Newsletter Editorial #135: Youth Radio

16 May 2018

Radio listening is fragmenting in an era of more devices, platforms and choice. Indeed, the very definition of what constitutes ‘radio’ is also shifting, to include audio and other digital artefacts.

You Get The Music Culture You Pay For…

12 Feb 2018

World Music artist Sheila Chandra calls for ordinary working people to recognise the artist talent in their own ranks and financially reward it, proudly and joyfully. And to recognise that doing so is a way of ‘supporting our own’ - a political act that will fund the greater good.

MusicTank Entrusted with JazzUK Legacy

14 Nov 2017

MusicTank, University of Westminster is delighted to announce that it is to receive the assets of JazzUK as part of that charity’s formal closure. Central to JazzUK’s work was the provision of online business information with which to further both musicians’ careers and those businesses working in the sector, and it is with that in mind that MusicTank was deemed the most appropriate beneficiary of JazzUKs archive.

Newletter Editorial #133 - Musicians’ Mental Health: No Longer Taboo

19 Oct 2017

MusicTank has published the second part of its ground-breaking research into musicians’ mental health, conducted by Sally Gross and Dr. George Musgrave of University of Westminster. ‘Can Music Make You Sick?’ is an accomplished piece of work, distinguished by it being the world’s largest known academic study into music and mental health, its publication marking the end of this year-long study into anxiety and depression as experienced by both musicians and music industry professionals.

Sally Gross: Music Industry Should Work Together To Protect New And Niche Artists

12 Oct 2017

How do new and/ or niche artists cut through the noise in today’s music industry to make a meaningful impression? The fact is they are finding it increasingly difficult to get any attention that can be converted into a sustainable career – despite all the optimistic talk of digital royalties.

Newsletter Editorial #132 - Fake Artists: Back Door Music Curation Or Just Fake ‘Fake News’?

13 Jul 2017

Accusations and commentary about alleged 'fake' artists on Spotify playlists have intensified recently, with MusicTank itself commenting on this in both The Times, and on Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs PM programme,

Newsletter Editorial #131- Ticketing: Reforming A Broken Market

22 Mar 2017

The ticketing debate has rolled on for 10+ years now, with MusicTank among the first organisations to publicly and consistently platform debates on this as far back as 2008, since which, the mantra of “willing buyers; willing sellers” has been used to justify a practice at times inseparable from outright extortion. Regulation, consistency in the marketplace and transparency are vital components in a sector in desperate need of reform.

The Record Label Of The Future

02 Mar 2017

Speaking at a recent Music 4.5 event on the subject of the future of the record label, artist lawyer Robert Horsfall delivered a speech which in under ten minutes succinctly and deftly highlighted much that is still seemingly wrong with many artist/ label recording contracts.

Secondary Ticketing: Days In The Life Of 2 Tickets Traded By A StubHub Validated Ticket Seller

14 Dec 2016

FanFair Alliance tracked the re-sale of 2 Take That Tickets from the moment they were listed on Wednesday 26th October 2016, the morning that their pre-sale opened. Initially priced at £777.77 apiece, seats 65 & 66 were 2 of among 350 tickets being sold by a Quebec-based tout called Julien Lavellee (I Want Tickets) for the group’s four shows at The O2. Here's the story...

Newsletter #130 - The Politics Of Music

10 Nov 2016

At the risk of going out on a political limb, in the wake of last night’s US Presidential election, it’s impossible for the outcome to not influence the tone and content of this editorial. After all, it isn’t everyday that a complete outlier gets to tuck their fit under the desk in the Oval Office…

Digital Economy Bill Update

09 Nov 2016

November 1st saw Nigel Adams MP present his amendment to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee for the Digital Economy Bill - aiming to outlaw the misuse of bot technology by ticket touts to purchase excessive numbers of tickets and to knowingly resell them on the secondary market. On the basis of a “clear commitment to making progress in this area”, the amendment was withdrawn.

The Music Industry & Mental Health: Can Music Make You Sick? - First Set Of Findings Announced...

01 Nov 2016

Sylvia Patterson: A Rock 'n' Roll Disaster...

25 Oct 2016

Since OK Computer, Radiohead had become arguably The Best Band In The World, to many The Most Important Band In The World and this was the single interview he’d agreed to, a bonafide old-school World Exclusive. The one and only interview anywhere on the planet with Thom Yorke in the year 2000. No pressure, then. What happened next was one of the greatest cock-ups which can ever befall any “professional” journalist...

Advice For London's ‘Night Czar’

20 Oct 2016

Following the path of several other European cities, London is soon to have its own 'night czar' – not an authoritarian figure telling us all to go home early, but someone who will champion the hours of darkness as a legitimate time to be out and about. Whoever is appointed will have a big job on their hands, managing nighttime activities for 8.6m people, not to mention needing to wade-in to policy details, support local campaigns and where necessary, push for legislative change.

Editorial: Are Streaming Services Labels-In-Waiting?

12 Oct 2016

Much has been written over the course of this year about exclusive releases on streaming platforms, with Frank Ocean’s Blond the latest of a number of high profile, profitable exclusives, with Beyoncé, Kanye West and Rihanna, among some of the industry’s biggest-selling artists carving exclusive deals on services such as Tidal and Apple Music...

Editorial: Summer Of Live

15 Sep 2016

UK Music’s annual Measuring Music report 2016 was published at a key moment earlier this month, coming at the end of a summer in which the live music industry has remained foremost in headlines detailing its battles, be they the plight of grass roots venues, the ongoing issue of secondary ticketing, or most vocally, the recent the closure of Fabric...

Jane Dyball: Monetisation, Policy Challenges and the Future of Live

30 Aug 2016

We need to close the value gap and for negotiations to start from a level playing field. Only then can we have competitive licensing in a truly free market. And only then will the true value of music rights be fully realised...

Keith Harris OBE: Education’s Place In The Equality Debate

23 Aug 2016

Having been asked to Chair the Equality and Diversity taskforce for the UK Music industry, I was struck by a casual comment that I heard on Radio 4 the other day...