Japan's Tsumagoi Resort to close

Yamaha announced it is closing its Tsumagoi Resort in the central Japan prefecture of Shizuoka on Dec. 25. The Yamaha Tsumagoi Resort opened in 1974 and soon became one of the premiere venues for large outdoor concerts. In 1975, it was the first place to hold a large-scale rock festival qne over the years many of Japan's biggest rock and pop artists have performed at Tsumagoi. The mayor of the city of Kakegawa, where Tsumagoigave is located gave a press conference where he expressed "deep disappointment".

THE REVOLVING DOOR

Rafael Lazarini, formerly head of business development at Rock in Rio promoter Rock World, has joined Live Nation in the same capacity with responsibility for South America. Lazarini will be based in Rio de Janeiro and report to John Hopman’s, Live Nation’s executive vice-president of business development, working to build the company’s “profile and scope in this emerging region”. 

Ticketing industry veteran Rosa Martinez has been appointed marketing director of Vibe Tickets. Martinez was  previously worked with the face-value ticket resale app on a freelance basis.

Industry veteran Tim Chambers has been named a non-executive director of UK ticket search engine TickX.

Mojo Concerts’ CEO, Wilbert Mutsaers, has stepped down after less than nine months at the helm of Live Nation’s Dutch operation. Mutsaers’s appointment was announced last November, two weeks after the departure of former CEO Dick van Zuylen, and he stepped into the role on 1 January. He was previously station manager at NPO 3PM.

AEG Live has appointed Brooke Kain, formerly head of digital marketing at Apple Music/iTunes, to the newly created position of chief digital officer. And Live Nation’s former vice-president of national media and sponsorship, Caroline Burruss, has joined AEG as vice-president of its Global Partnerships division.

Paul Byrom, managing director of Upper Street Events, has been elected as the new chair of the UK's Association of Event Organisers (AEO). Montgomery’s Damion Angus will take over Byrom’s previous role as vice chair.

The Association of Event Venues (AEV) has appointed Dani Bull as membership executive, supporting the association director, Rachel Parker, and association manager Kim Miles. Bull joins from EPS-Bucks County Council, where she worked as project manager.

One of the longest-serving employees at Spotify, Jonathan Forster, is leaving the company.
MBW reports that Forster, who was hired by Daniel Ek in 2007 - before Spotify's launch - will remain at the firm until the end of the month. And the executive responsible for overseeing Spotify’s commercial performance is out: Chief Revenue Officer Jeff Levick is leaving the company.

Townsquare Media, Inc has appointed Scott Epstein as Senior Vice President, Live Events and Head of Sponsorship Sales.  In this role, Mr. Epstein will oversee the Company's live events sales development and fulfilment efforts and develop innovative marketing programs for brand clients in the Company's live events business.

Spotify has appointed a replacement for long-time US-based head of label relations Steve Savoca. The streaming company has hired Rob Harvey from Universal Music Group in a key role. Harvey's official position at Spotify is Head Of Label Relations North America, covering both the US and Canada.

Apple has made a major appointment in the UK market, hiring Universal Music’s Brian Rose – who leaves the major after 13 years. Island’s David Hawkes will directly replace Rose at Universal, moving up to become MD of Universal Music UK’s Commercial Division. The news comes two months after Neil West, former iTunes Europe Head of Music, took a new job at Apple heading up apps, games and music in Southern Europe.

British recorded music trade body BPI has appointed MJ Olaore to the newly-created role of Chief Operating Officer. Olaore will start her role from November 1st, reporting into BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor.

John Langford, director of live entertainment at The SSE Hydro arena in Glasgow, has been appointed vice-president and general manager of The O2 following Rebecca Kane Burton’s stepping down last month.

French live music powerhouse Fimalac has appointed Arnaud Meersseman as the managing director of its promotion business, Miala, as it seeks to  increase its stake in the international concert and festival sector. Meersseman earlier this year left Nous Productions, where he served as a booker, promoter and A&R. Nous will next month come under the ownership of Live Nation, with president Salomon Hazot becoming president of Live Nation France.

ATC Live and ATC Management have appointed Gary Cohen in the newly created role of Director of Brand Partnerships & Corporate/Private Hires.

Paul Pacifico joins AIM as CEO

The Association of Independent Music (AIM), which represents over 800 UK independent music companies, has appointed a new CEO following the recent announcement that Alison Wenham is to take up a new, full-time role as CEO of Worldwide Independent Network (WIN) after 17 years at the organisation. Paul Pacifico has been appointed the new CEO of AIM and joins from his previous role as CEO of The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), a position he has held since January 2015. He was also President of the International Artist Organisation (‘IAO’). Pacifico will formally take up his new post on November 1st 2016. Image by Lucy Birkhead.

