Blake keeps Mercury rising

Electronic artist James Blake has won the £20,000 Mercury Music Prize. Blake beat stars including David Bowie, The Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg and Laura Mvula  to win the £20,000 prize for Overgrown, his second album. The judges described it as "Late night music for the digital age. An inventive, poignant and poetic record of great beauty." Speaking after the awards, NME's Kevin Perry described Overgrown as "one of the least commercial records on this year's relatively populist list". Prior to the awards. Prior to the awards, Rudimental's chart topping album 'Home' had enjoyed a sales spike of 29,000 units, Jake Bugg's eponymous 2012 debut album sold an additional 25,600 copies and Disclosure's debut Settle picked up 23,000 sales - with the Arctic Monkeys fifth album AM picking up most sales overall since nominations opened.

New music fund for Ontario

DigitalMusicNews reports that the province of Ontario in Canada has set aside a massive $45 million  for its new Ontario Music fund. The new fund for music was pioneered by Michael Chan, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. In an announcement, Chan said, “Ontario is the heartland for music in Canada, generating over $420 million in revenue, representing more than 80 percent of the national total". The music fund will be available to several industry sectors: Music Company Development will support record labels, Music Futures will promote music training and awards, Live Music will encourage booking agents and music events, and Music Industry Development will assist small record producers with capital, sales and guidance. Foreign labels can use the funds to "produce and market the recordings of local musicians, and to attract established foreign international artists to record in Ontario”. Applications for company development and futures are now open, and  applications for live music and industry development will open on November 7th:  all close by January 2014.

Ke$ha no show in Malaysia

Ke$ha is the latest artist to have a show cancelled in Malaysia after the authorities there said her show would "hurt cultural and religious sensitivies". She had been due to play a show in the nation's capital Kuala Lumpur. Despite consenting to tone down her 'suggestive' lyrics and costumes in line with the Muslim country's strict rules, Ke$ha was forbidden from appearing, she says, under threat of "imprisonment", a claim that's since been denied by the concert's promoters, Livescape.

NSW plots scalping clampdown

The government of New South Wales, in Australia, is introducing new laws which could result in AUD$5,500 (€3,835) fines for websites such as eBay and Viagogo if they refuse to remove scalped tickets that are advertised at hugely inflated prices. 

Details remain sketchy, but fair trade minister, Anthony Roberts, is pushing a proposal that will require full ticket details to be included when they are offered for resale online, while a threshold of approximately 10% above cost price is being talked about.

The controversial measures will allow event organisers to identify tickets being resold online and either enable them to cancel those tickets, or demand they be taken down from resale websites. If the websites fail to comply, they could be fined AUD$5,500 per offence.

http://www.ilmc.com/index.php/news/newshome/2305-nsw-plots-scalping-clampdown

The Wall scales the heights

Roger Waters’ The Wall Live has entered the history books after becoming the highest grossing tour ever by a solo artist. Agent Andrew Zweck, of Sensible Events, says the tour’s final show, at the Stade de France in Paris on 21 September, was exactly three years and one week after the opening show in Toronto in 2010 – and was typical for the tour, with a sold-out audience.  The Wall tour played a total of 219 shows worldwide, to more than 4.1 million ticket buyers, grossing $460million (€340m), which is not only the highest grossing tour ever by a solo artist, but also the third highest grossing tour of all time, behind U2’s 360 and The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang.  

From www.ilmc.com

Freeze frame for Metallica

Metallica have confirmed they will play in Antarctica for a Coca-Cola Zero-sponsored show. In a contest open only to those living in Latin America, fans will be able to bid to watch the band play live in a "dome" near the Argentine Antarctic Base Carlini on the 8th December. The set will be transmitted via headphones, with no amplification, which Metallica say is a "first".

Live Nation take on Voodoo

The USA's Voodoo Music & Arts Experience, more commonly known as Voodoo Fest, has been acquired by Live Nation. Earlier this year it was widely reported that Robert Sillerman's new SFX business was taking a slice of the Voodoo Fest company - and indeed Sillerman himself discussed the deal in an interview - but as it turns out, that transaction never took place and Live Nation have stepped in and acquired a controlling stake.

