m magazine issue 49
DESCRIPTION
M magazine - Issue 49 - September 2013TRANSCRIPT
Members Music MagazineIssue 45September 2012
Jamaica’s other golden duo
sly & robbie
NORTHERN ECHOESMining for new music
FAN FUNDING Getting a slice of the pie
Members Music MagazineIssue 49September 2013
invention test Anna Meredith swaps
concert halls for techno clubs
GET SMARTThe lowdown on apps
SCORE!Writing for f ilm and TV
PLUS: BBC INTRODUCING JAMES HOLDEN ALPINES MARC ALMOND
M49 Cover.indd 1 11/09/2013 11:54:58
m-magazine.co.uk
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There are also in-depth features that give you the low-down on songwriting and composing, and the story behind the songs.
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IFC M49 PRS for Music.indd 3 11/09/2013 11:50:07
compo
Members Music MagazineIssue 49September 2013
invention test Anna Meredith swaps
concert halls for techno clubs
GET SMARTThe lowdown on apps
SCORE!Writing for f ilm and TV
PLUS: BBC INTRODUCING JAMES HOLDEN ALPINES MARC ALMOND
M49 Cover.indd 1 10/09/2013 13:49:52
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ISSN 0309-0019© PRS for Music 2013. All rights reserved. The views expressed in M are not necessarily those of PRS for Music, nor of the editorial team. PRS for Music accepts no responsibility for the views expressed by contributors to M, nor for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, nor for errors in contributed articles or advertisements. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.
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EDITORIAL
EditorPaul NicholsAssociate EditorAnita Awbi Staff WriterJim OttewillBusiness EditorBarney HooperMembership AdviserMyles Keller
PRODUCTION
Production & DesignCarl English
CONTRIBUTORS
Rosie Blanchard, Olivia Chapman, KaKei Cheng, Laura Driffield, Samantha Ferguson, Eileen Fitches, Judith Luscombe, Hannah Kane, Tania Pearson, Cerian Squire, Sarah Thirtle
14 breaking the airwavesWhat BBC Introducing can do for you
18 anna meredithNew frontiers
22 flipping the scriptScores explored
26 appsA new music toolkit
5 members and music
8 money and business
13 comment and debate
31 i wrote that
34 picture this
Welcome to the autumn edition of M magazine. As the nights start to draw in we’ve been reflecting on a truly memorable summer for festivals. From Isle of Wight in June through to Bestival in September, the M team has been out meeting members and about enjoying the best that Britain has to offer.
We’ve met a lot of great characters along the way and heard some excellent new music. This issue celebrates all the people we’ve discovered, from Brolin and Joe Marinetti in the Members & Music section through to our features on composer-turned-electronic-whiz Anna Meredith and filmscore aficionado Jon Hopkins.
We also turn a spotlight on the important work of BBC Introducing – a grassroots initiative that’s supporting up and coming members from across the musical spectrum. It’s had a hand in launching the careers of Jake Bugg, Micheal Kiwanuka and Florence + the Machine since its inception in 2007 – we’re keen to find out who will be next.
Elsewhere we look to the latest smartphone apps and ask what they can do for you. Will they change the face of music creation forever or are they just a handy shortcut for musicians on the move?
Some of our avid readers will notice that we’ve revamped our Money & Business section. From this issue, we’ll be bringing you the big numbers from PRS for Music and inviting a guest columnist to provide insight on the industry. We’ll also reach out to publishers to highlight a key sync of the quarter they’ve been involved in.
As always, our magazine brings you a snapshot of all the features, analysis, news and interviews we publish online every day. M online is created for you, read by you and is a vital information and promotional tool to support your career.
We hope to see you online soon, across our social networks and on M online:Email: [email protected]: @m_magazinePRSYouTube.com/PRSforMusicFacebook.com/PRSforMusic
FEATURES
REGULARS
MEMO
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22 26
18
6
3331 34
5
m49_september 2013_3
cover: anna meredith
there's more! scan this code whenever you find it in m for exclusive content, extended interviews and much more...
contents
M49 Contents.indd 3 10/09/2013 13:58:13
irshad kamil
Irshad Kamil is an Indian songwriter with a PhD in Urdu poetry. His schooling in words has obviously held him in good stead, with his lyrics lighting up many of the biggest Bollywood films of recent years.
He originally began writing television scripts in the late nineties before getting his big break crafting lyrics for hit film Socha na Tha. Irshad has gone on to be one of the Indian film industry’s most popular lyricists, writing songs for Jab We Met, Chameli and Love Aaj Kal. He also won a Filmfare award for his work on 2011 hit Rockstar.
seattle yacht club
Despite their name, Seattle Yacht Club are neither American nor confess to a love for the sea. Instead their passions are captured within the collision of synths, art and guitar pop hooks they sculpt their music from.
The Southport-based pair comprises Tom Dale and Denis Brice - best friends whose bond was sealed by a shared love of melodies, beats and big, sugary choruses.
Ten years is a long life span for any group, but even
more for an act making music at fashion’s bleeding
edge. It’s perhaps against the odds then that, a decade
on, Glasgow guitar band Franz Ferdinand are still very
much alive and kicking. And arguably, on new album
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, they’re
sounding sharper and more on point than ever before.
We caught up with front man Alex Kapranos at the recent
AIM Awards to find out more about his songwriting and
his decade of experiences with the band.
You can read the full interview by visiting m-magazine.co.uk and clicking on the 'Interviews' tab.
While you’re there, why not take a peek at all the other
content you might’ve missed, including interviews
with Cabaret Voltaire’s innovative soundsmith Chris
Watson, upcoming Micachu cohort Tirzah, Welsh
electro-folk duo Trwbador and BBC Proms director
Roger Wright. You’ll also find video interviews from
the MOBO Awards Nominations Party with So Solid
Crew and Fuse ODG.
We are excited to announce a new series of competitions just for PRS for Music's songwriters, composers and publishers. Each month you could win anything from an iPad to musical instruments or travel and tickets to international music events.
Details will be advertised each month through M online, your e-newsletter and our social media channels. Be the first to know about what’s on offer by checking your inbox and following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
interview: alex kapranos
While her Croydon school friends were
absorbed in the homegrown grime and hip-
hop of their local neighbourhood, Sabiyha
was raiding her Guyanese father’s diverse
record collection to discover delta blues.
The 19-year-old singer songwriter reveals
spent most of her teenage years gathering
the building blocks for her own sound,
drawing on influences as diverse as
urban soul, reggae, folk and blues. We
tracked her down at the London Folkfest
to film her in action. You can watch our
exclusive session online now. You’ll also
find video sessions with Deafkid, PINS,
The Gentlemen and more.
m-magazine.co.uk m-magazine.co.uk
Find out who else has recently joined
PRS for Music
tune in
When we heard that radio plugger and industry veteran
Richard Perry was leading a training panel on airplay
we hot-footed it down to BPI HQ at Westminster Bridge
to hear his sermon.
Richard has spent the last 27 years plugging music to BBC
Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music, plus Capital Radio, Kiss and Xfm.
Through his work he’s broken Top 40 artists including
Damien Rice, Scouting For Girls and Rick Astley.
Unlike print and online media – where it’s easy to gather
contact details for those in charge – radio stations can
appear like a fortress from the outside, their playlists
chosen by elusive programmers and producers.
Here, Richard offers insight into the world of radio,
shedding light on the way playlists work and reveals
the people who make all the important decisions.
Is radio still crucial to artists?Even to this day, for all the internet’s whiz, bangs and
cleverness, radio still matters. Chris Price, who used to
be the number two at Radio 1, told me the other day that
45 percent of new music is still discovered on the radio.
It’s the reality. Spotify – which is supposed to be the
second coming – only has four percent of the market.
What are playlists all about?Playlists vary so much from station to station. Radio 1
is still for me the most important station. Its’ playlist
is split into five parts. There’s an A list, B list, C list, In
New Music We Trust list and a BBC Introducing list.
What do stations base their playlist decisions on?Well I know that I base mine on whether I can
remember it in two plays flat. If I can’t remember the
chorus and melody line, how am I going to convince
radio to play it?
What outside factors do they take note of?Using Radio 1 as a measure – 27 years ago you could
tell them a record was good and they’d play it. Now
they want to see the stats before the play the music,
and that’s everything from Facebook to YouTube and
everything in between.
What does a plugger do?My job is to educate the decision-makers about your
music. Their job is to be spoon fed by me. All I am is
the millimetre of copper between the record industry
and the holy grail of radio.
This is an excerpt from the full article, which is
available now on m-magazine.co.uk
how to… get radio airplay
new competitions
m49_september 2013_54_september 2013_m49
members
just joinedm online sign upfor information about becoming a member visit prsformusic.com/joinus
m online log on and make sure you don't miss outm-magazine.co.uk
joseph marinetti
Baptisms of fire don’t come any hotter than that faced by DJ and producer Joseph Marinetti earlier this year. Opening for Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich’s Atoms for Peace first UK gig must rank as one of the most intimidating sets for any fledgling electronic artist, but it was also a stellar endorsement of Joe’s talent.
The two musical mavericks had fallen head over heels for the deep house wobble of Joe’s first single Dive and handpicked him, alongside fellow innovators Actress and Throwing Snow, to open their show at London’s Oval Space. His well received set meant his name and music found its way outside of Thom Yorke’s iPod and into the ears of other DJs, trendsetters and talent spotters.
2013 has continued at a breathless pace for Joe. His track VGLXW was included by dubstep-turned-house lover Skream! on his contribution to the All Gone Pete Tong Miami 2013 mix while the Red Bull Music Academy invited him to host their stage at annual hipster hoe down Field Day. Joe helped curate fresh talent such as Kwes, Koreless and Egyptian Hip Hop.
The beat maker has gone on to link up with Glasgow label LuckyMe on latest track SWN. The imprint has had its fingers locked on the pulse of the electronic underground for many years, playing an important role in the rise of Glaswegian producers Hudson Mohawke and Rustie. Joe’s release on the label gained him further plaudits and comparisons to the likes of Jacques Green and Daphni.
When he’s not releasing music, Joe can be found DJing in the basements of east London watering holes or on Rinse FM or NTS radio, raising hairs and hands with his boisterous DJ sets. An EP of new material is expected later this year.
exclusively on
M49 Just Joined.indd 4-5 18/09/2013 14:16:59
irshad kamil
Irshad Kamil is an Indian songwriter with a PhD in Urdu poetry. His schooling in words has obviously held him in good stead, with his lyrics lighting up many of the biggest Bollywood films of recent years.
He originally began writing television scripts in the late nineties before getting his big break crafting lyrics for hit film Socha na Tha. Irshad has gone on to be one of the Indian film industry’s most popular lyricists, writing songs for Jab We Met, Chameli and Love Aaj Kal. He also won a Filmfare award for his work on 2011 hit Rockstar.
seattle yacht club
Despite their name, Seattle Yacht Club are neither American nor confess to a love for the sea. Instead their passions are captured within the collision of synths, art and guitar pop hooks they sculpt their music from.
The Southport-based pair comprises Tom Dale and Denis Brice - best friends whose bond was sealed by a shared love of melodies, beats and big, sugary choruses.
Ten years is a long life span for any group, but even
more for an act making music at fashion’s bleeding
edge. It’s perhaps against the odds then that, a decade
on, Glasgow guitar band Franz Ferdinand are still very
much alive and kicking. And arguably, on new album
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, they’re
sounding sharper and more on point than ever before.
We caught up with front man Alex Kapranos at the recent
AIM Awards to find out more about his songwriting and
his decade of experiences with the band.
You can read the full interview by visiting m-magazine.co.uk and clicking on the 'Interviews' tab.
While you’re there, why not take a peek at all the other
content you might’ve missed, including interviews
with Cabaret Voltaire’s innovative soundsmith Chris
Watson, upcoming Micachu cohort Tirzah, Welsh
electro-folk duo Trwbador and BBC Proms director
Roger Wright. You’ll also find video interviews from
the MOBO Awards Nominations Party with So Solid
Crew and Fuse ODG.
We are excited to announce a new series of competitions just for PRS for Music's songwriters, composers and publishers. Each month you could win anything from an iPad to musical instruments or travel and tickets to international music events.
Details will be advertised each month through M online, your e-newsletter and our social media channels. Be the first to know about what’s on offer by checking your inbox and following us on Twitter and liking us on Facebook.
interview: alex kapranos
While her Croydon school friends were
absorbed in the homegrown grime and hip-
hop of their local neighbourhood, Sabiyha
was raiding her Guyanese father’s diverse
record collection to discover delta blues.
The 19-year-old singer songwriter reveals
spent most of her teenage years gathering
the building blocks for her own sound,
drawing on influences as diverse as
urban soul, reggae, folk and blues. We
tracked her down at the London Folkfest
to film her in action. You can watch our
exclusive session online now. You’ll also
find video sessions with Deafkid, PINS,
The Gentlemen and more.
m-magazine.co.uk m-magazine.co.uk
Find out who else has recently joined
PRS for Music
tune in
When we heard that radio plugger and industry veteran
Richard Perry was leading a training panel on airplay
we hot-footed it down to BPI HQ at Westminster Bridge
to hear his sermon.
Richard has spent the last 27 years plugging music to BBC
Radio 1, 2 and 6 Music, plus Capital Radio, Kiss and Xfm.
Through his work he’s broken Top 40 artists including
Damien Rice, Scouting For Girls and Rick Astley.
Unlike print and online media – where it’s easy to gather
contact details for those in charge – radio stations can
appear like a fortress from the outside, their playlists
chosen by elusive programmers and producers.
Here, Richard offers insight into the world of radio,
shedding light on the way playlists work and reveals
the people who make all the important decisions.
Is radio still crucial to artists?Even to this day, for all the internet’s whiz, bangs and
cleverness, radio still matters. Chris Price, who used to
be the number two at Radio 1, told me the other day that
45 percent of new music is still discovered on the radio.
It’s the reality. Spotify – which is supposed to be the
second coming – only has four percent of the market.
What are playlists all about?Playlists vary so much from station to station. Radio 1
is still for me the most important station. Its’ playlist
is split into five parts. There’s an A list, B list, C list, In
New Music We Trust list and a BBC Introducing list.
What do stations base their playlist decisions on?Well I know that I base mine on whether I can
remember it in two plays flat. If I can’t remember the
chorus and melody line, how am I going to convince
radio to play it?
What outside factors do they take note of?Using Radio 1 as a measure – 27 years ago you could
tell them a record was good and they’d play it. Now
they want to see the stats before the play the music,
and that’s everything from Facebook to YouTube and
everything in between.
What does a plugger do?My job is to educate the decision-makers about your
music. Their job is to be spoon fed by me. All I am is
the millimetre of copper between the record industry
and the holy grail of radio.
This is an excerpt from the full article, which is
available now on m-magazine.co.uk
how to… get radio airplay
new competitions
m49_september 2013_54_september 2013_m49
members
just joinedm online sign upfor information about becoming a member visit prsformusic.com/joinus
m online log on and make sure you don't miss outm-magazine.co.uk
joseph marinetti
Baptisms of fire don’t come any hotter than that faced by DJ and producer Joseph Marinetti earlier this year. Opening for Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich’s Atoms for Peace first UK gig must rank as one of the most intimidating sets for any fledgling electronic artist, but it was also a stellar endorsement of Joe’s talent.
The two musical mavericks had fallen head over heels for the deep house wobble of Joe’s first single Dive and handpicked him, alongside fellow innovators Actress and Throwing Snow, to open their show at London’s Oval Space. His well received set meant his name and music found its way outside of Thom Yorke’s iPod and into the ears of other DJs, trendsetters and talent spotters.
2013 has continued at a breathless pace for Joe. His track VGLXW was included by dubstep-turned-house lover Skream! on his contribution to the All Gone Pete Tong Miami 2013 mix while the Red Bull Music Academy invited him to host their stage at annual hipster hoe down Field Day. Joe helped curate fresh talent such as Kwes, Koreless and Egyptian Hip Hop.
The beat maker has gone on to link up with Glasgow label LuckyMe on latest track SWN. The imprint has had its fingers locked on the pulse of the electronic underground for many years, playing an important role in the rise of Glaswegian producers Hudson Mohawke and Rustie. Joe’s release on the label gained him further plaudits and comparisons to the likes of Jacques Green and Daphni.
When he’s not releasing music, Joe can be found DJing in the basements of east London watering holes or on Rinse FM or NTS radio, raising hairs and hands with his boisterous DJ sets. An EP of new material is expected later this year.
exclusively on
M49 Just Joined.indd 4-5 18/09/2013 14:16:59
6_september 2013_m49 m49_september 2013_7
visit: www.m-magazine.co.uk want to get involved? email: [email protected]
m online
momentum fund
This summer PRS for Music celebrated reaching the milestone of 100,000 members. Nicholas Noble, the frontman of unsigned Sheffield act The Gentlemen (above), became the 100,000th to sign up as the society prepares for its centenary in 2014.
The group, which includes Sean D’Souza Walsh, Josh Cana and Joel Cana alongside Nicholas, have been together for some years, wowing audiences both home and abroad with their disco-tinged pop. They’ve already enjoyed a support slot with fellow Sheffield musician Jarvis Cocker as well as receiving radio plays from BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary and sold out numerous headline shows in their hometown.
Nicholas told M: ‘I can’t believe I am PRS for Music’s 100,000th member! My dad, Keith, is a songwriter too. He sang in the Screaming Abdabs who went on to be known as Pink Floyd. He has been nagging me for years to join after one of his songs in the sixties received PRS for Music awards and several million radio plays. We’re proud to be members of such a key music institution – this is really important right now.’
Hackney dance act Rudimental (right) are also newly signed up to PRS for Music and have dominated the charts over the past year. Their singles Feel the Love and Waiting All Night both reached number one over the
last 12 months while debut longplayer Home topped the album charts.
Rudimental’s songwriter and producer, Piers Aggett said: ‘Because PRS for Music is run by songwriters and publishers they understand the crafting that goes into making a really good tune. It’s been a phenomenal year for us and we rely on our PRS for Music cheques so we can keep writing music and touring.’
PRS for Music statistics show an average of 750 songwriters join the organisation each month. The society collected £641.8m in royalties for its members in 2012 - £153m came from TV and radio, £51.7m from online and £19.3m from the live music sector.
celebrating 100,000 members
Brolin is a well connected songwriter, producer and remixer who counts techno head Luke Abbott, US dub duo Peaking Lights and Newcastle’s Lulu James among his friends and collaborators. His identity is shrouded in mystery - no one knows his name or has seen his face – but a few well-received releases have ensured he’s graced many tastemakers’ talent lists this year.
How did you get into making music?I was introduced to artists including The Jam, Michael Jackson, The Stranglers, Donald Fagan, Hendrix, by my parents, which made our car journeys to the seaside all the more enjoyable. Then I picked up a guitar when I was 14 to play covers with my friends. How would you describe your music?Melodic, cinematic pop.
Manchester’s Dutch Uncles originally set up camp to the left side of mainstream pop back in 2009 with their self-titled debut album before hooking up with Memphis Industries to release Cadenza back in 2011. Out of the Wild, released earlier this year, is their third full length record and sees the band paying homage to their myriad influences - everything from Kate Bush through to krautrock stalwarts Neu!
How did you get into making music? Robin, Andy and Pete had been playing together since primary school in various outfits. A few years later, Robin’s uncle, a music teacher, gave him a copy of Sibelius for his PC to hone his writing skills. We got together properly in college and we’ve been recreating midi masterpieces ever since. How would you describe your music?We used to call ourselves an ‘alternative guitar band’ because ‘prog pop’ sounded too alienating and smug, but since we started exchanging guitars for xylophones we’re not quite sure what to call it anymore.
What has 2013 been like for you so far?We’ve had a sweep of great reviews for our latest album and none of us can quite remember the last time we had a rubbish gig, so that’s been a good start.
