Apple reports third quarter results
Apple has reported its financial results for its fiscal 2016 third quarter ended June 25, 2016. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $42.4 billion and quarterly net income of $7.8 billion, or $1.42 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $49.6 billion and net income of $10.7 billion, or $1.85 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 38% compared to 39.7% in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 63% of the quarter’s revenue. “We are pleased to report third quarter results that reflect stronger customer demand and business performance than we anticipated at the start of the quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We had a very successful launch of iPhone SE and we’re thrilled by customers’ and developers’ response to software and services we previewed at WWDC in June.”
The Clash producer Sandy Pearlman dies at 72
American producer, manager, songwriter, poet and label executive Sandy Pearlman, mostly known for his work with metal band Blue Oyster Cult and for producing the Clash’s 1978 sophomore album Give 'Em Enough Rope, died at the age of 72 in California, following complications from a cerebral haemorrhage that affected him in December 2015. The news was broken by Pearlman's friend Robert Duncan on his Facebook page. "Sandy Pearlman, poet, writer, songwriter, producer, manager, professor, polymath, visionary, passed peacefully, surrounded by love, at 12:30 am, July 26, 2016, in Marin County, California. A celebration of his exceptional life will be announced later,” wrote Duncan.
KA & GRM Daily Rated Awards return for second year
The KA & GRM Daily Rated Awards are returning for a second year, with 2016’s ceremony taking place at Camden’s Roundhouse on September 7. The KA & GRM Daily Rated Awards is one of the only award ceremonies that lets the fans decide the winners on the night. By giving the power back to the people, it allows the real purveyors of the British urban music scene to be recognised. Voting opens on August 1 via www.ratedawards.com The awards, launched last year, were founded by GRM Daily and founding partner KA Drinks. Adrian Troy, head of marketing for KA Drinks said: “Following the success of last year’s event, we are delighted that we can continue our support of British Urban music as founding partners of the KA & GRM Daily Rated Awards, rewarding and recognising established talent on a national scale. We feel proud that, with our partners GRM Daily, we have created a credible and authentic event recognising the high quality established talent within the scene and our 2016 event looks to be bigger and better.”
Plaintiff in Stairway To Heaven case files notice of appeal
Michael Skidmore, the trustee of songwriter Randy "California" Wolfe's estate, has decided to appeal the verdict from a Californian court which found in favour of Led Zeppelin in the plagiarism case related to the band’s iconic song Stairway To Heaven. Warner Music Group, which released the song, and music publisher Warner/Chappell, were co-defendent in the case. Skidmore filed a notice of appeal of the June 23 verdict with the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on July 23, which was confirmed by the court on July 25. "Please take notice that Plaintiff Michael Skidmore, Trustee for the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from the final judgment entered on June 23, 2016, as well as any and all interlocutory rulings, decisions, and orders that gave rise to the judgment and are merged therein,” according to the notice of appeal.
Apple licenses Carpool Karaoke from CBS Studios
Apple Music will be the global home of CBS Television Studio’s highly anticipated new Carpool Karaoke series through an exclusive first-window licensing agreement announced today. The new Carpool Karaoke series for Apple Music will be produced by CBS Television Studios and Ben Winston’s production company, Fulwell 73. James Corden and Winston are creators and executive producers.Based on the segment that has become a global, viral video sensation on The Late Late Show With James Corden, the Carpool Karaoke series will consist of 16 episodes. In each episode, celebrities will ride along and sing along with the host (to be announced) as they visit places meaningful to the celebrity, sing tunes from their personal playlists and surprise fans who don’t expect to see big stars belting out tunes one lane over.
Primal Scream to headline The Brit Project in Manchester on September 24
Psychedelic rock legends, Primal Scream will headline The Brit Project's main stage and Manchester's local heroes, Black Grape have chosen this event to perform their only Manchester live show in 2016. Heading up the JD stage are hotly-tipped Manchester band Alias Kid - managed by the man who discovered Oasis and Creation Records head honcho, Alan McGee. JD Presents: The Brit Project is the result of a collaboration between Publica Music Events and 9Seven Group. Publica Director, and record label owner, Steven Wood: “The idea of The Brit Project came through my love of music. I wanted to create a special music event with a festival vibe, but without the mud! In other words, an indoor festival with all the amenities.The first band we approached were Primal Scream - who I think are one of the most consistently brilliant live bands on the circuit - so I was thrilled when they agreed to headline our first event. Victoria Warehouse will be perfect for the first Brit Project - our long-term aim is to tour it around the UK in other unique venues."
Music Business Association addresses fundamental metadata standards issue
The Music Business Association (Music Biz) and its Metadata & Digital Operations Workgroup, in association with DDEX (Digital Data Exchange, LLC), are offering labels and label aggregators a step-by-step guide on how to use the DDEX standard to upload and manage their catalogs on digital retailers. All global music services – including Amazon, Apple, Pandora, Spotify, and more – use a version of the DDEX Release Notification Standard (see https://kb.ddex.net/display/HBK/Implementing+Release+Deliveries) for the receipt of data, making it critically important that label teams understand the key input fields so that songs can be properly offered via online services and reporting comes back for proper accounting. Titled “DDEX Release Notification Standard Starter Guide for Implementation,” the document explains what must be done before, during, and after the digital ingestion process to ensure that every music file conforms to the standard.
Germany announced as guest country for BIME Pro 2016
BIME has announced that Germany will be its guest country in 2016 and showcase key players and some of the most successful start-up companies at this conference. As part of this year’s music programming, a number of German artists will be showcasing at the conference. Highlights performing at the conference this year include Me and My Drummer, a two-piece Indie Dream-Pop act from Berlin, alongside Mueran Humanos, another two-piece from Berlin signed to ATP Recordings. Both acts will be showcasing songs from their retrospective 2016 releases. Speakers from German companies Ableton, Konzertbüro Schoneberg, Monkeytown, Napster, Selective Artists and Splash are amongst those already confirmed.