RIP

Lou Reed, has died aged 71. The Velvet Underground frontman  died from a "liver-related ailment", and had not been well "for a few months". Reed's former Velvet Underground bandmate John Cale, said "The world has lost a fine songwriter and poet... I've lost my 'school-yard buddy'". Meanwhile another former collaborator, David Bowie, said via his Facebook page "He was a master".

Philip Chevron, the guitarist with the Pogues and also a successful record producer, has died aged 56.

Music promotions veteran Stuart Emery has died suddenly after suffering heart failure aged just 50. Emery, who started out in radio promotions at Phonogram, before moving to Columbia Records and later at Absolute Promotions, had worked with countless artists over his thirty year career. Since 2004 he ran his own company, Large PR.

Oscar-winning singer Noel Harrison, the voice of 'Windmills Of Your Mind', died of a heart attack at his home in Devon last week. He was 79.

Hop Farm back - in stereo?

The Hop Farm Festival, cancelled in 2013 due to poor ticket sales, will return in 2014 with Vince Power back at the helm.  Power reclaimed the Hop Farm Festival brand after the collapse of his Music Festivals plc. However, the event will not be at its original home, with Power looking for a new location for the event in Kent. Noting reports that another festival is now being planned at his event's original site, Power's company said in a statement yesterday: "Reports suggest that another festival is to be hosted on The Hop Farm Family Park site, called the Hop Farm Music Festival, but this event has no association with the well established Hop Farm Music Festival. This is an unfamiliar event organised by an entirely different promoter and team. Despite the naming of this event it is not in any way connected with the esteemed Hop Farm Music Festival".

China to ration talent shows

The Chinese authorities are reportedly cracking down on reality and talent shows on TV. According to the Xinhua News Agency, broadcasters in the country will need approval to air shows akin to 'American Idol', and each channel will only be allowed to air one such programmer in prime-time each quarter. Some have predicted that the move could actually aid online services in China, where talent-show hungry viewers will likely be able to still access more of that kind of programme once the limits are in place on the traditional TV networks.

The Who to end touring after 50 years

The Who will quit touring after a final farewell tour in 2015. To mark their 50th anniversary, the band will embark on one final tour before calling it a day, says guitarist Pete Townshend. Speaking to the Evening Standard at a screening for their documentary Sensation, he revealed the band's intention is to visit parts of the world the Who have rarely played in before.

Festival Wood reaches 1000 trees

One year on and 1000 trees have been planted in the Festival Wood thanks to the generosity of the Festival Community.

Claire O'Neill and Helen Innes from A Greener Festival paid a visit to the Scottish Highlands last weekend, where we are planting the "Festival Wood" in partnership with  the highly regarded charity Trees for Life. This is a reforestation project and is for the festival industry and festival goers alike to give something back to the great outdoors that we love to enjoy. The project is to reforest the Caledonian highlands to provide desperately needed bilateral habitat to support biodiversity and healthy ecological systems. Trees will not be felled for timber. 100% of the £5 per tree donations go to the project  - with no admin fees charged to A Greener Festival - or you!

Helen sets off!

Claire  and Helen  undertook the long journey north to plant some of the trees kindly donated this season. The most considerable donation this summer came from Electric Hotel, who donated £1 per phone charge at Shambala Festival this summer - and with over a thousand pounds raised, Sebastian and his team at Electric Hotel were able to contribute 212 new trees  - which is fantastic! And with more donations from festivals, fans and suppliers, we are proud that FESTIVAL WOOD HAS REACHED IT'S FIRST ONE THOUSAND TREES.

Donations to the wood have been made so far include Et Voila Events,  PsyBeatm, Bestival, End of the Road Festival, Belladrum (Tartan Heart 2012) Festival, ID&C, Barley Arts, Italy, The Electric Hotel, Stack Cup, Peppermint Bars, Al Green Productions, www.festivalmag.com, Glastonbury Festival, Rockstar Services, Live Experience, Kendal Calling,Hadra trance festival and Deer Shed Festival. We also planted trees to celebrate Team Green stalwarts Helen and Sam's weddings - to Alan and Helen.

Claire gets muddy

A Greener Festival also donates one tree per festival that applies to its Greener Festival annual Awards scheme internationally. And whilst we have hit this milestone - its not enough! There is still a month left of planting and all festivals, suppliers, organisers and individuals are invited to donate what they can to this brilliant project!