How did you hear about the Momentum Fund?We’d read a lot about it in the papers and my mum even sent me clippings about it offering to sign us up for it. So applying seemed inevitable.
Tell us what you’ll be spending your grant on…We’re making good progress with the next album in our new practice room/studio in Salford - although songs are still at the early stages. The grant gives us breathing space in the writing process and certainly in the recording process - additional time to hopefully get things just right.
From the space jazz of electronic artist Floating Points to the nascent grime of metal outfit Hactivist, the first wave of acts to receive Momentum Fund grants certainly highlights the scheme’s solid commitment to innovation.
The Fund, which was launched earlier this year by the PRS for Music Foundation in conjunction with Arts Council England, will dish out an impressive £500,000 to between 50 and 75 artists over the next two years.
It has already received more than 500 applications from a mind-boggling range of hopefuls, but only 10 acts were chosen for the first round of funding. All successful artists – including Brolin, Dutch Uncles, Esco Williams, Kindness, Hannah Peel, Teleman, Thumpers and The Wytches – will each receive between £5,000 and £15,000 to assist the recording, releasing, marketing, collaborating or performing of their own music.
PRS for Music Foundation appointed an independent advisory board to make the decision, involving the combined expertise of record label bosses, bookers, DJs and tastemakers, including Full Time Hobby’s Nigel Adams and Eat Your Own Ears’ Lucy Wood.
Licensed streaming platform Deezer is now on board to sponsor the initiative and will support funded artists through a bespoke app, playlists and editorial features. Momentum acts will also be championed across BBC national and digital radio stations by DJs including Huw Stephens, Target, Jo Whiley and Tom Robinson. brolin
dutch uncles
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OLIV
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ADRIA
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BERT
London duo Thumpers make colourful, exuberant alt-pop that celebrates the band’s shared memories from their childhood. This year they’ve been busy working on a debut album, recording sessions for DJs Huw Stephens and Lauren Laverne, and have graced the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals.
How did you get into making music?We met at school and started playing in bands together from about 15 so making music has been a shared part of our lives for years.
How would you describe your music?Lush boy-girl vocals vs. tribal drum layers vs. celebration reveries.
What has 2013 been like for you so far?Pretty unreal! We’ve put the finishing touches to our debut album with our favourite producer, supported Two Door Cinema Club and MS MR, played a helluvalotta festivals, collaborated with Gaggle and Summer Camp and released an EP and single through the amazing Transgressive Records.
How did you hear about the PRS for Music Foundation Momentum Fund?John came across the fund online and the stage we were at as a band at the time just seemed like a perfect fit for it.
Tell us what you’ll be spending your grant on…We’re using our grant to promote our new single Sound of Screams and support our tour in the UK with Chvrches this October.
thumpers
What has 2013 been like for you so far?It’s been positive. I released my debut EP Cundo in April and it received some lovely reviews and support from radio. My song Lisboa won the Radio 1 Review Show vote, and was pitched against the mighty Queens Of The Stone Age and Snoop Lion… I found that a bit surreal to be honest, but incredibly flattering.
How did you hear about the Momentum Fund?I was listening to BBC radio whilst tanking along the motorway and heard about it on a news feature.
Tell us what you’ll be spending your grant on…The lion’s share will be spent on the recording and release of my next EP, due out later in the year. And I’m hoping to visit Peaking Lights in LA to work on more songs, which would be a real treat.
For information on the next application stages visit prsformusicfoundation.com
news
members & music
6_september 2013_m49 m49_september 2013_7
visit: www.m-magazine.co.uk want to get involved? email: [email protected]
m online
momentum fund
This summer PRS for Music celebrated reaching the milestone of 100,000 members. Nicholas Noble, the frontman of unsigned Sheffield act The Gentlemen (above), became the 100,000th to sign up as the society prepares for its centenary in 2014.
The group, which includes Sean D’Souza Walsh, Josh Cana and Joel Cana alongside Nicholas, have been together for some years, wowing audiences both home and abroad with their disco-tinged pop. They’ve already enjoyed a support slot with fellow Sheffield musician Jarvis Cocker as well as receiving radio plays from BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary and sold out numerous headline shows in their hometown.
Nicholas told M: ‘I can’t believe I am PRS for Music’s 100,000th member! My dad, Keith, is a songwriter too. He sang in the Screaming Abdabs who went on to be known as Pink Floyd. He has been nagging me for years to join after one of his songs in the sixties received PRS for Music awards and several million radio plays. We’re proud to be members of such a key music institution – this is really important right now.’
Hackney dance act Rudimental (right) are also newly signed up to PRS for Music and have dominated the charts over the past year. Their singles Feel the Love and Waiting All Night both reached number one over the
last 12 months while debut longplayer Home topped the album charts.
Rudimental’s songwriter and producer, Piers Aggett said: ‘Because PRS for Music is run by songwriters and publishers they understand the crafting that goes into making a really good tune. It’s been a phenomenal year for us and we rely on our PRS for Music cheques so we can keep writing music and touring.’
PRS for Music statistics show an average of 750 songwriters join the organisation each month. The society collected £641.8m in royalties for its members in 2012 - £153m came from TV and radio, £51.7m from online and £19.3m from the live music sector.
celebrating 100,000 members
Brolin is a well connected songwriter, producer and remixer who counts techno head Luke Abbott, US dub duo Peaking Lights and Newcastle’s Lulu James among his friends and collaborators. His identity is shrouded in mystery - no one knows his name or has seen his face – but a few well-received releases have ensured he’s graced many tastemakers’ talent lists this year.
How did you get into making music?I was introduced to artists including The Jam, Michael Jackson, The Stranglers, Donald Fagan, Hendrix, by my parents, which made our car journeys to the seaside all the more enjoyable. Then I picked up a guitar when I was 14 to play covers with my friends. How would you describe your music?Melodic, cinematic pop.
Manchester’s Dutch Uncles originally set up camp to the left side of mainstream pop back in 2009 with their self-titled debut album before hooking up with Memphis Industries to release Cadenza back in 2011. Out of the Wild, released earlier this year, is their third full length record and sees the band paying homage to their myriad influences - everything from Kate Bush through to krautrock stalwarts Neu!
How did you get into making music? Robin, Andy and Pete had been playing together since primary school in various outfits. A few years later, Robin’s uncle, a music teacher, gave him a copy of Sibelius for his PC to hone his writing skills. We got together properly in college and we’ve been recreating midi masterpieces ever since. How would you describe your music?We used to call ourselves an ‘alternative guitar band’ because ‘prog pop’ sounded too alienating and smug, but since we started exchanging guitars for xylophones we’re not quite sure what to call it anymore.
What has 2013 been like for you so far?We’ve had a sweep of great reviews for our latest album and none of us can quite remember the last time we had a rubbish gig, so that’s been a good start.
How did you hear about the Momentum Fund?We’d read a lot about it in the papers and my mum even sent me clippings about it offering to sign us up for it. So applying seemed inevitable.
Tell us what you’ll be spending your grant on…We’re making good progress with the next album in our new practice room/studio in Salford - although songs are still at the early stages. The grant gives us breathing space in the writing process and certainly in the recording process - additional time to hopefully get things just right.
From the space jazz of electronic artist Floating Points to the nascent grime of metal outfit Hactivist, the first wave of acts to receive Momentum Fund grants certainly highlights the scheme’s solid commitment to innovation.
The Fund, which was launched earlier this year by the PRS for Music Foundation in conjunction with Arts Council England, will dish out an impressive £500,000 to between 50 and 75 artists over the next two years.
It has already received more than 500 applications from a mind-boggling range of hopefuls, but only 10 acts were chosen for the first round of funding. All successful artists – including Brolin, Dutch Uncles, Esco Williams, Kindness, Hannah Peel, Teleman, Thumpers and The Wytches – will each receive between £5,000 and £15,000 to assist the recording, releasing, marketing, collaborating or performing of their own music.
PRS for Music Foundation appointed an independent advisory board to make the decision, involving the combined expertise of record label bosses, bookers, DJs and tastemakers, including Full Time Hobby’s Nigel Adams and Eat Your Own Ears’ Lucy Wood.
Licensed streaming platform Deezer is now on board to sponsor the initiative and will support funded artists through a bespoke app, playlists and editorial features. Momentum acts will also be championed across BBC national and digital radio stations by DJs including Huw Stephens, Target, Jo Whiley and Tom Robinson. brolin
dutch uncles
DREW
COX
/
OLIV
ER S
MIT
H /
ADRIA
N L
AM
BERT
London duo Thumpers make colourful, exuberant alt-pop that celebrates the band’s shared memories from their childhood. This year they’ve been busy working on a debut album, recording sessions for DJs Huw Stephens and Lauren Laverne, and have graced the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds Festivals.
How did you get into making music?We met at school and started playing in bands together from about 15 so making music has been a shared part of our lives for years.
How would you describe your music?Lush boy-girl vocals vs. tribal drum layers vs. celebration reveries.
What has 2013 been like for you so far?Pretty unreal! We’ve put the finishing touches to our debut album with our favourite producer, supported Two Door Cinema Club and MS MR, played a helluvalotta festivals, collaborated with Gaggle and Summer Camp and released an EP and single through the amazing Transgressive Records.
How did you hear about the PRS for Music Foundation Momentum Fund?John came across the fund online and the stage we were at as a band at the time just seemed like a perfect fit for it.
Tell us what you’ll be spending your grant on…We’re using our grant to promote our new single Sound of Screams and support our tour in the UK with Chvrches this October.
thumpers
What has 2013 been like for you so far?It’s been positive. I released my debut EP Cundo in April and it received some lovely reviews and support from radio. My song Lisboa won the Radio 1 Review Show vote, and was pitched against the mighty Queens Of The Stone Age and Snoop Lion… I found that a bit surreal to be honest, but incredibly flattering.
How did you hear about the Momentum Fund?I was listening to BBC radio whilst tanking along the motorway and heard about it on a news feature.
Tell us what you’ll be spending your grant on…The lion’s share will be spent on the recording and release of my next EP, due out later in the year. And I’m hoping to visit Peaking Lights in LA to work on more songs, which would be a real treat.
For information on the next application stages visit prsformusicfoundation.com
news
members & music
UK acts have never been in greater demand across central and eastern Europe. A glut of new festivals, from Outlook in Croatia to Serbia’s Exit Festival, are attracting flocks of British bands to the region – many of whom are staying on for local tours.
But some eastern European countries can be a challenging prospect for first-timers, with diverse copyright legislation and challenging levels of bureaucracy. PRS for Music’s international team has uncovered issues with some local promoters and bookers who do not cooperate with local collecting societies that are affiliated with PRS for Music. Particular trouble spots are thought to be in Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and Serbia. In Bulgaria alone, the international team assists local collecting society Musicautor with one litigation letter per month to recover performance royalties for PRS for Music members.
Meanwhile, Mirjana Tesic Perovic, International Affairs Executive with Serbian collecting society SOKOJ, told M: ‘The number of festivals and concerts in Serbia is growing each year and, therefore, they are an important source of income for the songwriters involved. There are live promoters in Serbia who refuse to take out a licence for concerts and we are using all methods we can to persuade them - writing letters, notices, phone calls. If we do not succeed, we must sue.’
Touring acts and their management teams are being urged to make the most of their time in eastern Europe by ensuring they receive the performance royalties they are entitled to. The PRS for Music international team is advising them not to sign royalty waiver agreements with local promoters in return for a flat fee, as this means they could be missing out on important
Andy Malt, editor of music news daily CMU, reviews the latest chapter in the great streaming debate and asks what’s next for the music industry.
Music streaming and the royalties it provides to songwriters has, once again, been a topic of much debate in recent months. Of course where musicians make their money from is as important a topic as ever. And it can indeed seem at times like the creators are at the bottom of the pile when it comes to divvying up the cash their work generates.
That artists are increasingly debating and taking an interest in the business side of music is a very positive thing. It’s important to remember that if you choose to make and sell music, you are a business. You are the chief executive and everyone else works for you. And, as any good chief executive knows, if you lose touch with what’s going on below you, you’re not going to be at the top for long. However, often the complexities of the streaming debate can be worn down to a black and white ‘for or against’ argument which ultimately serves little purpose to either side.
Is streaming the future of music? No. But it is a future of music, and will become more and more important as time goes on. Revenues from sales of recorded music have fallen dramatically over the last decade, while the number of people attempting to earn money from it has continued to grow -
touring eastern europe? new deals
performance royalties. Elsewhere, the team has discovered other local promoters who are refusing to pay the local collecting society at the full royalty tariff rate for that country. Both of these situations can delay proper royalty payments, and in some cases, lead to songwriters missing out on what’s due.
Judith Luscombe, Head of Developing and Emerging Markets on PRS for Music’s international team, said: ‘Anyone touring in eastern Europe should seek out promoters who not only have the experience to organise visas and work permits, but those who have an established and trustworthy network of local promoters to assist with touring. Acts should also familiarise themselves with the following collecting societies - Musicautor in Bulgaria, UCMR in Romania, RAO in Russia and SOKOJ in Serbia, and follow these three simple steps:
PRS for Music recently signed up its 100,000th member. However, in some territories, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, streaming has actually helped to reverse that decline over the last year, in large part by offering a more convenient alternative to piracy. It’s all part of a network of revenue streams that need to be balanced with each other in order to make the most from your creative work.
Streaming is an emerging format, and one that needs to be approached differently to ‘traditional’ models like record sales and radio play. It doesn’t provide one-off payments, it allows royalties to accumulate over the entire life of a recording, meaning potentially a song could prove more lucrative if its popularity maintains over time.
The model still has a long way to go in terms of defining how it works and who the dominant forces in it are. Currently, it’s not Spotify which is the leader, but YouTube – possibly the only streaming service that has managed to gain a mainstream audience, which makes PRS for Music’s recently signed new licensing deal all the more important for UK songwriters.
As streaming grows to maturity, there will be more opportunity for those artists who use it effectively to generate significant income from it. But it is important to recognise that it is just one source of income. Sales of CDs and downloads have never, for the vast majority, been an income that musicians and songwriters could live on alone, and streaming is no different. And as competition for the finite amount of money the public is willing to spend on music grows stronger, it’s important to recognise the need to maximise each potential revenue stream, from recordings and beyond.
What are your views? Share them by emailing us at magazine.co.uk
streaming and beyondthe big numbers
industry insight
Above: Jarvis Cocker performing at the EXIT festival in Novi Sad, Serbia
‘Make sure that your local promoter is obliged to provide you with sight of their local collecting society licence at least two weeks before the concert by stipulating this in your contract.
‘Do not sign a royalty waiver if asked to by a promoter; they are seeking to pay you less.
‘Submit your concert details via the PRS for Music website’s Online Live Events portal as early as possible, so that the local collecting societies can pursue the licence in advance.’
Performing
(PRS):
15 October
13 December
15 April
13 June
Mechanicals
(MCPS):
30 September
31 October
28 November
31 December
your next paydays
100,000Total number of
members(As at June 2013)
£10mTotal distributed
by IMPEL (since launch in 2010)
81.5 billionTotal number of
music plays processed*
(Jan – June 2013)*from TV, radio, international
and public performance
31,000Total number
of events claimed through
Gigs & Clubs scheme (Mar – Jun 2013) milestone for impel
IMPEL, PRS for Music’s European licensing initiative for independent publishers, has distributed a landmark £10m in royalties since its inception in 2010.
The platform collectively manages its members’ online music rights, offering them the same benefits that major publishers have achieved by licensing their mechanical rights through one manager. It also offers a convenient one-stop shop for licensees seeking to use their music. IMPEL now counts more than 20 independent publishers
as members, including Carlin Music Corporation, Beggars Music Limited, Wixen Music UK Limited and Ole (UK) who all join IMPEL from 1 October.
Peter Thomas, General Manager, Carlin Music Corporation, said: ‘we are delighted to sign with IMPEL. It is vital that the independent publishing community stand together with an agreed agenda and one voice with regard to online licensing.’
For more information visit prsformusic.com/impel
For more on PRS for Music’s international activities, visit prsformusic/international
PRS for Music has entered into new licensing agreements with video platform YouTube and streaming service Deezer. The YouTube licence covers the use of musical repertoire PRS for Music represents in videos streamed on the Google-owned website, including official music videos and content, live footage, soundtracks and user generated content.
The deal also includes the rights to a growing catalogue of independent repertoire available through PRS for Music’s independent publisher initiative IMPEL, such as David Bowie (RZO Music), Justin Timberlake (Imagem), Lou Reed (Spirit) and Goldie (Westbury).
PRS for Music was one of the first societies outside the US to license YouTube, having struck its first deal with the platform in 2007. This new licence agreement is one of the most extensive yet covering more than 130 territories in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
The society has also announced a brand new multi-territory licensing deal with Spotify rival Deezer. The French based company has more than four million paying subscribers and offers access to 25 million tracks. Users can access the service in 180 countries, including the UK.
Robert Ashcroft, chief executive of PRS for Music, said: ‘Streaming is a key growth area for PRS for Music, helping drive our online revenues to over £50m in 2012. The issue of remuneration from streaming services remains a key one for our members and the further evolution of our licensing relationship with YouTube will help ensure continued growth in royalties for our members from one of the world’s leading video platforms.’
For up-to-date business news
and comment visit
m-magazine.co.uk
PRS for Music’s YouTube channel includes many member interviews and live sessions
m49_september 2013_9
news
money & business
8_september 2013_m49
UK acts have never been in greater demand across central and eastern Europe. A glut of new festivals, from Outlook in Croatia to Serbia’s Exit Festival, are attracting flocks of British bands to the region – many of whom are staying on for local tours.
But some eastern European countries can be a challenging prospect for first-timers, with diverse copyright legislation and challenging levels of bureaucracy. PRS for Music’s international team has uncovered issues with some local promoters and bookers who do not cooperate with local collecting societies that are affiliated with PRS for Music. Particular trouble spots are thought to be in Bulgaria, Romania, Russia and Serbia. In Bulgaria alone, the international team assists local collecting society Musicautor with one litigation letter per month to recover performance royalties for PRS for Music members.
Meanwhile, Mirjana Tesic Perovic, International Affairs Executive with Serbian collecting society SOKOJ, told M: ‘The number of festivals and concerts in Serbia is growing each year and, therefore, they are an important source of income for the songwriters involved. There are live promoters in Serbia who refuse to take out a licence for concerts and we are using all methods we can to persuade them - writing letters, notices, phone calls. If we do not succeed, we must sue.’
Touring acts and their management teams are being urged to make the most of their time in eastern Europe by ensuring they receive the performance royalties they are entitled to. The PRS for Music international team is advising them not to sign royalty waiver agreements with local promoters in return for a flat fee, as this means they could be missing out on important
Andy Malt, editor of music news daily CMU, reviews the latest chapter in the great streaming debate and asks what’s next for the music industry.
Music streaming and the royalties it provides to songwriters has, once again, been a topic of much debate in recent months. Of course where musicians make their money from is as important a topic as ever. And it can indeed seem at times like the creators are at the bottom of the pile when it comes to divvying up the cash their work generates.
That artists are increasingly debating and taking an interest in the business side of music is a very positive thing. It’s important to remember that if you choose to make and sell music, you are a business. You are the chief executive and everyone else works for you. And, as any good chief executive knows, if you lose touch with what’s going on below you, you’re not going to be at the top for long. However, often the complexities of the streaming debate can be worn down to a black and white ‘for or against’ argument which ultimately serves little purpose to either side.
Is streaming the future of music? No. But it is a future of music, and will become more and more important as time goes on. Revenues from sales of recorded music have fallen dramatically over the last decade, while the number of people attempting to earn money from it has continued to grow -
touring eastern europe? new deals
performance royalties. Elsewhere, the team has discovered other local promoters who are refusing to pay the local collecting society at the full royalty tariff rate for that country. Both of these situations can delay proper royalty payments, and in some cases, lead to songwriters missing out on what’s due.
