M67

Members Music Magazine Issue 67 March 2018

N I N A

KRAVIZ RAP: RAISING THE BAR ELECTRONIC EXPORTS

MARK E SMITH

PROCOL HARUM

GWENNO

ART IN MUSIC

SPITFIRE AUDIO

digital edition

contents

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coVeR FeaTURe

18 nina KRaViZ From Russia with love…

Global Dance Mania Electronic music after EDM

TalKin' HaRDeST

22

Meet the new hip-hop MCs and producers having their moment

SoUnD anD ViSion

26

How artwork shapes artists in 2018

LAUREN MACCABEE, MICHAL IWANOWSKI, PAMELA VANDER

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JUST JoineD Get to know PRS for Music's newest members

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60 SeconDS

i WRoTe THaT

PicTURe THiS

Space-age synth-pop ace Gwenno on songwriting in Cornish

Sixties’ stalwarts Procol Harum recall their eradefining debut single

The real deal: Mark E Smith remembered by The Fall’s Pete Greenway

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SOCIAL @m_magazineprs @m_magazineprs prsformusic prsformusic m_magazineprs

cover photo: nina kraviz photographer - paola kudacki

EDITORIAL

PRODUCTION

Editor Paul Nichols

Production & Design Carl English

Associate Editor Anita Awbi Content Editor Lucy Doyle

Membership Advisors Simon Aldridge Myles Keller

CONTRIBUTORS Maxie Gedge, Ashley Howard, Luka Kenyon, Alex Sharman, Kimberly Tan, Harriet Wybor.

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

by Cyan Group Ltd, Twickenham. cyan-group.com Advertising T 020 3225 5200 E joanna.lisbie@media-ten.com Advertising does not influence editorial decisions or content. The appearance of advertising in M is neither a guarantee nor an endorsement by PRS for Music of the product, service, or company or the claims made for the product in such advertising.

ISSN 0309-0019© PRS for Music 2018. 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.

m67_march 2018_3

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solardo

tj koleoso Bassist with award-winning London jazz heads, Ezra Collective

creatures

craig tattersall

Hypnotic, sixties-indebted desertpop from the Clapton cowboys

Glitchy electronics and ambient soundscapes from the former Hood member

Mancunian production duo Solardo have been hailed as one of the most exciting new names in UK dance music for their unwavering groove and euphoric live sets.

iskra strings Lush ensemble who’ve worked with The xx, Radiohead and the late Johann Johannsson

the cosmic dead Self-styled ‘psychonautical cosmodelic buckfaustian quartet’ serving up serious psych vibrations

Find out about some of the other new PRS for Music members at m-magazine.co.uk

Last year, the pair clocked in around 200 shows from Ibiza to Glastonbury, scooped Best Breakthrough at the DJ Mag Awards and scored multiple number oneranking releases on Beatport.

With a background in garage and dubstep, the ambitious twosome – otherwise known as Mark Richards and James Eliot – have worked hard to get to the top, and it’s paid off. They’ve done

everything from jumping the barriers at the Albert Hall to get their USB to Jamie Jones (later releasing via his Hot Creations label), to travelling to festivals whenever a DJ downloaded their music – just so they could film the moment it dropped in their set.

Now that’s dedication.

They kicked off the year as the cover stars of DJ Mag and have just finished up a run of sold-out dates across the UK and Europe. With fans from Annie Mac to Skream, and releases stacking up on labels including Chase and Status’s MTA Records, 2018 is set to be massive. solardo.net

breakfast muff ‘Sorry we’re fucked up, but you made us this way’, sneer Glasgow’s Breakfast Muff on their gem of a single, Babyboomers.

ADAMA JALLOH

Emerging in 2014 out of the city’s DIY punk scene, the trio bring all the right angsty millennial feels to their ramshackle sound, which works its way through ‘sexuality, feminism and feelings,’ and comes wrapped in an uncompromisingly pop package.

The trio’s DNA includes members from Joanna Gruesome and Spinning Coin, resulting in an ‘anything-goes’ supergroup vibe that sees each of them routinely switch between guitar, bass and drums.

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Ezra Collective, Breakfast Muff #fundedbyPRSF

If there’s an urgency to their sound, it’s matched by their attitude to recording. Debut album, The Feels, was made in two days, follow-up Rainbow Yawn was made in three, and latest LP Eurgh! was made in – you guessed it – four days.

The latter has only seen the band grow in confidence, garnering critical acclaim from the likes of Q and Loud & Quiet and earning them a spot in the Rough Trade Album Club.

Fresh from bringing their joyous live show to SXSW via the British Music Embassy, watch out for more unmissable live dates this year. breakfastmuff.bandcamp.com

members & music

sixty seconds

gwenno Award-winning artist Gwenno explores the stories and sounds of her Welsh-Cornish heritage through a prism of space-age synth-pop and syncopated melodies.

Her debut solo album Y Dydd Olag (The Last Day) was a retro-futurist celebration of motorik rhythms and dystopian futures, and scored her the Welsh Music Prize on its release in 2016. Sung entirely in Welsh, it saw the ex-Pipettes singer-songwriter cross over into cosmic turf.

Now back with a new record, Le Kov (The Place of Memory), Gwenno has turned full space oddity, with an interstellar soundworld constructed entirely in another ancient Brythonic tongue…

Why did you choose to write and sing your new album in Cornish?

I was searching for the same sense of adventure I felt when making my first record, and I didn’t want to repeat myself. I always like to switch things up and try something unfamiliar - I find a lot of freedom in that approach. I felt so lucky to have another language, it was like having a different instrument to play.

Are you fluent?

I wasn’t raised in Cornwall, so speaking the language was always a bit of an oddity and an anomaly really. My dad taught me and my sister when we were very young. With this record, I decided to acknowledge that influence and explore another part of myself.

With the Cornish language, I felt I had really exciting ownership over some words that have never been set to melody in recorded times.

Was the writing process more challenging?

Yes definitely. But this was an opportunity for me to improve my language skills and take ownership over the writing. When you set out, you tend to imagine all the music you’ve ever heard in a particular language. But there are so few recorded songs in Cornish, there’s less context and, for me, more freedom to create an imagined place where my songs could exist.

Your debut album won the Welsh Music Prize – did you feel any pressure following that?

The response to Y Dydd Olag was incredible but you don’t have any control over that side of things so it can’t really be a motivating factor.

You can’t be driven by fashions or try to fit in with themes and trends. It’s capitalism, isn’t it?

If you’re trying to make something that has artistic value to it, you can’t dictate whether it’s going to be relevant to people within a capitalist society. You’ve just got to concentrate on projects that are interesting to you.

What came first for you – melodies or lyrics?

I like to create sound palettes. I do a lot of reading, watching and thinking before I start writing. I like to collect a jumble of ideas so that when I put a song together I can draw from that pool. With the Cornish language, I felt I had really exciting ownership over some words that have never been set to melody in recorded times.

How did you come to find your solo voice?

I think I really found it through my home and community languages. It was a big thing for me to discover that autonomy. I’ve learned you’ve got to remind yourself, constantly, what interests you about music and art. Generally, it’s different points of view or it’s an exploration of some form of identity.

You’ve moved back to Cardiff after a long stretch in London – how connected do you feel to the music scene there?

Very. It’s quite interesting across the whole of Wales because there’s a really vibrant scene – particularly within Welsh language circles. It’s lovely because people know each other. We have Cymru, BBC Wales, and there is also a strong live network enabling bands to really practice their craft. There are plenty of gigs to play, there are radio sessions and even TV appearances to do sometimes… It becomes really exciting because you are working with musicians right across the country. I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Le Kov is out now on Heavenly Recordings.

Gwenno is published by Strictly Confidential Music Publishing.

Read the full interview at m-magazine.co.uk/ features m67_march 2018_5

members & music

SOUND OF SPRING

TEXAS CALLING British artists including alt-pop ace Suzi Wu, genre-bending four-piece The Fish Police (pictured) and rising rapper AJ Tracey were among those selected by PRS Foundation’s International Showcase Fund to represent the UK at SXSW 2018.

It was the first time Texan tastemakers got to experience the neurodiverse sounds of The Fish Police, whose 16-bit, hip-hop stylings and Afropunk blend shone both on-stage and off.

Belfast composer Philip Hammond emerged against a backdrop of violence and political turmoil that once marred his hometown.

His first major piece, Thanatos, was commissioned in 1976 at the height of The Troubles, and was inspired by the death and destruction he saw around him.

Philip used electro-acoustics, then in their infancy, to accompany the piece’s choral and spoken word elements – pioneering new electronic methods in the process. But the work was pulled days before its performance, following ‘moral concerns’ from Christian interest groups.

ELAINE HILL

Its banning, and subsequent notoriety, attracted widespread regional and national interest, and helped propel his career. BBC Radio 3 offered to broadcast it, making Thanatos the first electro-acoustic and live piece to be performed in Northern Ireland.

‘Thanatos made me realise that I had a voice I wanted to be heard in musical terms. It focused my enthusiasm for composition and brought me before a wide spectrum of public attention,’ Philip remembers.

