Tedderr and Williams join Azoff's GMR

Both Ryan Tedder and Pharrell Williams have signed up to a new performing rights body called Global Music Rights, which is part of the new entertainment company set up by one time Live Nation chief Irving Azoff and it is expected that Williams will leave ASCAP by October 1st this year.   The Global Music Rights roster is expected to encompass between 30 and 60 writers, with about half of them expected to be drawn from the Azoff Music Management portfolio and GMR willl represent them in the performing rights area.

Last minute cancellation for I Am Music Festival

AAA reports that the I Am Music Festival has bee cancelled at the last minute. It reports that “Serious health and safety issues” led to Colchester Borough Council cancelling the one-day festival mere hours before it was due to start. Colchester Borough Council’s statement, posted on its Facebook page, has been the only in-detail word on why the festival didn’t go ahead. It reads: “Even though the organisers [the I Am Music Community Group] had the support of the Safety Advisory group, who have been trying to resolve a variety of issues for some time, they have been unable to meet the criteria of providing a safe event. 

Live Nation restructures management division

Rumour has it Live Nation will restructure its artist management business, with Madonna and U2 manager Guy Oseary set to head up a more cohesive new division. CMU suggests the revised division will include the firms 360 degree partnerships with Jay-Z, Madonna, Shakira and Nickelback although ther management side of Live Nation's Jay-Z joint venture Roc Nation would remain separate. A number of other senior artist managers are said to be involved in the restructuring, include Ron Laffitte, Larry Rudolph and Gee Roberson, probably best known for managing Pharrell, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj respectively. And HDD also reports that, in addition to absorbing management companies already owned or part-owned by Live Nation, Oseary's new division may be on the look out for some new strategic acquisitions too.

Exit announce flood fundraising effort

The EXIT Foundation’s EXIT AID program, designed to help people affected by the devastating floods in Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia earlier this year, has announced a special VIP fundraising effort as part of Sea Dance Festival, entitled Be Human which will see Jamiroquai and Example playing exclusive concerts at festival.  The event is a collaborative effort between the EXIT Foundation and the municipality of Budva, and Dukley Gardens, with the support from the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Government of Montenegro as well as the National Tourist Organisation of Montenegro and Tourist Organisation of Budva. Dušan Kovačević, Strategic Director of EXIT Festival said: “Social responsibility is at the heart of EXIT Festival. This is exactly why the EXIT Foundation started the EXIT AID programme after the catastrophic floods that had hit Serbia, Bosnia, and Croatia, in an effort to help the most critical regions. “The programme achieved substantial results with the help of numerous foundations and friends. The Sea Dance Festival Gold and Platinum tickets will be the most important effort yet, when two world stars Jamiroquai and Example will play host to a humanitarian party for the flood-affected countries in the region.

DIME to target music education in the US

The founders of music education institution BIMM, Kevin Nixon, Sarah Clayman and Bruce Dickinson, have announced that they are launching a new educational business, which will have a physical base in Detroit, and an e-learning platform that will reach beyond the US, with an alliance with the UK's Falmouth University. DIME and DIME Online will launch later this year, offering courses in creative music performance, creative songwriting and artist management - with other courses to follow.

Pasha to close, Night & Day at risk of closure

The London branch of the Pacha nightclub chain is to close in September, it has been announced. Opened in 2002, and named the capital's Best Dance Club at Bar Magazine's annual awards ceremony last year, the club will finally close its doors in September. A farewell party on 20 Sep will followed by one last hurrah, Kinky Malinki's sixteenth birthday party on 27 September.

And popular Manchester music venue Night & Day has been called to what the Manchester Evening News calls a "crunch licensing hearing" as it continues to tackle complaints from neighbours over noise levels. According to the MEN, the venue stands accused of repeatedly breaching a noise abatement notice issue by Manchester City Council. The venue said "The council have made an unprecedented move to review our licence before we have had the opportunity to appeal the Noise Abatement Notice in front of an independent judge in court". Recently, and after a spate of threatened closures including the Fleece in Bristol, and the Boileroom in Guildford , Mark Davyd, the founder of the Music Venue Trust, has warned of a 'tsunami' of noise abatement orders against venues and called for 'common sense' approach to resolve issues - often caused by new developments alongside pre-existing and often much loved music venues - wit Davyd adding 'if you hate music - why move next to a music venue?'. The MVT has called for the reform of existing legislation, which it says is unfair to music venues and is liaising with Save Live Music Australia which has fought a successful campaign against opportunistic developers down under.

