Next Big Sound (a/o June 18th):
Really? Apparently there are 250 different organizations licensing copyrights and distributing royalties to rights owners, and that's just in Europe alone! It's a rat's nest for even the most well-funded stores (ie, Apple), and one the European Union hopes to tame. But a freshly-released proposal to simplify a raft of overlapping societies with pan-European licensing, tighter turnaround times and less territorialism has angered a few high-level superstars. That includes Radiohead, Robbie Williams, and Pink Floyd, who argue that the proposals cater to limited interests, fail to adequately address missing payments and lag times, and encourage continued transparancy issues.
Elsewhere, 7digital just brokered a pre-installation deal involving roughly 20 million HTC devices across Europe, Canada, and Australasia. The deal, which does not include US-based releases, starts at the tail end of 2012.
Back in the US, Grooveshark is now heralding victory against Universal Music Group, though the reality is that this remains a treacherous and extremely expensive tug-of-war. The latest development had been largely expected by a number of attorneys since August of 2011, though a New York State judge has now ruled that DMCA protections apply to pre-1972 recordings. Which shifts the attention towards other matters - including Universal's ultra-aggressive federal lawsuit and recently-triggered actions from Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group, and EMI (among others).
The same judge allowed Grooveshark to pursue a countersuit against UMG for tortious business inteference, notably kiboshes involving Apple, INgrooves, Hewlett-Packard, and Google. Those are breaks, though the meter is running: just recently, Grooveshark attorney John Rosenberg admitted that finances were 'tight' at the company, while flatly stating that his client was 'under attack'. Separately, a well-timed report by Rutgers School of Law professor Michael Carrier pegged monthly expenses in the range of $150,000 to $200,000 in major label battles of this sort; as a prime target Grooveshark is likely hemorrhaging greater amounts.
Which brings us to a far simpler (and less expensive) lawsuit between Lord Finesse and Mac Miller. In a nutshell, Finesse says Mac Miller ripped off his "Hip 2 Da Game," penned in 1995. Miller's "Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza" very clearly uses the track; Rostrum Records and even mixtape site DatPiff.com are also both named in the action. The track helped to launch Miller's career.
Coming out the closet, or at least cracking the door on some details? Then try to do it right before an album release. The case study in perfect timing comes from Frank Ocean, whose Channel Orange is enjoying a bright spotlight. Indeed, Target found itself on the defensive for not stocking the title, after an attack from Ocean's manager, Christian Clancy. Target pointed to an iTunes exclusive and mismatch with its audience, Clancy apologized while counting his spruced-up percentages.
Which brings us to the latest album charts, where Chris Brown's Fortune shifted nearly 135,000 units for the top slot in the US, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
DIY platform Nimbit has just been acquired by audio hardware and production software firm PreSonus. The integration will enable a smooth transition from production to digital distribution. Whether this was a fire-sale is unclear; Nimbit declined to share any purchase price specifics.
And, Pandora is now toeing the waters outside of the US, specifically in Australia and New Zealand. The initial foray is web-only, and designed to feel the market out a bit. Pandora pulled out of the UK years ago, thanks to licensing disagreements.
poopstains Thursday, July 12, 2012
this blog has become poop stains..
Ignobles Thursday, July 12, 2012
...says the Grooveshark flunky
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