M Magazine Issue 54

Members Music Magazine Issue 54 December 2014

GOING OVERGROUND How dance defined 2014

CLASSICAL DIY

Making your own way

YOUNG FATHERS Mercury rising

LYNSEY DE PAUL Subheader SLEAFORD MODS

STEVE MILLER

KATE TEMPEST

T H E S P I T F I R E A U D I O F A M I LY W I S H E S Y O U A V E RY HAPPY CHRISTMAS

FOR THIS YEAR’S XMAS FUND R A I S E R W E ’ R E G I V I N G AWAY

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FEATURES

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MEMO Hello there, sitting comfy?

With winter upon us and a chill in the air, we recommend you grab a cuppa and a warm spot on the sofa to tuck into your latest edition of M. Join us as we look back over 2014’s biggest songwriting stories, delving below the headlines to learn about the musical legacies this year will leave. From the ongoing streaming saga to the rise of the DIY composer, we’ve been getting the inside track on the hottest topics that have shaped the debate.

We’ve also been gazing into our crystal ball to predict what’s around the corner for British music.

With change afoot in the charts, and the continuing invasion of UK pop overseas, we corner Jimmy Napes to find out how he and his cohorts - have set the bar high for 2015.

We also delve into the trippy world of cover stars Young Fathers to learn how they’ve mastered the art of rhyme, rhythm and reason. The threesome explain why their recent Mercury Prize win has had little impact on their musical outlook and reveal

Get up and have a party

22 modern dance The story behind the success

what’s in store now the hype is settling.

22 young, free & classical

Elsewhere, we meet the leading lights of the contemporary classical scene to learn how they’re ripping up the rulebooks to revitalise the genre.

From Kerry Andrew and Kate Whitley through to class act Errollyn Wallen, we explore the perks and the pitfalls of breaking the mould.

You’ll also hear from BBC radio presenter Gemma Cairney on the songs that soundtrack her life and learn how Nottingham natives Sleaford Mods are coming to terms with their caustic creative streak.

As usual, we celebrate some of the songwriters and composers joining PRS for Music in the Just Joined section, and throw the floor open to some music industry luminaries in the Comment and Business News pages.

We hope you enjoy your read. Until next time, we wish you health, happiness and creative success.

Creative control

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m-magazine.co.uk magazine@prsformusic @m_magazinePRS

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Associate Editor Anita Awbi Staff Writer Jim Ottewill

Membership Advisor Myles Keller there's more! scan this code whenever you find it for exclusive content, extended interviews and much more...

14 young fathers

cover: young fathers

CONTRIBUTORS Naomi Belshaw, Olivia Chapman, KaKei Cheng, Andy Ellis, Liam McMahon, Vanessa Reed, Alex Sharman, Cerian Squire.

PRS for Music, 2 Pancras Square. London N1C 4AG T 020 7580 5544 E magazine@prsformusic.com W www.prsformusic.com The printing of M Magazine is managed on behalf of PRS for Music

by Cyan Group Ltd, Twickenham. www.cyan-group.com Advertising 020 3225 5200 ISSN 0309-0019© PRS for Music 2014. All rights reserved. The views expressed in M are not necessarily those of PRS for Music, nor of the editorial team. PRS for Music accepts no responsibility for the views expressed by contributors to M, nor for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations, nor for errors in contributed articles or advertisements. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is strictly prohibited.

M is printed on paper manufactured using chlorine-free pulps and the raw materials are from fully managed and sustainable forests.

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tom ravenscroft's top tips on getting radio airplay Radio DJ and music aficionado Tom Ravenscroft always plays a unique blend of tracks, powered by genuine passion and knowledge. His regular BBC Radio 6 Music slot has won him plenty of plaudits over the last three years for its eclectic playlist policy and its openness to champion new bands.

Coming from robust musical heritage – his dad was legendary BBC DJ and aural explorer John Peel – Tom has a mighty record collection and an ear for the unusual. Here, we pick his brains about how upcoming acts can attract the attention of their favourite DJs and bag themselves some all-important radio airplay…

What is your music policy for your BBC Radio 6 Music show?

I’m very fortunate on my show because I have complete free reign. I get to pick every single track, there’s no playlist. It’s really nice that they let me get on with it. I usually get to squeeze around 35 tracks into a three hour show. It’s often the case that I have too many, then I have to decide which ones to play – which can be quite traumatic!

Does anything go?

Yes it does, but my show comes off the back of Steve Lamacq’s and he has a certain audience so I don’t want to immediately piss them off. It’s not a great idea to go flying in with gabber at 7pm! In the same way, I have 6 Mix afterwards.

All music can work, it just depends where you put it. I play the softer bands early on and the more harrowing stuff later!

Do people still send you demos?

Oh my god, yes! I get an extraordinary amount. The only thing that’s changing is that where I would’ve got bags and bags of post full of badly burned CDs, things are slowly moving over to mp3s.

What advice do you have for upcoming bands looking for their first radio play?

Getting on the radio is a lot easier than it was – there are a lot more opportunities. Back in the day there were only a handful of shows to send your stuff in to. But now, radio is in such a good state. There are so many radio shows where people get to pick all their own music. DJs can do their own thing so there’s chance for a greater variety of bands to get their stuff played.

You need to find DJs you think are most likely to listen to your music and like it. Send it to them and don’t forget to keep badgering them! If people stop sending me stuff I’m fucked! Quite often people send me something and I don’t play it because I don’t like it. But that doesn’t mean I won’t like your second record so it’s a good idea to send things through a few times.

Visit m-magazine.co.uk for the full article and more careers advice.

livewire South London’s premiere poet-rapperplaywright Kate Tempest has had a massive year. The 26-year-old wordsmith, who started rapping at strangers on the night bus aged 16, has released her Mercury-nominated debut solo album Everybody Down, completed a collection of candid poetry and begun writing her debut novel, The Bricks that Built the Houses, expected 2016. Over the last 12 months she’s performed her poems in bookshops, theatres, music festivals and schools, using her hip-hop inflected rhymes to slice through boundaries and age brackets.

Earlier this month, she found time in her busy schedule to perform at the PRS for Music office reopening in Streatham, South London. Catch her in action at m-magazine. co.uk/sessions

While you’re there, be sure to check out our live session with Bonobo and Flying Lotus collaborator Andreya Triana. With a sound that straddles the intersection of soul, folk and jazz, her live set captures the lingering atmosphere of all three pillars of great American music. A real treat.

You’ll also find a spicy session from Manchester jazz trio GoGo Penguin, whose debut album v2.0 was recently nominated for the coveted Mercury Prize. Chris Illingworth (piano), Nick Blacka (double bass) and Rob Turner (drums/percussion) met at the Royal College of Music and bonded over a shared love for the eclectic experiments of Brian Eno, Debussy, Aphex Twin and Shostakovich.

They’ve since won over fans at The Guardian and the BBC, with broadcaster Mike Chadwick and DJ and label boss Gilles Peterson singing their praises.

We caught the lads live to learn more about their worldly musical melting pot. Watch our exclusive videos online now.

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Above: Kate Tempest. Far left: Andreya Triana Centre: GoGo Penguin

added extras As usual, we’ll be making all the bonus material and exclusive extras that we couldn’t cram into this edition of M available online. From extended interviews with Gorgon City, Jimmy Napes and Kerry Andrew, through to Gemma Cairney’s playlist, you’ll find a wealth of extras and online gems.

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Read our interview with David Shrigley

m-magazine.co.uk

david shrigley daniel kidane Delve into Royal Northern College of Music graduate Daniel Kidane’s musical bag and you’ll find a few surprises. Everything from Olivier Messiaen and Bach to Johnny Cash and Pantera nestle among this talented composer’s musical loves. It’s an eclectic taste which has filtered into his own works, informing pieces for orchestras, chamber ensembles, choral and dance.

Daniel began composing as a hobby before journeying to Manchester to study. After learning from the likes of Gary Carpenter and David Horne, he’s enjoyed performances of his works across the UK and internationally as well as broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. Highlights have included premieres and performances at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s 10/10 Ensemble, Adelaide International Cello Festival 2011 and the Cheltenham Music Festival 2013. danielkidane.com

David Shrigley’s name is more synonymous with the world of art than music or sound. As an illustrator, the Macclesfield-born artist cut his teeth at Glasgow School of Art before embarking on a constantly creative career which has spanned over two decades.

The art community has taken a while to embrace David and the dark humour of his work. But the satire of his innocent compositions, which spike the bizarre with the banal, culminated in a relinquishing of his outsider status when solo show - David Shrigley: Brain Activity at London’s Hayward Gallery - was nominated for 2013’s Turner Prize.

As his profile continues to rise, David’s work has increasingly begun to live and breathe outside of the flat surfaces he was first known for. Now video and music are also vehicles for his disquieting humour, while pieces have been exhibited in galleries as far flung as Los Angeles and Milwaukee.

Previous projects have included videos for Blur, Alex Kapranos and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. He’s codirected an animated film with award-winning director Chris Shepherd, based on his book Who I Am and What I Want. Meanwhile his first spoken-word album, Shrigley Forced to Speak With Others, released in 2006, was followed by a double-CD of artists, including David Byrne, Islands and Grizzly Bear, who put Shrigley's book Worried Noodles to music.

While his latest book Weak Messages Create Bad Situations attempts to propagate a manifesto of sorts for graphic art, David has also recently paired up with songwriter and Arab Strap cofounder Malcolm Middleton on their absurd album Music and Words. Blending David’s words with Malcolm’s innovative musicianship, the pair’s creations combine stark delivery with a healthy sense of the weird. Future plans for David include the installation of his Thumb Up sculpture on Trafalagar Square’s Fourth Plinth in 2016. davidshrigley.com

juce Cherish, Georgia and Chalin are JUCE, a South London trio striving to reinvent the classic girl group template via the power of personality, style and songwriting skill. Thankfully for them, they possess all three in spades, meaning their mission to rip up the stereotype is a simple one.

Rather than being thrown together on a reality show or being manipulated by a shadowy svengali, the band are real life friends and music lovers who bonded over a passion for the kind of fresh, timeless pop they strive to make themselves.

They met co-producer Dan Carey at an ESG gig, have a passion for J Dilla and Carly Simon, and released a series of killer singles in the form of Call Me Out, Braindead and Burning Up. Balancing style with sass in the vein of TLC or Destiny’s Child, big things are expected from their forthcoming debut album. jucelove.co.uk

m54_december 2014_5

members & music

100 years of british song

sound of 2015 The BBC’s Sound Of poll has become the annual barometer of cool for music fans and upcoming songwriters alike. Its reputation as British music’s definitive crystal ball has been cemented by previous winners including Adele, Sam Smith, Jessie J and Ellie Goulding, who all kick-started their careers with this important accolade.

