UK copyright law "to be scrapped in three years"

The UK Government has announced that as a result of the Hargreaves review of Intellectual Property law, it is planning to 'scrap' copyright protection within the next three years.

Speaking in the House of Lords the UK's minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Neuromancy, Lord Rupert Vainbottom told peers that "new evidence suggests that copyright is suppressing creativity, limiting economic growth and strangling trade. We need to take a more pragmatic, practical and proactive stance". Lord Vainbottom cited recent research from the National Intellectual Property Planning League Endowment (NIPPLE) which suggests that "creative types" are "already living the life of riley in mansions and penthouse flats" with the minister directly citing the Report (Copyright Revisions and Progress) saying "artists can sell there pictures and that's a profit. And they can sell signed prints and postcards. Script writers have theatres; Authors have book signings and poetry readings; Musicians can play at Wembley and make millions." adding as CRAP says, "its not for the UK Government to feather their nests and fund their debauched lifestyles".

The opposition spokesperson for Business, Skills and Marmalade, Lord Selwyn Backatcham added "we wholeheartedly support this move by the Government; if you want term extension - get kids to stay at school for longer. If you want three strikes - bring back caning - then you can have fifty strikes if it helps. If you want exceptions for parody, spend a day here. A pint of port allows for format shifting too".

Crossbench peer Baroness Cleopatra Asp added "this removes another wobbly leg of so called European harmonisation by stealth - so secretly promoted by Brussels. If we wanted the UK to be like Belgium, we would have decent beer and chocolate and I would grow a Hercule Poiot moustache".

Lord Vainbottom went on to suggest that new legislation would "get us down with the kids" and highlighted what he called the "insane persecution of the Pirate Bay martyrs, the internet innovators imprisoned by a brutal Swedish totalitarian regime" and the "cruel fate of successful internet millionaire Kim "Dotcom" Schmitz - left to rot in a New Zealand jail for simply changing his name to Dotcom - or something like that". It is planned that the new legislation (the Stop Owners Protecting Act or SOPA) will be introduced by the Government in June 2012 phasing out copyright over three years, and similar moves will be taken in relation to Trade Marks, design rights and patent law in the near future.

All characters and organisations appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. And alarming.

UK arts community lambast government tax policy

Having been told that arts subsidies were being dramatically cut by the current UK Government, and that arts companies large and small should embrace private funding, sponsorship and philanthropic donations, the arts community has now discovered that George Osborne's latest budget cuts the amount of tax relief on charitable giving to just £50,000. Better news for film and TV where George Osborne vowed to “keep Wallace & Gromit exactly where they are” by introducing tax breaks for British animation, video games and certain “high-end” television productions. The Chancellor pledged tax breaks for certain productions, after major businesses including Wallace and Gromit-creator Aardman Animations warned they would have to move production overseas because they could no longer compete in Britain.

Sony musical chairs

Sony Corp has confirmed a number of personnel changes in its American division as Kazuo Hirai takes on the role of overall CEO for the Sony Group. Sony Pictures Entertainment boss Michael Lynton also becomes CEO for Sony Corporation Of America. Sony General Counsel Nicole Seligman will also become President, heading up business and legal affairs for the division. Sony Music's Doug Morris and Sony/ATV's Marty Bandier will both report to Lynton. Sony Corporation Of America's CFO Rob Wiesenthal will move into the Sony/ATV music publishing company as Chief Strategy Officer, reporting to Bandier, and overseeing all territories outside North America and the UK.

Tennessee's new ticketing laws under the spotlight

Ticketnews.com reports that legislation will be introduced in the Tennessee state house this week that, if passed, would drastically violate the privacy of fans and ticket brokers, infringe upon the ownership rights of fans, and expand and perfect Ticketmaster's monopoly of the ticketing industry. The bill, titled the "Fairness in Ticketing Act of 2012", would impose draconian measures upon the ticketing industry, limiting the ability of consumers to find tickets at a fair market value. Portions of the bill violate consumer privacy, as it requires ticket resellers to provide more information about the ticket's origins. The report highlights recent moves by Katy Perry whose contract required venues to set aside tickets for her to sell to the public through any "so-called 'secondary market' seller of tickets". The proposed legislation also gives venues unprecedented power to determine which ticket brokers can resell their tickets, limiting competition to those brokers supported by the primary market. The proposed legislation is also a step backwards in the fight for the rights of live event fans as it gives venues the authority to decide to use paperless tickets as they see fit. Already a hot button issue in ticketing legislation.

