YOU TUBE - IN THE MONEY 

I wrote some while ago that Google's You Tube service was due to launch a subscription service before the year's end. You will recall that the whole idea created much ire with the record labels - particularly the independents - who complained bitterly of You Tube's miserly fees for the honour of streaming their songs. You Tube have had to delay the launch of the service as a result, although it has now reached amicable agreements with what it says are "hundreds of labels worldwide". This should remove Google's implied threat to remove and block You Tube postings from labels who didn't sign-up with them.

And today, You Tube has confirmed that it's All Systems Go. It seems that some sort of compromise deal has been thrashed out to address the labels' worries about the fees being offered. Apparently, the more plays that a You Tube video gets, then the label is able to gain a larger proportion of the subscription pool available. Quite how this works and what the difference is from simply making micro-payments for each play remains a mystery for now.

You Tube - Music Key

The monthly subscription to what is being called Music Key has been set at £9.99 and will initially be available on the Android operating system. Apple will follow shortly, although there is no mention at this stage of extending the service beyond phones and tablets to PCs. What does a subscriber get for their money? Users can stream ad-free videos and also download them for off-line use. Whole albums will be available and a unique service - for now - is that the Music Key also provides live concert recordings and other "unreleased rarities". Google's existing Play All Access is included too. The development is clearly a major challenge to establish streaming services such as Spotify and Beats Music and it will be very interesting indeed to see what sort of take-up it achieves. You Tube has the advantage that it is already the "Go To" source for much new music anyway, but whether music fans choose to subscribe in their droves remains to be seen.

You Tube's "Music Key" - Play Whole Albums - and no ads

Google hopes that by enabling the audio content to continue playing even when users switch to other programs, they'll be offering the flexibility of (say) Spotify with the bonus of video content as and when a user chooses. Digital habits are sometimes difficult to change and I'm sure I'll be returning to this theme in the near future. 

As for the launch itself, over the next six month, an increasing number of beta users will be invited to sign up to Music Key. As their experiences enable Google to fine-tune their service, the paid-for facility will be rolled out to potential customers in the UK, USA and  a selection of European countries.

Alan Dorey

13th November 2014  

   

MERCURY PRIZE 2014 - YOUNG FATHERS WIN 

Well that was a turn up for the books.

A hip-hop trio from Scotland won this year's Mercury Prize with their album Dead, an album that sold barely 2,500 copies in the first few months after its release back in the early spring of this year. They are Young Fathers and were considered to be outsiders in the Awards Ceremony held on Thursday at Camden's Round House in London. The bookies' favourites were Royal Blood, FKA Twigs and Kate Tempest, but the £20,000 prize - modest though that be - goes to an intriguing choice. The big benefit to Young Fathers will be the added sales that this success will generate. One of the other bands - Royal Blood - reckoned that in the month or so between appearing on the short list and the ceremony itself, they sold some 60,000 albums. Young Fathers should be able to sell considerably more than that - and also get a touring boost too. 

Young Fathers

Alan Dorey/30th October 2014  

LISTEN AGAIN! 

Most readers on here will know that I host a long-running weekly radio show - The Musical Box. It's packed full with all manner of music - songs old, new, borrowed and blues pretty much sums up the show's ethos. The focus is on music and artists you may not hear on daytime shows - and the promotion of fine new acts who may not get a look in otherwise. This is all leavened with a sprinkling of well known names and musical news and features.

Interested?

Well - it occurred to me that I really ought to put a link on this blog to the latest edition just so that the *curious* amongst you out there can try it out. It's available whenever and where ever you happen to be - you just need internet access.

And if it's your kind of thing, just click the *follow* button on the mixcloud link above - and well, each fresh edition will come your way on a weekly basis. Can't say fairer than that.

Have fun now.

Alan Dorey/24th October 2014

MUSIC ALIVE WITH OXJAM 

In recent years two trends have taken hold. Firstly, Oxfam have realised that there's money to be raised for its charitable work through the medium of music. Secondly, bands and artists have been met with real challenges in finding decent venues in which to play. Mix the two together and a mutually beneficial outcome is the result - that result being Oxjam.

Oxjam started life in 2006 with the aim of "creating a network of music-loving people across the UK, all united by a shared goal - to raise money to fight poverty and suffering around the world". Oxjam events have been organised up and down the country, usually in October each year and often in the form of a Takeover. A Takeover is just that - a suitable town or city is "taken over" for a couple of days and as many venues and bands as possible unite to support the charitable work. It's also a massive celebration of local music and increases the profile not only of Oxfam, but also the musicians and those vital venues.