Fast forward to 2018, and Philip says he is 6_march 2018_m67

less concerned with the latest contemporary classical movements, but his ideas remain as potent as ever. Over the years, he has fomented his own unique response to the world around him, spreading his ideas through various teaching posts, as a radio presenter and a music journalist.

A long spell as a director at the Arts Council Northern Ireland gave him further opportunity to help others in the classical community build a lasting regional movement.

Philip is now busy preparing for the premiere of his latest work, The Blackbird’s Poet. Its inspiration is the ubiquitous bird, whose multivaried song has been a constant throughout his life in Ireland. ‘The tragically short life of [poet] Francis Ledwidge, blown to smithereens at Ypres in July 1917, has also shaped the piece,’ explains Philip.

‘It’s a response to the naïve beauty of his poetry, his soft blend of Irish nationalism and his fascination with the song of the blackbird, all set against the backdrop of the political upheaval of Ireland and Europe a hundred years ago.’

Front man Dean Rodney Jr and guitarist Charles also appeared on the SXSW Convention panel, Exploring Music Through the Lens of Neurodiversity, organised by London arts charity Heart n Soul and PRS Foundation partner British Underground. The well-attended session explored the creative role neurodiversity is playing in UK arts and culture right now.

Charles told M: ‘There just aren’t many acts like us who play showcases like SXSW. Not many people get the opportunity to play such an incredible festival, so we were really happy and excited to get the chance.

‘We haven’t really come into contact with the mainstream music industry before.

We’ve done everything off our own backs - we released an album, we built good relationships across the DIY music scene.

We’ve been slowly chipping away since 2006, not really ruffling any feathers - so this is huge for us.’

The Blackbird’s Poet receives its premiere at the Ludlow English Song Weekend on 7 April.

A total of 42 acts received financial assistance from PRS Foundation including buzz bands Superorganism, LAPS (Ladies As Pimps), Goat Girl, Catholic Action, Girl Ray and LYLO. PRS for Music co-hosted two showcases at the festival, in association with PPL, BBC Radio 1 Xtra and BBC Radio 2.

Read the full interview with Philip now at m-magazine.co.uk/features.

See m-magazine.co.uk/tag/sxsw-2018 for all our coverage.

members & music

BALANCING ACT

We’re here to help!

LibraLibra are Beth Cannon and Joe Caple, a pair of Brighton noisemakers whose sonic symmetry incorporates rapid-fire tribal rhythms and equally frenetic melodies. If Tune-Yards, Fever Ray, Jain and Lapalux are their touch points, then studio-sculpted world-pop is their natural landing spot.

Those in tune with Simon Raymonde’s Bella Union record label may recognise Beth from Lost Horizons, his new venture which also features Marissa Nadler and former Midlake frontman Tim Smith on vocals.

Beth wrote and performed the lead track Bone on their debut album Ojala, and played with the band at Iceland Airwaves and Le Guess Who Festival last year. Her sizeable vocal talents consume the track, and it’s a similar story with LibraLibra – think Kate Bush crossed with The Knife.

Beth and Joe’s debut single Animali, released in early March, is a monstrous introduction to the band, all rattling percussion and harmonic acrobatics. Now in the process of building a team around them, they’re promising a lot more of where that came from this year, both in the studio and on stage.

Says Beth: ‘We’re excited to integrate two new guys into the band - Guy Jones on bass and synths and Scott Reynolds on guitar. Their addition has really beefed out our live sound and we can’t wait to play loads of gigs. Guy’s got a lovely pink kimono for the occasion courtesy of his wife, Molly. Cheers Molly!’

Read the full interview now at m-magazine.co.uk/features.

Lost Horizons are on tour throughout April and LibraLibra play Bad Pond Festival, Brighton, on 28 April, Boileroom, Guildford, on 2 May and Sebright Arms, London, on 11 May.

Members Benevolent Fund For more information call us on.. 0203 741 4067 Email: fund@prsformusic.com Supporting songwriters and composers Registered charity No 208671

m67_march 2018_7

members & music sound effect

Clarinettist John Slack has worked with some of the UK’s leading orchestras, including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

As a founding member and General Manager of the Berkeley Ensemble, his love of chamber music has taken him across the UK and beyond.

He has performed at festivals such as Latitude and collaborated with musicians including opera star Sir Thomas Allen CBE and The History Boys composer Richard Sisson.

Music education is central to the ensemble’s work. In 2014, it launched the New Cobbett Prize competition for composers and in late 2017 it announced its involvement in Accelerate, PRS for Music’s inaugural career development programme. The new initiative will see eight composers develop new works over the next 11 months, culminating in a special concert in November performed by the Berkeley Ensemble.

The first record I ever bought was…

I have a terrible memory but it’s a toss-up between one of two singles: Wannabe by the Spice Girls and Barbie Girl by Aqua. I’d like to think my tastes have improved since, but at the time I was 12 and, like every other almostteenage boy, caught up in the excitement of it all. I bought them both in Woolworths.

The first piece I developed an obsession for was…

J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. I listened to the heart-aching opening Aria on repeat during exams at school. It’s something I still return to nowadays when I’m stressed out and need to relax. Glenn Gould’s second recording (1981) is a perennial favourite but right now I’m also loving Lars Vogt’s take on the work; he brings out an astonishing range of moods and more joy than most.

My favourite cover version is…

I have too many favourites! Nina Simone’s Mr Bojangles, Aretha Franklin’s Eleanor Rigby or Roberta Flack’s Bridge Over Troubled Water.

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Then there’s always Postmodern Jukebox’s cover of Barbie Girl…

them from the side. And then to be credited with the birth of modernism!

The song that should’ve been a hit but never made it is…

Well, I wrote a cracking Christmas song for my GCSE Music coursework!

The song that makes me cry is…

I’m not really up there with the world’s weepiest, but music almost never fails to give me goose bumps or spine-tingling shivers. The Adagio from Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 gets me every time.

The last great record I listened to was…

I absolutely love In the Heart of the Moon

by Malian musicians Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté. The album was recorded on the banks of the Niger River with no rehearsal and the musicians had barely met or played together before – it’s pure uninhibited, mesmerising music-making and won a Grammy Award in 2006.

The piece I wish I’d written is…

Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. What fun it must have been to cause so much trouble, inciting a raucous audience who were so loud the dancers couldn’t hear the orchestra and required a choreographer to shout numbers to

The song that I know all the words to is…

I’m absolutely useless at remembering the words as I always get caught up in the music. I can just about manage Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

My all-time favourite film score is…

I’m a great fan of Michael Giacchino. His score to The Incredibles was incredible and one of the first film soundtracks I had on repeat for weeks.

More recently I loved his music for Up, and what a great film that is too.

Learn more about PRS for Music’s new Accelerate career development programme at prsformusic.com/accelerate

members & music

works of art Brilliant album artwork is a precious thing. Here’s some of the best, as chosen by you…

Whinnie Williams Arctic Monkeys: AM I was in Amoeba Music in Los Angeles a few years back and out of all the thousands of records stacked up and on display, this one leaped out at me. It’s iconic and simple – and my most-played vinyl until I left it in my window and it melted in the sun! @whinniewilliams

JW, Hookworms Black Dice: Repo

Psychedelia is full of clichés, wobbly type and bad haircuts. Black Dice take the psychedelic art framework and add some luscious gloops and drips. @HOOKWORMS

Mali Hayes Erykah Badu: New Amerykah, Part Two This artwork speaks to me: the colours, the patterns, the whole context of the art itself really resonates.

It incorporates nature and outer space – the moon especially – and I find that fascinating. The juxtaposition between man-made and natural speaks many words in many ways! @malihayesmusic

Zilla

Portishead: Dummy

The blue is as electric and melancholy as the album; it complements the music so well and adds a vintage feel. I love to think of music visually, and this blue is the perfect translation. And I love the 16:9 VHS still from their crime movie, To Kill a Dead Man, because it’s so tense and sensual. @ThisIsZilla

AJ, The Wandering Hearts

The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

One of my earliest and happiest memories is sitting on the living room floor of my first childhood home listening to this record and staring at the sleeve for hours. It was so vivid and intriguing to a young mind: covered in interesting looking characters, some of whom I recognised even then, and some that I would discover throughout my life. Just as inspirational today as it was then. @thewanderhearts

Ty

Tomita: Pictures At An Exhibition

I love Tomita records in general for the music and the album covers. This one in particular just stands out: the effort in the art is obvious. @tymusic

@BiigPiigMusic

m67_march 2018_7

money & business

PROPER PROGRESS

We’ve got much work to do at home and abroad to ensure your music continues to win the cultural and financial recognition it so justly deserves. save significant revenue in missed royalties and truncated performance fees.

We know live music is big business which generates significant sums of money for our members – and it was time to review, revise and refine what we do to police this important area of the industry. I am pleased that we are making good progress to help provide the support, information and tools that you need when performing around the world.

Peermusic European President Nigel Elderton has been immersed in the world of pop publishing since the seventies, working with some of the UK’s leading creative talents. In 2017, he took up the PRS Chairmanship, helping to steer the ship through uncharted waters within the live and digital music worlds. Here, he shares his experiences of his first year in office.