Ticketnews also reports that Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General has dismissed concerns that Live Nation Entertainment violated the province's anti-scalping laws when it sold tickets for Madonna's September 10, 2012 concert in Ottawa. Tickets to the performance in ScotiaBank Place went on sale directly through Live Nation on February 14, 2012 and were sold out within 21 minutes, the fastest sellout in the venue's history.

more here

US ISPs set to launch voluntary 'Graduated Response' scheme

RIAA CEO Cary Sherman has confirmed that the country's largest ISPs will voluntarily roll out by July 1 a "graduated response" program aimed at discouraging unauthorized downloading. Under the new system, a rightsholder accusing an ISP subscriber of infringement will trigger a series of ever-increasing consequences.

Bluegrass legend dies

Earl Scruggs, the pioneering bluegrass banjo player who is often credited for helping shape the sound of modern country music, has died aged 88. And farewell to Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hoassack who has died aged 65. And goodbye to Ronnie Montrose, top session guitarist and band member with Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs and the Edgar Winter Group. He has died aged 64. Rest in Peace World music pioneer Benjamin Escoriza. The Spanish singer and lyricist has died aged just 58.

Sonisphere UK cancelled

The British leg of Sonisphere is off, with the news broken yesterday by headliners Queen, who told their fans "it is with very heavy hearts and much regret that we announce the cancellation of Sonisphere Knebworth 2012". The cancellation was confirmed by promoters Kilimanjaro who said "Putting the festival together in what is proving to be a very challenging year was more difficult than we anticipated and we have spent the last few months fighting hard to keep Sonisphere in the calendar. Unfortunately circumstances have dictated that we would be unable to run the festival to a standard that both the artists and Sonisphere's audience would rightly expect". Ticket holders will automatically receive a full refund direct from their ticket agents". Rumours of the cancellation began to circulate in the agent community earlier this week and some are said to be very disappointed with the cancellation after agreeing exclusive UK terms with Kilimanjaro. The Darkness, Faith No More and Kiss were also confirmed as headliners, but rumours persisted of poor ticket sales.

EMI sale raises more competition issues

Whilst its rumoured that Universal Music may well be selling some of their music publishing catalogues to fund their planned purchase of EMI's recorded music divisions, UMG has so far resisted the temptation to offer concessions to competition regulators in Europe during the European Commission's initial investigation into the proposed acquisition. However, Sony/ATV has apparently offered concessions in a bid to allay fears about its acquisition of the EMI music publishing business. Sony/ATV (Sony own the company along with Michael Jackson's estate) is leading a consortium of investors to buy EMI Music Publishing, which is likely to remain a separate entity if the takeover goes ahead - but even an independent EMI would still report into Sony/ATV's management. The EC confirmed Sony/ATV had offered concessions yesterday, but gave no details as to what exactly they were. The regulator added that the proposals would push back its phase one investigation into the Sony deal until 19th April, when it will announce whether the Sony-led consortium has won approval, or whether a full three month inquiry will be required for this deal too.

Meanwhile, in the US, California's Attorney General Kamala Harris has reportedly started making her own inquiries into the two EMI deals, separate from the ongoing competition investigation being conducted in the US by the Federal Trade Commission. According to Bloomberg, Harris's office has made contact with various people and organisations likely to be affected by the deal, though it's not clear to what end, or what power the Attorney General would have to hinder any deal-making if both transactions were approved at a federal level. And the Commerce Commission in New Zealand has invited interested parties to make submissions to its inquiry into Universal Music's proposed takeover of the EMI record companies. Areas on which the Commission says it will be focusing include Universal's claims that the independent sector in New Zealand currently enjoys a strong competitive position, the extent to which artists can now circumvent the label system, and the extent to which piracy limits the big rights owners' power in setting prices, especially in the digital domain. A final decision is due on 13 May although the European Commission has said that it will need until August to review Universal's EMI bid. In Europe the acquisition is being strongly opposed by pan-European indie label trade body IMPALA, while Warner Music is thought to be lobbying against the deal in both the US and Europe.

