M58

Members Music Magazine Issue 58 December 2015

THE

LIBERTINES What became of the Likely Lads

the art of protest Meet the new radicals

steve mason

nancy kerr

mark thomas Tools of the trade

c duncan

wreckless eric

THE ULTIMATE CONCERT GRAND PIANO LIBRARY

P R O D U C E D BY H A N S Z I M M E R AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD TODAY

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contents

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COVER FEATURE

THE LIBERTINES Love, loss and liberation: get the inside track on the The Libertines’ epic return 18

JUST JOINED VOICE OF DISSENT

Spotlight on PRS for Music’s newest members

From folk to grime, discover the artists using their music to speak out

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60 SECONDS Mercury Prize nominee and classical crossover ace C Duncan on his fast rise

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BUSINESS NEWS

I WROTE THAT

PICTURE THIS

Vicky Ford MEP explains Europe’s new digital and creative initiatives

Wreckless Eric, post punk’s coolest anti-hero, on how he wrote his signature hit

The Beta Band founder Steve Mason talks songwriting in his home studio

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SOCIAL @m_magazineprs @m_magazineprs /prsformusic /prsformusic

cover photo: rachael wright

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Associate Editor Anita Awbi Senior Writer Jim Ottewill

Membership Advisor Myles Keller

CONTRIBUTORS Emma Anderson, Eileen Fitches, Stuart Fleming, Jon Hall, Andy Hind, Liam McMahon, Tim Rawlinson, Alex Sharman, Debbie Stones, Alice Thornton.

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 2015. 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.

m58_december 2015_3

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glowing palms If you explore the deep, shadowy parts of the UK’s electronic underground, you’ll find the squelchy reverberations of mysterious London DJ and producer Glowing Palms. Most clubs go boom after dark but Palms preferas to light up the dancefloor with florid tropical auras via his own productions and re-edits.

united sounds of joy After almost two fractured decades, former Dream City Film Club partners Michael J Sheehy and Alex Vald have chosen 2015 as the year to reenter the musical world, this time as United Sounds of Joy.

again over a melting pot of weird, dark musical touch points. They’re supposedly inspired by ‘acid drenched spaghetti westerns, post-apocalyptic sci-fi, recreational drug use in the nineties, and assorted mystics, murderers and madmen’.

Their previous outfit was a cult act that signed to Beggar’s Banquet, released one LP and recorded two Peel sessions before Alex was kicked out. The club opened their creative doors at the fag-end of Britpop but drew on a richer, more psychedelic seam than many of their contemporaries before imploding in disarray.

With such a disparate palette to draw on, the first taste - The Sun That Hides A Darker Star - is a shimmering, gothic slice of noir pop. Pin back those ears for a 2016 debut album. They’re promising it will be a record of ‘lounge music for a dystopian future’. unitedsoundsofjoy.co.uk

Although keen to not bill this latest coupling as ‘a reunion’, the duo are crossing swords once

Now signed to Ruf Dug’s RüF KUTZ label, he’s stayed hectic over the last 12 months with releases, Resonance FM radio shows and guest slots at clubs all tuned into a sound he describes as ‘disco heat, boogie claps and raw synthesiser power’.

It was the release of his cover of former dubstep don Skream’s Midnight Request Line which gained him BBC Radio 1 airplay while he also made headlines

by DJing at an East London after-party for punters including Beyonce and Jay Z. His forthcoming releases are making their way through the pressing plant as we speak… glowingpalms.com Find out about more of our new members on m-magazine.co.uk

ajay-atul Brothers Ajay and Atul Gogavale are two of Bollywood’s most successful composers, marrying the traditional music of their homeland with contemporary styles to mesmerising effect.

LAWRENCE MCCARTHY

Born in Mumbai and brought up in several villages in Western Maharashtra, the pair had no formal musical training, instead cutting their teeth arranging works with local acts. They went on to throw themselves into the world of Bollywood feature films, becoming two of the most in-demand musical writers and directors in the Marathi film industry.

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A long list of accolades from their career includes winning the Best Music Direction prize at the National Film Awards for their work on Jogwa and composing India’s theme music at Hannover Messe, the world’s biggest industrial fair, on the personal invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The latest work for Bollywood’s musical kings includes scoring Brothers, an official remake of the Tom Hardy-starring 2011 Hollywood film, Warriors. ajayatul.com

members & music

sixty seconds C DUNCAN Glaswegian composer Christopher Duncan is the son of two classical musicians. He was naturally drawn to piano, viola and classical composition from a very young age, but the lure of school indie bands as a teenager also turned him on to guitar, bass and drums.

Now fluent in all five instruments, and with a Royal Conservatoire of Scotland education in his back pocket, Christopher is armed with a bewildering arsenal of styles and sounds. His genre-hopping includes forays into classical, jazz, folk, indie and alt-pop, and is best experienced on his Mercury Prize-nominated debut album Architect.

You grew up learning classical instruments – how has that grounding influenced your music-making today?

It really opened my eyes to various new styles of music, including classical and jazz.

You attended the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow – what were your experiences there and how did they shape your composing style?

I went there primarily to study contemporary classical composition and left writing pop music. It is a very open place where you can experiment and ultimately write whatever excites you most - and for me that is classical influenced pop music.

For your end-of-year portfolio, you had to have music written on manuscript which other musicians could play. Being a conservatoire full of musicians, your music was regularly performed by ensembles. But the composition tutors actively encouraged us to write whatever other styles of music we wanted. There was never any classical music snobbery going on, which really shaped what I’m doing now. I have a good education in how to write notes and structure music, which doesn’t need only apply to classical music.

What is your biggest creative influence?

I guess my biggest creative influence is music. I listen to a large amount of music and artists to see what they are doing and to work out what it is about their music that makes me tick. I then incorporate certain sounds/styles that I have picked up in my own songs.

How do you feel about your debut album Architect receiving a Mercury Prize nomination?

I was very excited to be nominated for the Mercury Prize. It’s something that I have been following closely for years and it feels almost surreal that I am part of it now too! Especially considering it is my debut.

What’s the inspiration behind the record?

There is no one thing that inspired the record. When I started recording it I wanted to explore different styles of music and as the album progressed I had a clearer idea of the overall sound I wanted - which is dreamy, choral, pastoral and slightly folky.

You made it alone in your bedroom. What’s your studio set-up like?

I have a very basic studio set-up. It consists of a laptop, a classical guitar, a microphone and an audio interface.

What are the pros and cons of making an album at home?

There are a lot of pros when it comes to recording at home. You have no time limit, financial constraints and no disturbances which you might find in a studio.

I often work very late into the night using headphones. For me, recording from home gives me the space to create exactly what I want using the equipment I have. The only cons for me were that I didn’t socialise much when recording the album as I never had to leave the house!

How do you feel about collaboration? Do you prefer to work alone?

I’m very happy working alone at the moment, but in the future I would like to work with larger groups, choirs and strings.

Your album has been described as dream-pop meets folk with classical roots.

Is that what you set out to do, or is your style more organic than that?

I never really set out to create a certain style, but I guess lots of my major influences have made their way into my music and that’s why it sounds like this. It was a very organic way for me to establish a style that suited my voice and interests.

Is it hard to recreate your intricate sound on stage?

It was at first. I started performing alone on stage with a laptop and guitar but it felt a little karaoke. So I started getting more live musicians involved and with a lot of rehearsal we have managed to recreate a lot of the sounds and intricacies on stage.

You make visual art – does that influence your music at all?

In a way. I often work on paintings as I’m writing music so the way I structure both is similar. Particularly my use of repetition and small intricacies.

What does 2016 have in store for you?

A lot of touring! In February I’m touring the UK and France and then hopefully America in March. I also plan on releasing my second album in autumn 2016, which I have already started work on. c-duncan.co.uk Watch our exclusive live session with C Duncan over on M online now m-magazine.co.uk/watch m58_december 2015_5

members & music

kicking out the jams

Acclaimed indie rockers PEACE and electronic outfit Boxed In launched the first ever PRS for Music Presents live showcase at the society’s Kings Cross headquarters in London. The event took place on 27 October and was attended by PRS for Music customers, members, industry partners and M competition winners.

They were supported by PRS for Music Foundation-funded Boxed In, led by songwriter and producer Oli Bayston. Oli’s music is built on a deep love of classic pop, electronics and krautrock. He gathered a formidable band around him at PRS HQ to bring his unique sounds to life and deliver an amazing set.

PEACE are former BBC Sound Of nominees who appeared in PRS for Music’s cinema advert earlier this year. They first hit the headlines back in 2013 when their debut album In Love was heralded by the British press as a breakthrough masterpiece.

Now back with sophomore album Happy People, they’re at the very top of their game.

The next PRS for Music Presents night will take place in the organisation’s Streatham office, South London, in February. It promises to feature some amazing local talent and a few surprises too. Keep your eyes peeled on M online for more details and the chance to win tickets.

Watch videos from the first ever PRS for Music Presents over at m-magazine.co.uk/watch now.

melodic reach Hotly-tipped four-piece Gengahr became the band of choice to entertain songwriters, industry execs and MPs at Sleeve Notes, an event aimed at bringing government decision-makers closer to creators.

The guitar-toting North London lads played tracks from their woozy, harmony-driven debut album A Dream Outside, topping off an incredible year which has seen them playlisted across BBC Radio 6Music and Radio X, support Wolf Alice and sign to the mighty Transgressive Records.

PRS for Music and the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) were behind the night, held at St James Theatre, London.

Guests included songwriters Iain Archer (Snow Patrol), Irwin Sparkes (The Hoosiers) and Jimbo Barry (The Script), alongside composers Michael Price and Stephen McNeff.

