Record of the Week Music Retail Survey Suggests Continued Importance of Ownership and Physical Formats
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issue 573 / 17 April 2014 TOP 5 MUST-READ ARTICLES record of the week Music retail survey suggests continued importance of ownership and physical formats. i wanna Feel (RotD) Secondcity Ministry Of sound/speakerbox Pono’s Kickstarter round May 25 closes with $6.2m raised. (Billboard) There’s no question whatsoever that 2014’s musical land- of Zane lowe’s Hottest records in The World at radio 1. A recent Cool Cuts No.1 and currently in shazam’s pre- Syco Entertainment house anthems dominating the top end of the singles chart. release Top 10, we’ve heard Annie Mac, Mistajam, skream CEO Charles Garland Here’s the next club classic in the making. secondcity has an and loads more falling over themselves to declare their love stepping down. (Billboard) element of mystery surrounding him but what we do know so for this tune and now the stage is set for this to be another far is that he was born in Chicago but moved to london at the Spotify expected to age of 12, hence his stage name. Already on board at radio where it’s likely to sit comfortably all summer long. Keep ‘em announce US carrier deal with upfront additions to their playlists are 1Xtra, Capital and coming. with Sprint. (Recode) Capital Xtra, Kiss and Kiss Fresh plus the track has been one See page 13 for contact details Sajid Javid named CONTENTS as Culture Secretary. (Guardian) P2 Comment: Pono P3 Wide Days report P8 TGE panels focus P3 Review: Wide Days P6 The Griswolds P9 Aurora P10 Sync of the Week Plus all the regulars worldwide sales including 6am, Word On, Business News, Media marketing and Watch and Chart Life distribution 1 comment david balfour questions whether pono is the right way forward for high quality audio Neil Young’s pono high resolution audio see many people warming to them or proudly project this week completed its funding round minimum standard. in fact, the only things displaying them as people they did the early a lot to like about concepts behind pono. if that really makes pono ‘new’ are the fact ipods. And isn’t the idea of portable hi-res there’s one thing we should have learnt as raised. Considering the original Kickstarter that its hi-res audio ecosystem centres on an audio kind of missing the point? should such an industry in recent years it’s that we need own-brand device. That, and the fact that Neil incredible sound quality not really be enjoyed to serve music fans with the products they massive demonstration of public demand for Young himself is respected by millions. in a specially designed environment with want. in certain cases, perhaps especially better quality, hi-res digital music services. There are a large number of ongoing minimum outside interference? classical and jazz, the advantages offered is the success of pono’s funding round arguments to be had about what constitutes We feel that the whole pono project is evidence of a valuable emerging new market ‘hi-res’ audio and whether the promised looking overhyped. Yes, there’s a demand for demand for them. As bandwidth increases improvements can actually be ascertained hi-res audio but does it really need its own and hardware costs continue to decline, we by the average human. Whilst no one would device? And does it really make sense to push suspect that hi-res audio will become a much that pono is not a particularly new concept doubt the inherent superiority of WAV/FlAC the quality level as high as 24 bit/192kHzAre more important market segment for the music audio encoding over Mp3, once one starts industry in coming years. Whilst we look to go further up the ‘quality’ spectrum, there noticeably inferior? (if you really want to forward to seeing the market grow, we’re not are strong arguments to suggest that people sure pono is offering anything as appealing or from many retailers for years already, whilst can’t actually tell the difference between of the issues around encoding quality, as useful as it aims to be. many other retailers already offer downloads the formats. What seems certain is that we recommend you watch this extremely What we do like to imagine is some kind thorough video explanation.) Further of future deluxe bundling offers which enable than the best hardware will lose many of its questions about pono remain unanswered, advantages before it even reaches the human most noticeably around the business model best possible way. We can see real appeal What cut will Pono ear. in this respect at least, the idea of pono of the company itself. For example: what cut being device-centred makes a certain amount will pono take on sales and how much