I am pleased to say that we’ve made some important progress on behalf of members during my first year as PRS Chairman, which I’m keen to share with you. We are fast approaching a crucial moment for songwriters and composers within the wider music industry, and we’re working hard to ensure your voice is heard wherever and whenever it can be.

DAVID ADAMSON, LAURA HARVEY

There is absolutely no doubt that live music has grown to become the most lucrative part of our industry. During the transition from physical to digital, with streaming rates still delivering relatively low value to rightsholders, many music creators are struggling to make a living. However, the live sector is flourishing with more people attending concerts, festivals and small gigs than ever before. Ticket prices are up and the live music experience has never been so in-demand.

We have been following that curve closely for some years now and have made improvements to how we work within the live arena. For instance, our new live reporting app allows members to easily let us know where, when and what they’ve performed.

It’s a simple way to ensure your performances are correctly captured so we can accurately pay the royalties you’re due. Early indications from the app’s 10_march 2018_m67

first full year show the number of set lists reported to us are increasing by nearly 20 percent, and we hope to build on that growth in the year ahead.

We have also been working hard to make sure songwriters and composers are getting their dues from promoters and venues. To that end, we’ve revised our live tariff (known as Tariff LP) after a lengthy consultation with members and the music industry. The application to vary our terms, which was made with support from all of the relevant industry bodies, is now with the Copyright Tribunal for approval – and I look forward to updating you further on our progress in the coming months.

In the international arena, we’re lobbying hard to ensure overseas societies’ commission rates are competitive and remain in step with our own.

We have been working closely with promoters, managers and our affiliate collecting societies to improve both the way your live performances are administered and how we collect and pay out your royalties.

We’ve also started offering a service for those members who undertake major international arena tours, providing them with the on-the-ground business intelligence and support they need to

Transfer of value As PRS Chairman, and also European President and Managing Director of independent publisher Peermusic, I have taken an active role in addressing the transfer of value from music creators to the Digital Service Providers (DSPs) which allow users to upload unlicensed content onto their sites. These services are growing exponentially and clearly making vast sums of money for their owners and shareholders, while the songwriters and composers whose work they rely upon are receiving derisory recompense, and in many cases, nothing at all.

Over the last 12 months I’ve attended meetings in Brussels to lobby MEPs about this issue from both publishers’ and writers’ perspectives. While it was extremely difficult to get our message across in the beginning, I am pleased to say that the issue of transfer of value is beginning to resonate deeply with our European colleagues who have such a rich cultural heritage at stake. It is also gaining traction among our own politicians here in the UK. We should all be rightly concerned about the dilution and disregard of our culture by huge multinational conglomerates, which are sucking money out of the music industry ecosystem. The current situation is making it difficult for the music industry to commit financially to new and emerging talent, as there is little prospect of recouping that investment.

Wearing my publisher’s hat, I’m also very keen to ensure that we eventually redress the balance between what songwriters and publishers earn compared to artists and record companies, in terms of streaming royalty rates. Through the various committees and boards on which I serve, I have met many of the major DSPs and have continued to argue that our repertoire deserves a larger slice of the digital royalty pie.

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the big numbers other territories, with a view to generating crosscultural initiatives which will drive the creation of new and interesting music.

In 2017, the PRS Foundation assisted in sending a record 37 members to perform at the SXSW industry showcase in Texas, and I was fortunate to be at the British Music Embassy in downtown Austin to watch many of them in action. The gigs were all extremely well-attended by local talent scouts, A&Rs and new fans. British music, as you know, is still very highly regarded in the US, thanks to so many of our trailblazing artists featuring highly on their charts, and they are always on the look-out for the next big UK export. SXSW is a great shop window, and I was proud to see another wave of members making the trip again for this year’s gathering.

Having said that, I’m pleased to say that our joint venture partner ICE has continued to negotiate new deals on ever-improving terms - on your behalf and has signed three major licensing deals already this year; with Spotify, YouTube and, for the first time ever, Facebook. Under the latter deal, songwriters and composers can earn royalties when users upload and share videos containing their music on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger.

Strong foundations I am extremely proud to say that I was a founding trustee of the PRS Foundation and served on its board for 10 years. I’m still closely involved with the charity and, over the last year, have been honoured to support its vital work as PRS Chairman.

I’m always meeting chairs of other collecting societies around the world who want to know more about the foundation and wish to replicate the great work that they do there. I’m helping to build bridges between societies in Germany, Norway, Spain and

I’m very keen to ensure that we’re redressing the balance between what songwriters earn compared to artists and record companies, in terms of streaming royalty rates.

It’s clear from my first year as Chairman that we’ve got much work to do at home and abroad to ensure your music continues to win the cultural and financial recognition it so justly deserves. I look forward to serving you again this year as we rise to the challenges ahead.

Hear more about PRS for Music’s involvement in the new European copyright framework from John Mottram, the society’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, on page 13.

17 Number of years since creators and rightsholders have had any meaningful European copyright legislation regarding online music use.

79 Percentage of music fans who regularly use lyrics features on streaming platforms.

42 Number of UK artists funded to attend SXSW 2018 by PRS Foundation.

200 Number of staff employed at the new public performance licensing company PPL PRS Ltd.

Your next paydays Performing (PRS): 13 April, 13 July, 15 Oct, 14 Dec Mechanicals (MCPS) Non-Recorded Media: 13 April, 15 May, 15 June, 13 July Recorded Media: 30 March, 30 April, 31 May, 29 June Pictured above: Dream Wife, performing at SXSW 2017. m67_march 2018_11

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DX1004_M Magazine [125x107].indd 2

01/09/2017 13:44

Knowing I had the support of Help Musicians UK was incredibly reassuring during a volatile and unpredictable time.

Your support means we can help more musicians like Oli make the transition from student to professional.

Donate at helpmusicians.org.uk or call 020 7239 9100 Backing musicians throughout their careers.

Registered Charity No. 228089.

Help Musicians UK_Matt_HP_M Magazine.indd 1

24/02/2017 16:16:10

money & business

business

CREATIVE HELP MAKE THE INTERNET FAIR COLLABORATION

Europe is on the brink of making the biggest change to copyright law in a generation, with historic new protections for music creators now close to entering statute. But it’s not yet a done deal, and songwriters, composers and publishers are being urged to make one final stand to help protect their rights in the digital age.

PPL and PRS for Music have launched a joint venture to create one single company which administers the licensing of their members’ music used in public.

The European Parliament is in the final stages of deliberations on the proposed copyright framework, which will be put to a vote by Members of European Parliament (MEPs) in the coming months.

The new Leicester-based organisation, PPL PRS Ltd, now provides a single point of contact for companies and organisations looking to acquire a public performance licence.

With all this going on, we sit down with John Mottram, PRS for Music’s Head of Policy and Public Affairs, to learn more and find out how you can make a difference.

The new joint licence, TheMusicLicence, means music customers no longer need to purchase separate PPL and PRS for Music licences from each individual organisation.

What’s the story?

In September 2016 the European Commission suggested changes to copyright law to help stem the transfer of value from music creators to platforms hosting user uploaded content, the proposed changes would require user upload platforms to take a licence and to pay fairly the creators of the works they make available. It’s been a long road, involving lobbying from both sides, but now we’re reaching the crunch point.

PRS for Music Chief Executive Robert Ashcroft said: ‘I feel immense pride at the sight of PPL PRS Ltd coming to life, as our hard work over the last few years comes to fruition. This is the largest joint venture of its kind in the world. I am excited to see it usher a new era of public performance licensing, with real benefits to our members and customers alike.’

Peter Leatham, PPL Chief Executive, added: ‘This is an important moment for the music business at large and is a move towards greater efficiencies for our licensees and greater returns for our members who create the music enjoyed by those we license all around the UK.’ PPL and PRS for Music will continue to operate separately in the other areas of their businesses, including representing their members, collecting royalties from international societies, developing, setting and consulting on their respective tariffs and licensing schemes, and licensing broadcast, online and recorded media customers.

Find out more at pplprs.co.uk

What’s happening?

The European Parliamentary Committee responsible for copyright and the European Council will vote on their recommended changes to the proposed copyright in the coming weeks. This will be followed by intensive negotiations between the Parliament and the Council before the final text is agreed later this year.

Why is this important?

This could be the most meaningful change in copyright law since 2001; it’s fast approaching 20 years since we’ve had any meaningful update of European rights.

The timing of the vote is crucial, because if the new copyright terms aren’t agreed within the next three or four months, they may not come to pass at all.

European Parliament dissolves in March 2019, and all new legislation needs to be agreed and implemented before then. It’s going to be tight.

What could hamper progress?

‘Users’ are being mobilised by Digital Service Providers (DSPs) to lobby the EU. They’re being encouraged to tell MEPs that their rights would be infringed by new legislation designed to protect creators, while internet ‘start-ups’ are saying that making them fairly pay music creators for their works would harm innovation. This obviously ignores the fact that most creators are themselves small businesses, and by definition innovators, and that, rather than harming consumer rights, it is in fact giving everyone greater control of their works online.

It is therefore essential that songwriters and composers explain to their MEPs why it’s important to redress outdated copyright law to ensure that platforms which generate billions of pounds revenue for the use of their works give creators their fair share.

How can songwriters and composers get involved?

