M62

Members Music Magazine Issue 62 December 2016

madness

One Step Beyond

ashes to ashes Publishing a legacy

modern primitives Folk roots, new routes

VINCE CLARKE Tomorrow’s world

GUY FLETCHER

LAURA JURD

JOHN RUTTER

EDDY GRANT

SPITFIRE AUDIO

digital edition

contents

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COVER FEATURE

VINCE CLARKE Pop provocateur Vince Clarke on life at the forefront of British electronic pop and why the time is now for synth exploration.

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WHAT A GUY! Outgoing PRS Chairman and top songwriter Guy Fletcher on five successful decades in the business of music.

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FOLK

LAST RESPECTS

MADNESS Suggs on songwriting, avoiding the black hole of eighties nostalgia and coming back with a top five album.

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26

JOEL DILWORTH, GETTY

In a year marred with the passing of some of our greatest songwriters, we ask the publishers tasked with managing their work, what happens next?

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60 SECONDS

I WROTE THAT

PICTURE THIS

Composing ace John Rutter mulls his classical milestones and what it’s like to work in the genre as we head into 2017.

Reggae ringleader Eddy Grant shares the story behind his iconic eighties hit Electric Avenue.

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, at least for Right Said Fred’s Fred Fairbrass…

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17

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SOCIAL @m_magazineprs @m_magazineprs /prsformusic /prsformusic /m_magazineprs

cover photo: vince clarke

Shirley Collins and other leading folk figures let us in on what songwriters can learn from our ancient musical vernacular.

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Associate Editor Anita Awbi Senior Writer Jim Ottewill

Membership Advisor Myles Keller

CONTRIBUTORS Faye Ducker, Amy Field, Maxie Gedge, Liam McMahon, Stefania Pavlou, Cerian Squire, Alex Sharman, 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 T 020 3225 5200

E orla-tickton@media-ten.com

ISSN 0309-0019© PRS for Music 2016. 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.

m62_december 2016_3

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PIXIE GELDOF

LOLInGO While Skepta, Stormzy and Lady Leshurr have helped make 2016 a landmark year for UK grime, fans of the scene’s bass, beats and rhymes are now clamouring to find the next wave of MCs and producers destined to break through.

As the daughter of pop star Bob Geldof and the late TV presenter Paula Yates, Pixie Geldof has lived her whole life under the garish glare of the media spotlight. It means she’s well known for many things, but not her music. The release of her 2016 debut solo album I’m Yours suggests this is all about to change, with the collection of dream pop and balmy, sophisticated Americana swerving the public trauma of a life too often sliced and diced across the tabloids.

Although the tragedy that followed Pixie’s family since the loss of her mother - and later her sister Peaches - has been well-documented, her music and songwriting have surely offered some respite from the turmoil.

In 2012, she began crafting songs and recording demos, later touring with her lo-fi grunge outfit Violet. At some point, Pixie managed to shake off the fuzz and feedback of these early musical endeavours, instead opening herself up to gentler, more grown-up sonic pastures thanks in part to

producer Tony Hoffer and arranger and composer David Campbell.

The resulting debut solo record will be a surprise to many and is testament to how much remains unknown about Geldof. She’s been writing songs on the quiet all this time, with her tentative musical ambitions now delivered as an ace collection of leftfield pop.

The songs are lovelorn paeans inspired by the music she’s adored forever, from Mazzy Star to the ghostly guitars of the country greats and gossamer wash of Warpaint and Lana Del Rey. The album was recorded in Los Angeles in autumn-winter 2015 and sounds as if Pixie sought inspiration in the melancholy of the deserts surrounding that sprawling metropolis. Forget the famous family and fashionable friends - if you want to know the real Pixie Geldof, then this woozy, eccentric record is your real introduction. strangerrecords.com

Step forward Lewisham beat maker Lolingo, a youth tipped as one of the key architects in helping build the grime of tomorrow.

Alongside DeeJillz, Elf Kid and Novelist, Lolingo is one of the founding members of teenage South London collective, The Square. They represent the next generation of consciousminded, new school grime, with Lolingo the production lynchpin around which the rest of the MCs swing their lyrical jabs.

With Elf Kid’s Golden Boy, a re-work of Izzy Bizu and the majority of production work on The Square’s debut mixtape The Formula all under his belt, Lolingo’s beats are some of the most vital around, doing damage from the street to the rave. lolingo.bandcamp.com Find out about more of our new members on m-magazine.co.uk

kInG nun New band King Nun sound as brash, exciting and full throttle as you’d expect any gang of 18-year-old noiseniks to be. Theo (vocals, guitar), James (guitar), Nathan (bass) and Caius (guitar) make up the London group, who are gearing up to take 2017 by the scruff of the neck and give it a serious shaking with their ferocious, guitar-splattered noise.

New single Tulip, and flip Speakerface, has just been released as a limited 4_december 2016_m62

seven-inch via Dirty Hit, the label behind the stellar success of young acts The 1975, Wolf Alice and The Japanese House. King Nun’s star has since risen drastically, with the single landing on BBC Radio 1’s playlist and a support slot with Liverpool band Circa Waves in the bag. It all suggests that you’ll be hearing a lot more from them when the starting gun for 2017 goes off… kingnun.com Elf Kid, Issy Bizu #fundedbyprsf

members & music

sixTy sEcONds

JOHN RUTTER Classical composer John Rutter is a choral tour de force, famed for his eclectic influences spanning both English and French traditions. He’s best loved for his carols and rousing choral anthems, and hosts the lauded Christmas Celebrations concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall each year.

John first studied music at Highgate School in the late sixties, where he wrote Shepherd’s Pipe Carol, a piece that went on to sell over a million sheet music copies. In 1981, after graduating from Cambridge University and then quitting his job as Director of Music at Clare College, he founded the Cambridge Singers – a choir he still regularly composes for and records. In 2007, John won the Ivor Novello Award for Classical Music and received a CBE in the Queen’s Honours List for his services to music.

How did you first get into composing?

I started doodling at my parents’ piano making up little pieces when I was about five or six years old. In a way I’m still doing the same thing all these years later but I get paid for it.

Who or what has influenced you most throughout your career?

I was fortunate to have a director of music at school who thought composition was normal. He had been a pupil of Charles Wood (church musicians will know that name) and he encouraged many of us at school to write. My chum John Tavener was probably one of his greatest successes, but there were others including David Cullen, who went on to orchestrate for Andrew Lloyd Webber. Then at Cambridge University I was lucky to be spotted by Sir David Willcocks, the legendary director of King’s College Choir. Thanks to him, I was signed up by Oxford University Press, the publisher I have been with ever since.

Your musical style is eclectic, drawing on both English and international influences: what attracts you to the choral traditions of other nations?

We can all learn from each other. I listen to all sorts of music - not just choral - and I pick up sounds and ideas from many parts of the world. The wonderful thing about choirs around the world is that they don’t all sound alike because singing is related to speech and, for example, Russian choirs don’t sound like Swedish or Cuban or South African choirs. Long live the differences.

PHOTO: COLLEGIUM RECORDINGS

You’ve created large and small choral works, orchestral and instrumental pieces, piano concertos, children’s operas and music for television – where do you feel most at home?

It’s not always a good idea to feel too much at home anywhere because you may start repeating yourself. This year I got a huge buzz out of writing a violin concerto, Visions, simply because I had never written one before and it was an adventure.

How has your work with the Cambridge Singers influenced your writing over the years?

When I first put that choir together, in the early eighties, professional mixed chamber choirs were a rarity and I felt I had stumbled on a sound which was new - combining freshness and accuracy with purity and passion.

The sound of the Cambridge Singers from those years remains with me whenever I write for choir.

me to write something and can offer an opportunity, a specific performer or group, a nice occasion for a premiere, or just a good idea.

Where do you prefer to write?

Anywhere undisturbed is fine.

You’ve created scores of Christmas carols – what is it about that time of year which inspires you?

The absence of politicians on the airwaves for a few precious days. We glimpse the world as it might be if only people would stop being nasty to each other. The Christmas story in the bible is an enduring inspiration and symbol.

Do you consider yourself religious?

Profoundly religious when I’m setting a sacred text. You have to enter into it.

Can you tell us more about your annual Christmas Celebration concert?

It’s become a bit of a yuletide institution, hasn’t it?

It has the perfect ingredients - the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra every year, and this year we’ll hear the Bach Choir, the choristers from St Albans Cathedral, and two of my favourite soloists, Elin Manahan Thomas and Melanie Marshall - all in the Royal Albert Hall, with its mighty organ at full throttle. Something of The Proms spirit, but in December. And we’re repeating it all in Symphony Hall Birmingham, the finest concert hall acoustically in the land.

What’s on the horizon for 2017?

Short-lived new year resolutions, probably.

What are the biggest challenges facing British composers today?

The erosion of copyright by piracy and by its powerful enemies flexing their muscles - all the big tech companies like Microsoft, Google, YouTube, Spotify and many others. They would love to have their music without the inconvenient obligation of paying us for it.

What advice do you have for composers starting their careers now?

They’re all much more street-smart than my generation ever was, much better at promoting their work and reaching their audiences. They don’t need my advice, I need theirs.

John Rutter is published by Oxford University Press.

How do your works normally start life?

With an email or a phone call from someone in the outside world who wants

Johnrutter.com m62_december 2016_5

members & music

FINE CHINA

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING

We’ve now joined the ranks of presenters on the online station Soho Radio, hosting a monthly show with the community broadcaster.

The independent online station, based in the heart of London, is aimed at championing new musical talent as well as supporting artists at all stages of their careers.

The station was recently named the Best Online Radio Station by Mixcloud in its Online Radio Awards, with high profile guests such as Public Enemy and Stephen Fry all passing through the studio in the two years since its doors opened.

The inaugural M show took place in October with songwriter, producer and DJ Hifi Sean as special guest while former Auteurs frontman, now acclaimed solo artist, Luke Haines, plus Domino Records’ electronic pop act Georgia, featured in the November edition.

Georgia discussed her tour with The Kills, recording her new album and the importance of funding from the PRS for Music Foundation’s Momentum Fund, which she recently secured. She said: ‘The funding is hugely valuable. Sometimes it’s a challenge to fund yourself so every little helps.’