Global record sales fall in 2011

The global record industry saw trade revenues drop by 3% in 2011 to $16.3 billion. The International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry noted that the 3% drop represented a "significant slowing in the fall of the market". Physical sales worldwide slumped 8.7%, but an 8% boost in digital income helped limit the impact overall of the continued decline of the CD. Vinyl ow accounts for about 1% of global record sales. For the first time the IFPI also published figures for its members' sync revenues, which brought in $342 million globally in 2011, while the public performance royalties generated by sound recordings worldwide were also up, by 4.9% to $862 million.

Royal Albert Hall trustees accused of touting in Times investigation

Two trustees of the Royal Albert Hall have been accused of touting shows, including the Teenage Cancer Trust charity concert with Paul Weller and Roger Daltry. The Times has named Leon Baroukh (34) whose family controls 51 seats in the iconic venue, and Richard Waterbury (65) whose family control 29 seats. They are the two largest owners of seats, ahead of HM The Queen who controls 20 seats including the Royal Box. Promoter Harvey Goldsmith said "That certain of the box-holders are running a business out of it is disgusting. I think they have got no right to be on the Council [Trustees]. Richard Waterbury defended his actions saying his family used many of the tickets and that he needed to recoup the annual charge for each seat, saying that returns from the official ticket sale system to seat holders were 'peanuts'. Mr Baroukh described his seats as "passive, modestly yielding, long term investment". Seat holders have the right to access their seats on a number of concert dates every year and can sell the tickets for such shows under the provisions of the Royal Albert Hall Act 1966. The Hall is a charity and has received £40 million in public funding from the Lottery. More in the Times, Tuesday March 27th 2012 "Trustees turn to touting at the Royal Albert Hall".

Russian punks in another Putin protests

Russian feminist punks Pussy Riot are in more trouble - after an unsanctioned performance of their punk prayer "Virgin Mary Mother of God Expel Putin!" in Moscow's St Basil's Cathedral of Christ The Saviour. Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said the band do the "devils work". We're not quite sure which members of the band performed (there are up to ten members plus a support group) and it seems two (both mothers of young children) are apparently still in prison and now on hunger strike. In January four members of Pussy Riot were arrested after performing the track "Putin Has Pissed Himself" in Red Square. They faceD charges and the possibility of up to 15 days in prison. The new charges carry the risk of substantial prison terms for public order and hate crimes.

Radiohead go paperless

Radiohead have chosen to go paperless for 80% of the tickets for their shows at the Manchester Arena (6th October) and the O2 Arena (8th and 9th October) with the remaining 20% allocated via the band's fan club. The band opted to use paperless ticketing for nearly all of the seats to ensure that fans will have fair access to the ticket inventory and will not have to pay above face value and block out touts (scalpers). Radiohead fans can purchase a maximum of four tickets for the band's upcoming dates and the credit card used to purchase the tickets must be taken to the show along with the cardholder's photo ID in order to gain entry into the show. This means that tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded and all members of the party must arrive together. Many fans have complained about similar restrictions in the USA saying they prevent legitimate resale, create logistical nightmares for fans who may find it difficult to arrive with the credit card holder and mean that season ticket holders cannot pass on unused dates.

"Radiohead made it clear that they wanted the face value of the ticket to be the price their fans paid and Ticketmaster Paperless ticketing is crucial for artists who want to protect their ticket inventory for their fans," said Chris Edmonds, managing director for Ticketmaster UK who are handling the sale. "The technology means a smooth, secure and fast entry to the venues whilst also restricting secondary ticketing activity."

www.ticketnews.com

Hit Factory Back

Pete Waterman has announced that a legion of popsters from the legendary Stock Aitken Waterman Hit Factory will perform at a one off concert in London's Hyde Park this summer. The 11th July will feature Steps, Bananarama, Rick Astley, Sonia, Brother Beyond, Sinita and Dead or Alive amongst others, along with a rumoured Kylie and Jason Donovan duet. Live Nation promote,. and Cancer Research are named as the charity being supported.

