A BLOG OF SORTS FROM CHRIS COOKE
Here is some stuff I did in January 2023…
I’m at Talent House
I’m at the magnificent Talent House in Stratford every day this week running sessions with the inspiring team of artists taking part in UD’s Incubator programme. If you get the opportunity – and haven’t done already – do check out the all new home of UD, it’s such an exciting space.
CMU digested
It’s the music business week digested with job cuts at Spotify, Live Nation and Ticketmaster in the spotlight in US Congress, Rick Astley suing over soundalike vocals in Yung Gravy track, and more. Read this week’s CMU Digest.
One Step Ahead
If you’re a member of IMPALA or an IMPALA-allied organisation, do check out this month’s CMU Digital Trends briefing ahead of next week’s Quick Fire Webinar, all part of the One Step Ahead programme. Both summarise and explain key developments in digital music this month, including the French stream manipulation study, Lucian Grainge’s memo and some AI legalities. IMPALA members can find out how to access all this via their national association.
Latest Setlist
On this week’s Setlist podcast we discuss all the concerns about the impact BBC local radio cuts could have on BBC Music Introducing – and, more generally, all the other changes that are likely to occur at the good old British Broadcasting Corporation over the next decade. Tune in here.
CMU digested
It’s the music business week digested with Brixton Academy’s licence suspension being extended by three months, Amazon increasing the price of Music Unlimited, industry concerns about BBC Introducing cutbacks, Spotify’s latest Apple tax griping, and good news on PRS Foundation funding. Read this week’s CMU Digest.
Back from Cannes
I’m back from Cannes! What I learned: the plan is for MIDEM – now owned by the city of Cannes – to return proper in January 2024 with a revamped conference and market-place; training programme for artists and execs; and concert series also open to the public. They are also building a network of senior music business people who, among other things, will inform the evolution and programming of the conference. This week was a gathering of the first 100 members of that network to re-launch the brand to industry and the city. Here ends what I learned.
But which pillow!
Now, I’m not one to complain, and maybe I’m being stupid, but I’ve scanned this QR code several times and simply can’t find the promised Pillow Menu on the website it links to. And I bet I’ve been using entirely the wrong combination of pillows ever since I arrived in Cannes! Though, it’s still been a very pleasant stay.
I’m in Cannes!
I’m in Cannes for the MIDEM+ 23 Prequel For Professionals. What’s that all about? Well, I’m here with my journalist hat on, so I guess it’s my job to figure that out. Fortunately, there’s a chance the panel that is about to start will tell me.
This week’s Setlist
Last week I wrote an article all about Lucian Grainge’s memo that discussed changing the way streaming monies are shared out each month. But maybe you don’t like reading! So here is the podcast version. We also talk about Dr Dre’s legal run in with Marjorie Taylor Greene and John Lydon’s Eurovision bid. Tune in to Setlist here.
CMU digested
It’s the music business week digested with Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge and his memo of musings on how streaming money should be shared, plus PRS suing LIVENow, Harrys Styles suing the bootleg merch peddlers, and some other stuff too. Read this week’s CMU Digest here.
The artist-centric model
With hindsight, everyone else proposing alternative approaches to distributing streaming income should have gone with the name the “artist-centric model”. I mean, who could possibly object to the “artist-centric model”? Coming soon, no doubt, seventeen reasons to object to the “artist-centric model”. Meanwhile, here’s my report on Lucian Grainge’s musings on how to better share out the digital dollar each month.
More webinars
The CMU webinars kick off again next week with a brand new series explaining everything you need to know about the ongoing economics of music streaming conversation – including how digital licensing works, the digital pie debate, and issues around data and transparency. Here’s some info from today’s CMU Daily.
Artist gripes
We thought we’d start the year super positive on Setlist with a special edition discussing the top five artist gripes of the moment. Because, you know, if the music community isn’t griping and fighting in 2023, what are we going to write about in the CMU Daily? Or, maybe, if we understand the key complaints and the counter arguments, we are more likely to address the issues. There you go, I knew there was some positivity in there somewhere. Tune in right about here.
First CMU Daily of 2023
The first CMU Daily of the year is published this morning, which means the festive break is now officially over, which I’m pretty sure means I need to get all these Christmassy chocolates eaten by 11am. Is that right? I suppose technically today’s Daily is a summary of all the news we reported on over the break and the first Daily proper isn’t until Monday. So maybe I’ve got the weekend to eat all the chocolate. Need to check what the bible says about things like this.
