OCTOBER 2002
© Copyright 2002 by SLI - SongLink International
Editor & Publisher: David Stark
23 Belsize Crescent - London NW3 5QY, UK
Tel: +44 (0)207 794 2540 - Fax: +44 (0)207 794 7393
The Sanctuary Group has acquired Trinifold Management, Trinifold Music and Estupendo Records from Bill Curbishley and Robert Rosenberg for an initial payment of £8 million. Curbishley is best known for his long-term management of The Who, Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, while Trinifold also manages Judas Priest and the Operababes. Following the acquisition, Curbishley and Rosenberg will remain with the Trinifold Group, whose publishing arm is currently having success with UK writer Steve McEwan.
Nick Robinson has been appointed as Writer and Publisher Relations Executive at the London office of BMI. Most recently he has been music consultant to Ogilvy & Mather and A&R consultant to EMI/Virgin Records, and was previously head of A&R at EMI, a senior editor at Music Week and head of press at Island Records.
UK writer/producer Steve Mac has achieved a unique double by simultaneously topping the UK and US charts as producer of Gareth Gates' version of 'Suspicous Minds,' and of US American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's 'A Moment Like This.' Mac is managed by David Howells of Darah Music.
UK Ms. Dynamite won the Mercury Music Prize for her debut album 'A Little Deeper' (Polydor), and also won three Mobo Awards (Best UK act, single and newcomer). Other Mobo winners included Mis-Teeq (Best garage act), Ashanti (R&B), Ja Rule (hip hop), Norah Jones (jazz), Angelique Kidjo (world music), Neptunes (producers), Alicia Keys (album), Chaka Kahan (Lifetime achievement), Jimmy Cliff (Contribution to urban music) and the late Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes (Outstanding achievement).
In a slate of activity, BMG Music Publishing has signed sub-publishing or direct deals with Pete Townshend, Robert Plant, Alanis Morisette, Ringo Starr, UK producer team The Matrix (Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards and Scott Spock), and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes producer team. BMG Music has also acquired 50% of First Avenue Music.
UK collection society PPL announced at their AGM that they are about to distribute over 1m of back royalties to performers, following their Airplay Royalties campaign which was launched earlier in the year. Visit www.performersmoney.ppluk.com.
MP3.com has launched a local UK version offering access to over 1.3million free tracks and giving acts a chance to showcase material, at www.uk.MP3.com.
The Who's 'Ultimate Collection' will be released in the UK by Universal on October 21st. The collection will contain five extra tracks over the US version and initial copies will come with a bonus disc which will contain, in addition to those tracks on the US bonus disc, a CDRom element which has footage of Substitute and Baba O'Riley shot at Charlton.
The 43rd CISAC World Congress concluded in London with the election of GEMA VP Christian Br¸hn as President of the organisation, succeeding Jean-Loup Tournier who becomes honorary president. The next CISAC World Congress will be hosted in 2004 by Korean society KOMCA.
Markus Wenzel has been appointed MD of Universal Music Publishing in Germany, reporting to Tim Renner, chairman/CEO Universal Music Germany and Paul Connolly, VP Universal Music Publishing Europe.
EMI Music Publishing has opened an A&R office in Berlin headed by A&R manager Bahar Tozman.
Jose Maria Camara has been appointed president of Sony Music Spain. He was previously with BMG in Spain and New York.
Former Epic Records (France) MD Thierry Chassagagen is setting up a joint-venture label with Warner Music France, in association with WMI president Paul-RenÈ Albertini.
Conny Danepalm has quit as MD of Sweden's Reactive Music after three years, the last two establishing Reactive Songs as a separate publishing company. He is succeeded by colleague Lars Ryen.
American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson's No. 1 single 'A Moment Like This' (Jorg Elofsson/John Reid) scored the highest one-week US sales in three years, and the biggest-ever chart jump from No. 52 to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Zomba Group West Coast VP Neil Portnow has been appointed president of the Recording Academy, having recently served as treasurer and secretary of the board.
BMI has launched Online Works Registration (OWR), a one-stop registration system for songwriters and publishers it has developed in association with its European partners in FastTrack, namely GEMA (Germany), SACEM (France), SGAE (Spain) and SIAE (Italy).
David Conrad has left Almo Irving/Rondor Music Nashville to become VP A&R/head of creative at MCA/Mercury Nashville. He is replaced as VP of Almo/Irving Rondor by Bobby Rymer. Meanwhile Mercury A&R VP and artist Keith Stegall has exited the label, along with A&R VP Mary Martin.
Michael Lynch is promoted from international director to general manager of Festival Music Publishing, reporting to Festival Mushroom MD Michael Parisi. He replaces Adam Lang who becomes MD of Warner/Chappell Australia.
New Signings: American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini to Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings/RCA... Writer/producer Rod Gammons to Carlin Music... Acclaimed writer/performer Terry Callier to Reverb Music... Darren Tate new dance project DT8 to FFRR... Zero 7 singer/songwriter Sia to Go Beat Records... Vonda Shepherd to Edel Records, Germany.
RIP: Tim Rose, singer/songwriter and adapter of 'Hey Joe' and 'Morning Dew,' has died at 62 in London during an operation for intestinal cancer... American singer/songwriter Mickey Newbury (62)... Len Thorpe (75), long-serving former director of Warner/Chappell and vice-chairman of MCPS, and chairman of the PRS Members' Fund for the past four years.
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