Adele's 21 joins the mega-sellers

Adele'a 21 has joined the ranks of the best selling UK album's ever, leapfrogging Michael Jackson's Bad, Queen's Greatest Hits II and Pink Floyd's iconic Dark Side of the Moon to now sit at No 7 in the all time greats with 4,412,000 sales - just 12,000 short of 6th placed residents Dire Straits with Brothers in Arms. Top of the pile remains Queen's Greatest Hits I (5,864 million) followed by The Beatles' Sgt Pepper (5.045 million) at Number 2, Abba Gold (4.992 million) at No 3, Oasis with What's the Story Morning Glory at No 4(4.52 million) and fifth placed Thriller also by Michael Jackson (4.272 million) according to the UK's Official Chart Company.

And in more good news for the British music industry (maybe), X-factor popsters One Direction have become the first UK boy band to top the US charts with their debut album after selling 175,000 copies of Up All Night. The band are currently touring the uS and a TV show is being planned.

Will MAMA sale prompt new enquiry?

HMV's plan to sell its live music division, the MAMA Group, has now entered its second stage, after passing the deadline for first round bids. It seems interested bidders include both AEG Live and Live Nation’s Academy Group, both of whom already own UK venues. Live Nation’s acquisition of the Academy Music Group itself in 2007 prompted a Competition Commission enquiry which passed the sale, subject to the sale of two of AMG’s London venues and it will be interesting to see what competition regulators make of a combined Live Nation-MAMA or AEG-MAMA. The jewel in the MAMA crown is the Hammersmith Apollo, which CMU Daily reported “would be a perfect addition to AEG's UK venue portfolio, especially in the burgeoning live comedy market, the West London Apollo venue being the stepping stone a-list stand ups take before reaching the ultimate goal of selling out AEG's The O2 Arena on the east side of the capital”. Whether AEG would be interested in MAMA's other businesses, in the festivals, artist management and marketing partnership domains, isn't clear, and it seems possible that MAMA co-founder Dean James could head a partial management buy-out.

In a statement HMV said "HMV Group plc notes the recent press speculation regarding the strategic review of the HMV Live business. HMV can confirm that this review remains ongoing and that a number of parties have indicated an interest in acquiring the business. At this stage, there can be no certainty that any transaction will be concluded and a further announcement will be made as and when appropriate".

StubHub launches un UK

StubHub, eBay's secondary ticketing service, has launched in the UK. In the wake of Channel 4’s Dispatches programmes in the UK exposing some of the business practices of Viagogo and Seatweave the company's GM International Brigitte Ricou-Bellan told The Huffington Post: "We have a very different proposition which does not include buying and selling tickets on our own behalf, nor benefiting from direct allocations from promoters and venues.”

Oklahoma looks at scalping again

Ticketnews.com reports that for the first time since 1981, Oklahoma City is contemplating whether to reform its anti-scalping laws. City Manager Jim Couch wants to raise the maximum price at which tickets can be resold to $20 above face value. Currently, the maximum price is $0.50 above face value. Furthermore, Couch wants to institute a 500-foot anti-scalping zone around venues to discourage reselling.

CBGB to be reborn as a festival?

According to reports, legendary New York venue CBGB is set to be reborn as a festival. Since its closure in 2006, the CBGB name has also been applied to a short-lived fashion store and an radio channel, as well as being subject to a legal battle for ownership amongst members of founder Hilly Kristal's family. The festival will take place in New York from 4-8 July, and will feature film and conference strands as well as music.

RIP Jimmy Ellis

Jimmy Ellis, co-founder and frontman of The Trammps, best known for their 1976 hit 'Disco Inferno', has died aged 74 from complications linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Arthurs Out!

The ILMC's annual Arthur Awards have been made at a glittering ceremony at the Bunderdome Gala Dinner on Saturday night (10th March). And the winners of the most sought after gong of gongs in the live industry are .........

