This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Business News Week In Five
CMU Digest – 7 Sep 2012
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 7 September 2012
The five biggest stories in the music business this week.
01: Key meeting for Universal’s EMI takeover to take place today. Representatives from each of the European Union member states will hear from the European Commission’s competition regulators about the latest proposals from Universal Music regarding its bid to buy the EMI record company, and in particular what divestments it proposes to make to allay market dominance fears. It’s thought those proposals now include the sale of the Parlophone business and catalogue worldwide, and maybe the same for the Chrysalis Records division, which is the majority of EMI’s UK operations. After member state reps let their opinions be known, the EC has until 27 Sep to formally approve, or not, Universal’s big EMI bid. CMU report | Billboard report
02: Grooveshark was sued by EMI, again! It’s the third time EMI has sued the controversial streaming music service. Its original 2009 lawsuit was settled, and EMI licensed its content to the digital firm. Then in January this year it sued again, citing breach of contract in relation to the 2009 deal. The major subsequently terminated Grooveshark’s licence, and is now suing because the streaming platform continues to distribute its content. Of course it’s Grooveshark users who upload that content, and the digital company will say it removes unlicensed tracks when asked by rights owners, and therefore complies with US law. EMI hopes to prove that a term in its 2009 contract means that defence cannot be used. CMU report | C-Net report
03: One Direction settled with One Direction. That is to say, the British boy band called One Direction settled with the US band called One Direction over the continued use of that moniker. Unsurprisingly, given the scale of the two group’s respective backers, the British boy band have the rights to the name in an out of court settlement. One Direction USA will become Unchartered Waters, though presumably not before cashing a nice big cheque from 1DUK owners Syco. CMU report | Press Association report
04: The Bloc festival organisers issued a statement, giving their side of the story as to what went wrong at their July event, which was shut down half way through its first night because of dangerous overcrowding. The debacle forced the Bloc company into administration, and the venue it was using, London Pleasure Gardens, also shut down in the aftermath. Bloc’s official statement admitted that the scanning of e-tickets had stopped at 9.30pm meaning people with fake tickets may have got in, though said the real problem was that the LPG site just wasn’t ready to host a festival of that size, with key areas unfinished and sealed off. The statement also confirmed that ticket holders would need to seek refunds from their debit or credit card provider if they haven’t already done so. CMU report | Guardian report
05: A Pirate Bay founder was arrested in Cambodia. Gottfrid Svartholm was one of the three TPB founders sentenced to a year in jail in Sweden for his role in setting up the controversial file-sharing website. But he went missing during the appeals process, initially too ill to attend court hearings, and then just AWOL. In his absence the Swedish courts upheld the original ruling against him and withdrew any further right to appeal, though not knowing his whereabouts the authorities there couldn’t actually jail him. It has long been assumed Svartholm was still in Cambodia, from where he had last made contact with associates back in Sweden, but his exact whereabouts was not known, until now. Technically Sweden doesn’t have an extradition agreement with Cambodia, but some have noted that the former just gave the latter about $60 million in aid, which a cynic might conclude should help smooth over any legalities involved in deporting Svartholm back home. CMU report | TWN report
Meanwhile on CMU this week, we had an interview with Jens Lekman, Editor Andy Malt looked at the story behind the made up ‘Bruce Willis to sue iTunes’ story, and we reviewed some of the more ridiculous brand endorsement statements that have come out of the mouths of artists recently. Approved, meanwhile, were Picture Book, Julia Holter and Nite Jewel, Kenton Slash Demon and Sky Ferreira.