David Lyttle, Emmy the Great and Quinta are the latest wave of British musicians to hit China for an international residency.

All three will spend up to six weeks exploring the country’s environment and customs in the Musicians in Residence programme organised by the British Council and PRS for Music Foundation. They will visit three separate cities - Guiyang, Suzhou and Xiamen - where they will collaborate with local artists and scope out new creative opportunities.

For London-based singer-songwriter EmmaLee Moss (aka Emmy the Great), it will mark her first time on Chinese soil. She says: ‘Although I was born in Hong Kong, I have never been to China proper, and I cannot describe how momentous this will be for my personal and creative journey.

‘I plan to write an album in Xiamen that documents the moment that I was there. I want to drink it all in and tell all the stories, collect the words I need. For now, all I can say is thank you.’

David, Emmy and Quinta will follow in the footsteps of musicians including Imogen Heap, Jamie Woon, Gareth Bonello and Mira Calix who have all taken part in previous years.

Kate Tempest, Moses Boyd and Laura Groves were also among the latest acts to receive Momentum Fund support. Georgia used the backing to fund a recent live tour and is now working on a follow-up record to her eponymous 2015 debut.

‘I’ve been straight back in the studio working on a second record, which has been going great. It’s just me experimenting in the studio but the songs feel a lot more shaped and fresh,’ she told M. You can listen back to past M shows by heading to the Soho Radio Mixcloud profile (mixcloud.com/ sohoradio) and searching M magazine.

The next M broadcast will take place on Monday 23 January and every month after.

Visit the Soho Radio website sohoradiolondon.com.

LIVE BONANZA Independent Venue Week (IVW) returns for its fourth year from Monday 23 to Sunday 29 January 2017, with Tim Burgess as ambassador.

PRS for Music, which has sponsored IVW since its first year, is teaming up with PPL and BASCA to tour the country, staging a series of events for local musicians, including songwriting masterclasses, tips on how artists can maximise their revenue and more. Also on board for IVW are Richard Hawley, Simian Mobile Disco, Cass McCoombs, HECK, Beans on Toast, The Moonlandingz, The Carnabys, Dream Wife and Goat Girl, who are among the hundreds of artists performing across 120 venues around the UK. We’re excited to announce we’ll once again be curating an M show in association with IVW at East London gigging institution the Sebright Arms.

Taking place on Thursday 26 January.

Keep an eye on m-magazine.co.uk for more info.

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David Lyttle, Emmy The Great, Quintga, Jamie Woon, Gareth Bonello, Mira Calix, Kate Tempest, Moses Boyd, Laura Groves, Georgia #fundedbyprsf

members & music

ON THE UP

NEW STYLES

Prolific creator Luke Styles started out as a teenage actor before falling under the spell of classical composition full time. With a background in jazz, and a musical upbringing spanning classic rock and pop, his own sound takes an eclectic form all of its own.

The former Young Composer in Residence for Glyndebourne excels in creating music for opera, theatre and orchestra. Over the last four years alone, his works have been performed at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Vault Festival and the Commonwealth Games 2014.

Throughout his career, Luke has been heavily involved in collaborative and multi-disciplinary pieces that explore diverse worlds including cabaret, science fiction and war. As one of the first creators to receive support through the PRS For Music Foundation’s new Composers’ Fund, he’s also been able to work closely with librettist Alan McKendrick and conductor David Bates on the musical language of a new (and perhaps the world’s first) neo-Baroque opera.

He tells M: ‘All the background work has been a fundamental aspect of this opera project and

something which I have never undertaken before… I can’t imagine having started to get inside the sound world of this opera without the pre-development work.’

Elsa Hewitt is a prolific electronic/dreampop singer-songwriter from Lewes in East Sussex, who’s been making music since primary school.

The opera won’t premiere until 2021, and its finer details are still under wraps, but Luke is confident that all this prep has honed his craft and helped him ‘understand the limits’ of his voice and ‘avoid crossing over into pastiche’.

Graduating from the nineties pop and preteen grunge of those first musical forays, Elsa has arrived at a fresh new sound that glistens through layers of warming reverb and twinkling electronics.

‘Doing this work, which the Composers Fund made possible, has given the project that extra push it needed to bring international partners on board,’ he adds.

In September she came to the attention of the judges of the 2016 Lynsey de Paul Prize, winning a £2,000 talent bursary and mentorship.

The work has now been commissioned by a US opera house, with performances planned for the US, the UK and the Netherlands. ‘This is a big step for my career as well as the opera itself - and is a step I believe the Composers’ Fund played a crucial role in taking,’ Luke says.

With this help in place, Elsa is preparing for the release of no less than three LPs in 2017 and will begin recording a series of acoustic albums too, which she says ‘have been waiting their turn for too long.’

Find out more about the Composers’ Fund at prsformusicfoundation.com Read full interview on m-magazine.co.uk

Interested in applying for funding?

Here are the PRS for Music Foundation’s upcoming deadlines: International Showcase Fund 9 January (for SXSW 2017) The Open Fund

6 February

Women Make Music

6 February

Momentum

15 February

Find out more at prsformusicfoundation.com

Luke Styles, Elsa Hewitt #fundedbyprsf

‘Winning this award has given me an opportunity to make something happen.

There is a great deal of work that I’m itching to release as well as make, so I have a lot of things to do - and the mentorship is helping me do it as effectively as possible.’

The Lynsey de Paul Prize for emerging female singer-songwriters was set up by the PRS for Music Foundation and PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund to honour the career of songwriter and artist Lynsey de Paul who died in 2014.

Read the full interview with m-magazine.co.uk/interviews

Elsa

at

m62_december 2016_7

members & music sOUNd EffEcT

Laura Jurd is an award-winning British trumpet player, composer and bandleader, and a BBC New Generation Artist for 2015-2017.

In 2015 Laura received the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Instrumentalist of the Year and has previously been shortlisted for a BASCA British Composer Award, received the Dankworth Prize for Jazz Composition and the Worshipful Company of Musician’s Young Jazz Musician of the Year award.

Her band Dinosaur released debut album, Together, As One, in September to much critical fanfare from the jazz community and beyond, marking her out as one of the scene’s exciting new talents.

The first music I remember hearing was…

A piano improvisation by me as a toddler! My first musical memories are being sat at the piano expressing my three-year-old self.

The song that makes me want to dance is…

Back Pocket by Vulfpeck. What a great groovy band. The clarinet solo at the end is the icing on the cake it’s just wonderful.

The first record I ever bought was…

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. I bought this when I was about 12 and little did I know at the time, it was one of the most iconic records of the 20th century. That was the beginning of my record collection.

The song that makes me cry is…

Living Without You by Randy Newman.

The last great record I listened to was…

Friend Opportunity by Deerhoof.

This is one of my favourites of their many albums. It’s sheer inventiveness and brilliance brings me a lot of joy - to the extent that it makes me laugh out loud.

The song that I know all the words to is…

I’ll Be Seeing You by Sammy Fein/ Irving Kahal. My good mate and drummer in my band, Corrie Dick, once taught me this song on a car journey.

The song I want played at my funeral is…

I’ll be dead - so someone else can choose!

DAVE STAPLETON

laurajurd.com The song I wish I’d written is…

I couldn’t possibly answer this question. There’s a whole world of incredible songs out there.

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Read the full inteview with Laura at m-magazine.co.uk Laura Judd #fundedbyprsf

If you are likely to find winter a struggle, either mentally or physically, there are now many ways in which we can help.

We offer various methods of support to vulnerable members, the winter heating scheme being just one example.

Call us now to find out more

020 3741 4067 or you can email fund@prsformusic.com For full information visit prsformusicfund.com

Members Benevolent Fund Supporting songwriters and composers PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund, 2 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG Registered charity number: 208671 facebook.com/prsfund

twitter.com/prsfund

Helping The Heart of Music is a trading name of the PRS for Music Members Benevolent Fund.

members & music

tune in

to tune into these, and more tastemakers’ tips, see m-magazine.co.uk/listen

tastEmakErs tIPs We ask some of the UK’s leading tastemakers who they’re tipping for success in 2017…

ROB DA BANK, DJ AND BESTIVAL CO-FOUNDER

MAXIE GEDGE, PRS FOR MUSIC FOUNDATION

REX ORANGE COUNTY

RHAIN

Not many 18-year-olds from Haslemere are on the 2017 tip lists so far, so I thought I’d add this young chap. Honest, down to earth, occasionally sweary, he makes jaunty ditties backed by brass, cheeky keyboards and catchy choruses. Search him out!

I saw RHAIN at Sŵn Festival this year and her strange folk-pop was so captivating. Her songs are interesting and brilliant. The way she let her voice go and committed to the performance, alongside often minimal and delicate instrumentation, gave me actual physical goose bumps.

@rexorangecounty

@RHAINMUSIC

HARRIET WYBOR, PRS FOR MUSIC

ADENIKE GBOYEGA, MOBO

FREYA WALEY-COHEN

SANTAN DAVE

Freya’s music touches a wide audience with its adept instrumentation and open approach, and she always works with exciting collaborators including poets and architects. She holds an Open Space residency at Snape Maltings (formerly Aldeburgh Music) and is an Associate Composer of Nonclassical and Listenpony. @freyawaleycohen

The 18-year-old rapper has been gaining a substantial following throughout 2016. He’s already found a fan in Drake, with the hip-hop heavyweight dropping an official remix of his single Wanna Know. Dave’s also recently released the highly praised Six Paths EP, proving that his pure talent prevails over all else. @Santandave1

PETE HEYWOODE, RIP RECORDS

MARTEL OLLERENSHAW, SERIOUS JULES BUCKLEY

DEAD PRETTIES

This London trio’s debut single is released early in the new year and follows some properly raucous live shows in 2016. The first time I caught them was at The Old Blue Last, London, and despite only playing to a handful of people, they absolutely tore up the stage. Having already snapped up a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell, expect big things in 2017… @deadpretties RHAIN#fundedbyprsf

In 2016, Jules won a Grammy Award for his work on Sylva with Snarky Puppy and the Metropole Orkest, and conducted three BBC Proms. Next year will be even bigger with projects with Anoushka Shankar, Pete Tong and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. @julesbuckley m62_december 2016_9

money & business GOING LIVE

From the small indie circuit to classical concert halls, stadiums and arenas, live performance has always been at the very heart of the music industry.