And Preston's award winning 53 Degrees, operated by UClan Students Union with the support of the University of Central Lancashire, is to close as a 'high street' music venue at th end of 2014. The University will take over the building and use it for events and the academic programme,  The future of Preston's 2000 capacity Guild Hall and 780 capacity Charter Theatre  are also in doubt due to Council cost cutting. 

More Euro transport rules mean more touring costs.

France, Germany and Belgium have introduced new rest rules and charges for commercial drivers which the PSA fears will add more costs and expenses to touring bands. In addition to reports on the BBC web site that Germany is set to charge foreign motorists for autobahn driving, recent bulletins from the Freight Transport Association have highlighted French and Belgian authorities imposing changes to rules regarding truck drivers’ rest periods, with both countries outlawing the practice of taking certain obligatory rest periods in the cab - adding to accommodation costs and presenting drivers with difficulties in finding suitable places to stop with many trucks and lorries too large for hotel car parks. In Germany drivers need to ensure their vehicles are issued with badges, costing between 10 euros for 10 days and about 100 euros for a year-long permit. German ministers have insisted that the new law will not violate EU rules against discrimination.

http://www.psa.org.uk/articles/new-driver-rules-could-increase-tour-transport-costs

YouTube in the news

VentureBeat reports that YouTube was profitable off $3.5 billion in revenue generated in 2013. Google owns YouTube, but the company has never stated the streaming service’s revenue figures within its quarterly or annual earnings reports. The $3.5 billion figure is also from lower than many analysts’ predictions. For example, eMarketer estimated that YouTube would make $5.6 billion in ad revenue for 2013. 

And CMU Daily reports that The British Academy of Songwriters (BASCA) has issued a statement supporting independent labels in their fight against YouTube’s music service contract. YouTube told uncooperative indie labels that if an agreement might not be reached, their content would be taken down prompting outrage in the recorded music sector who referred the matter to the European Commission. statement BASCA included statements from various members of the organisation, including Texas frontwoman Sharleen Spiteri, who told reporters: "Songwriters fully support independent record labels in their fight to get better terms and deals from YouTube. It's about time we all made some noise about the way they negotiate with take-it-or-leave-it deals". Meanwhile both Spiteri and fellow BASCA member Barry Mason, who wrote Tom Jones hit 'Delilah' amongst many other songs, expressed concerns about the rates paid by streaming services in general, and the existing YouTube video site in particular. Spiteri continued: "It might be a little easier for writers like myself who also perform, but for those who do not and now have to rely on streaming income, the current rates are just not enough".

And finally with YouTube, a new YouTube channel called Music Vault has launched, featuring an archive of more than 13,000 live videos, including both single tracks and full performances, spanning the last 50 years. Run by the Wolfgang's Vault website, the footage on the channel is drawn from various sources including Bill Graham Presents and Daytrotter. Music Vault Content Editor Bill Antonucci said: "After two years restoring, transferring, mixing and mastering thousands of tapes from our enormous archive, we're thrilled and extremely proud to share this massive treasure with the YouTube audience".

FESTIVAL NEWS

Festival Insights reports that Volt Festival  in Hungary has launched a campaign to make the event more environmentally-friendly. Called GreenFestival, the scheme sees festival-goers given a GreenFestival bag when they get their FestiPay card, by giving a mandatory deposit of 500HUF. The ones who gather and return their waste will not only get back the deposit, but also receive a certificate of merit and a T-shirt coupon worth 500HUF. A spokesman said the aim of this campaign is to show the audience that they are the source of action when it comes to saving the environment. 