Sign the #MakeInternetFair petition at makeinternetfair.eu. It has been organised by GESAC, the body which represents authors’ societies including PRS for Music. It’s an opportunity for creators to get their voice heard in a meaningful way and remind MEPs that an update to existing laws is of real importance to protect their livelihoods and the future of music.

What’s your feeling on the EU position?

Key member states including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK are in support of updating legislation to address the transfer of value. Recently, the whole debate has shifted towards pushing digital platforms to act responsibly – bolstered by the ‘fake news’ scandal. The transfer of value issue has definitely been a catalyst to this wider debate about responsibility of social media platforms. So, we remain optimistic that a solution will be achieved within the next six months.

m67_march 2018_13

money & business

business

LYRICS TAKE CENTRE STAGE IN STREAMING AGE However, not all lyrics services are created equal. In his capacity as Peermusic Managing Director and European President, Nigel Elderton, who is also PRS Chairman, has been lobbying for lyrics sites to become properly licensed for some time. The publisher subsequently signed deals with Apple Music and YouTube’s ‘bouncing balls’ lyrics services.

He acknowledged the possibilities of this new licensing avenue, telling M: ‘It’s an important area of business for publishers and songwriters as it’s an income stream that doesn’t rely on the artist. Also, audiences can build closer relationships to the songs, engage on streaming platforms and then sing along at gigs.’

Almost 90 percent of streaming subscribers look for the words of a song, according to a new consumer report which shows how lyric features have taken centre stage in streaming.

MIDiA Research’s recent survey, which reached out to consumers in the UK, US and Germany, found that 79 percent of all music streamers use lyrics features, rising to 88 percent among subscribers. The study also found that 55 percent of streaming lyric users say they are more likely to pay for a service that ‘has great lyrics features’.

Jackie Alway, Chair of the MPA Board and Universal Music Publishing’s Senior Vice President of International, Legal and Industry Affairs, told M that the study helps to shine a light on consumers’ growing respect for songwriters on platforms where they may previously have been ‘overlooked’.

‘It’s more evidence to show how much the public wants to engage with the song, and that access to lyrics will influence the choice of streaming service and how long a subscriber will stay with that service,’ she added.

Lyric licences are in increasing demand from streaming platforms, following pressure from publishers to get them to understand the value of lyrics in relation to consumer behaviour.

‘It’s an important area of business for publishers and songwriters as it’s an income stream that doesn’t rely on the artist.

Alway added: ‘Publishers are always on the lookout for potential new revenue streams for the songwriters we represent. Happily, lyric usage in streaming is now very much part of our business and with the scale introduced by smart speakers, we expect usage to accelerate dramatically.’

Over the past few years, digital streaming services have increasingly responded to the demand for lyrics by integrating new features into their platforms. Spotify once had its own lyrics feature through the crowd-sourced lyrics catalogue Musixmatch, but has since ended that partnership. It now encourages users to download and connect the SoundHound app to access live lyrics.

In 2014, Deezer became the first global music streaming service to introduce synchronised lyric streaming, allowing listeners to see the words of tracks in real time. It sources its content from Lyricfind, a service providing licensed lyrics from over 4,000 music publishers including Universal Music Publishing, Sony ATV, Warner/Chappell and Peermusic. The platform also credits the writers of each song, visible at the bottom of each lyric page.

‘It is key that our offering remains both relevant and engaging, and that we continuously add value,’ explains Chris Baughen, Vice President of Content and Productions at Deezer. ‘Part of this was recognising that lyrics form a key part of a music fan’s overall listening experience.

Usage of the lyric service has increased by 49 percent since 2017, highlighting the growing appeal and demand for such a feature.’

Crispin Hunt, who is both Chairman of British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and a songwriter and producer, added: ‘The exciting aspect of the MIDiA study, from a BASCA perspective, is that lyrics are proven to add significant value to platforms with good lyric features.

‘Further, these features encourage loyalty to the service. The next step is to quantify that added value and to argue that songwriters should share fairly in that value, and not stop arguing until we win.’

Acknowledging issues with lyrical accuracy, Hunt called for publishers ‘to take responsibility to collect, collate and distribute lyrics from the lyricist to those platforms.’

However, he also said that music creators must see it as their duty to upload lyrics with their works: ‘Songwriters need to start to take responsibility for their own metadata, including lyrics, by adopting widespread use of innovations like Soundways RIN-M plug-in.’

Since MIDiA’s research was published, Spotify has launched a new feature which allows users to view songwriter and producer credits. Users on the desktop app can now right-click on a track and select ‘show credits’ to view performer, songwriter and producer information.

Commenting on the new feature, Annika Goldman, Director of Music Publishing Operations at Spotify, said: ‘The more we share information, the more opportunities we can help create for songwriters. This is just the beginning of making songwriter and producer credits more easily available to Spotify listeners, and we look forward to continually improving that information, in close collaboration with our music industry partners.’

m67_march 2018_15

RAVE ON After EDM, electronic music is still going big guns around the world.

Anita Awbi checks in with the home team to get their take…

Minimal techno, deep house, post-dubstep, rave, DnB, psytrance, gqom, acid, nu disco; over the years electronic music has morphed into a giant mutation of beats, bleeps and bass that now fuels a global industry worth over £5.2bn.

Its unique sounds and scenes have permeated all corners of the globe, bringing people together across social and spatial fault lines like nothing before it. This reach and range supports the genre’s biggest players right down to its most experimental bedroom creators.

While many movements have waxed and waned from hyperbolic to has-been, dance music’s ability to operate in two very distinct gears – the overground and the underground – has kept it fresh. Consider also its infinite exportability, mutability and ingenuity, and you have one of the most resilient, virulent musical strains on the planet.

Despite the boom and bust of the recent EDM strand – which pulled in some of the biggest-name music and entertainment brands during its heyday – there’s no doubt the genre is teeming with life both above and below the high-water mark.

ANT CARRINGTON

Electronic music is adored by so many generations that its reach is now limitless.

Travel pass Beatrice Dillon, a London-born electronic composer, whose international career is just starting to gather pace, operates very much on the underground end of the spectrum. Through lauded releases via The Trilogy Tapes and Hessle Audio, live appearances alongside Ben UFO and Jamie xx, and a regular show on NTS Radio, her sonic dexterity is raising her chips on the growing global festival network. Having already played in Cairo, Moscow, Athens, Montreal and Tasmania, she’ll soon be hitting up Japan and Ukraine.

‘I think the freedom of electronic music lies in the way that, to a degree, it’s weightless, owned and repurposed by anyone anywhere who has access to a laptop,’ she says. ‘So, what starts as local seeds in, say, London or Bristol or Detroit or Sao Paolo, gets quickly blown up to a global conversation. As an artist, for me this is the most exciting aspect of our times. Who wants to have a conversation only with your neighbours?’

Mark Lawrence, Chief Executive of the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM), is more pragmatic: ‘There's a competitive advantage naturally built into dance music. It is genuinely exportable, globally and instantly. The most obvious reason is that, by being predominantly instrumental, it transcends language and cultural barriers.

‘Also, it has properly come of age,’ he continues. ‘Electronic music is adored by so many generations, who were around from the birth of disco onwards, that its reach is now limitless.’

Beaty beginnings Looking back 30 years, electronic music started life as a dancefloor-dwelling futurist utopia. It was subculture’s first ever global safe space; a melting pot of freaks, geeks and rakes, who

Beatrice Dillion #fundedbyPRSF

DANCE

What has really struck me is the belief and the passion that endures 30 years after the first acid house explosion in the UK. gathered in the cracks to bond over techno and technology. Theirs was a world of online chatrooms, import-only record shops and illegal raves, which crisscrossed national boundaries and cultural ley lines in anarchical ways.

Over the decades, the floodgates gradually opened, with streaming, synchronisation and the rise of global super-festivals accelerating the trend. So much so, that international chart success, Grammy Award nominations and drivetime audiences are now easily obtainable for some UK acts.

‘Traditionally, we’ve had good reach in countries which have a strong range of media outlets, music venues, and reliable distribution networks where it’s been easiest to build a following,’ says Nicky Wain, Ninja Tune’s International Manager, who works with Grammy Award-nominated Bonobo and newer acts Actress and Helena Hauff. ‘But with the rise of streaming, markets which previously may have been harder to release and promote our music in, such as South America, have opened up. Our ability to grow our artists’ audiences is now stronger than ever.’

The decline in EDM has only enhanced audience interest in Ninja Tune composers, Nicky figures, ‘as artists and fans move on to discover a deeper, more cerebral side’ to electronic music.

The missing millions While a new breed of execs and entrepreneurs moved in to capitalise on EDM with ‘brand buy-outs’ and ‘sponsorship synergies’, in its wake, a cottage industry structure largely remains. Despite the extraordinary reach of their music, most electronic creators operate on a hand-to-mouth basis.

Look behind the big-name festivals like Ultra and Tomorrowland, or the electronic/pop moguls like Calvin Harris, Tiesto and David Guetta – and the contrast is stark and very often, skint. But there is a way to help address the imbalance.

‘There’s a black hole within the electronic music ecosystem,’ says publisher, producer and PRS Director John Truelove, ‘and that’s the data. The information we need about who’s playing what in which club or festival around the world just isn’t coming back.’