First Venue to Come Into You Head - THE O2 LONDON

Services Above and Beyond - EAT TO THE BEAT

Most professional Professional - MARTIN GOEBBELS

Liggers Favourite Festival - GLASTONBURY

Plumber of the Year - ANDY FRANKS

Best in Show - CIRQUE DU SOLIEL - ALEGRIA

Least Painful Tour - THE WALL

The Golden Ticket - TICKETMASTER

The People's Assistant - SANDRA MACARTHY

Tomorrow's New Boss MARTIN NIELSEN

Second least offensive agent - JOHN GIDDINS

Promoters Promoter - BARRIE MARSHALL

Bottle Award - WILLIE ROBERTSON

Oz and Eire gongs out

The Australian Music Prize has been presented to rockers The Jezabels for their album 'Prisoner' and in Ireland the Choice Music Prize has been presented to a previous winner, electro-rock types Jape who have now have won the honour twice in its eight year history.

Lambert lawsuit for Russian 'dates'

According to TMZ, UK-based live firm Madison Universal is suing Family Productions in Santa Monica over allegations the defendants claimed to be able to book Adam Lambert for two Eastern European shows for a total of £80,000. The litigation claims that the US agency was in no position to do any such thing, and that Lamberts actual agents were CAA - who would have charged a minimum of $500,000 for the two shows in Russia and the Ukraine. Madison is now suing Family Productions for a return of its 10% deposit and damages of $25,000.

Oppostion to EMI sale gows

Public Knowledge, a campaigning group that lobbies on internet and intellectual property issues, has submitted a letter to the Federal Trade Commission in the USA arguing that an expanded Universal and Sony after acquiring the recorded music and publishing divisions of EMI respectively would be very bad news for the emerging digital music market. PK urges FTC officials to consider how the deals will "impede investment, innovation, and therefore competition" and affect "the development of music distribution and other services that ultimately benefit musicians and their fans everywhere. Public Knowledge claims that even in today's market place a major label can wield sufficient power to demand that potential new digital music services pay the label hefty advances and a high percentage of future revenue, or give the record label an equity stake and it will be impossible to enter the digital music market without Sony & UMG board (with only two majors left, Warners a mini-major). Indie labels trade body Impala and Warners have already raised opposition to the sales.

Live Music Bill becomes law

This morning (March 8th), the Live Music Bill introduced by Lib Dem Peer Tim Clement-Jones and promoted in the Commons by Bath MP Don Foster became law. The Live Music Act means that small venues in England and Wales (under a 200-person capacity) will no longer need local authority permission to host performances of live amplified music between the hours of 8am-11pm. There will be no audience limit for performances of unamplified live music. The legislation is likely to come into force by autumn 2012.

Jo Dipple, chief executive of UK Music, the commercial music industry’s umbrella body, welcomed the news: “For a Private Members’ Bill to receive Royal Assent is a monumental achievement, even more so for one that is introduced in the House of Lords. This has happened only 5 times in the past decade. The assent of today’s Act is the result of a dogged commitment to musicians combined with outstanding Parliamentary skills. UK Music thanks Lord Clement-Jones and Don Foster MP for their work" adding “The global success of our industry is dependent on a flourishing network of small venues, where tomorrow’s headliners can learn their craft and develop their career. Allowing these venues the freedom to host live music is a huge boost for British artists and means more opportunities for developing talent, as well as enriching our local communities and the economy overall.”

AIM Awards back

Following the huge success of their inaugural awards, the Association of Independent Music (AIM) have announced that the AIM Independent Music Awards will return once again in 2012, casting a spotlight on the plethora of talent in the independent sector. Doubling in size in direct response to the overwhelming interest in 2011’s event, the AIM Awards will be held on October 29th 2012 at their new venue, The Brewery in Clerkenwell, London. Chairman and CEO of AIM, Alison Wenham commented: "The first AIM Awards (2011) was a fantastic event for the artists and companies whose hard work was finally recognised by their peers. We hope that as the awards show grows in size and stature, the wider industry will take note of the unique contribution the indie sector makes to the quality and diversity of the British Music Industry."