The 2015 longlist, revealed on 1 December 2014, was chosen by 170 tastemakers and music specialists from the BBC and beyond.

Together, they settled on 15 emerging acts across pop, rock, R&B, folk and electronica making for one of the most diverse longlists of recent times.

PAUL BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY

This year, 13 of the 15 acts selected – including George the Poet, SOAK, James Bay, Novelist, Years and Years, Wolf Alice and Låpsley - are from the UK, in a spread of talent that runs from Londonderry to Lewisham. The shortlist is revealed from 5 to 9 January on BBC Radio 1, with full details available on bbc.co.uk The Prince of Wales has thanked composers, songwriters and music publishers for their economic, cultural and artistic contribution to the UK, and has pledged his support for the work of PRS for Music in helping to sustain their careers.

Wrapping up a reception at Clarence House last month to celebrate the centenary of the society, Prince Charles told the songwriters, composers and publishers gathered that they did ‘an awful lot for Britain’s reputation overseas’.

‘My wife and I salute you for the extraordinary talent and creativity you give to our country,’ he said. ‘I want to thank you for what you do economically, culturally and artistically, and also thank the PRS, which tries to make sure all of you get what you deserve at the end of the day. Happy centenary.’

The party was held to mark 100 years since the Performing Right Society was formed in 1914 by a group of music publishers including William Boosey and Oliver Hawkes. Attendees included Sir Paul McCartney, Lord Lloyd Webber, Ray Davies, Lily Allen, Brian May, Laura Mvula and Gary Kemp. Various music publishers, key licensees and PRS Board members were also present.

Go online for more centenary news and information

prsformusic.com/100 years 6_december 2014_m54

Laura (above) who was one of the first songwriters to meet Prince Charles and Camilla, said: ‘It’s nice to feel like Prince Charles cares. I always feel inspired by events like this because it reminds me that there’s somebody who cares about songwriters in this country. I feel looked after, which is necessary when you’re on this kind of lonely artistic journey.

‘Tonight is a really significant marker and makes me want to ask questions about the history of music in our country. I didn’t realise how many songwriters and composers we have here. And I didn’t realise just how much music is coming out of this country. It makes me feel part of something big, and in this country we’re really looked after, which is a rare feeling for an artist.’

Above: Låpsley Over on M online, we’ve put together our very own tastemakers’ tips list with help from some of our favourite broadcasters, journalists and industry gurus. They reveal what’s tickling them this New Year and offer up their top predictions for 2015. We also reveal our best albums of 2014 using the simple criteria – if it’s a great record it’s in!

Log on to m-magazine.co.uk to check out our selections and let us know yours via Twitter or Facebook.

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british composer awards

independent venue week Edwyn Collins, Peace, Seth Lakeman and Andrew Wetherall are among the artists involved in Independent Venue Week 2015, which runs from 26 January until 1 February at venues around the country. We’ll be hosting a night at the Sebright Arms, London, on 28 January to mark the scheme.

Bands booked to perform so far including the fast-rising Glasgow lo-fi duo Tuff Love (below).

We’ll be bringing you more info closer to the event - plus details on how to get your free ticket – so keep your eyes peeled on m-magazine.co.uk over the coming weeks.

music export PRS for Music Foundation is teaming up with BBC Introducing to offer upcoming British acts the chance to be heard by overseas audiences.

Together, they will fund four showcases at leading new music festivals across North America, including South by South West (SXSW) in Texas and CMJ in New York. The initiative is part of the Foundation and BBC Introducing’s commitment to offer the best new acts opportunities to be seen and heard by industry stakeholders and music fans around the world. Acts should submit their music via the via the BBC Uploader to be in with a chance. For more info, visit bbc.co.uk/music/ introducing/uploader PRS for Music Foundation is also offering funding support to acts applying directly to attend SXSW via its International Showcase Fund. The first deadline has already passed, but the late invitation and sprint application cut-off date is 5 January 2015.

For more info, visit prsformusicfoundation.com

The British Composer Awards ceremony is the highlight of the classical music calendar, celebrating the very best in contemporary composition around Britain.

This year, Kerry Andrew received two accolades, in the Stage Works and Community or Educational Project categories, while classical stalwart Sir Harrison Birtwistle was given his sixth award for his vocal work Songs from the Same Earth.

The ceremony, which was held at London’s Goldsmiths Hall on 2 December, featured a keynote speech from Scottish luminary Dame Evelyn Glennie and a performance by Amos Miller and David Gordon Shute of Onyx Brass.

The pair played Sonicalia by Bertram Wee, an emerging talent who won the fifth British Composer Awards Student Competition.

Overall, nine of the 13 awards went to first time winners - Django Bates (above), Steve Forman, Ed Hughes, Martin Iddon, Cecilia McDowall, Kaija Saariaho, Rebecca Saunders, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Tom White – highlighting the glut of new talent currently making waves across the genre.

The British Composer Awards are presented by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and sponsored by PRS for Music.

For interviews with some of the winning composers, please visit m-magazine.co.uk

BBC Introducing, Rough Trade, Domino Records and the Boiler Room are among the other promoters hosting nights across the 85 participating venues, while organisations including PRS for Music are also backing the scheme, which celebrates the UK’s live gig network. independentvenueweek.com

momentum cash boost The Momentum Music Fund, organised by PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with Arts Council England (ACE) and Deezer, has received a financial boost to allow it to support more acts than ever throughout 2015.

Above: Anushka were funded to attend SXSW this year Below: Woman’s Hour are among the latest acts to receive Momentum funding.

The scheme, which launched in 2013 with a total funding pot of £500,000, pledged to support between 50 and 75 acts over two years. Now, ACE’s outgoing chief executive Alan Davey has pledged another £500,000 for 2015 alone, ensuring the fund continues and can support even more new talent.

It has supported a total of 49 acts across the UK since its launch in May 2013, including East India Youth, Dutch Uncles and Floating Points.

For more info about the Momentum Music Fund, and details on how to apply, visit prsformusicfoundation.com m54_december 2014_7

money & business spotlight on streaming

The final quarter of 2014 has brought another tumultuous episode in the ongoing streaming saga, with forecasts of growth and optimism clashing against protests from big name acts such as Taylor Swift. With all this raging, we ask Clive Gardiner, one of the UK pioneers of digital music licensing, to look behind the headlines and give us his perspective.

How has the streaming world changed since Tesco bought We7 in 2012?

There’s much more scale, as seen by the user numbers Spotify and Deezer are reaching and the new territories Spotify has expanded into. I think digital has a much bigger status in the industry now too. 7Digital’s Senior Vice President Raoul Chatterjee is Chairman of the Entertainment Retailers Association, which represents a significant step forward. Streaming is now included in chart calculations, which would’ve been inconceivable just a few years ago. But what hasn’t changed is the challenge of the streaming business model and the need to maintain the value of music.

Can you explain more about these challenges?

I think all challenges are invariably related to how much money comes back, and what the fair price is. I think the substitution and cannibalisation arguments – which suggest streaming harms physical and download sales – should have moved on but haven’t. Also, because so much of the streaming model is covered by non-disclosure agreements, it’s really hard for an individual artist or writer to understand the value chain. The model works best if you have a big catalogue. From a label perspective, your job is to create assets that you can exploit over the term of their copyright. Streaming is a very good use of assets you’ve already made available digitally. But if you’re an individual artist or writer, it’s really difficult for you to see any benefits.

What about the opportunity for growth?

It really depends where your market is. Spotify can say that 80 percent of its subscribers started off as free users – well of course they did, that’s the freemium business model! But the further you go into the mainstream market, the less the propensity to upgrade. You’ll tend to find that Spotify will always cite a 20 percent conversion rate among users. But that’s impossible to maintain the wider into the mainstream you go.

What are the biggest misnomers in the current streaming debate?

I think there’s a limit to mass market streaming services. It’s a myth to think you’re going to get more and more people automatically moving over 8_december 2014_m54

to digital. Actually, the stats don’t tell you that. In the UK, there are nearly 10 million people who aren’t online today and who have no intention of being online. Many of those may be over 50 but a lot are people who have dabbled and just aren’t interested. There is an inbuilt assumption in the music world that people will migrate from physical to digital, when actually the bigger issue underlying this should be: ‘what if people don’t migrate over?’ Mark Mulligan recently blogged that 5.1 million people in the UK stopped buying music between 2008 and 2011 rather than switching to digital. If you look at digital downloads, we are already seeing that business has plateaued at the same time that many people haven’t even embraced it yet. The same could happen with streaming.

The biggest flaw in the current streaming model is to think that when we get to scale everything will be ok…

Overall I think the biggest flaw in the current streaming model is the myth that when these large services get to scale everything will be ok because the total market worth will be bigger. That might be true if you own a massive share of catalogue or have shares in the particular service but it won’t figure for an individual artist or writer.

How about growth in potential royalties?

The subscriber pot is currently fixed at £9.99.

After deductions for VAT, you can work out your pie chart from that. Let’s say I’m major label A, and I get 35 percent of all the plays - I still get the same revenue whether my share is a hundred or a thousand plays. If I’m now an individual artist on that label, I will get a much smaller amount perplay for my portion of a thousand plays than for my portion of a hundred plays. So, at that level, what you want is paying subscribers who don’t play much, which is the opposite of most subscribers who are heavy engagers. So that model can’t work for individual benefit - because the more plays, the less the person gets.

Then on the advertising revenue side, it’s completely variable. Most people in the music industry won’t understand a scenario where their total number of plays goes up but their per-play royalty rate goes

down as it seems counterintuitive. That’s to do with seasonality of advertising, which is complex and varies month on month. We’re ingrained in the music industry to think, ‘The better I sell, the better I’ll do’ – but those rules don’t apply here.

Do you think that songwriters will ever be able to make a living from the streaming model?

It’s very difficult on an individual level. For writers, the micropayments per play are even smaller than for artists whose share of an already tiny sum is dictated by their label agreement royalty rate.

Songwriters and composers have always been screwed by deals and not valued enough.

Clive was responsible for driving the Peter Gabrielbacked streaming start-up We7 from its formation in 2007 to 2012, when it was acquired by Tesco to form BlinkBox. A songwriter in his own right, Clive was signed to various indie labels in the eighties, before spending nine years working for BMG Music Asia Pacific. He now runs his own digital strategy consultancy Headstretch. In 2013, Clive joined RNIB, where he looks after a variety of media services including a national radio station, 20 recording studios and a music education programme.

news

industry insight

music discovery When it comes to discovering new talent, ‘old media’ continues to hold considerable sway among music fans.