Crawl Promotions, the company behind North London's long-standing multi-venue music festival The Camden Crawl, has been put into liquidation by its organisers a week and a half after the event's 2014 edition and it  seems that many of the bands who performed this year will lose money. An official statement issued via the Camden Crawl website this morning reads: "Due to ticket sales falling far short of expectations for this year's event, Crawl Promotions Ltd, the Company which promotes the Camden Crawl, is unable to pay its debts in full to any suppliers, staff or the Company's directors and shareholders. As it stands the total debts substantially exceed the value of the assets of the Company. Because of this completely unanticipated situation and after nearly ten years of successfully promoting the Camden Crawl festival, it is with great regret and sadness that there has been no other option than to convene meetings for the purpose of placing the Company into Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation". An Insolvency Practitioner has been appointed and Meetings of Shareholders and Creditors are scheduled for the 11th July 2014.

Mike Weatherley MP, who has been particularly vocal on music business and intellectual property issues in his time in parliament, has announced he will not re-stand at next year's General Election. The member of parliament for Hove and Portslade since 2010, Weatherley worked in both the music and film industries before entering politics. He has been very involved in the All Party Parliamentary Groups on music and ticketing, and last year became IP Advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron as well as running the 'Rock The House' band competition which saw winners play live in the Speakers Rooms at the House of Commons in London. Having recently had a battle against cancer, Mike said: “This has been an exceptionally difficult decision to make. It has been a remarkable opportunity to represent the wonderful residents of Hove and Portslade in Parliament and I look forward to continuing to do this until the election near year.”

A heartless festival goer has left behind a DOG at the Glastonbury Festival. The white lurcher was found in one of the 5,000 tents abandoned after the iconic Somerset festival ended. The dog was renamed 'Dolly' after Glastonbury headliner Dolly Parton and Dolly is now recovering at the Happy Landings animal shelter in Pylle, Somerset - and rescue workers are looking for answers. A spokesperson said: "She is a sweet-natured older lurcher, and clearly very stressed to find herself in this predicament" adding "We had hoped that an owner would come forward but there has still been nothing" and  "How anyone could do such a thing is beyond me". Dolly was found by Wookey grandfather Colin Williams who found lonely Dolly in a stifling hot tent. Mr Williams had been let on the Glastonbury Festival site on Tuesday morning to collect an abandoned tent for his grandchildren to play in and he confirmed the dog had been left with some food and probably a small amount of water. The Glastonbury Festival does not allow dogs on site. 

On Wednesday 15th October 2014,  ADE and ID&T present the second edition of ADE Green which will take place at a brand new location; de Brakke Grond, Amsterdam. Expect an afternoon filled with interactive panels and discussions that will leave you full of new ideas, workshops on how to get your hands dirty to help create a more climate-friendly future for your event, as well as inspiring folks who will share their experiences, ideas and knowledge with you. ADE Green is accessible with an ADE 1-Day Ticket, or a 5-Day Conference Ticket or buy a ADE Green conference ticket. .ADE Green is a collaboration between ID&T and ADE, supported by EE MUSIC, GO Group which AGreenerFestival is part of, Germany's Green Music Initiative and Julie’s Bicycle. The first two confirmed speakers are music icon and entrepreneur, Michael Lang - best known for co-creating and producing the original 1969 Woodstock Festival - and top-chart dj Nicky Romero. They will be touching upon the role of the dance community in social change. 

Construction is underway on the Royal Opera House’s new Costume Centre at High House Production Park. Designed by Nicholas Hare architects, the Centre will join the Bob and Tamar Manoukian Production Workshop – where all the ROH’s sets and scenery are made – on the 14-acre site in Thurrock. The Costume Centre is a partnership between the Royal Opera House, South Essex College and Thurrock Borough Council with support from the East of England European Regional Development Programme and the Foyle Foundation. It will house all the costumes for opera and ballet productions currently in the repertory, which will enable the stock to be managed more efficiently, as well as reducing road mileage, transport costs and carbon footprint. The site will also house costumes obsolete productions so that designers may reuse or refashion costumes. The costumes will be kept in carefully controlled conditions to ensure they are properly conserved. The building itself will be of the highest environmental standards, set to achieve BREEAM excellent status, best practice in sustainable building design.