O’Neill, Co Founder of A Greener Festival, said “Although this is a carbon negative activity, we don’t see it as an “offset scheme”. This is a reforestation project for the festival industry and it's for all of us to give something back, and to have a long term beneficial impact on the ecosystem that our lives depend upon”

To donate and for more information Please use this url  - scroll down and include your festival / company name - or pass this link www.agreenerfestival.com/festival-wood  on to friends and family!

THANK YOU!

Tunecore payments top $330 million

Hypebot reports that Tunecore announced that it has paid out more than $330 million in the form of royalties to artists. Launched in 2006, the company reports a 135% increase in music downloads and streams. “TuneCore is committed to providing you with affordable distribution and publishing administration solutions to build a successful career, get your music heard worldwide, and make money from your music. We congratulate all TuneCore Artists in achieving this $330 million earnings milestone.” said Scott Ackerman, COO of Tunecore

Nouvelle Prague festival and conference - panels and performers announced!

The Nouvelle Prague festival  and conference  is a new showcase event in Prague - the first ever in the Czech Republic. Nouvelle Prague is held on November 1st and 2nd in the Staropramen Brewery in the heart of Prague.
With its central European location, terrific flight connections and amazing  history, Prague is an ideal location for a boutique, exclusive and targeted showcase event!

More at http://nouvelleprague.com/

FRIDAY 1/11 2013

13:00-14:00
Crossing borders, fundraising, branding, sponsorship and other forms of music event support
Until recently the entire music industry was based primarily on record sales. The bands used to tour in order to promote their albums. Today, the classic record market is gone. Bands record albums to make sure they have something to tour with. From the point of view of the promoters, it seems the bands are greedier and greedier every day. What other sources of income are there for a venue apart from ticket sales? How can the artists or promoters use them? What funds are there to support live music in the government, regions, town halls...? What is the role of music export agencies in different countries? When can you expect a support from the corporate sphere? How can bands get access to home and international markets?
Panelists:
Shain Shapiro (Sound Diplomacy, Canada – UK)
Adam Lewis (Planetary Group, USA)
Jonas Vebner (Norway Export Office)
Marta Smolíková (Pro Culture, CZ)
Josef Havelka (Česká spořitelna, CZ)
Vojta Kalina (Pipes and Pints, CZ)

And playing live will be

Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose (UK)
Dorine Levy (ISR)
Little Suns (CAN)
City of Glass (CAN)
Jeremy Loops (RSA)

SATURDAY 2/11 2013

10:00 – 11:00

Booking ring
Is booking a band only a question of money? Or does booking involve any secrets invisible to naked eye? Is Eastern and Central Europe still considered an emerging market? What is the current state of booking business in Europe?
Panelists:
Christof Huber (asociace Yourope, Open Air St. Gallen, Switzerland)
Martin Elbourne (Glastonbury Festival, UK)
Angus Baskerville (13 Artists, UK)
Julia Gudzent (Melt! Festival)
Michal Kaščák (Pohoda Festival, SK)

11:30-12:30
Sustainable music events
Running a sustainable event is another current requirement. There is a rapid growth of expenses festivals have to invest in cleaning up their sites. If you care about green riders, using energy from renewable sources to power your event, waste management plans or other green issues, you should not miss this panel.
Panelists:
Fruzsina Szep (Sziget, Hungary)
Claire O'Neill (Greener Festival, UK)
Ben Challis (Glastonbury, UK)
Štěpán Suchochleb (Rock for People, CZ)

13:00-14:00

Current music media, streaming - and going digital?
Should you stream your festival live? Do the fans actually want go to concerts or do they just want to sit in front of a computer? What is a fair-for-all price for an album download? Do printed music media have any future or are we just going to stare into our computer screens to get the latest music news? A panel dedicated to new technologies and trends in the music world. What is (or may be) the future of music media? Which of the footpaths are soon to become the new highways and which shall be dead end streets?
Panelists:
Jana Grygarová (Full Moon, CZ)
Chris Cooke (CMU, UK)
Michal Novák (bandzone.cz, CZ)
Luděk Motyčka (Google, CZ)

All panels subject to final confirmation

Dilated Peoples

Playing live

Dilated Peoples (USA)

Technical Kidman (CAN)
Local Foreigners (NZ/SAE/UK)
Neon Windbreaker (CAN)
Money for Rope (AUS)

And the Q and MOBO winners are ....