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divine intervention

Neil Hannon, songwriter and musician behind Northern Irish baroque pop outfit The Divine Comedy, has received a Legend Award from Belfast music hub, Oh Yeah Centre. The award acknowledged Neil’s pivotal place in the story of Northern Irish pop, and honoured his unique musical wit and intelligence.

Neil has been releasing records as The Divine Comedy since 1990, coming into his own later that decade with monster albums Casanova, A Short Album About Love, Fin de Siecle and Regeneration.

At the time, his wry songwriting nous helped redefine the notion of Britpop and brought orchestral theatrics into the Top 40.

In total, Neil has released 10 artist albums, with another expected in 2016. He’s also known for his madcap musical projects for stage and screen, which have seen him take on an opera for the Royal Opera House and deliver a commission for organ at the Royal Festival Hall. Neil’s also credited for creating the theme to much-loved Irish comedy Father Ted and more recent hit The IT Crowd.

Talking to M about his Legend Award, which he received from PRS for Music Senior Membership Manager Stuart Fleming, Neil said: ‘I was amazed and honoured to receive it. It was a great night and I’m extremely proud to come from Northern Ireland. But you know, it wasn’t an easy place to grow up in back in the seventies and eighties, so it has definitely coloured the person that I am.

‘I think my slightly introverted obsessive nature about music might have been influenced by the fact that I was trying to get away from the world outside to a degree. But there is enormous talent in Northern Ireland, as there is in the South too. This island has a remarkable track record in music.’

You can read the full interview with Neil over on m-magazine.co.uk now.

members & music

gearing up for gigs

We’re excited to mark the return of Independent Venue Week (IVW) in January with a night of live music at the Sebright Arms, London. For the second year running, we’ve teamed up with the lauded indie venue to celebrate the importance of small stages and grassroots gigs for songwriters across the country.

Norwich. Among the new venues to sign up this time around are Quay Arts (Isle of Wight), The Soundhouse (Leicester) and Nambucca (London). Artist ambassadors are Mercury Prize nominees Wolf Alice, who follow in the footsteps of previous advocates Frank Turner and Colin Greenwood.

Last year, we hosted live music from postpunk duo Prinzhorn Dance School and indie darlings Tuff Love, with DJing and live electronics from Richard Norris. Over the coming weeks we’ll be announcing more info about our 2016 night, including the full line-up and details on how to get your free ticket. But for the moment, just make sure you keep 28 January free!

Artists performing across the week include Everything Everything, Matthew E White, Mallory Knox, Childhood, Misty Miller (left), Beans on Toast, Eliza and the Bear, Georgia, Get Inuit and Edwyn Collins. The latter will play live and curate a week of music at Hebden Bridge’s Trades Club. Alongside M, other curating partners include Rob da Bank and Sunday Best, BBC Introducing, PIAS, Domino Records, The Joe Strummer Foundation and Communion Records.This year’s event enjoys continued support from founding partners PRS for Music, Musicians’ Union and Marshall Amps.

The wider IVW campaign, which is now in its third year, takes place from Monday 25 January to Sunday 31 January. Over the years, it’s grown to include 120 venues from Aberdeen to Exeter, Belfast to

chris difford’s notes on songwriting Chris Difford is a bone fide musical legend who’s been bringing cleverly crafted kitchen-sink pop to the masses since the mid-seventies. Half of the songwriting force behind Squeeze (with Glenn Tilbrook), he’s been responsible for some of the most endearingly kooky melodies and pithy lyrics ever to have graced the UK charts. Here, he ponders the delicate craft of co-writing: Writing songs is like being in a bath full of bubbles; when someone else gets in too it’s like a bath full of even more bubbles.

Co-writing can be wonderful and often it teaches me more about myself than expensive therapy. For 42 years, I have been writing with one person, Glenn Tilbrook. He brings the music and the production to Squeeze and makes us who we are. But when I co-write outside of this cosy, yet often fragile boundary, I discover more of myself.

I have been co-writing with various people for about 20 years now, and it’s been lots of fun. The love of writing is a passion that comes from deep within and the first thing I learn is to share and not dictate how I feel things should be. It’s ok to be wrong.

Sulking gets me into a dark corner. It’s not

a place I like to go to, but in the past that darkness fostered some great words.

I have been prolific with many people and written hundreds of songs, but hundreds of songs in a drawer gets me nowhere. I have to pick and choose my moments so that all the roses have a regular bloom. The trick of co-writing is to let go of your fears about being right all of the time, muck in, roll up your sleeves and enjoy what the other person has to say.

My words have been a sticking point for some writers as they are very me, therefore very Squeeze you might say. If this happens I try to imagine myself as a tailor making a suit for the voice that’s just walked into the room. Writing with Marti Pellow, I knew that ‘ironing board’ were not words he would sing. I had to find ways of placing his voice within the colour of my words. He was great to work with but he liked to drive me like a golf ball - there was no hiding place. On the other hand, writing with Boo Hewerdine (founder of The Bible) is a shared and humorous partnership, one in which I know I can stretch out and challenge myself to lift the bar.

Together we write deep songs, but we also love to have fun with the subject matter.

With a new play we are working on we have come up with a story that lasts for an hour – music, words, script all in one proud piece. He is a great producer too so it’s easy to work with him. I can step away and trust his ears. It’s taken three years to get this far, but in a partnership you have to learn to give each other time and space to make the song stand out.

Over the last year Glenn and I made a new Squeeze album together, a co-writing project for a TV show called Cradle to the Grave. Glenn produced the album and for

the first time co-wrote some of the lyrics with me. Life changes and to entertain change is to find the space between the past and the present.

I love co-writing and I thank Elton John who first inspired me to cast off shore and sharpen my pencil outside of my lifelong relationship with Glenn. So if you make co-writing your friend, you too could end up with the best of all possible worlds. Sharing the differences and embracing the similarities is what it seems to be about. m58_december 2015_7

members & music future gazing

Some of the UK’s leading musical minds tell us who they’re tipping for big things in 2016…

nines - jamal edwards, sbtv

izzy bizu - mistajam, mercury prize judge

Nines has been shooting videos for SBTV and releasing mixtapes for a few years, building a big buzz in the UK rap scene. He’s got a great story to tell and a laid back vocal style, and is bringing something to the scene no one else is. There is an album in the works which I think will kick things into the next gear.

Izzy Bizu is one of my many tips for 2016. She’s definitely more than just a vocalist and her style really transcends genre and era. She sounds equally as comfortable on grime as she does soul. That’s testament to her versatility. She’s definitely a true artist and one to watch!

mura masa - jamz supernova, bbc radio 1xtra

jacob collier - mike flynn, jazzwise

Mura Masa is an absolute beast! His productions have been consistently flawless and it’s been great to watch him grow from a producer to an artist. He’s a rare talent who knows exactly who he is and where he’s going. 2015 saw him making waves but once his album drops I think the whole world will take notice.

Jacob Collier is a YouTube sensation who’s managed by Quincy Jones. He’s just mind-blowingly talented as a multi-instrumentalist musician. He’s graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, is only 20 and utterly amazing.

He’s already making some serious waves and he hasn’t even had a record out yet.

luke jackson - neil pearson, efdss

blossoms - bryan johnson, spotify

Luke has honed his craft on the road, developing into one of the finest young folk/roots songwriters in the UK. A brilliant performer and writer, he has been selected for a showcase at Folk Alliance in Kansas City in February. 2016 should be a well-deserved breakthrough year for this fully rounded and talented artist.

My top tip for 2016 has to be upcoming Stockport band Blossoms. The five-piece expertly channel psych-pop and ooze Northern charm. They’re great live too. Don’t miss them on their UK tour throughout February and March.

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members & music

sound effect

strong foundations PRS for Music Foundation, the UK’s leading funder of new music, is celebrating its 15th birthday this year.

From humble beginnings back in 2000, it has grown into an important force for good in UK cultural life, spreading its influence far beyond the songwriting community to encourage inventive cross-collaboration and creativity. Vanessa Reed, who helms the charity, reflects on the past decade and a half:

Moses Boyd is one of the most innovative new musical forces in UK jazz. As an alumnus of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and the Tomorrow’s Warriors young artist development programme, he’s rapidly established a name for himself as an inspired drummer, composer and bandleader.

Born in South London, Moses began playing drums at age 13 and has gone on to work with a wide array of artists including vocalist Zara McFarlane and producer Floating Points. He’s since received support from the PRS for Music Foundation to journey over to the Montreal Jazz Festival alongside Malaika and the Peter Edwards Trio and chosen as one of the Steve Reid Innovation Awards mentorship artists, alongside Lady Vendredi and Hector Plimmer. His latest accolade was winning the MOBO Award for Best Jazz Act as one half of jazz duo Binker and Moses in November.

The first record i bought was…

Marsalis Standard Time Vol 1 by Wynton Marsalis. It’s still a favourite now. I spent so much time trying to figure out everything about that record.

The last great record i listened to was…

Bjork’s Vulnicura. That was on rotation in the car recently. It’s such a powerful album The song I wish I’d written is…

Without a doubt it would be Holding You, Loving You by Don Blackman. Imagine going to a party and being the guy who wrote such a banger. I bet he never bought a drink again in his life.

Looking forward to the next 15 years, we will continue to build upon the vital support we are proud to give songwriters and composers of all backgrounds by recognising the help that music creators need in an ever-evolving industry and by responding with the right form of support.