Chris Carey, founder of Media Insight Consulting, said: ‘We are still seeing lots of music discovery coming from old media and we expect that to continue for some time yet. However, if streaming services go mainstream we anticipate they will start to hold their own, and possibly pack a greater punch than old media in the long run.’

According to a survey conducted by Media Insight Consulting, 59 percent of the UK population still learn about new music through traditional radio. The research, which asked more than 2,500 adults to select the ways they discover music from a list of options including shops, cinema and computer games, found that TV is the next biggest referrer on 51 percent. The internet - a broad grouping which includes social media and organic search - comes in third at 47 percent.

Although old media – classified as TV and radio – still wins out among older age groups of 45-54 and 55+, the habits of younger music fans tell a very different story. Adults in the 16-24 age bracket are much less engaged with traditional radio but are the biggest users of the internet, music apps and streaming. A staggering 73 percent of respondents in this age category said they discover new music via the internet, while 42 percent use music apps to inform their tastes and 35 percent cite streaming playlists as a crucial source of new music.

Gaming and cinema are also particularly important discovery tools among 16-24 year olds, with one in five learning about music this way (21 percent for gaming, 19 percent for cinema). This is double the average across all ages, proving music placements and synchronisation are more important than ever in bringing artists to young fans.

This pattern is echoed among respondents in the 2534 age bracket, with 60 percent saying they discover new music via the internet, 36 percent via music apps and 33 percent by streaming playlists. This contrasts with only seven percent of over 55s using streaming services in this way.

47% 59%

The research also found that word of mouth recommendations are still an important music discovery mechanism for all age groups except the over 55s. Nearly two in three (59 percent) 16-24 year olds hear about new music from their peers, followed by 52 percent of 25-34s, 49 percent of 35-44s and 42 percent of 45-54s. However, less than a third of people in the 55+ category are likely to discover new music through friends, family and peers.

Media Insight Consulting, which was founded by Chris Carey in April 2014, works with labels and publishers to understand changing music habits in the UK and overseas.

Previously, Chris was Global Insight Director at Universal Music Group where he oversaw the company’s media forecasting operations. Before that, he worked at EMI where he established and led their Big Data team, focusing on Spotify and iTunes analytics.

Chris has also been Senior Economist at PRS for Music, where he co-authored the Adding Up the Music Industry papers with Will Page. These papers valued the live music market for the first time and helped the UK government revalue music’s contribution to the economy from £176m a year to £1.33bn.

Internet

51%

Radio

TV Compilation CDs

21%

20%

Word of mouth

23%

42%

Apps

19%

Shops

Streaming Computer games

Cinema

9% How new music is discovered

10%

Magazines

14%

copyright challenge The British government is facing a legal challenge over its failure to provide compensation to rightsholders within its new private copying provisions.

The Musicians’ Union (MU), British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and UK Music have launched an official challenge to the introduction of the private copying exception, on the basis that it does not provide fair compensation for songwriters, musicians and other rightsholders.

The Copyright and Rights in Performances (Personal Copies for Private Use) Regulations 2014, which came into force on 1 October, has granted consumers the legal right to copy CDs and DVDs onto personal computers, mobile devices and internet-based cloud locker services. While the MU, BASCA and UK Music - backed by PRS for Music and PPL - welcome the underlying purpose of the new measures, they claim the exceptions incorrectly implement copyright law by failing to include fair compensation for musicians, composers and rightsholders.

The organisations said in a press release: ‘The private copying exception will damage the musician and composer community. It contravenes Article 5 (2) (b) of the EU’s Copyright Directive which includes a requirement that where a member state provides for such a copyright exception – as the UK now has – it must also provide fair compensation for rightsholders.’

They believe it’s the compensatory element of a private copying exception that lies at the heart of EU law and underpins common respect for the songwriters, composers and musicians whose work is copied. They also highlight that the UK government’s decision not to provide fair compensation to rightsholders is at odds with the vast majority of countries in Europe who have introduced private copying exceptions and included these compensatory measures.

During the judicial review process, the High Court will examine the government’s decision to ensure that it was made in a lawful way. All three organisations bringing the review said they believed a successful challenge to the decision would lead to an amendment of the legislation.

See our comment with Vick Bain, BASCA chief executive, on page 13. To keep abreast of ongoing developments, check in with m-magazine.co.uk

(average % across all age groups)

Source: Media Insight Consulting.

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money & business

music makeover 2014

music works

Listening to electronic music at work increases accuracy and productivity, while classical music helps listeners solve mathematical problems, a new study has shown.

According to research from Mindlab International, tuning in to dance music helps employees increase their proofreading speed by 20 percent, and delivers a 75 percent spellcheck pass rate, compared with 68 percent when no music is played.

The office-based tests were designed by physicists and neuroscientists and conducted across four genres – ambient, classical, dance and pop.

Classical music was found to be the most effective for resolving every day mathematical problems, with participants achieving a 73 percent pass rate when listening to the genre.

Do you know a pub landlord who could use some financial support and expert advice to turn their establishment into a great live music venue? If so, tell them about PRS for Music’s latest Music Makeover contest, which this year is offering a record £20,000 to be split between two winning pubs.

As well as doubling the prize money on offer this time, the collecting society has also introduced two new categories; ‘already using live music’ and ‘does not use live music’. It hopes this new approach will encourage more pubs to consider hosting live music and prompt a record number of landlords to enter. Also included in the two winning prizes will be a consultation with live music experts, plus tailored support and guidance.

PRS for Music’s Commercial Director Paul Clements will be on the judging panel, alongside Neil Williams, Head of Media at the British Beer and Pub

Association, and Musicians’ Union Assistant General Secretary, Horace Trubridge. Music Makeover is also endorsed by PRS for Music members including Status Quo, alt-J, Sandi Thom, Chvrches, Wolf Alice, The Wytches and Erland and the Carnival.

Erland Cooper (pictured above), frontman of folk-rock trio Erland and the Carnival, said: ‘The UK’s live music circuit is vital. All bands have to go through it - they all play the little venues. As Erland and the Carnival we’ve played tiny little gigs in Glasgow right up to the Southbank in London, and each of those shows are important. You really earn your spurs through live shows and despite all the gigs we’ve done, I’m still learning what it is to be a frontman in a band in these venues.’

Pubs across the UK can enter online or by paper application. Find out more at prsformusic.com/musicmakeover

new appointments PRS for Music has appointed two new Directors and an Executive Board Chair. Paul Clements has become Commercial Director while former International Director Karen Buse is now Executive Director, Membership and International.

On 1 January 2015 Stephen Davidson will join the company as an external Director and Executive Board Chair. He replaces Peter Bamford who left PRS for Music

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in October. Davidson has held various positions in industry and investment banking, and is currently Chairman of Datatec Ltd. Buse joined the company in 1991 and has since worked across numerous departments including Radio, IT and Distribution.

Clements joined in 1996 and has worked in Member Services, IT, Recorded Media and, most recently, as Director of Public Performance Sales.

Overall, 88 percent of participants were found to produce their most accurate test results when listening to music, while 81 percent completed their fastest work when music was playing. Scientists also found that ambient music works best for accurate data entry tasks, with participants scoring a high pass rate of 92 percent, while pop music improves the speed at which people work by 58 percent.

The research, which was commissioned by MusicWorks on behalf of PRS for Music and PPL, also showed that when people do not listen to any music at all they make the most mistakes while solving equations and spellchecking.

Dr David Lewis, Chairman of Mindlab International, said: ‘What this research shows is that nine in 10 people work better when they listen to music. The take home message is that music is a powerful management tool if you want to increase not only the efficiency of your workforce but also their mental and emotional state – people are going to become more positive about their work.’

Paul Clements, Commercial Director at PRS for Music, added: ‘The increase in levels of productivity when music is playing is striking.

This project provides a refreshing reminder of the multiple benefits to be gained from listening to music at work. What this study also show is that it’s important to choose the right genre of music to help your teams and business improve productivity.’ musicworksforyou.com

news

the big numbers

sync review

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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Red Right Hand has been remixed twice by Flood for series two of the BBC TV period drama Peaky Blinders. The 1994 song was covered by PJ Harvey for episode three (and released as a single by BMG), while an instrumental motif has been woven into several episodes. We chat to David McGinnis, Head of Mute Song, to learn why this unique placement works.

Number of hairdressers and salons who entered PRS for Music’s Sound Makeover competition for the chance to win £5,000 of music equipment

How did the placement come about?

Steven Knight, the creator and writer of Peaky Blinders, is a big fan of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. At the start of the writing process he made it clear he was interested in using them.

Series two director Colm McCarthy is also a fan, so this is one of those really wonderful situations which is driven by the script and the creatives involved. It’s nice for us to make placements but it’s also great when they come to us out of love for the artist.

What did you make of the remix idea?

We were intrigued because they were trying to do something different and unique. They had already used Red Right Hand as the theme tune, but they wanted to do something more interesting with it in series two. Endemol Music Supervisor Amelia Hartley asked us if Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds would approve some remixes. They were driven

by Flood, who has worked with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds before. It was his idea to commission the PJ Harvey cover too.

How closely did you work with Flood and PJ Harvey?

We cooperated with Flood on a technical level to get all the parts over to him but we didn’t sit in on sessions. With the cover version, they contacted Polly directly and she just got on with it.

What makes the track work so well with the visuals?

It works perfectly because it was part of the programme creator’s vision. It’s a cinematic piece of music; it’s dark and it talks about Nick Cave’s obsession with the idea of somebody keeping score above all else. Peaky Blinders is about violence and settling scores. So, while there isn’t a direct correlation between the lyrics and the programme, there’s a similar mood. I find it exciting that Peaky Blinders is a period piece and Red Right Hand is a modern piece of music – there’s an interesting juxtaposition there.

In terms of scale, how important/lucrative is a sync like this?

It’s been very interesting in terms of benefits. The music falls under the blanket licence so it’s not been as lucrative as being in a Hollywood feature film by any stretch - but it has definitely had an impact. Just when you think this artist can’t get

7

Number of joint licences currently operated by PRS for Music and PPL

1.2 million

Number of vinyl albums sold in 2014, according to BPI figures

Pictured: Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders and PJ Harvey

any better known, there’s more interest. There’s a whole generation of people who now know that song as the Peaky Blinders theme and who may never have heard of Nick Cave or Red Right Hand.

What is it about Nick Cave’s music that makes it so sync-able?