Festival Insights reports that for the third year in a row the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio has set an all-time Billboard Boxscore record for gross ticket sales. The festival is produced by Goldenvoice Presents, a division of AEG Live.
 The weekend following Coachella, Goldenvoice produced the Stagecoach country music festival, which drew 63,400 per day for a total attendance of 190,200. The total gross for Stagecoach was $18,615,000, with headliners Eric Church, Jason Aldean, Luke Brian, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes, and Florida Georgia Line. The combined three weekends at the Empire Polo Grounds saw a total of 769,000 paid, resulting in a gross of $96,947,000. In Denmark more guests than ever visited this year’s Roskilde Festival, where more than 100,000 people gathered for a week-long celebration of music, art, manifestations and creative kinship. Roskilde Festival’s spokeswoman, Christina Bilde says: “It will be a few months before we know the final economic result, but with more than 100,000 tickets sold and great numbers coming in from the drinks and food sales, we are very positive in our expectations. We expect to be able to donate approximately €2.5m to charity and cultural purposes after this year’s festival. And in Finland, Ruisrock attracted a new record number of visitors this weekend when 93,000 people attended the event over the weekend.

Tickets are now on sale for the 11th UK Festival Awards and Festival Conference, which returns to London’s Roundhouse for the fourth year running on the 1st December 2014. http://www.festivalawards.com/

Singer and broadcaster, Cerys Matthews, best known as the lead singer of Welsh rock band Catatonia is launching a new festival, due to take place in September. The Good Life Experience will be “dedicated to celebrating the great outdoors” with axe-throwing, archery, abseiling, wood-fires and rabbit skinning, among the activities on offer.

The Libertines' reunion show at London's Hyde Park was interrupted twice due to crowd surges and crushing.  During the second song of the set, a rendition of 'Boys In A Band', The Libertines had to halt their performance after security came on stage at the AEG promoted and Barclaycard presented British Summer Time event, attempting to stop the energetic crowd from being crushed at the barriers. 38 fans were injured and 8 treated in hospital. Singer Pete Doherty shouted to the crowd: "We can't carry on if you don't calm down a bit." Medical officers and security staff rushed to help people crushed at the front, and the photographer Leon Neal tweeted: "Chaos at the Libertines gig in Hyde Park. Many crushed with medics dragging people from the crowd." The Libertines have announced two more shows on 27th and 28th September at London's Alexandra Palace.

New deals in the digital age

Marty Bandier, head of Sony/ATV/EMI, has formally re-affirmed the publisher's threat to withdraw from the collective licensing system in the US if the Department Of Justice doesn't agree to revise the rules that regulate the two main American collecting societies for song performance rights, ASCAP and BMI. 
.

An update on SoundCloud: The online music sharing service is seemingly close to a deal with the largest record labels Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. Bloomberg says the major labels will agree to licences so SoundCloud can continue play their songs - and avoid potential legal disputes.  It seems SoundCloud is offering the three major labels equity in the company, in exchange for both licensing deals and guarantees not to sue over any past copyright violations when the service shifts to a monetised model. According to Bloomberg, Universal, Sony and Warner are being offered between 3% and 5% of SoundCloud, along with a cut of future revenues.

The Revolving Door

Investment firm Arts Alliance Ventures has announced that Deezer's former Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, Mark Foster, is to head up its newly streamlined 'event cinema' business.

The CEO of EDM-focused download store Beatport is stepping down. Matthew Adell saw the digital firm through its acquisition by EDM powerhouse SFX last year, and the subsequent downsizing that occurred as the company was integrated with the other digital operations of the Robert FX Sillerman-led business.

Production music agency Altitude Music has appointed a new Creative Director in Matt Kaleda, formerly Creative Director at Ninja Tune's publishing arm.

Billboard has named  Isabel González Whitaker as its new Deputy Editor. 

Global Radio has confirmed the appointed of former EMI man Ian Hanson to the new role of Chief Operating Officer, with a remit working across the firm's broadcasting, talent management and music publishing businesses.

Warner Music Group has opromoted Tim Fraser-Harding to the role of President of Global Recordings Catalogue and Mark Pinkus to the job of President of US Catalogue & Rhino Entertainment. Blimey. The promotions come as Kevin Gore, who is currently President of both Global Recordings Catalogue and Rhino, departs the major. Both UK-based Fraser-Harding and US-located Pinkus previously held Senior Vice President roles in the divisions they will now lead.

Talent and booking agency The Agency Group has opened a new Miami office, which will focus specifically on the Latin American and US-Hispanic markets. Jeremy Norkin, who takes the role of Director of Latin Operations, will oversee the new base.