On that subject, watch out for two new initiatives that we’ll be launching in the New Year to help composers develop their career and encourage orchestras to promote more of the brilliant UK repertoire that deserves to reach a broader audience. To learn more, visit our website prsformusicfoundation.com, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on twitter @prsfoundation.

The song that makes me want to dance is…

Earth Wind & Fire’s Mighty Mighty.

The song that makes me cry is…

That’s a tricky one. I’m not a teary person but I have this Elvis Presley Sings Gospel album where he sings, ‘you saw me crying in the chapel’. That could do it maybe.

I heard it a lot as a kid so it’s pretty sentimental.

The song that i know all the words to is…

Oh man there are loads. I’d be a great karaoke partner if I could sing. I know Kiss From a Rose by Seal really well.

The song i want played at my funeral is…

I’d want people to be lively and celebrating at my funeral. So maybe Life by Sly and The Family Stone. mosesboyd.bandcamp.com

RUTH KILPATRICK

The first music i remember hearing was…

Definitely gospel music. Whether just at church or at home I was constantly surrounded by it when I was growing up. I particularly remember hearing the likes of Fred Hammond, The Winans and much, much more.

The Foundation’s 15th anniversary is an opportunity for us to celebrate the 5,200 fantastic new music projects involving tens of thousands of UK based songwriters and composers that we’ve supported since we were established in 2000. The quality of the music we’re funding continues to demonstrate the extraordinary talent of those writing and composing music in the UK, with half of the Mercury Prize nominees, 10 of the MOBO Award nominees and six composers shortlisted for British Composer Awards having benefitted from our support in recent years.

In 2015 we continued to add value to PRS for Music’s donation by levering an additional £2 for every £1 donated. Some schemes, such as our Momentum Talent Development Fund, in partnership with Arts Council England, have generated exceptional business outcomes, with a 746 percent return on investment for a sample of bands who have completed their funded activity.

Innovators Lady Vendredi, Sarathy Korwar (above) and Hector Plimmer joined jazz drummer Moses Boyd in performing at the recent Steve Reid Innovation Award gig at The Forge, London. The night was a celebration of boundary-pushing electronics and jazz, and gave each of the four Innovation Award recipients an opportunity to showcase their new work.

The Innovation Award was established last year to support emerging artists through grants and mentorship from Steve Reid Foundation trustees Gilles Peterson, Four Tet, Floating Points and Theo Parrish. It’s jointly run by PRS for Music Foundation and the Steve Reid Foundation.

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money & business access all areas

PRS for Music has launched a series of myth-busting infographics to lift the lid on its complex business and let members, the music industry and the general public in on its vital statistics.

The series highlights the organisation’s key facts and figures and helps shed light on its area of the music industry, which includes a diverse membership, many royalty streams and a huge network of licensees.

Visit prsformusic.com/aboutus to see the full set.

OUR MEMBERS WE ARE A SOCIETY OF

OVER 111,OOO

SONGWRITERS, COMPOSERS AND MUSIC PUBLISHERS I N OT H E R W O R D S

O U R M E M B E RS CO U L D F I L L LO N D O N ’S O 2 A R E N A

FIVE TIMES

£37.4M

£27.1M

£18.8M £21.3M

pubs & clubs

live

hotels & restaurants

£35M

£9.1M

£19.6M

shops

industrial premises

cinemas

PUBS

RESTAURANTS / CAFES = 10 Television channels

£116mM £116

= 10 Radio stations

HOSPITALS

your next paydays Performing (PRS):

Mechanicals (MCPS):

15 April 2016

31 December 2015

15 July 2016

29 January 2016

15 Sept 2016

29 February 2016

15 December 2016

31 March 2016

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creative europe European Union (EU) policies have long impacted songwriters and composers here in the UK. From the Creative Europe programme, which supports growth across the creative industries, to copyright rulings and legal precedents, its reach spreads far and wide.

The EU’s latest Digital Single Market initiative, which is currently under debate, looks set to reshape our creative landscape even further. With its aim of ‘tearing down regulatory walls’ that inhibit the free movement of goods and services across the internet, it will overhaul the single market for the digital age and engage in copyright reform.

MEP Vicky Ford, Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, gives us her take on the initiative as it creeps further up the EU’s 2016 priority list.

economies in Europe. We’ve got about £100bn worth of e-commerce sales and 1.3 million people working in the digital economy already. We’re world leaders, especially in areas like crowd sharing, shared economy, and, critically, our digital content.

Our creative sector, which we know is one of the fastest, most exciting and vibrant parts of the UK economy, is vital to our culture and economic growth. We are known for delivering world class content in a digital format. We need to make sure those musicians, those actors, those film directors can get their content out across the world and, importantly, can get paid for it.

What is the digital single market initiative?

It’s a huge cross-cutting initiative, looking at Europe’s single market and trying to make it fit for purpose in the digital age. It’s a large undertaking – currently Europe’s single market includes 28 countries and 500 million consumers.

What does it cover and what progress has been made so far?

It’s not all going to happen overnight. There are a number of different areas, some of which are complex legal discussions covering copyright, consumer protection, competition rules, data protection, data sharing and cyber security. It also looks at liability - who is liable along the supply chain and which digital intermediaries are liable for what, depending on formats and platforms.

Some of the work is much more practical. We’re looking at barriers to trade, including crossborder parcel delivery and the safety and security of online payments. The music industry has been one of the most vocal sectors from the UK in saying, ‘we need a European solution to some of our problems’.

Why is this initiative important for UK creators?

Because we are one of the most active digital

How can the digital single market help songwriters and the wider music industry?

One of the digital single market initiatives will look at copyright, including issues around how we ensure rightholders are adequately paid for their copyright in the digital era. Then there’s a consumer-led part looking at issues on contract law. This covers taking your digital content across borders.

Today if you download a tune (or a book or film), you feel as if you’ve bought a good. Consumers are not used to having their goods confiscated when they travel. So you can see why consumers are saying, ‘why can’t I listen to my music when I’m on holiday in Europe?’

We will be looking at that question of portability, but also, very importantly, working hard not to destabilise existing national licensing systems.

What changes do you think should be made to existing copyright frameworks to better protect creators?

It’s a complex area. At the same time as wanting to make sure creators are adequately remunerated we also want to make sure we don’t destabilise the wider digital economy. So there is a Legal Affairs Committee which will be looking at the detail of the copyright legislation.

I hope that they will be able to deal with the issue of ensuring that creators are adequately paid for their content.

For more on the digital single market initiative, visit ec.europa.eu/priorities/digital-single-market

composer’s fair share?

Commissions do not represent a significant income source for composers with ‘very few’ believing they are paid correctly for their work, according to the latest Sound and Music Composer Commissioning Survey.

The research found that the average commission fee for UK respondents was just £918.

This is lower than what many UK respondents think their work is worth, with composers stating they believe a fair fee for a 10 minute piece for a soloist should be £1,478. According to the report: ‘Composers are still not getting paid for some commissions, and very few feel they are compensated correctly.’

Further findings from the survey stated that the majority of composers thought 2015 had been the worst in terms of the number of, and earnings from commissions when compared to the last three.

Time was listed as one of the big reasons why respondents turn down commissions and there is a strong level of agreement that there is less rehearsal time for new works than there used to be.

The report said: ‘It appears that commissioners do not always understand or allow for the time necessary for a composer to make a work, nor the time needed to prepare and rehearse it for its first performance.

The statistics were based on 291 responses to the Sound and Music survey with an additional 165 from the Australian Music Centre report included to offer a global perspective.

Sound and Music supports composer and artist development, partnering with a range of organisations to offer advice, funding, network building and education. Each year it produces the Composer Commissioning Survey to better understand the business of new works’ creation and the composer’s role within in. soundandmusic.org m58_december 2015_11

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Look out for our monthly eNewsletter and emails for essential updates that might impact your royalties and membership, as well as the latest news.

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money & business

publishers must adapt to thrive We sat down with Jane Dyball, Chief Executive of the MPA Group, to get her take on the primary challenges and opportunities facing music publishers as we head into 2016… to ad-supported, but the main issue is that the speed of economic growth is being hampered: by search engines which ensure that pirate sites are easier to find than licensed sites; by ad-blocking technology that limits revenue coming back to content owners; and by services who rely on the ‘safe harbour’ legal loophole while building businesses around music aggregation and curation.

When comparing the economic growth to the phenomenal usage growth (in terms of the number of music plays on a website), it is clear that the music industry is falling further and further behind in terms of a ‘per usage’ valuation. Therefore, if the number of views is increasing exponentially and the ad revenues are not increasing at the same pace then, on a ‘per use’ basis, the value passing back to songwriters and publishers will decline. The good news is that the industry is united in tackling weak areas of legislation and we seem to have a reasonably sympathetic ear in the corridors of power.

What have been the biggest developments in publishing this year?

There’s more of the same to a certain extent – more A&R investment (now on a par with record company A&R investment), more signings, more creative output and more effort put into providing a great admin service.

What are the biggest issues for publishers as streaming continues to grow?

Streaming covers a number of different types of services. The story varies from subscription

Streaming covers a number of different types of services and the story varies across each, but the main issue is that the speed of its economic growth is being hampered…

What more can be done to improve returns from streaming services for publishers and songwriters?

Data, data, data. And data processing capability. The quality of data delivered by digital services is often terrible. The sheer volume of it causes system problems, which means that royalties are distributed in fits and starts. Consequently it is very difficult for anyone to work out whether they are doing well or badly out of streaming (or rather, whether they are doing quite badly or very badly).

You played a key role at Warner Chappell as downloads came in and Radiohead’s innovative pay-what-you-want digital album, In Rainbows , was released. What do you think publishers have learned about digital music distribution since then?