Judith Luscombe, Head of Developing and Emerging Markets on PRS for Music’s international team, said: ‘Anyone touring in eastern Europe should seek out promoters who not only have the experience to organise visas and work permits, but those who have an established and trustworthy network of local promoters to assist with touring. Acts should also familiarise themselves with the following collecting societies - Musicautor in Bulgaria, UCMR in Romania, RAO in Russia and SOKOJ in Serbia, and follow these three simple steps:
PRS for Music recently signed up its 100,000th member. However, in some territories, such as the Netherlands and Sweden, streaming has actually helped to reverse that decline over the last year, in large part by offering a more convenient alternative to piracy. It’s all part of a network of revenue streams that need to be balanced with each other in order to make the most from your creative work.
Streaming is an emerging format, and one that needs to be approached differently to ‘traditional’ models like record sales and radio play. It doesn’t provide one-off payments, it allows royalties to accumulate over the entire life of a recording, meaning potentially a song could prove more lucrative if its popularity maintains over time.
The model still has a long way to go in terms of defining how it works and who the dominant forces in it are. Currently, it’s not Spotify which is the leader, but YouTube – possibly the only streaming service that has managed to gain a mainstream audience, which makes PRS for Music’s recently signed new licensing deal all the more important for UK songwriters.
As streaming grows to maturity, there will be more opportunity for those artists who use it effectively to generate significant income from it. But it is important to recognise that it is just one source of income. Sales of CDs and downloads have never, for the vast majority, been an income that musicians and songwriters could live on alone, and streaming is no different. And as competition for the finite amount of money the public is willing to spend on music grows stronger, it’s important to recognise the need to maximise each potential revenue stream, from recordings and beyond.
What are your views? Share them by emailing us at magazine.co.uk
streaming and beyondthe big numbers
industry insight
Above: Jarvis Cocker performing at the EXIT festival in Novi Sad, Serbia
‘Make sure that your local promoter is obliged to provide you with sight of their local collecting society licence at least two weeks before the concert by stipulating this in your contract.
‘Do not sign a royalty waiver if asked to by a promoter; they are seeking to pay you less.
‘Submit your concert details via the PRS for Music website’s Online Live Events portal as early as possible, so that the local collecting societies can pursue the licence in advance.’
Performing
(PRS):
15 October
13 December
15 April
13 June
Mechanicals
(MCPS):
30 September
31 October
28 November
31 December
your next paydays
100,000Total number of
members(As at June 2013)
£10mTotal distributed
by IMPEL (since launch in 2010)
81.5 billionTotal number of
music plays processed*
(Jan – June 2013)*from TV, radio, international
and public performance
31,000Total number
of events claimed through
Gigs & Clubs scheme (Mar – Jun 2013) milestone for impel
IMPEL, PRS for Music’s European licensing initiative for independent publishers, has distributed a landmark £10m in royalties since its inception in 2010.
The platform collectively manages its members’ online music rights, offering them the same benefits that major publishers have achieved by licensing their mechanical rights through one manager. It also offers a convenient one-stop shop for licensees seeking to use their music. IMPEL now counts more than 20 independent publishers
as members, including Carlin Music Corporation, Beggars Music Limited, Wixen Music UK Limited and Ole (UK) who all join IMPEL from 1 October.
Peter Thomas, General Manager, Carlin Music Corporation, said: ‘we are delighted to sign with IMPEL. It is vital that the independent publishing community stand together with an agreed agenda and one voice with regard to online licensing.’
For more information visit prsformusic.com/impel
For more on PRS for Music’s international activities, visit prsformusic/international
PRS for Music has entered into new licensing agreements with video platform YouTube and streaming service Deezer. The YouTube licence covers the use of musical repertoire PRS for Music represents in videos streamed on the Google-owned website, including official music videos and content, live footage, soundtracks and user generated content.
The deal also includes the rights to a growing catalogue of independent repertoire available through PRS for Music’s independent publisher initiative IMPEL, such as David Bowie (RZO Music), Justin Timberlake (Imagem), Lou Reed (Spirit) and Goldie (Westbury).
PRS for Music was one of the first societies outside the US to license YouTube, having struck its first deal with the platform in 2007. This new licence agreement is one of the most extensive yet covering more than 130 territories in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
The society has also announced a brand new multi-territory licensing deal with Spotify rival Deezer. The French based company has more than four million paying subscribers and offers access to 25 million tracks. Users can access the service in 180 countries, including the UK.
Robert Ashcroft, chief executive of PRS for Music, said: ‘Streaming is a key growth area for PRS for Music, helping drive our online revenues to over £50m in 2012. The issue of remuneration from streaming services remains a key one for our members and the further evolution of our licensing relationship with YouTube will help ensure continued growth in royalties for our members from one of the world’s leading video platforms.’
For up-to-date business news
and comment visit
m-magazine.co.uk
PRS for Music’s YouTube channel includes many member interviews and live sessions
m49_september 2013_9
news
money & business
8_september 2013_m49
sync review
Pure Minds for the intro cue slot. ‘I found the track worked so well without being overbearing or challenging the script in the mix.
‘It was originally written as part of the Life in Motion album project. The writing was done over a six-month period and produced by the team here alongside Paul. The concept for the album was to create powerful and majestic tracks that start out small and build to a strong, thematic climax. Although orchestral in instrumentation, we were definitely going for more of a “pop” feel.
‘On the other hand, Propelling Force was written in LA as part of the Enlightenment album brief, which was much more cinematic in style - both composers are deeply involved in Hollywood movie and TV land.
‘Again, we were using string orchestras and strong themes but this time there were many more programmed elements, electronic atmospheres and light but almost trailer-style percussion. It has a wonderful pulsating string motif that slowly builds; it drives the action as the trailer reaches its narrative conclusion.’
Diana is released in the UK on 20 September.
What is the current view from your society?
Robert Ashcroft (PRS for Music): Here at PRS for Music, recorded music
remains an important part of our business, even though it’s in sharp decline. We have to consolidate our systems to find the economies of scale needed to continue to provide this important royalty source to members. Meanwhile, the world of online is a growing part of our business. We processed 126 billion online music usages last year and are going to be dealing with trillions of usages before too long. We are working with STIM and GEMA to form a consolidated back office hub to be able to deal with these kinds of volumes.
Dr Harald Heker (GEMA): I would agree with Robert. The driving
force at GEMA is online music use and its exploding volumes. We need convincing technical solutions that allow for the processing of higher volumes and we trust that we can build them better by using the expertise and experience of three like-minded partners.
Kenth Muldin (STIM): Music is one of the most consumed digital
cultural expressions in the world. Here at STIM we are excited about the fantastic potential that advanced technology brings to music distribution - in a way that ensures that creators get paid for the music they make, thus balancing out the digital age music economy. Our ambition is to create a more modern and cost-efficient management of music rights in Europe, to the benefit of rightsholders, businesses and music fans.
Why are you partnering on the hubs project?
KM: I am very proud of this innovative partnership with two of the largest collecting societies in Europe and we can’t wait to launch it. I think we share two commonalities: firstly, a commitment to ensure all digital use of our members’ music is identified based on accurate authoritative data. Secondly, we strongly believe in the development of modern copyright processing systems that are able to match complex consumer behaviour with the continual evolution of new digital music services.
HH: I believe there are two different sides to the hubs co-operation: the front office and the back office. Looking at these two parts together, I think that the hubs will create a rather unique combination of all partners’ particular individual strengths.
RA: We know that, at present, music users may have to go to over 30 places to assemble all the licences they need to launch a pan-European digital music service. There is therefore a benefit for the user community in consolidating rights into a number of competing hubs – to have half a dozen as opposed to 30 would clearly make their lives easier. From our side, we understand it is a competitive market and negotiating rights through a hub serves the interests of all our members as well as those of music users.
What are the benefits of this strategy?
RA: If you have a large block of rights you are more likely to be at the front of the queue when the deals are done, and that means you have the chance to be a price influencer as opposed to
simply a price taker. It’s our responsibility in representing our members to seek to shape the deals and business models of the future and not just be price takers.
HH: Through front office co-operation, there will be one point of contact for the repertoire block that all partners represent. That will clearly help us ensure our members receive their adequate share of remuneration. On the back office side, we will be able to develop new systems and processes together with PRS for Music and STIM which will reduce all our costs and extend the possible scope of such joint solutions.
KM: Our hubs will provide access to millions of works for download, subscription and streaming services. The combined repertoire will be among the largest of its kind in Europe. Our joint aim is to make music licensing and royalty payments more efficient, encouraging market entry for legal services and allowing music lovers to enjoy music. But most of all, we strive to obtain a more transparent and efficient remuneration system that will result in more money when the music they create gets played.
What are the next steps?
RA: We are seeking competition clearance for the hubs we have proposed in partnership with GEMA and STIM and, subject to the outcome, plan to launch next year.
HH: Subject to this clearance, GEMA is ready to move on with the project in 2014.
KM: Another step is to continuously explain the importance of copyright to the creators’ ability to make a living. Clearly defined, easy-to-apply and predictable legal rules enable rightsholders get paid for their work. I hope these hubs will have an impact on business provisions for online music across Europe, and perhaps also inspire other collecting societies to tag on to this development.
online alliance: gema, stim and prs for musicPictured l-r: Robert Ashcroft (PRS for Music); Dr Harald Heker (GEMA) and Kenth Muldin (STIM) Who? West One Music Group.
What? Pure Minds, composed by Paul Reeves; Propelling Force, composed by Nigel Graham and Christian Telford.
Where? Diana, feature film trailer, worldwide.
Diana is a new biopic documenting the last two years in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, stars Naomi Watts and was backed by Ecosse Films, Embankment Films and eOne. Kiran Patel (below), a music consultant at West One Music Group, pitched two tracks for the trailer; Paul Reeves’ Pure Minds and Propelling Force by Nigel Graham and Christian Telford.
‘It can take anything up to three or four months to get a deal in place for a feature film trailer or teaser. You often find that a number of trailer houses are working on the same project so the final music choice also depends on which trailer house completes the project,’ he says.
Both instrumental pieces already existed in West One’s production music catalogue. They were lifted from two different orchestral albums that had been funded by the publisher. Kiran contacted Creative Partnership trailer house to suggest
ip crime unit launchesA new police unit aimed at combating Intellectual Property (IP) crime launched in September. The unit, which is the first of its kind, has been organised by the government’s IP office and will tackle online piracy and other IP theft such as counterfeit goods. It will receive investment of more than £2.5m over the next two years.
Lord Younger, Minister for IP (right), said: ‘IP crime has long been a problem in the world of physical goods, but with the growing use of the internet, online IP crime is now an increasing threat to our creative industries. These industries are worth more than £36bn a year and employ more than 1.5 million people.’
Forecasts predict that digitally pirated music, films and software will account for global losses of around $240bn (£155bn) by 2015.
PRS for Music’s Chief Economist Maurice Samuel has charted the relationship between broadband adoption in the UK and the sharp decline in the value of CD sales. The first chart below shows that before 2003 retailers had pricing power in CDs, with the average price increasing ahead of inflation. The second chart shows that, helped by this pricing power, the value of the CD market increased by £870m between 1994 and its peak in 2003. Around 70 percent of this increased value was attributable to increased CD sales volumes, with the remainder due to increased CD prices.
Maurice told M: ‘Overlaying broadband take-up on pricing and sales volume for CDs enables us to see that broadband adoption has had two key impacts. First, it has created an online market where downloads and streaming have replaced physical CD sales. Second, transparency of pricing and availability of pirated copied copies have resulted in retailers losing their pricing power in the marketplace.
‘Since 2003, the average price of CDs has fallen back to where it was almost 20 years ago, while inflation has increased over the same period by almost 70 percent. These two impacts mean the real – inflation adjusted – value of CD sales today is over 20 percent lower than it was almost 20 years ago.’
cds vs www
M meets the Chief Executives who are coming together to revolutionise the way their societies handle online music licensing and digital royalty payments. They reveal how the partnership, which is based around the creation of a processing and a licensing ‘hub’, will keep pace with the digital music explosion and deliver universal benefits for members.
RPI Average physical CD price UK fixed broadband connections
‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ‘03 ’04 ’05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12
Relationship between UK CD prices, inflation and UK broadband connectivity
B: UK fixed broadband connections (millions)A: RPI, average CD prices, Index, 1994=100
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
25
20
15
10
5
0
A B
Contribution of physical CD volumes at constant (1994) prices
Physical CD market value after inflation
Contribution of prices
UK broadband connections
Drivers of physical CD market value: CD volumes, CD prices, inflation and broadband connections
‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ‘03 ’04 ’05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12
B: UK broadband connections (millions)A: Physical CD market value (millions)
£1,400
£1,200
£1,000
£800
£600
£400
£200
£0
25
20
15
10
5
0
A B
m49_september 2013_1110_september 2013_m49
news
money & business
sync review
Pure Minds for the intro cue slot. ‘I found the track worked so well without being overbearing or challenging the script in the mix.
‘It was originally written as part of the Life in Motion album project. The writing was done over a six-month period and produced by the team here alongside Paul. The concept for the album was to create powerful and majestic tracks that start out small and build to a strong, thematic climax. Although orchestral in instrumentation, we were definitely going for more of a “pop” feel.
‘On the other hand, Propelling Force was written in LA as part of the Enlightenment album brief, which was much more cinematic in style - both composers are deeply involved in Hollywood movie and TV land.
‘Again, we were using string orchestras and strong themes but this time there were many more programmed elements, electronic atmospheres and light but almost trailer-style percussion. It has a wonderful pulsating string motif that slowly builds; it drives the action as the trailer reaches its narrative conclusion.’
Diana is released in the UK on 20 September.
What is the current view from your society?
Robert Ashcroft (PRS for Music): Here at PRS for Music, recorded music
remains an important part of our business, even though it’s in sharp decline. We have to consolidate our systems to find the economies of scale needed to continue to provide this important royalty source to members. Meanwhile, the world of online is a growing part of our business. We processed 126 billion online music usages last year and are going to be dealing with trillions of usages before too long. We are working with STIM and GEMA to form a consolidated back office hub to be able to deal with these kinds of volumes.
Dr Harald Heker (GEMA): I would agree with Robert. The driving
force at GEMA is online music use and its exploding volumes. We need convincing technical solutions that allow for the processing of higher volumes and we trust that we can build them better by using the expertise and experience of three like-minded partners.
Kenth Muldin (STIM): Music is one of the most consumed digital
cultural expressions in the world. Here at STIM we are excited about the fantastic potential that advanced technology brings to music distribution - in a way that ensures that creators get paid for the music they make, thus balancing out the digital age music economy. Our ambition is to create a more modern and cost-efficient management of music rights in Europe, to the benefit of rightsholders, businesses and music fans.
Why are you partnering on the hubs project?
KM: I am very proud of this innovative partnership with two of the largest collecting societies in Europe and we can’t wait to launch it. I think we share two commonalities: firstly, a commitment to ensure all digital use of our members’ music is identified based on accurate authoritative data. Secondly, we strongly believe in the development of modern copyright processing systems that are able to match complex consumer behaviour with the continual evolution of new digital music services.
HH: I believe there are two different sides to the hubs co-operation: the front office and the back office. Looking at these two parts together, I think that the hubs will create a rather unique combination of all partners’ particular individual strengths.
RA: We know that, at present, music users may have to go to over 30 places to assemble all the licences they need to launch a pan-European digital music service. There is therefore a benefit for the user community in consolidating rights into a number of competing hubs – to have half a dozen as opposed to 30 would clearly make their lives easier. From our side, we understand it is a competitive market and negotiating rights through a hub serves the interests of all our members as well as those of music users.
What are the benefits of this strategy?
RA: If you have a large block of rights you are more likely to be at the front of the queue when the deals are done, and that means you have the chance to be a price influencer as opposed to
simply a price taker. It’s our responsibility in representing our members to seek to shape the deals and business models of the future and not just be price takers.
HH: Through front office co-operation, there will be one point of contact for the repertoire block that all partners represent. That will clearly help us ensure our members receive their adequate share of remuneration. On the back office side, we will be able to develop new systems and processes together with PRS for Music and STIM which will reduce all our costs and extend the possible scope of such joint solutions.
KM: Our hubs will provide access to millions of works for download, subscription and streaming services. The combined repertoire will be among the largest of its kind in Europe. Our joint aim is to make music licensing and royalty payments more efficient, encouraging market entry for legal services and allowing music lovers to enjoy music. But most of all, we strive to obtain a more transparent and efficient remuneration system that will result in more money when the music they create gets played.
What are the next steps?
RA: We are seeking competition clearance for the hubs we have proposed in partnership with GEMA and STIM and, subject to the outcome, plan to launch next year.
HH: Subject to this clearance, GEMA is ready to move on with the project in 2014.
KM: Another step is to continuously explain the importance of copyright to the creators’ ability to make a living. Clearly defined, easy-to-apply and predictable legal rules enable rightsholders get paid for their work. I hope these hubs will have an impact on business provisions for online music across Europe, and perhaps also inspire other collecting societies to tag on to this development.
online alliance: gema, stim and prs for musicPictured l-r: Robert Ashcroft (PRS for Music); Dr Harald Heker (GEMA) and Kenth Muldin (STIM) Who? West One Music Group.
What? Pure Minds, composed by Paul Reeves; Propelling Force, composed by Nigel Graham and Christian Telford.
Where? Diana, feature film trailer, worldwide.
Diana is a new biopic documenting the last two years in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. It was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, stars Naomi Watts and was backed by Ecosse Films, Embankment Films and eOne. Kiran Patel (below), a music consultant at West One Music Group, pitched two tracks for the trailer; Paul Reeves’ Pure Minds and Propelling Force by Nigel Graham and Christian Telford.
‘It can take anything up to three or four months to get a deal in place for a feature film trailer or teaser. You often find that a number of trailer houses are working on the same project so the final music choice also depends on which trailer house completes the project,’ he says.
Both instrumental pieces already existed in West One’s production music catalogue. They were lifted from two different orchestral albums that had been funded by the publisher. Kiran contacted Creative Partnership trailer house to suggest
ip crime unit launchesA new police unit aimed at combating Intellectual Property (IP) crime launched in September. The unit, which is the first of its kind, has been organised by the government’s IP office and will tackle online piracy and other IP theft such as counterfeit goods. It will receive investment of more than £2.5m over the next two years.
Lord Younger, Minister for IP (right), said: ‘IP crime has long been a problem in the world of physical goods, but with the growing use of the internet, online IP crime is now an increasing threat to our creative industries. These industries are worth more than £36bn a year and employ more than 1.5 million people.’
Forecasts predict that digitally pirated music, films and software will account for global losses of around $240bn (£155bn) by 2015.
PRS for Music’s Chief Economist Maurice Samuel has charted the relationship between broadband adoption in the UK and the sharp decline in the value of CD sales. The first chart below shows that before 2003 retailers had pricing power in CDs, with the average price increasing ahead of inflation. The second chart shows that, helped by this pricing power, the value of the CD market increased by £870m between 1994 and its peak in 2003. Around 70 percent of this increased value was attributable to increased CD sales volumes, with the remainder due to increased CD prices.
Maurice told M: ‘Overlaying broadband take-up on pricing and sales volume for CDs enables us to see that broadband adoption has had two key impacts. First, it has created an online market where downloads and streaming have replaced physical CD sales. Second, transparency of pricing and availability of pirated copied copies have resulted in retailers losing their pricing power in the marketplace.
‘Since 2003, the average price of CDs has fallen back to where it was almost 20 years ago, while inflation has increased over the same period by almost 70 percent. These two impacts mean the real – inflation adjusted – value of CD sales today is over 20 percent lower than it was almost 20 years ago.’
cds vs www
M meets the Chief Executives who are coming together to revolutionise the way their societies handle online music licensing and digital royalty payments. They reveal how the partnership, which is based around the creation of a processing and a licensing ‘hub’, will keep pace with the digital music explosion and deliver universal benefits for members.
