and again in the weird world of psych is Matt Baty – drummer for Richard Dawson, singer in Pigsx7 and founder of underground label Box Records (who released ILL’s debut We Are Ill in 2018) – to name a few of the hats he dons.

‘He’s been there at the crux of it all,’ Jimmy reflects, adding, ‘One of the nice things about the psych scene that we’re a part of is that nobody really cares about being rock stars.

Even Pigs – who are probably the biggest of these bands and the moment – I mean, they’re not really arsed, they’re just having a fun [laughs].’

Matt has been rooted in the underground for years, talking about what inspired him to start Box Records he explains, ‘In many ways I've taken more inspiration from the immediate scenes I've been involved with than bigger more well-established bands.

‘It became a common theme, coming across excellent musicians who didn't have any releases, so I thought in some small way setting up a label might help.’

KASIA WOZNIAK, JANINA SABALIAUSKAITE

On considering the importance of physical products like vinyl to his label, Matt reveals the community at the heart of the psych scene.

‘People know and take a real interest in who's running what label and who's in what band. It's tangible and a very social thing. It's not just a bunch of inaccessible musicians or faceless labels.’

It seems it works both ways, as Whitney explains, ‘You can go to Newcastle, you can be in Birmingham, and you’ll see the same faces.’

Harri adds, ‘There’s a real sense of solidarity and friendship between people,’ and although she acknowledges the scene, like many others, is dominated by male musicians she does feel it is an inclusive one, ‘People want to see you rock whatever your gender, in Manchester and further afield.’

People know and take a real interest in who's running what label and who's in what band. It's tangible and a very social thing. It's not just a bunch of inaccessible musicians or faceless labels.

Cottage Industry While bands like Pigsx7 recently sold out the Scala, and Swedish psych rockers Goat can comfortably fill Brixton Academy, the bands that make up this movement invariably still have days jobs.

‘It makes you appreciate how much the music business just runs on sheer love, because nobody ever gets paid, promoters get hardly anything, the bands get hardly anything,’ Whitney comments.

‘We had decided we were going to do distribution and everything, but the figures just weren’t adding up. When Matt stepped in, we were like, “Fucking hell, thank fuck for that,”’ she adds of Box Record’s intervention around the release of their debut.

There must be numerous difficulties for a small label working with bands who lead a double life, and Matt – who, despite his many guises, also has a day job – is well versed in them.

‘The challenges of course are that many musicians rely on their day jobs to cover ever increasing living costs, private rent prices are an absolute joke in Britain and that, especially, is choking the life out of musicians and artists.

‘From a label perspective I'd love Box Records bands to be touring all year round to promote their albums, but I also know that it's just not possible for most.’

Despite the testing nature of these circumstances, generally the mood is positive.

PSYCH

‘It’s very confidence building, being in a gang, in a band,’ Fiona cheerfully states, and Harri adds, ‘It makes you quite creative, I guess. We get the Pritt Stick out quite a lot.'

While AUSTIN is convinced the DIY character of their practices is in some ways beneficial, explaining, ‘If it wasn’t DIY it would be almost too theatrical.’

Similarly, Jimmy is buoyant about the health of underground music and the work the associated labels are doing to support it.

‘Obviously Rocket [Recordings], our label, have always tried to be expansive and be interesting and try to go beyond what’s expected. There are other labels like Box Records and Hominoid Sounds that regularly put out great stuff, so it feels like a nice cottage industry right now.’

Looking at the sheer number of gigs that Baba Yaga’s Hut promotes and how many regularly sell out, you would assume the gig scene is positively peachy?

‘Live music in London is doing great. Everybody’s doing good, as far as I can tell. We’re all a pretty close-knit group, myself, Bad Vibrations, Under the Wire, Feedback, etc.

Everything seems to be healthy. Live music seems really positive,’ Anthony confirms.

Noisy Nation Glancing over a handful of the bands affiliated with modern UK psych reveals that London is not ground zero for the scene.

From Salford’s heavy psych stalwarts Gnod through Geordie riff masters Pigsx7, and events like Liverpool Psych Fest and Oxford’s Supernormal, these mind melting music makers and happenings are occurring the length and breadth of the country. Is London losing grip of its longheld cultural monopoly?

‘I don't think it'll ever crumble really,’ says Matt. ‘We're maybe starting to hit a point whereby a lot of people can't afford to live or move to London they're beginning to look elsewhere for places to live where they don't have to work three jobs to pay their rent and subsequently have more time to explore or study their art.’

‘Where’s London, sorry?’ laughs Harri who is eager to extol the virtues of her native city.