I think publishers knew then, and continue to understand, that the time between a digital service getting a licence and money being paid out against that service is still too long.

And it is the same for all publishers. There is no magic solution because the solution cannot come from one publisher - it has to come from publishers and collecting societies working together so that protocols can be agreed

around residual and unclaimed monies. The impetus is therefore on societies to engage fully and completely with industry solutions.

To that end, publishers and writers need to keep up the pressure on their societies and publishers. In the UK we are taking the lead internationally in this area.

How is the business of music publishing changing and what should it do to futureproof itself?

No business can future-proof itself so the key is adaptability. Adapt to new business models, look for all areas of opportunity but most of all focus on finding and developing talent.

Where do the key areas of opportunity lie going into 2016?

Well, publishers are always working on the basis that just around the corner is the next Adele, Amy Winehouse or Ed Sheeran.

However, there is still much work to be done (and therefore opportunity) in terms of making it easier to get a licence, such as developing credit card portals and licences that offer what the market wants rather than working to our agenda. The areas of success for us in 2015 have been in making licensing easier – from the schools licences that we have created both for MCPS and Printed Music Licensing Limited (PMLL) to changes to our Production Music Rate Card.

As Chief Executive of the Music Publishers Association (MPA) Group, Jane Dyball assumes leadership of MPA, MCPS, IMPEL and PMLL – bringing all four businesses under a single umbrella.

Previously, Dyball worked at Warner Chappell for 20 years, running business affairs outside the US and Canada, directing strategy in areas such as digital rights and setting up Warner Chappell’s digital rights initiative.

She has also spent many years sitting on industry boards at PRS for Music, MCPS, IMPA, ICMP and MPA.

mpaonline.org.uk

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money & business

news

music tech brings classical challenges 7digital’s Heesang Jeon examines some of the issues classical music faces in the online era.

In most digital music services, classical music is an afterthought. It’s simply treated as a genre despite significant differences between pop music and classical music in terms of description, discovery and consumption. It’s time that user experiences for classical music listeners on streaming services and download stores are vastly improved.

Try a simple search like ‘Mozart’ on iTunes.

In response, you get Mozart: 50 Classics (by Classic FM), Mozart for Brain Power and Mozart - 100 Supreme Classical Masterpieces as top album results. These wouldn’t be the preferred choices for most classical music listeners. Try typing Mahler Symphony 2 in Spotify and, unfortunately, the top search result is Mahler: Symphony No. 4 in G Major. OK, it’s still a Mahler symphony, but it takes some time to figure out who the conductor is (Iván Fischer).

Worse, the album page does not even show the name of the orchestra.

8

By now, most classical listeners would have given up. The complexities of identifying and categorising classical music means the genre as a whole is difficult to deal with in digital terms. As such, it is not surprising that the transition of classical music and its listeners to digital service adoption is slower than that of pop music.

Getting metadata right (such as details on the composer, conductor and orchestra) and optimising search and browser experiences are necessary for a successful digital classical music service.

However, it’s not all about metadata. As in pop music, discovery is everything. Typically, classical

spending spree UK publishers and record companies invested £497m in the careers of artists, songwriters and composers during 2014, according to new figures from the Music Publishers Association (MPA) and the BPI. Labels invested £178m in A&R in 2014, equivalent to a quarter of their annual revenues and representing a 19 percent increase on the £149m spent in 2013. A further £157.4m went on label marketing and promotion during 2014.

Elsewhere, the MPA said its members had 14:48

music listeners broaden their music libraries by comparing different recordings of the same work.

While doing so, they get to know new conductors, orchestras and soloists. They enjoy finding out subtle differences between interpretations (it’s not surprising that classical music is a focus for high resolution audio initiatives) and like to debate which recording is the best interpretation and why. For them, it is deeply disappointing that even successful digital music services do not (and cannot) offer top 10 recordings of key classical works.

However, classical music can benefit from digital technologies and there are many lessons that can be learned from the successful transition of pop music to digital. Take an example of acoustic analysis of music files: there are many technologies and solutions that analyse acoustic characteristics of music to identify genre, mood, tempo and more. These are used to design music recommendations and playlisting solutions for ‘lean-back listening’.

While recommendations based on acoustic characteristics is not robust enough for classical music (where the mood of every piece is typically categorised as ‘serious’), automated music analysis technologies can prove to be very useful for listeners. They would allow users of digital music services to see further information on the structural elements and acoustic characteristics of recordings (such as tempo, volume and dynamics) and, more importantly, the characteristics of different interpretations of the same work.

There are currently few innovations offered to consumers in digital classical music, although there is a lot of potential. Innovation is slow precisely because classical music accounts for

invested £162m in the careers of songwriters and composers in 2014 – bringing the total investment figure to an all-time high of almost half a billion pounds.

Further findings showed that the number of new artist deals signed by Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music topped 156 in 2014 – up 30 percent on the 120 signed in 2013.

Geoff Taylor, Chief Executive of the BPI and BRIT Awards, said: ‘It’s no fluke that 2014 was such an outstanding year for British music. However, these achievements do not come easily, and they reflect the huge A&R and marketing investment by labels as well as the significant risks they undertake in signing new artists – for every

Heesang Jeon, Lead Product Owner at 7digital, oversees streaming and API platforms for the UK-based digital music service provider.

He also leads classical music product development. only three percent of the recorded music market.

Digital music as a whole is rapidly growing and major players are naturally focusing their attentions on increasing shares in the other 97 percent of the market.

However, there are a few companies for whom classical music is a priority. Services like Composed, Grammofy, Idagio, Sinfini (from Universal Music Group), and the forthcoming MeloMe are beginning to make strides in this space. It’s time for the digital music industry to diversify and dedicate to classical music the specialised attention it both deserves and needs to retain its audience – and even gain new followers – in the digital age.

global superstar there are, sadly, other acts that aren’t quite able to break through.

‘Such A&R investment is typically well ahead of the proportion of revenues that other leading industries such as the biotech, software and automotive sectors spend on their R&D.’ The figures also showed that music publishers can claim to be responsible for one quarter of the UK music industry’s £2.1bn exports in 2014, contributing £519m of the sector’s total.

Last year around one in seven albums sold globally were by British artists, who also accounted for five of the world’s top 10 bestselling artist albums. m58_december 2015_15

DIGITAL DEALS REV Ever wondered how collecting societies strike deals with streaming services?

Or what happens when a download platform refuses to become licensed?

We get the lowdown from PRS for Music’s licensing and legal teams.

Clashes between rightsholders and digital music services are nothing new. Many household names have, in their time, found themselves in hot water as negotiations go awry. But what actually happens behind the scenes, and how do these commercial wrangles dissipate or escalate?

This could be down to the fact that a service has failed to consult with rightsholders before striking deals with other parties such as hardware manufacturers or content bundlers, leaving them with little or no margin. Or it may just be because the service is used to operating in a different market where rates differ, explains Tim.

Much of the contractual fine print within online licences is restricted by commercial confidentiality and the nature of the multi-territory market, which is fragmented and complex. Within this landscape, collecting societies and digital music services must comply with competition law - and these constraints will often limit the view for songwriters and composers.

‘The specifics of any one service obviously differs from the next, but we can’t have competitors paying radically different royalties for similar music usages – we need to make sure they’re on a level,’ he says. ‘As we continue to seek the correct value for our members’ works, we need to make sure it’s reflected across the board so all the boats are rising at once.’

‘It’s very difficult to talk about fair value in abstract and without being able to disclose specific licensing terms,’ says PRS for Music Licensing Manager Tim Rawlinson. ‘We can’t put certain information out there as openly as that. Our top priority is always to deliver the proper value back to our members, but we are also focused on treating licensees fairly and encouraging fair competition in the marketplace.

Sound solutions PRS for Music now has around 2,000 online licensees, and works with everyone from niche services and innovative startups to multinational companies which are generating millions in revenue. Licensing operations are split into UK-focused and multi-territory specialisms, with key account managers and licensing consultants overseeing the process, mapping the digital landscape and forecasting future developments.

‘This issue circles back to one of the reasons we can get into a dispute - when a service has focused more on the development of its brand and distribution model and not enough on its business model, and can’t generate the revenues needed to provide rightsholders with sustainable value for the use of music,’ he adds.

Global growth Over the last three years the online market has developed at a phenomenal rate. According to an IFPI report earlier this year, worldwide digital revenues rose 6.9 percent in 2015 to US$6.9bn (£4.6bn) and now represent 46 percent of all global music sales.

It’s a similar story at PRS for Music, which has seen a 17.5 percent rise in online revenues from £67.8m in 2013 to £79.7m in 2014.

Further significant growth is anticipated for 2015 figures too.

More recently, growth has been driven by streaming as it becomes more dominant. ‘Because of that, there is a particular focus on it and we’ve had to make sure that we’re always negotiating as good a deal as we can - and that directly links back to supporting a fair marketplace,’ says Tim.

We need to make sure all the boats are rising at once ‘Ultimately, we’re here to protect the underlying value of our members’ music. We sometimes find ourselves at loggerheads when a service claims they can only pay a certain amount or percentage of revenues to rightsholders as it is what their business model can support.’

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‘In the UK, our main online licences for services whose main focus is music are the “LOML” and “LOML+” – and with these, we aim to keep it simple,’ explains Jon Hall, a PRS for Music Licensing Consultant tasked with documenting the society’s online licensing processes. ‘They are tiered according to music usage and services are charged upfront accordingly. They can just go to our website, buy a licence with their credit card and know they are covered in the UK for blanket music rights. It’s as straightforward as that.’