Oxjam - Read All About It

Run by thousands of volunteers, the artists themselves play for free - and all entry fees go straight to Oxfam The venues generate interest- and often, larger crowds than they'd usually get - whilst the artists themselves have a chance to promote their music. My local town of Bournemouth has been a keen and active supporter of Oxjam- and this year's event (18th/19th October) was no exception. Several key venues were "taken over" and a wonderful and eclectic mix of local and regional artists took part. Each venue offered individual entry charges (passing to Oxjam) - or, better still, there was a multi-venue pass thus enabling the keener music enthusiast to "do the rounds". 

Read: Oxjam 2014 Bournemouth - Line Up

A number of acts came from further afield - some from London and an enterprising folk-duo pitched up from Falmouth down in Cornwall. The vibe created by the event was quite something and having the chance of seeing a roster of bands at each venue made for a varied and fascinating time. It's a little invidious to single out just one venue, but despite some fine bands such as Xander & The Keys and Empire Affair being on at 60 Million Postcards and Galahad on at Chaplins, it was The Winchester that attracted me. It's a fine old pub with a large stage area, a tall vaulted ceiling and plenty of audience space. The lighting and ambience was fine - although, sadly, the house sound and mixing desk did leave a bit to be desired at times. Top act had to be Saturday Sun, a Swanage based rock band who are on the verge of a major breakthrough. I've seen them a few times now - and played them on my show - and it's quite clear that they will be a major talent. There's an element of Radiohead about their music, although I must say that (whisper it quietly), I much prefer them. They have the knack of moving in a single song from acoustic guitar to full-on electric power and keyboards - and still make it all work. Lead singer Alex Hedley has real stage presence and his vocals weave amazing shapes and sounds that pull everything together.   

The Winchester

Chaplins Cellar Bar

Galahad - Played At Chaplins
New EP "Mein Herz Brennt" - out now.

First on at The Winchester was Johnny Lucas, a fine singer-songwriter from London. His songs have a rare quality about them that mixes quirky humour with real pop appeal. Making use of recorded loops and effects, his solo guitar turned into a full band sound and perfectly created the quality of his studio work as exemplified on his recent EP, "You Can Start Anywhere". Here's the opening number from that EP, Lilo:

Listen: Johnny Lucas - Lilo

Johnny Lucas at The Winchester

Jack Grace

Next up was Jack Grace, based down here in Dorset - and once through some terrible sound problems and delays in setting up (nothing to do with him, I must add), his thoughtful songs and lyrics were well received. He's got a new EP coming out next month and here's the first single from it, "The Unknown":

Listen: Jack Grace - The Unknown     

The third act was the folk duo from Falmouth - Gareth Lee and Annie Bayliss. Guitarist Gareth was based in Dorset for some years, moved to Cornwall and formed an indie band and then, at the tail-end of last year, teamed up with singer and violinist Annie to form the new duo. One EP (A Little Light) was released earlier in the year - and a couple of numbers played from it - and their second, the first to feature writing credits from the two of them - is "in the works". Their song-craft certainly shone through and their set went down very well indeed. Here's a song from that debut EP, Susie:

Listen: Gareth Lee & Annie Bayliss - Susie

Gareth Lee (Guitar) and Annie Bayliss (Violin) at The Winchester

Which brings us back to Saturday Sun.

Their wonderful debut album Orixe was released in 2012 and several numbers featured in their set - and, one hopes, a follow-up can't be too far away.Here's a great number from that debut album, "Borderline":

Listen: Saturday Sun - Borderline   

Saturday Sun - at The Winchester

Alex Hedley - Lead singer with Saturday Sun -
at The Winchester

I can't pretend that Oxjam alone will galvanise all our musical venues in your nearest town or city, but it's playing its part. Here in Bournemouth, there's been much debate about the decline of good venues, the low rates of pay for artists and the growth of Open Mics at the expense of paid gigs. I take a rather holistic view - there's room for all manner of activities and if we look back to the "good old days", they probably weren't as good as we prefer to remember them.Too much of any one type of gig or event may be detrimental, but my feeling - gained from being out and about these past few months - is that, actually, the musical scene is very much alive. There may not be too many gigs that are bursting at the seams, but despite everything that's happened in the music business, the acts are still there, the music being produced is of good quality - and I remain eternally hopeful.

See you at Oxjam in 2015?

Alan Dorey/21st October 2014      

PARODY AND MASH, ANYONE? 

