Industrial Strength: March 6

AMAZON SAYS PRIME MUSIC STILL COMING MID-2018

Amazon, which launched in Australia last December, has issued a statement to repeat that Prime subscription service – which includes it’s Prime Music streaming platform which is included in the package for free – is still on target to launch in Australia in mid-2018.

Rival retailers say that this is the way Amazon operates when entering a new market – surely and slowly, picking up data from customers on what they want.

Many say that the media frenzy around its launch, stating that the US retailerwas going to devastate its Australian rivals, proved idiotic.

They point to how JB Hi-Fi’s profit jumped 21% in the first half of the financial year.

For music consumers, its arrival should mean greater choice and lower prices.

While Aussies are sitting around for the launch, impatiently drumming their fingers, Prime Music last week launched in India.

The Indian version, with Alexa integration, comes in 12 languages and teamed up with local labels to provide Bollywood and regional movie soundtracks.

Already providing music streaming in India are Gaana, Saavn, Wynk Music, Apple Music, Google Play Music and Hungama.

It was stiff cheddar for Amazon. In the same week it clicked on in India, local service Gaana raised $115 million from Times Internet and China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd.

Now 60 million active users a month, the seven-year-old service will use that money to invest in technology to use artificial intelligence (AI) for personalising music experiences, to develop its subscription product for paying users, and develop aligned music experiences.

SHOCK SURPRISE! ANOTHER SHEERAN CHART MILESTONE IN UK

The Official Charts Company revealed Ed Sheeran has set a new chart milestone in the UK.

He’s the first artistthere to have three different album releases each spend an entire year in the Top 10.

÷ (Divide) has now spent 52 weeks, + (Plus) 56 aggregate weeks and X (Multiply) 98, the latest of them last week after it returned to #10 from #13.

Before this achievement, the only acts to spend a year in the UK top ten twice were The Beatles, with Please Please Me and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Simon & Garfunkel, with Bridge Over Troubled Water and Greatest Hits.

As reported in TMN yesterday, ÷ (Divide) was also was the biggest-selling entertainment title in the UK last year, according to the Entertainment Retailers’ Association.

It’s UK sales of 2,702,839 saw it outsell any other music, video or games title in 2017.

In Australia, as Sheeranmania swept the country this week, ÷ was holding on in the ARIA chart at #3, while x was up two to #8 and + pole-vaulted eight spots to #12.

LORDE REPRESENTS ANZ IN NICKELODEON AWARDS …

Australian is known for trying to claim New Zealanders as their own, but now it looks like Lorde will represent both countries at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.

The Favourite Global Music Star category also sees Lorde’s bestie Taylor Swift representing North America, Korean pop sensation BTS repping Asia, Black Coffee (Africa), Maluma (South America), The Vamps (United Kingdom) and Zara Larsson (Europe).

The awards ceremony – a take on what Nickelodeon viewers reckon are the biggest TV, movie and music acts of last year – is held on March 24 at The Forum in California.

…AND GETS A RUN THE JEWELS REMIX

Just before joiningLorde’s US tour with Tove Styrkeand Mitski, hip-hop duoRun The Jewels did a remix of ’Supercut’ from the New Zealandsinger’sMelodrama album.

It’s a slower more intense rendition, withEl-P and Killer Mike adding a couple of new verses.

Lorde trilled to fans: “I love it. So much. My little nerd heart is full.”

KYLIE, IMPALA HEADLINING O/S FESTIVALS

Kylie Minogue is headlining New York City’s Pride Island (June 23 and 24) on the Sunday, over DJs Grind, Ralphi Rosario and Corey Craig.

Tame Impala top the bill at UK’s Citadel Festival (July 15) above CHVRCHES, Leon Bridges and Fat White Family, among others, as well as Day One of Pitchfork Music Festival (July 20—22) in Chicago.

They’re also second on the list, under Pearl Jam, at Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival over Kasabian, Justice, Post Malone and Fleet Foxes. Thebillalso includes Gang of Youths.

Aussies announced for the final Warped festival, which kicks off 38 dates in June are The Amity Affliction, Tonight Alive, In Hearts Wake, Deez Nuts, Chase Atlantic and With Confidence.