However, the picture gets more complex for major streaming and download services, which are typically multi-territory and need a pan-European licence to cover their overseas operations.

Unlike UK-only licensing practices, there are no blanket licences or public tariffs. Services need separate licences from a number of rightsholders for different repertoire. These licences are negotiated separately on a bespoke basis and will be subject to the confidentiality levels needed to comply with competition law.

Each major online service has its own PRS for Music account manager who will make initial contact, lead the licensing process and oversee the relationship between the service and PRS for Music’s data processing teams. ‘For the big services, we’re running full transactional licences, so that means every stream or download must be reported and broken down by territory and period - to the extent our licences require them,’ says Jon. Room for manoeuvre It’s inevitable that issues arise between collecting societies and digital music services from time to time. Ultimately the price of music – in this case, the rates charged for licences – is the biggest

profile DIGITAL

EALED pressure point. But there can also be major issues surrounding data quality, when the service needs to provide the data, how the collecting society uses it and when the service will be invoiced on it.

the position that they are merely internet intermediaries which should be exempted from licensing. Reliance is made, incorrectly in our view, on the “safe harbour” defences provided under European legislation,’ says Simon.

Those involved in licence negotiations at PRS for Music work hard to ensure a consistent approach is taken, particularly in relation to the valuation of rights and the application of royalty rates and minima. Jon says. ‘We don’t want to skew the market. If a service was able to negotiate these rates down and pay a lower licence fee than their competitors for a similar service, we could be in danger of giving them an unfair advantage.’

Digital music services are competitive businesses, it’s in their DNA to negotiate

The terms of all of PRS for Music’s licensing schemes and major bespoke licences are scrutinised by the society’s Licensing Committee and Boards. The process is much the same for the online sector as it is for other areas of the business, and licence terms can be rejected if they do not represent fair value for members.

But whatever the defence, when there’s no licence in place and the service insists it doesn’t need one, it could wind up with an infringement case in the High Court. The court will then establish if infringement has occurred and who is liable. ‘If we’re successful, we could be awarded an injunction, damages or an account of profits, interest and our legal costs,’ Simon explains.

Negotiation escalations If discussions end in gridlock, it’s time to escalate. ‘The first thing we have to consider when licensing negotiations break down, or when a service is unlicensed, is whether the service is or has been committing an unlawful act,’ says Tim Rawlinson.

‘If the service is out of licence, but making music available to users, it will be committing copyright infringement.’

In the first instance, any difficult cases will be escalated within the licensing team and, if necessary, PRS for Music will inform its members of the details. Jon Hall says: ‘These services are competitive businesses, it’s in their DNA to negotiate. So often, it’s about explaining the situation and what could happen if they remain unlicensed or are about to become unlicensed.’

Liability disputes are unusual, and PRS for Music is more likely to face resistance to set licensing terms – which, if an agreement cannot be reached, would be a matter for the Copyright Tribunal to determine rather than the High Court. But, across the board, legal action remains a rare occurrence.

As Tim explains: ‘It’s foremost about trying to find solutions.

We try to do everything we can to license the service without undermining the value of the music. As an organisation we are pro-licensing, our preference is always to license and we help them in any way we can. It’s better for our members when we’re working together.’

At this point agreements are generally reached, however, sometimes things go further. Simon Bourn, PRS for Music’s Senior Lawyer and Head of Litigation, Enforcement and AntiPiracy, leads a team which is there for when things go awry. He works closely with Tim, Jon and the rest of the licensing team to find the right solutions.

‘Litigation and other forms of enforcement action are a last resort for us,’ he says. ‘Our preference is always to license a service and to get the right level of royalties flowing back to our members. But if that isn’t possible then legal action has to be taken in order to safeguard and protect the value our members’ rights.’

There are usually two main areas of contention - a dispute over licensing terms or a dispute over liability. With the latter, the service is essentially saying it doesn’t need a licence. Some of these services will get passed straight to the society’s Anti-Piracy Unit, which takes steps to remove our members’ repertoire from unlicensed and pirate services.

More complex legal cases will be handled by Simon’s team and external litigation specialists.

‘For example, we’re currently seeing some UGC [user generated content] services, which “crowdsource” content rather than obtain it through the traditional methods of digital distribution, try to take M58_DECEMBER 2015_17

LIKELY LADS Anita Awbi gets to the heart of the matter with The Libertines to learn how they kissed, made up and staged 2015’s remarkable comeback‌

PROFILE

This year, the impossible happened. After a decade of fractured friendships and tabloid turmoil, The Libertines delivered another record. Another great record. Just as if the last 10 years never happened.

During the early 2000s, likely lads Pete Doherty, Carl Barat, Gary Powell and John Hassall were the raucous highwaymen of UK indie, ambushing the scene at opportune moments with their explosive sounds and creative credibility. But when they jettisoned onto the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury this summer for a surprise show, they didn’t just steal the weekend, they stole 2015.

It’s a new twist in a start-stop career that’s seen them fall out more times than most bands have had hot dinners. Perhaps it’s unsurprising then that they’ve approached their latest riposte with as much zeal as their simmering spats.

Straight after Glastonbury they ripped through Camden’s toilet circuit and trounced naysayers with two inflammatory headline sets at Reading and Leeds festivals. Their aptly titled third album, Anthems for a Doomed Youth, followed in September, hitting a very respectable chart peak of number three.

But it’s not over yet. Pete, Carl and the gang are heading out on an arena tour of the UK and Europe in January, which will see them perform to the largest crowds of their career.

So, with 2015 suitably shook up, how does it feel to be back?

‘I’m learning to enjoy it this time because, from our past experiences, I know how fragile this whole thing can be,’ says Libs co-writer and guitarist Carl. ‘I’m loving every minute of being at large and fully functioning again. I think it’s the only way.’

m58_december 2015_19

Creative badlands Together with Pete, Carl is the creative powerhouse behind the operation. The pair ignite John and Gary’s riffs and rhythms with the cathartic lyrics of self-deprecating working class heroes. ‘We have the same chemistry, which enables us to write in the way we do,’ Carl explains. ‘Despite everything, that’s been consistent throughout. And the music that’s come out of it is always representative of where we’re at.’

Wherever they’ve ventured, the Libs’ loyal fans – and the press – have eagerly trailed. We watched with half-covered eyes the car crash antics of charmed prankster Pete. We read about the toxic mix of drugs, burglaries and brawls that led to the band’s disintegration. And we lamented after, having defined a generation with their first two albums Up the Bracket (2002) and The Libertines (2004), the four-piece imploded. It felt like we followed them to the end of the line without a return ticket…

‘I obviously regret all the hospitalisations and prisons,’ Carl says, ‘but I also regret losing sight of friendship and love too… We’ve grown up a bit now and become more tolerant and understanding. We realised what it was we were throwing away.’

For The Libertines, it must’ve been a knotty reawakening. From their humble beginnings in late-nineties London, they tapped into the jaded romance of a city gone bad – and got embroiled along the way.

This tension between romanticism and realism lay at the heart of Pete and Carl’s volatile creative partnership - but they’ve come a long way since then.

These days, Carl has a family and Pete is committed to rehab in Thailand.

So how has their unique dynamic shifted under these new circumstances?

‘I believe there always has to be some level of tension and love – love enough to want to prove yourself,’ Carl explains. ‘And, dare I say, a smidgen of competitivity, if I’m brutally honest. It stops you getting complacent. A little bit of salt takes out the acidity, or vice versa in this case.’

Pressure points Pete announced the beginnings of the third record at one of their Alexandra Palace shows in London last autumn. Since then, speculation mounted as to whether they’d be able to write together, or whether the

band would just disintegrate (again). So when Carl and Pete convened in Thailand in November 2014 to tentatively put pen to paper, the pressure must have been enormous…

‘Not really,’ says Carl. ‘I think those kinds of pressures are self-sabotaging.

Of course there’s something to prove – otherwise there’s no point in making any music is there? But in terms of external pressures, I didn’t really think about it.

‘The thing about The Libertines is that it’s so much more chaotic, and so much living is done inside the band and inside the music, that external pressures seem irrelevant compared to what’s going on already.’

So does it feel as though everything is still hanging by a thread? ‘Yes it most certainly does,’ says Carl, ‘which is why I’m enjoying every second while it lasts. You never really know how many are left.’

I believe there always has to besome level of tension and love – love enough to want to prove yourself.

The impossible dream It’s true the story of The Libertines is littered with tragic footnotes and untapped potential. But it’s also a tale of triumph over adversity. As Pete sings on their latest, Q Award-winning single Heart of the Matter: ‘with all the battering it’s taken, I’m surprised it’s still ticking’. But ticking it is, both for him and his band - a creative time bomb that’s not lost any of its power.

Their latest long player is a ramshackle storm, only mildly tamed by producer Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, One Direction). It’s overflowing with Pete and Carl’s trademark doomed optimism and Arcadian directness – everything you’d hope for from a new Libs record. But it also reveals the load-bearing backbone of the band.

PROFILE

Recorded in just five weeks at Karma Sound Studios in Bang Saray, Thailand, it contains 10 new songs and just one old track – You’re My Waterloo. Following a couple of writing sessions with Carl last year while Pete was undergoing rehab in the country, the whole band decamped there to record.

‘I think Jake was the undeniable turning point in helping define the sound for this album,’ Gary explains. ‘In the past we were shaped by [producer and ex-Clash guitarist/songwriter] Mick Jones, in that he wanted to capture the essence of the band performing live, so we played everything live.’