And the winners of this year's MOBOs (Music of Black Origin) are out too at a ceremony at Glasgow's SSE Hydro Arena: And so the winners are...

Best Album: Rudimental - Home
Best Song: Naughty Boy - La La La
Best Video: Naughty Boy - La La La

Best Male: Wiley
Best Female: Laura Mvula
Best Newcomer: Krept & Konan
Best International Act: Kendrick Lamar
Best African Act: Fuse ODG
Best Gospel: Lurine Cato
Best Jazz: Sons of Kemet
Best Reggae Act: Sean Paul
Best RnB/Soul Act: Laura Mvula 
Best UK Hip Hop/Grime: Tinie Tempah

Be MOBO: Stephen Lawrence Trust

And the Q Awards have also been announced. Jake Bug won Best New Act, Foals Were best Live Act, Glastonbury was a winner again with Best Live Event, Ellie Goulding won Best Solo Act, Vampire Weekend won Best Act In The World Today, Chrissie Hynde was awarded Classic Songwriter and The Pet Shop Boys picked up the Outstanding Contribution Award. Suede were Q Icons and Robbie Williams Q Idol.

UK Live Music Business Awards - and the winners are ....

Glastonbury walked away with the 'Best Large Festival' prize at the UK Live Music Business Awards in London last night at a fun packed (and fast paced!) ceremony at the Radisson Blu Portman Hotel. Other winners on the night included Alex Hardee  who won Agent of the Year, Kwame Kwaten who was named Artist Manager of the Year, DHP Family who won Promoter of The Year, Orchard Events (wales) were worthy winners of Regional Promoter of the Year and Jamie Finn, of No-Wave (Folkestone) was Indie Promoter Of The Year. Best Record Label Partner went to Claire Haffenden from Universal Music

Latitude picked up the best mid-sized festival gong (15,000 - 39,000 capacity) and Bloodstock picked up best smaller festival (capacity under 15,000). Ben Howard won the "Breakthrough Artist award" and Graham Lambert, a Tour Rep, SJM Concerts, won the "Unsung Hero" Award. Tour Manager Of The Year was Glen Rowe (Muse), Spectacle Of The Year (Best Production) was Muse at Emirates Stadium, London and Best Festival Performance was Biffy Clyro at Reading.

Roger Daltry picked up the 'Outstanding Contribution' Award  in recognition of his enduring global success as frontman of The Who, and for being a driving force in the Teenage Cancer Trust and organiser of the charity’s high profile concert series.

Ceiling collapse temporarily closes Water Rats

After a temporary closure,  London venue the Water Rats should be open for business again from the weekend after part of the venue's ceiling collapsed onto the stage whilst preparations were underway for an Israel Nash gig. The collapse occurred before sound checks began and there were no injuries at the venue in Kings Cross: The gig was moved to The Slaughtered Lamb pub in Clerkenwell. Emergency repairs are now taking place and organisers have said that that the structure of the building itself was not affected.

Big growth in vinyl sales for 2013

Vinyl is back in fashion in the UK - and  the Official Charts Company and record label trade body the BPI have revealed that 2013 have now crossed the half million mark with the best sellers being:

Ten best selling vinyl releases of 2013... so far
1. Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
2. Arctic Monkeys - AM
3. David Bowie - The Next Day
4. Boards Of Canada - Tomorrow's Harvest
5. Queens Of The Stone Age - Like Clockwork
6. Atoms For Peace - Amok
7. Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The City
8. The National - Trouble Will Find Me
9. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away
10 Black Sabbath - 13

Vinyl sales declined at the beginning of the 'noughties' but have seen a revival - here is a year by year chart of the units shifted:

2003 - 579,248
2004 - 453,254
2005 - 351,224
2006 - 250,926
2007 - 205,292
2008 - 208,526
2009 - 219,449
2010 - 234,471
2011 - 337,041
2012 - 388,768
2013 - 548,142 (so far)

Lydon 'honoured' by BMI Award

John Lydon at Glastonbury 2013

PiL frontman and former Sex Pistol John Lydon has been honoured with an award at the BMI Awards in London and said he was 'proud' to accept the honour saying "It means fellow songwriters have really bothered to stand up and taken notice of what I do, and for me that's a very, very good and important thing." He was awarded the BMI Icon Award for his “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers” at the 2013 BMI London Awards held October 15, 2013, at London’s Dorchester Hotel. Previous BMI Icon honorees include Queen, Ray Davies, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison, Donovan, Don Black and Bryan Ferry.