RPI Average physical CD price UK fixed broadband connections
‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ‘03 ’04 ’05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12
Relationship between UK CD prices, inflation and UK broadband connectivity
B: UK fixed broadband connections (millions)A: RPI, average CD prices, Index, 1994=100
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
25
20
15
10
5
0
A B
Contribution of physical CD volumes at constant (1994) prices
Physical CD market value after inflation
Contribution of prices
UK broadband connections
Drivers of physical CD market value: CD volumes, CD prices, inflation and broadband connections
‘94 ‘95 ‘96 ‘97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ‘03 ’04 ’05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12
B: UK broadband connections (millions)A: Physical CD market value (millions)
£1,400
£1,200
£1,000
£800
£600
£400
£200
£0
25
20
15
10
5
0
A B
m49_september 2013_1110_september 2013_m49
news
money & business
In 2009 we began working on a documentary called Flashback about our band Imagination. It was intended to track our rise to international success, explore our heritage, our musical influences, early gigs and songwriting. But as research began, we realised we were uncovering another story – one about the history of black British music. We started to expand our remit to cover scores of hugely influential black songwriters, artists and actors who had all played a part in sculpting popular culture but who had somehow escaped proper recognition.
The film was intended to cover just the eighties but now we’re documenting the thirties, forties, fifties, right the way up. It was a revelation to me that there has never been a definitive exploration of black British history from the musical or theatrical side. I notice that when they do try to cover this on TV there are so many gaps that it ’s hard for viewers to join the dots.
Most of the coverage looks at immigration culture rather than the lasting legacies of black artists in this country. I find it very condescending. In that way, I always feel like we’re second to the Americans. In the US there is a history of celebrating its notable black artists like Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder. We need to learn to do the same here.
Before Imagination, before Light of the World or Soul II Soul, before any of us, who was doing it in Britain? Do most people know? I think not. Music fans don’t know enough about our heritage. It ’s great to enjoy current black British music that ’s trendy right now, but we need to recognise
m49_september 2013_13
Leee John is co-founder and singer-songwriter with British soul group Imagination. During the early eighties the trio had five consecutive gold albums and five top ten hits in the UK alone, including Body Talk, Just An Illusion, Flashback and Music and Lights. He has maintained a successful solo career and DJs regularly.
The group’s jazz and funk-influenced pop has directly influenced Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey and DJ Dero, all of whom have reworked parts of their songs. Meanwhile Flashback has been directly sampled by Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada, Music and Lights by Tiger & Woods and All Night Loving by 88 Keys and Kanye West.
Flashback – The Best of Imagination album is released this month (September) while the Flashback documentary of black British music, which Leee has directed, is now in post-production.
Do have any views on Leee's Comment? Email us at magazine.co.uk
Leee John
role models
There is a media blind spot and I really believe some brilliant up-and-coming black groups
aren’t getting picked up
its transience. Popular music is made up of so many genres, from reggae, ska to rocksteady to blues, jazz and funk. We need to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to experience and explore all of that rich black music history at a very early age.
When I relocated back to the UK from the US in the early- to mid-seventies, I noticed straight away that something was missing. There was no definitive and identifiable story of our black music. In the US there was a momentous change taking place at that time – popular media was embracing Motown, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding. When I came back to London it was very different. All over the media I was seeing The Sweet, Bay City Rollers, and I thought, ‘What is going on? Why are we worlds apart?’
I know there is a whole demographic of people who are starving for this – everyone I talk to about Flashback tells me that we’re not seeing or hearing the full spectrum of our musical heritage on TV and radio. The same can be said for emerging acts. There is a media blind spot and I really believe some brilliant up-and-coming black groups aren’t getting picked up. If it ’s American, bam! They’ ll be all over the radio. But if you are a UK-based black act or R&B singer, then it ’s going to be much harder for you to break through. Why is that? Is it because we need a black music narrative in this country that makes sense to people?
Perhaps the problem goes deeper than that. Perhaps young people are being shown only one dimension to black music. Rap is just one part of our rich cultural tapestry, and DJing is another. But how many black British musicians are kids exposed to? How many young black bass players or guitarists can you name? All the recognisable young bands with bass players, guitarists and drummers are almost exclusively white. There is a distinct lack of role models for black youngsters interested in music. You see a four-piece white
group and that is ‘normal’ and sellable - a British tradition which harks back to The Beatles. But there have been many black groups throughout our recent music history. We need to celebrate them as well. There’s a whole movement that has been missed out of our collective history.
We must create a credible black British music movement. We need to build our legacy. In Flashback we talk to Janet K, The Real Thing, Loose Ends, Eddy Grant, Jazzy B, Clem Curtis of The Foundations, Beverley Knight, Osibisa – more than 80 acts, many of whom you might never have heard of. It ’s time to rewrite the history books.
SongLinkI N T E R N A T I O N A L 2 0 Y E A R S 1 9 9 3 - 2 0 1 3
The leading “who’s looking” tipsheet for songwriters and publishers, launched in September 1993 and still going strong! For20 years we’ve published great leads detailing artists, labels, managers and producers worldwide who need songs or co-writ-ers. Covers all styles including pop, rock, dance, R&B, country, MOR, jazz crossover, blues etc. Leads e-mailed each monthwith interim updates. “Easily the best service of its type in the world” - Ed Chalfin, Magic Fire Music, New York City.
CueSheetContact: David Stark, Editor/Publisher
SongLink International / Cuesheet23 Belsize Crescent, London NW3 5QY
e-mail: [email protected] • Tel: 020 7794 2540
www.songlink.com • www.cuesheet.net10% discount avaialble to PRS For Music members, and extra combo-discount available if you subscribe to both services. Please note that unpublished writers need subscription approval - please send 2 sample works by MP3, web Links or CD.
Sister publication to SongLink which details upcoming Film/TV/Ad productions in need of music, songs, full scores, cues etc.E-mailed twice a month, the listings cover all types of productions mainly in the UK & USA including feature films, TV series& documentaries, plus the occasional advert, video games, web tv, libraries, etc. Contact us for a free sample issue today.
Music to your ears...Specialist Insurancefor Musicians
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Policy benefits can include cover for:Standard CarsMotorbikesClassic Cars
VansHomes & ContentsMotorhomes
Adrian Flux Insurance Services can offer musicians and music industry professionals great car, home or motorbike insurance deals because we have unique schemes that can be tailored to your requirements. Call us today for a free, no obligation quote.
0800 089 5550OF EXCELLENCE
YEARS
comment & debate forum
In 2009 we began working on a documentary called Flashback about our band Imagination. It was intended to track our rise to international success, explore our heritage, our musical influences, early gigs and songwriting. But as research began, we realised we were uncovering another story – one about the history of black British music. We started to expand our remit to cover scores of hugely influential black songwriters, artists and actors who had all played a part in sculpting popular culture but who had somehow escaped proper recognition.
The film was intended to cover just the eighties but now we’re documenting the thirties, forties, fifties, right the way up. It was a revelation to me that there has never been a definitive exploration of black British history from the musical or theatrical side. I notice that when they do try to cover this on TV there are so many gaps that it ’s hard for viewers to join the dots.
Most of the coverage looks at immigration culture rather than the lasting legacies of black artists in this country. I find it very condescending. In that way, I always feel like we’re second to the Americans. In the US there is a history of celebrating its notable black artists like Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder. We need to learn to do the same here.
Before Imagination, before Light of the World or Soul II Soul, before any of us, who was doing it in Britain? Do most people know? I think not. Music fans don’t know enough about our heritage. It ’s great to enjoy current black British music that ’s trendy right now, but we need to recognise
m49_september 2013_13
Leee John is co-founder and singer-songwriter with British soul group Imagination. During the early eighties the trio had five consecutive gold albums and five top ten hits in the UK alone, including Body Talk, Just An Illusion, Flashback and Music and Lights. He has maintained a successful solo career and DJs regularly.
The group’s jazz and funk-influenced pop has directly influenced Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey and DJ Dero, all of whom have reworked parts of their songs. Meanwhile Flashback has been directly sampled by Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada, Music and Lights by Tiger & Woods and All Night Loving by 88 Keys and Kanye West.
Flashback – The Best of Imagination album is released this month (September) while the Flashback documentary of black British music, which Leee has directed, is now in post-production.
Do have any views on Leee's Comment? Email us at magazine.co.uk
Leee John
role models
There is a media blind spot and I really believe some brilliant up-and-coming black groups
aren’t getting picked up
its transience. Popular music is made up of so many genres, from reggae, ska to rocksteady to blues, jazz and funk. We need to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to experience and explore all of that rich black music history at a very early age.
When I relocated back to the UK from the US in the early- to mid-seventies, I noticed straight away that something was missing. There was no definitive and identifiable story of our black music. In the US there was a momentous change taking place at that time – popular media was embracing Motown, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding. When I came back to London it was very different. All over the media I was seeing The Sweet, Bay City Rollers, and I thought, ‘What is going on? Why are we worlds apart?’
I know there is a whole demographic of people who are starving for this – everyone I talk to about Flashback tells me that we’re not seeing or hearing the full spectrum of our musical heritage on TV and radio. The same can be said for emerging acts. There is a media blind spot and I really believe some brilliant up-and-coming black groups aren’t getting picked up. If it ’s American, bam! They’ ll be all over the radio. But if you are a UK-based black act or R&B singer, then it ’s going to be much harder for you to break through. Why is that? Is it because we need a black music narrative in this country that makes sense to people?
Perhaps the problem goes deeper than that. Perhaps young people are being shown only one dimension to black music. Rap is just one part of our rich cultural tapestry, and DJing is another. But how many black British musicians are kids exposed to? How many young black bass players or guitarists can you name? All the recognisable young bands with bass players, guitarists and drummers are almost exclusively white. There is a distinct lack of role models for black youngsters interested in music. You see a four-piece white
group and that is ‘normal’ and sellable - a British tradition which harks back to The Beatles. But there have been many black groups throughout our recent music history. We need to celebrate them as well. There’s a whole movement that has been missed out of our collective history.
We must create a credible black British music movement. We need to build our legacy. In Flashback we talk to Janet K, The Real Thing, Loose Ends, Eddy Grant, Jazzy B, Clem Curtis of The Foundations, Beverley Knight, Osibisa – more than 80 acts, many of whom you might never have heard of. It ’s time to rewrite the history books.
SongLinkI N T E R N A T I O N A L 2 0 Y E A R S 1 9 9 3 - 2 0 1 3
The leading “who’s looking” tipsheet for songwriters and publishers, launched in September 1993 and still going strong! For20 years we’ve published great leads detailing artists, labels, managers and producers worldwide who need songs or co-writ-ers. Covers all styles including pop, rock, dance, R&B, country, MOR, jazz crossover, blues etc. Leads e-mailed each monthwith interim updates. “Easily the best service of its type in the world” - Ed Chalfin, Magic Fire Music, New York City.
CueSheetContact: David Stark, Editor/Publisher
SongLink International / Cuesheet23 Belsize Crescent, London NW3 5QY
e-mail: [email protected] • Tel: 020 7794 2540
www.songlink.com • www.cuesheet.net10% discount avaialble to PRS For Music members, and extra combo-discount available if you subscribe to both services. Please note that unpublished writers need subscription approval - please send 2 sample works by MP3, web Links or CD.
Sister publication to SongLink which details upcoming Film/TV/Ad productions in need of music, songs, full scores, cues etc.E-mailed twice a month, the listings cover all types of productions mainly in the UK & USA including feature films, TV series& documentaries, plus the occasional advert, video games, web tv, libraries, etc. Contact us for a free sample issue today.
Music to your ears...Specialist Insurancefor Musicians
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
Policy benefits can include cover for:Standard CarsMotorbikesClassic Cars
VansHomes & ContentsMotorhomes
Adrian Flux Insurance Services can offer musicians and music industry professionals great car, home or motorbike insurance deals because we have unique schemes that can be tailored to your requirements. Call us today for a free, no obligation quote.
0800 089 5550OF EXCELLENCE
YEARS
comment & debate forum
OVERSEAS
It’s hard to ignore the force of Jake Bugg, Florence + the Machine (left) and Michael Kiwanuka at the moment. All have shown enormous chart bothering potential, unleashing huge hits to radio and scooping sackfuls of awards in the process. But what else do they have in common?
All three are graduates of BBC Introducing, a programme that champions undiscovered talent and offers a vital hand up to emerging acts. Initially seen as a way to unite the Corporation’s once disparate array of new music radio shows under one banner, it has evolved into a multi-platform initiative with international reach.
BBC Head Of Popular Music, Live Events and BBC Introducing Jason Carter helped launch the initiative back in 2007. The past six years have seen him broaden its reach across BBC networks to incorporate a wider array of genres and ultimately appeal to a bigger audience.
So how does it work? Every week, new music discovered via the BBC Introducing Uploader website is broadcast on dedicated shows on Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, 1Xtra and the BBC Asian Network, together with more than 30 local shows that air simultaneously at 8pm on Saturdays.
The teams on local BBC Introducing shows recommend the best tracks from their area to specialist and daytime DJs on the national stations and every week one of the tracks is added to the daytime playlist on Radio 1.
The online Uploader was launched three years ago and has since seen 140,000 artists submit tracks. Currently around 1,500 artists upload their music each week.
Such a bold initiative could well have been a victim of its own success, but Jason says every effort is made to listen to as much music as possible and of those 140,000 artists 82 percent have been listened to.
‘Via the Uploader we can monitor listening across different local radio shows and, if they are getting flooded or not enough music is being heard, we can prompt them or offer to help them,’ says Jason. With so much new music on the radar, the BBC Introducing team is in a great position to track musical and geographical trends. The Uploader presents the team with a pie chart that splits the daily percentage of music being listened to by genre. Jason says that Bob Harris’ on air enthusiasm for Introducing led to a notable rise in folk acts submitting their music while the introduction of a weekly daytime playlist slot for an Introducing act on 1Xtra saw the amount of urban music soar.
Judging by the flow of music coming into the Uploader, Jason says it is a great time for alternative guitar bands and singer-songwriters. ‘Recently the quality level seems to have really shot up,’ he says. Jason has also noticed that Leeds and Nottingham are proving regional hotspots.
‘Jake Bugg is a perfect example of what BBC Introducing is all about. Jake uploaded music one evening and got an email back from BBC Nottingham the next morning. They called him in to do an acoustic performance and he was referred to the central Introducing team. We put him on stage at Glastonbury and invited him to a masterclass. Jake claims he got his record deal with Mercury as a result.’
Ever wondered how BBC Introducing really works? Chris Barrett chats to those in the know
to find out what it can do for you.
CAREERS
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_15
ON THE RADAR
Main image: Florence + the Machine
OVERSEAS
It’s hard to ignore the force of Jake Bugg, Florence + the Machine (left) and Michael Kiwanuka at the moment. All have shown enormous chart bothering potential, unleashing huge hits to radio and scooping sackfuls of awards in the process. But what else do they have in common?
All three are graduates of BBC Introducing, a programme that champions undiscovered talent and offers a vital hand up to emerging acts. Initially seen as a way to unite the Corporation’s once disparate array of new music radio shows under one banner, it has evolved into a multi-platform initiative with international reach.
BBC Head Of Popular Music, Live Events and BBC Introducing Jason Carter helped launch the initiative back in 2007. The past six years have seen him broaden its reach across BBC networks to incorporate a wider array of genres and ultimately appeal to a bigger audience.
So how does it work? Every week, new music discovered via the BBC Introducing Uploader website is broadcast on dedicated shows on Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, 1Xtra and the BBC Asian Network, together with more than 30 local shows that air simultaneously at 8pm on Saturdays.
The teams on local BBC Introducing shows recommend the best tracks from their area to specialist and daytime DJs on the national stations and every week one of the tracks is added to the daytime playlist on Radio 1.
The online Uploader was launched three years ago and has since seen 140,000 artists submit tracks. Currently around 1,500 artists upload their music each week.
Such a bold initiative could well have been a victim of its own success, but Jason says every effort is made to listen to as much music as possible and of those 140,000 artists 82 percent have been listened to.
‘Via the Uploader we can monitor listening across different local radio shows and, if they are getting flooded or not enough music is being heard, we can prompt them or offer to help them,’ says Jason. With so much new music on the radar, the BBC Introducing team is in a great position to track musical and geographical trends. The Uploader presents the team with a pie chart that splits the daily percentage of music being listened to by genre. Jason says that Bob Harris’ on air enthusiasm for Introducing led to a notable rise in folk acts submitting their music while the introduction of a weekly daytime playlist slot for an Introducing act on 1Xtra saw the amount of urban music soar.
Judging by the flow of music coming into the Uploader, Jason says it is a great time for alternative guitar bands and singer-songwriters. ‘Recently the quality level seems to have really shot up,’ he says. Jason has also noticed that Leeds and Nottingham are proving regional hotspots.
‘Jake Bugg is a perfect example of what BBC Introducing is all about. Jake uploaded music one evening and got an email back from BBC Nottingham the next morning. They called him in to do an acoustic performance and he was referred to the central Introducing team. We put him on stage at Glastonbury and invited him to a masterclass. Jake claims he got his record deal with Mercury as a result.’
Ever wondered how BBC Introducing really works? Chris Barrett chats to those in the know
to find out what it can do for you.
CAREERS
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_15
ON THE RADAR
Main image: Florence + the Machine
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_17
Watch our video interview with Randy at The Ivors
m-magazine.co.uk
Get online! M’s ‘Make it Happen’
area has loads of career tips and advice
Above: To be FrankRight: Jake Bugg
BBC Introducing first started showcasing undiscovered artists at festivals back in 2007 with a branded stage at Glastonbury featuring a performance by The Ting Tings among others.
Since then it has established a presence at festivals around the UK including T in the Park, Reading and Leeds. Indie folk trio Daughter are among the many bands to benefit from the exposure.
In 2011 Daughter uploaded Landfill, the lead track from their debut EP His Young Heart to Introducing. BBC DJs including 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne and Radio 1’s Huw Stephens greeted Daughter’s music warmly and their tracks were playlisted across the BBC.
Stephens curates many of the Introducing festival stages and was instrumental in organising Daughter’s first ever festival performance, which took place at Reading Festival in 2011.
‘It was great, we were really surprised how many people stopped to listen to us,’ says singer Elena Tonra.
It was at Reading that Elena met Jen Long, co-presenter of the flagship BBC Introducing show on Radio1, who has proved hugely supportive ever since.
Daughter signed to 4AD and released their acclaimed debut album If You Leave in March this year. A few months later they were back on a BBC Introducing stage, this time as headliners at Glastonbury.
‘We have a “returner” slot at festivals with surprise performances from artists that started their journey with BBC Introducing – it is one of the things that has made the stages so popular,’ explains Jason.
Elena is hugely appreciative of the help and support she has received via BBC Introducing and credits it as being integral to the band being snapped up by 4AD.
Huw believes the support was well deserved: ‘They were a great example of a band that were totally confident in what they were doing, they have masses of charisma and the lyrics are intense and beautiful. It is great to see them become headliners and an album come out on 4AD; it should be nominated for the Mercury Prize.’
A fledgling act currently receiving a major boost from Introducing is To Be Frank, aka Frank Pescod. The Suffolk-based singer and multi-instrumentalist uploaded the track If You Love Her, which was swiftly picked up by Ally McCrae and played on his Radio 1 show alongside Jen Long. To Be Frank was then selected to play the Reading and Leeds festival Introducing stages this year.
‘I went to see [BBC Introducing presenters] Graeme Mac and Richard Haugh at Radio Suffolk and they kindly invited me in to do a session. A week later they said I had been selected to play Latitude Festival. It has really snowballed, I’m slightly overwhelmed,’ says Frank.