‘Manchester is where it’s at I promise you, and the northwest of England, and into Scotland. London is kind of big and there’s lots of little scenes in it, but when you’re a smaller city you can have one big cohesive scene, and I think that is the bonus of the northwest.’

PIERRICK GUIDOU

On the other hand, Anthony still sees the capital as a mecca for fans of left-field music, saying, ‘There’s shit loads of people live here, and people come from all over the world who have an appetite for underground music and art.’

As for Jimmy, he’s happy with how the live scene has evolved over the past decade, ‘I feel like there was a more competitive, hipster edge 10 years ago than there is now, in a funny way. I don’t know why that is, but it feels like a supportive scene now and a bit more warm-hearted, which I think is really positive, obviously.’

We could sell two or three hundred tickets to a Pigs show, but then they got played on 6 Music every day and now we can sell a thousand tickets to a Pigs show.

The Future’s psych Overall, the players in the scene seem as baffled by its growth as anyone, but it appears the changing shape of the industry has inadvertently opened the sometime elusive underground to a wider audience.

Anthony points out that the influencers of yore have been replaced, curiously not by the advances of the digital age, but by technology rooted in the last century.

‘Radio is incredibly influential, I don’t think press is influential any more. When I started out doing shows reviews on Pitchfork or coverage on really good small blogs could make a band, but this is just not the case at all anymore’ he claims, adding, ’If you get five plays on 6 Music, you’ll probably sell 50 albums.’

Meanwhile Jimmy considers the wider impact of psych’s resurgence, ‘I’m not a fan of Tame Impala, but we’re in a world where they can headline Coachella and they’re ostensibly a psych band, so in the broader scheme of things I suppose that’s cool,’ he concedes.

As for Matt, he will continue to champion what he loves and believes in characteristically modest fashion, ‘If someone stumbles across a record I've put out and it opens their eyes to a corner of the music world they didn't know existed, that's job done.’

Still, it’s probably best not to underestimate the underground.

M71_MARCH 2019_31

BASCA relaunches as The Ivors Academy: a bold, future-facing champion of music creators at risk. Too many children are losing the opportunity to experience listening, learning and playing music at school or in the home.

And there are too few opportunities for young creators to learn how to manage their rights and royalties. The Ivors Academy, via our Trust, will raise money to do something about these issues.

Graham Davies, the new CEO of The Ivors Academy, explains how music creators are mobilising to get fairness, recognition and support for their community.

This month we take the bold step of launching The Ivors Academy of Music Creators - a new identity for BASCA. This is a confident and modern brand on which to build a strong, progressive organisation for the future.

opportunities - what does this mean for the future of publishers, labels and collecting societies when creators have more ability to manage these functions themselves?

As globalisation increases, how can creators defend their rights against large multinational companies who have almost limitless resources?

We want to be bigger because this will enable us to speak with a louder voice.

We are reaching out beyond our existing members, to bring in the new, the amazing, the different and diverse. We want to represent the wonderful range of music talent that exists across the UK whether song, symphony or sync. Speaking with a more representative voice will give us more authority. Building up more resources will enable us to provide more support.

Putting diversity and inclusion at the top of our agenda will mean that aspiring music creators, regardless of their background, location or identity will see the Academy as an organisation they can trust.

There is therefore a lot of opportunity to do new things. But there are also many things that continue to build on past successes.

We are looking forward to another year of fantastic celebrations of craft at The Ivors and The Ivors Composer Awards, and to acknowledging individuals who have supported music creators at The Ivors Academy Gold Badge Awards. Current campaigns continue and we are emboldened by recent progress on the Copyright Directive working in conjunction with our European counterparts at the European Composers and Songwriters Alliance and the UK Council of Music Makers. And we continue to cultivate and nurture our community through seminars, events and the regular interaction with our 60-strong committees and representatives who meet throughout the year.

SMASH THROUGH CEILINGS SPEAK FOR YOURSELF DREAM BIGGER

With The Ivors Academy we have an opportunity to connect more people with what we stand for, what we do and why members should join. Many are unaware that BASCA is responsible for The Ivors, the British Composer Awards, the Gold Badge or what we do outside of our awards. The industry is calling for a strong creator voice and we have an opportunity with The Ivors Academy to assume a more significant role in the industry.

The fast-changing industry brings with it threats and opportunities. Individual songwriters and composers are small businesses that make a vital contribution to our economy. By joining the Academy, creators can keep pace with these changes and take action collectively to ensure that the industry does not overlook their contribution or take it for granted. Being part of a creative community means we are better able to shape the industry to be more responsive to creators’ rights and needs.

