Songkick partners with MMF to 'fight touts' and connect with fans
Ticketing platform Songkick has joined the MMF (Music Managers Forum) as a new Associate, in a move designed to fight ticket touts and connect with fans across the globe. The new partnership will see Songkick working with the world’s largest professional community of music managers to ensure that artists are able to sufficiently control their live experiences and engage with fans worldwide in new and innovative ways. “Songkick strives to be a transparent, pioneering technology partner to artists, making it possible for musicians to remain in control of their tickets, and connect them with their global fan-base better than ever before,” commented Songkick CEO Matt Jones (pictured). “We’re proud to join the Music Managers Forum as an Associate, and look forward to continuing our work with its members to help artists take control of their ticketing, grow their live businesses, and fight touts.” (Music Week)
Brexit fallout: how it's affecting music's political players
Shadow culture secretary Maria Eagle has become the latest member of the shadow cabinet to resign, as the post-Brexit coup against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn intensifies. Over the past few days over 30 members of the shadow cabinet have quit their posts in a bid to provoke a change of leadership in the Labour party, as confidence among the ranks in light of Corbyn’s Brexit performance dwindles. The creative industries have been the subject of much conjecture both pre and post-Brexit, with several prominent music industry figures voicing their concern over the implications of an EU exit for Britain. However, ahead of the vote last week, current culture secretary John Whittingdale stated his opinion that Brexit would not have a negative affect on British artists around the world. (Music Week)
Entertainment Intelligence launches playlist tracking app
Independent music industry data and analytics company Entertainment Intelligence (Ei) has announced a new playlist tracking app designed to help rightsholders fully understand the impact of playlists and streaming consumption on their artist releases. “In a crowded field, Entertainment Intelligence threads the difficult needle of convenience and flexibility without compromising their robust analytics. We’re excited to be working with the team at Ei as they develop their app.” – Ben Swanson, co-founder, Secretly Group. Ei’s proprietary playlist tracking app is live with selected clients in closed-beta and available to rightsholders as a stand-alone service, or as part of a suite of tools that can be integrated with a clients’ existing systems.
Gilles Peterson appointed Creative Director of WeTransfer
WeTransfer has hired DJ and music producer Gilles Peterson as its new creative director. Gilles’ role with WeTransfer will see him work across the brand’s marketing and editorial projects, working alongside WeTransfer’s CMO Damian Bradfield to shape its creative strategy. Peterson's role will include curating live events, directing film projects and creating new music partnerships and content. Peterson said: “It’s an honour to be working with such a talented group of people who value originality and creativity as highly as I do. Talking about the music that I love in Cannes alongside such highly respected guest speakers was the perfect way to begin my relationship with WeTransfer.”
LyricFind partners with Google
Lyric licensing service, LyricFind, has partnered with Google to expand lyric offerings. Adding lyrics from over 4,000 publishers to Google’s search results and within Google Play Music, LyricFind now provides licensing for lyrics displayed in Google’s search results as well as in the music app. “We’re happy to expand the depth and quality of lyrics available on Google’s services,” says LyricFind CEO Darryl Ballantyne. “We’re working together to make lyrics available to a larger audience in a faster and more efficient way.” LyricFind collects new royalties for songwriters and rightsholders, and benefits music fans who engage more easily than ever with lyrics that inspire them.
UK Music Video Awards return on October 20
The UK Music Video Awards 2016 has opened for entries today and is accepting submissions from music video makers across the globe, and offering them an opportunity to gain recognition for their creative work. Returning for the ninth year, the UKMVAs 2016 will be honouring the people who create the music videos enjoyed by millions around the world every day – from the blockbusters for the global superstars, to the low budget gems created for up and coming artists. With a range of awards covering different music genres and also various roles in the music video making process – including direction, production, camera work, animation, and post-production – the UKMVAs is now accepting submissions via the dedicated website at www.ukmva.com.