Live Nation's 'Labs' tech start-up division has officially activated Boomrat, a new online discovery platform enabling EDM fans to find the latest dance megahits while they're still 'fresh'. Boomrat co-founder Andrew Silberstein, who developed the idea in 2012 with his business partner Ariel Lee, told Billboard that the Live Nation deal "provided us the opportunity to incubate Boomrat inside the company while developing co-branding opportunities with their dance music partners including Insomniac, HARD and Cream".

After four years in the job, Brian Message, of ATC Management and Radiohead's manager is stepping down as Chair of the Music Managers Forum. Two people will take over the role, Diane Wagg and Stephen Budd.

One of IQ magazine's 2013 'New Boss' winners, Danielle Russell, has been promoted to partnership development manager at Wembley Stadium. And Venue Sales Director Stephen Richards has announced his departure from the NEC.

Agent Matt Anderson  joins the Agency Group at their Los Angeles of office. He was previously at the Pantheon Agency.

Eventbrite has taken on April Chang as VP of engineering, consumer and infrastructure operations. She was previously at PayPal and Yahoo!

VMS expands it's university portfolio

Live firm VMS Live has confirmed that it has recently added three more sites to its venue management business, with deals that see the company expand its operations in the university venue domain. VMS already oversees the management of the University Of Manchester's Academy venue, and will now provide similar services for the University Of East Anglia, Glynd_r University in Wrexham, and the University Of Warwick Students' Union. Confirming the new clients, VMS Live's Operations Director Richard Maides told CMU: "We are still a relatively small but rapidly expanding organisation that offers what we believe are a unique set of services to each client. What we attempt to do is the exact opposite of the 'one size fits all' policy. During the negotiation process we have listened carefully to what each site required and worked with them to provide a service specifically tailored to their needs".

Brooks licence refusal leaves Dublin events in the balance

The decision by Dublin City Council to grant a licence for only three of the five sold-out Garth Brooks’ shows at Croke Park has prompted a flurry of comments in Ireland. Promoter's Aiken Promotions announced the shows in February after lengthy negotiations - they would have been the only shows Brooks is playing worldwide this summer.

As of today (8th July) legal proceedings over  concerts in Croke Park were formally lodged in the High Court by a local resident Brian Duff, whose solicitor is named as Anthony Fay, the solicitor acting for some residents of Croke Park. The case is against Aiken Promotions (Ireland) Ltd and Páirc an Chrócaigh Teoranta (Croke Park Ltd) and seeks injunctive relief preventing the holding of the three shows which had secured approval from Dublin City Council.

The singer said last week he would perform the five concerts, for which 400,000 tickets have been sold, or none at all. Dublin's Lord Mayor, Christy Burke, said he had made last ditch attempts over the weekend to have the shows put on at the Aviva Stadium on the capital's southside instead. But he was told by promoters Aiken Promotions and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), which runs Croke Park, that it was logistically impossible. Ireland's Taoiseach Enda Kenny said 'I hope the two axed Garth Brooks Croke Park concerts can be saved' but said that he could not intervene in the decision by the City Council which approved concerts on the 25th, 26th and 27th July, but not the Monday 28th July and Tuesday 29th

UPDATE

In a statement this morning (15.07.2014) Aiken Promotions said: "Aiken Promotions regret to announce that despite pursuing all possible solutions, the five concert Garth Brooks Comeback Special Event at Croke Park is cancelled. No concerts will take place


http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2014/07/04/garth-brooks-the-inevitable-live-music-mess-of-the-year/?fb_action_ids=655666217850200&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_ref=.U7r9Qy8i7Ak.like

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/lord-mayor-seeking-brooks-solution-30412652.html

FESTIVAL NEWS

The 80,000-capacity Rock am Ring in Germany has been forced to move from Nurburgring, where the festival has been held since 1985, after organisers failed to agree terms with new site owners Capricorn Automotive. Not only has promoter Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur (MLK) to find a new site for RaR, which is twinned with its Rock im Park (cap. 70,000) in Nurnberg, it will face competition from a new DEAG backed festival to be launched at Nurburgring.