John Dyer has left his position at Domino Recording Co after more than a decade with the company. Dyer has been a Director of Domino since 2005, working alongside founder Laurence Bell running the business which is a label home to  Arctic Monkeys, Wild Beasts, Jon Hopkins, The Last Shadow Puppets and Villagers. He joins Chrysalis Records as Managing Director. He will be charged with the day to day running, creative and strategic direction of the label.Vendini has made several new appointments, hiring software engineering, product management and customer support staff from defunct travel ticketing platform Zerve, which ceased trading last month, including new senior director of engineering Nitin Ahuja, formerly vice-president of engineering at Zerve. 

Independent publisher Peermusic has promoted Mary Megan Peer to Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Mary Megan represents the third generation of the Peer family’s executive leadership of the company, which has been family-run since it was founded by her grandfather Ralph Peer in 1928.

Lucy Bates has joined VisitScotland as its new marketing and communications manager in its Business Events division

BMG executiveThomas Scherer, currently EVP of International Writer Services in LA, has been promoted to EVP BMG US Publishing.

Greg Marella is joining Capitol Music Group as EVP Promotion, reporting to CMG Chairman/CEO Steve Barnett. Marella will oversee the development and implementation of promo strategies for Capitol and Virgin Records, while providing similar support for CMG’s Blue Note, Motown Records, Harvest, Astralwerks and other affiliated labels.

Petter Singsaas, who has led Universal Music Norway for 22 years, the longest-serving label head in Norwegian music history, is leaving UMG. He will leave this role 'under mutual agreement' on September 1st. 

Lucian Grainge has joined the board of Lionsgate to become its newest director. Lionsgate is best known worldwide for its movies and TV programmes, releasing over 40 feature films each year.

Universal Music Group (UMG) has hired James Murtagh-Hopkins as Senior Director, Communications. Murtagh-Hopkins will be based in UMG’s London offices and report to Caryn Tomlinson, Senior Vice President, Communications.

Deezer’s US boss Tyler Goldman has left to head up vape company PAX Labs as the streaming service appoints a number of new hires: Jorge Rincon is appointed as Vice President of North America and Phil Moore as Vice President of Southern Europe and MEA.

White Light has taken on Tom Wilkes as business development manager to support the company’s growth. Wilkes joins from Vision SL, a technical production company that he founded in 2009. 

Kris Chen has joined Nonesuch Records as Senior Vice President. Chen comes to the Warner label from XL Recordings, where he served as head of the company’s U.S. operations for the past 11 years.

UK Top of the Pops?

The 'Measuring Music’ report from cross-sector trade group UK Music says that that the UK music industry contributed £4.1 billion to the UK’s economy last year, using the ‘gross value added’ metric. This is slightly up on 2014, though is 11% higher than the first time UK Music calculated a GVA for the sector in 2012. The sector employs 119,000 people in the UK  and says 50% of the worlds's top selling artistes are British.

UK Music CEO Jo Dipple said: “The UK needs to solidify its new post-Brexit place in the world and music will undoubtedly be part of the glue that does this. Our export profile is astounding which is partly why music, like sport, gives the world an understanding of our small country. UK Music’s goal is to work with government to convince them to give us policies as good as the music we produce”.

http://www.ukmusic.org/research/measuring-music-2016/

STAGE saved by new investors

The company running Basingstoke music venue STAGE has been dissolved less than six months after it opened. Stage Live Limited. The venue will be taken over by two new investors. STAGE initially opened during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend with artists such as The Boomtown Rats, Toploader and The Hooziers performing. The 1,500 capacity venue, which was unused for two years before Stage Live Limited took over, was previously occupied by Liquid and then Wonderland. It will now be run by Andrew Eborn, former chair of the Montreux Comedy Festival, and Alex Worrall, chairman of Lasham’s Black Hangar Studios.

http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/14730952.display/ and https://www.stagebasingstoke.co.uk/

Calls for inquiry into Fesival No 6 flooding

IQ reports that around 150 cars were still stranded at Festival №6 this morning after becoming stuck following widespread flooding at the Welsh festival. The BBC reported earlier today that many of the remaining vehicles were abandoned by their owners and are expected to be collected later in the week. Gynedd councillor Jason Humphreys has called for an inquiry into why the festival’s park-and-ride car park was allowed to be situated on a known floodplain. “Forecasters gave ample warning of torrential rain on Saturday,” he tells the BBC. “But once again flood management agencies failed in their duty as they seem to be completely unaware of the dangers to people and property.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-37289011

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