CLASSICAL SHOP TO CLOSE

Faced with diminishing customers, Melbourne classical music retailer Thomas’ Music has announced it’s closing up after 96 years this month.

Owner Elisabeth Vodicka said: “In the face of online sales and streaming, and a dwindling retail environment, management have chosen to exit gracefully”.

Vodicka began working at the store in the mid-80s as a teenager.

Thomas’ Music opened in July 1922 as a piano, organ, phonograph and musical warehouse on the corner of Exhibition and Bourke Streets,

It moved to its current location at the Spring St end of Bourke St in 1994.

Among the customers who came to say goodbye was an 80-year old man who began coming there when he was 10.

UNIVERSAL BUYS AFRICAN LABEL

Universal has bought a majority (70%) stake in Kenyan label AI Records as the major increases its profile in Africa.

Founded in the 1950s, AI has one of the largest catalogues of East African music in the world and has on its roster local acts as Orchestra Super Mazembe and Afro 70.

TWENTY ONE PILOTS’ ‘BLURRYFACE’ MAKES US HISTORY

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that Twenty One Pilots’ current Blurryface (released in 2015) become the first album ever to have every one of its songs certified.

Aside from Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun’s obvious huge commercial appeal, the album pulled off this feat as RIAA has included streaming figures in its certifications.

Each of the tracks generated 60 million streams, as well as sales and radio play.

The last one to cross the 500,000 (gold) line was its 12thtrack ‘Hometown’.

The RIAA showed that the biggest track was ‘Stressed Out’ which went 7x Platinum (7 million), followed by ‘Ride’ (4x Platinum) and ‘Tear In My Heart’ (2x Platinum).

All the others picked up gold.

MELBOURNE COMPOSER PICKS UP OZCO AWARD

Melbourne composer Liza Lim has taken out the Australia Council Don Banks Music Award.

She was one of eight recipients of the national Australia Council awards, which covered experimental art, dance, community arts, literature and visual arts.

Lim’s work, which has been toured throughout Europe, reflects Australian Indigenous and Asian aesthetics and ritual, Sufi poetics and ecology.

The talented 51-year-old is currently Professor of Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she leads the ‘Composing Women’ program.

MACQUARIE RADIO DROPS LIFESTYLE FOR SPORTS

Macquarie Radio will dump it’s Talking Lifestyle on March 30 and go for a sports format.

Parent company Macquarie Media recently extended its radio broadcast agreement with the Australian Rugby League Commission for a further five years.

Talking Lifestyle was adopted in 2015 on 2UE Sydney and Melbourne (Magic), and then Brisbane a year later.

Not only was it pistol-whipped for being heavily advertorial (aka branded content) but ratings were dismal. In the last survey of 2017, Melbourne managed a 2.9% share.

The company revealed: “The ratings performance of these stations, particularly in Melbourne and Brisbane, has not met expectations in first half of FY18”.

NEW BLUESFEST TIX CAUSE FRONT ROW PAIN

Bluesfest’s decision to release an additional batch of $300 premium front row tickets for the Mojo and Crossroads stages has not gone down well with current ticket holders who now get moved back.

Byron Shire News checked with the NSW Fair Trading, which said they could complain under Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

“Consumers who purchased tickets on the understanding they would have front row or unimpeded access, or were not aware of the condition to purchase premium tickets in order to do so, may have recourse.”

But Bluesfest pointed BSN to its own ticketing terms and conditions, which says that it “reserve the right to add, withdraw, reschedule or substitute artists and/or vary advertised programs, prices, venues, seating arrangements and audience capacity”.

SPAIN RAPPERS JAILED OVER LYRICS

Two Spanish rappers have been jailed over their opinions.

Last Friday Pablo Hasel (aka Pablo Rivadulla) was sentenced to two years and fined 24,300 euros (over AU$38,000) for tweets and YouTube posts which praised terror groups, encouraging violence and making fun of police and other institutions.