The Dance Award was presented to Dutch songwriter Giorgio Tuinfort  for the David Guetta-performed worldwide smash “Titanium.” and  Winning Song of the Year for the most-performed song in the BMI catalogue on U.S. radio and television over the past twelve months were Sweden’s Jörgen Elofsson and U.S.  writing partner Ali Tamposi for penning the global hit “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” performed by Kelly Clarkson. 

BMI also presented A-ha with a BMI Million-Air Award to honour the four million combined radio performances of their hit song "Take On Me.” Pop Awards were presented to Ellie Goulding for her acclaimed hit song “Lights” and Snow Patrol for “Called Out In The Dark,” from their Fallen Empires album. Other honorees included Ed Sheeran  for “The A-Team,” Adele ) for “Rumour Has It” and ”Skyfall,” Example  for penning the Wanted’s pop hit “Chasing the Sun,” Wayne Hector for the Wanted’s No. 1 single “Glad You Came,” Jimbo Barry for “Hall Of Fame,” performed by the Script feat. will.i.am, Jamie Scott  for writing the song “Free” performed by Graffiti6, and Mark Hadfield for Ne-Yo’s “Let Me Love You.”

European Border Breaker Awards announced

Jools Holland hosts the EBBAs 2013

The winners of the 2014 European Border Breaker Awards have been announced, once again celebrating new artists who have enjoyed cross-border success in Europe. Each winner will be presented with a gong at an event during next year's Eurosonic festival, where one will also be presented with a Public Choice Award, based on online voting during November and December.

And the winners are...

GuGabriel (Austria)
Lukas Graham (Denmark)
Woodkid (France)
Zedd (Germany)
Asgeir (Iceland)
Kodaline (Ireland)
Jacco Gardner (Netherlands)
Envy (Norway)
Icona Pop (Sweden)
Disclosure (UK)

Ticketscript passes ten million tickets sold point

Ticketing services firm Ticketscript has announced that it has now sold over ten million tickets for its promoter clients at a value of £200 million. The ticketing firm launched in 2006, though a third of the ten million tickets now sold were shifted in the last year alone.

Ticket con leads to suspended prison sentence

Martyn Round (27) from Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire has been convicted of fraud after failing to supply £1,500 worth of tickets for The Glastonbury Festival and Beyonce's UK Arena tour - the tickets never existed. Round targeted people who posted 'tickets wanted' notes on the Gumtree website. Round admitted five counts of fraud by misrepresentation and asked for eleven further offences to be taken into account. He received a 16 week prison sentence, suspended forone year, ordered to pay £760 compensation, £85 court costs, £80 victim surcharge and complete 100 hours of community service. He had previously been jailed for 20 months in 2011 on unrelated fraud charges.

Eventim posts strong second half figures

Pan-European ticketing group CTS Eventim has published double digit growth in the first half of 2013: Revenues grew 21.6% year on year. ETS Eventim now sells more than 100 million tickets annually and has shareholdings in promoters Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, FKP Scorpio and Peter Rieger Konzertagentur with further expansion planned.

The Revolving Door

IPC Media yesterday announced the appointment of Jo Smalley to the role of Publishing Director for the company's two music brands NME and Uncut. James Thrower, currently Publisher of Nuts, will continue to report into Smalley, but will also become Publisher of Uncut. Meanwhile NME's Head Of Marketing & Events Ellinor Miles has been promoted to Publisher of that title, also reporting into Smalley. NME will be revamped with a reworked logo, matt paper for the cover, more tablet-friendly print dimensions, more pages for the new-band-championing Radar section with new columns by Dave Sitek and Huw Stephens, more reviews and recommendations, new 'franchises' called Soundtrack Of My Life, Anatomy Of An Album and Lost Albums, and a section called From The Vault that will raid the NME's archives

Independent music company the Distiller Music Group has announced the appointment of Alan Pell to the role of Group MD.

Merlin, the global digital rights agency for independent record labels has hired the services of Roger Gold, formerly with Warner Music, to advise on commercial and licensing activities in the USA.

Live giant AEG has announced that Thomas Miserendino will become CEO of its European division. Previously EVP and COO of the AEG Live tours business, in his new London-based role Miserendino will oversee the firm's venues, touring and ticketing companies and other ventures across the European market.