Royalties from live gigs make up a substantial part of PRS for Music’s revenue, with public performance royalties achieving £175.2m in 2015, increasing by 4.1 percent (£6.9m) against the previous year. The society saw a year-on-year growth of 4.4 percent in the live sector that was further driven by increased ticket sales for large events and tours.

While effective systems are clearly already in place to help members claim royalties from their live outings, the society is introducing two new tools to enhance these processes further.

The new live performance reporting tool and Live Concert Service app are part of PRS for Music’s digital transformation project to improve the online experience for members.

Both are aimed at increasing accuracy around the reporting of live performances to help members maximise their revenue opportunities.

Report your live shows PRS for Music is launching a new reporting tool in early 2017 to make it easier and simpler for members to claim royalties from their live gigs.

The service, which will be available for all members, offers a simple, three step reporting process, and can be used on the move via tablet or smartphone. It also allows members the chance to track the progress of a claim and to duplicate set lists to help save time when inputting performance data.

Tim Arber, PRS for Music’s Head of Membership Support, says: ‘Our new live

reporting tool is a major milestone for our digital transformation programme. It’s essential for our members to report details of the music they performed live so we can pay out royalties for these performances as accurately as possible. This tool is easy to use thanks to its modern look and feel and is the first of a number of innovations we will implement for members.’

With the live industry growing every year, securing the correct royalties from these performances is more important than ever for all artists.

Maria Forte, a live music industry expert and consultant, has been working with PRS for Music on researching the live marketplace to inform these initiatives.

‘Live has changed so much in the last 15 years,’ she says. ‘It’s an enormous industry.

At the top end, venues seem to have got much bigger, there are more stadium tours and arena tours than ever. Everything has increased in volume and, therefore, so has the money. It means there’s more at stake.’

Live Concert Service app While PRS for Music’s Live Concert Service already exists to help members claim royalties from their international live outings, it’s a service the collecting society is working to enhance with a new web responsive app.

International gigs are not only a way for artists to hone their musical talents but also

Our new live reporting tool is a major milestone for our digital transformation programme.

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represent a sizeable amount of revenue. An average of £20m is generated each year for PRS for Music members, the majority of which flows from European stages.

The Live Concert Service has helped PRS for Music members playing larger gigs to claim performance royalties for more than 20 years. However, after feedback from these members, research revealed that some were losing out on revenue due to complexities in licensing these gigs in overseas territories.

In one case, a top touring group worked out they’d lost an average of £30,000 per gig, which, over the course of a lengthy live stint, adds up to a sizeable chunk of income.

business

business news

for all the latest business news visit m-magazine.co,.uk

£20.7m

What does the new app do?

The app will equip PRS for Music members and their representatives with tools to secure full and correct revenues from live concerts.

Featuring a tariff calculator, the tool will provide advance estimates of royalty value per concert, as well as ensuring the correct licence tariff rates and box office value are applied for major concerts.

Total amount PRS for Music received for members’ overseas live performances in 2015

This removes the complexity of applying specific countries’ local tariff to the figures, which often vary significantly from territory to territory.

After a gig, the service also enables members to review the progress of a royalty payment, as well as access a summary of the royalties they will receive after box office and the relevant tariff discounts have been ratified.

Forte said: ‘The app tells you on a territory by territory basis what the published tariff should be, what the applicable discounts might be and, if you plug box office figures in, what the licence fee figure should be on the settlement sheet.’

22k FRESH VISA WOES UK Music has reacted to the victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential race, stating that the Republican’s win will ‘undoubtedly bring with it visa implications’ for UK bands.

Trump was named as the new President Elect on 9 November after a hard fought campaign against rival Hillary Clinton.

Commenting on the news, UK Music Chief Executive Jo Dipple likened the situation to Brexit here in the UK. She said: ‘The Trump victory will undoubtedly bring with it visa implications for overseas nationals and therefore British bands who want to work in the US. This compounds ongoing concern about the visa system for British musicians visiting the US, as well as the 27 remaining EU markets which are dependent on the yet-to-be detailed withdrawal from the EU.’

Iain Black, PRS for Music’s Senior International Manager (Europe), added: ‘We’ve done this also to help our members in their role as performing artists. It makes PRS for Music a unique collecting society in providing this service to members in their live concert services.

‘This tariff information and calculator can help you work out how much money you will get back as a rightsholder. We’re hoping this service will attract other writers to join PRS. It could help bands of a certain size save potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds on a large European tour.’

the big numbers

The US government has already decided to raise the price of the visa application for artists, musicians and DJs visiting the country. On 20 December 2016, the fee for Form I-129, the Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, rises 42 percent from $325 (£257) per act to $460.

Dipple continued: ‘UK musicians should enjoy the same access to the US which American artists have to the UK. There are many questions over Trump’s plans in so many areas of policy, details of which are yet unknown. And like Brexit, the implications and impact of his presidency will take months and years to be felt.’

Number of international set lists submitted by members and sent on to PRS for Music’s overseas affiliates in 2015

74 Number of collecting societies PRS for Music sent details of its members’ international set lists to in 2015

275 Number of artists, songwriters and composers to apply for the PRS for Music Foundation’s International Showcase Fund so far in 2016

£431k Amount the International Showcase Fund has given to artists, songwriters and composers since 2013

Trump’s inauguration is scheduled to take place on 20 January 2017. m62_december 2016_11

money & business PRS AGM 2017

PRS is urging more full members to consider standing for election to the PRS Board. It is also calling on all full and associate members to make their votes count in the Directors’ Ballot and at the 2017 Annual General Meeting (AGM).

NEW SCHEME MONITORS MUSIC IN CLUBS

Board directors play a key role in setting the strategic direction of the society and promoting the success of the company for the benefit of the membership.

The Board also oversees the society’s business operations as well as its compliance with its regulatory regime.

PRS Board structure The PRS Board currently comprises 25 directors. The 11 writer directors and 11 publisher directors are appointed by full and associate members at the PRS AGM following the Directors’ Ballot, which determines their eligibility to be appointed, and in which full and associate members also participate. There are also two external directors and one executive director, the Chief Executive, appointed by full and associate members at the PRS AGM on the Board’s recommendation.

PRS directors are responsible for appointing the PRS Board’s Chairman and two Deputy Chairmen.

Election process The 2017 AGM will take place at the British Library in London on Wednesday 24 May 2017.

Full members wanting to stand for election must be nominated by 10 other full members. Nominations must be received at least three calendar months before the AGM. Every candidate is asked to supply a nomination form which has been signed by their 10 nominees and which confirms their nomination acceptance, a short biography, short manifesto statement and a list of any current or recent directorships.

Board responsibilities The PRS Board meets up to six times a year at PRS for Music’s Kings Cross offices. Directors are expected to attend all board meetings and to serve on at least one of the following: Audit Committee, Distribution Committee, Licensing Committee or Nominations and Remuneration Committee.

Directors are appointed for a three-year term. They are usually eligible to stand for reappointment following their retirement at the third AGM after their appointment.

Full members looking to stand or wanting further information need to contact Jenny Goodwin, PRS for Music’s Head of Secretariat, at jenny.goodwin@ prsformusic.com.

PRS for Music and PPL are launching a Music Recognition Technology (MRT) initiative with DJ Monitor to identify music publicly performed

by DJs in clubs, bars, pubs and hotels.

Following an extensive supplier selection process, which included a trial in top London clubs Ministry of Sound and Fabric, DJ Monitor has been chosen as the preferred MRT supplier to conduct a pilot with a number of UK licensed premises.

The initiative aims to understand how the technology can be used to ensure royalty payments to performers, composers, songwriters, record labels and music publishers whose music is performed by DJs, are as accurate as possible.

Tony Colman aka London Elektricity, DJ and Hospital Records owner, said: ‘With the amount of amazing music that’s performed in public venues such as clubs and bars, it’s important we have the right technology in the right places so songwriters, publishers, artists and labels receive their well-deserved royalties.’

Simon Dunmore, Defected Records Managing Director and DJ, said: ‘The efficient collection of all income due to composers and producers has never been more needed. This work will go some distance towards a more accurate distribution for club plays.’

For full information on criteria and eligiblilty visit prsformusic.com/aboutus

Your next paydays Performing (PRS): 14 April 2017, 14 July 2017, 13 Oct 2017, 15 Dec 2017 Mechanicals (MCPS): Non-Recorded Media 13 Jan 2017, 15 Feb 2017, 15 March 2017, 14 April 2017 Recorded Media: 31 Jan 2017, 28 Feb 2017, 31 March 2017, 28 April 2017 12_december 2016_m62

Lohan Presencer, Ministry of Sound Chairman, added: ‘We are supporting the initiative by hosting monitoring equipment in-house and would encourage other venues that are approached to do the same. This is about helping ensure the right people are paid for the music that keeps clubbers coming in.’

Both PRS for Music and PPL recognise there are opportunities and challenges to be explored, such as the technology’s costs and logistics.

This initiative will help inform future decisions about a potential wider introduction of MRT into licensed premises.

Any venues that would like to take part should contact Project Manager Liz Kenneally at liz.kenneally@prsformusic.com.

business

AI MEETS MUSIC

CREATOR ROYALTIES REACH NEW HIGH

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing how artists write music and how it is marketed to fans, a new BPI-commissioned report has revealed.

Music’s Smart Future: How will Artificial Intelligence impact the music industry? was written by music industry analysts Music Ally and revealed at a recent BPI event.

Global royalties for creators have grown for the third consecutive year to hit a new high of €8.6bn (£7.35bn) - with music collections accounting for nearly 90 percent of the figure.

It explores developments in AI-driven music composition on Flow Machines software, including how the technology was used to create a music video for Brian Eno’s song The Ship, and Symphonologie, which uses AI to help create a symphony to be played by a human orchestra.

The total sum represents an 8.9 percent rise from 2014 collections, with music royalties rising by 8.5 percent year-on-year.