Drummer Gary says: ‘Initially, the dynamic over the first five to 10 minutes was awkward… veering toward a little bit scary. But luckily enough, friendship was our saving grace. It helped us figure out how to work with each other again.’ What followed was a ‘catharic’ experience, he explains.

But for Anthems for a Doomed Youth, Jake introduced them to the ‘dreaded click track’, something John had never worked with on a Libertines album before. ‘I was actually quite shocked when Jake suggested we use one because we’d only had a click track on a couple of tunes before,’ he explains. ‘You can get purist about them but actually, they’re quite good at stopping everything running away with itself.’

With access to two separate working spaces, Carl and Pete would hammer out lyrics while Gary and John would hone the music, the latter two becoming more involved than ever in The Libertines’ subtly evolving sound.

For bassist John, the album was about dogged determination more than anything else. ‘You’ve got to really believe in it and believe you can make it happen. Once you can do that, it’s half the battle.

‘Another album always seemed like the impossible dream… It’s been a long development process – you need to learn to trust it and have a bit more confidence in it, then you gradually develop something you can work on.’

Mark Allan, Getty

Lady luck Before long, the band were back on usual hedonistic form, partying in nearby Pattaya, rejecting their ‘plan B to record a load of old songs’ and embracing lady luck, chuckles Carl. ‘Fortune smiled on us,’ he remembers.

But it wasn’t all business as usual inside the studio. Jake had them recording guitars on the beach, sampling motorbike engines and messing about with synths. Gone were the days of simply capturing the live experience on record: The Libertines had become studio-ready auteurs, sharpened by a decade’s worth of side projects.

‘The m all th impo

From the outset, the LP sounds just like a Libs’ record should. It’s only on repeat listens that everything starts to unfold. ‘I was looking for something else, something that would take our craft in another direction,’ says Gary.

‘We couldn’t work with the likes of John Leckie because he did the Arctic Monkeys, and I don’t want to sound like them. They got their sound from us! I don’t want to go backwards and work with somebody who created a sound based on what we were doing 10 years ago.’

Instead, The Libertines’ latest album boasts much more space than its two breathless predecessors. Its roominess allows the rhythm section to resonate generously, while Carl and Pete’s poetic vignettes perch on top.

It’s certainly good enough to put paid to any cynics and has cemented their comeback as much more than a few cash-grabbing reunion gigs.

‘The future’s bright,’ says Gary, ‘and the intention for this record was to prove to people that, not only have we come back and created an album, but it’s forward-thinking too.’

So what does Carl make of it all? Will there be a fourth album? ‘I hope so. I don’t feel like we’ve got to a finish, it’s never really drawn to a close.

Being in this band just seems natural really, like wanting to get up in the morning.’

Read the full interviews on M magzine now m-magazine.co.uk/interviews

m58_december 2015_21

‘I think we’re getting into a more tactile time, where people want music that’s real’

FIGHT THE POWER After a year of political turmoil, a refugee crisis and increasing unrest in theMiddle East, music makers are once again using their art to challenge the status quo.

Jim Ottewill finds out how…

PROTEST FOCUS

Main image: Afrikan Boy

Sometimes when the political system doesn’t give enough voice to people, it’s important to find an artistic voice through which one can be heard. You can never underestimate the value of that.’

Nitin Sawhney, experimental composer, multi-instrumentalist and Ivor Novello Award winner, is praising the power of the protest song, a creative force he believes has fuelled some of music’s most memorable moments.

It’s hard to disagree. From the hazy Woodstock days to Bob Dylan, John Lennon, the squalls of punk, the nineties’ urban fire of Public Enemy, the agit-folk of Billy Bragg and the feminist poetics of PJ Harvey and Russia’s Pussy Riot, musicians have a long history of leveraging the song as an axe to wield against oppression of all kinds - whether it be to do with gender discrimination, politics or social injustice.

Our times are a-changing Together politics and music have always been a potent force but one which this current selfie-obsessed generation have been wary of touching. However, as the world spins over myriad political convulsions, there are newer artists looking beyond their phones and using their music to speak out. Hip-hop poet Kate Tempest,

DIY punks Sleaford Mods and US rappers such as Kendrick Lamar are among those currently offering listeners something real to wrap their ears around.

2015 has seen plenty for socially switched on music makers to rail against. It’s been a turbulent year of political rumblings both at home and in Europe while the Middle East has become increasingly unstable via ongoing civil wars and a burgeoning refugee crisis. The plight of the refugees came to a head over a summer of increasingly heart-wrenching images acting as a magnifying glass through which the rest of the world could only gawp.

Nitin Sawhney is the son of immigrant parents who had moved from the Punjab a year before he was born and, for him, these struggles touched a raw nerve. He sees music and politics as so deeply intertwined, they enjoy a symbiotic relationship.

‘Even when not an advertently political statement, if you make a song - for example like Massive Attack working with [Pakistani singer] Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, it’s a strong statement of saying we believe in the idea of integration, of embracing different cultures and ways of looking at things,’ he explains.

m58_december 2015_23

Keep Warm This Winter, with support from the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund Older and vulnerable PRS members can benefit from our winter heating grant.

We do our best to help elderly, sick or vulnerable PRS members who are worried about their heating bills. Should you find that your budget and any Government fuel payments do not cover your heating costs, please get in touch.

Call us now to find out more

020 3741 4067

Or email fund@prsformusic.com Want to support your Fund?

You can help the Fund by making a donation, leaving a legacy or donating a share of your royalties. To offer your support, visit www.prsformusicfund.com

Members Benevolent Fund

PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund 2 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG Registered charity number: 208671

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PROTEST

Above: Afrikan Boy (left) and Nancy Kerr.

Nitin’s new album Dystopian Dreams is possibly his darkest and most political yet. It’s a diverse musical melting pot of genres taking in everything from flamenco to funk, yet is fuelled by sadness at injustices overseas, the treatment of immigrants and the devastation he felt at his father’s death.

He feels that the anger breathed by musicians has not only created some of the best popular music, but points to fresh perspectives and alternative ways of thinking.

Music has a positive impact when we’re getting ideas out there that challenge a certain ideology or stereotypes.

‘It’s not just about simply protesting but also about projecting different ways of looking at possibilities,’ he states.

‘Imagine by John Lennon, Glad to be Gay by Tom Robinson, which was very powerful, or NWA with Fuck The Police - they’re not only great songs but show we as artists and people are not going to be bludgeoned into parochial ways of looking at things, ways that the media tries to convince us are correct.’

of civil and religious wars in 17th century Britain gave rise to the radical Levellers and Diggers’ movements and their associated broadside ballads and hymns. A second renaissance for folk music took place in the fifties with folk artists Ewan MacColl and A.L. Lloyd speaking out while in the US Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly also used their music to protest.

Sweet Liberties is a new commission by the English Folk Dance and Song Society marking 800 years since the signing of Magna Carta. The project offered a platform for some of the UK’s leading folk artists to write music in response to moments over the centuries when key pieces of legislation were passed. Nancy Kerr, BBC Radio 2 Folk Musician of the Year, is one of the participants. To her, being a folk singer in itself is a political act.

‘Oppressive regimes often hide the stories that they don’t want told. My view of traditional song is that it is a political act in itself just by telling these untold stories,’ she says.

Sweet Liberties launched at an event in the State Rooms of Speaker’s House in the Palace of Westminster in November, physically placing music right in the heart of government. Subjects covered by the musicians include the Tolpuddle Martyrs and signing of the Magna Carta treaty. However, rather than being a history lesson, Nancy says the timing of the commission couldn’t be any more pertinent.

Stop the War The Stop the War Coalition was founded in September 2001 in the weeks following 9/11, when the then US president George W Bush launched the ‘war on terror’. As such, the group’s very DNA is rooted in the spirit of protest. They believe music is particularly powerful because it’s one place where you ‘can find uncensored political expression’. Now a combination of music, social media and ease of access to communications technology is helping spread these unfiltered messages further than ever.

‘You can hear young artists writing about how they feel right now.

The environment, the increasing commercialisation of things, the commodification of the arts,’ she explains.

‘Traditionally, political thought has come in various modes of storytelling,’ a spokesperson for the group explains. ‘In oral traditions, stories are carried through song because it’s easier to commit to memory things like rhythm, harmonies, rhyme and melodies. This is how stories have been passed down over centuries. Of course communication has changed with modern technology, and that means protest music has a much wider reach.’

Border Business Whether it’s Charlotte Church marching against the austerity cuts or Sleaford Mods using their words almost as weapons, many new musicians are attuned to the upset of our current times.

Sweet Liberties Storytelling has always been at the heart of folk music, a well-established channel through which musicians can comment on social change. The era

‘I think we’re getting into a more tactile time, where people want music that’s real. In the same way with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, they want a new politics that’s about real feelings and lives. Music has to reflect that.’

One such artist is Afro-grime MC Afrikan Boy. This London-based musician mixes up UK bass culture with the rhythms and beats of his Nigerian homeland. He recently performed a gig in The Jungle migrant camp in Calais to entertain refugees, as well as releasing the single Border Business to highlight the ongoing problems surrounding immigration. m58_december 2015_25

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PROTEST

Left: Nitin Sawhney Above: Sleaford Mods

Journeying to France meant he had first-hand experiences of the issues he’s raised awareness of in his music, something he calls a ‘deeply humbling experience’.

SIMON PARFREMENT

‘It showed me the power of music to uplift you from your current situation,’ he says. ‘When performing, it became “we” as opposed to “you”. I was with the African boys talking about crossing the border, these are my people. That was very empowering, to see my music take me to this place where my lyrics were the reality.’

My view of traditional song is that it is a political act in itself just by telling these untold stories.