This came on the heels of the jailing of 24-year-old Valtonyc (aka Josep Miquel Arenas Beltrán) for 3 and a half years for a number of issues including dissing the Spanish Royal Family (on ‘Tuerka Rap’ he crits its spending, foreign policy and close relationship with the Saudi royals) as well as “terrorism, slander and threats”.

In both instances, lawyers unsuccessfully argued that their words were protected by freedom of speech, and that hip-hop was by its nature meant to be provocative.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian court has sentenced local singer Sherine Abdel Wahab for six months for insulting the state. In the clip in question, the former judge on the local version of The Voicelaughingly advised a fan to drink Evian water rather than drink from the Nile River, hence suggesting the river was polluted.

MORE DATA NEEDED FOR MELBOURNE CENSUS

Music Victoria is requesting more data from musicians, venue operators and audience members to augment information collected on Saturday November 25 for the second Melbourne Live Music Census.

It was pulled together by Music Victoria, City of Melbourne, City of Yarra, City of Port Phillip and students from COLLARTS and RMIT.

The data collectors only managed 350 venues out of 460, hence the extra info needed at theMusic Victoria website.

The results of the Census will provide the hard facts to be used to motivate government and councils to support the live music industry.

These will also be presented at the international Music Cities conference in Melbourne on April 19 and 20, to discuss and provide a global spotlight on Melbourne’s scene.

The University of Edinburgh in Scotland did its own music census – and admits it took the idea from Melbourne.

GRANT FOR QUEENSLAND MUSIC HISTORY

Applications are now open until March 21 for State Library of Queensland’s 2018 Letty Katts Award, which supports the research and documenting of Queensland’s music history.

The initiative gives a musician, composer, scholar or researcher the opportunity to study, experiment and explore new thinking in theirchosen area, leading to the creation of new knowledge or work/s inspired by Queensland’s music history.

The recipient will receive a stipend of $5,000.

YOU KEEP KNOCKING BUT YOU CAN’T COME IN

New West Australian liquor laws will make it tough for anti-social idiots wanting to go clubbing.

Previously the law only meant they could be banned if they acted up inside a venue, but now they can also be their marching orders for being pests on the street or footpath outside, while waiting in a queue, or in a nearby carpark or alley.

A barring order could extend to just one club, or a host of clubs in the area, or all the licensed venues in WA, for a year.

Those who break the ban face a $10,000 fine.

Venue staff and bouncer now get more powers to throw out a troublemaker. Anyone who refuses to leave now cops a $5,000 fine, up from $2,000.

WINNERS AT PEDESTRIAN TV’S INAUGURAL PEZZYS …

Winners of Pedestrian TV’s inaugural Pezzys celebrating pop culture’s finest moments in 2017, were announced at a gala event in Sydney.

Winners were the return of the Lansdowne Hotel (food), the first season of AFLW with thousands coming out in support of the AFL’s women’s teams (sports), Triple j officially shifted the date of the Hottest 100 from January 26 (music), Bag Raiders’ 2009 gem ‘Shooting Stars’ meming its way into the feed (internet), Sally Rugg’s work for marriage equality for Aussies (‘Strayan of the Year), Sophie Monk for being the greatest Bachelorette of all time (film/TV), Afterpay’s massive growth (boss) and Katherine Langford’s Golden Globe nod for 13 Reasons Why (breakthrough talent).

As a matter of interest, finalists in the Music section included the open letter by Aussie women in the music industry calling out sexual misconduct in the sector; the achievements of Gang of Youths, Camp Cope calling out Falls Festival for lack of lineup equality, and Client Liaison bringing out Tina Arena at Splendour In The Grass for their collaboration on ‘Sorrento Moon’.

…WHILE ZIMRII MUSIC WINS COOL AWARD

Sydney-based Zimrii Music was dubbed one of Australia’s coolest companies in the Cool Company Awards.

They have been running since 2006 by digital business publication Anthill (AnthillOnline.com) “to recognise Australian companies that are doing things differently to bring about positive change.”

Zimrii Musicis an innovative music platform, built in 2016 using Blockchain to drive greater success for independent musicians and provide the mechanism for fans to see them live and support their artists in innovative ways.