It’s a problem which could be worth ‘millions and millions’ to needy creators as the club and festival scene booms, he reckons, ‘because, in contrast to other popular genres, DJs generally aren’t playing their own music, therefore, they don’t have a self-interest in reporting. It’s becoming an increasingly massive issue.’

the festival or venue, it has trouble accurately paying out royalties to creators.

‘For goodness sake,’ John continues, exasperated. ‘For those people making the music, DJ performances may be their sole source of income. If their music doesn’t get reported as having been played, they see nothing from those events.’

Techno fix Ash Howard, Dance Music Account Manager at PRS for Music, has been overseeing several pilot schemes aimed at introducing technical fixes. He’s been working alongside music recognition software company DJ Monitor and, in some cases, UK collecting society PPL, for many months. Pilots have been run in clubs around the UK, including London institutions Fabric and Ministry of Sound. PRS for Music also worked with Creamfields Festival 2017 and is preparing to distribute royalties from that successful trial soon.

Ash says: ‘With all our music recognition pilots, our goal is to obtain more accurate data associated with the music played

by DJs, and to see how it can be used to improve our royalty distributions to members.

‘We worked across a number of stages at Creamfields last summer and the results were excellent, meaning we will be using the data to make payments to our members – a first for us! We're now looking forward to rolling out the technology at more events in 2018, with the backing of the festival organisers.’

With the right level of cooperation and coordination, Ash hopes the pilot will become the gold seal standard. And, as other collecting societies around the world employ similar schemes, the problem could finally be addressed on an international scale.

As writer Matthew Collin, who’s just published Rave On: Global Adventures in Electronic Dance Music says: ‘What has really struck me is the belief and the passion that endures 30 years after the first acid house explosion in the UK. So many people all around the world have invested so much commitment and emotion into this music and culture that they really believe it is something special to be cherished.’

It’s this hive mind which Ash is hoping will help fix the data issue and keep dancefloors around the world moving for another three decades and more.

Over the coming weeks, we'll be publishing the full interviews with everyone here at m-magazine.co.uk/tag/M67

Often, DJs don’t submit set lists to societies like PRS for Music – so even though the organisation collects a licence fee from

M67_MARCH 2018_17

Anita Awbi meets international DJ, producer and label boss Nina Kraviz as she straps herself in for her biggest year yet...

Sunrise sets at Sonar Festival, superclub sessions with dance music’s biggest icons, Mixmag’s DJ of the Year accolade – there’s no question 2017 was huge for Russian rebel rouser Nina Kraviz. Alongside the unrelenting DJ schedule, her record label трип (Trip in English) redefined the dancefloor with a barrage of wonkiness from Aleksi Perälä, PTU and Deniro.

Throw in her own slab of shifty techno, the ace Pochuvstvui EP, and it all adds up to a formidable sonic onslaught.

In an age of unanchored electronics and global dance parties, Nina has emerged as a true trailblazer. Irkutsk in Siberia may be a long way from pretty much everywhere, but last year, its most celebrated export implanted the city’s coordinates into electronic music minds across the planet.

The story of Nina Kraviz may be well known – her journey from dentist to dance music superstar is now legendary – but what’s less understood is the next-level nerdiness that has pushed her through. It’s true the label head, composer and crate digger regularly sparks conversation (and controversy) around her uncensored, approach to life in the limelight. But online chatter is ephemeral – and sometimes misogynistic – and does little to accurately define her first decade of fame.

What’s often missing from the online equation is Nina’s wild passion for beats and bass of every hue – and her drive to spread the love. ‘I understand that people will follow me,’ she says when we meet. ‘And that’s why I’m always honest in my musical choices – I connect with people through them.

‘I get that, for over 30 years now, DJs are like popstars. And why not? It’s an important role, because without an idol or leader, you can’t create a following for the genre. Knowing that makes me feel very responsible about what I’m doing.’

CAMILLE BLAKE

Dials and decibels Nina’s love of the kick drum dates back to the nineties, when a late-night, 808-heavy radio encounter with Chicago legend Armando jolted her imagination. The era’s melting pot of deep house, minimal techno and squiggly acid has since gone on to shape the tastes she wears so openly on her DJing sleeve today.

‘I don’t want to sound like an old fart,’ she smiles in her gently accented English, ‘but I have an inexhaustible love of music from back then. It was a golden era for house and techno, and there’s nothing I can do about that! I love everything about it; the business, the ethos, the way it was played out, the message behind it, the way it was performed, the way it sounded.’

Nina doesn’t come up for air as she delves into the nuts and bolts of electronic music-making, explaining in intricate detail how the old masters – people like Jeff Mills, Blake Baxter, Larry Heard – compressed their tracks differently, played them at different decibels and sold their cuts on a scale unfathomable in today’s streaming economy.

‘The music was not as loud as it is now,’ she explains. ‘Today, music is so much more effective. It’s been mastered to play on quality sound systems. Everything is super clean, like high definition television, where you hear things as though they’re under some kind of sonic microscope! I don’t want this. Seriously, it makes me anxious! This type of noise shouts in my ears.’

The penny drops. Nina’s DJ sets are always painstakingly old school; she mixes everything live, shuns effects boxes and EQ, cartwheels through the decades and dials up the weird. It’s a formula that has turned her into one of the world’s top paid, most influential selectors, with a tour of duty this year already including the biggest festivals from Barcelona to Brazil.

Nina continues on her train of thought: ‘I have special interest in music that is unfinished, unpolished, unbrushed, that you can do whatever you want with, that you can blend. I don’t like this polished soundscape with almost no personal touch. It’s already too perfect. But maybe that’s what’s suitable nowadays?

‘It’s so funny, people continue to criticise me and ask why I don’t sync everything, but I just don’t want to,’ she’s laughing now.

Emotional response Playing other people’s tracks is only part of the picture.

Nina originally found her musical calling in Moscow outfit MySpaceRocket, composing and performing material that ended up on UK DJ and producer Greg Wilson’s B77 label.

PROFILE

I have special interest in music that is unfinished, unpolished, unbrushed; music that you can do whatever you want with.

M67_MARCH 2018_19

PROFILE

Her first proper electronic break came shortly after, when the Underground Quality imprint picked up her Voices RMX Project and First Time EP in 2008. In the following years, she was tagged as ‘one to watch’ thanks to a string of singles, and finally an album, via another UK label, Rekids.

I’m not solely a DJ and I’m not solely a music-maker. I’m an artist, composer, performer - it has to be together.

Alongside her deep love for nineties house and techno, she is also openly in thrall to esoteric British label Warp Records. Both have massively influenced her over the years; see the jacking early track Ghetto Kraviz for evidence of the former and her new experimental label GALAXIID for the latter. Completing the circle, Warp is soon to drop a remix Nina did for electronic duo Mount Kimbie.

‘I’ve always done everything by myself, from the production side to the composing and songwriting,’ she says of her adventures on wax. ‘In all the copyright systems I’m always the only person who gets the money, it’s really nice. But I didn’t know about any of that until I finally registered with PRS recently.’

This year will also see her start work on a new album – but what will it sound like? ‘It’s very simple. My music is a reflection of my inner world. It’s my way of communicating to the outside. There’s a membrane - a biological shield that protects one world from another, but through music I am able to overcome that.’

Nina’s composing sessions are frenetic and uncensored – ‘a fast, emotional reaction’ – as she works alone at home, mining a revolving cast of hardware for ideas. She revels in the speed of the recording process, a ‘polaroid snapshot of thoughts and emotions’ that is impossible to recreate - and it’s this almost whimsical approach that has delivered the heady cuts we know her for. But output is often sporadic.

‘I never felt more prolific than in the first years of musicmaking,’ she explains. ‘How the muse arrives to you, as an artist, is completely unexpected and unplanned – it requires absolutely no pressure. What I’ve learned is that you have nothing to tell if you haven’t collected enough of the emotions that have been brewing inside you.’

Labels of love Through Trip and now GALAXIID, Nina’s desires to advance new electronic artists and genres have been realised. Producers including Bjarki, Nikita Zabelin and Roma Zuckerman have all benefited from her helping hand, with Bjarki’s crossover hit I Wanna Go Bang back in 2015 officially cementing Nina’s curative powers.

This year, although she is plotting a stack of releases for both imprints, she feels like the labels are ‘becoming forces in their own right’. And, in the small clearing that’s emerging, her own personal creativity is shifting up the agenda.

PAOLA KUDACKI

‘I wanted to grow a family and plant a seed until its heart starts beating and its soul emerges. Although Trip was created as my enterprise, it somehow exists on its own now,’ she says.

‘I’m excited I can once again focus on my own production, because without it, I cannot exist. It all goes hand in hand for me,’ she explains. ‘I’m not solely a DJ and I’m not solely a music-maker. I’m an artist, composer, performer - it has to be together. It’s where I thrive and it’s where I find my muse.’

