Spotify Headline Sponsor of Music Week Awards
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01 08FEB Cover_v6_cover template 06/02/13 11:28 Page 1 06 9 776669 776136 THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC www.musicweek.com 08.02.13 £5.15 NEWS BIG INTERVIEW ANALYSIS 02 11 14 A troubled HMV is seeing a Kobalt’s Willard Ahdritz on why What the Q4 2012 radio boost in album sales after the future’s bright for music numbers tell us about the announcing its administration rightsholders – if they’re smart vital media industry Ministry: Save our club MUSIC GROUP ON ‘RED ALERT’ AS DECISION NEARS OVER LONDON HOUSING DEVELOPMENT LIVE about what the Mayor’s approval of the month, Ministry is for the development would mean preparing for the worst. “We I BY TOM PAKINKIS for the 22-year-old club. have to stay optimistic, we have “If it goes ahead as it stands, to hope that our appeals will be inistry of Sound Group this will end in our closing down heard and taken seriously,” M CEO Lohan Presencer and if you close down our club it Presencer told Music Week. “But has issued a rallying cry will impact our whole business,” we also have to assume that won’t to the UK music industry and a he said. “It will impact London necessarily be the case. So we’re last gasp plea to Mayor Boris and the 300,000 visitors on red alert over here and we’re Johnson in the face of a proposed that we bring to the capital pulling all the levers and housing development that could every year, it will impact the appealing to as many people as close the company’s iconic economy and the millions we possibly can to try and have London nightclub. of pounds in tax we our case heard properly.” Plans to build a 41-storey contribute every year and it Ministry of Sound has been residential tower block just 10 will absolutely impact our running social media campaigns metres from the front gate of the 200 employees and have to garner support for its cause Ministry of Sound venue were another devastating impact including a ‘SaveMoSClub’ first aired in 2009. The London on UK culture.” given us the right block complain about the noise Twitter and Facebook campaign club, from which a successful Presencer (pictured) said to become the coming from the venue, Ministry and petition, but now Presencer label spawned in 1995, fought that with more than 5,000 people voice of dance music, it’s given us could lose its licence and be is appealing to the UK music the application for two years visiting the venue every week, the the right to sell the tens of forced to close. industry to launch direct action. before a Southwark Council club was one of the most - “if not millions of albums that we’ve “We have found the developer “If [Music Week readers] are planning committee rejected the the most” - profitable nightclubs sold over the years and it’s given totally unresponsive, reluctant to influential music industry housing proposal unanimously in in the world and one that us the right to sign and develop deal with us and just utterly people, if they have an October 2011. provided around 20% of Ministry talent and have No.1 singles like convinced that the Mayor is going opportunity to get messages to Mayor of London Boris of Sound Group’s annual profit. we have at the moment.” to wave this through,” he said. the Mayor, we would encourage Johnson, however, has since “The financial impact would The proposed housing “Our appeal to the Mayor is, them to do so,” he said. “We recalled the planning application be significant but also, the club is development would leave open ‘Please put the process on hold, think it’s for all of our benefit; and is now due to decide why we’re here,” he explained. balconies and windows facing the encourage people to get around for the benefit of dance music, whether building can go ahead “It’s the reason we started and entrance, queue and smoking the table. Let’s see if there’s a way of the music industry in London on February 26. the focal point that’s given us the area of the Ministry of Sound to make this work for all parties.’” and for the music industry in Speaking to Music Week, right to do everything else that club. Presencer is concerned that, But with Boris Johnson’s the UK that a business like ours Presencer was under no illusion we’ve done over the years. It’s if future residents of the tower decision approaching at the end continues to survive.” Spotify headline sponsor of Music Week Awards Streaming in Central London, the Marketing Campaign and Artist judges are whittling down each Celebrating the best of the best service Spotify ceremony will reward the Marketing Campaign. category’s shortlists, which will be of the industry, the MWAs is has signed up brightest and best from the UK As ever, the prestigious Music announced later this month. An always an important fixture on as the headline music industry over the past year. Week Strat award will celebrate cross-industry panel will then the calendar. sponsor for There are 23 categories in all, the multiple industry vote for the winners. “2013 is lining up to be a the Music including A&R, Manager, Live achievements of an industry Will Hope, director of label defining year for the future Week Awards 2013. Promoter, Live Music Venue, ‘legend’ over the decades. relations at Spotify said: “We’re of music, so this year’s Taking place on Thursday, Publisher, Distribution Team, Lobbying for the Music Week excited to be sponsoring this awards should be an evening April 11 at The Brewery venue Sales Team, Catalogue Awards 2013 has now closed. The year’s Music Week Awards. to remember.” 02-03 NEWS_v3_News and Playlists 05/02/13 18:22 Page 2 2 Music Week 08.02.13 www.musicweek.com NEWS EDITORIAL Fans flock to HMV Divide and BELEAGUERED RETAILER’S ALBUM SALES LEAPING UP conquer? Not right now ASCAP AND BMI in the United States are going through something of a rough time. Not only has Sony/ATV/EMI yoinked negotiating control of its digital rights back from the cross-industry organisations, but now Universal Music Publishing is ready to do the same. Rumours suggest BMG will be next. Just to put that into context, if things play out as we expect them to, if the next iTunes wanted to sign just a US territory licence deal for The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Michael Jackson, Adele, Bruno Mars and Westlife catalogues, they’d already need to speak to three different - and very competitive - parties. The reason for this is easily understandable: Marty Bandier and his deal-making team at Sony/ATV/EMI probably feel they’re more invested in their own rights than BMI or ASCAP (whose board Bandier sits on); and they certainly feel that they now have enough catalogue clout to go toe-to-toe with Apple, Pandora et al. RETAIL with contrasting fortunes for mixture of a Blue Cross sale it I BY PAUL WILLIAMS retailers selling physical product launched in mid-January just both online and on the high days before it went into “It is at these crucial junctures in an industry’s MV’s album sales appear street. While sales for specialists, administration and the extensive history that speaking with one voice is all- to be growing at a faster among them HMV, have defied publicity surrounding the important. Lest we forget the fable of Napster” H rate than the overall recent trends by actually growing administration itself, which market after its administration so far this year, among other appears to have prompted some They’ve already made big progress on that score: Sony/ATV/EMI woes sparked renewed interest in types of physical players sales music fans to revisit their local reportedly left Apple red-faced at the launch of iPhone 5 last year, the veteran retailer. continue to fall sharply. This is store. The Blue Cross promotion where the tech giant had to postpone the announcement of its sexy In the first five weeks of 2013 especially so among supermarkets has seen 25% off the mark-up online music radio service due to continuing negotiations with the album sales in the UK grew by where album sales up to the price of a number of lines in now-autonomous mega-publisher. 6.3%, according to the Official beginning of February slumped store, while other product has Apple’s brand is certainly mighty, but it’s not strong enough to Charts Company, with 9.11 by 19.2% overall from 1.77 been heavily discounted, too. launch a music service without the Fab Four and MJ. million units shifted, compared million to 1.43 million units, Where any revived public Then last month it emerged that Bandier’s troupe had forced an to 8.57 million over the same while artist album sales dropped attention in HMV is not being effective 25% royalty increase from the bane of many rights- period in 2012. However, among 23.9% and those for compilations felt is online as its HMV.com holders’ lives, Pandora. After leaving the site smarting, Bandier’s specialist retailers, including slipped 7.8%. Album sales for retail store has been closed for cry of vindication said everything about his future intentions: “At the HMV, the growth is even faster independent retailers were also business since the retailer fell into end of the day, we got a terrific deal for our songwriters.