Over 700 companies were nominated, Anthill said.

ONE FINAL 2018 RUN FROM BUSBY MAROU

Busby Marou aredevoting most of 2018 to writing and recording their fourth studio album, due for release in 2019.

But before that, they’re doing 13 shows along the East Coast.

It kicks off on Thursday May 10 at the Mt. Pleasant Hotel in Mackay, and winds up on Saturday June 2 at the Spotted Cow in Toowoomba.

BAT OUT OF HELL

Attendees of last month’s Escape Music Festival who may have come into contact with a bat near the women’s restrooms are advised by the Metro South Public Health Unit that they might have picked up infection called Australian Bat Lyssavirus.

Phone (07) 3176 4000 urgently, as three Queenslanders have died from it since 1996, with the last reported in February 2013.

DOING BUSINESS WITH LATIN AMERICA

Victorian music businesses wanting more tips on doing business with Latin America have the chance today (Tuesday March 6).

“With one of the youngest demographics in the world, a keen interest in music and strong connections with Australia, Latin America is a market of the future and this is an opportunity not to be missed,” goes the blurb.

The delegates are LPA founder Cesar Rosas, Deezer Latin America’s Henrique Fares Leite, Popload founder Paola Wescher, Fauna Prodicciones’ Pia Sotormayor and Ibero America – PIAS’s Roberta Guimarales.

The event is coordinated by Creative Victoria, Sounds Australia and Music Victoria.

For more information aboutdoing business with Latin Americaor about the Victorian Invitation Program, go to theTrade VIC website.

Head to theSounds Australia website for more information.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS …

Nick Cave is teasing the possibility of hitting the road with a concept which will see him communicate “directly to people in a more personal way”. He adds: “The idea of an open dialogue with them seems a worthwhile thing to explore. Perhaps we might try and set up a series of events that are dialogues or conversations or something. Let things flow a little.”

Foxtel is holding a pow-wow with Netflix and Stan about a content bundle offering.

A Sydney dance company which called itself Bey Dance and used only Beyonce’s music, has changed format after getting a cease and desist from Queen Bey’s lawyers. We understand it’s a tribute, the legal eagles said, but she wants to protect her brand.

During the second of her Perth shows with Ed Sheeran, Missy Higgins revealed to the 60,000 roaring crowd that she’s expecting her second child.

In the meantime, Perth entertainment journalist Linda Parri (of the Confidential column of the Sunday Times) and her musician partner Daren Reid of Daren Reid & the Soul City Groove, are proud parents to a son, James.

A bartender at an Adelaide nightspot faces court next month accused of stealing $30,000 from the venue.

Production on the Kiwi musical movie Daffodils(which we told you about last week), in which Kimbra makes her acting debut, was affected by Cyclone Gita. Cast and crew planning to fly from Wellington to Hamilton had to quickly find a bus as all planes were grounded as Gita went berko.

In the meantime, a huge storm that hit Darwin also cancelled Jessica Mauboy’s free concert at the waterfront as part of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games baton relay. As the heavens opened up at show time at 4.40 pm, organisers planned to pull the plug. But Mauboy insisted, and went on an hour later.

New Jersey-based SZA’s CTRL faced endless delays before getting a release – and failed to get any of her five nominations at the Grammys – but it’s now certified platinum in the US for sales of 1 million.

Ben Bennett, who played the original Johnny in Green Day’s American Idiot when it premiered in Australia with a Brisbane-only run in early 2017, has now returned to take over the role after his predecessor got the heave-ho for apparent bad behaviour. Bennett plays in Melbourne until March 11 and then heads to Brisbane and Darwin with the show.’

Kasabian delivered their loudest set yet. During the Global Awards they ploughed into an exuberant version of ‘Fire’, so dynamic that it actually burst a wine glass. It was filmed and loaded online.

Former X Factor Australia host Darren McMullan currently has a gig in the US hosting sports show NFL Football Fanatic. But he’s dropping huge hints that he wants to host breakfast on Australian radio, and take on KIIS FM’s Kyle Sandilands whom he described as “toxic” on air.