All of his songs have a narrative sense. It’s not surprising that he’s also a novelist and writes screenplays. As soon as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds started making music, filmmakers were interested. There are a lot of people who are very inspired by his work.

Who? Mute Song What? Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Written by Nick Cave, Michael Harvey, Thomas Wydler.

Where? Peaky Blinders, Series 2, BBC One.

£426,018

Amount paid to struggling songwriters from Jan-Nov 2014 by PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund

your next paydays Performing

Mechanicals

(PRS):

(MCPS):

15 December

31 December

15 April 2015

30 January

15 July 2015

27 February

15 October 2015

31 March m54_december 2014_11

comment creative counsel Finally, the ever-increasing demand for the Foundation’s support speaks for itself when considering how important this unique funding body is: last year we attracted an all-time high of 2,500 applications and since 2000 we have given £20m to over 5,000 initiatives.

What are you particularly keen to get involved with?

One of the things that excites me about the Foundation is the sheer breadth and quality of the work it’s supporting and the different innovative ways in which it’s achieving this. My personal passion lies in singing, my music education driven by a mixture of musicians in my family and the developing tastes of my children, but I will certainly be using my new role at the Foundation to expand my musical horizons.

We quiz Royce Bell about his new role as PRS for Music Foundation’s Chair and learn what the future holds for Britain’s largest funder of new music.

What attracted you to this role?

One of the things I’m most interested in is how artists progress. How do they move from ideas and tentative steps at the beginning of their career to becoming an important part of a global arts and creative industries network? The idea of being able to contribute to an organisation that can make a real difference to an individual’s creative development is what got me here. I’m involved with award-winning Punchdrunk Theatre and Youth Music Theatre for the same reason.

Why is the Foundation so important?

The Foundation is a crucial part of the wider funding landscape because it’s often the first funder to back lesser known artists and risk-taking projects. This means its support can come at crucial stages – tipping points in artists’ careers – such as the next recording, performance or commission. Therefore, a small amount of seed funding from us can generate significant creative and business returns for those we support. Our reputation is also critical in the ability of music organisations and artists to secure support from other funders who see PRS for Music Foundation funding as an indication of quality.

There’s so much happening at the Foundation right now, so it’s an exciting time to join the team.

Cellist and composer Oliver Coates is sending us updates on his residency in Hong Kong which we are funding with the British Council; thanks to Deezer you can listen to the music we’ve funded through Momentum Music Fund on a dedicated app; we’ve just received over 100 applications for our three Steve Reid Innovation Awards and we’ve been working with BBC Introducing on the lineup for our joint South by South West showcase next March. At the same time, our open funding schemes continue to be extremely popular - our latest deadline attracted over 450 applications. All of this is testament to the incredible energy of the UK’s music industry.

What do you think the future will hold for the Foundation?

Alongside the core mission of the Foundation to make a lasting difference to the artists and organisations we support, it’s important for us to work as closely as we can with PRS for Music to support its members and the future of British music.

We’re here to help composers and songwriters of all backgrounds to realise their potential and we know that it’s not getting any easier for musicians to make ends meet. At the risk of a flood of advice, I’m always very happy to hear from anybody with suggestions about where our support is needed the most. prsformusicfoundation.com

The Foundation’s flexibility and capacity to broker public-private partnerships is also a crucial asset.

It’s a truism that investing together feels better than investing alone, and we’re 100 percent committed to using PRS for Music’s donation to encourage others to invest in UK songwriters and performers. We’re particularly delighted that Arts Council England has just confirmed that they are doubling their investment in our Momentum Music Fund talent development programme to the tune of £500,000 in 2015.

12_december 2014_m54

Originally from a management consulting background, Royce worked at Accenture Information Management Services for 30 years. In addition to his business experience, he’s held non-executive roles in arts organisations such as Punchdrunk Theatre and Youth Music Theatre UK. He’s also a longstanding member of the National Theatre’s development board. Originally from Sheffield, Royce is married with four children.

art & technology Mungo Jerry When I had my first hit, In the Summertime, back in 1970 it took me by complete surprise. I hadn’t set my sights on becoming a fully-fledged member of the music business even though I had been playing and singing in bands since the age of 10. In fact, I remember I had to ask my boss for time off work to perform on Top of the Pops!

Since then, the role of the songwriter has undergone so many changes, yet in other ways it has stayed exactly the same – it’s just a matter of perspective. What has dramatically changed is the ways in which songwriters and composers can generate an income from their work. In comparison to the number of songwriters around today, there are very few who can actually earn a generous living from their craft.

This is because the music industry has altered almost beyond recognition and the value of music has become drastically reduced. It may all seem like doom and gloom for songwriters and composers, and it’s certainly important to remember that music is an art form whose business model has been destroyed by the advent and subsequent misuse of technology. But we must remember that when art and technology work together in a positive manner, the results can be mindblowing. There are more radio, TV and online channels dedicated to all kinds of music than ever before, and there are probably more on the way.

I think that too much damage has already been inflicted on the old business model, which used to generate its main revenue from recordings and publishing rights. We need to understand how the new business works, and songwriters and composers must explore innovative ways to earn from their important work.

There is so much they can do to exploit their music by utilising the full power of web and social media – it’s incredible. All music-makers should learn the ins and outs of this new technology to empower them to do it themselves and cut out the middleman. It’s a new way for songwriters to take control, and I’m right behind it.

basca

The legalising of private copying without providing fair compensation for creators is something we’ve been lobbying against for two years, ever since the government announced it would introduce the measure. At every stage - through the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Intellectual Property Office consultation - we’ve been there with written submissions and songwriters to talk about the issues we have with the policy.

We have now launched a legal challenge to the private copying exception and are the named litigants alongside the Musicians’ Union and UK Music. I have not been able to find in our records any evidence of where we’ve done this before and it’s a very strong move. It will take years but we have to make a stand because of the consequences.

standing up for songwriters Vick Bain Vick Bain, Chief Executive of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), tells us why the organisation’s lobbying work is crucial to ensure the rights of musical creators are protected and championed.

Our first incarnation dates back to 1944 but as BASCA, we were established in 1998 with a number of aims and objectives. One is to celebrate the excellence of our songwriters and composers, and we will be doing this next year through our annual Ivor Novello Awards. 2015 marks the 60th anniversary of the event so it promises to be a big year for us in raising the profile of our members.

Up until 1 October 2014 when the exceptions were implemented, private copying, which is basically having a CD and making a copy for your own use, has been illegal. We give our full backing to the right of consumers to copy for their own private and personal use. However, we also want to make sure that rightsholders are compensated fairly, something which the UK exception fails to do.

Our European brothers and sisters have implemented the exception with appropriate remuneration for songwriters and composers.

It’s the absence of this fair compensation which has prompted the launch of the judicial review. It’s taken a lot of time and work behind the scenes so far and will be one of our main priorities in 2015.

We’ve also been doing a great deal of campaigning with PRS for Music as part of the Creator Voice programme. We feel it’s been a hugely successful partnership, helping our members meet politicians and influential

policymakers. I’ve found that songwriters and composers that join BASCA are particularly engaged and active, and want to be able to campaign effectively and have a voice. Our collaboration with PRS for Music has been really beneficial, as it has helped us tap into the society’s contacts, setting up meetings with MEPs, dinners at the House of Commons and a coffee morning with the Culture Secretary; they’re able to facilitate these events and we bring along actively engaged and informed songwriters and composers.

Lobbying is a very important area of BASCA’s work as the whole industry is regulated and governed by strict laws.

These creators are delighted to have the opportunity to put their point across to very influential people. They might not be particularly knowledgeable when it comes to public affairs or law but they are music writing experts and are able to talk about their personal experience. That’s much more authentic than someone who has gone to law school and makes for a really effective lobbying tool. We’re proud to be working alongside them and will continue to support their endeavours as we look forward to a new year and fresh challenges. basca.org.uk

Other strands of our remit involve informing and educating our members on issues that can impact them, and offering professional support and practical advice on topics such as the craft of songwriting. Lobbying is also a very important area of our work as the whole industry is regulated and governed by strict laws. We take every chance we can to help ensure those laws, plus the framework and environment of the music industry, are as beneficial as possible for music creators. If we can go out and lobby effectively to get a better deal for them, it can really make an impact.

Lily Allen congratulates Tom Odell, Songwriter of the Year, at the 2014 Ivor Novello Awards.

m54_december 2014_13

young

fathers

CREDIT

Anita Awbi chats to the self-styled ‘psychedelic hip-hop boy band’ about how their evolution from mainstream MCs to acerbic outsiders has made the world sit up and listen.

‘Our music is just vibe and feel: it’s raw and from the gut.’

PROFILE

Main image: Young Fathers

m54_december 2014_15

Basement beginnings Young Fathers’ incubation process has been lengthy: the Scottish trio began working together back in 2008 when they were just 14, honing their flow in open mic slots around Edinburgh before chancing on some music software that Graham ‘picked up for a tenner’. They used their rudimentary set-up to sketch out beats and raps, playing around with synchronised dance moves and outfits to create a self-styled ‘psychedelic hip-hop boy band’.

A close encounter with Scottish label Black Sugar Records delivered a couple of well-received singles later that year, including the Timothy London-produced Straight Back On It. Their first album Inconceivable Child...Conceived almost followed in 2011, but in a strange twist of fate or bout of cold feet, it never saw the light of day. Left stranded by their label, the trio went rogue in a dank Edinburgh basement studio. Like proper hip-hop troupers, the experience toughened them up and pushed them down an experimental DIY route.

Inset: Young Fathers collaborator, Law

‘What are the chances of three boys from Africa and Scotland meeting up and having the same understanding of music?

It’s highly unlikely and a bit weird,’ says Kayus Bankole, one third of Young Fathers.

He’s talking over a crackly mobile phone line from Berlin, where the band decamped straight after their surprise Mercury Prize win last month. The result astounded music fans and critics alike, who had put their money on firm favourites FKA Twigs or Damon Albarn. At that time, few people had delved into the deft lyricism and sonic alchemy of Young Fathers’ debut album Dead – in fact, the record hadn’t even shifted 3,000 copies since its release in February. For a band firmly set on driving to Germany to start work on their second LP, the award marked just another chapter in a curious rags to riches story that began long before the media circus hopped on board.

‘It’s just part and parcel of the industry. The cameras, us standing by the mic, the clapping, it’s just what happens…’ Kayus says cynically. ‘It’s a good thing but it doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop doing what we do. The minute we finished with the Mercurys we took a long-ass drive to Berlin. In our heads we just want to keep busy and get more people to hear us.’