World watch out: things are about to get a whole lot weirder and wilder for our favourite Siberian selector…

M67_MARCH 2018_21

FORMIDABLE

Jim Ottewill checks the temperature of Britain’s hip-hop scene to find a new wave of boundary-zapping artists steaming up grime’s rear-view mirror and readying themselves to rule in 2018…

Have we entered a new golden age for UK hip-hop and rap? While artists Skepta and Stormzy have elevated UK grime to the global stage, it suddenly feels like its older sibling is on the brink of having its own moment of gleeful giddiness. And everyone from American pop star Nicki Minaj to Toronto titan Drake agrees.

‘I’m so proud of my generation,’ says UK MC and rapper Ms Banks who recently woke up after a gig to read fan-girl tweets from Minaj quoting her lyrics. ‘With so much talent, it feels like there’s no better time to be making music in Britain than there is right now.’

Success within the UK’s hotbed of emerging rap stars seems infectious. While trailblazing artists such as Krept and Konan and Little Simz laid some steely foundations over the last few years and grime’s explosion undeniably put some wind beneath their wings, hip-hop’s new wave is intent on propelling itself even higher.

Stratford rapper J Hus was nominated for three BRIT Awards and the Mercury Prize thanks to the fusion of rhymes, bashment and afrobeats reverberating through his debut album Common Sense. Fierce MC Stefflon Don’s Hurtin’ Me went top 10, racking up almost 50 million YouTube views, while Streatham teenager Dave was named Best Newcomer at 2017’s MOBO Awards, is BRIT-nominated and has verbally sparred with Drake. The world clearly now wants a piece; as Dave so deftly says in his track Revenge, ‘I got love from superstars in America, before I got love from guys I chilled with at the corner shop.’

Coming thru Ms Banks and her brazen lyrical flow is at the forefront of this charge of bold, exciting UK talent. ‘Right now, everything is coming into focus,’ she says of her female peers, and it’s true. Artists such as Flohio, Manchester’s IAMDDB, Stefflon Don and Lady Sanity are all standing up and slaying harder than ever before.

‘For me as a woman, I feel like our music is getting way better, we’re living true, empowering each other to go on to even greater things. That has a big role to play in why there are more of us breaking through and we’re getting more attention and respect.’

Despite all the tastemaker tips for 2018, Banks’ success is no overnight sensation. Previously supported by PRS Foundation’s Momentum Fund, hers has been a steady rise through open mic nights, raves and memorable moments like her 16 bars on Stylo G’s Yu Zimme and her own killer track, Bangs. But, with an increased emphasis on equality and social consciousness permeating all areas of our cultural life, her aesthetic is more in tune than ever with the zeitgeist. Plus, not every MC has the love of Minaj or fellow US star Cardi B, who invited her on tour last year.

‘It’s one thing knowing you’re good at something, it’s another to have that confirmation from someone you respect and admire so much too. It definitely helps you to keep going.’

RAP

Pictured top to bottom: Sanity, Yxng Bane, Ms Banks, Steel Banglez

M67_MARCH 2018_23

Real hip-hop While UK grime’s detonation in the popular conscious has undoubtedly helped ready ears for hip-hop artists, what’s the relationship between the two in 2018? In terms of perception, many stylistically different MCs and artists are lumped together under the umbrella of grime. But there are still sonic distinctions.

‘You’ll find variations in the tempo of the instrumental and flow in the artist’s delivery,’ says Yxng Bane, a BBC Sound Of 2018 longlisted artist who represented the UK at SXSW this year thanks to funding from PRS Foundation.

His take on British hip-hop blends dancehall and RnB, while the East London rapper’s remix of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You met the pop star’s approval. At the same time Bane, who takes his name from the Batman villain, believes that boundaries are continually moving and morphing. ‘When I think of my own music, I try not to box myself into any genre,’ he says. ‘We are at a period when grime artists will make rap and vice versa.’

New artists, from Tottenham rapper Avelino to Camden’s Awate are helping to keep it eclectic, injecting their music with shades of afrobeats, drill, trap, bashment and whatever musical shapes catch and explode in their creative net.

MC and producer Awate has just released his latest album Happiness and believes the web is behind a new era of collaboration. ‘You can see everyone linking up around the world to collaborate, whether it’s in fashion, film, music, comedy or politics,’ he explains. ‘Just look at ‘Black Panther’ or Big Shaq. The internet has connected the diaspora and we’re all just sharing culture.’

Talkin’ hard A key milestone in grime lynchpin Stormzy’s ascent to the top was a headline set at industry festival, The Great Escape, back in 2016. Notorious for breaking the best new talent, this year a similar honour will fall upon UK rap phenomenon MoStack and Mist. The pair are not only united by their raw talent, but through their work with super producer Steel Banglez. With credits also including Dave and Yungen, his discography reads like a who’s who of hot British acts. Banglez is belligerent in his belief that hip-hop would always rise right to the top.

‘This music we make is now the mainstream,’ he says. ‘It’s not going anywhere, it’ll sit happily next to Anne Marie or Ed Sheeran in the charts. No Words, the tune I made with Dave and MoStack, has been in the charts for the last 12 weeks and keeps selling. Five years ago this wouldn’t have happened.’

Dave is one of the most hotly-tipped of the new breed, having bagged a gong at the MOBO Awards and was nominated for Best Breakthrough Act at the BRIT Awards.

Only 19 years old and still yet to release an album, his ability to weave in emotional and political reflection into his hiphop bangers makes him irresistible. Having helped shape his sound, why does Banglez think his music has taken off?

‘For one he’s called Dave. We’re in Britain. Everyone knows a Dave, they’re all good guys. So the name is genius,’ he laughs. ‘On top of that he’s a great musician. He plays the piano, produces, sings and writes. He’s a true artist and that’s what makes him so special.’

Know your networks While UK hip-hop has always been a DIY culture, there are now more platforms than ever before for artists to express themselves through. YouTube channels like Link Up TV, SBTV and BL@CKBOX offer outlets for artists in the earlier stages of their career while BBC’s 1Xtra is a bigger springboard from which rap acts can ensure their voices are heard.

Birmingham rapper and wordsmith Lady Sanity believes the broadcaster to be a right of passage for British talent.

‘When artists are starting out, you have a plan of what you aspire to, stepping stones to help you feel like you’re progressing,’ she says. ‘Getting played or noticed by 1Xtra is a massive mark on your tick list as a new UK rapper.’

RAY FIASCO

Artists have stopped trying to conform and now just make music that sounds good to them. It means that fewer people can ignore us.

RAP

This music we make is now the mainstream. It’s not going anywhere.

Sanity, alongside Awate is a recipient of backing from the MOBO Help Musicians Fund, a new initiative set up by MOBO and Help Musicians UK to assist new artists in realising their musical ambitions.

Another up-and-coming act to benefit from the fund is Signkid, a deaf producer and performer who aims to open up the industry to make it more accessible for creators. When it comes to innovators in the world of hip-hop, he cites US artist Chance The Rapper as a key source of inspiration.

‘He hired his own sign language interpreters to join him on tour to make it fully accessible for deaf and hard of hearing fans. It meant I’m able to feel part of the music and gave me the hope to continue creating independently. Chance made me feel like anything was possible.’

Regional vibes While London is the epicentre of this hip-hop resurgence, similar aural tremors are being felt in Birmingham, Manchester and Hull. Chiedu Oraka is a rapper who calls the latter home and has built up quite the head of steam in Yorkshire and beyond. With releases including‘N.H.E (North Hull Estate) and 21st Kid, it’s taken numerous gigs and mixtapes but now more ears are turning towards him and his peers.

‘Everybody seems to be championing UK black music at the moment and this is lot to do with our DIY attitude,’ he reveals.

He cites fellow Hull artists Deezkid and Live Lans as two very special talents with two very unorthodox musical styles. ‘Artists have stopped trying to conform and now just make music that sounds good to them. It means that fewer people can ignore us now and even sees a lot of people

trying to jump on the bandwagon. That’s sick - whoever thought this day would come?’

Above: Awate Suleiman Opposite: Ms Banks

At the same time, Chiedu believes these regional musical communities need to work closely to guarantee success.

‘All I want to see is a stronger northern representation in UK black music, and I need to be one of the figureheads of that movement,’ he states.

Getting louder Whether it’s at this year’s BRIT Awards, recent UK chart showings or anticipated albums from Stefflon Don and Dave, homegrown hip-hop will be one of the big stories of 2018. Lady Sanity believes it comes back to the turbulent times we’re living in.

‘It’s a release for young people,’ she claims. ‘There are a lot of things happening politically, a lot of things changing that young people don’t like – and it’s a great outlet to deal with that.’

With more talent appearing almost daily and success coming to some overnight, the voices of UK rap and hip-hop are getting louder. But with this it brings its own challenges – how to find and keep an audience.

‘The only difference between you and the next success story is yourself. So make sure you stay original’, she advises. ‘Once you’ve found your sound, try to do things differently. Then once you find your feet, just like the UK hip-hop scene, you’ll be unstoppable.’

Read the full interviews with everyone here at m-magazine.co.uk/tag/M67

Yxng Bane, Chiedu Oraka, Little Simz, Ms Banks,Dave, Flohio #fundedbyPRSF

M67_MARCH 2018_25

Lucy Doyle explores the artistic interplay between sound and vision new social media reality.