Mariah Carey has confirmed that Jermaine Dupri will help advise the singer moving forward. The two are former studio collaborators and long-time friends.

Outgoing Warner Music UK chief Christian Tattersfield has confirmed that he will continue to have an alliance with his current employer with the recent news that his new independent venture, the Good Soldier label, will work with the mini-major's Alternative Distribution Alliance division which will provide digital and physical distribution for all releases outside North America.

Martina Bruder has joined the supervisory board of Deutsche Entertainment (DEAG) and will be in charge of brand and communication and online marketing.

FKP Scorpio's Stephan Thanscheidt has become joint MD of the pan-European promoter and festival giant, with founder Folkert Koopmans now sharing the role with Stephan, giving  Folkert more time to focus on new projects.

Ajay Chowdhury has become the new CEO of secondary ticketing platform Seatwave.

Turntable Live to stream live concerts

VentureBeat reports that Turntable.fm, the music streaming service,has announced a new platform to broadcast live concerts to listeners. The new platform – Turntable Live – will stream live concerts online and will require users to buy tickets for live shows.  Venturebeat says that he site seems to be taking a "Kickstarter-esque" approach to each show. Bands can set a minimum number of tickets they’d like to sell to achieve a funding goal, and for now tickets are just $3. Once inside a virtual concert, ticket holders will have a chance to interact with the band much in the same way that users interact with DJs on Turntable.fm. That means cheers and jeers will be displayed within the room and you’ll have the ability to upload and share pictures with the band. Turntable Live is scheduled to kick off at  with a live show from music group Beat Radio and there are plans to stream more shows from the CBGB Fest in New York City this week.

http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/08/turntable-fm-starts-streaming-live-concerts/

Roger Daltrey to be honoured with Live UK award

Roger Daltrey CBE is to receive the Outstanding Contribution award at the annual Live Music Business Awards, in recognition of not only his enduring global success as frontman of The legendary Who, but for being a driving force in the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) and co-founder of the charity's concert series. Held at the Royal Albert Hall in March, the concerts have raised tens of thousands of pounds for TCT and persuaded many other artistes to support the charity. The success of The Who worldwide coupled with his work for teenage cancer sufferers makes Roger Daltrey, say organisers, a most worthy recipient of this award.

Lieberberg to give keynote for UK festivals

Organisers of the UK Festival Conference, which takes place during the day of Monday 2nd December before the UK Festival Awards that evening, have announced Germany’s much-celebrated music promoter and festival organiser, Marek Lieberberg to give the event’s keynote address, in partnership with IQ Magazine, at London’s Roundhouse. As Founder and Director of Germany’s mighty Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, Lieberberg will discuss his vision for the development and future of the modern festival. Lieberberg’s address will also look back into his extensive career that has been responsible for orchestrating performances and tours from global rock icons including Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen and Depeche Mode through to Britney Spears, Jay Z and One Direction.

The 2013 UK Festival Conference will explore the explosion of new technology in the modern festival infrastructure , while a Music Week-chaired Conference session will aim to explore the meteoric rise in artists fees and their affect on the industry.

Following the Conference the evening will play host to the tenth year of the annual UK Festival Awards. The best events and artists from this year’s season will be honoured with gongs voted for by the festival-going public or judged by panels of industry experts. Voting is open now at festivalawards.com/vote and closes on the 31st October 2013.

Classical BRITS 2013

The Classical BRITS have been announced at a ceremony hosted  by Myleene Klass at the Royal Albert Hall with Hans Zimmer picking up  two prizes, for Outstanding Contribution To Music and Composer Of The Year for his soundtracks to the movies including  'The Dark Night Rises' and 'Man Of Steel'. And the winners are .....