Although this assured attitude attracted criticism from some on the night, it’s clearly born out of a strong survival instinct. Over the last decade, Kayus and his cohorts Graham ‘G’ Hastings and Liberian born Alloysious Massaquoi have been waylaid more than once on their musical mission. Now they’re determined it won’t happen again – regardless of the accolades which are rolling in thick and fast.

We’re not a political band but we do have a conscience and we are aware of our surroundings.

The fruits of those aural explorations were captured in the caustic, genre-busting mixtapes Tape One and Tape Two. Ironically, the cassettes helped the band more than any previous indie label involvement ever could, earning them a bucketful of kudos and renewed industry interest. The mixtapes have since been translated into award-winning releases by respected US label Anticon, home to likeminded trail blazers cLOUDDEAD, Daedelus and Baths. Meanwhile, here in the UK, the cassettes pricked the ears of Ninja Tune imprint Big Dada, prompting them to get behind the trio and help deliver Dead.

Music with a message ‘When we first met each other as young boys, not a lot of words were said - we just bonded automatically over bass and loud music,’ remembers Kayus. ‘But even then, we knew we were special and we knew no one sounded like us.’

It’s true. Young Fathers are unique. No one else is mining the fault lines of leftfield hip-hop and electronica with such gusto, at least not in the UK anyway. With a dizzying musical DNA that blends fragments of African polyrhythms, C86 indie and daisy age rap, they’re pretty hard to pigeonhole. Like Stones Throw stalwarts Koushik or Savath y Savalas, their sampleheavy signage points to psych-tipped hip-hop – conscious music with a past, present and future.

‘We’re not a political band,’ insists Kayus. ‘But we do have a conscience and we are aware of our surroundings. We have a sense of fairness. And we always go with our gut because we’re not scared to be ourselves and say what we think. A lot of people find it hard to be themselves but fo us it’s easy.’

True to form, their music carries oblique references to cultural, social and economic disparity, while inflammatory tracks such as Queen is Dead, which was banned by the BBC on its release, seems to set a more direct agenda. Live, Alloysious, Kayus and Graham radiate with the broken synapses of rap, R&B, punk and dark electronica – three young men with a unified voice and an antagonistic agenda. It’s an eclectic vision, expertly sketched and rich in hooks, visceral thrill and psychedelic melody.

PROFILE

Method to the madness From the rumbling beats and grinding electronics of album tracks War and Just Another Bullet to the gritty complication of Low, Young Fathers always push the right buttons and boundaries with their expansive sound. Tapping into the innate soulfulness of Massive Attack one minute, and conjuring the playful indie crossover of TV On The Radio the next, it’s hard to imagine them working out of a Scottish basement to concoct a combination of beat, rap and song that smells less of its dingy birthplace and more of an exotic musical melting pot.

‘We don’t want our music to sound like anything else,’ Kayus explains. ‘When we go in the studio we rely on that immediate feeling you get when you hear a great sound or when you’re humming to yourself and it starts to sound good. The next person will feed off that and things will start rolling. We’re all so different and have very different influences, so when we all get together in the studio we just go for it.’

Their openness to experimentation extends further than just the recording studio though. The band often pull songwriting auteur LAW into their live shows – including their Mercury Prize TV performance – adding ‘another voice in the mix’ says Alloysious. The Leicester native, born Lauren Holt, started off as a jazz singer and pianist but these days she packs a bewildering array of obtuse influences into her music. Since

her relocation to Edinburgh, she’s started writing with Young Fathers and accompanied them on their post-Mercury Prize road trip.

So what will the new Berlin recording base and the addition of LAW mean for future Young Fathers material? If Kayus’ current musical delectations have anything to do with it, we could be in for another mental excursion into unchartered hiphop territory. Alongside Nigerian wedding music from his early childhood, including sunshine hits from Sunny Ade, Kayus and his cohorts have been digging an old NME cassette which carries no indication to the music it contains but boasts ‘singing so beautiful, we’re all really annoyed at each other because we don’t know what it is!’

‘Y’know, it’s really weird to talk about our music and our influences,’ admits Alloysious. ‘It’s hard to find the words because so much of it is intuition. When I talk about it, it seems less organic. It’s just vibe and feel: it’s raw and from the gut.

When you mix those elements with a recording schedule, good things happen.’

Just as the mantra in their ridiculously catchy single Get Up repeats – ‘Come in, do the right thing. Get Up, and have a party’ - Young Fathers are intent on seizing the musical moment - with or without the industry fanfare.

m54_december 2014_17

With Disclosure, Gorgon City and Duke Dumont all enjoying huge chart success, Jim Ottewill discovers how the fusion of house music and classic songwriting has become the defining sound of 2014…

‘As a songwriter, there’s no point in shying away from any emotions. You should put your cards on the table and get it all out there. It’s good for you.’ Jimmy Napes, writer and producer with 2014’s biggest artists Sam Smith and Disclosure, is discussing his gargantuan success of the last year. As he sees it, taking on the role of therapist for his collaborators has brought out the best in them.

Charting the facts BPI numbers underline this revival of chart bumping house music.

Dance music sales increased sharply in 2013 to take their highest market share (16.3 percent) since 2006. The genre also claimed five of 2013’s number ones with Waiting All Night by Rudimental ft.

Ella Eyre and White Noise by Disclosure ft. Aluna George among the tunes doing the most damage.

‘People can hear if there’s real emotion there. That’s why they love the songs. Sam in particular is the most honest person I’ve ever met. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is not afraid to talk about anything. It’s a good habit to have as a songwriter,’ he explains.

Such success has continued into 2014 with Clean Bandit’s Rather Be shifting 163,000 copies during its first week of release back in January. It was named the second biggest seller of the year to date in October. At the same time, Sam Smith has smashed through chart record after chart record like they’re going out of fashion. In the Lonely Hour shifted 166,000 copies in the first flush of release, and broke the record for first week UK male artist debut album sales on the other side of the pond. This British sound is held in such high regard that soul diva Mary J Blige recently journeyed to the UK’s capital to record the best bits of her latest work – The London Sessions – with Jimmy in his small basement studio.

This willingness to confront emotions head on has helped Jimmy and his musical partners connect with a huge, global audience. To date he’s had a hand in three number ones Sam Smith’s Stay With Me, Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne’s Rather Be and Naughty Boy’s La La La, while he’s a key player on Disclosure’s Settle and Sam’s all conquering In the Lonely Hour albums. A marriage of fresh, dance music styles – you can hear the beat of UK house and garage bubbling in the mix – with classic songwriting panache lies at the heart of his appeal.

At the same time, fellow Brits such as Rudimental, Duke Dumont and Gorgon City have also been making serious dents in the upper echelons of the charts. Rudimental’s Home has been a number one while the Duke’s club anthems - Need U (100%) and I Got U - both hit the top of the singles chart. It all adds up to a fully-fledged romance between this dance-indebted UK sound and the hit parade.

Black Butter Black Butter, a label formed by three friends Olly Wood, Henry Village and Joe Gossa, has been a catalyst in this movement, with the likes of Rudimental, Gorgon City and Clean Bandit all passing through its doors. The label recently signed a deal with Sony Music UK to work as a standalone imprint under the major’s banner and illustrates the regard in which they’re held as tastemakers.

For Olly, the success of Disclosure and Rudimental is down to both releasing great songs at a time when audiences were ready for something fresh and new. ‘These acts came along when there was a vacuum to be filled,’ he says. ‘At the time, dance music had got into a soulless,

profile dance

There were real feelings I was trying to get into my lyrics. That’s what people connect with. m54_december 2014_19

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uninspired state. Guitar music had become a bit stale. There was a gap and both those acts ably filled it by injecting some songwriting back into the whole affair. It’s indicative of how, across the board, people are looking for something more authentic.’

Songwriting realness Thanks to his work with Sam Smith and Disclosure, Jimmy Napes is currently one of the most successful young songwriters in the world.

It’s a reputation set to blossom now he’s stretching his creative wings to work with idols such as Blige and Nile Rodgers.

Watching 50,000 American kids dancing to garage was weird. Especially when they were dancing like they were in a London club but were actually in Palm Springs.

While Jimmy might seem like a recent winner, his is no overnight success story. His career has involved a decade of gestation, learning and polishing a talent which has seen him move from London to Los Angeles and back again. Having cut his teeth on advertising music, he earned his first songwriting cut on a track with old friend Eliza Doolittle before enduring three or four years of relative silence.

‘When I got that first cut, I’d worked so hard for it, I thought I’d made it in music. But then I had three or four years DJing at weekends, trying to make money and write songs,’ he explains.

However, when success found him, it struck hard – his life literally did a backflip in the course of a month. ‘I’d only just met Sam and we wrote Lay Me Down as our first song together,’ says Jimmy. ‘Disclosure heard it, loved it and invited us down to their studio. The first thing we wrote was Latch. It was an amazing month where we went from nothing to exploding and getting played everywhere.’

Why does he think audiences have fallen for his music so deeply? Is there a secret ingredient to his songs? ‘The one thing I try and do is be as honest as possible, writing about something that means something to me,’ he explains. ‘Latch and Rather Be are quite classic sounding love songs written about my wife. There were real feelings I was trying to get into my lyrics. That’s what people connect with.’

Ready for your love Outside Jimmy’s collaborators, a number of other dance artists have ridden this wave of chart success. Gorgon City are duo Matt RobsonScott and Kye Gibbon, and another key part of the Black Butter crew.

They’ve had a stellar year with their debut album Sirens making the top 10 and Ready For Your Love, an anthemic slice of electro-pop featuring MNEK, reaching the top five in the singles chart.

Matt explains: ‘We met MNEK through the Black Butter family and something just clicked. We got to know him through partying and at nights we’d be DJing at. We ended up writing the lyrics for Ready For Your Love in an hour, then me and Kye went in on the production afterwards.’

It’s obvious that these artists are enjoying great success and loving sharing it with each other. But Black Butter has played a key role in helping bring many of them together. ‘As a label they’re really forward thinking,’ says Matt. ‘They keep signing these interesting acts and artists.

m54_december 2014_21

Q ltd.indd 1

SongLink The leading tipsheet for songwriters and music publishers, established in 1993 and still going strong. Every month we publish great leads detailing artists, labels, managers and producers worldwide who need songs or co-writers. Covers all styles of music including pop, rock, dance, R&B, country, MOR, jazz crossover, folk, blues etc. Leads sent by e-mail every month with interim updates. “Easily the best service of its type in the world” - Ed Chalfin, Magic Fire Music, New York City.

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Special combo-discounts available if you subscribe to both services. Please note that unpub lished writers need subscription approval - send 2 sample works by MP3, web Links or CD.