At the same time, streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer utilise AI to analyse users’ behaviour and to understand the relationship between songs.

Geoff Taylor, BPI and BRIT Awards Chief Executive, said: ‘AI is no longer the province of science fiction. This fast-emerging technology is beginning to transform how music is created, discovered, shared and enjoyed.

‘AI is enabling the creation of hyperpersonalised playlists using contextual data and deep analysis of the relationship between songs, while artists and labels are now using chatbots to engage fan-bases in campaigns.

‘Algorithms are also beginning to influence the composition of music, as artists embrace the technology to enhance their own creativity.

This raises profound questions about the nature of music and humans’ connection to it.’

Visit bpi.co.uk to read the full report.

The statistics were revealed in the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers’ (CISAC) 2016 Global Collections Report, providing insight into the remuneration of creators in 2015.

For the first time, the report also consolidates CISAC members’ data with figures from leading music publishers on the digital music business in key markets.

The study shows that royalties for public performance rights grew 9.1 percent last year, climbing to €6.8bn and accounting for 78.8 percent of overall collections.

Gadi Oron, CISAC Director General, said: ‘2015 saw an overall increase of 21.4 percent in our members’ collections from digital platforms and this is strongly encouraging. Yet, the share of digital income out of total royalties collected by our members is fairly low, at 7.2 percent only.

‘The main root of the problem remains legal loopholes and outdated laws which prevents our members from obtaining fair royalties from digital platforms in many countries.

The huge difference between collections from subscription services and ad-supported

platforms is not only alarming, but also clear evidence that regulatory solutions are desperately needed.

‘Some major online services generate huge profits from the use of creative content, but refuse to share them with the creators of that content.

What we are witnessing is a transfer of value from those who create to those who disseminate; an unfair situation which requires urgent attention from governments and legislators.’

The CISAC report includes a special focus on the online market and, for the first time, provides analysis by industry expert Susan Butler on the digital music business. It brings consolidated data from societies and music publishers in six key markets (US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Sweden) on collections from ad-supported digital audio and video platforms, subscription digital audio services and paid download services.

It shows that subscription services are the prevailing model in terms of royalties paid to creators and music publishers in the US, UK, France and Sweden, while download services dominate digital income in Germany and Canada. Ad-supported services pay creators significantly less than other business models for online music in all key markets.

CISAC’s 2016 Global Collections Report aggregated financial data from its 239 member societies, representing over four million creators of music, audiovisual works, drama, literature and visual arts across 123 countries.

Visit cisac.org to read it in full.

m62_december 2016_13

man of music

Songwriter and music industry leader Guy Fletcher OBE is hanging up his hat as PRS Chairman after six successful years in the role. Jim Ottewill meets the copyright evangelist to learn of his past, present, and look to the future…

‘You change chemically when you listen to it. It does something to you. It can bring you to tears...’

Guy Fletcher OBE is reflecting on the magical power of a successful song. He’s well placed to comment after over half a century of life lived in music, initially as a writer, then copyright champion as a PRS Board member, and, over the last six years, as Chairman with the collecting society.

Guy’s tenure with PRS will come to an end in 2016, calling time on the latest chapter in a career that began when he picked up the trumpet as a young boy. He honed his musical and compositional skills as a jazz performer before turning his hand to writing music after rock and roll landed ‘like a bombshell’ in the UK at the end of the fifties.

‘To be a young teenager in that time was fantastic,’ he remembers. ‘Because suddenly we had our own music, music designed for us.’

After stints in various vocal groups, a chance meeting led him to work with studio maverick Joe Meek. His experiences with Joe opened the door for him into the industry.

14_DECEMBER 2016_ M62

PROFILE

Keeping the value of our writers, that’s always been the case and still is.

Our core mission hasn’t changed too much - it’s just the landscape is different.’

‘It was a complete immersion into Joe’s way of recording,’ says Guy. ‘He was known either as a genius or a lunatic, and I think there was a little bit of both in him. He was like the English equivalent of Phil Spector, except he was recording in a flat in north London. He had a home studio way before anyone else.’

The fledgling songwriter and artist sang on over 100 singles made by Joe in his domestic hit factory.

‘It was great training on making an accessible sound in two and a half to three minutes. I became divorced from anything complicated and focused on pop.’

It was an astute move and the start of an illustrious career, which ramped up after meeting fellow writer Doug Flett in Saville Row in 1965. The pair became a professional songwriting team, inking a publishing deal and going on to write hits for numerous artists including The Hollies, Cliff Richard, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons as well as original rock and roller, Elvis Presley.

film as well as classical, jazz and pop, before joining the PRS Board in the late nineties and becoming ‘deeply entrenched’ in representing writers. How was the industry when he first joined the society as a director?

‘We had to maintain the value of every bit of our repertoire by getting good rates for broadcasting, for live performance, introducing new tariffs for use of music in public buildings, that sort of thing. Keeping the value of our writers, that’s always been the case and still is. Our core mission hasn’t changed too much - it’s just the landscape is different.’

The advent of digital and online have made for the biggest shifts in the industry since Guy started his time at PRS. But despite this, as he says, his purpose as Chairman has remained the same - to ensure that writers get the most from their music and rights.

Recent years have seen some additional challenges for the collecting society, with PRS marking its centenary year in 2014 and moving location to its new King’s Cross offices.

‘We became the first British writers to be recorded by Elvis with Wonderful World, a song we originally wrote for Cliff.

It went into his last MGM movie, Live a Little, Love a Little. Amazingly, we got a cable from Colonel Tom Parker, his manager. It said: “We really like that, could you write another one?”’

‘Life has changed for PRS in the last six years probably more than any other time in its history,’ he notes. ‘We’ve moved from Berners Street, where we’d been since 1960, and that was quite something. As was the centenary year. But I think my main achievement has been reaching out to our members who need encouragement, counsel and advice.’

They obliged with further Elvis hits including The Fair is Moving On and Just Pretend, the latter featuring on the King’s recent The Wonder of You collection. This second album of orchestral re-workings of Elvis hits by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra reached number one in October this year. Guy believes it’s a fine example of how looking after a copyright effectively can continue to sustain a creator, even, as with this work, it comes 40 years after it was written.

Now as his reign as chairman comes to an end, where does he think the industry is heading next? And what are the biggest challenges for PRS for Music and the world of copyright?

‘Over the years, I’ve always advised songwriters that copyright is their life, it’s their livelihood. You don’t mess about with copyright. Instead, you look after it, you make sure you know what’s going on. I’ve proved it many times over, that songs come back out of the blue to reward you.’

However, he’s certainly proud of his work with PRS and how he leaves the society, arguably at a point where the organisation's health has never been better.

He has indeed, with his Save Me track becoming a hit in the American, South African and Swedish charts thanks to recordings by different artists. This commercial success has been complimented by other awards including an Ivor Novello and ASCAP Award.

Guy’s journey into the business side of the industry began after he and Doug set up their Big Secret Music publishing company in the seventies. While the duo continued to pen eighties hits for Ray Charles, Tom Jones and Joe Cocker, Guy became increasingly involved in educating his fellow songwriters on how to successfully tread the tightrope between commerce and creativity. He was appointed chairman of the British Academy of Songwriters and Composers and Authors (BASCA), representing writers from the worlds of TV and

‘The biggest challenge we have is fragmentation of the repertoire. There’s a great benefit in collective management of rights, to keep it valuable. But now there are competitors, people wanting to license themselves.’

‘We really have an altruistic love of the musical creative art form and that’s one of the great things about PRS. We’re here to sustain this for our writers, composers and publishers. We’ve got to continue being an essential part of that ecosystem.

I’ve always advised songwriters that copyright is their life, it’s their livelihood.

You don’t mess about with copyright.

Instead, you look after it, you make sure you know what’s going on.

M62_DECEMBER 2016_15

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i wrote that Multi-million-selling artist Eddy Grant founded pop/ rock outfit The Equals back in 1965. With Eddy as sole songwriter, lead guitarist and producer, the band achieved four top 10 hits within 18 months, including the number one Baby Come Back. Then, as a soloist in the early eighties, he clocked up eight more major international hits in four years, including Electric Avenue and I Don't Wanna Dance. Known for his politically charged lyrics and trailblazing reggae signatures, he’s now celebrated as a leading champion of black cultural life in Britain. Here, he shares the story behind Electric Avenue…

After leaving The Equals, I engaged in a number of strange activities such as acting and tap dancing. I came under the tutelage of the great Sir Norman Beaton, who you may know from Desmond’s, the television programme.

He took me under his wing, as he was in charge of the Black Theatre of Brixton. One day on my way there, I passed a street sign for Electric Avenue, and it was like a moment from God. I instantly thought, ‘Jesus, what a great title for a song’.

At the time, I was seriously considering leaving Britain to go back to the West Indies. Before I left, my brother wanted me to meet with Derek Chinnery, the controller of BBC Radio 1. Mr Chinnery said he only had 10 minutes to spare but I ended up staying for three hours. We spoke about many issues, including what was happening in Brixton at the time.

Although there were many other areas like it, Brixton personified black lives and black culture in England. With that came interest from around the world, often with a lot of bad sentiment. Part of the problem was the media coverage, which caused people to think negatively of the place. And then, of course, what would appear to be a riot - or some kind of antisocial behaviour – happened. It was blown up around the world.

All of this was bubbling in my mind at that time. I’d just had a hit with Do You Feel My Love? and needed to write a new album off the back of it. I had a number of songs ready, but in November 1981 I decided to leave Britain for Barbados. I flew British Airways and all my baggage got lost on the way; everything, including the songs I had planned for the new album.

When I arrived in Barbados, my new home wasn’t finished yet. I rented alternative accommodation and worked on the place without my wife and family, just surrounded by workmen. Eventually, I was forced into writing the record in a studio that was not yet built. I had to drag song titles out of my memory bank, and one of those was Electric Avenue. By then, half of the things I’d spoken to Mr Chinnery about had already started happening in England. So I created, in my mind, a scenario. That scenario is fairly well articulated in the lyrics of Electric Avenue.