As part of Jason’s remit to broaden the scope of the initiative, this year has seen BBC Introducing stages at Manchester Jazz Festival and The Great Escape for the first time. He is now looking to work more closely with organisations such as the Association of Independent Festivals and the PRS for Music Foundation to further the initiative’s impact.
‘We worked with the PRS for Music Foundation in 2011 to take four artists to LA and put on a showcase at MuseExpo. It was fantastic, there were lots of industry people there and we made a Radio 1 documentary about the unknown artists and their journey. We want to develop much broader partnerships, and PRS for Music is at the top the list,’ he explains.
Four years ago BBC Introducing took three unsigned artists, including Florence + the Machine, to South by South West (SXSW) in Texas where they staged a showcase. Jason is looking to make a return visit to SXSW in 2014, meanwhile September will see BBC Introducing make a debut appearance at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville.
‘We are doing a showcase at the Americana Festival with Bob Harris; it is the same principle as SXSW. We will bring unsigned artists to Nashville and broadcast content from that when we get back. We are trying to do things unique to the BBC,’ says Jason.
Another key aspect of Introducing is the annual masterclass sessions, which initially took place at Abbey Road Studios and Maida Vale in 2011 but this year were held simultaneously in five locations around the UK.
Masterclasses in London, Salford, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast collectively gave 1,000 musicians and songwriters the opportunity to meet presenters, successful artists and industry personnel. The events were live-streamed and made available on the BBC red button interactive TV service.
‘It is a really intense day of music information, with label, production and media people attending and loads of invaluable advise dished out on the day. If you are a young musician and want to break through in the music world you need to get out there and meet as many people as possible. The masterclasses make it easy for people to get that experience,’ says Huw.
Another key way for artists to make their mark via Introducing is to ensure that the music they upload is up to scratch. Jason says that not only must the music be produced to broadcast quality but artists need to be accomplished live performers. ‘Like any part of the music industry, once an artist’s name is out there they are judged and coming back a second time is tougher. You have to get it right first time,’ he says.
Jen Long has been involved in BBC Introducing since the outset and has listened to her fair share of new music. ‘It is a lot of fun. One of the greatest things about working in music is finding the artists at the very start,’ she says. So what does she look for?
‘A good song, something that catches your attention, that has a great riff or there are sounds in there that you haven’t heard before. You can tell within about 20 seconds whether it is worth persevering with a track,’ Jen says.
Like Jen, Huw is genuinely delighted to be involved in BBC Introducing and believes it is a genuinely important initiative. ‘What I love about BBC Introducing the most is that it is run by dedicated passionate music lovers across the BBC network that are looking for this talent week in week out. Together we can really give great new artists a bigger platform and an audience than they would not otherwise have,’ he says. ‘It is not a talent contest, it is a heartfelt endeavour by music lovers.’
It’s a heartfelt endeavourby music lovers.
CAREERS
Clockwise from top: Daughter, Michael Kiwanuka,The Ting Tings, Jason Carter
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_17
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Above: To be FrankRight: Jake Bugg
BBC Introducing first started showcasing undiscovered artists at festivals back in 2007 with a branded stage at Glastonbury featuring a performance by The Ting Tings among others.
Since then it has established a presence at festivals around the UK including T in the Park, Reading and Leeds. Indie folk trio Daughter are among the many bands to benefit from the exposure.
In 2011 Daughter uploaded Landfill, the lead track from their debut EP His Young Heart to Introducing. BBC DJs including 6 Music’s Lauren Laverne and Radio 1’s Huw Stephens greeted Daughter’s music warmly and their tracks were playlisted across the BBC.
Stephens curates many of the Introducing festival stages and was instrumental in organising Daughter’s first ever festival performance, which took place at Reading Festival in 2011.
‘It was great, we were really surprised how many people stopped to listen to us,’ says singer Elena Tonra.
It was at Reading that Elena met Jen Long, co-presenter of the flagship BBC Introducing show on Radio1, who has proved hugely supportive ever since.
Daughter signed to 4AD and released their acclaimed debut album If You Leave in March this year. A few months later they were back on a BBC Introducing stage, this time as headliners at Glastonbury.
‘We have a “returner” slot at festivals with surprise performances from artists that started their journey with BBC Introducing – it is one of the things that has made the stages so popular,’ explains Jason.
Elena is hugely appreciative of the help and support she has received via BBC Introducing and credits it as being integral to the band being snapped up by 4AD.
Huw believes the support was well deserved: ‘They were a great example of a band that were totally confident in what they were doing, they have masses of charisma and the lyrics are intense and beautiful. It is great to see them become headliners and an album come out on 4AD; it should be nominated for the Mercury Prize.’
A fledgling act currently receiving a major boost from Introducing is To Be Frank, aka Frank Pescod. The Suffolk-based singer and multi-instrumentalist uploaded the track If You Love Her, which was swiftly picked up by Ally McCrae and played on his Radio 1 show alongside Jen Long. To Be Frank was then selected to play the Reading and Leeds festival Introducing stages this year.
‘I went to see [BBC Introducing presenters] Graeme Mac and Richard Haugh at Radio Suffolk and they kindly invited me in to do a session. A week later they said I had been selected to play Latitude Festival. It has really snowballed, I’m slightly overwhelmed,’ says Frank.
As part of Jason’s remit to broaden the scope of the initiative, this year has seen BBC Introducing stages at Manchester Jazz Festival and The Great Escape for the first time. He is now looking to work more closely with organisations such as the Association of Independent Festivals and the PRS for Music Foundation to further the initiative’s impact.
‘We worked with the PRS for Music Foundation in 2011 to take four artists to LA and put on a showcase at MuseExpo. It was fantastic, there were lots of industry people there and we made a Radio 1 documentary about the unknown artists and their journey. We want to develop much broader partnerships, and PRS for Music is at the top the list,’ he explains.
Four years ago BBC Introducing took three unsigned artists, including Florence + the Machine, to South by South West (SXSW) in Texas where they staged a showcase. Jason is looking to make a return visit to SXSW in 2014, meanwhile September will see BBC Introducing make a debut appearance at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville.
‘We are doing a showcase at the Americana Festival with Bob Harris; it is the same principle as SXSW. We will bring unsigned artists to Nashville and broadcast content from that when we get back. We are trying to do things unique to the BBC,’ says Jason.
Another key aspect of Introducing is the annual masterclass sessions, which initially took place at Abbey Road Studios and Maida Vale in 2011 but this year were held simultaneously in five locations around the UK.
Masterclasses in London, Salford, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast collectively gave 1,000 musicians and songwriters the opportunity to meet presenters, successful artists and industry personnel. The events were live-streamed and made available on the BBC red button interactive TV service.
‘It is a really intense day of music information, with label, production and media people attending and loads of invaluable advise dished out on the day. If you are a young musician and want to break through in the music world you need to get out there and meet as many people as possible. The masterclasses make it easy for people to get that experience,’ says Huw.
Another key way for artists to make their mark via Introducing is to ensure that the music they upload is up to scratch. Jason says that not only must the music be produced to broadcast quality but artists need to be accomplished live performers. ‘Like any part of the music industry, once an artist’s name is out there they are judged and coming back a second time is tougher. You have to get it right first time,’ he says.
Jen Long has been involved in BBC Introducing since the outset and has listened to her fair share of new music. ‘It is a lot of fun. One of the greatest things about working in music is finding the artists at the very start,’ she says. So what does she look for?
‘A good song, something that catches your attention, that has a great riff or there are sounds in there that you haven’t heard before. You can tell within about 20 seconds whether it is worth persevering with a track,’ Jen says.
Like Jen, Huw is genuinely delighted to be involved in BBC Introducing and believes it is a genuinely important initiative. ‘What I love about BBC Introducing the most is that it is run by dedicated passionate music lovers across the BBC network that are looking for this talent week in week out. Together we can really give great new artists a bigger platform and an audience than they would not otherwise have,’ he says. ‘It is not a talent contest, it is a heartfelt endeavour by music lovers.’
It’s a heartfelt endeavourby music lovers.
CAREERS
Clockwise from top: Daughter, Michael Kiwanuka,The Ting Tings, Jason Carter
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M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_19
profile
THE MEREDITH MANIFESTO
‘As long as it’s not crazy for the sake of it, I’m up for anything,’ says Scottish composer Anna Meredith over the gentle hum of chatter and faraway traffic. We’ve only just met each other in an old stone courtyard off the Thames embankment, London, but she’s keen to unpack her manifesto.
We’re talking about her latest venture, a ruthlessly electronic project for independent label Moshi Moshi Records. It sounds like a massive departure from the contemporary classical work she’s known for, so I’m keen to decode its musical DNA.
‘I like music that feels overwhelming in some capacity – it’s a physical thing for me. I want to feel it in my bones,’ she explains. ‘I also like experiences that are quite physical, like dancing or theme parks; anything immersive and involving.’
Reliable in her eclecticism, the award-winning 36-year-old has spent her early career bulldozing boundaries while always pushing the right buttons. She’s collaborated with the beatboxer Shlomo on the acclaimed Concerto for Beatboxer and Orchestra and has even written a piece for the bleeps and whirrs of an MRI scanner.
During 2012 the Edinburgh-born, London-based composer scored HandsFree, a PRS for Music Foundation 20x12
commission for the National Youth Orchestra. It was performed at the BBC Proms, Barbican
Centre and Symphony Hall as well as by numerous flashmobs around
the UK. Later that year she was dubbed
one of
Britain’s leading composers by the Daily Telegraph and has since been championed by BBC Proms Director Roger Wright for her work with youth orchestras.
But all the accolades haven’t gone to her head: despite being classically trained and conspicuously gifted, Anna’s not in the least bit pompous. Neither is her music lofty or pretentious. Instead, everything she does — from classic orchestral pieces to this new dense electronica — is saturated with giddy excitement and frantic eccentricity. She seems to have boundless energy and her new direction is fuelling the fire.
‘I like high impact, so I think that’s what’s driving my music. I like volume and rhythm and energy. And I’m increasingly learning to trust my own instincts, to strip my music right back,’ she says.
She’s just finished her second EP for the eclectic label that discovered Hot Chip, Florence + the Machine, Bloc Party and Kate Nash. But unlike many acts to grace the label’s roster, Anna’s talent hasn’t been unearthed and nurtured by Moshi Moshi founders Stephen Bass and Michael McClatchey — she arrived fully formed and raring to go.
Anna is obviously extremely hardworking and motivated; year-long stints as composer in residence for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Society will testify to that. But, despite undertaking a head-spinning array of classical commissions every year, it seems she has been seduced by the liberating world of electronic music. Dazzled by its high contrast computerised sounds, she has immersed herself in its bubbling beats and scraping synths, bringing her own curious take on an over-stimulated corner of popular music.
On the surface, the two worlds seem poles apart, but the more we talk, the more the eighties videogame-inspired electronica of latest EP Jet Black Rider makes sense. Although the vehicle is new, she is a competent driver with years of experience behind the wheel.
‘Having built up skills writing for orchestras makes me feel confident when handling rhythm and pacing,’ Anna explains. ‘What works with electronic pieces is the materials – not necessarily the production. So in that case, it’s still just composing.
Anita Awbi meets the musical anomaly that is Anna Meredith – a celebrated composer who’s as comfortable in the country’s largest concert halls as she is the grimy
techno clubs of east London.
Main image: Anna Meredith
What I’m doing now is very strange to me, but it’s great!
JOH
N W
RIG
HT
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_19
profile
THE MEREDITH MANIFESTO
‘As long as it’s not crazy for the sake of it, I’m up for anything,’ says Scottish composer Anna Meredith over the gentle hum of chatter and faraway traffic. We’ve only just met each other in an old stone courtyard off the Thames embankment, London, but she’s keen to unpack her manifesto.
We’re talking about her latest venture, a ruthlessly electronic project for independent label Moshi Moshi Records. It sounds like a massive departure from the contemporary classical work she’s known for, so I’m keen to decode its musical DNA.
‘I like music that feels overwhelming in some capacity – it’s a physical thing for me. I want to feel it in my bones,’ she explains. ‘I also like experiences that are quite physical, like dancing or theme parks; anything immersive and involving.’
Reliable in her eclecticism, the award-winning 36-year-old has spent her early career bulldozing boundaries while always pushing the right buttons. She’s collaborated with the beatboxer Shlomo on the acclaimed Concerto for Beatboxer and Orchestra and has even written a piece for the bleeps and whirrs of an MRI scanner.
During 2012 the Edinburgh-born, London-based composer scored HandsFree, a PRS for Music Foundation 20x12
commission for the National Youth Orchestra. It was performed at the BBC Proms, Barbican
Centre and Symphony Hall as well as by numerous flashmobs around
the UK. Later that year she was dubbed
one of
Britain’s leading composers by the Daily Telegraph and has since been championed by BBC Proms Director Roger Wright for her work with youth orchestras.
But all the accolades haven’t gone to her head: despite being classically trained and conspicuously gifted, Anna’s not in the least bit pompous. Neither is her music lofty or pretentious. Instead, everything she does — from classic orchestral pieces to this new dense electronica — is saturated with giddy excitement and frantic eccentricity. She seems to have boundless energy and her new direction is fuelling the fire.
‘I like high impact, so I think that’s what’s driving my music. I like volume and rhythm and energy. And I’m increasingly learning to trust my own instincts, to strip my music right back,’ she says.
She’s just finished her second EP for the eclectic label that discovered Hot Chip, Florence + the Machine, Bloc Party and Kate Nash. But unlike many acts to grace the label’s roster, Anna’s talent hasn’t been unearthed and nurtured by Moshi Moshi founders Stephen Bass and Michael McClatchey — she arrived fully formed and raring to go.
Anna is obviously extremely hardworking and motivated; year-long stints as composer in residence for the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Society will testify to that. But, despite undertaking a head-spinning array of classical commissions every year, it seems she has been seduced by the liberating world of electronic music. Dazzled by its high contrast computerised sounds, she has immersed herself in its bubbling beats and scraping synths, bringing her own curious take on an over-stimulated corner of popular music.
On the surface, the two worlds seem poles apart, but the more we talk, the more the eighties videogame-inspired electronica of latest EP Jet Black Rider makes sense. Although the vehicle is new, she is a competent driver with years of experience behind the wheel.
‘Having built up skills writing for orchestras makes me feel confident when handling rhythm and pacing,’ Anna explains. ‘What works with electronic pieces is the materials – not necessarily the production. So in that case, it’s still just composing.
Anita Awbi meets the musical anomaly that is Anna Meredith – a celebrated composer who’s as comfortable in the country’s largest concert halls as she is the grimy
techno clubs of east London.
Main image: Anna Meredith
What I’m doing now is very strange to me, but it’s great!
soundscapes in the closest thing she’s ever experienced to a conventional pop band.
The notion of rehearsing a live set over and over must feel a little odd to a modern classical composer: in Anna’s world, commissions are often only publicly performed once; there’s no ‘live set’ and very little touring. I wonder how she is coping with the repetition of rehearsals and the pressure to deliver over and over again.
‘Coming to terms with the fact that a classical piece you’ve spent months on may only be played once is difficult. I admire any composer who’s found a way to reconcile that, because I can imagine it to be quite dispiriting,’ she reflects.
‘You have to find a way to feel confident with what you’ve done, so the repetition of what I’m doing now definitely appeals to me to. I remember when I first started doing a few gigs I said to the folk at Moshi Moshi, “Well I’ll just have to play the same songs each time”, and they were like, “Er, yeah, that’s the point!” I thought I had to play new stuff for everyone each time. What I’m doing now is very strange to me, but it’s great!’
Anna Meredith’s latest EP Jet Black Rider is out now.Catch the premiere of her Recorder Songs Concerto at Kings Place, London, on 19 October.annameredith.com
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_21
profile
This latest offering follows last year’s Black Prince Fury EP – a bewitching slice of authentic electronica that encompasses lead track Nautilus. Stephen Bass recalls hearing it for the first time: ‘It was pretty much the most exciting piece of music I heard last year. I had a very instant love of that particular song and can remember just hoping that no one else had heard it because I wanted to release it.’
‘Anna is mixing classical musical structures and sensibilities with dance music instrumentation. It’s something quite unique sounding — she’s coming from a completely different angle to everyone else with a totally different skillset,’ he adds.
Anna is now preparing for a full album release on the label next spring. I ask her how it’s coming along. ‘The electronic software is still relatively new to me and can be a bit daunting,’ she reveals. ‘But I decided at some point just to go ahead and do it rather than worry too much about whether I actually know what I’m doing! I think my habit of charging head first is what has got me through.’
She still uses the classical notation software Sibelius when constructing electronic tracks and, once she’s happy with the score, she’ll export the midi files into the Ableton sequencing software and DJ tool, which contains an array of instrument simulators, electronic sounds and effects.
‘I wanted to get my hands dirty and see what I could do. There is an immediacy in electronics where I can realise almost everything myself in my bedroom rather than wait for a string quartet to perform my ideas. But my approach to it is very similar to how I approach the classical work - although there’s more volume!’
Before Ableton or Sibelius, Anna will put pen to paper and sketch out a linear representation of the music she wants to make. She uses a series of shapes to plan out the highs and lows of the composition. A fastidious arranger, she explains that the process allows her to visually plan the most effective moments to place that killer melody or chord.
‘The most important thing for me when I’m writing is dramatic pacing and contour. I need to have a really clear picture in my head of the shape of the music. If the music is building up I’ll draw a lot of big triangles and if it swoops down I imagine how the energy is flowing. When the music suddenly cuts down to nothing I’ll draw a really big flat shape. It helps with planning.’
There are few artists who can switch effortlessly between organising a performance of their work at the BBC Proms one week, to supporting James Blake and These New Puritans the next. But Anna has assembled a handful of musicians to help interpret her inventive beats and alien
Clockwise: Shlomo;Anna Meredith live; National Youth Orchestra performing Hands Free
GABRIE
LLE M
OTOLA
I need to have a really clear picturein my head of the shape of the music
soundscapes in the closest thing she’s ever experienced to a conventional pop band.
The notion of rehearsing a live set over and over must feel a little odd to a modern classical composer: in Anna’s world, commissions are often only publicly performed once; there’s no ‘live set’ and very little touring. I wonder how she is coping with the repetition of rehearsals and the pressure to deliver over and over again.
‘Coming to terms with the fact that a classical piece you’ve spent months on may only be played once is difficult. I admire any composer who’s found a way to reconcile that, because I can imagine it to be quite dispiriting,’ she reflects.
‘You have to find a way to feel confident with what you’ve done, so the repetition of what I’m doing now definitely appeals to me to. I remember when I first started doing a few gigs I said to the folk at Moshi Moshi, “Well I’ll just have to play the same songs each time”, and they were like, “Er, yeah, that’s the point!” I thought I had to play new stuff for everyone each time. What I’m doing now is very strange to me, but it’s great!’
Anna Meredith’s latest EP Jet Black Rider is out now.Catch the premiere of her Recorder Songs Concerto at Kings Place, London, on 19 October.annameredith.com
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_21
profile
This latest offering follows last year’s Black Prince Fury EP – a bewitching slice of authentic electronica that encompasses lead track Nautilus. Stephen Bass recalls hearing it for the first time: ‘It was pretty much the most exciting piece of music I heard last year. I had a very instant love of that particular song and can remember just hoping that no one else had heard it because I wanted to release it.’
‘Anna is mixing classical musical structures and sensibilities with dance music instrumentation. It’s something quite unique sounding — she’s coming from a completely different angle to everyone else with a totally different skillset,’ he adds.
Anna is now preparing for a full album release on the label next spring. I ask her how it’s coming along. ‘The electronic software is still relatively new to me and can be a bit daunting,’ she reveals. ‘But I decided at some point just to go ahead and do it rather than worry too much about whether I actually know what I’m doing! I think my habit of charging head first is what has got me through.’