Contact: David Stark, Editor/Publisher SongLink International / Cuesheet 23 Belsize Crescent, London NW3 5QY Tel: 020 7794 2540, e-mail: info@songlink.com

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28/11/2014 INFORMATION

COMMUNITY

LOBBYING

TRAINING

The voice of music writers

Standard Membership £90 Professional Membership £180 Apply online at basca.org.uk

“At its heart, BASCA is a membership organisation. Everyone who writes music should be a member of BASCA. Not only does it provide unparalleled opportunities to network with your peers as well as an ever-growing list of member benefits and services, it’s also the place where your voice will be heard. Whether you’re just starting out on your musical career or have had a string of successes, BASCA speaks for the entire music writing community”.

BASCA is a single, powerful voice for all songwriters and composers, across all genres.

We’re an independent, professional, not-for-profit association driven to ensure that our members’ needs are always taken into account when it really matters.

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We work for fair copyright law, the best possible royalty returns and for wider recognition of the priceless contribution that music makes to our culture and society.

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BASCA membership benefits include: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Free insurance: Professional and Standard members are automatically insured for £1m Public Liability plus equipment insurance Discounts, offers and more: Specially negotiated discounts from our partners, including magazine and media subscription offers from Music Week and Record of The Day Free legal service & tax helpline CELEBRATION BASCA owns and organises the Ivor Novello Awards, the British Composer Awards and the Gold Badge Awards. As a BASCA member, you can take advantage of special industry ticket prices TRAINING Acquire new skills, improve your knowledge and make new contacts through our range of development seminars

INFORMATION Quarterly digital magazine and e-newsletters jam-packed full of in-depth interviews, articles, opportunities and features. Our website includes professional advice and online resources, including specimen contracts COMMUNITY Career development seminars, social events, networking sessions, master classes and songwriting critiques are all part of the BASCA calendar LOBBYING We make sure that your interests are correctly represented in the press, in UK government and in Europe

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PROFILE dance

We’re doing similar things but also everyone has their own unique take on it. We’re at a studio right now rehearsing and Clean Bandit are in the room next door. Everyone bounces ideas off each other and gives each other advice. There’s an energy where everyone is helping each other out.’

EDM and the US While UK acts are taking over at home, they’re also finding fans on the other side of the pond. This music may lie outside the unstoppable juggernaut that is EDM, but it hasn’t stopped US audiences going berserk for the likes of Disclosure and Gorgon City

While the house music love affair has to switch up if it is to survive, some of these artists are in the midst of careers set to endure past fashions or fads. Jimmy Napes believes it’s their strength as songwriters which helps set these artists apart.

Far left: B Traits Top right: Clean Bandit Bottom right: Sam Smith

‘I’m a “round the piano” kind of guy, who likes to sit and think about the lyrics for a long time,’ he says. ‘That’s been a bit lost in some electronic music. The key with Clean Bandit and Disclosure is that they take the time to think about a song. If you stripped away the production and high tech gadgets, would it stand up for itself? That’s the difference.’

‘It felt like Disclosure’s set at Coachella this year was the most important one,’ says Matt. ‘Watching 50,000 American kids dancing to garage was weird. Especially when they were dancing as if they were in a London club but were actually in Palm Springs.’

Jimmy Napes speaks of his US success with some awe - ‘I’ve just come back from Atlanta and watching Sam Smith play there. The crowd was incredible. We’ve literally come so far from being in my basement in London to the other side of the world. It was inspirational to see the love they have for him.’

Future of house So what’s next for this generation of artists who have helped define the sound of 2014? Producer and BBC Radio 1 DJ B Traits is a curator of forward thinking underground dance music. Not only is she a broadcaster but she’s signed to Shy FX’s Digital Soundboy label as an artist. B is excited about what lies ahead for this music.

‘In the next year I think it’ll go even more underground. That’s what I’m really excited by. There are a generation of kids who have discovered Disclosure and Gorgon City. In the next year they’ll start digging a bit deeper and search for something different.’

Olly from Black Butter agrees that change has got to come; ‘Nothing lasts forever. The sound has to develop as, like anything the public picks up, things wear out quickly.’

M54_DECEMBER 2014_23

Anita Awbi chats to freak-folk legend Vashti Bunyan to learn about one of the most curious songwriting stories in British music.

CLASSICAL

Main image: Errolyn Wallen

FREE RANGE Anita Awbi chats to classical music’s top trailblazers to get the low down on building a sustainable composing career.

‘These days we can hear any sort of music at any time we want. Why on earth shouldn’t we be influenced by it?’ asks award-winning composer Kerry Andrew. It’s an open ethos that has served her well so far.

The composer, performer and educator has just picked up another two accolades at this year’s British Composer Awards for a chamber opera based on her love of wild swimming and a community opera commissioned by Wigmore Hall. Testament to her numerous talents and tastes, Kerry has also received high praise for her experimental folk project You Are Wolf (supported by the PRS for Music Foundation) and the Juice choral group, which performs original commissions from the likes of Anna Meredith, Mica Levi and Jim Moray.

‘I think we live in a world where musicians should be able to switch seamlessly – and happily – between various genres and regard them all with equal respect’, she continues. ‘There are simply less barriers than ever before, both in critical terms – The Quietus or The Wire might write about contemporary classical music or leftfield pop using the same language – and in terms of access to music.’

Kerry is not alone. It’s now almost passé to celebrate the work of classical composers who dabble in other genres. These days, it’s a musical rite of passage - mainly thanks to innovators including Gabriel Prokofiev (founder of Nonclassical), Elysian Quartet’s Laura Moody and promoters including Blank Canvas and Rational Rec, who have consistently broken down barriers and paved the way. Then there are proactive and provocative groups such as Bastard Assignments, who host gigs of their own music in other people’s houses and are unapologetic about their intimacy. The DIY faction may well be small, but it’s exciting and robust. So what effect is this dissident activity having on the wider contemporary classical world? In a tight-knit community hit by general music industry malaise - but with added performance costs, commission competition and funding cuts - how are these cross-cultural excursions providing new opportunities for young composers?

‘There’s a new sense of fluidity, perhaps, that wasn’t always there,’ Kerry says. ‘I think it took me a while to realise that I didn’t have to just work in one area of music but there were many possibilities and I could just follow my nose. Who cares what anyone else thinks as long as you’re into it?’

Creative careers The trend is visible among younger composers Kerry teaches at Trinity Laban’s Junior Trinity Saturday School and the Sound and Music Summer School; these are musicians keen to work across all areas, from classical music to theatre, pop to jazz, and who don’t see any borders and barriers between them. Most are now touting themselves as composerperformers too: not only are they creating music across multiple genres, they’re also performing their own work and the work of others.

Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Errollyn Wallen, who forged her own cross-genre path back in the eighties, understands more than most the need for composers to work in this way to shape their own destiny.

She kick-started her career by hosting events and performing her own works, and believes she’d still be waiting for her big break if she hadn’t taken the initiative.

‘Hardly any composers are plucked out and become successful overnight’, she says. ‘The composer has to take charge of their own path. You’ve got to work out what it is you really want to do. It doesn’t stop being difficult, but you need to keep making things happen for yourself.’

Sound advice At a recent PRS for Music and Trinity Laban classical composers’ seminar, Errollyn joined forces with luminaries from across the classical community to offer practical advice to an audience of eager students. From upcoming composer Harry Escott, who’s just signed to Faber Music Publishing, to Alexis Patterson, Cheltenham Music Festival’s Manager, they outlined the key areas modern composers should get to grips with.

Not only do they need to innovate in their creative field, they must also be savvy to new income sources, collaborations and DIY practices. Those who are able to upskill are more likely to establish a fully functioning freelance career. The notion of the musical self-starter - which is, in many ways, a direct response to the challenging industry landscape - has been rattling around the pop, dance jazz and experimental genres for a decade or more. But it’s only just starting to gain traction within the wider contemporary classical community.

Alexis believes this is down to the fact that most classical composers still come through the conservatoire and university system. ‘The DIY ethic is definitely less prevalent in classical than other genres: the bedroom m54_december 2014_25

Support your Fund Since 1934, the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund has been helping PRS members, ex-members and their dependants in need of financial support. The help and support we provide can sometimes include grants, sheltered accommodation, debt management advice and career counselling.

2014 PRS for Music Centenary Appeal We need your support during our anniversary year to ensure that our good work continues. Please donate today at www.prsformusicfund.com/donate

Winter Heating Scheme Keep warm this winter with support from the Fund.

Older and vulnerable PRS members can benefit from our winter heating grant.

Should you find that your budget and any Government fuel payments do not cover your heating costs, please get in touch on 0203 741 4067 or email fund@prsformusic.com

Members Benevolent Fund A Registered Charity No. 208671 PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund, 2 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG Trustee: Nicky Graham.

Committee of Management: Ray Davies (Chairman), Brian Willey (Deputy Chairman), Peter Glenister, Chris Gunning, Peter Knight Jr, Mick Leeson, Eddie Levy, Michael Lindup, Megg Nicol, Paul Patterson, Sarah Rodgers, Muff Winwood.

Patrons: Don Black OBE, Geoffrey Brand, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies CH, CBE, Jools Holland OBE, Dr Brian May OBE, Sir Tim Rice, Rick Wakeman.

General Secretary: John Logan.

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CLASSICAL

composer doesn’t really exist as a concept,’ she explains. ‘Most classical composers are still trained in the conservatoires or Oxford and Cambridge so they’ve worked with orchestras and ensembles and been engrossed in that world - it’s a different musical landscape.’

That’s not to say things aren’t changing. Twenty-six year old composer Kate Whitley – who herself graduated from Cambridge University – has grasped the DIY ethic with both hands. On leaving the education system in 2011, she founded Multi-Storey with conductor Christopher Stark and funding support from PRS for Music Foundation. They launched the project later that year with a critically acclaimed performance of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring in a disused multi-storey car park in Peckham, South London, to an audience of 1,500 people.

She has been playing piano for most of her life, but only really got into classical music in her teens. Since her epiphany, aged 15, she’s been preoccupied with taking classical music out of concert halls and into more casual venues and unusual locations. ‘At the moment it does feel like a lot of people are making opportunities for themselves rather than waiting for commissions,’ she says. ‘It’s becoming more and more competitive so composers are forced to be entrepreneurial. That has drawbacks as well.

There are many who might be really good composers but don’t have the right skillset to get their own projects off the ground or participate in the sort of things we do. It’s not a solution for everyone, but taking a DIY approach has completely transformed what I’m involved in.’