will deluxe packaging with hi-res download code take on sales and how of sense – it adds another link in the chain be returned to artists? We feel that if it wasn’t included. if we can create future products much will be returned of ensuring a high quality audio experience. for Neil Young’s personal involvement, the which combine the best parts of the physical But have you seen reaction to the service would be a lot cooler and digital worlds in a new an enticing way, to artists? not pretty. iconic maybe, at a push. We can’t than it has been. customers should be happy to pay for them. 2 Review: Wide Days Harris brine reports from the rotd championed scottish music gathering held in edinburgh, 9-10 April J J A O nni hn D LAW CA OUGLAS hO n E y since and ALLy McCrae. Moreover, an extended This year saw the duo up the ante once announcement, made during the rock’n’roLl its Launch in 2010, when it Brought together famiLy of voLunteers, crew, venues and Long- again, with the addition of three paneLs equivaLent of an amBassador’s reception, standing partner organisations the Mu and focusing on Germany, and BerLin techno industry and quite a few from eLsewhere. it ppl, has enaBLed organisers OLaf Furniss duo schwefeLgeLB deftLy sLotted into the with the reeperBahn FestivaL, which wiLL see speaks for the event that the Likes of ppl’s programme, thanks to a partnership with scottish taLent form part of the HamBurg Keith Harris and The Orchard’s scott Cohen into a gathering which punches weLL-aBove the German ConsuLate - apparentLy signed event’s BiLL in septemBer. have attended every year, as have Local its weight in the increasingLy-crowded off with Less than a month to go. Not onLy There were severaL new eLements Luminaries such as the BBC’s Vic GaLLoway convention caLendar. did this Lead to a particuLarLy entertaining case study of HamBurg LaBeL AutioLith, where we found particuLarLy impressive and which founder lars lewerenz descriBed how he again highLighted the personaL touch from the organisers. They incLuded coLLection We found the decision to divide the in a russian toiLet, it aLso Boosted Wide from the airport for speakers and premium ticket holders [By lamBert’s recentLy-retired programme into one day focusing on live and and the internationaL business. father], a guided Bus tour conducted By the next on rights holders very productive. This was further underpinned with an Furniss and a stop-off in the vauLts of the continued 3 Review: Wide Days (cont) J J A O nni The Jellymans Daughter hn D CA OUGLAS hO n E y th century south Bridge for some food and the popuLar A&r You Brave enough? 2013 and gave an insight into the many promising acts with openers The JeLLyman’s an impromptu set from LocaL stars, Jamie session, where artists were invited to suBmit aspects invoLved in pLanning, designing, ’s Brand of ceLLo-Based acoustic & shoony. We aLso found the decision to tracks for feedBack. BuiLding and running a major venue. foLk-pop seemingLy attracting interest divide the programme into one day focusing some notaBLe highLights from the paneLs eLsewhere, practicaL taLks incLuding Meet from severaL promoters. Haunting soLo act on Live and the next on rights hoLders very and presentations incLuded a keynote The Gatekeepers, a presentation as varied lAW and indie-pop youngsters, Model productive. as getting stage Lighting right to how to AeropLanes, pLayed to a capacity audience. As in previous years, the suBjects of the Music Venue Trust, and a focus on handLe YouTuBe, managed to Be as reLevant News aLso reaches us that pLans are aLready managed to comBine conference veterans Glasgow’s new arena, The Hydro. she to seasoned practitioners as it did to the underway for German act schwefeLgeLB, to with a diverse range of younger, Less famiLiar students in the audience. return for a tour of scotLand. faces, avoiding the usuaL suspects and events there since it opened in septemBer The Live shows aLso highLighted some We are encouraged that this year’s deveLoping new speakers and moderators. Among our favourites were radio producer supervisor Vikram Gudi [eLephant Music], It speaks for the event that the likes accreditations aLmost tripLed on Last year. To Johnny ‘pictish TraiL’ lynch [lost Map us, this underpins the fact that it is possiBLe records], songwriter Gary CLark and of PPL’s Keith Harris and The Orchard’s to host a serious and reLevant music- journaList CLaire sawers, who deftLy chaired Scott Cohen have attended every year business convention weLL outside of london. 4 media mongrel pauL WiLLiams Left Music support. For just £45 you appearance Last week, channeL on Freeview Week Last week, and it was couLd own an original Lots of Love generaLLy from and sky.