JOIN THE IVORS ACADEMY

It is important for us to do this now as there are many important questions If you are already a member of The Ivors creators should ask in the current climate.

Academy, we look forward to telling you For example, as growth returns to the For more than 70 years, we have represented songwritersmore and composers, about our new brand and seeing you at Our new brand is future-focused. While proud industry creators might ask how much asshared of 25 March 2019, BASCA will become Academy. our upcoming events. If you are not yet part to represent many of the giants of modernThe Ivors of this additional revenuebut will be of our community, music, we also manyprotect strugglingand to represent with them versus labels and publishers?

Find out more about how werepresent support, musicjoin us - as a member or make a living fromUK, their and craft and those As streaming disrupts broadcasting what creators in the join us just today. a friend - to help us campaign for, celebrate and cultivate UK music creators. starting out who face an unclear career path. should this mean for the way music is If the next generations of music creators are commissioned and rights are acquired ivorsacademy.com ivorsacademy.com not nurtured, we put our musical heritage and licensed? Technology brings new

SMASH THROUGH CEILINGS SPEAK FOR YOURSELF DREAM BIGGER JOIN THE IVORS ACADEMY For more than 70 years, we have represented songwriters and composers, but as of 25 March 2019, BASCA will become The Ivors Academy.

Find out more about how we support, protect and represent music creators in the UK, and join us today. ivorsacademy.com

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The Stranglers, The Star Inn, Guildford, 31 January 2019

Legendary punk group The Stranglers recently returned to the site of their very first gig at The Star Inn, Guildford for the unveiling of the PRS for Music Heritage Award plaque. M caught up with the band at the pub as they remembered that debut performance, discussed the importance of grassroots venues to young bands, and reflected on their legacy.

JENNY MCCORD

How does it feel to be back at the Star Inn and what were your first memories of the gig?

Jean-Jacques Burnell (JJ): Well, we only played once here, and it was an absolute fucking disaster. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I mean, amps blew up, we had rusty old strings…

Jet Black (JB): And we didn’t play too well either, to be honest. But then when we learnt to play the songs, turned out they didn’t like the music anyway [laughs].

How important were grassroots venues to you as a band in the early days?

JJ: They were the only places, I mean we changed our name every week, because there weren’t many places that would have us. So, very often there was a confrontation with the landlord. I remember one time he pulled the plug out, then we put it back in, he pulled it out, we put it back in again, he called the police.

The audience were being entertained.

JB: And there was one town that famously banned us.

JJ: 25 years?

34_march 2019_m71

JB: For 25 years. We weren’t allowed to play there.

Do you know the name of it? It’s called Guildford.

Why were you banned?

JB: For being too popular.

Do you remember getting your first royalty cheque from PRS, and do you know what you spent it on?

JJ: I remember what I spent mine on, it was a motorcycle. A Triumph T160. How about you?

JB: Still waiting for it [laughter].

Baz Warne (BW): I have to say, I love the way PRS works. It’s so efficient. When I’ve had cause to query things, which is rarely, there’s always someone ready and willing to speak to you and it’s lovely when you wake up in the morning with a few hundred quid you forgot about, you didn’t know you had. A lot of writers appreciate it.

What drives you to continue to perform?

JJ: Well, we’ve got a point to prove. After being banned by Guilford for 25 years and having been denigrated throughout our careers – despite the fact that we’ve outsold most of our contemporaries

and outlived them, I’m pleased to say – we’ve still got a point to prove. You never lose the drive to write music or to try to make something of your life.

BW: On top of that as well is pure, unadulterated enjoyment. As soon as that stops, as soon as you’re really not enjoying it anymore, you’ve gotta start asking questions.

How would you define The Stranglers impact on punk’s legacy?

JJ: Well, how long have you got? Originally punk was a very broad church – when the term actually entered the vocabulary – and there were very few places we could hang out and play. And then there was a bit of a divisive moment when The Stranglers were chosen to play alongside Patti Smith and The Ramones over all the other bands, and there was a bit of a punch up. There was a division then.

The bands who were much more photogenic than us and were on the front covers of all the music press at the time. It was Sex Pistols, The Clash, all those bands and The Stranglers, and we weren’t anyone’s favourite band. So now I think the expression, "he who laughs last, laughs longest and loudest" is appropriate in our case.

To answers your question about legacy, we’re still around and filling out places and we’ve got something to say.

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

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isn’t it —quitting your day gig because you make more money with your music.

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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!

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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.

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