Scots challenge foolish licensing change

Hundreds of artists in Edinburgh are planning a day of "artistic disobedience" on April Fools’ Day in opposition to new licensing rules due to be introduced in the city. As previously reported, new licensing regulations will expand the number of live events that need to apply for a licence from city authorities, including free events. Ironically the Scottish move comes as the new Live Music Act becomes law in England and Wales which substantially removes licensing obligations from smaller music events which were introduced by the 2003 Licensing Act.

And one community group has criticised a Scottish council after it was told it would need a public entertainment licence for a children's Easter egg hunt. Myra Carus, of Rosemarkie Amenities Association, told BBC Radio Scotland that it was ridiculous the group was having to shell out £153 for a free community event. Highland Council said charges for some free events would be required from April due to changes in legislation.

Fruct and Setlist.fm both sold

London-based 'music and brands' marketing agency Frukt has been bought by the Interpublic Group, The company will continue to operate under its existing name and will still be led by founders Jack Horner and Anthony Ackenhoff but as part of IPG's Octagon Entertainment Group. More here www.fruktcomms.com/a-note-from-the-frukt-founders/. And Live Nation has announced that it has acquired Setlist.fm, the website which allows users to share setlists from gigs. The site currently boasts over 400,000 setlists in its database and was already providing content to Live Nation and Ticketmaster's iPhone apps

Fields joins Live Nation

Live Nation have announced the appointment of Mandy Fields to the new job of Area General Manager for the south coast, overseeing two venues, the Southampton Guildhall and the Academy venue in Bournemouth. And Universal Music have announced the promotion of Francis Keeling to the role of Global Head of Digital Business, reporting into Rob Wells, the major's President of Global Digital Business

Gabriel fumes at Limbaugh

Peter Gabriel has said that he wants his music pulled from Rush Limbaugh's radio show is the USA, following the conservative commentator's remarks about Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke. A representative for Gabriel posted a message on his Facebook page Monday, asking that his music no longer be used on Limbaugh's show. Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" was played in the background while Limbaugh called Fluke a "slut" and a "prostitute" after she testified at a Congressional hearing about contraception. And Canadian rockers Rush have also formally demanded that the Rush Limbaugh Program stop using the band's music on air.

PJ Proby accused of £47,000 benefits fraud PJ Proby accused of £47,000 benefits fraud

1960s chart star PJ Proby is facing benefits fraud charges over claims he received UK state benefits from 2002 - 2008 after claiming he only had '£5' in his bank account, despite having savings, and touring with the Searchers and receiving record and songwriting royalties. Proby, real name James Smith, 73, denies the charges.

Festival stats show modest green gains

A Greener Festival have announced that they will be presenting the findings from their analysis of the 2011 Greener Festival Awards scheme at their upcoming Green Events & Innovations conference, scheduled for March 16th 2012 at London’s SouthBank Centre. The analysis, researched and compiled by freelance events manager Nicolas Pianet, aggregates the data collected by A Greener Festival’s environmental auditors at 46 events during the 2011 festival season in North America, Europe and Australia, which were attended by over 2.25 million people

The festivals, which range from massive events such as Glastonbury (177,500 England), T-in-the-Park (85,000 Scotland), the Malmo Festival (200,000 daily, Sweden), SOS 4:8 (40,000 daily, Spain) and Bonnaroo (80,000 US) to smaller festivals such as the 1,000 capacity Wood Festival and Waveform in the UK and the 4,500 capacity Island Vibe in Australia, have all signed up to the Greener Festival Awards scheme to adopt environmentally friendly practices and reduce their impact on the planet.

A Greener Festival co-founder Claire O’Neill said: “last year we focussed on travel and transport, and it was really rewarding to see festivals adopting better practices, and the audience starting to slowly reduce its reliance on the car. Whilst this work is ongoing, this year we are going to focus more and more on water & waste – in particular the issue of abandoned tents and camping gear at out of town festivals – a vast waste of resources and a cost to festivals – as well as to the environment”

The Key findings include

• Only 34% of festivals said that they did NOT have a problem with left behind tents and in the UK these tended to be smaller festivals; Conversely 81% of festivals now have action plans to deal with the ever growing problem of unwanted tents and other camping equipment.