October 1st sees a significant change in legislation here in the UK that will allow the parodying of copyright works. 

Prior to this, the copyright owner could take legal action against, for example, use of a musical or cinematic clip without permission. In practice, this rarely happened, but with the explosion of creativity and distribution that the internet has fuelled, parody has become a widespread activity that is difficult to police. Some musicians took parody to a very high level indeed - such as Weird Al Yankovic who has built his career out of it. Even he, though, has taken care with some of his works to ensure that they're not too close to the original. Others - comic and songwriter Neil Innes for example - have fallen foul of litigious copyright owners. Innes was a member of The Rutles, a Beatles parody band which had the blessing of band members themselves but not ATV Music, owner of many of the song publishing rights. Indeed, one song from the original 1978 TV special "All You Need Is Cash" was deemed to be too close to its inspiration and thus Get Up And Go ("Get Back") was omitted from the subsequent vinyl soundtrack release. 

You Tube Clip: The Rutles - Get Up And Go

Weird Al Yankovic
(Not Michael Jackson)

The Rutles - Get Up And Go

The new legislation - derived from the European Copyright Directive - will allow the use of parody material provided that "it is fair and does not compete with the original version". This will inevitably lead to the odd sight of the courts - and in particular, judges - deciding upon whether or not a song meets those requirements. In practical terms, this change should benefit the huge range of gifted amateurs who produce a myriad of parodies as well as those who turn their creativity to song "mash-ups". A mash-up is usually the splicing together of elements from two separate songs which then produces a "new" entity which retains the spirit of the originals, but also adds something new. TV shows and movies tend to be the principle inspirations for these works - just check out any cult TV series on You Tube and you'll see what I mean - but there are a handful of rather special practitioners. 

One such is Cassette Boy who has built up a huge on-line cult following for his TV-show and musical mash-ups. His careful editing and jump-cuts are almost a work of genius and yet even he has found major difficulties with posting the end-results on-line. He has complained that he has a minefield of legal issues to negotiate sometimes and told the BBC that sometimes it's like "being a painter in a country where paint is illegal".   

You Tube Clip: Cassette Boy Versus The News   

Perhaps the best known of recent musical parodies has been Bart Baker's "homage" to the 2013 Miley Cyrus song (and video) Wrecking Ball. If this had come to court in the UK under the new legislation, what would our judiciary have made of it? Perhaps you might think that they'd be more than familiar with such visual and aural content, although of course, I couldn't possibly comment.

You Tube Clip: Bart Baker - Wrecking Ball Parody

Radio 1's Greg James -
Wrecking Ball Parody

Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball

Over fifty-two million hits and counting - and that degree of traffic illustrates the impossibility of containing the parody genie in the legal bottle for much longer. It'll be a fascinating few months as creative types get to grips with the legislative change and with luck, we'll see further clever and witty mash-ups abound across our smart phones and iPads.

Alan Dorey

30th September 2014

      

ONE NIGHT WITH NICK CAVE

Nick Cave must be the most famous Australian living in Brighton: certainly the most famous antipodean musician and writer - and in a fascinating new documentary, 20,000 Days On Earth, both Cave and the Sussex city get plenty of air time.

In fact, the documentary probably isn't one in the strictest sense of the word, but it is an award-winning film made by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard that provides a tantalising look at the life and works of Nick Cave, front man of The Bad Seeds and much more besides. Released a couple of weeks ago, the directors candidly say that they hadn't intended creating this docu-drama. They'd worked with Cave previously on short video shoots and what started out as an invitation to film footage of his latest album project soon turned into a feature-length work. Whilst it's packed with some excellent set-ups which illuminate the creative process - from song-writing to laying down tracks in the studio - it also takes a refreshing approach to the character of the man himself. Several sequences are fictional, but they reveal elements of Nick Cave's motivations and there's no doubt that his erudite and thoughtful responses add much to the joy of the film.

Part of the viewing experience is being drawn into these fictional pieces. Thus an encounter with a psychiatrist - in reality an actor - draws out some fine dialogue and reveals Cave's thoughts on (for example) his childhood and relationship with his father. It's clear that Cave has added much to the writing of the film and a series of linking sequences allow him the chance to frame much of the narrative direction of the work. He's also made good use of The Bad Seeds themselves, particularly Warren Ellis who comes across as a combination of gracefully ageing hippy and the sort of cool teacher that you'd wish you'd had at school. Sequences shot at his cliff-top home where he and Cave exchange ideas - and Cave diplomatically refuses a stew made out of eels - give a good grounding to much of the rest of the work.

Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard

Cabbie Cave and Kylie

Some pieces work well.There's a clever device that's used to introduce people from Cave's past: Cave drives his car around the streets of Brighton, the gloomy, rainy city that he grumbles about but clearly loves, and acts as confessional cabbie to such as Ray Winstone and Kylie Minogue. Each unscripted sequence was simply a twenty minute straight shoot, the camera mounted on the dashboard showing Cave asking his passenger questions. In other hands, this could have been trite and artificial, but somehow, there's a touch of magic and they are delightful vignettes that add so much to the film. 

I'm not so sure of some of the early concert footage: I can understand why it's there, providing context and a sense of history, but although it's not overdone, it did take me away from the feel and conceit of the work. However, that is a minor issue - and all is more than redeemed by a wonderful and almost elegiac closing sequence, a shot of Cave standing on Brighton's shingle beach at night. The camera slowly pans back from Cave and out to sea, a single steady slow and aerial move that reveals the motionless Cave and the houses and hotels, lights winking in the windows, gradually coming into view. It is simply stunning.

Edith Bowman (left) interviewing Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and Barry Adamson
at The Barbican, 17th September 2014

I was fortunate to see the film on the day of release and it was enhanced by a live feed from London's Barbican Centre where Nick Cave and several participants were interviewed on stage about the making of the film. BBC Radio's Edith Bowman acted as host and whilst her ability to handle the televisual aspects of the role aren't in doubt, she was an odd choice to interview Cave. Her questions and interjections were quite shallow, but fortunately, the set-up succeeded - and it gave Cave the chance to play a number of his piano ballads live on stage. 

And very wonderful they were too.

Nick Cave - Piano Ballads

And the title of the film? 

I did spend a few minutes just before the start working out how old Nick Cave was - and my mental arithmetic eventually came to an answer somewhere between 54 and 55. It was perhaps fitting that this semi-fictional work was released a week before he turned 57. 

Alan Dorey

18th September 2014

     

SQUEEZING OUT THE SALES 

Sometimes the stars are all aligned and new patterns emerge. And in musical terms, it's happened this week with several new announcements. 

The announcements - in their various ways - are all about selling albums, be they downloads or physical copies. We shouldn't be surprised at this time of year. The retail festive season starts earlier and earlier these days and record companies do all they can to take advantage of it. In years gone by, album releases might see a handful of Greatest Hits packages emerge and the occasional festive song. Today, that simply won't do - and big financial muscle is needed as complex marketing campaigns abound. Through a combination of viral marketing, clever product placement and lavish (and traditional) advertising campaigns, it's the big acts who will reap the benefits as the consumer, well, consumes. 

California - September 9th - Apple Launch the complete new U2
album to all 500m iTunes customers - for free.

And they probably don't come much bigger or more ambitious than U2's new album launch. The album "Songs Of Innocence" - their first in four years - was a massive secret and formed part of Apple's worldwide launch of its latest iPhones and new smart watch in California on September 9th. More than that, as Apple CEO Tim Cook made clear, it was going to be provided free of charge to all of Apple's iTunes account holders - some 500 million people. That's half a billion albums, one distributed directly into every iTunes account holder's library. Free. Without charge. Gratis. Zip. And I checked - and yes, there it was - including digital sleeve notes, all sitting in my purchased folder and ready for downloading. It's available to download for free until next month when the physical copies are made available: download for free - and you can keep it. 

U2 - Songs Of Innocence released in its digital format for free

The questions are big and many.

Radiohead
In Rainbows - Free download in 2007

Will anyone want to buy the physical copy? My guess, is yes, people will if previous history is anything to go by. There have been previous free releases of albums - Radiohead did it back in October 2007 when they released In Rainbows as a free download. Four months later, the CD and vinyl copies appeared and hey, guess what? They went to number one in both the UK and USA. A lesser known free download was from Manchester band The Charlatans. In the spring of 2008, they teamed up with radio station XFM to enable their new album - You Cross My Path - to be downloaded free via the XFM website. It too had a physical release a couple of months later and sold well.

The Charlatans - You Cross My Path
Downloadable for free via XFM Radio

What's the cost? In distribution terms, it's minimal - whether it goes out to one iTunes customer or the whole lot, there isn't much extra effort involved. In production costs, it's minimal - and it does act as a free ad, albeit one that runs to eleven complete tracks. There will be costs in terms of customer feedback - indeed, whilst many people have welcomed the initiative (and of course, new music for free), there have been a wide range of criticisms across social media. Some iTunes users resent having their library "invaded" by something they didn't request (there is a delete button), others are a little sniffy about the band themselves - whilst a few have complained that the songs are a bit, well, old hat. 