All of the song was written, recorded, mixed and mastered at my Blue Wave Studios at the beginning of 1982. At the time, I was recording Marcia Barrett who had been in Boney M; she was the first person to use the new studio. Apart from that, only myself and Frank Agarrat, my engineer, were present. I played all the instruments and sang all the voices as per usual.

In my life, I try not to stand on a soap box. Instead, I choose melody, rhythm, harmony, and all the tools available to a songwriter to help make the

Music is a fantastic delivery mechanism.

It’s like water. You want to take a serious tablet, you drink a lot of water and it will go down. message as painless as possible for people to ingest. Music is a fantastic delivery mechanism. It’s like water. You want to take a serious tablet? Drink a lot of water and it will go down in some measure.

Looking back, I see that Electric Avenue has caused people to think; those who are interested in the lyrics, and those who are into the visualisation and imagery. I was recently invited to switch on the street’s new lights to mark the completion of a new £1m refurbishment project. There’s new energy in Electric Avenue, and it’s great that people will walk away from it with a thought process. Instead of being an analogue signpost, it’s now a brightly lit digital beacon for the neighbourhood. The road itself is speaking.

It’s establishing a black cultural archive, right in the heart of Brixton; a very beautiful and very British construct.

Eddy Grant’s 16th album, Plaisance, is expected in 2017. eddygrant.com Electric Avenue Written by: Eddy Grant Published by: EMI Music Publishing m62_december 2016 _17

Vince Clarke – one of British synth-pop’s founding fathers – chats to Anita Awbi about circuit boards, collaborations and creativity in 2016.

‘The golden time for synthesisers is right now,’ says Vince Clarke, taking a break from the LA studio he’s using to mix the new Erasure LP. As a self-confessed circuit board wizard and (over) zealous synth collector, you’d be inclined to take his word for it.

New aesthetic in place, he penned the singles Dreaming of Me, Just Can't Get Enough and New Life in quick succession – before going on to write most of the band’s debut LP, Speak and Spell, for Daniel Miller's Mute label.

Vince has been at the forefront of electronic music for the last four decades, using an army of analogue androids to help create his synapseshifting melodies and durable basslines.

The set’s bleepy discord and gawky adolescence - which still stands up today - must have seemed like a gloriously giddy aside to the orchestral pop and watered down disco that it nestled beside in the top 10. But, just as the band began to take flight, Vince’s incessant pop itch led him elsewhere…

When the synth-pop tsunami flooded the charts in the late seventies and early eighties, it was his canon of ultra-tight hits for Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and later Erasure, that helped put Britain on the modular map forever.

Nearly 40 years on, music tech has become normalised within popular culture, but Vince still hasn’t fallen out of love with its radical edge.

‘You know what, I don’t think it’s ever been this good,’ he continues.

‘You’ve got to remember there were very few people making modular synthesisers in the early eighties. It was scarce technology back then, but now there are literally hundreds of people making modular synths and coming up with exciting new ideas.’

So how, in the relative synth dearth of late seventies’ austerity Britain, did Vince set about defining the first electronic epoch?

It still amazes me because we meet up with nothing, no ideas or anything, and then we come out maybe two hours later with a song: it’s like magic.

Neutrons, electrons, protons With all the base elements in place, Vince hooked up with singersongwriter Alison Moyet in late 1981 to form Yazoo. Only You, a song he’d originally written for Depeche Mode (which the band reputedly snubbed for being too pop), was their first single, hitting number two in 1982. Two albums and three top 10 singles followed within 18 months.

The duo parted ways soon after, but Vince’s pop urge remained strong.

ATOMIC POP

New Life Born Vincent John Clarke in Basildon, Essex, in 1960, the punkaverse teenager came of age just as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) were channelling German pioneers Kraftwerk in the back streets of Liverpool. Hooked by their ‘simple arrangements’ and unearthly electronics, OMD were the antithesis of both glam rock and punk for Vince.

‘They were like folk songs to me,’ he says. ‘It wasn’t a huge sound and it was really simple instrumentation. But I could relate to that because it was a bit like the acoustic guitar artists I admired at the time.’

Forming Composition of Sound with Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher in 1980, he set about saving hard for his first synthesiser, a Kawai 100 F (which cost £175). But it was only when he recruited student Dave Gahan to sing – and the band changed their name to Depeche Mode – that things got moving.

‘We wanted to be The Cure when we first started out,’ Vince remembers, ‘but we realised synths were easier to play and lug about than guitars and amps!’

‘I’ve always loved pop music,’ says Vince. ‘In those early days I was into people like Simon and Garfunkel - I just loved the songwriting. It was stuff I could relate to and that I could play myself.’

It would take his pairing with vivid vocalist and showman Andy Bell in 1985 for Vince to find his true pop home. Together as Erasure, they released their debut single, Who Needs Love (Like That), shortly after forming, but it wasn’t until their fourth single, Sometimes, in late 1986, that the world caught on. The duo quickly went on to become one of the most successful acts of the eighties and nineties, never missing the top 20 singles chart for over a decade.

The Innocents It’s hard to over-egg Erasure’s influence on pop. Their electronic high jinks and sexually ambiguous live shows – which referenced everything from Chicago house to Burt Bacharach - drew millions of punters

profile PROFILE

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M62_DECEMBER 2016_19

Above: Alison Moyet and Vince Clarke in Yazoo Right: Andy Bell and Vince Clarke in Erasure

and placed euphoric hooks and ecstatic synths right at the top of the international charts.

‘It still amazes me because we meet up with nothing, no ideas or anything, and then we come out maybe two hours later with a song: it’s like magic.’

Following five killer albums, including 1987’s breakthrough The Innocents, they brazenly resurrected ABBA from their kitsch, retro-pop status with the Abba-esque covers EP in 1992. Not only did it offer a rare glimpse into the pair’s songwriting DNA, it also preceded the Swedish quartet’s revival later that year (with the release of the massive ABBA Gold compilation).

So how do they still find things that excite them sonically, 16 studio albums in? Surprisingly, Erasure tracks always start life on acoustic instruments, with Vince opting for piano or guitar as they work out melodies and arrangements. He reckons it’s a tried and tested method, which allows the songs to develop a life of their own before ‘the electronics and fancy stuff comes in’.

Later, Erasure’s 2003 album, Other People’s Songs, let slip another facet of their riotous musical palate, with a cover of The Buggles’ Video Killed the Radio Star appearing back-to-back with The Righteous Brothers’ You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’. Soul balladry, hi-energy, disco floor-fillers – nothing was off-limits for this unlikely pair; one exceptionally camera shy (Vince), the other a striking, sweaty paean to strange.

Unlike other bands who crashed and burned in the wake of intense international tours, Vince remembers: ‘Andy has always loved being on stage and I’ve always loved watching him. It’s obviously a great way to connect with people and it’s great for your ego – there’s no denying it.’

During this period of onstage theatrics and shiny pop packaging (not forgetting Andy’s flouro codpieces), Erasure were able to cement a solid creative partnership which still thrives today as they prepare for a new album in Spring and a 2017 world tour.

Songwriting simplicity ‘It’s weird actually, because although we’ve been doing it for a long time, the first couple of hours when we get together to start writing again is always nervous. You don’t know if anything’s going to happen,’ says Vince of their musical methods.

Subject matter still skirts around the universal pop themes of love, identity and inclusivity, but this latest album also sees them explore more politicised issues – ‘well, there’s certainly a lot to write about these days,’ Vince offers ambiguously.

‘I think, for me, the best kind of song is one that has some kind of emotional twist in it, whether it be via the lyric, key change, melody twist or something else in the chorus or bridge of the song,’ he continues.

‘That’s what Andy and I are always looking for. It has to happen to us first, and if you can convey that feeling or twist, other people will also relate to it. So, I suppose there are no continuous themes going through the songs, but invariably the word “love” creeps in a couple of times,’ he says.

Consummate collaborator If there’s one constant in Vince’s career, it’s that he will never, ever work alone. Just over the last few years, he’s released a minimal techno album with former Depeche Mode bandmate Martin Gore under the VCMG banner, remixed Plastikman, Goldfrapp and Future Islands, worked with Jean-Michel Jarre on two tracks for Jarre's Electronica 1 release and collaborated with Paul Hartnoll, one half of the seminal rave-era duo Orbital.

PROFILE

While all of this work is relevant and completely complementary to his main outlet, Erasure, it’s a wonder why he won’t ever consider going it alone. ‘I can’t imagine anything more boring than a solo record from me, it’s not going to happen,’ he insists. ‘Collaborating is a way of breaking out from that and getting fresh ideas, seeing things from other peoples’ perspective. It keeps you healthy.’

Dials and faders Alongside Vince’s love of collaborating, his passion for vintage synths and modular technology is just as well-documented. Having recently relocated his studio from a huge log cabin in Maine to a Brooklyn basement, he says he’s been careful to maintain the expansive, experimental air.

‘My studio is definitely designed for experiments,’ he says. ‘I don’t have a set idea about where I’m going when I start doing the musical arrangements in there. A lot of the technology I use is very old, so it’s unpredictable from the beginning.’

Most of his synths – new and old - don’t have any memory, making it impossible to hone into pre-set sounds. Each noise is created from scratch every time. ‘It’s great, because hopefully you’re going to come up with something new,’ says Vince.

He reckons the current resurgence in modular technology isn’t just keeping him in the game, it’s also stoking the creative fires of new artists too. Having recently collaborated with Analogue Solution on a new range of Eurorack-style synths dubbed Clarke Circuits, he’s even had a hand in shaping the sound of the next generation.

CELEBRATION

SERVICES

‘It’s just getting crazy now. People have taken those ideas from the seventies and are making them even more expressive and interesting.

Hooking and linking modules up in new ways, with new interactions - it’s just incredible.’

He may have emerged from an older generation of musicians taking elementary electronics from the fringes to pop’s centre stage – but with 2017 marking his fourth decade in the business, one thing remains constant: Vince Clarke is still very much a leading player in the fortunes of British synth-pop.

From Moscow to Mars - An Erasure Anthology is out now on Mute Records

INFORMATION

COMMUNITY

LOBBYING

TRAINING

The voice of music writers

Annual Membership Digital £20 Standard £90 (£7.50 per month via direct debit) Professional £162 (£13.50 per month via direct debit) Apply online at basca.org.uk/join

At its heart, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors (BASCA) is a professional, not for profit, membership organisation.