She still uses the classical notation software Sibelius when constructing electronic tracks and, once she’s happy with the score, she’ll export the midi files into the Ableton sequencing software and DJ tool, which contains an array of instrument simulators, electronic sounds and effects.
‘I wanted to get my hands dirty and see what I could do. There is an immediacy in electronics where I can realise almost everything myself in my bedroom rather than wait for a string quartet to perform my ideas. But my approach to it is very similar to how I approach the classical work - although there’s more volume!’
Before Ableton or Sibelius, Anna will put pen to paper and sketch out a linear representation of the music she wants to make. She uses a series of shapes to plan out the highs and lows of the composition. A fastidious arranger, she explains that the process allows her to visually plan the most effective moments to place that killer melody or chord.
‘The most important thing for me when I’m writing is dramatic pacing and contour. I need to have a really clear picture in my head of the shape of the music. If the music is building up I’ll draw a lot of big triangles and if it swoops down I imagine how the energy is flowing. When the music suddenly cuts down to nothing I’ll draw a really big flat shape. It helps with planning.’
There are few artists who can switch effortlessly between organising a performance of their work at the BBC Proms one week, to supporting James Blake and These New Puritans the next. But Anna has assembled a handful of musicians to help interpret her inventive beats and alien
Clockwise: Shlomo;Anna Meredith live; National Youth Orchestra performing Hands Free
GABRIE
LLE M
OTOLA
I need to have a really clear picturein my head of the shape of the music
Standfirst risus nunc, cursus vitae ultric Standfirst risus nunc, cursus vitae ultric
CREDIT
SCORE!‘The relationship between sound and image is completely plastic,’ enthuses Coldcut and Ninja Tunes main man Matt Black. ‘It’s totally flexible. Any sound and any image can be put together, which means the possibilities when working with the two are enormous.’
Over the last 20 years Matt, alongside Coldcut partner in crime Jonathan More, has explored many of these possibilities, blazing an irreverent trail through the audiovisual world with his cut ‘n’ paste aesthetic.
Their experiments and mash-ups have only been limited by their imagination and the technology they can get their hands on. In other words, anything goes. So where does that leave today’s screen composer?
HollywoodWhile the work of Coldcut and their Ninja Tunes record label spearheaded the creation of new channels for experimental musicians, composers and filmmakers, the world of Hollywood is an obvious starting point when exploring the relationship between sound and image.
The BBC’s current Sound of Cinema season is celebrating and tracing this union through film history and classics such as Blade Runner, Star Wars and Inception.
Silent film composer Neil Brand is presenting a three-part series on BBC4. He picks out Alex North’s riotous jazz score for Tennessee Williams’ sizzling Hollywood classic A Streetcar Called Desire as a personal favourite. It’s a fine example of a powerful score where musical subtext can say much more than image. ‘It’s a film about sex made at a time when you weren’t supposed to be talking about sex. But all the sex is in the music. And boy is it. It is the hottest score,’ he says. ‘You need to be a good dramatist – you need to see a scene from a film, understand it and think you’ve got the perfect bit of music to go with it.’
Speaking volumesDon Letts, Grammy Award winning filmmaker, music video director and DJ, is also presenting a show in the series. Weaned on punk-rock rather than classical styles, he believes a good soundtrack needs to leave an impression without distracting from what’s happening on the screen.
‘A good score needs to be both utterly captivating and totally forgettable at the same time,’ he says.
Don should know. He’s worked with the two for his whole career with the Clash documentary Westway to the World and Jamaican hit Dancehall Queen being highlights. His work with film also fed into his songwriting as a member of Big Audio Dynamite alongside Clash guitarist Mick Jones.
‘Our hit E=MC2 was a homage to Nicolas Roeg. We employed dialogue from Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth and Don’t Look Now as a twist. When I used film dialogue, it was because I couldn’t play an instrument. But using my film knowledge I wrote lyrics with Mick in the same way I’d write a synopsis or treatment for a film,’ he says.
A foot in the door Composing music for films, TV series and indeed increasingly any form of visual media is not for the faint hearted. In fact it’s like going into battle if you listen to Neil Brand.
‘You need to be thick skinned and incredibly self assured to enter this world’, he warns. But with such risks come potentially great rewards. ‘It’s something that requires the best you’re capable of – and will eventually be the most rewarding music you can do. Thousands, even millions of people could hear your music. But with it comes a hell of a lot of pressure.’
Pressure can come in many different ways. For those composers starting off, finding work and getting paid in an increasingly competitive sector is a major challenge.
Main image: Jon Hopkins
‘Don’t you wonder sometimes, ‘bout sound and vision,’ sang David Bowie in his hit of the same name. Jim Ottewill does exactly that, exploring the relationship between music and the moving image to unearth new opportunities for composers.
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_23
FOCUSSARAH
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Standfirst risus nunc, cursus vitae ultric Standfirst risus nunc, cursus vitae ultric
CREDIT
SCORE!‘The relationship between sound and image is completely plastic,’ enthuses Coldcut and Ninja Tunes main man Matt Black. ‘It’s totally flexible. Any sound and any image can be put together, which means the possibilities when working with the two are enormous.’
Over the last 20 years Matt, alongside Coldcut partner in crime Jonathan More, has explored many of these possibilities, blazing an irreverent trail through the audiovisual world with his cut ‘n’ paste aesthetic.
Their experiments and mash-ups have only been limited by their imagination and the technology they can get their hands on. In other words, anything goes. So where does that leave today’s screen composer?
HollywoodWhile the work of Coldcut and their Ninja Tunes record label spearheaded the creation of new channels for experimental musicians, composers and filmmakers, the world of Hollywood is an obvious starting point when exploring the relationship between sound and image.
The BBC’s current Sound of Cinema season is celebrating and tracing this union through film history and classics such as Blade Runner, Star Wars and Inception.
Silent film composer Neil Brand is presenting a three-part series on BBC4. He picks out Alex North’s riotous jazz score for Tennessee Williams’ sizzling Hollywood classic A Streetcar Called Desire as a personal favourite. It’s a fine example of a powerful score where musical subtext can say much more than image. ‘It’s a film about sex made at a time when you weren’t supposed to be talking about sex. But all the sex is in the music. And boy is it. It is the hottest score,’ he says. ‘You need to be a good dramatist – you need to see a scene from a film, understand it and think you’ve got the perfect bit of music to go with it.’
Speaking volumesDon Letts, Grammy Award winning filmmaker, music video director and DJ, is also presenting a show in the series. Weaned on punk-rock rather than classical styles, he believes a good soundtrack needs to leave an impression without distracting from what’s happening on the screen.
‘A good score needs to be both utterly captivating and totally forgettable at the same time,’ he says.
Don should know. He’s worked with the two for his whole career with the Clash documentary Westway to the World and Jamaican hit Dancehall Queen being highlights. His work with film also fed into his songwriting as a member of Big Audio Dynamite alongside Clash guitarist Mick Jones.
‘Our hit E=MC2 was a homage to Nicolas Roeg. We employed dialogue from Performance, The Man Who Fell to Earth and Don’t Look Now as a twist. When I used film dialogue, it was because I couldn’t play an instrument. But using my film knowledge I wrote lyrics with Mick in the same way I’d write a synopsis or treatment for a film,’ he says.
A foot in the door Composing music for films, TV series and indeed increasingly any form of visual media is not for the faint hearted. In fact it’s like going into battle if you listen to Neil Brand.
‘You need to be thick skinned and incredibly self assured to enter this world’, he warns. But with such risks come potentially great rewards. ‘It’s something that requires the best you’re capable of – and will eventually be the most rewarding music you can do. Thousands, even millions of people could hear your music. But with it comes a hell of a lot of pressure.’
Pressure can come in many different ways. For those composers starting off, finding work and getting paid in an increasingly competitive sector is a major challenge.
Main image: Jon Hopkins
‘Don’t you wonder sometimes, ‘bout sound and vision,’ sang David Bowie in his hit of the same name. Jim Ottewill does exactly that, exploring the relationship between music and the moving image to unearth new opportunities for composers.
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_23
FOCUS
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Left: Don Letts Dan Pemberton is an Ivor Novello Award-winning composer (for Best Television Soundtrack for BBC drama Desperate Romantic) whose latest work is with director Ridley Scott on his film The Counselor. This new blockbuster features Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt with a soundtrack recorded between Dan’s flat and Abbey Road. He believes that many directors are unwilling to take risks on new composers.
‘It’s difficult to get your foot in the door. I always liken it to a party. Once you’re in, you need to hang around as long as possible. There’s a big bouncer on the door. You somehow get through him thanks to a friend or director. Then as long as you don’t mess up, people will keep speaking to you.’
Tight deadlinesDebbie Wiseman has huge experience of writing music for both film and TV. She’s scored a variety of TV drama, documentaries and films with credits including Stig of the Dump, Land Girls and Wilde. She was also awarded an MBE in the 2004 for services to the film industry. Debbie suggests a composer’s ability to work to brief and collaborate with all those involved in the production of a film can be crucial.
‘When you’re writing for film, you’re constantly involved with the editor, producer and director,’ she says.
‘All have a say on the music. So you need write to please this team. You’ve got to ensure you’re creating a soundtrack they
feel is helping their film, helping tell the story and shaping the characters and drama.’
EgolessFor producer Jon Hopkins, collaboration is almost second nature having adopted numerous musical guises over his career. His experience includes working as a producer with Coldplay and Brian Eno, as an experimental electronic solo artist and an Ivor Novello Award-winning soundtrack composer with
British science fiction thriller Monsters. Despite the success of his latest acclaimed solo album Immunity, it’s
clear that film scoring is something Jon loves.
‘When you write your own music you are the star, the director, you do everything. I find films really refreshing by contrast,’ he says. ‘Working for screen is much easier as the story is already there. Your job is just to augment the visuals and bring it to life. It’s the star and the music is secondary so the pressure is off.’
Jon’s experience is typical of the screen composer world. His latest film scoring project — indie film How I Live Now — came about due
to the director loving his work on Monsters. It shows how seizing an opportunity stands composers in great stead for future projects.
‘Monsters did a lot for me,’ he explains. ‘As a film it went really far. The director Gareth Edwards is now working for Legendary Pictures making Godzilla. Everyone in the movie industry has seen it. I was incredibly lucky to have been asked to write on that.’
TechnologyOutside film and TV, ever-evolving technology has created many more opportunities for composers away from traditional media platforms. Yati Durant, music director and conductor of the Edinburgh Film Music Orchestra and programme director of Edinburgh University’s MSc Composition for Screen, believes the industry is changing at rapid pace.
‘The field of media for composers to work in is almost a different creature day-to-day. It’s changing so fast it’s almost impossible to take a snapshot of the current picture,’ Yati explains.
He goes on to single out videogames as a new lucrative and creatively stimulating area which could rival cinema for composers. ‘Something that has literally exploded in the last year or two is videogame music. It’s probably the most important and emerging field for a film composer to be involved in because the narrative and dramatic demands, combined with the technological capacity of consoles, are asking composers to really create outstanding scores.
‘It’s no longer eight-bit, mono-synth melodies,’ he continues. ‘It’s full orchestral scores with huge budgets, dramatic projects with complicated narrative. It’s interactive music which changes depending on how you play it.’
Content overloadInteractive platforms certainly offer an intriguing new area for music-makers to work in. While technology opens up these new mediums for aspiring sound composers, the easy access has led to a glut of composers looking to make careers from music. It means a composer looking to write for the screen needs to be as persistent as possible to develop a reputation as a writer who can work quickly, efficiently, to brief and to tight deadline.
Nick Ryan from the Screen Music Network and sound designer and composer in his own right, says that while this makes it tougher for aspiring composers, it also means there are more ways for composers to sustain a career.
‘People need content to be made. The technology which is creating more composers is also creating more content at the other end of the chain. So there are more channels on TV, interactive channels online, games — just more content being made which requires music.’
So while competition is stiff, Nick believes that if you’re good at what you do you’ll get a chance to prove yourself. ‘Ultimately there are many more opportunities out there if you work hard enough to get them.’
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Clockwise from main image: Coldcut, Neil Brand, Debbie Wiseman and Nick Ryan
Below: Daniel Pemberton
There’s a big bouncer on the door. You somehow get through him thanks
to a friend or director. SARAH
GIN
N
m-magazine.co.uk
Go online to read the extended interviews with the composers
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_25
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Left: Don Letts Dan Pemberton is an Ivor Novello Award-winning composer (for Best Television Soundtrack for BBC drama Desperate Romantic) whose latest work is with director Ridley Scott on his film The Counselor. This new blockbuster features Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt with a soundtrack recorded between Dan’s flat and Abbey Road. He believes that many directors are unwilling to take risks on new composers.
‘It’s difficult to get your foot in the door. I always liken it to a party. Once you’re in, you need to hang around as long as possible. There’s a big bouncer on the door. You somehow get through him thanks to a friend or director. Then as long as you don’t mess up, people will keep speaking to you.’
Tight deadlinesDebbie Wiseman has huge experience of writing music for both film and TV. She’s scored a variety of TV drama, documentaries and films with credits including Stig of the Dump, Land Girls and Wilde. She was also awarded an MBE in the 2004 for services to the film industry. Debbie suggests a composer’s ability to work to brief and collaborate with all those involved in the production of a film can be crucial.
‘When you’re writing for film, you’re constantly involved with the editor, producer and director,’ she says.
‘All have a say on the music. So you need write to please this team. You’ve got to ensure you’re creating a soundtrack they
feel is helping their film, helping tell the story and shaping the characters and drama.’
EgolessFor producer Jon Hopkins, collaboration is almost second nature having adopted numerous musical guises over his career. His experience includes working as a producer with Coldplay and Brian Eno, as an experimental electronic solo artist and an Ivor Novello Award-winning soundtrack composer with
British science fiction thriller Monsters. Despite the success of his latest acclaimed solo album Immunity, it’s
clear that film scoring is something Jon loves.
‘When you write your own music you are the star, the director, you do everything. I find films really refreshing by contrast,’ he says. ‘Working for screen is much easier as the story is already there. Your job is just to augment the visuals and bring it to life. It’s the star and the music is secondary so the pressure is off.’
Jon’s experience is typical of the screen composer world. His latest film scoring project — indie film How I Live Now — came about due
to the director loving his work on Monsters. It shows how seizing an opportunity stands composers in great stead for future projects.
‘Monsters did a lot for me,’ he explains. ‘As a film it went really far. The director Gareth Edwards is now working for Legendary Pictures making Godzilla. Everyone in the movie industry has seen it. I was incredibly lucky to have been asked to write on that.’
TechnologyOutside film and TV, ever-evolving technology has created many more opportunities for composers away from traditional media platforms. Yati Durant, music director and conductor of the Edinburgh Film Music Orchestra and programme director of Edinburgh University’s MSc Composition for Screen, believes the industry is changing at rapid pace.
‘The field of media for composers to work in is almost a different creature day-to-day. It’s changing so fast it’s almost impossible to take a snapshot of the current picture,’ Yati explains.
He goes on to single out videogames as a new lucrative and creatively stimulating area which could rival cinema for composers. ‘Something that has literally exploded in the last year or two is videogame music. It’s probably the most important and emerging field for a film composer to be involved in because the narrative and dramatic demands, combined with the technological capacity of consoles, are asking composers to really create outstanding scores.
‘It’s no longer eight-bit, mono-synth melodies,’ he continues. ‘It’s full orchestral scores with huge budgets, dramatic projects with complicated narrative. It’s interactive music which changes depending on how you play it.’
Content overloadInteractive platforms certainly offer an intriguing new area for music-makers to work in. While technology opens up these new mediums for aspiring sound composers, the easy access has led to a glut of composers looking to make careers from music. It means a composer looking to write for the screen needs to be as persistent as possible to develop a reputation as a writer who can work quickly, efficiently, to brief and to tight deadline.
Nick Ryan from the Screen Music Network and sound designer and composer in his own right, says that while this makes it tougher for aspiring composers, it also means there are more ways for composers to sustain a career.
‘People need content to be made. The technology which is creating more composers is also creating more content at the other end of the chain. So there are more channels on TV, interactive channels online, games — just more content being made which requires music.’
So while competition is stiff, Nick believes that if you’re good at what you do you’ll get a chance to prove yourself. ‘Ultimately there are many more opportunities out there if you work hard enough to get them.’
OLIV
ER S
MIT
H /
ADRIA
N L
AM
BERT
Clockwise from main image: Coldcut, Neil Brand, Debbie Wiseman and Nick Ryan
Below: Daniel Pemberton
There’s a big bouncer on the door. You somehow get through him thanks
to a friend or director. SARAH
GIN
N
m-magazine.co.uk
Go online to read the extended interviews with the composers
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_25
FOCUS
BBC /
DEAN
CH
ALKLEY/
TOM
CATCH
ES /
STEV
E D
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MAR
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GODDAR
D
Reaching for your phone in order to do just about anything is commonplace today. In fact, it’s hard to reconcile that the market leader, the Apple App Store, is still only five years young. But statistics released in May of this year show customers are downloading 800 apps per second - that’s over 50 billion downloads thus far. And, while apps offering streaming services remain top of the download agenda for the majority of fans, for artists, songwriters and producers, the tools available to deliver the music itself are gaining momentum too.
In the same way Dizzee Rascal brought PlayStation-produced grime beats to the fore nearly a decade ago, Gorillaz demonstrated the art of making an album solely via apps back in 2011. Relying on an iPad, and in turn the apps that allowed them to deliver the product, all bases were covered via new technology - from the music to the artwork and marketing campaign.
But primary market research suggests there’s still a long way to go with musicians familiarising themselves with the potential offered by the wealth of apps now on the market. No funds? Apps cancel out the cost of studio time for starters. In fact, Gorillaz LP-come-app, The Fall, was delivered for less than £1,000. Not got £1,000? You could try using the KickStarter or SonicAngel app to source the funds via the public for your project. Looking for lyrical inspiration? Yessir, there’s even an app for that too.
But where to start? In 2012, according to Nielson, 64 percent of mobile time was spent on apps. Maybe it’s time to shut down Angry Birds and get productive then? Just a quick look at Apple’s top grossing music apps today, in a nod to developers the world over, you’ll be pushed to find a skill, instrument, program or to-do that can’t be delivered via your mobile.
Unsurprisingly, the current penchant for new technology rests with an electronic generation; guitar tabs aside, among the top
Don’t know Akai Pro from GigaWise? Ever considered using an app to make music on the go? Wondering if creating an artist app is the missing link in your marketing plan? Chantelle Fiddy debunks the myths to find the apps making a difference in the mix…
grossing downloads are iMPC, an app that replicates the Akai Pro MPC production centre and boasts over 600 samples at the touch of a button; GarageBand, turning your phone into a fully-functioning studio; djay2, which according to the blurb is the world’s best selling DJ software; and Traktor DJ, an app that’s garnered critical acclaim from the national broadsheets and allows you to deliver seamless mixes in minutes.
Google Play’s chart reads a similar story; FL Studio for android, Hi-Q MP3 Voice Recorder, J4T Multitrack Recorder, DJ Studio 5 and the MP3 Cutter & Ringtone Maker are all among the apps riding high. However, according to MusicRadar, a leading website for musicians, ‘…despite having a huge installed user base, when it comes to music making apps, Android remains very much the poor relation to Apple’s iOS.’ iPhone it is then.
But who’s actually utilising these apps in the industry? Surprisingly, of the 15 or so acts M magazine asked at this years Lovebox Festival, London, not one used an app to create music, laptops remaining the preference, even while on tour. According to further research conducted via social networks, popular tools tend to include a simple note or record function. A recent addition to that camp is HEARD, brought to my attention by PopJustice’s Peter Robinson. A background listening tool that records what you (yes, you guessed it) ‘heard’ up to five minutes beforehand, essentially your iPhone becomes a time machine. Or a spy.