The MC describes the camp as Africa but with ‘European air’ and was taken aback by the positive reaction to his performance, describing how the whole place was ‘shocking out’. But then, he feels this is one of the important reasons behind the trip.

While the song’s ability to overhaul change is debatable, what isn’t is how the protest song itself is very much a living genre.

Nancy Kerr believes that the more music we have, the louder and more united we are.

‘Music has a positive impact when we’re getting ideas out there that challenge a certain ideology or stereotypes, to push questions and make the public think and ask themselves what is going on.’

‘Music can be incredibly galvanising for a movement. I might write a song - it might not set the world on fire but it might prick up the ears of people elsewhere who are really thirsty to hear something framed or put in a certain way.’

Future of the Left So where does this leave us? While there are no Bob Marleys or Lennons there is a new wave of musicians holding up a mirror to the world and disliking what they see. But can pop music actually make a difference, instigating political shifts and, dare we say it, change the world?

Nitin Sawhney is sceptical, saying there will never be another musical movement as powerful and as galvanising as punk. ‘There is a lot more divide and rule than before,’ he says. ‘People aren’t part of strong movements. I don’t know if there is any one person who can rally people in the same way that those bands did back then. It’s people with charisma who can do that and come out and say what they say.’

This is where protest music can have its greatest impact, acting as the touch paper to help spread messages and create powerful bonds. As Nancy says, together music and politics can reach parts that one on its own just can’t reach.

‘The music is important as an emotion that brings us closer together,’ says Nancy. ‘I don’t think we need the one song to rule us all - we need as many songs as we can that talk about where we’re at so we can understand each other better.’

Read the full interviews on M magzine now m-magazine.co.uk/interviews m58_december 2015_27

life’s a treat Rhian Jones meets BAFTAAward-winning composer Mark Thomas to learn how he’s keeping his native Wales firmly on the musical map.

Welsh composer Mark Thomas has impeccable pedigree. Now with 35 years’ experience under his belt, including early serendipitous encounters with scoring masters John Barry and Jerry Goldsmith, he’s enjoyed a fully realised, envelope-pushing career.

For the uninitiated, Mark’s work has appeared in TV shows including Benidorm, Stella and Episodes. He also penned Life’s a Treat, the killer theme for the Aardman animated series Shaun the Sheep (which, sung by Vic Reeves, reached number 20 on the UK Official Singles Chart in 2007). Well versed in movie scores too, Mark created the breath-taking music for cult film Twin Town, winning himself a BAFTA in the process.

Most recently, he worked on Kevin Allen’s remake of Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood, which is representing Britain in 2016’s Foreign Language Oscar category (the Welsh version), and has already garnered BAFTA Wales nominations for Best Actor, Best Director and Best Original Music.

AARDMAN

But Mark isn’t just content with perfecting compositions for the here and now. He’s keen to keep Wales on the musical map for future generations too. The Under Milk Wood project has kick started a brand new initiative that could help the wider composing community for years to come. While recording the score at Alexander Road Studios in Swansea, Mark, alongside a consortium of likeminded broadcast industry professionals named Sinffonica, had the idea to push for an upgrade to the building that could create more work for UK based composers and musicians, and support the next generation of talent.

The aim is to provide a state of the art studio, fit for both commercial work and new academic courses, Mark explains. When finished, ‘it will attract students globally who want to train with this fantastic state-of-the-art equipment in a really lovely studio,’ he enthuses.

‘In tandem, we propose we create a professional environment where composers in media, film and TV can avail themselves with the musicians we have here in Wales.’

The development, in partnership with the Welsh government among others, could bring new academy with BA and MA degrees in music, composition and film scoring, as well as courses aimed at training engineers in the latest technologies in film, media and the arts. Mark hopes that by the time the proposal has come to fruition, the studio will be refurbished to the same level of excellence as Abbey Road Studio Two (which is also currently undergoing a makeover).

Humble beginnings Under Milk Wood is just one of Mark’s many highlights, spanning a career that was inspired by working with some of his biggest idols. He began composing professionally back in the early eighties, his creative spark for composition ignited aged eight when seeing a documentary about Edward Elgar made by Ken Russell. ‘One piece of music, Chanson De Matin by Elgar, got me right in the spot and that was it, from thereon in, music was going to be my life forever,’ he remembers.

After learning the violin as a youngster, Mark played in youth orchestras before reading sciences at school with the aim of pursuing a career in medicine. However, at the eleventh hour he followed his heart and enrolled on an honours music degree, majoring in composition. After graduating Mark played the violin with the Royal Ballet orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic, performing in the studio for film scoring heroes such as Jerry Goldsmith, Alan Silvestri and John Barry.

‘In a way, that served as a bit of an apprenticeship to be in the studio recording film music, albeit as part of the orchestra, as I absorbed the paraphernalia of that environment,’ Mark says.

profile PROFILE

M58_DECEMBER 2015_29

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Above: Recording in Alexandra Road Studios, Swansea Top right: Mark Thomas

‘I observed how various composers managed their time in the studio to optimise and extend the budget as widely as possible.’

Towards the end of the eighties, Mark gravitated back towards composing and a few serendipitous events followed, which allowed him to begin tentatively writing music for production music libraries, and then TV. Tools of collaboration While the wider music industry has lived through various technological changes over the past three decades, none have altered Mark’s working methods. Remarkably, he still scribbles straight onto manuscripts with a pencil. ‘You can have the best technology in the world, but if you can’t write music, it won’t write the music for you,’ he says. ‘You still have to have the ability to compose music and interpret whatever requirement a production may have. My brain, heart, sense of humour and intellect are my tools!’

to invent a new voice for their production. Every director and producer wants to be unique and they want something unique in their music,’ Mark adds.

Creative landmarks Applying that technique and listening to what the producer wanted landed Mark the job writing the opening music for UK/ US comedy series Episodes. The premise of the story is about what can happen to English scriptwriters when lured to Hollywood.

‘I thought I’d write a melody that’s got a bit of structure to it and started thinking back to the halcyon days of the likes of Audrey Hepburn and so on and wrote something like a eighties style jazz melody,’ he says.

Mark submitted it, the producer Jimmy Mulville loved it, but asked for the piece to be tweaked slightly to make it more modern.

Nevertheless, being au fait with the latest technology is still a necessity, and Logic and Pro Tools are Mark’s studio programs of choice. He adds: ‘These days it’s about being able to respond to a brief, then giving producers and directors some idea of what your musical concept is. So it’s very handy to be able to sketch that up using sequencing software like Logic, with all the fantastic samples that are available.’

Jimmy described the opening scene of the series - a script in a typewriter on a desk being blown out the window and across the London skyline before landing in tatters on the Hollywood sign. Says Mark: ‘I changed the rhythm of the track away from a conventional beat to the rhythm of a typewriter, almost like someone is tap dancing their way through the piece of music.’ The title music received an Emmy nomination in 2011, and the concept of the typewriter was a running theme throughout the programme from the packaging, to the use of courier font on the titles.

His writing process differs depending on the brief and at what stage the production is at, but composing to picture is Mark’s favourite way. And collaboration is what makes his decade-long gig as the man behind the music for Shaun the Sheep still exciting.

The 150th episode of the series was recently completed, and the half hour special titled Shaun the Sheep - The Farmer’s Llamas, will be aired at Christmas.

Tips for success So, apart from Mark’s god-given tools, what’s the recipe for a really great score? A generous helping of humble pie, it seems. ‘The ego shouldn't come anywhere near your composition,’ insists Mark.

‘Advice I would give to other composers is don’t fall in love with every note of music that you write, because you will at some stage have to change it.

‘The production team will shoot the episodes and then let me loose on it before we all get together to collaborate,’ he says. ‘They will either reign me in or encourage me to go further. At that stage it becomes a very collaborative exercise and I love the opportunity to work with directors and producers directly, so that you can raise your game. It’s a very important part of the process and how music should be.’

‘It’s a question of coming to terms with that fact and learning how to be resilient and take constructive criticism, but also be able to change one’s musical sensibilities to cater for what is actually required by the director and the production. That’s not always easy. It requires work, imagination and a lot of heart and emotion.

Sometimes inspiration too.’

Having a conceptual idea of where to start always helps pique inspiration too - whether that be an era, a picture of a romantic scene or the size of orchestra he should be using. ‘It’s handy to have a set of parameters, but a prescription doesn’t always work.

Sometimes the better directors want to experiment and try

Aside from the Alexander Road Studios campaign, which could change the face of studio production and music learning in Wales, Mark is keeping shtum about future projects he’s working on. But rest assured, there’s definitely more in the pipeline as he continues to push the compositional envelope and ensure Wales remains a creative force to be reckoned with.

M58_DECEMBER 2015_31

The British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) has a Classical Executive Committee which organises campaigns and events for the classical community. BASCA’s principal goal is to protect the value of music and, as a not-forprofit organisation, relies on the continued support of its members to help achieve this. For more information on joining, please visit basca.org.uk.

Gary Carpenter studied composition at the Royal College of Music with John Lambert.

Over the years, he has written operas, musicals, ballets, a radio music-drama and a great deal of concert music. He’s also been the musical director and/or arrangerorchestrator on many stage shows and films including The Wicker Man (1972).

In 2006 Gary received a British Composer Award in the Chamber category. Other recent notable works include The Listening Project Symphony (BBC Radio 4, Prix Europa 2013 nominee), Fred and Ginger (for the London Symphony Orchestra) and The Food of Love – 12 Shakespeare songs commissioned by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Dadaville for The First Night of the Proms 2015.

Allow me to draw your attention to two operas. The first, Thebans by Julian Anderson, was commissioned and first performed by the English National Opera.