We’re a single, powerful voice for all songwriters, composers and lyricists across all genres.

We provide unparalleled opportunities to network with your peers as well as an ever growing list of member benefits and services.Whether you’re just starting out in your musical career or have had a string of successes, BASCA speaks for the entire music writing community.

We work for fair copyright law, the best possible royalty returns and for wider recognition of the priceless contribution that music makes to our culture and society.We’re driven to ensure that our member’s voice is heard and their needs are always taken into account when it really matters!

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors www.basca.org.uk

info@basca.org.uk

JOIN US /basca_uk

/bascauk

ISSUE 48:

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

/basca

The magazin

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2 : : 2016

All hail

Thirty years of music with ‘Local King’ Damon Alb arn

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Debbie Wisem an Wayne Hecto r Zoe Rahma n Youth

British Academy of Composers Songwriters, & Authors

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

BASCA, 2 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG Tel: 020 7636 2929

M62_DECEMBER 2016_21

FOLKWAYS

EVA VERMANDEL

Anita Awbi spends time with folk icon Shirley Collins, and others thriving in her wake, to learn how our ancient musical vernacular is inspiring songwriters today…

You can’t throw it away; it’s really precious music.

I just hope people find their way towards it.

profile FOLK

Main image: Shirley Collins

‘When I recently recorded Awake Awake Sweet England for my new album, I had no idea what was about to happen in this country,’ says Shirley Collins in her gentle South Downs lilt.

To him, and the other artists working on his label, including Sam & the Plants and Magpahi, it’s about channeling this knowledge to inspire fresh sounds, relevant to the 21st century.

She starts singing the song’s opening lines, her earthy patina the perfect conduit for its 16th century verse: ‘“Awake, awake, sweet England, sweet England now awake… Repent, repent Sweet England, for dreadful days draw near.”

‘We've become disparate, broken apart, politically and on all sorts of social levels. I think this past we share is a great way to unite us. There's a lot of things we've lost that are well worth having,’ he says.

‘Crumbs, how prescient was that?’ she continues. ‘Not that I was aware at the time. But it seems to have struck a chord with people, especially in the world as it is today.’

Shirley, now 81, released her tumultuous seventh album Lodestar in November, ending a 38 year recording hiatus. Coaxed back into the studio late last year, having been diagnosed with dysphonia in the seventies, the songs have waited patiently for Shirley’s attention, some swirling around her head for half a century or more.

They mostly paint a bleak picture of a ruthless world, marked by death, violence and an absence of mercy. Betrayal and deception feature heavily, as her melodies traverse the myths and verities of old England with all the care of an archaeologist unearthing precious relics.

For her, these traditional songs are a living, breathing connection to a world long gone - pointers from another era that can help us make sense of the present. ‘I hope this music gives people some sort of idea that there’s a different world out there for us to draw from,’ she explains. ‘A world in our past, which lives on in the different sorts of music people sang. It’s all still relevant to us today, because those songs are eternal.’

Time traveller From a seminal field recording trip to the Appalachian Mountains with Alan Lomax in the fifties to her peerless singing and arranging career, Shirley has been documenting and protecting our folk vernacular for nearly 60 years.

Following in the footsteps of the late folklorist Cecil Sharp, she has helped three generations of songwriter discover the timeworn dialects of Britain’s musical traditions, preserving them for future posterity.

Now, in 2016, it seems her work has never been more relevant. With the idea of hauntology – a disjunction with the present – permeating our cultural spheres, we live in a society transfixed by nostalgia.

Uncertain of our future, we look backwards for guidance, reassurance – and artistic inspiration.

‘That’s why these songs are pertinent today’, Shirley explains. ‘There is nothing they will hold back from, and I find that extraordinary. There is no judgement in them; you just tell the story and let the listeners make up their minds.

‘I think this is their most precious value - they address every single aspect of the human condition, from mercy to fratricide, infanticide - even cannibalism. They tell us an awful lot.’

Untapped history For David Chatton-Barker, an artist and co-founder of the innovative label Folklore Tapes, it’s much more than a desire to reconnect with our old musical traditions. Through his work, he draws on a wider sense of our cultural antiquity, one meted out in the myth, medicine and social conventions of an earlier time.

His label’s lauded Calendar Customs series gathers artists to celebrate the stories and rites that formed an essential part of our old almanac. Although many of their messages still reach us today, their meanings have become garbled and confused. So, David and his cohort Ian Humberstone set out to uncover their lost symbolism and ritualism through new acoustic and electronic explorations. ‘This stuff belongs to us all, and should be celebrated,’ he says.

‘Our sense of shared past has been blurred and neglected - lost in various nooks and crannies over the years. Much of it is forgotten as generations don’t pass it on. And now, as people begin to find it and bring it back into the day-to-day again, it’s clear so much of it still remains hidden and untapped.’

Earliest muse Archaic songwriting styles have always provided a cradle of inspiration for folk artists across the British Isles, as new generations mix up old harmonic and lyrical pathways with new instrumentation and technologies. Revivals in the fifties, late sixties and early noughties each brought a fresh slant on the musical customs which previously lay beyond the grave.

More recently, another resurgence has stirred, spurred on by advances which have allowed the digitisation of dusty archives and field recordings.

In 2013, the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS) launched a free database of traditional songs, dances and customs. It contains 80,000 records and images of manuscripts, old lyrics and broadside ballads, and has helped rekindle interest among inquisitive songwriters.

Dubbed The Full English, the EFDSS commissioned young artists and musicians to interact with the archive and help spearhead the latest preservation movement.

Laura Smyth, Director of the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library at the EFDSS, who oversees the archive, says that, since launching, there’s been a swell of interest from songwriters, musicians and artists seeking inspiration from the past.

‘It’s great that there’s an awareness now, because what we've been trying to tell people is that, actually, this music here is yours, do what you want with it and make use of it. The reason it’s lasted so long is because there are so many wonderful, fantastic stories and beautiful tunes just waiting to be used and drawn from,’ she says.

Sparse and spare Emily Portman is a PRS for Music Foundation-supported songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who’s been making waves in folk as a member of the Scottish/English Furrow Collective alongside Alasdair Roberts, Rachel Newton and Lucy Farrell. They’ve just released an album of traditional songs, Wild Hog, and will be touring the UK in the New Year.

The BBC Folk Award winner also creates music on her own and with The Coracle Band, inspired by ancient song structures and archaic melodies. ‘The traditional song lyrics are often so sparingly and poetically told – they can convey a huge amount of drama and intrigue in a few lines,’ she explains.

M62_DECEMBER 2016_23

Above: Emily Portman Below: Magpahi Right: Folklore Tapes

‘So learning folk songs has taught me to be sparing in my own writing… although the folk songs have the advantage of many, many retellings, which shave off the unnecessary details over the centuries.’

Emily did a Masters in Traditional Music, becoming fascinated by the multiple meanings drawn from songs as they pass through the ages. On a structural level, folk’s idiosyncratic time signatures have permeated her own writing. ‘Since discovering folk music, my songs have become more narrative based – and less concerned with naval gazing than they used to be, which is a good thing I think!’ she says.

But Emily also cautions against transposing lyrics without paying heed to their cultural contexts: ‘Not all ballads are full of worldly wisdom but they can always provide little windows into our history, including the uncomfortable bits we’d rather forget.’

Alison Cooper, who writes and performs under the Magpahi moniker, agrees. She’s been releasing experimental, otherworldly acoustica through Jane Weaver’s Bird imprint for nearly a decade. And, having collaborated with both Folklore Tapes and the bucolic A Year In The Country label – as well as drawing on mediaeval poetry for her own work – she’s familiar with the perils of breathing new life into old verse.

‘Some stories do transcend into current times,’ she says. ‘But others don’t fit with the political, social, gender and equality progress we’ve made. I think maybe some songs are just a lesson about history and how we have changed positively through time.’

National echoes Folk music in one form or another has existed in Britain since at least the fifth century, weaving its way through time on the tongues of working men and women who learned and shared it.

Plenty of contemporary artists across the country, such as Kate Rusby and Alasdair Roberts, are crafting original songs directly influenced by those past forms, blurring the line for casual listeners between authentic and current.

But there’s no doubt folk resonates loudest in our Celtic corners, according to Kellie While, singer, songwriter and professional folk music champion. Through her role as Head of Creative at 7digital, she oversees the production of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show and its accompanying annual Folk Awards. ‘From my experience, the tradition is heard most loudly in Scotland,’ she confirms. ‘North of the border, traditional music seems to have a stronger identity and connection to the community than it does elsewhere.

‘We tend to hear a disproportionate number of great albums coming out of Scotland, relative to the size of the population. Also, there’s often a more competitive music culture in the Celtic nations and that encourages more prodigious young instrumentalists.’

Simon Thoumire, a musician, songwriter and Creative Director at Hands Up For Trad, agrees that the threads of Scottish traditional music remain relatively unbroken through the ages as the support network flourishes.

‘Scotland in comparison to England has a much smaller population.

So, in my opinion, it's far easier for people to know about their traditions. English traditions are so varied from the north to the south. It's very different. Up here, while we have our Scottish borders traditions, our Shetlands traditions and everything in between, they're all still very alike,’ he says.

South of the border, Emily Portman finds solace in the rapper sword dancing, ceilidhs and tar barrel rolling traditions that are still strong in Newcastle, where she used to live. And across the westerly border into Wales, 9Bach’s Lisa Brown first found her voice in the Eisteddfods, competitive folk singing competitions, which still draw musicians of all ages today. She says: ‘When you've been brought up in a close knit Welsh community it's hard to avoid traditional local folk music. You learn the songs in school and learn some from your grandmother, they surround you.’

For Shirley Collins, who’s travelled the world gathering traditional songs, all folk music – wherever it originates – helps listeners learn about themselves and the people who came before them.

And, while people search for grounding in the face of increasing uncertainty around them, she says: ‘I just want to be able to share this music with people, because I love it so much and I think it’s beautiful.

‘It has such age behind it that you shouldn’t lose it; you can’t throw it away.