Will other artists follow suit? Undoubtedly - this blog has explored several times the changing financial dynamics of the music business and in many cases, producing and selling albums is rarely a way to earn a fortune in the 21st century. But if a tie-up could be arranged with an appropriate label or distributor or high-tech business, then the *free* music would act as an enticement for tours, merchandise, de-luxe physical copies and so forth. And if it's a big enough band, the rewards could be huge. Touring is no more just a case of pitching up in some arena and bashing out the new songs. Tickets bring in large sums, especially if they bring in "exclusive" benefits such as a band meet-and-greets, limited edition merchandise, pick-of-the-venue seating, VIP treatment throughout the gig and so on.

David Bowie - "Nothing Has Changed" - Deluxe Greatest
Hits package - including brand new song

The other big announcement - big if you're a David Bowie fan - was the imminent release of a new album, albeit a Greatest Hits package called Nothing Has Changed. In itself, that's nothing too exciting - there have been several Bowie Best Ofs in the past - but this one promises to be a genuine career-spanning 50 year trawl through the entire back catalogue. It starts with his very first single in 1964 (Liza Jane as by Davie Jones and The King Bees) and runs right through to 2014 with a brand new song, the 8-minute long epic "Sue (Or A Season In Crime)" recorded recently with long-time producer, Tony Visconti. It may only be one new song - but Bowie's "worth" is still on a high from his surprise release in January last year of The Next Day, his first new studio album in ten years. That song - and indeed another new number which will only appear on the B-side of a special vinyl 10" release - was enough to get the blogosphere, twittersphere and all the other spheres a-buzz with positive vibes. 

Bowie Greatest Hits 2014?

And, it exemplified the current approach to artists compilations: cover their whole career (easier today as most record labels have been swallowed up into the Big Three global companies and rights are easier to acquire), provide enticing new content, and ensure that it comes in a bewildering array of collectible packages. Oh - and always appeal to the monied collector as much as the enthusiastic fan. Ordinary Greatest Hits (or Best Ofs if a more album-orientated band) are pretty passe these days - the time when Queen could release three volumes of Greatest Hits and sell millions are probably long gone as fans can pick and choose what they want on-line.

Queen - The triple-CD edition bringing together all
three Greatest Hits volumes. Sold zillions. 

   

And whilst all this was going on, another 1970s behemoth, Led Zeppelin, released the latest brace of their "expanded" editions of their classic albums. With input from Jimmy Page, the two albums - Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy - have been remastered direct from the original tapes, there are several out-takes and unheard "alternative versions" of songs - and the whole shebang comes in an upmarket, deluxe set of packaging to appeal to collectors and those who may be wishing to buy them as an investment. This approach certainly brings the sales in - and often to fans who already have at least two versions of each album (vinyl and CD) as they seek to acquire all those extra songs. Me? I've heard a few of the alternative versions - and yes, they are interesting, but much as I respect Led Zeppelin, I can't imagine myself listening to them that much. I know the originals too well - and that's what is familiar and comfortable to me.

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV and Houses Of The Holy
All manner of packing variants and formats in 2014 re-issue programme

However, I have been known to crack on occasion. Deluxe packages and in-depth box sets have a certain cachet to them. A huge variety of music is safely available in one place. There are sleeve notes, mini-essays, rare songs, unheard songs, photo-albums and all manner of enticements - and if you really do love an artist, then the pennies have to be spent in order to underpin that love. And that's how I ended up in 2010 with the 19-CD Sandy Denny Box Set which covers every publicly available song she's performed on - and a wealth of other bits and pieces too. Even though much of it, I already have in other fragmented formats. It sold out too. 

Sandy Denny - The self-titled 19 CD Box Set release in 2010

So, although the stars may well be aligned this week, the portents are a bit mixed, I'd say. These musical announcements don't change the way we do things in themselves, but they do get people thinking. Ideas emerge and paradigm shifts occur. What I can say - as I have several times in recent months - is that it does suggest, once again, that the concept of a traditional album is living on borrowed time. Apple's digital gift of a whole U2 album is a bold move, but in some ways, it also devalues the idea of a collection of songs. We're already so used to free singles and preview songs - will we now expect bands - certainly the larger, established acts - to give us their latest album masterpiece for free?

Let's wait and see.

Alan Dorey

10th September 2014