The second, DOUG 2014, was created by Janice Kerbel who studied music theory to ABRSM Grade 3 Standard in order to be able to write it. It was commissioned by the Common Guild Glasgow, and first performed in the Jeffrey Room, Glasgow. What do these two works have in common? They have both been shortlisted for major national awards this year: DOUG 2015 for the Turner Prize, Thebans for a British Composer Award (BCA). But that’s where the similarity ends. The Turner Prize will be attended by a frenzied media ballyhoo whilst the BCAs will receive welcome, intelligent but even so, muted coverage on a late-night BBC Radio 3 programme.

More significantly though, should they both win, Janice will receive £25,000 whilst Julian will get a nicely framed certificate. In fact, the former will receive £5,000 just for being shortlisted. In many ways, this reflects the way in which classical music is valued, but more precisely on how it is perceived and appreciated: it is very much about acknowledgement and recognition.

Recognition As much as we all enjoy luxuries like food and heating, I know of very few ‘classical’ composers who are in it for the money. Acknowledgement provides not only a measure of compensation for diminishing fees and royalties, but the necessary publicity that might bring another gig. It’s our job in BASCA’s Classical Executive Committee to encourage public awareness and remind - as often as is necessary - broadcasters, dance companies etc to duly and publicly credit composers. We have made a number of organisations aware of our concerns (including the BBC – Radio 4 regularly transgresses) and

we know this is not a problem unique to classical composers. I would indeed urge all our colleagues to complain vociferously about omissions wherever they occur and in whatever genre!

Mid-life crisis Well not really, but the ‘classical’ ecology presently offers myriad opportunities for composers up until the age of around 35. It slopes off significantly until about 40 when one is perhaps assumed to ‘have made it’ (whatever that means) or given up. It’s a dubious template that may arguably have had some resonance in the sixties when publishers regularly signed composers but shouldn’t be encouraged in the current musical climate. Being a composer takes time: we are not athletes or dancers and do not need to fulfil our potential before the age of 35, so how about discouraging age-restricted competitions and perhaps having some extra schemes made available to mid-career composers? Having said that, I would hate to see opportunities for younger composers diminish as they provide the bedrock of our future!

Gender gap Whatever misdemeanours are laid at the BBC’s door, it has been rather a beacon of enlightenment in regard to classical women composers, particularly with its Celebrating Women Composers programmes which not only explored the work of a gamut of living composers but allowed us to re-evaluate ‘lost’ work by many unjustly forgotten historical figures.

The BBC continues to programme more women composers in an organic way and although there is no room for complacency, it’s an encouraging sign and a move in the right direction.

Our job is to keep the initiative alive, to monitor our concert world, encourage others to follow suit

Gary is currently Professor of Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, and a Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, London. He was elected an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in 2013 and is a BASCA director.

and most importantly assure any young women who may be prevaricating over whether composition is for them, that it absolutely is and if they haven’t done so already, should apply to one of our excellent conservatoires or universities. What we mustn’t do is sit back and assume that it’ll keep going without a bit of pressure now and again...

Education, education, education The Education Secretary, Nicky Morgan believes that studying the arts ‘holds students back’. In Harmony, a Liverpool-based educational initiative inspired by El Sistema, has seen the school in which it operates in Everton move from sink-school status to top of Liverpool’s school league table - and local crime has noticeably decreased.

For decades every argument for musical education has fallen on deaf governmental ears yet its importance and benefits shine from every single study. In Harmony centres on orchestral playing and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra are lead partners. This is the ‘classical’ world; our world – not some elitist artefact or Daily Mail headline, but a vital, life-changing, life-enhancing world. As classical composers, we know this to be the case and we must, whether it be through the offices of BASCA or down the pub, shout it out loud and clear!

song writing

i wrote that Eric Goulden is Wreckless Eric, a singer and songwriter who has enjoyed almost 40 years as the selfconfessed biggest name in the UK’s underground scene. After releasing (I'd Go The) Whole Wide World in the late seventies, the song went on to become a cult favourite while he continued writing, recording and releasing alternative pop across a variety of guises. He now lives in upstate New York and has just released AmERICa, his first LP in almost a decade. We find out how he wrote his most loved song…

It was about 1974. I was 19, an art student living in Hull. I was going out with this girl - I wanted to finish it but it was difficult. One evening I went for a walk through Hull. I had this idea rolling around my head. I was trying to write songs and scribbled this idea on an envelope. I had a couple of ideas for verses and decided to go home and finish it. By the time I got back I decided I could do it with just two chords.

Can you write a song with two chords? I didn’t know if I was allowed. But when I got home the girlfriend was waiting. I just wanted to rush upstairs and finish the song. She was going, ‘you don’t care do you?’ I sang, ‘I’ve got the whole wide world, I’ve got the whole wide world.’ ‘Are you listening to a word I’m saying?’ While I was writing the song, I think we split up.

I wasn’t too bothered. I’d got the song and played it to a few people. They were like, ‘what’s that? It’s only got two chords and it goes out of time.’ But it sounded all right to me. I really wanted to write songs like Kevin Ayres, like Clarence in Wonderland.

But this is the great thing about being young.

You’re so secure in your own ineptness. As you get older you question the quality more.

I left art school in 1976 and moved to London. Stiff Records had just started. They did an interview with Melody Maker and I thought they sounded great. At the time I’d been to audition in bands but it was always the poncy guy who got the job. I dunno if they had rich parents or what but they always had better equipment. With all the bands I played in, everything was either homemade or stolen.

I gave Stiff Records a tape with the song on and the number of the pay phone in the hallway where I lived. I was anguishing about giving them the tape. ‘Oh god they’re laughing at me’. But the next day the phone rang and it was Stiff. They asked me whether I wanted to make a record.

We recorded it with Nick Lowe and Steve Goulding. I could barely plug in my guitar I was so nervous. I still see Steve and he takes the piss out of me for the way I played on the session.

We did the backing track quickly. Nick on guitar, Steve on drums, then Nick put the bass in. We recorded it at Halfway Studios in Islington. It’s a car and exhaust place now - it ’s really sad. It was a great studio, there was a real sound to it. I was fine being the frontman but it was better when I was in Hull. Stiff Records weren’t that young and cynical. Being cynical was what you had to be then - but it’s such a fucking waste of time.

It ’s funny that the record was made surrounded by such cynicism yet people play it at weddings.

I’ve been offered vast sums of money to play while people propose. I always turn that shit down. One guy said ‘I want you to be behind this screen in this restaurant while I propose to my girlfriend - then I want you to come out and play Whole Wide World’. That would be terrible wouldn’t it?

It's funny that the record was made surrounded by such cynicism yet people play it at weddings.

I’m not surprised by its success. But I don’t look at it that way. It’s just me and two chords. Loads of people have covered it but no one’s ever come up to the strength of that original version. People ask whether I get tired of playing it. But I don’t. When you’re a kid you’d dream of this. It might not have been top ten but there’s thousands of top ten hits that have disappeared and it’s endured. When I get to play that song the enthusiasm of the audience will always buoy me up. I never want to mess with it.

Whole Wide World Written by: Eric Goulden Published by: Imagem Music UK m58_december 2015_33

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Steve Mason, at home in Hove, August 2015

These pictures were taken in Steve’s home studio by photographer Rachel King. At the same time, Steve agreed to speak to interviewer Rachael Castell, an excerpt of which appears below.

Rachel and Rachael (working together as Wolf + Diva) presented the photograph and interview at their recent exhibition, A Portrait of British Songwriting, in conjunction with Sonos and Domino Publishing.

I’ve always made music at home, I’ve never really had a studio outside. I like the idea of having an idea wherever I am in the house and being able to get to a piece of recording equipment quickly. I mainly write about me and my life, so it feels right that it all happens at home.

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that this is what I do for a living.

I like to think of myself as an artist rather than somebody who’s a career musician. I don’t really know at what point it happened

34_december 2015_m58

– I just focus on the writing because I want to hone in on that skill.

I find, with lyrics, a lot of the time it’s all in the delivery. Aretha Franklin could make the most mundane lyric sound like the most meaningful thing that’s ever been committed to record. I don’t really have that skill, so my lyrics have to be as real as possible. I try to have absolutely no barrier between my heart and head, the emotion that’s in there and the piece of paper.

Usually if I’m writing music on the guitar, words come at the same time. Sometimes I’ll have an opening line with the melody in my head, so I run over and grab a dictaphone to record them. From there I’ll work out what the chords might be and write the song from that.

But other times I can start with a drum beat or anything; songs can come from absolutely anywhere really.

I can’t just get myself thing I’ve learned as I you’re not in the right nothing you can do to

into the zone. The one get older is that when frame of mind, there’s change that. It’s more

frustrating to sit down and write a load of crap or not write anything at all. You just end up wondering why nothing is coming out. It’s better to think, ‘okay, well, today’s a bit of a write-off’, and just go off and do something else.

I spend large amounts of time sitting on the sofa watching films, but not really watching them. Sometimes I just stare into space, my mind ticking away. I believe there wouldn’t be any creativity if it wasn’t for those times.

That’s when my mind is doing all its work, figuring things out. Then suddenly, something will pop in there and I’ll run to my computer and do three or four hours of work.

Steve Mason’s mercurial songwriting talent has consistently coloured every project he’s been involved in over the last 15 years. From the brilliant beginnings of The Beta Band through to King Biscuit Time, Black Affair and now his self-titled solo work, he has always cut to the heart of the matter, distilling raw emotion into unparalleled lyrical honesty. His next album is due early 2016.

“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

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