Live music charity Attitude Is Everything has launched a new campaign this morning, calling on more venues and festivals to sign up to its Charter Of Best Practice for providing better access to deaf and disabled music fans.  The Music Without Barriers campaign is backed by musicians including Robert Smith, Alex Kapranos, Frank Turner, Tom Odell, Alt-J, Slow Club, Anna Calvi, Enter Shikari, and Stealing Sheep, who will be promoting it on their social media accounts via the hashtag #MusicWithoutBarriers and 90 venues ad events have already signed up for the campaign,

Scottish festival T In The Park is set to move to a new site for its 2015 edition. T's present base in Balado, Kinross, where the event has taken place every year since 1997, sits above a major oil pipeline which The Scotsman says has caused some problems for organisers DF Concerts and "substantial concern" from health and safety executives. 

One Love. The reggae-weekender-with-camping-facilities, which is happening between 15-17 August , is setting off for a new, bigger address at Springfield Farm in Milton Keynes, only ten mins drive away from its old post at Stockwell Farm. A confirmation on the One Love website states: "At Stockwell Farm (our old venue) we were really struggling with where to put everything and everybody! So we came to the conclusion that a change of site would be necessary to see the festival grow and protect the future of the genre".

Big Day Out, the troubled Australasian touring festival, will not return in 2015, and its long-term future seems far from assured. The news follows a deal that seemingly makes US-based Lollapalooza promoter C3 Presents the sole owner of Big Day Out, it having bought out co-owner AJ Maddah (and having already acquired half the event from Vivian Lees back in 2011). Following much speculation about the future of the festival, it put out a statement yesterday saying: "While we intend to bring back the festival in future years, we can confirm there will not be a Big Day Out in 2015".

Marilyn Manson has had two shows in Russia and Ukraine cancelled - both part of the twin-sited Park Live festival. A rally in Russia against "Western anti-culture" - and specifically Manson - kickstarted problems two weeks ahead of the first show - but it was a late bomb threat  that sealed the cancellation. The performance in Ukraine was  cancelled a week ahead of its scheduled date on the 29th June, when the entire edition of the festival was scaled down, with organisers saying that "today's political and economic conditions created insurmountable obstacles for large-scale outdoor events".

Michael Eavis has told the Guardian was that Glastonbury's 50th anniversary might be the right time to personally retire from active involvement in the enterprise. He told the newspaper "I think I can run on another six years, which would take me up to 50 years, then [I'll] see what happens after that" adding "Every single person here last night wanted to shake my hand and say it's the best thing in their life. It really is quite phenomenal that appreciation of the event - 44 years and people love it more than ever". Eavis also told the paper that 2017 would be the festival's next fallow year, and that the Pyramid Stage headliners for 2015 were already booked, although he said the much rumoured Prince wasn't in the frame saying "We're always having a go at [getting] Prince", he admitted, talks seemingly getting further this year than most. "Most of the people in the world want to play here, so I did ask him to hop on the train and come down to Castle Cary station and I'll show him around the farm some time. [That offer] hasn't been taken up yet though".  Eavis's daughter Emily Eavis said that her father had been enjoying the event, saying on the Monday "He got back at 4am last night! I think he got caught up in a singalong in the Underground Piano Bar, or something. But I think he’s thrilled with how this year went. He still absolutely loves it" and confirming that she and husband Nick Dewey "are already pretty far along with next year’s line-up" adding  "we’ve nearly confirmed all three headliners. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s shaping up" and added on the future of the Festival "We’ve got an incredible wave of young people who are now heavily involved with this festival, along with all our fantastic long-term team. It’s an amazing position to be working alongside so many great creative minds, spending an entire year planning these hugely ambitious shows that exist for one weekend! So, yes, I’m very excited about the future. And not just for next year, but for many, many years to come."

Google snaps up Songza

Google has confirmed it has bought US-based interactive-radio style streaming service Songza. Terms of the deal are not known, though it's thought the web giant paid somewhat more than the $15 million price tag reported by the New York Post last month and anything up to the $40 million rumoured. 

Welsh Music Foundation shuts doors

The Welsh Music Foundation, the development body that has supported the music industry in Wales for nearly fifteen years, announced this morning that it is suspending its operations after failing to negotiate new funding from the Welsh government. Ministers in Cardiff had offered to fund the group for another six months while it looked for alternative sources of funding, but the Foundation's board decided it wasn't viable to do so while continuing to offer its core services. 