Composer Of The Year: Hans Zimmer

Male Artist Of The Year: Daniel Barenboim

Female Artist Of The Year: Nicola Benedetti

International Artist Of The Year: Lang Lang

Breakthrough Artist Of The Year: Amy Dickson - Dusk & Dawn

Critics' Award: Jonas Kaufmann - Wagner

Album Of The Year: André Rieu - Magic Of The Movies

Outstanding Contribution To Music: Hans Zimmer

Lifetime Achievement: Luciano Pavarotti (collected by his wife Nicoletta Mantovani)

Jury in Jackson case find in favour of AEG

The jury in the $1.5 billion case brought by Michael Jackson's family against AEG, promoters of his This Is It tour, have found that whilst AEG did employ Dr Conrad Murray, the company was not liable for his subsequent negligence finding that a licensed doctor Murray was not "unfit" or "incompetent" for the job he was hired to do, even if he proved to be unethical in the treatment he then provided to the late king of pop. The jury found that AEG didn't have a responsibility to go digging into Murray's personal life - to discover his acute financial problems, which possibly made him more prone to provide the prescription drugs Jackson craved in order to keep his job and it was reasonable for AEG to therefore assume he would perform the tasks he was hired to do in a responsible way.   It was the King of Pop’s own actions that kept his use of the surgery-strength anesthetic propofol a secret from AEG Live and his own choices that led to his untimely death at the age of 50. The jurors found the company had no reason to suspect a licensed doctor with no malpractice claims would violate his Hippocratic Oath with dangerous practices.  Marvin Putnam, the promoter’s lead attorney said “What really happened behind those locked doors? That was between Michael Jackson and his physician.” AEG CEO Randy Phillips told reporters: "I counted Michael Jackson as a creative partner and a friend. We lost one of the world's greatest musical geniuses, but I am relieved and deeply grateful that the jury recognised that neither I, nor anyone else at AEG Live, played any part in Michael's tragic death". Kevin Boyle, one of Katherine Jackson’s lawyers, said “We of course are not happy with the result as it stands now” and that the family were exploring legal options. Jackson's Estate was not involved in the lawsuit. 

YouTube enters into awards scene!

YouTube is planning to hold its own YouTube Music Awards Show. The 8-year old popular video sharing service made the announcement on Monday night saying Lady Gaga, Eminem and Arcade Fire are a few of the top artists who will be performing. The awards show will be streamed to the globe on Nov 3rd. Just what we need - ANOTHER awards show!

The Revolving Door

SoundCloud has announced the appointment Jeff Toig as its new Chief Business Officer. Toig was founder of Muve Music, the US-based mobile music service recently acquired by AT&T. In his new role he will be based in Soundcloud's US office.

Live firm DHP Family has announced the appointment of Ali Mclean to the new role of Head Of Festivals. Mclean, who worked on the 2012 Olympics as well as being Event Manager at various festivals in her native Australia, will be charged with increasing the profitability of DHP Family's existing festival brands, including Dot To Dot, Hit The Deck and Everywhere, as well as looking for new festival opportunities.

Twitter has appointed a former Topspin exec to the role of Head Of Music. Bob 'Moz' Moczydlowsky will in essence replace Tatiana Simonian, who departed the social networking firm a month ago, overseeing music partnerships. He is also expected to appoint two deputies who will focus on artist relations.

Stephen O'Reilly who, having led UK and later international activity for Mobile Roadie as well as representing Topspin in Europe, is now to join Shuffler.fm as Chief Marketing Officer.

Warner Music has announced the appointment of Bart Cools to the role of Executive Vice President, Global A&R And Marketing, Dance Music, and Warner Music UK boss Christian Tattersfield will step down next February, it's been confirmed, with his successor - Atlantic Records UK chief Max Lousada - becoming co-CEO of the British division with immediate effect. And as the Warners-Parlophone integration continues, Parlophone's VP Of Artist Relations Sefton Woodhouse is the latest exec to leave, following the recent departure of PR directors Debra Geedes and William Luff. Meanwhile on the Warner Bros side, VP Digital & Artist Development Sam Stubbings has left to join Native Management.

And Universal Music have announced Michele Anthony has been appointed to the new role of Executive Vice President, US Recorded Music and has announced the appointment of EMI's former main man in Spain and Portugal, Simone Bosé, as President of its Iberian Peninsula business, overseeing the mega-major's operations in the region. 

Live Nation's ticketing company Ticketmaster has announced the appointment of Keith English to the role of MD for its Irish business, following the recent death of the company's long-time chief in Ireland Eamonn O'Connor. English has worked for Ticketmaster for over 20 years in both the firm's London and Dublin offices.

Bauer Media has announced that Graham Bryce, who has previously led the firm's local radio network in Scotland, will expand his remit by becoming Group MD for the company's radio operations in both Scotland and North England.