LAUREN MACCABEE

Pictured: Black Honey

Because of who we are, we can’t really avoid presenting gender or our own queerness.

in our

ART

What makes for good art in music? Is it the pop culture defining line-up on the cover of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? Andy Warhol’s eye-popping crotch shot (not his own, you understand) for the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album?

Or is it the bombastic nineties dance move instructionals once found inside a Steps CD? How about Kanye West’s subversive anti-art for Yeezus?

Good artwork may be a lot of things but one thing’s for sure: it’s as important as ever. In today’s digital landscape, art is more than just a record sleeve: it’s the uniform banners across an artist’s websites, the flyer design and the small thumbnail that helps you make the split second decision over whether to stream a track.

Then, of course, there’s the infinite possibilities of social media that allow an artist to share their vision. It all adds up to an impressive artistic arsenal. ‘It’s a luxury that I can show people how I see things through art,’ says Izzy B Phillips – songwriter, frontwoman and all-round creative force behind guitar-pop band Black Honey.

Since forming in 2014, the band have crafted a highly-realised aesthetic to accompany their hypnotic sound, inspired by cult movies by Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and Wim Wenders.

All desert diners and gun-toting bombshell heroines, Izzy says she became ‘completely obsessed’ with how cinematography could play a role in the band’s output. ‘When that obsession got its grip on me, that’s when I started to see that I could push the songs further.’

Part of that vision has been thanks to collaborations with creatives such as music photographer Charlotte Patmore, whose in-themoment tour shots of the Honeys turn mundane life on the road into endless movie-like possibilities.

In terms of sourcing suitable collaborators, Izzy says it’s about, ‘finding the proper future in their field and scouting them out.’

She adds: ‘Universities are a good place to start. How much talent must be coming out of art schools for album artwork?’

For British Composer Award winner Deborah Pritchard, visuallyled social platforms are becoming more useful to composers whose creative process involves imagery. ‘There's the potential to build up a large gallery of work as if creating your own online exhibition – demonstrating how your work develops over time and communicating your vision more fully,’ she explains.

It can also provide an entry point for new listeners to the genre.

‘I've generally found that an audience which isn’t used to contemporary classical music can understand my narrative more clearly when it's accompanied by some kind of image,’ she says.

As a composer with synaesthesia, Deborah writes scores in response to artworks and also produces retrospective visualisations of her work. Her violin concerto Wall of Water is based around a Maggi Hambling painting, and was performed at the National Gallery in 2015.

Deborah believes that the emphasis on visuals within the classical world, ‘has reached a point of heightened exploration,’ and suggests that composers who are pulled towards art could consider creating graphic scores, writing in response to literature or working digitally with computer technology.

‘Collaborations are also really exciting ways of finding a visual identity; perhaps with an artist, musician or filmmaker who shares your vision,’ she says.

‘There was no big shoot, no lights and fucking rentals. It was, “Come on tour. We get up in the morning, we go and find a location anywhere around and then you just shoot. That’s the rule,”’ Izzy says.

Picture perfect Alongside artwork, press photography is key to getting noticed.

‘A good artist will shine with or without iconic imagery, but when you pair the two, the results are quite astonishing,’ figures Olivia Rose, photographer of the tome, This Is Grime.

Filmic shots outside diners, black and white arthouse snaps in Paris and hotel pool pics ensued, building a kitsch brand that today boasts more than 22.4k followers on Instagram – almost as big as their 25.3k Spotify following.

‘There is no formula to a brilliant image, but when you take one and marry the creativity of the photographer with the artist, it’s just pure fucking magic. And those images live on for many years to come.’

Clearly, visual platforms have become instrumental in music, but then, as Izzy reasons: ‘It’s the songs that it comes down to at the end of the day. You could have the best artwork in the world but if you haven’t got a tune, then what’s the fucking point?’

Jodie Banaszkiewicz, Founder of Stay Golden PR – which represents the likes of Girl Ray, Amber Arcades and Mac DeMarco – advises that it’s important to be consistent with band shots, especially so that people can start to recognise your act. ‘I’ve had bands offer photos with three members and others with five. It’s confusing to your fans as well as the media.’

Exhibit A So, good tunes in the bag, what can an act do to start building on their aesthetic? ‘I’d say follow your music, be true to yourself and embrace weird,’ answers Izzy. It’s also really important to trust your gut: ‘We’ve done whole videos before which I’ve just scrapped. I’m not a natural leader but I’ve learned the skills. You have to say, “This isn’t good enough,” and it’s not because I’m trying to be horrible – it’s because the artwork comes first, the music comes first.’

For editorial coverage, she recommends that artwork should be square and hi-res - ‘around 2MB and 300dpi, which is suitable for print’. For a campaign such as an album release, Jodie says you should aim to have various options from the same image including portrait, landscape and a close-up.

M67_MARCH 2018_27

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Collaborations are an exciting way of finding a visual identity; pair with an artist, musician or filmmaker who shares your vision.

of Creative at Terrible Merch advises: ‘The general rule is that t-shirts and posters sell well in the UK and US.’ But she reckons that the days of the simple logo tee are numbered and it’s more about creating something memorable these days. ‘You’d have to have a really strong logo and following to get lazy and just be able to put a logo on a tee. Merch is an opportunity to make something special for your fans.’

On the question of rights, she advises that if you want to reproduce your artwork for your merch, get permission from the person who made it or buy it outright if you can.

Top image: Deborah Pritchard Above: Video still from Black Honey's 'Dig' Below: Terrible Merch* Chad van Gaalen t-shirts

Weighing in on the question of rights, Olivia – who has shot the likes of Skepta, 2018 BRIT Award winner Stormzy and Dizzee Rascal – says that a grey area has developed around social media and digital content. ‘My best advice would be to always work out an agreement before shooting that you are both happy with. Lay down the fee, the expenses, the number of final images you want to choose and exactly what you want to use them for.’

Other things to consider include colour: ‘Make sure you know your pantones - they are not the same as the colours you see on your screens.’ It’s also worth thinking about the placement of the art. ‘Work with how a design sits on medium sizes to figure out its correct dimensions,’ she says. And if you want to stay economical on your first run: ‘Simple one-colour designs make merch more profitable.’

So how can acts build a creative partnership with a photographer and ensure they get a good image? ‘Some of my most successful working relationships have been formed when the team around the artist trust their vision,’ Olivia says. ‘The more access I can have to who I’m shooting, the more we can get into each other’s heads and suss each other out.’

So what is there to learn from all this? When it comes to the artforms surrounding your music, the general consensus is to trust your vision and find collaborators who share it. Early on, that may mean not being able to throw loads of cash at a project, but as Izzy reminds, it’s about forming partnerships that help both sides flourish. ‘If I find someone I believe in, I’ll help them grow with me, and they’ll help me grow more.’

There’s also the balance between authenticity and shock factor to consider. ‘Although sometimes, being shocking is as simple as being your purest self,’ she believes. ‘I always say I am happiest shooting someone who will give me something different. What that something is always varies. It can be an attitude, an ego, a face or a sense of personal style.’

And, just like the ride or die notion of her favourite cult movies, she concludes: ‘My whole thing is we’re not going to pay loads of money but we’re going to make art that is going to live forever.’

Read the full interviews with everyone here at m-magazine.co.uk/tag/M67

MATTHEW HOLLEY

Search for merch Another extension of artwork – and a profitable one at that – is merchandise. ‘Whenever you go to a gig, you pay your ticket at the gate but the band won’t really see the money,’ says Izzy.

‘Merch feeds the band.’ She’s one to know: Black Honey put out everything from retro baseball tops to pin badges and patches – alongside heart shaped vinyl, of course.

If you’re starting out, merch may seem like particularly alien territory. Do people still buy tees? Is a custom fidget spinner a totally crazy idea? (Er, yes). Tersha Williams, co-Founder and Head Black Honey #fundedbyPRSF

M67_MARCH 2018_29

BILL MARTIN

CONGRATULATIONS SONGWRITER TO THE STARS ❛His is a story of joy and life set to music. The best music book I have read in years❜ – Sir Michael Parkinson ❛The music business book of the year❜ – Chris Evans

Available on Amazon and at any book shop. ISBN Number: 978-1-5272-1281-7 Also check out – www.billmartinsongwriter.com

Your chance to make your voice heard, in a def initive year for all music writers Our desire to move toward a more inclusive model was spurred on recently by our members, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of proposals to refresh and modernise the organisation. These included no longer needing to align themselves to one genre, as well as crucial changes to governance; members can now vote for six elected directors to join the Board so that they have a more direct link with them. We’re all agreed that members should be able to have a say in who runs BASCA, rather than committees making the sole decision.

I hope these expanded opportunities at BASCA are a welcome move in the right direction and will encourage writers to come forward, who may have felt this organisation isn’t for them. Every perspective and every piece of knowledge lends our collective argument greater strength. In order to be properly informed, we need voices from the farthest fringe to the fabulously famous; from new pop to old pop and folk; from grime to the sonic arts, gaming, TV and Netflix; from hip-hop to opera, symphony, sync, song and spoken word.

Our forthcoming elections are your chance to make your voice heard, as well as steer the direction of BASCA. All full and associate PRS members can now stand to be both a committee member and/or one of the six elected directors.

