A BLOG OF SORTS FROM CHRIS COOKE
Here is some stuff I did in April 2022…
Pathways at TGE
We have a not-for-profit called the Pathways Into Music Foundation which is all about building connections between music education and the music industry – and its research work is very much at the centre of our MUSIC+EDUCATION strand at The Great Escape Conference next month. As part of that these twelve brilliant people will be on stage helping us identify the 40 bits of knowledge and information we need to be communicating to early-career music-makers – more info here.
TGE Conversations
The Great Escape is getting very close now so expect lots of TGE plugging from me. Like this here plug for the just announced in conversation with the legal team that advised Ed Sheeran through the recent ‘Shape Of You’ copyright case. What can we learn from that judgement? What does it mean for songwriters? Is the song-theft lawsuit frenzy coming to an end? We will discuss! Find out about this and our other in conversations here.
Next ITO Seminar
Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Industry Takeover Seminar last week at UD’s brilliant new home, Talent House in Stratford. If you’re in the music industry, you need to check that place out! And for early-career music people, why not at next week’s ITO Seminar all about music rights?! Info here.
Digested CMU
It’s the music business week digested – because everyone’s busy, right? The Texas Task Force On Concert Safety publishes its Astroworld report; the I2PO/Deezer merger is on; yet another song theft case; amicus brief filed in Dr Luke v Kesha; and Universal termination rights case seeks class action certification. Check the CMU Digest here.
Oslo sunshine
Fleeting trip to Oslo to talk music rights with the music-makers on the Music Norway/FolkOrgs export programme – it was great to meet the team yesterday. No COVID paperwork this time, but a nice long Brexit line at the border and a brief but exciting adventure seeking to break out of a basement I accidentally got locked into. Anyway, here’s a happy church in the Oslo sunshine.
Upcoming events
We’ve got so many great events coming up – both this week and over the next month – that we made a bulletin all about them! For info on the UD Industry Takeover Seminar (this Thursday!), and the Sound + Vision Comedy Panels (this Friday!) and all the CMU+TGE stuff happening at The Great Escape (next month!) – click here.
Countryside + digests
I can confirm the countryside still exists. Look, here’s photographic proof! I can also confirm that this week’s CMU Digest is on the website digesting up the following: Deezer’s SPAC deal, the Astroworld documentary, The Leadmill petition, Backstreet’s new Berlin hub, and Justin Bieber’s producer points dispute. Here it is.
Easter break
I am taking my annual Easter trip into the countryside to check it still exists. Though first time since 2019 for COVID reasons, so non-existence on arrival is a definite possibility. Travelling there requires getting the train to Ipswich. But, importantly, not the train to Ipswich. Simple!
Digested CMU
It’s the music business week digested – because that seems like a fun thing to do: the big old ‘Shape Of You’ judgement, Spotify Discovery Mode criticised by US Congress members again, twelve new curated strands added to BBC Sounds, plus updates in the ‘Bob Dylan v former collaborator’ and ‘Cardi B v defamer’ legal battles. Check this week’s CMU Digest here.
CMU+TGE schedules
We published the schedules yesterday for all the CMU+TGE Sessions taking place at this year’s Great Escape – there’ll be some very interesting conversations indeed on music and education (11 May), music and data (12 May), and music and video (13 May). Get the lowdown here. And now to respond to the 4013 TGE related emails in my inbox – wish me luck!
Breaking news!
With Andy off this week and my first in-person lecture of the year to deliver this morning, I signed off on the CMU Daily super early today. “It’s not like any big music industry story is going to break in the next 90 minutes before it sends”, I thought to myself! Anyway, with the right judgement now made, here’s our Setlist summary of the Ed Sheeran case from last month.
Comedy panels
So this is exciting! Later this month we’re going to be at the Cambridge Sound + Vision conference and festival to host four panels all about the business of comedy in 2022 – with a stack of brilliant creators, performers and comedy industry people joining us on stage. Get the info and get your tickets here.
Digested CMU
It’s the music business week digested – with Universal committing to pay through royalties to unrecouped heritage artists and the future of Sheffield’s The Leadmill venue in the spotlight, plus Spotify’s unsuccessful attempt to block a Daniel Ek deposition, the US Copyright Royalty Board declining to freeze the song royalty rate on discs and downloads, and another choreography copyright lawsuit involving Fortnite. Check this week’s CMU Digest here.