It’s really precious music, and I just hope people find their way towards it.’

Head over to m-magazine.co.uk/folk16 for interviews with everyone here on the mechanics of folk songwriting and its relevance in modern Britain.

Emily Portman #fundedbyprsf

profile FOLK

Learning folk songs has taught me to be sparing in my own writing.

M62_DECEMBER 2016_25

DIVINE MADNESS

Madness may have grown up but, on the evidence of latest record Can’t Touch Us Now, they still pack a seriously silly and popular musical punch. Jim Ottewill gets gregarious songwriter and frontman Suggs on the blower to learn how, after almost 40 years in the game, the gang are still residents in the house of fun‌

profile PROFILE

Main image: Madness

‘I've certainly seen enough of my contemporaries wilt and fade.

But there's a real genuine energy to what we do,’ rasps Madness frontman, lover and liver of life Graham ‘Suggs’ McPherson. He’s reflecting on the best part of four decades as frontman of one of Britain’s most iconic bands.

‘On occasion, we’ve been on the brink of being sucked into the black hole of eighties nostalgia,’ he continues. ‘But we kept the spaceship going on warp factor nine and escaped. Now we're in a universe of our own making. It's really good fun.’

Following in the footsteps of classic British storytellers such as Ray Davies and Ian Dury, the multi-limbed ska-pop of Madness is equally beloved, with the band revered as chroniclers of London, its characters, boozers, back streets and beyond.

Now with latest (and 12th) album Can’t Touch Us Now denting the top five, the group’s well of hooks and personality-filled hits doesn’t appear to be running dry. Lest we forget, this is a source that birthed One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers, House of Fun and many, many more. With these in their musical armoury and a return to the most recognised line-up with saxophonist Lee Thompson and guitarist Chris Foreman, they’re an unstoppable force, as essential to our national psyche as fish and chips.

London beginnings The capital during punk was a vibrant playground for Suggs and his cohorts, where one evening would see them watching The Jam, another at a reggae dance.

‘Every night there was something happening, from rockabilly to psychobilly, there were all these sounds sprouting up,’ he remembers.

‘It was a kaleidoscope of music. I don’t remember ever being indoors.’

Speaking to the group’s frontman is like chatting to an eccentric uncle, the one at family gatherings who offers you a strong drink when no one’s looking. While the band might be weathered by their time in the spotlight, Suggs is brimming over with stories, showing that their vim and vigour remains undimmed. A love for songs and pop have always been a defining characteristic.

‘Music was the most important thing when we were young,’ he says.

‘People would wander about with albums under their arms just to show who they were and what they liked.’

He remembers a gig watching the Sensational Alex Harvey as a night that lit the creative touch paper deep inside him. ‘I would have been 13 years old and saw Alex Harvey supporting The Who,’ he says. ‘He burst through a brick wall wearing a stocking over his head shouting, "I was framed. I was framed".’

Coupled with the fireworks of punk going off all around him, it proved to be a crucial time for young Suggs. ‘All the pomposity had suddenly gone out of rock music at the time. We suddenly realised that we didn't have to be virtuosos to start a band,’ he explains.

Early signs of Madness Inspired by the London scene, as well their fandom for sounds of all kinds, Madness first formed in 1976. Three years later and, after numerous line-up changes, they landed a residency at Camden’s Dublin Castle.

‘The big catalyst for me was Ian Dury, writing about ordinary working life and turning it into poetry, singing in his own vernacular,’ reflects Suggs. ‘I wasn't the greatest singer and suddenly the idea that you didn't have to sing in an American accent in itself was a big thing.’

Although the band could barely play their instruments, the Camden gig turned into a residency, a milestone that will be recognised at the iconic venue by a PRS for Music Heritage Award as part of Independent Venue Week in January 2017. It marked a turning point for the band.

‘An audience started to build who weren’t just our friends. People were coming from out of town based on word of mouth. You'd look outside and there'd be a queue round the block.’

A support slot with The Specials saw them sign to 2 Tone and release debut single, The Prince. ‘We were on the 2 Tone tour with The Specials, The Selector and Dexy's Midnight Runners, and we were off. It just fucking exploded.’ Suddenly the band were in the charts and spearheading a wave of acts pushing soul, ska and reggae pop.

Dance craze The band’s rapid ascent translated into million-selling hits, with 15 top 10 singles and singalong number ones making them one of the most popular groups of the eighties. What’s the secret to their success?

‘Our music came as a by-product of our friendship, we really were having a laugh,’ says Suggs. ‘I think we captured that on those records and those videos. It wasn't constructed in any way. It was completely spontaneous.’

He believes that a mixture of naivety coupled with an anarchic spirit helped the band stay fresh and ultimately thrive. ‘We had no fucking idea about the record industry, what it meant or what we were supposed to be doing, so we were totally free. I think we have remained that way ever since,’ he says.

From distinctive records like It Must be Love and Embarrassment to huge live gigs, it certainly seems that Madness seem incapable of failing to enjoy themselves.

‘I was on a bus coming back from a festival in Kendal the other day with the band. I was looking down at my old warrior of the road, Lee, covered in flour and someone's trousers torn off. It was like we were coming back from a fight rather than a gig.’

Can’t Touch Us Now The new Madness record, Can’t Touch Us Now, was made at East London’s vintage studio Toe Rag, and co-produced by owner, Liam Watson, and Clive Langer, who played a key role in many of their classic hits. Following in the wake of their summer shows at Glastonbury and Clapham Common, the record is being hailed as a great return to the band’s roots, something with which Suggs agrees.

'You know how people say you think it's your best? I really, really think it is. We really didn't compromise in terms of our attitude, feeling or enthusiasm. There's been no blips. Arguments sure, but that's been great, proper arguments full of passion.’

A more collaborative writing approach is at the heart of the album and suggests the band are at their best when they’re in creative cahoots.

Suggs explains: ‘It was our manager who said he thought our best songs were those we collaborated on.’

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PROFILE

Right: Madness performing at House of Common August 2016.

On occasion, we’ve been on the brink of being sucked into the black hole of eighties nostalgia. But we kept the spaceship going on warp factor nine and escaped.

‘It wasn't even that we'd decided that we were going to write on our own. It was just that we all developed these different skills. So with this one, we set about being freer. I started to just write some words and a couple of songs that I was pleased with that I sent to Chris and to Mike, and vice versa. They sent me music and instead of having lyrical ideas they just said, "write whatever you feel".

The return to Toe Rag meant the band focused on the music’s meat and bones, relying on live performance and quick recording to capture their essence rather than too long spent rubbing out the music’s energy and spontaneity. ‘We thought that if we were going to go back to how we used to write songs, then we’d go back to how we actually record them,’ Suggs explains.

We had no fucking idea about the record industry or what it meant or what we were supposed to be doing, so we were totally free. I think we have remained that way ever since.

‘Pagan’ lunacy Not only has the album reached the higher echelons of the charts, but 2016 has been marked by the success of their House of Common gig on Clapham Common plus another well received slot at Glastonbury, an event that perfectly suits them and the surrounding mayhem.

‘It's the best festival in the world,’ says Suggs. ‘Someone told me that Coachella was better. But it’s nothing in comparison. Coachella is like some Methodist Christian [type of] meeting. You can't smoke

there, you've got to put your drink in a fucking plastic thing, whereas Glastonbury is pagan fucking shit. It goes way before pretty much any other form of civilisation.’

A surreal air has always followed the band, seeing them in some unlikely spots from playing atop the roof of Buckingham Palace to the closing ceremony at the London Olympics. Such achievements underline the importance of a group who have defied all expectations in succeeding for so long. Suggs believes the current industry would make it harder for bands like themselves to flourish.

‘I wouldn't imagine a band of seven people could make it now in the way that we did. Going round in the fucking van with seven of you, working during the week, trying to support yourself, it would be tough.’

He laments the ongoing closure of the UK’s smaller venues as a problem for new bands although the internet has created more competition than ever before.

‘Whatever way you look at it, there are thousands more bands now than there were when we started. You can build up a bit of a following online and get some kind of career going, whereas in our day you only had word of mouth. It would take months and months to get 400 people into a venue.’

So what does Suggs reckon bands need to do to stand out in the current climate? ‘It goes back to the old adage of hard work and determination,’ he reflects.

‘We had to work in gardens during the week or painting and decorating, then we'd go out and do the gigs at night. It certainly won't come on a plate, but I saw so many young acts give up after about six months. You just need to keep going, man. Keep going.’

Can’t Touch Us Now is out now.

Madness.co.uk

M62_DECEMBER 2016_29

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

2016 will surely be marked by the sad passing of songwriting icons David Bowie and Prince, among others. With thirst for their musical legacies unquenched, Eamonn Forde asks the publishers tasked with looking after such catalogues what happens next?

2016 has been a year of intense mourning for the music business, with a number of hugely successful and culturally totemic artists passing away – David Bowie, Prince, Glen Frey, Leonard Cohen, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Rod Temperton and Merle Haggard to name a few.

Within this, the issue of estate management has come to the fore like never before. Prince passed away intestate and it currently remains unclear who will inherit his personal fortune and the rights to his songs, with court cases, DNA tests and undignified inter-family jostling defining the months following his death. The precise nature of his streaming exclusive with Tidal is currently being fought over, but in November Universal Music Publishing was confirmed as the exclusive worldwide publishing administrator for his catalogue.

Meanwhile one of the biggest publishing deals in recent years was approved in October when the Michael Jackson estate sold its remaining 50 percent stake in Sony/ATV to Sony Corp. for $750m (£595m). According to Forbes’ calculations, Jackson was by some considerable distance the biggest posthumous celebrity earner of 2016, generating $825m.

It is, of course, not all about money, with the role of estates being equally about conserving and building artistic legacies.

‘The best way to maintain the legacy of a writer is to ensure that their songs are not forgotten,’ says Peter Brodsky, the Executive Vice President of Business and Legal Affairs at Sony/ATV. ‘You have to make sure you are licensing tasteful usage. You have to think about things like biopics if there is a life story to tell and how the songs can be used to tell part of that story. Then there are also commercials – where there are tasteful ways to use the songs. There is no better way to keep a legacy alive than to have a song out there in lots of different formats.’