‘The key thing is remembering to turn the app on’, laughs unsigned singer-songwriter (and PRS for Music member) Jay Norton. ‘I’ve tested HEARD and it’s one of the better apps like this I’ve seen.’
We’ve all had those moments we wish we could recall and this is a step forward in capturing studio sessions and forgotten ideas or words without needing mics.
APP HAPPY
‘You forget you’re even recording - it’s just you and your phone. AudioBoo is another one I’d recommend; it lets you get audio messages out via Twitter and such. I’ve also used it to capture melodies and ideas.’
Jay also believes more people will begin using apps for creation when they ditch their technophobia and apps become even more advanced. ‘A lot of people look at apps like a computer program and think it’s going to be really complicated, or they don’t think the app will serve them well. But they forget apps have been designed to make life easier.
‘Some of the studio apps on offer are really similar to what you’d use on your computer but at the end of the day, what’s important is, there’s something for everyone at every level.’
Perhaps the key for identifying the likely new adopter is in the price; with the average music tool app ranging in price from ‘free’ to £3 (although some do creep up in the £20 region), it’s a great way for novices to affordably have a go at something new and goes someway in accounting for the popularity of such apps outside of immediate artistic circles. Even those who aren’t converted can see the benefits.
‘Sound on Sound magazine do a monthly write up on apps that’s worth checking out,’ reckons chart-topping producer Duke Dumont. ‘I can see where they come in useful.’
Of equal value to the consumer, aspiring musician and major label artist, there are countless analytics and business tools available in 2013. BandCentral, which is essentially artist management on the move, GigaTools, letting you organise your live dates and sync to Facebook et al, or SplitGigs, that allows you to create posters and flyers for your show, are just a few of those currently doing the rounds.
Looking to get your online marketing seriously in check? Apps can cover that too. ReverbNation is the one stop shop
for online tools, allowing you to post status updates across multiple social networks and build a mailing list. BandPage currently powers over 500,000 musicians on Facebook everyday (for free).
For songwriters, who traditionally might pick up a pad and pen, or rappers who are looking for that missing rhyming slang, there are choices to be had; RhymeZone offers a helping word or two while AutoRap will go as far as correcting your errors and timing. SongWriters Pad, one of the most popular apps on the market, offers idea generation based on emotions, those trusty words that rhyme and definitions. You can also sync or back up your work with Dropbox.
But what about artist apps? There are a slew of both official and unofficial offerings to be had. Looking at the charts, T Pain is getting the general nod of approval where top grossing apps are concerned. Priced at £1.99 the big sell is ‘everyone sounds better with the T Pain effect’. Yes, for a small fee you too can get frequented with auto-tune and post your offerings directly to the world wide web.
‘There’s no point in making an app that offers nothing extra to what’s already out there. Fans might use it once or twice, but there’s no point competing with the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,’ says Ben Anderson, a former social media manager with MTV who now runs his own consultancy company, Mabley Green Social.
Apps have gone from being tools to enhance the use of your phone to a new medium of expression and art.
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_2726_SEPTEMBER 2013_M49
TECH
Reaching for your phone in order to do just about anything is commonplace today. In fact, it’s hard to reconcile that the market leader, the Apple App Store, is still only five years young. But statistics released in May of this year show customers are downloading 800 apps per second - that’s over 50 billion downloads thus far. And, while apps offering streaming services remain top of the download agenda for the majority of fans, for artists, songwriters and producers, the tools available to deliver the music itself are gaining momentum too.
In the same way Dizzee Rascal brought PlayStation-produced grime beats to the fore nearly a decade ago, Gorillaz demonstrated the art of making an album solely via apps back in 2011. Relying on an iPad, and in turn the apps that allowed them to deliver the product, all bases were covered via new technology - from the music to the artwork and marketing campaign.
But primary market research suggests there’s still a long way to go with musicians familiarising themselves with the potential offered by the wealth of apps now on the market. No funds? Apps cancel out the cost of studio time for starters. In fact, Gorillaz LP-come-app, The Fall, was delivered for less than £1,000. Not got £1,000? You could try using the KickStarter or SonicAngel app to source the funds via the public for your project. Looking for lyrical inspiration? Yessir, there’s even an app for that too.
But where to start? In 2012, according to Nielson, 64 percent of mobile time was spent on apps. Maybe it’s time to shut down Angry Birds and get productive then? Just a quick look at Apple’s top grossing music apps today, in a nod to developers the world over, you’ll be pushed to find a skill, instrument, program or to-do that can’t be delivered via your mobile.
Unsurprisingly, the current penchant for new technology rests with an electronic generation; guitar tabs aside, among the top
Don’t know Akai Pro from GigaWise? Ever considered using an app to make music on the go? Wondering if creating an artist app is the missing link in your marketing plan? Chantelle Fiddy debunks the myths to find the apps making a difference in the mix…
grossing downloads are iMPC, an app that replicates the Akai Pro MPC production centre and boasts over 600 samples at the touch of a button; GarageBand, turning your phone into a fully-functioning studio; djay2, which according to the blurb is the world’s best selling DJ software; and Traktor DJ, an app that’s garnered critical acclaim from the national broadsheets and allows you to deliver seamless mixes in minutes.
Google Play’s chart reads a similar story; FL Studio for android, Hi-Q MP3 Voice Recorder, J4T Multitrack Recorder, DJ Studio 5 and the MP3 Cutter & Ringtone Maker are all among the apps riding high. However, according to MusicRadar, a leading website for musicians, ‘…despite having a huge installed user base, when it comes to music making apps, Android remains very much the poor relation to Apple’s iOS.’ iPhone it is then.
But who’s actually utilising these apps in the industry? Surprisingly, of the 15 or so acts M magazine asked at this years Lovebox Festival, London, not one used an app to create music, laptops remaining the preference, even while on tour. According to further research conducted via social networks, popular tools tend to include a simple note or record function. A recent addition to that camp is HEARD, brought to my attention by PopJustice’s Peter Robinson. A background listening tool that records what you (yes, you guessed it) ‘heard’ up to five minutes beforehand, essentially your iPhone becomes a time machine. Or a spy.
‘The key thing is remembering to turn the app on’, laughs unsigned singer-songwriter (and PRS for Music member) Jay Norton. ‘I’ve tested HEARD and it’s one of the better apps like this I’ve seen.’
We’ve all had those moments we wish we could recall and this is a step forward in capturing studio sessions and forgotten ideas or words without needing mics.
APP HAPPY
‘You forget you’re even recording - it’s just you and your phone. AudioBoo is another one I’d recommend; it lets you get audio messages out via Twitter and such. I’ve also used it to capture melodies and ideas.’
Jay also believes more people will begin using apps for creation when they ditch their technophobia and apps become even more advanced. ‘A lot of people look at apps like a computer program and think it’s going to be really complicated, or they don’t think the app will serve them well. But they forget apps have been designed to make life easier.
‘Some of the studio apps on offer are really similar to what you’d use on your computer but at the end of the day, what’s important is, there’s something for everyone at every level.’
Perhaps the key for identifying the likely new adopter is in the price; with the average music tool app ranging in price from ‘free’ to £3 (although some do creep up in the £20 region), it’s a great way for novices to affordably have a go at something new and goes someway in accounting for the popularity of such apps outside of immediate artistic circles. Even those who aren’t converted can see the benefits.
‘Sound on Sound magazine do a monthly write up on apps that’s worth checking out,’ reckons chart-topping producer Duke Dumont. ‘I can see where they come in useful.’
Of equal value to the consumer, aspiring musician and major label artist, there are countless analytics and business tools available in 2013. BandCentral, which is essentially artist management on the move, GigaTools, letting you organise your live dates and sync to Facebook et al, or SplitGigs, that allows you to create posters and flyers for your show, are just a few of those currently doing the rounds.
Looking to get your online marketing seriously in check? Apps can cover that too. ReverbNation is the one stop shop
for online tools, allowing you to post status updates across multiple social networks and build a mailing list. BandPage currently powers over 500,000 musicians on Facebook everyday (for free).
For songwriters, who traditionally might pick up a pad and pen, or rappers who are looking for that missing rhyming slang, there are choices to be had; RhymeZone offers a helping word or two while AutoRap will go as far as correcting your errors and timing. SongWriters Pad, one of the most popular apps on the market, offers idea generation based on emotions, those trusty words that rhyme and definitions. You can also sync or back up your work with Dropbox.
But what about artist apps? There are a slew of both official and unofficial offerings to be had. Looking at the charts, T Pain is getting the general nod of approval where top grossing apps are concerned. Priced at £1.99 the big sell is ‘everyone sounds better with the T Pain effect’. Yes, for a small fee you too can get frequented with auto-tune and post your offerings directly to the world wide web.
‘There’s no point in making an app that offers nothing extra to what’s already out there. Fans might use it once or twice, but there’s no point competing with the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,’ says Ben Anderson, a former social media manager with MTV who now runs his own consultancy company, Mabley Green Social.
Apps have gone from being tools to enhance the use of your phone to a new medium of expression and art.
M49_SEPTEMBER 2013_2726_SEPTEMBER 2013_M49
TECH
Above: Jay Norton, Björk’s Biophilia Below right: Gorillaz’ The Fall
‘A really successful app needs to offer something far more experiential, something they can’t get anywhere else, and be something relevant to why they are fans in the first place.... T Pain is a fine example of an artist utilising something pretty simple but effective - the soundboard - to his brand. It points to the developers intelligently combining successful offline marketing with a format that works online.’
App store data from July 2012 offers further insight; of the top 100 iPhone apps, two thirds are free to download and make most of their money through in-app commerce. Taylor Swift is one such artist who’s noted to have generated significant revenue through in-app music sales. So for the new artist, the need for an app is perhaps less essential.
Of a similar school of thought, an article published earlier this year on Sidewinder.FM likens the average artist app to a ‘mobile newsletter’. And they’re not wrong. Echoing Ben’s thoughts, the need for unique functionality is recognised.
‘Artists should embrace the market and focus on project based apps,’ writes Casandra Govor, marketing associate at INgrooves. She goes on to highlight Björk’s Biophilia, an album released as an app in 2011, as ‘arguably the most spectacular of all initiatives…’ The costs are high though (estimated at around £125,000 for creation, consequently Björk failed to secure funds via KickStarter to create an android version). But, with app-album plans afoot from the likes of Lady Gaga, what exactly can these new-age album-cross-apps offer fans? In Björk’s case it was complex, with each track being associated to a music theme, encouraging interaction such as changing tempo or re-ordering notes. As Casandra highlights, in many senses, the album became an instrument in itself. And, while you could access the app for free, to own the tracks as MP3s still required a fee - £1.45 per track at that (nearly double the average 79p track download fee).
Interestingly, Will.I.Am, an artist seen to be at the fore of online advancements, alluded to the potential of art coupling with technology long before the birth of the App Store. When I interviewed him for RWD Magazine more than six years ago, his theory was that since Michael Jackson’s Thriller album,
people have been looking for the ultimate experience, one that encompasses various mediums of visual and sonic creation via modern technology. Yet nobody has found it, or worked out what it might look like. But we should be getting closer.
If analysts are to be believed, the future does indeed lie in apps - and art.
‘By the slope of the trend lines, it would appear that app income will exceed music income within three years,’ Horace Dediu, former Nokia business development manager who now runs asymco.com, predicted back in 2011. ‘In a mere three years these digital objects have redefined themselves. They went from being tools to enhance the use of your phone to a new medium of expression and art.’
And with new apps available week-on-week, the opportunity to be your own boss, run a label, create and release music has never being easier. The biggest question that remains? Where to start?
m-magazine.co.uk
Go online to find out which apps have been
recommended
Apps are a great way for novices to affordably have a go at something new.
sales@p
rismso
un
d.co
m |
ww
w.p
rismso
un
d.co
m |
UK
+4
4 (0
)13
53
64
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88
|U
SA +
1 9
73
98
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57
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Clearly new
Lyra_MmagfullpageSEPT13_Layout 1 03/09/2013 11:58 Page 1
TECH
Above: Jay Norton, Björk’s Biophilia Below right: Gorillaz’ The Fall
‘A really successful app needs to offer something far more experiential, something they can’t get anywhere else, and be something relevant to why they are fans in the first place.... T Pain is a fine example of an artist utilising something pretty simple but effective - the soundboard - to his brand. It points to the developers intelligently combining successful offline marketing with a format that works online.’
App store data from July 2012 offers further insight; of the top 100 iPhone apps, two thirds are free to download and make most of their money through in-app commerce. Taylor Swift is one such artist who’s noted to have generated significant revenue through in-app music sales. So for the new artist, the need for an app is perhaps less essential.
Of a similar school of thought, an article published earlier this year on Sidewinder.FM likens the average artist app to a ‘mobile newsletter’. And they’re not wrong. Echoing Ben’s thoughts, the need for unique functionality is recognised.
‘Artists should embrace the market and focus on project based apps,’ writes Casandra Govor, marketing associate at INgrooves. She goes on to highlight Björk’s Biophilia, an album released as an app in 2011, as ‘arguably the most spectacular of all initiatives…’ The costs are high though (estimated at around £125,000 for creation, consequently Björk failed to secure funds via KickStarter to create an android version). But, with app-album plans afoot from the likes of Lady Gaga, what exactly can these new-age album-cross-apps offer fans? In Björk’s case it was complex, with each track being associated to a music theme, encouraging interaction such as changing tempo or re-ordering notes. As Casandra highlights, in many senses, the album became an instrument in itself. And, while you could access the app for free, to own the tracks as MP3s still required a fee - £1.45 per track at that (nearly double the average 79p track download fee).
Interestingly, Will.I.Am, an artist seen to be at the fore of online advancements, alluded to the potential of art coupling with technology long before the birth of the App Store. When I interviewed him for RWD Magazine more than six years ago, his theory was that since Michael Jackson’s Thriller album,
people have been looking for the ultimate experience, one that encompasses various mediums of visual and sonic creation via modern technology. Yet nobody has found it, or worked out what it might look like. But we should be getting closer.
If analysts are to be believed, the future does indeed lie in apps - and art.
‘By the slope of the trend lines, it would appear that app income will exceed music income within three years,’ Horace Dediu, former Nokia business development manager who now runs asymco.com, predicted back in 2011. ‘In a mere three years these digital objects have redefined themselves. They went from being tools to enhance the use of your phone to a new medium of expression and art.’
And with new apps available week-on-week, the opportunity to be your own boss, run a label, create and release music has never being easier. The biggest question that remains? Where to start?
m-magazine.co.uk
Go online to find out which apps have been
recommended
Apps are a great way for novices to affordably have a go at something new.
sales@p
rismso
un
d.co
m |
ww
w.p
rismso
un
d.co
m |
UK
+4
4 (0
)13
53
64
88
88
|U
SA +
1 9
73
98
3 9
57
7
Clearly new
Lyra_MmagfullpageSEPT13_Layout 1 03/09/2013 11:58 Page 1
TECH
At first we just had a simple beat but we developed it later when we went into the studio to record it with Daniel Miller (of The Normal and later Mute Records founder). I can't really remember exactly what equipment was used - that's something that Dave Ball would have to answer, but I used to have a little Roland portable saucer-shaped synth drum that I used live. It also features on our version of Tainted Love.
When I met Dave he was really into synthesiser music so it was him who brought the electronic influences to the track while I brought dance influences from my job working in a disco at night.
The synth bass line definitely came before the lyrics. In our early Soft Cell songs we would always write about trash culture unless we had a souvenir or a photo to prompt us. Memorabilia is mainly a list of trash souvenir objects and references - key chains and snow storms. But it also has a darker side about stalking and an obsessed person collecting pieces of others. I wanted it to sound deliberately shallow, yet dark.
We were thrilled to be working with Daniel; he really was a hero of ours, a pioneer and a champion of early electronic music. He really polished the tracks we did with him for the Memorabilia EP yet they still had a dirty edge. We learned a lot from him on that first session.
We first demoed the song at a live gig in Leeds. It went down well because it was hypnotic and irresistible to move to, even though it was just a simple idea that took only minutes to develop. I suppose all the best ones are.
I remember it was musically eclectic in the clubs around that time. I used to run venues in Leeds and my early DJ style had an electronic music bias and was dance orientated. What I loved about Memorabilia was that it enabled DJs such as Rusty Egan of Visage to do 30 minute mixes of the track that went on forever yet filled a dancefloor with its rhythmic beat and bass line. Later, house and acid house would do the same with linear records that leant themselves to long extended mixes. Back then my musical taste was as it’s always been - very eclectic. I was listening to a lot of post-punk but
also the new early electronic sounds coming from the likes of Human League and John Foxx. I’m influenced by loads of different songwriters – people like Jacques Brel, David Bowie, Marc Bolan. I love diverse things as well – I like to go into the more underground things from people like Peter Hammill.
I recognise that dance music has gone through many mutations and styles since the eighties. Clubs have more sophisticated sound systems and lights and, coupled with a stronger drug culture than back then, people are looking for a euphoric experience. In the early eighties you were happy to dance to a few extended songs and all our early Soft Cell songs were recorded as 12-inch singles then edited down to three minutes for radio and seven-inch. Thinking about it now, I suppose it doesn't surprise me that Memorabilia is still in many ways a modern-sounding timeless track.
Together as Soft Cell, Marc Almond and Dave Ball spawned a string of genre-busting hits during the early eighties, melding new drum machine and sampling technology with solid pop nous. Hits including Tainted Love, Bedsitter, and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye regularly kept them on the radio and in the Top 10 during the period. Here, Marc talks about the writing of their first single and proto-house classic Memorabilia.
MemorabiliaWritten by: Marc Almond, Dave BallUK publisher: Warner Chappell
The track enabled DJs such as Rusty Egan of
Visage to do 30-minute mixes that went on forever yet filled the
dancefloor.
I remember when we made Memorabilia we wanted to write a purely dance track that would be very linear. It was important to us that we were able to shorten or lengthen the track easily and improvise when performing live. I was listening to a James Brown track, probably Sex Machine, and I liked the way it was repetitive and allowed him to improvise the vocals. The bass line of Memorabilia is just a simple repeated synth line based around a funky bass on a James Brown record.
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The fastest-growing performing rights
organization in the U.S. wants to
represent your music.
• We give our clients personal attention, whether they’re new artists or living legends.
• We pay faster than our U.S. competitors – Now offering monthly pay for radio play.
• We offer expert advice on royalty collection networks around the world.
• We pay for live performances – anytime, anywhere in the USA.
Nashville | Los Angeles | New York | Atlanta Miami | London | www.sesac.com
mmag_m49sept13_sesac_082113_londonad.indd 1 8/21/13 10:57 AM
KMR are Europe’s leading supplier of high-end recording equipment. We stock a huge range of audiophile gear, available to audition in our North London demo rooms or the comfort of your own studio. Combining a passion for great recording kit with good old-fashioned service and competitive pricing, we look forward to hearing from you...
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1306 M Magazine 125x107 MASTER.indd 1 22/05/2013 20:25m49_september 2013_31
i wrote thatsong
writing
At first we just had a simple beat but we developed it later when we went into the studio to record it with Daniel Miller (of The Normal and later Mute Records founder). I can't really remember exactly what equipment was used - that's something that Dave Ball would have to answer, but I used to have a little Roland portable saucer-shaped synth drum that I used live. It also features on our version of Tainted Love.
When I met Dave he was really into synthesiser music so it was him who brought the electronic influences to the track while I brought dance influences from my job working in a disco at night.
The synth bass line definitely came before the lyrics. In our early Soft Cell songs we would always write about trash culture unless we had a souvenir or a photo to prompt us. Memorabilia is mainly a list of trash souvenir objects and references - key chains and snow storms. But it also has a darker side about stalking and an obsessed person collecting pieces of others. I wanted it to sound deliberately shallow, yet dark.
We were thrilled to be working with Daniel; he really was a hero of ours, a pioneer and a champion of early electronic music. He really polished the tracks we did with him for the Memorabilia EP yet they still had a dirty edge. We learned a lot from him on that first session.