• Abandoned tents were not just a UK problem, with non-urban festivals in mainland Europe, Australia and the USA reporting a rise in left behind tents and other camping gear.

• 100% of Award winners promote public transport

• 88% promote liftshare and car pooling

• 80% calculate the event’s travel footprint (77% in 2010)

• 87% use at least some renewable energy on-site (84% in 2010) – some others use green tariffs and/or green energy from their national grid

• Most common on-site green energy sources are bio-diesel and solar power, and festivals also use pedal power and kinetic energy

• 100% of festivals recycle plastics, glass, paper and metals

• 52% prioritise ethical, fair trade and environmentally friendly traders

• 37% have mandatory requirements for fair trade / organic teas and coffee

• 75% conserve water and re-use grey water

www.agreenerfestival.com

Chugg calls for new ticketing laws

Australian promoter Michael Chugg has called from new 'anti-scalping' laws after tickets for Radiohead's latest tour sold out in minutes and fans fumed over tickets at inflated prices posted on eBay. As fans took to social media to vent their frustrations, prompting Chugg Entertainment to release a statement advising against buying from unauthorised sources. Chugg says action needs to be taken on a national level, including co-operation between promoters, federal and state government and websites, to curb the ongoing issue of ticket on-selling saying "The federal government should be bringing in a blanket policy but the state governments also need to act," Chugg told AAP. But Live Performance Australia, which sets policy for the music industry, continues to oppose any moves to make scalping illegal with Suzanne Daley, Director of Policy and Programs for LPA saying "Scalping is a very difficult practice to monitor and stamp out" adding "We believe resources would be better focused on educating consumers around the risks rather than trying to prevent it via legal means." Scalping comes under commercial law which is decided at a state level. The practice is illegal only in Queensland and only after a scalper makes a profit of 20 per cent over face value.

Radiohead and Eden Sessions join TicketTrust

Following on from last week's 'Dispatches' exposé on the UK's secondary ticketing market, ethical fan-to-fan ticket exchange' Ticket Trust has announced two new partners – Radiohead and the Eden Sessions. The Association Of Independent Festivals launched the Ticket Trust last year, in partnership with D2F company Sandbag to allow fans to avoid touts and secondary ticketing sites (which may well be the same thing it seems!) and Radiohead have now appointed the website as the sanctioned platform where their fans should resell tickets to any future shows if they are unable to attend after purchase. Meanwhile Eden Sessions is the latest festival to also appoint the site as its official resale partner. The Ticket Trust is at www.thetickettrust.com

NME GONGS HURLED OUT

The NME (BRAT) Awards are out and the winners are .......

Best British Band: Kasabian
Best International Band: Foo Fighters
Best New Band: The Vaccines
Best Solo Artist: Florence And The Machine
Best Live Band: Arctic Monkeys
Philip Hall Radar Award: Azealia Banks

Hero Of The Year: Matt Bellamy
Hottest Male: Jared Leto, 30 Seconds To Mars
Hottest Female: Hayley Williams, Paramore

Best Album: Horrors, Skying
Best Track: Florence And The Machine - Shake It Out
Best Video: Hurts - Sunday
Dancefloor Anthem: Katy B - Broken Record
Best Re-issue: The Smiths - Complete Re-issues

Best Festival: Glastonbury
Best Small Festival: Rockness

Best Album Artwork: Friendly Fires - Pala
Best Band Blog or Twitter: Lady Gaga, @ladygaga
Best TV Show: Fresh Meat
Best Film: Submarine
Best Music Film: Foo Fighters, Back and Forth
Best Book: Noel Fielding, The Scribblings Of A Madcap Shambleton
Most Dedicated Fans: Muse
Greatest Music Moment: Stone Roses re-unite

Villain Of The Year: Justin Bieber
Worst Album: Justin Bieber - Under The Mistletoe
Worst Band: One Direction

Godlike Genius: Noel Gallagher