Artistic integrity In the immediate aftermath of a writer’s passing, especially if they were also a known performer, there will be a sharp uptick in usage requests.

‘Take a writer like Michael Jackson,’ says Peter. ‘After he passed away, there was a big flurry of activity and we were doing a lot of licensing at that time in connection with tributes, shows and movies. Then, all of a sudden, things like Cirque de Soleil come around. That is at a very high level and doesn't happen for everybody.’

The skill in all of this, however, is in ensuring the right approvals are made.

‘Whenever a request comes through for usage, we never ping them straight across for prior approval without reviewing internally,’ says Steve Clark, the Senior Vice President of Global Administration at Warner/Chappell Music. ‘We, as the publisher, will offer our commercial judgement on whether a request is appropriate for exploitation or if they are not. We would then offer that advice to the estate, just as we do with all other writer clients. They can follow our advice or they may have opinions of their own; it can lead to a positive and interesting exchange of thoughts.’

Early indications suggest that the Bowie estate is going to be run exceptionally well. His longtime business manager, Bill Zysblat, was named in his will as chief executor and this was widely seen in the industry as clear proof that everything done in his name will happen with great care, attention to detail and taste.

GETTY

Left: Prince Right: David Bowie 14_DECEMBER 2016_ M62

PUBLISHING

Blackstar, his final album, was released mere days before his death and several classic albums and singles re-entered the charts in the weeks after his passing, as one might expect. There is clearly demand for his music, but the products and projects that have come out so far have been diverse and surprising, managing to delicately sidestep any sense of being a crass cash-in and instead helping add to his enormous legacy.

The Gouster, his classic ‘lost’ album from 1974, finally emerged on the Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) box set in September, while the Lazarus play opened in London in November with an accompanying soundtrack. More projects and reissues will surely follow, and are likely to have the same lightness of touch as those which have emerged since January 2016.

High wire act The role of the publisher can sit as the early filter, weeding out the inappropriate/unworkable and passing only select requests through to the estate.

Often, approvals can be routine, but there is also something of a high wire act happening here, especially as the estate – over time – may become more open or less open to exploitation of the rights they are now custodians of. The publisher can be key in navigating this evershifting landscape.

‘We as a publisher are there to do two things: the first is to protect the copyright that we are representing; and the second is to appropriately exploit it,’ says one senior publisher. ‘I say “appropriately exploit” because we don't just exploit in all avenues or areas because we are very respectful that some writers don't want their repertoire to be exploited in these ways. When a writer passes away and their estate is handling those approvals, we obviously work very closely with the estate to clarify if they want to take the same protective approach on certain usage types or whether they are happy to relax the boundaries and allow further exploitation.’

They add, ‘Often it can be the case with an estate that has inherited the rights from the writer that they want to preserve the activity. It's at those points that we would work closely with the estate in thinking about different ways to exploit the catalogue.’

Rights and royalties When a writer passes away, if they have left a will, there is a formal process of transition and the nominated estate managers (sometimes family members, but often legal and music business experts) take control of the creative and commercial decisions. As the example of Prince shows, however, this is not always plain sailing.

Systems, however, have to be in place to ensure that royalties due from ongoing usage are collected and properly accounted for – even if there is uncertainty for the moment about how those monies are split.

‘What can be a challenge is if there isn't an absolute default position on a person passing away as to what happens to the royalties,’ explains Steve from Warner/Chappell. ‘It could be that activities are approved and still go ahead, but the publisher is unable to pay royalties out because they don't have the final answer on who those royalties should go to. The publisher would just have to hold that money in escrow until the point in time where there is a clear formal instruction as to how to pay out those royalties; it is vitally important that royalties are accounted to the right person/persons.’

Peter over at Sony/ATV is sanguine about this, noting that disputes are not surprising within estate management and are really just an occupational hazard. ‘With or without a will, it's not uncommon to have some kind of dispute among heirs and that is just something that we have to navigate,’ he says. ‘It really depends and is case by case. We are used to having to deal with disputes among heirs. If the money goes into escrow [until disputes are resolved], that's really a case-specific question.’

While 2016 will go down as one of the most shocking for musical deaths, it should also be seen as a time to commemorate the lives and work of some of the greatest songwriters of the post-war era.

‘I don't want to say it [the passing of famous writers] creates opportunities, but it does create the opportunities to celebrate the music that these people have created,’ says Peter. ‘We think about this every day. That's what our job is – to publish songs and get them out there any way we can. Whether it's an estate or someone who is alive or a current hit or an old catalogue song, that's what publishers do.’

I don't want to say the passing of famous writers creates opportunities, but it does create the opportunities to celebrate the music that these people have created.

M62_DECEMBER 2016_31

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Fred Fairbrass and Bob Dylan, Toronto, 1986 Right Said Fred are Richard and Fred Fairbrass, one of the UK’s most enduring pop acts. In the 25 years since the release of their notorious hit I’m Too Sexy, the brothers have reached fans all across the world, selling in excess of seven million copies worldwide of their debut album Up, receiving two Ivor Novello Awards for I’m Too Sexy and Deeply Dippy as well as a BRIT Award nomination for Best British Act. Here Fred remembers how Bob Dylan inadvertently helped the pair become pop stars…

This photo was taken in Toronto in 1986 during the filming of Hearts of Fire, now a cult movie. It features Rupert Everett and Bob Dylan.

We’d already had some music industry experience - we played with Joy Division in ’78 as part of a tour with this American band Suicide – they were like Soft Cell on some serious medication. Very tough. We toured with them and as part of that, Joy Division did some shows including one at the Factory in Manchester. Iain Curtis and I exchanged shirts as it was so freezing in the venue.

Afterwards, Richard became a session player and got a gig working with David Bowie. He features in the video for Jazzin’ the Blue Jean. That led to this movie. For the film, they shot lots of live sequences at various arenas in Canada, plus some smaller venues in London. The band featured Tim Capello, a multi-instrumentalist known for playing saxophone for Tina Turner in the eighties and nineties (and known to many eighties’ movie fans as ‘Sexy Sax Man’ from The Lost Boys), Reb Beach from Winger and English actor Mark Rylance.

The songs for the movie weren’t written by Bob Dylan so it was my job to go to his trailer and run through them with him. It was an amazing experience to have a one-to-one with an artist like him. It was crazy. You read stuff about stars all the time but on meeting him, he was really sweet, asked me what else I did and gave me the leather jacket he wears in the movie. I still have it.

He was friendly and down to earth. He didn’t travel in a limo, instead he’d get on the metro or catch the bus. I’d always been a Dylan fan so it was a real joy being in the presence of the greatest singer-songwriter of our generation.

The money we earned from this helped

34_december 2016_m62

fund our move to New York in ’87, and led to us getting a record deal. We did a few shows over there, and a little gig at the Knitting Factory.

One newspaper ran a review, they loved us, did a huge piece and the record companies went mad. We got signed to Capitol EMI without playing a single piece of music to them. They signed us over the phone.

Rich also went on to continue his relationship with Bowie in Labyrinth and Loving The Alien – and it was through working for David that we were both asked to work for Mick Jagger.

When we later did Top of the Pops as Right Said Fred, Tin Machine were on. And Bowie came up to us and said: ‘What the hell are you two doing

here?’ Rich replied, ‘You cheeky bugger we’ve got a hit record’.

That experience and the money from working with Dylan helped fund all that which led to us forming Right Said Fred and going on to write I’m Too Sexy. It all adds up. It always makes me laugh when people talk about us being a one hit wonder and lacking credibility. We played with Joy Division, shared stages with James Brown and all sorts of different bands, Bowie, Dylan and Jagger and apparently we’re a joke?

It’s bizarre. But it is what it is. People like their preconceptions and we don’t bother ourselves with that. We just get on with making music.

Right Said Fred release a new album, Exactly, in March.

The Truth About TAXI… An Unedited Forum Post from TAXI Member James Kocian http://forums.taxi.com/post353820.html#p353820

H

i Friends, It's been awhile, but I'm still here!!

TAXI has been the singular catalyst for me in the past 2 years. I am closing in on 2 years of membership and my experience has been overwhelming. I will be at the Road Rally this year, as I've recently been invited to speak at the 'Successful Members' panel.

This is all beyond humbling to me, and I feel indebted to Michael and his incredibly talented staff.

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In a nutshell, TAXI has motivated me and allowed me to take creative risks; to dabble in genres I didn't even know existed, and to develop relationships with high-level music professionals I otherwise would NEVER have had access to.

Major Publishers

So far this year I've signed 13 songs with major publishers. I'm writing with people all over the USA, and have made regular trips to Nashville a part of my routine.

I've been co-writing with a guy who has had multiple (recent) #1's.

It boggles my mind actually.

Once in a Lifetime Opportunity!

I'm writing Hip Hop tracks for a well known rapper's next project, and I'm connected to a MultiPlatinum, Grammy-Winning Producer who allows/asks me to regularly send him material to pitch to the biggest artists in music. That in and of itself is enough is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it's been ongoing for nearly a year.

There's more, but this isn't about me. It's about: T-A-X-I Have I mentioned that I live in GREEN BAY, WI? I mean, sure, we have the Packers — but it isn't exactly a music hub for anything more than Journey tribute bar bands.

I really can't stress how invaluable TAXI is to people who are willing to put the CRAFT into the ART of songwriting and music production. The "Forwards" section of the [TAXI] forum itself is worth the membership fee. Why?

Figured Out What Elements I Missed…

It's not to brag about Forwards.

What I did was hit the [TAXI] Forums after I got “Returns” and found members who received “Forwards” for the same listings.

Then I went and LISTENED. I analyzed the differences in our songs.

Lyrics. Vocals. Arrangements.

Instrumentations. Productions. I re-read the listings, and figured out what elements I missed. And I adjusted accordingly.

Where else can you get that?

The success of members (at least this member) is a TEAM effort. And I am honored to consider TAXI part of my team. It is possible to succeed.

To “make it.” To realize our dreams.

Don't quit. Don't settle. Don't lose hope. And stick with TAXI.

The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company

1-800-458-2111 • TAXI.com

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