As much as I love writing pop songs and often refer to that as my main area of expertise, I’m by no means averse to experimenting with other genres – occasionally I write for the gaming, TV and advertising industries, and jazz songs. Once, I wrote for a string quartet. And this is the case for many of my peers at the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) who, like me, wish to embrace cross-fertilisation.

One of the joys in making music, surely, is moving out of one’s comfort zone, however initially daunting. I think of composers such as Shiva Feshareki, the recent recipient of the British Composer Award for Innovation. For the sake of ‘easy branding’, she describes herself as an experimental classical composer. This title probably does little to honour her risky musical endeavours – not least a recent entirely improvised show that coupled a jazz organist and Feshareki’s turntables. But I doubt anyone interrupted the performance to politely check which genre she normally ascribes to. So although a significant part of BASCA’s work involves representing different genres, ultimately, we’re here to represent music – in all its capricious forms. More specifically, we’re here to represent the people behind that music – its writers.

I joined BASCA because I believe ardently that writers need a collective voice that focuses on protecting their endeavours – whatever and however they compose. Music writers have arguably only ever got the crumbs off music’s table. However, now the table is no longer a £15 CD but an ethereal £0.0048 per stream, we need to organise ourselves and do something about it.

2018 could be a particularly definitive year, not just for BASCA’s new mandate but, more specifically, for its writers. Already, there are some welcome signs that the tide is turning but we need your help in crucial areas. The EU Commission is currently debating the most significant review of copyright in the digital market that could impact generations to come. And although we applaud Spotify for giving us writer credits, we need to keep the pressure on all streaming platforms to alter their perspective – they sell music, not an app. Further, in the world of online releases, writers appear to be getting the short end of a very sharp stick. Now, more than ever, we need to fight to protect our commercial rights, alongside our human right to grant permission for our work to be used, so that we can share in the value this attains.

Now, more than ever, we need to f ight to protect our commercial rights, alongside our human right to grant permission for our work to be used.

And naturally, the size of our membership contributes significantly to the credibility of our arguments. The more writers that join BASCA, the greater our leverage to fight for a fair share of the revenue our work creates. Alone, a writer has little chance of challenging the status quo. But together, we’re an army.

Our voice must be diverse, yet unified. So please, join us.

There has been a conspicuous absence of powerful and influential representation for writers in the history of the music industry. And if I have one criticism of BASCA it’s that we don't yet adequately represent certain communities in music or have a diverse enough membership – one that adequately represents the variety of music British writers make.

Crispin Hunt, BASCA Chairman

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It celebrates excellence through world-class awards ceremonies – The Ivor Novello Awards, the British Composer Awards and the Gold Badge Awards, and offers its members an array of benefits to help support their careers as music writers. From professional development seminars, industry training, critiques and master classes, joining BASCA provides the opportunity to be connected to the UK’s most talented music creators.

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i wrote that

song writing

English rock band Procol Harum arrived in spectacular style during the summer of 1967 with their debut single A Whiter Shade of Pale. Its blend of blue-eyed soul and gentle psychedelia instantly caught the zeitgeist, propelling it to the toppermost of the poppermost in June of that year.

Here, co-writer Gary Brooker shares his memories on how it all came together with his creative partner Keith Reid…

I met Keith Reid via Guy Stevens, who was a mutual friend of ours. Guy was a big operator in 1966 - he was an RnB DJ and was working with Island Records. One day I went around to his and he introduced us: ‘This is Keith. He writes lyrics. This is Gary. He writes music.’ I thought, ‘Hang on, I haven’t written any music yet, never tried!’

Back then, I was living at my mum’s house in Southend. One morning I started playing a bit of Bach’s Air on the G String. It had been on a Hamlet cigar advert and I was trying to learn it by ear. It’s got a descending bass line, and when I put chords with it and went all the way down the scale, I found I was back at the beginning – it was circular.

The postman arrived when I was playing around. He delivered some lyrics from Keith which were, in fact, A Whiter Shade of Pale.

There are quite a lot of words in that song!

His lines, ‘We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels across the floor’ are quite a mouthful so I had to spread them out, improvising as I went along.

BBC

I wasn’t thinking it could be commercial or popular, I just wanted to be able to remember it! Back then, you had to play things over and over until they got into your head. Not everyone had recorders to capture their ideas. Even in those early stages of the song I thought it was interesting, and that it could have potential. But I didn’t jump out of my mum’s bungalow shouting, ‘I’ve written a hit! I’ve written a hit!’ I didn’t follow any trend or pattern or current fashion, but I think that’s what helped it in the end.

Although Keith and I had a very good relationship and worked with each other over

many years, he never actually told me what any of his lyrics meant. But I knew what they meant to me. That’s how I liked it, I wanted the music to reflect what the words felt like.

All I had to do was somehow make the chorus sound like a chorus by adding a triplet on the lead up to it. Apart from that, the chords are exactly the same in the chorus as they are in the verse. A lot of people might not notice that, but they are.

We recorded it with producer Denny Cordell, who’d already had hits with Georgie Fame (Yeh, Yeh) and The Moody Blues (Go Now) so he knew his craft. Back in those days, we only had four-track recorders. The organ got its own track, as did the vocal, then the other two tracks were split between bass and drums on one and guitar and piano on the other. It really didn’t take very long - everything was recorded live, no overdubs.

When we went back into the control room to hear it, we knew immediately it had an atmosphere. It wasn’t exciting because it made you jump; it was exciting because it crawled inside you.

In those days, singles sold a lot. I didn’t have a

It’s become a part of so many people’s lives. People get married to it, they play it at their wedding anniversaries and request it at their funeral. phone, but I’d go down the local phone box to see how many had been bought that day. It’d only been out a few days and they were saying, ‘It’s shifted 43,000 today’. The next time I called they told me it’d sold 85,000 and was at number one!

I don’t really think A Whiter Shade of Pale influenced many other musicians directly, but it’s become a part of so many people’s lives.

People got married to it, and they still do.

People play it at their wedding anniversaries or request it at their funeral. You can go anywhere in the world and people may have never heard of Procol Harum, but sing the opening line of A Whiter Shade of Pale and they know exactly what you’re talking about.

Procol Harum’s Still There’ll Be More: An Anthology 1967 – 2017 is released on 23 March. m67_march 2018 _33

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archive

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PAMELA VANDER

The Fall, July 2017, Manchester

Pete Greenway (front, left), guitarist in The Fall from 2006 to 2018, remembers the band’s ringleader of 40 years, Mark E Smith (front, middle). Mark sadly passed away in January, aged 60.

Beefheart’s Strictly Personal. Inside the gatefold, there’s a great black and white picture that you can stare at for hours – it’s so odd and interesting. This one of us reminds me of that a little. It makes you want to know what’s going on…

This was Mark’s favourite picture of the band.

It was taken last summer in the place he lived with his photographer partner and manager Pam Vander. We’d often go over there for gettogethers, to have a laugh and think up new ideas.

We had such a good time that night, and I think about it a lot since he’s gone. There were lots of laughs and jokes - he was always telling us funny stories. We had plenty of hilarious moments in The Fall, and this picture captures that.

While we were there that night having a few drinks, Pam asked if we’d like to have our photos taken. She disappeared for 10 minutes to set up some chairs and ridiculous props, and off we went! I’m the one with the horns coming out of my head, although they’re actually attached to the chair. I’ve also got a lightbulb in my hand, and I’m not quite sure why! Mark is looking very Mark-ish; he always liked to stick his tongue out mischievously.

I first met Mark in 2002, when I was in the tastefully titled band Pubic Fringe. It was at All Tomorrow’s Parties, the year Steve Albini curated. We’d gone as punters and in the blizzard of everything that went on that first night, my band had offered to play football with The Fall. They couldn’t quite believe it! We were told to meet the band in the pub the next day and, lo and behold, Mark walked in. We got talking about football and music, and he bought us drinks. We got on really well but didn’t play any football!

My all-time favourite band photo is on the sleeve of one of Mark’s favourite LPs, Captain

From that first meeting we got asked to support The Fall. Mark came across as very generous, and we

34_march 2018_m67

had a great laugh – which was totally at odds with what I expected. I imagined he would be difficult, but he was quite the opposite.

It was quite easy to work with Mark – he was a very creative man and always had great ideas. But he also had an outrageous personality, which could be a stumbling block in some places, such as airports.

He never really stopped being Mark E Smith, that’s who he was, he was the real deal. So, wherever you went, you had to take Mark E Smith with you. It could be problematic at times, but we’re left with some brilliant memories. I’ve never met anyone remotely like Mark, so I know I won’t ever experience anything like that again, which is really sad.

Mark affected the way we operated so much – his hands were always all over The Fall, when we played live especially. He conducted us, and we adored him. People’s perception of The Fall is that he was a difficult man to work with, but I found him a joy. He was an eccentric and did what most people wouldn’t; that was his vital role in the sound of The Fall.

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

I

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

Honestly, I Was Skeptical at First…

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

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

How to Build The Right Catalog

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

Expand Your Possibilities…

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

350 Placements in the Last Year!

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

A “Lucky Duck?”

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

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

The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company

1-800-458-2111 • TAXI.com

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