SongLink NewsLink | Music Industry News for June 2002

JUNE 2002

© Copyright 2002 by SLI - SongLink International
Editor & Publisher: David Stark
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Latvia's Marie N (Marija Naumova) won the 47th Eurovision Song Contest with the Latin-flavoured 'I Wanna,' co-written with Marats Samauskis. In second place was Ira Losco of Malta with 'Seventh Wonder,' while the UK's Jessica Garlick came third with 'Come Back.' The BBC is already in discussions with major UK labels and the British Academy about changing the selection process for A Song For Europe 2003, due to launch in the autumn.

UK Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell MP and Gerald Levin, who built AOL Time Warner and has just retired as CEO, have been announced as opening speakers for the 43rd CISAC World Congress in London in September. Culture and commerce will be their keynote subject, as both address Congress theme 'The Business of Creativity.' The 2002 CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) biennial congress will bring together music, literary, audiovisual, dramatic, artistic and film creators' copyright organisations from 105 countries for three days at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster. It is hosted and organised by the UK's MCPS-PRS Alliance, in association with all CISAC's UK and Ireland creators' rights societies. Delegates from CISAC's 203 copyright societies and non-members can register online at www.cisac2002.org.

PRS has reported revenue growth of 8% to £255m during 2001 which generated distributable income for composers, songwriters and music publishers of £221m (up 7%). The revenue figures were driven by UK public performance sales, which for the third consecutive year reported growth exceeding 10%, and by International revenue which also saw 10% year-on-year growth. MCPS distributions were up 2% at £227m and the average commission rate charged to members was reduced to 5.3%. The 2002 PRS Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 18th July at 10am in the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel, Portman Square, London W1.

The British Council has launched 'Make or Break - Supporting UK Music in the USA,' a music industry report investigating the support for and feasibility of establishing a UK music office in New York Written by Doug D'Arcy and Paul Brindley, it looks at reasons for the UK's plummeting market share in the US, from an all-time high of 32% in 1986 to 0.2% in 1999. The report can be downloaded at www.musicindie.org/UKMO/index.html.

The UK's beleagured Millennium Dome is set to become a 20,000-seat music and sports venue following a deal between the Government and the USA's Anschultz Entertainment Group (AEG).

Film/TV music supervisor Karen Elliott has formed Hothouse Music, based in Camden, N. London. She was previously creative director at Air-Edel.

James Anderson has been named senior vice president of EMI Recorded Music. He will be responsible for managing the re-design of EMI's worldwide business practices and systems, and all IT activities. He is currently a partner of Accenture.

The Mean Fiddler Group is planning to launch its own record label following the purchase of country radio station Ritz 1035, which will be renamed and rebranded this month to include playlists by artists like Richard Thompson, Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe. Mean Fiddler chairman Vince Power is currently in discussions with potential label partners.

Xavier Roy is retiring as CEO of Reed Midem at the end of this year after 13 years, but will remain as an adviser throughout 2003. He will be succeeded by current Midem MD Paul Zilk. Peermusic chairman/CEO Ralph Peer has been elected chairman of the Paris-based International Confederation of Music Publishers, with former chairman Arnold Broido appointed president. The UK's MPA chairman Andrew Potter was elected to the board, along with Nicolas Galibert, MD of Sony Music Publishing France and Frans de Witt of VMN (Netherlands).

Jean Michel Jarre will host the 4th IFPI Platinum Europe Awards on Wednesday July 10 at Hotel Le Plaza in Brussels, featuring live performances from Blue and the Bomfunk MCs. Visit www.ifpi.org.

Dietrich Eggert has been named GM of V2 Music in Germany, reporting to V2 CEO Stephen Navin. He is currently VP of Jive Records Germany.

Nick Firth has been promoted from president to chairman of BMG Music Publishing, reporting to BMG chairman/CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holtz.

Bertelsmann has agreed to buy the assets of Napster, subject to court approval. Napster has filed for bankruptcy protection, allowing it to relaunch as a digital music subscription service that complies with US copyright law, while its main unsecured creditors are the UK's Association of Independent Music (AIM), owed $3.79m in royalties; and Napster's US attorneys ($2.14m).

Warner Bros. Records president Phil Quartararo has left the US company after five years, having previously been president/CEO of Virgin USA.

Legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier is being presented with a lifetime achivement award at the National Music Publishers' Assn. (NMPA) AGM at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills on June 18th.

22 Rolling Stones albums are being reisssued in the Super Audio CD format by ABKCO Records, while a new 2CD hits compilation covering the band's entire career is expected to be launched in the autumn to coincide with the band's 40th anniversary tour. The collection will be the first to bring together hits on ABKCO, Decca/London, Rolling Stones Records and Virgin/EMI.

Tony Yapp has been appointed Regional Director for Universal Music Publishing Group, based in Hong Kong. He was previously general manager at Warner Chappell Music in Hong Kong and reports to Harry Hui, president, UMG SE Asia, and David Renzer, worldwide president, UMPG.

Universal Music Publishing in Asia acquired the back catalogue of Chance Music which includes the works by leading Chinese songwriter Keith Chan, whose work has been recorded by such major Chinese artists as Jacky Cheung, Daniel Chan, Hacken Lee, Gigi Leung and new Canto-pop duo Twins

Recent signings: the Appleton Sisters have left WEA London and signed with Polydor... acoustic singer/songwriter Kathryn Williams has signed with Warner/Chappell Music... Australian band The Vines to Sony/ATV Music... 21 year old dance singer Haifa to Incentive/MoS, with a cover of 'Unbreak My Heart' out July 22... rock bands Redefine, Two Day Rule and Kinesis to Ministry of Sound Publishing... Daniel Bedingfield to Sony/ATV Music and Polydor... NZ band The Datsuns to V2 Records... The Bellamy Brothers have re-signed with Curb Records... Country acts John Anderson, Doug Stone and The Larkins to Audium Records... David Lee Roth to Chrysalis Music, including his back catalogue... Ziggy Marley to RCA Records.