We first demoed the song at a live gig in Leeds. It went down well because it was hypnotic and irresistible to move to, even though it was just a simple idea that took only minutes to develop. I suppose all the best ones are.
I remember it was musically eclectic in the clubs around that time. I used to run venues in Leeds and my early DJ style had an electronic music bias and was dance orientated. What I loved about Memorabilia was that it enabled DJs such as Rusty Egan of Visage to do 30 minute mixes of the track that went on forever yet filled a dancefloor with its rhythmic beat and bass line. Later, house and acid house would do the same with linear records that leant themselves to long extended mixes. Back then my musical taste was as it’s always been - very eclectic. I was listening to a lot of post-punk but
also the new early electronic sounds coming from the likes of Human League and John Foxx. I’m influenced by loads of different songwriters – people like Jacques Brel, David Bowie, Marc Bolan. I love diverse things as well – I like to go into the more underground things from people like Peter Hammill.
I recognise that dance music has gone through many mutations and styles since the eighties. Clubs have more sophisticated sound systems and lights and, coupled with a stronger drug culture than back then, people are looking for a euphoric experience. In the early eighties you were happy to dance to a few extended songs and all our early Soft Cell songs were recorded as 12-inch singles then edited down to three minutes for radio and seven-inch. Thinking about it now, I suppose it doesn't surprise me that Memorabilia is still in many ways a modern-sounding timeless track.
Together as Soft Cell, Marc Almond and Dave Ball spawned a string of genre-busting hits during the early eighties, melding new drum machine and sampling technology with solid pop nous. Hits including Tainted Love, Bedsitter, and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye regularly kept them on the radio and in the Top 10 during the period. Here, Marc talks about the writing of their first single and proto-house classic Memorabilia.
MemorabiliaWritten by: Marc Almond, Dave BallUK publisher: Warner Chappell
The track enabled DJs such as Rusty Egan of
Visage to do 30-minute mixes that went on forever yet filled the
dancefloor.
I remember when we made Memorabilia we wanted to write a purely dance track that would be very linear. It was important to us that we were able to shorten or lengthen the track easily and improvise when performing live. I was listening to a James Brown track, probably Sex Machine, and I liked the way it was repetitive and allowed him to improvise the vocals. The bass line of Memorabilia is just a simple repeated synth line based around a funky bass on a James Brown record.
PERSONAL SERVICE WITH A
GLOBAL REACH
PERSONAL SERVICE
GLOBAL REACH
PERSONAL SERVICE WITH A
PERSONAL SERVICE
THE ONLY PRO THAT
PAYS MONTHLY!
FIND OUT MORE
AT SESAC.COM
PERSONAL SERVICE WITH A
GLOBAL REACH
LONDON CONTACT
John Sweeney at [email protected]: 0207 616 9284 Fax: 0207 563 702967 Upper Berkeley Street London W1H 7QX
The fastest-growing performing rights
organization in the U.S. wants to
represent your music.
• We give our clients personal attention, whether they’re new artists or living legends.
• We pay faster than our U.S. competitors – Now offering monthly pay for radio play.
• We offer expert advice on royalty collection networks around the world.
• We pay for live performances – anytime, anywhere in the USA.
Nashville | Los Angeles | New York | Atlanta Miami | London | www.sesac.com
mmag_m49sept13_sesac_082113_londonad.indd 1 8/21/13 10:57 AM
KMR are Europe’s leading supplier of high-end recording equipment. We stock a huge range of audiophile gear, available to audition in our North London demo rooms or the comfort of your own studio. Combining a passion for great recording kit with good old-fashioned service and competitive pricing, we look forward to hearing from you...
TALKTO US
REALPROAUDIO
FOR
KMR AU
DIO
kmr audio, 1375 high road, whetstone, london N20 9LN, UK
020 8445 [email protected]
1306 M Magazine 125x107 MASTER.indd 1 22/05/2013 20:25m49_september 2013_31
i wrote thatsong
writing
Producer James Holden first emerged as a precocious young talent back in 1999 with the release of his nocturnal debut single Horizons. Recorded during a summer break from university, the track instantly opened doors and a string of fizzy remixes for the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears and Depeche Mode followed.
In 2003 he founded Border Community, a label that has showcased his eccentric electronic tastes with genre-defining releases from peers Nathan Fake and Luke Abbott. Earlier this year, James released his sophomore album The Inheritors, a thrilling mix of English psychedelia and analogue experimentalism that has single-handedly redefined British dance music.
London duo Alpines burst onto the blogosphere back in 2011 with their Polydor-backed debut EP Night Drive, an impressive collection of fine-tuned icy pop. Elevated by Catherine Pockson and Bob Matthews’ dark songwriting and brooding production, they fast became the most sophisticated young hopefuls on the block.
However, a major label album was not to follow and Alpines parted ways with Polydor after two EPs. Since then they’ve collaborated with producer Maya Jane Coles, Sub Focus and new Kitsuné signing Citizens! We catch up with them to find out more…
What got you into making music?Bob: I’d played bass in a few indie bands but it was only when I started getting into production and I met Catherine that I figured out what I really wanted to do. I love playing in indie bands, that’s where I came from. But I’ve discovered that I’m more of a studio nerd than I first thought! It’s made me really happy.Catherine: I started writing songs on piano when I was 12 and gigging from when I was about 14 or 15. During my teens I wrote with a few people but when I met Bob it just clicked. We had a similar approach and aesthetic, and a similar drive for what we wanted to achieve.
Your sound is extremely crisp even though you make a lot of music in your bedroom. At what stage do you transfer your tracks to a professional studio?B: For some of the older stuff, back when we were with Polydor, we went into a traditional studio. We worked with a producer called Craig Silvey who’s so great. He’s done Arcade Fire, The Horrors - loads of amazing stuff. That was more of an old school way of doing it. But to be honest, these days you can get that nice clean sound at home. A lot of producers are doing it all in their bedrooms. As long as you don’t need to record live drums you’ll be ok. I really think things are changing - those big scary recording studios, which maybe were a barrier for some people to get music out, are no longer there.
Do you keep it all digital or do you like ‘pass some air’ through your music with found sounds or analogue kit? B: I think I forgot about all of that for a while and recently we’ve been doing it a lot more. It makes things sound so much more cool and tangible.
C: We’re really inspired by the latest Sampha EP; you can really hear his presence in the room on that recording. B: I think he’s probably just done that in a room in his parents’ house or whatever, but he’s made it sound real. It doesn’t sound like computers made it, and that ’s what we’re trying to do with our new stuff.
So how do you put a piece of yourself into a recording?B: It ’s really hard. Catherine came up with a couple of songs on the keyboard and she used a really nice organ sound. Sometimes when we put everything through the computer it sounds a bit lifeless so we went back to that keyboard and I used an iPhone to record Catherine playing in the room. We added that into the songs as another layer. Even though it sounds crap on its own, phone recording adds a really cool ambience to our stuff.
You’ve had a rollercoaster ride so far. How have your experiences with Polydor changed you?C: It ’s hard to know where to begin really. When we got signed we’d known each other for less than a year. It was a very fast process – we were still learning our craft. I think we’ve had a very exposed development, which I quite like. B: We made a conscious decision upon leaving the label to take a step back and think about what we were doing. We were thrown into that major label conveyor belt so early and we really felt we needed to get a record out quick. It ’s just the way the business works. But I think we were quite fortunate that we didn’t get to album release because we might have put out something
we weren’t happy with. Now we’ve really taken step back and our sound has evolved quite a lot. I think we’ve got a really good platform to go and do something really great with our debut album, even though it ’s taken us a lot longer than other artists in the same place as us. So yeah, it ’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.
How do you look back on those times?C: Positively, to be honest.B: We learnt so much. We were really green going into the whole system, and we’ve seen how it all works now. We’ve come out relatively unscathed compared to what could have happened. A lot of bands that went through what we did are completely destroyed. It’s made us really strong.C: We’ve learnt about the industry. You can be really cynical about it or you can take it as a lesson. We’re self-managed; we’re basically doing everything, keeping a cool team with us. On the side I’m also doing a lot of songwriting for other artists, just because I love it. A lot of people ask, ‘Surely the experience has dented your creativity?’ but I think we know we should be here because it hasn’t dented it at all. We’re still churning it out. I’m just really excited to get the album out, and I miss performing.
Alpines are published by EMI Music Publishing
www.alpinesmusic.com
sound effect
ALPINES
the first music i remember hearing was…My dad playing the piano - music was always around our house since before I was paying attention.
The first record I ever bought was…Embarassingly, Aerosmith’s terrible Get a Grip album. On cassette. I’d seen them on MTV at someone else’s house and thought Living on the Edge seemed pretty exciting.
The last great record I listened to was… I ended up listening to the whole of Franco Battiato’s Fetus LP while looking for tracks for a mix. That’s a great record, really perfect - great songs, great atmosphere and a wonderful interconnected feel throughout the whole thing.
The song I wish I’d written is… I used to think ‘I wish I’d written that’ so often - everything from Beethoven’s C#M Sonata to trance classic 1999 by Binary Finary - but I can’t remember the last time I thought that. I’ve come to accept that I couldn’t have written other people’s songs but I’m happy with the ones I’ve written myself.
The song that makes me want to dance is… Amadou Sangare’s l ’Histoire de Moussa Tchefari Pere de Sabali. This is something I found from Mali - a guy telling a story over one hour of the same perfect bass drum and ngoni (stringed instrument) groove. It’s a really a perfect record. The song that makes me cry is… The Beach Boys’ Til I Die. The song that I know all the words to is… I think there are no songs I know all the words to! I’m not very word-orientated. Ah actually, I know one: Rhythm is a Dancer by Snap. That line about ‘serious as cancer’ really stuck with me. The song I want played at my funeral is…As a DJ, constantly having to choose music for other people, I am looking forward to being released from that obligation! I will be dead and gone and the music played won’t concern me.
jamesholden.org
m49_september 2013_3332_september 2013_m49
sixty seconds
making music
Read the full Alpines interview online
m-magazine.co.uk
For the full interview and to hear some of James’ choices visitm-magazine.co.uk
Producer James Holden first emerged as a precocious young talent back in 1999 with the release of his nocturnal debut single Horizons. Recorded during a summer break from university, the track instantly opened doors and a string of fizzy remixes for the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears and Depeche Mode followed.
In 2003 he founded Border Community, a label that has showcased his eccentric electronic tastes with genre-defining releases from peers Nathan Fake and Luke Abbott. Earlier this year, James released his sophomore album The Inheritors, a thrilling mix of English psychedelia and analogue experimentalism that has single-handedly redefined British dance music.
London duo Alpines burst onto the blogosphere back in 2011 with their Polydor-backed debut EP Night Drive, an impressive collection of fine-tuned icy pop. Elevated by Catherine Pockson and Bob Matthews’ dark songwriting and brooding production, they fast became the most sophisticated young hopefuls on the block.
However, a major label album was not to follow and Alpines parted ways with Polydor after two EPs. Since then they’ve collaborated with producer Maya Jane Coles, Sub Focus and new Kitsuné signing Citizens! We catch up with them to find out more…
What got you into making music?Bob: I’d played bass in a few indie bands but it was only when I started getting into production and I met Catherine that I figured out what I really wanted to do. I love playing in indie bands, that’s where I came from. But I’ve discovered that I’m more of a studio nerd than I first thought! It’s made me really happy.Catherine: I started writing songs on piano when I was 12 and gigging from when I was about 14 or 15. During my teens I wrote with a few people but when I met Bob it just clicked. We had a similar approach and aesthetic, and a similar drive for what we wanted to achieve.
Your sound is extremely crisp even though you make a lot of music in your bedroom. At what stage do you transfer your tracks to a professional studio?B: For some of the older stuff, back when we were with Polydor, we went into a traditional studio. We worked with a producer called Craig Silvey who’s so great. He’s done Arcade Fire, The Horrors - loads of amazing stuff. That was more of an old school way of doing it. But to be honest, these days you can get that nice clean sound at home. A lot of producers are doing it all in their bedrooms. As long as you don’t need to record live drums you’ll be ok. I really think things are changing - those big scary recording studios, which maybe were a barrier for some people to get music out, are no longer there.
Do you keep it all digital or do you like ‘pass some air’ through your music with found sounds or analogue kit? B: I think I forgot about all of that for a while and recently we’ve been doing it a lot more. It makes things sound so much more cool and tangible.
C: We’re really inspired by the latest Sampha EP; you can really hear his presence in the room on that recording. B: I think he’s probably just done that in a room in his parents’ house or whatever, but he’s made it sound real. It doesn’t sound like computers made it, and that ’s what we’re trying to do with our new stuff.
So how do you put a piece of yourself into a recording?B: It ’s really hard. Catherine came up with a couple of songs on the keyboard and she used a really nice organ sound. Sometimes when we put everything through the computer it sounds a bit lifeless so we went back to that keyboard and I used an iPhone to record Catherine playing in the room. We added that into the songs as another layer. Even though it sounds crap on its own, phone recording adds a really cool ambience to our stuff.
You’ve had a rollercoaster ride so far. How have your experiences with Polydor changed you?C: It ’s hard to know where to begin really. When we got signed we’d known each other for less than a year. It was a very fast process – we were still learning our craft. I think we’ve had a very exposed development, which I quite like. B: We made a conscious decision upon leaving the label to take a step back and think about what we were doing. We were thrown into that major label conveyor belt so early and we really felt we needed to get a record out quick. It ’s just the way the business works. But I think we were quite fortunate that we didn’t get to album release because we might have put out something
we weren’t happy with. Now we’ve really taken step back and our sound has evolved quite a lot. I think we’ve got a really good platform to go and do something really great with our debut album, even though it ’s taken us a lot longer than other artists in the same place as us. So yeah, it ’s been a bit of a rollercoaster.
How do you look back on those times?C: Positively, to be honest.B: We learnt so much. We were really green going into the whole system, and we’ve seen how it all works now. We’ve come out relatively unscathed compared to what could have happened. A lot of bands that went through what we did are completely destroyed. It’s made us really strong.C: We’ve learnt about the industry. You can be really cynical about it or you can take it as a lesson. We’re self-managed; we’re basically doing everything, keeping a cool team with us. On the side I’m also doing a lot of songwriting for other artists, just because I love it. A lot of people ask, ‘Surely the experience has dented your creativity?’ but I think we know we should be here because it hasn’t dented it at all. We’re still churning it out. I’m just really excited to get the album out, and I miss performing.
Alpines are published by EMI Music Publishing
www.alpinesmusic.com
sound effect
ALPINES
the first music i remember hearing was…My dad playing the piano - music was always around our house since before I was paying attention.
The first record I ever bought was…Embarassingly, Aerosmith’s terrible Get a Grip album. On cassette. I’d seen them on MTV at someone else’s house and thought Living on the Edge seemed pretty exciting.
The last great record I listened to was… I ended up listening to the whole of Franco Battiato’s Fetus LP while looking for tracks for a mix. That’s a great record, really perfect - great songs, great atmosphere and a wonderful interconnected feel throughout the whole thing.
The song I wish I’d written is… I used to think ‘I wish I’d written that’ so often - everything from Beethoven’s C#M Sonata to trance classic 1999 by Binary Finary - but I can’t remember the last time I thought that. I’ve come to accept that I couldn’t have written other people’s songs but I’m happy with the ones I’ve written myself.
The song that makes me want to dance is… Amadou Sangare’s l ’Histoire de Moussa Tchefari Pere de Sabali. This is something I found from Mali - a guy telling a story over one hour of the same perfect bass drum and ngoni (stringed instrument) groove. It’s a really a perfect record. The song that makes me cry is… The Beach Boys’ Til I Die. The song that I know all the words to is… I think there are no songs I know all the words to! I’m not very word-orientated. Ah actually, I know one: Rhythm is a Dancer by Snap. That line about ‘serious as cancer’ really stuck with me. The song I want played at my funeral is…As a DJ, constantly having to choose music for other people, I am looking forward to being released from that obligation! I will be dead and gone and the music played won’t concern me.
jamesholden.org
m49_september 2013_3332_september 2013_m49
sixty seconds
making music
Read the full Alpines interview online
m-magazine.co.uk
For the full interview and to hear some of James’ choices visitm-magazine.co.uk
I’m pretty sure this picture was taken at the Saville Theatre, London, on 27 August 1967. At the time Jimi and I were stable mates at Track Records, but we hadn’t yet become the friends that we would later.
On that particular night the record label had put on a bash for us in between the performances. All of the Jimi Hendrix Experience were there, along with various others from the bill including Tomorrow, Georgie Fame, Eric Burdon and The Animals, Denny Laine’s Electric String Band and Dantalion’s Chariot. It was a very wonderful time and of course there was a lot of naughtiness and misbehaviour going on. This photo is a precursor to all of that.
Jimi and I hit it off straight away when we met. You can really see the spirit in this picture – there was something magical between us. We were both people who loved performing and we were enjoying the openness of the times. Lots of musicians came together to play in the sixties then and the audiences loved it. For instance, I remember doing an incredible jam with Frank
Zappa and John Lee Hooker – it’s just how it was then. Suddenly you’re on stage with your heroes!
As our friendship progressed, I got to sing and jam with Jimi at various clubs and festivals in the UK and US. Our understanding of each other began to grow. We even began to work on a band together but, sadly, it never quite happened.
By the summer of ‘68 we were both high in the charts at the same time – himself with the Experience and me with The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - and were booked for lots of American appearances.
Once I sang with him at The Scene Club in New York and I remember someone coming up afterwards and saying, ‘Wow! A festival of joy!’
When we played together his energy took us both into a very positive place - he was very inspirational. We all know about his rock capacity, but he also had a great capacity for freeform music. That opened up a lot of other musicians who were on stage with him.
Jimi was very unselfish musically and never tried to dominate you. The energy was so high that our music would get carried into a different dimension without him ever having to push or direct. I think some of it was down to his charisma. Men respected him because of his musical ability but the ladies just loved him. There was a point where he could’ve done absolutely anything he wanted to.
Singer, songwriter and outlandish performer Arthur Brown is best known for his 1968 number one hit Fire – a song that defined the first great epoch of experimental pop. During the late sixties and early seventies his group, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, graced festival stages across America, playing alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, The Soft Machine and Pink Floyd.
This year Arthur has been working on new material, using crowd-funding platform PledgeMusic to raise the funds to release an album entitled Zim Zam Zim.
arthur-brown.com
Arthur Brown and Jimi Hendrix
got a photo to share and a story to tell? [email protected]
34_september 2013_m49
making musicpicture this
Do you have a musical memory and photo you'd like to share?Email [email protected]
Read the full interview with Arthur Brown
m-magazine.co.uk
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I moved to NYC when I was 23to “make it big” in the musicbusiness. I ended up living in ashoebox-sized apartment withbroken windows and cockroachesall over the place. Not quite asglamorous as the movies make it outto be. I was frustrated and deflated.
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AG230X300color–Mmag:SR230X300color–Mmag 4/1/10 5:02 AM Page 1
Angel R e c o r d i n g s t u d i o s
Adele • Cliff Masterson • Richard Hartley • David Arnold Biff Stannard • Debbie Wiseman • Labrinth • Steve Sidwell Craig Armstrong • Emeli Sandé • Simon Hale • Eric Clapton George Fenton • Anne Dudley • John Yapp • Nigel Wright Dominik Scherrer • Marius de Vries • Angelo BadalamentiMichael Nyman • Steve Power • Steve Lipson • Nick Ingman Nitin Sawhney Nitin Sawhney • Chris Walden • Trevor Horn • Graham Stack Elbow • Guy Barker • Frazer T. Smith • Rachel Portman
Part of the de Wolfe Music group
[email protected] www.angelstudios.co.uk
Angel.indd 1 27/11/2012 09:39M47 OBC.indd 3 08/03/2013 11:39:47