Clockwise from left: Harry Escott, Kate Whitely, Multi-Storey.

Cultural cross-stitch Educational establishments and arts organisations across the country are beginning to put their weight behind the contemporary classical DIY movement. They realise that empowering the next generation of composers to have the freedom to shape the genre and carve out their own careers will help rejuvenate and future proof it. From the Birmingham Conservatoire to the Sound and Music charity, they are expanding their remits to coach and reward composers who are taking risks. To this end, Cheltenham Music Festival runs an annual Composer Academy scheme, which provides a test bed for emerging talent. The immersive peer-to-peer week gives composers time to discuss ideas and share advice. Each event is followed by a feedback session, where they can air their thoughts and frustrations.

MARK ALLAN / ROSS HALFIN

Alexis explains: ‘We encourage discussion around the funding application process, advice on getting commissions, recording your music, navigating contracts. These are the things you don’t want to think about if you have music in your head – but you have to if you want to get your music performed these days.’

Over at Sound and Music, a national charity for new music, there are a number of schemes to support composer and artist development, partnerships, touring, network building and education. Its flagship programmes include Composer-Curator, British Music Collection and Embedder. It also provides comprehensive listings covering calls for work, awards, jobs, funding and commissions both in the UK and internationally. The charity’s schemes have been carefully tailored to address composers’ needs, and are based on the findings of a widereaching 2012 survey of the whole sector. Its research from earlier this year found that two thirds of composers do not make a ‘significant’ amount of income from commissioned pieces - receiving an average of 2.65 commissions in 2013 with an average fee per piece of £1,392. But Sound and Music’s Head of Development Adam Cooper explains that most of the early career composers that pass through the charity’s doors go on to source their own major commissions and are more able to generate consistent work.

‘We encourage the composers to network as widely as possible because the sector is becoming much less boxed in – there are partnership opportunities all around the arts, some outside the arts sphere too,’ he says.

‘We are seeing a big cross-arts trend, so it’s important for composers to embrace this. We’ve had a composer installing sound art in forest clearings, we’ve got one who’s creating work in response to ancient museum objects, and we’ve placed composers in residence at archives. Increasingly, composers are creating works in response to new stimuli and it’s really exciting.’

Finance and funding However composers are choosing to create and perform their work, the underlying financial pressures are never greater than when they’re doing it all by themselves. So how can composers fund their creative impulses and get their ideas off the ground? m54_december 2014_27

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CLASSICAL

There are a number of funding bodies, from the Arts Council to PRS for Music Foundation, that are committed to supporting contemporary classical composers, promoters, artists and entrepreneurs. James Hannam, Senior Grants Manager at PRS for Music Foundation, oversees the organisation’s popular open funding programmes, which supported 377 contemporary classical projects from January 2011 to December 2013 alone. He believes the DIY approach is fast becoming a reality for many in the classical world and aims to provide simple and straightforward access to funding that can help free spirits to flourish.

‘A reassuring statistic is that in our April 2014 funding round the majority of grantees were people applying to us for the first time,’ he explains. ‘We like to have fresh talent coming through and we like to ensure they’re getting their fair share of support. For us it’s all about supporting those who are trying get their ideas out there.’

Other notable opportunities include the Royal Philharmonic Society’s IdeasTap scheme for young filmmakers and composers, and the London Symphony Orchestra’s Soundhub. And, for emerging talent looking to break into screen composing, BBC Worldwide’s Music Publishing arm helps connect composers with TV producers, often giving lesser known talent the important break they need.

Screen composer Harry Escott, who’s worked with stellar directorial talents including Michael Winterbottom, Nick Broomfield and Steve McQueen, urges all upcoming composers to grasp every opportunity out there, but cautions that they must ensure they’re getting the royalties their due - an area that becomes increasingly significant when scoring for national TV. ‘The lion’s share of my money, which I can actually buy food and pay bills with, comes from PRS for Music royalties – which I never in a million years imagined when I joined. It’s another important area that young classical composers need to know about,’ he says.

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Power of promotion Aside from career support, commissioning opportunities, funding and royalties, every composer can take a few simple steps at home to improve their chances of getting work. Although the idea of networking and selfpromotion can seem incongruous to dedicated creators, it’s becoming increasingly important to use social media to help convey ideas, network, promote events and showcase music.

DIY top five 1. Sound and Music’s Composer Toolkit is an essential online resource, offering practical advice on earning a living, promoting yourself and hosting DIY events.

It’s well worth the visit. soundandmusic.org/create/toolkit 2. Get your head around Accelerator, a new crowd funding platform developed by IdeasTap, the Royal Philharmonic Society-backed arts charity. It helps creators raise their own funds for DIY projects - without charging the commission fees that other platforms do. ideastap.com 3. The next PRS for Music Foundation funding deadline for individuals and organisations is 2 February 2015. For details on how to apply, see prsformusicfoundation.com 4. The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) holds regular career development and networking sessions for young composers, including the flagship Make Music Work event in March 2015. Find out more at ism.org/training 5. Lastly, don’t miss out on performance royalties from UK concert venues and festivals. Register all your performances online at prsformusic.com

Alexis from Cheltenham Music Festival, who invited Aaron to attend a recent Composer Academy, says: ‘I think for some people, self-promotion grates slightly with the idea of a young artist who wants to be abstracted and free. Having said that, there are composers who are doing brilliant things with their social media and websites. It is definitely the little things that make a huge difference.’

Kerry Andrew, an active player in the crossover-classical scene, agrees: ‘Outlets are relatively slim for new contemporary classical music and the most positive attitude is to simply get out there and get things cracking yourself. It’s frankly a great way to learn on the job, developing marketing, fundraising and general business skills, none of which are to be sniffed at.’

For more career advice, practical tips and in-depth interviews with everyone mentioned here, visit m-magazine.co.uk

DANNIE PRICE

Several composers are top of the pile when it comes to creating a successful online presence, as a quick google of their names will prove.

Brass ace Gavin Higgins has sourced great photography and good quality musical soundbites for his personal website while Aaron HollowayNahum, founder of Riot Ensemble, has a strong social media presence that helps him promote events. He’s also got a blog and actively shares other people’s work.

Pictured: Kerry Andrew

m54_december 2014_29

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i wrote that

song writing

Some people call him the space cowboy, some call him the gangster of love – whatever you know Steve Miller as, you’ll surely be familiar with his all-conquering song The Joker, which was originally released in 1974. The number one hit earned him worldwide fame and success that year, and set him up for a lifetime of songwriting.

In 1990 the track officially entered the canon of cool when Levi’s used it for an iconic jeans advert. Here, the songwriter extraordinaire marks the song’s 40 th anniversary and looks back to its creation one hot and dusty night in 1973…

I remember it was late at night and I was at an open air party, sitting on the hood of a Pontiac GTO convertible with my back against the windshield.

I had a Martin D-28 guitar in my hands and I was playing around with a bassline. The lyric ‘Some people call me the space cowboy’ just popped into my head and from there it only took me about an hour to finally come up with the chorus.

When I took it to the band, there wasn’t much of a reaction. At the time we were cutting rhythm tracks with John King on drums and Gerald Johnson on bass and this was just one song out of nine we were recording that day. It was very simple so no one thought it was a hit song - we got the basic track down in one take so the song you hear is actually the demo.

The whole thing was recorded at Capitol Records, Hollywood, in Studio B. I played the Martin D-28 six string acoustic guitar with Gerald on a Fender bass and John on drums. Then I sang the lead vocal and added the second part harmony. The final part was done by playing a slide guitar solo on a Fender Strat through a Mannys overdrive pedal and a Leslie speaker set on the chorus effect. The whole song took about 30 minutes to do!

At the time we didn't know The Joker was a hit. I really didn't have a clue. [Parent album] The Joker was to be the last of a seven-LP deal and Capitol hadn't bothered to renew my contract so I thought it was going to be my last. I remember handing in the record and playing it for the promo department.

One kid said, ‘Hey that Joker song sounds like a hit!’

But I told him to forget about singles and see if they could actually get some albums ready for sale in the

towns I was performing in. I handed them a list of sixty cities I was starting to play that night thinking I was finished.

Capitol sent a copy to all the underground FM radio stations and within three months the song had gone viral. A couple of months later we had a number one hit on AM radio on our hands. It ended up being played twice an hour, 24 hours a day for over a year on every major station in America.

“It’s a joyous moment of harmony, humour and good feeling…”

It was really great for me because The Joker was the first album I’d ever produced by myself. Even better, it was my first number one single, my first number one album and my first platinum album. I felt very encouraged. After 11 years of non-stop touring and recording I took the rest of the year off to write new songs and start recording my next record Fly Like an Eagle.

But there was one line in The Joker that caused me grief. Ahmet Ertegun [respected media mogul and founder of Atlantic Records] somehow stopped the payment of all my royalties for the song. I called to ask why and he told me that Eddie Curtis [who had originally written the song Lovey Dovey] was threatening him over the Lovey Dovey reference I’d used within the song.

I explained to Ahmet it was a tribute to The Coasters [who recorded a version of Lovey Dovey in 1964] and not part of the lyrics of the song. Considering all the writing credits he’d had with his own artists, I told him he was being duplicitous. He agreed and said he was sorry. He also said he was going to sue me anyway, so I had to give him and Eddie Curtis a percentage of my song to get the block on my royalties removed.

It’s funny how these things come round again.

In 1990 The Joker became part of a Levi's TV advertising campaign that used classic songs and very cool photography. At the time MTV ruled the airwaves so I decided to do the commercial thinking it would give us some kind of presence in the marketplace - and it did. We re-released The Joker and it went to number one again all across Europe. The Steve Miller Band does 60 concerts a year and audiences always react well to the song when we perform it live. It’s a joyous moment of harmony, humour and good feeling. Everybody in the audience is whooping and hollering, smooching and laughing - and that’s what it’s all about. See ya in a minute!

A 40th anniversary live edition of The Joker album is out now through iTunes.

The Joker Written by: Steve Miller, Eddie Curtis, Ahmet Ertegun Published in the UK by: Universal Music Publishing m54_december 2014_31

sixty seconds SLEAFORD MODS Sleaford Mods are Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn, an aggressive proto-punk duo who don’t so much wear their hearts on their sleeves as ram them down your throat.

Originally a solo vehicle for Jason, the Mods became a duo in late 2009 in Nottingham, marrying fierce lyrical jabs with primitive drum beats. Since the release of their seventh album, Divide and Exit, earlier this year, the pair have slashed a ferocious trail through 2014 with acerbic, witty lines. A new album, slated for 2015, promises more where that came from.

How did you get into music?