Eavis's - Glastonbury goes on - but no Prince in 2015

Michael Eavis has told the Guardian was that Glastonbury's 50th anniversary might be the right time to personally retire from active involvement in the enterprise. He told the newspaper "I think I can run on another six years, which would take me up to 50 years, then [I'll] see what happens after that" adding "Every single person here last night wanted to shake my hand and say it's the best thing in their life. It really is quite phenomenal that appreciation of the event - 44 years and people love it more than ever". Eavis also told the paper that 2017 would be the festival's next fallow year, and that the Pyramid Stage headliners for 2015 were already booked, although he said the much rumoured Prince wasn't in the frame saying "We're always having a go at [getting] Prince", he admitted, talks seemingly getting further this year than most. "Most of the people in the world want to play here, so I did ask him to hop on the train and come down to Castle Cary station and I'll show him around the farm some time. [That offer] hasn't been taken up yet though".  Eavis's daughter Emily Eavis said that her father had been enjoying the event, saying on the Monday "He got back at 4am last night! I think he got caught up in a singalong in the Underground Piano Bar, or something. But I think he’s thrilled with how this year went. He still absolutely loves it" and confirming that she and husband Nick Dewey "are already pretty far along with next year’s line-up" adding  "we’ve nearly confirmed all three headliners. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s shaping up" and added on the future of the Festival "We’ve got an incredible wave of young people who are now heavily involved with this festival, along with all our fantastic long-term team. It’s an amazing position to be working alongside so many great creative minds, spending an entire year planning these hugely ambitious shows that exist for one weekend! So, yes, I’m very excited about the future. And not just for next year, but for many, many years to come."



Picture (c) 2013 Ben Challis.

Bargain BST tickets will be honoured

AEG live has confirmed that customers who secured £2.50 'friends and family' tickets British Summer Time festival after a hidden link went viral will be allowed access to the event - despite paying only a fraction of usual £50+ price point. 

A spokesman for AXS told the International Business Times that anyone with a £2.50 ticket will get access to the festival. 

VICTORY FOR LIVE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AS POLICE CHARGING REFORMS ARE DROPPED

A coalition of festival organisers, venue owners and event promoters have welcomed a Home Office decision to stick with existing arrangements for Special Police Services: SPS are police services above and beyond core police duties and under existing law,  they are requested by an event organiser. and Event organisers that request SPS are  required to pay for those police services that relate to their event. 

Possible changes to the SPS regime included suggestions that the police might be empowered to impose and charge for the level of SPS they saw fit, with charges potentially applied to core policing duties and to policing on public as well as private land.  “The current system for Special Police Services has worked well for almost 100 years, and is capable of working well in the future. We have banded together as an  industry to make plain our opposition to the implications in policy thinking that could seriously threaten the competitiveness of the events industry,” said Claire O'Neill from the Association of Independent Festivals. 

The coalition, made up more than 689 signatories from the Concert Promoters Association, National Arenas Association, Association of Festival Organisers, Local Authorities Event Organisers Group, Association of Independent Festivals, and National Outdoor Events Association wrote directly to Damian Green MP, Minister of State for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims.  It argued that giving the police free rein to impose charges on events would have damaged their competitiveness, inhibited many start-ups from entering the market and cost jobs, as many would have had to cease operation. 

Today marks a significant victory following a long period of uncertainty. We’re  grateful to the Home Office that the possibility of a system in which the police are  empowered to impose a level of Special Police Services on event organisers has  been stopped in its tracks,” said Guy Dunstan, Chairman of the National Arenas Association. 

Despite sufficient existing legislation, the events coalition noted that there had even  been concerns over the application of the existing legislation, including reports of: 

• ‘Overkill policing’ (e.g. excessive, disproportionate searching and unnecessarily intimidating policing) as a response at events which have not  agreed to the SPS charges proposed by the local force 
• Attempts to impose a level of service at an event which is disproportionate  and risks putting the event out of business altogether 
• Threats from police forces to lodge licensing objections to events if their imposed charges are not agreed to 

“Whilst the prospect of a review of Special Police Services has been seen off by the  efforts of our coalition, there is still a long way to go to ensure current regime is respected, and we plan to continue to work towards that,” said Claire O'Neill.