I started tinkering with it at college but nothing really stirred me until Paul Weller’s Wild Wood. I saw him perform Has My Fire Really Gone Out? on Jools Holland. It was inspiring to see someone be in two bands, then come through for a third time. It hasn’t aged very well and I’ve got a very different opinion of the bloke now, but at the time it was really powerful.

How does the creative process work?

I record lyrics into my phone before I go into the studio. Recording works better if you have them beforehand - it means you can fire through three or four tunes in one night. Andrew’s normally got a beat and if he hasn’t, he can rustle one up. I’ve got used to his rhythms and can wrap my words around anything he comes up with.

How did Sleaford Mods get together?

Around 2009 I moved back to Nottingham and started work on the fourth Sleaford Mods album. I’d taken about 18 months off after releasing the third album - I’d got a bit disillusioned with it all. I moved back, met my now wife, and started writing again and gigging. I got picked up by a noise night called the Rammel Club, which used to put me on as a support act to touring artists. I met Andrew as he was kind of in with all that crowd. He was DJing at a gig I was supporting and we got talking. I asked him what he was playing, he said it was his own music.

At that point, I was getting more conscious I’d need to use more original beats to take it further. Once I’d heard his that was it for me really.

It’s quick because we want it to be as uncoordinated and as much of a statement as possible. We have a total disdain for current practices in regards to successful, commercial music.

Are you musically politicised from the off, being from somewhere like Grantham?

Yeah you are although I always viewed being from a small market town like Grantham as a hindrance.

You don’t get people from these sorts of places doing anything decent, it’s the people from cities who do the good stuff. Obviously that’s bollocks and you realise that as you get older. Sleaford Mods has taught me to respect myself and my identity. Not be proud of it but to use it confidently and to see the good in it, to see the panache in it, and how I can stylise it.

Where does your anger come from?

It’s the normal everyday frustrations. As you get older, you have to pay attention to responsibilities which don’t mean anything. It’s a mixture of that and your principles compared to those of other people, and the conflict that creates.

Why have audiences connected with your music?

Fuck knows. It’s not just swearing. They are thoughtful accounts but it’s not very attractive. More recent releases I’ve made with Andrew I can listen to but I have a real problem with the music before.

I knew it was good so still did it. But it’s not very accessible and that’s why I can’t believe it’s become quite big.

Many of the new bands coming up just aren’t very good. I’m putting that down to their age, but John Lydon wrote something at 21 that’s still poignant today. Grime is the one exception. I keep saying it constantly because it is the modern day street music.

In pop, big business has fully taken over and carves out acts that have nothing threatening in them in order to make money.

Go online for the full interiew with Sleaford Mods

m-magazine.co.uk

What’s next?

We’ve got a new album coming in spring next year.

Some of it is classic Sleaford and other bits sound different. It’s moved on a bit but still carries the weight of what we’re about. We want it to mean something to us, to more people and elevate us to a different level so I don’t have to go back to work. I’ve been off work for three weeks and it’s a bit strange but it’s made me realise you really don’t need it. sleafordmods.com

32_december 2014_m54

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Gemma Cairney is the voice of BBC Radio 1’s Early Breakfast Show, waking up listeners every weekday morning with a packed agenda of new music and showbiz gossip. Gemma joined BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2008 as the co-host of the weekday Breakfast Show with Trevor Nelson, and in 2011 she went on to host her own afternoon show on the network.

The former BRIT School pupil began her radio career at Channel 4 Radio, interviewing bands at summer festivals and pop concerts, before moving on to Kiss FM. An all-rounder, Gemma previously worked as a stylist for Florence + the Machine and the Pigeon Detectives, and co-presented Channel 4’s Big Brother’s Big Ears TV show.

the first music i remember hearing was…

Something smooth like Barry White or Alexander O’Neal… my mum and dad were suckers for both. I was obsessed with Barry White’s cover of Just the Way You Are - I remember loving what that song meant.

22/05/2013 16:32 20:25 28/11/2014

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the first record i ever bought was…

Tina Moore’s Never Gonna Let You Go. I bought the single from Our Price. I was pretty young, too young to go raving or be a part of the speed garage scene, but I remember it enchanting me on Top of the Pops. I sometimes think I’m lucky not to have been an older teen in the nineties, I think I would’ve been led even further astray!

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Listen to Gemma Cairney’s selection

the last great record i listened to was…

I am on a constant mission to mix it up and listen to so many different things. I don’t want to get too stuck into any particular music. I listened to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon the other day when I was doing some work. I know it’s considered a seminal album, but I’m not sure I’ve paid attention before – that’s exactly why I chose to listen to it. I enjoyed the experience, but it did

28/11/2014 16:32

make me feel like I was slipping into some sort of hazy vortex. the song i wish i’d written is…

Boom Shak-a-Lak by Apache Indian, cos it’s ludicrous and it works. the song that makes me want to dance is…

Breathe by Sean Paul featuring Blu Cantrell. the song that makes me cry is…

Bless the Telephone by Labi Siffre. I was listening to the new Kelis album and she covers it. It totally arrested me and I researched it straight away. I found out the original was by Labi Siffre. It’s so simple but lovely. the song that i know all the words to is…

Apple Tree by Erykah Badu. It used to be my mantra song. the song i want played at my funeral is…

Woah. I hate this question. Can’t it be wedding? If so then I think Lauryn Hill and Damian Marley’s Nothing Even Matters is so beautiful and explains how love can feel. m54_december 2014_33

picture this

tribute

got a photo to share and a story to tell? magazine@prsformusic.com

Tribute: Lynsey de Paul

Lynsey de Paul was a much loved songwriter and performer who enjoyed a long and successful career. Testament to her exceptional talent, she became the first woman to receive an Ivor Novello Award for her 1973 single Won’t Somebody Dance With Me. She later collected a second for No Honestly, the theme tune to an ITV sitcom of the same name.

Over the years, Lynsey penned 12 top 20 hit records but is probably best known for her single Sugar Me, which entered the top five in 1972. She also wrote for other artists including Petula Clark, The Real Thing and John Christie. In 1977 Lynsey joined the Song for Britain Club, writing and performing Rock Bottom for the Eurovision Song Contest and coming a very close second to France.

By the mid-seventies, she had begun to compose for television, creating nine primetime themes including Hearts of Gold for Esther Rantzen’s BBC One show and There’s No Place Like London, which featured Shirley Bassey and a 54 piece orchestra. She later orchestrated, played and produced two classical records of compositions by Handel and Bach for Deutsche Grammaphon.

But Lynsey’s talents extended well beyond songwriting and performing. After studying classical music with a tutor from the Royal Academy of Music, she took a Diploma in Art and Design

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at Hornsey College of Art and worked as a commercial artist and designer for three years. She also turned her hand to acting, TV presenting and video production, releasing a self-defence film for women and an award-winning documentary.

Throughout her life, Lynsey remained an active champion of British songwriters and composers. She spent several years on the BASCA Board before becoming an integral member of the PRS Board. She was also a trustee of the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund.

Following the sad news of her death on 1 October 2014, Guy Fletcher OBE, PRS Chair, was among the many people to pay tribute to Lynsey. ‘I am devastated that my dear friend and colleague of forty years has passed away,’ he said. ‘Lynsey was an inspiration to all who met her – immensely talented, passionate and a natural people person. She was an active role model for PRS for Music and a pioneering female songwriter. This is a tragic loss for our organisation and the music industry. She will be deeply missed.’

Tributes also poured in from Primal Scream, David Arnold, Tim Rice, Brian May, Gary Kemp, Justin Hayward, Barry Blue, Michael Ball, Nik Kershaw, Don Black, Doug Flett, Mitch Murray and Justin Hayward – many of whom have either worked alongside Lynsey or were fans of her work.

“How I Got My Music Licensed 1,205 Times” Barry French – TAXI Member – BigBlueBarry.com

I

took some time off from music, then my grandfather passed away and I re-evaluated what I was doing with my life. I felt the “call” of music, so I started writing again, decided to get serious about my music career, and joined TAXI in 2008.

Honestly, I Was Skeptical at First…

I did some research. I lurked on TAXI’s Forums, and found that TAXI’s successful members were real people just like me. Though I’d co-written with an Indie artist, and charted at #15 on the Radio & Records Christian Rock charts, I was clueless how to even get a film or TV placement— a complete newbie!

But TAXI’s Industry Listings gave me goals to shoot for and helped me stay on task. I became more productive and motivated to get things done because I didn't want to feel like I "missed out" on an opportunity.

How to Build The Right Catalog

If you want to create music for art’s sake, then by all means, go ahead and do that. But, if you want to have a music career, why not use TAXI to learn how build the right catalog full of music the industry actually needs?

Expand Your Possibilities…

TAXI can help you learn to write for genres you never thought you could do. I used to do mostly Hard Rock and Metal. Because of TAXI, I branched out into other genres— first Pop/Punk, and then Tension and "Dramedy" cues. I used the feedback from TAXI’s A&R staff to improve my work. In many cases, my tracks improved to the point that they got signed and ultimately placed in TV shows!

350 Placements in the Last Year!

The first placement I ever had resulted from meeting a Music Library owner at the Road Rally— TAXI’s free convention. In a little more than 3 years, my music has been licensed more than 1000 times, with nearly 350 placements in the past year alone!

A “Lucky Duck?”

My 1,000th placement was a Southern Rock track on A&E's hit show, Duck Dynasty. A TAXI connection resulted in me becoming a "go to" composer for a company that provides music directly to that series. How cool is that?!

TAXI’s Listings, community, convention, and networking opportunities have helped my career immensely. The ONLY regret I have about joining TAXI is that I didn't sign up sooner! If you’re willing to invest in yourself, call TAXI and let them help you too.

The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company

1-800-458-2111 • TAXI.com

Angel Recording Studios

Cliff Masterson • Goldfrapp • Howard Shore • Richard Hartley John Lunn • Debbie Wiseman • Nitin Sawhney • Simon Hale Rufus Wainwright • Adele • Guy Chambers • Steve Sidwell George Fenton • Anne Dudley • Graham Stack • Phil Ramone Duncan Sheik • Dominic Scherrer • Marius de Vries Craig Armstrong • Steve Power • Steve Lipson • Nick Ingman Angelo Badalamenti • Ian Brown • Trevor Horn Michael Nyman • Paul Englishby • Chris Egan • Dario Marianelli Guy Barker • Stereophonix • Elbow • Rob Lane • Damon Albarn Angel Recording Studios 311 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 2TU +44 (0) 20 7354 2525

www.angelstudios.co.uk bookings@angelstudios.co.uk

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