Skip to main content

Month: June 2012

Manufacturing and creative sectors urge responsible consideration of ACTA before Plenary vote by Parliament

A recommendation made last week by the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee (INTA) that the Parliament should reject ACTA is a disappointment to Europe’s creative, innovative and manufacturing sectors, which employ over 120 million people across Europe and depend on intellectual property to support and grow their businesses.

More than 130 organisations representing the breadth of European industry have urged the European Parliament to wait for the opinion of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) before taking a final decision on the Treaty. A vote to follow the INTA recommendation and to reject ACTA now would be to ignore the voices of industry, unions, employees, the Commission, the Council and Member States. ACTA should be given careful and responsible consideration before a decision that will have significant effects on the EU’s trade relationships and economy.

“The majority of jobs in our knowledge-based societies rely on intellectual property. Counterfeiting and piracy, including on the Internet, are creating a global black market threatening the economic basis of real jobs in the creative industries. It’s a global problem that needs a global response. We need a tool like ACTA to improve international cooperation in IPR protection,” says Johannes Studinger, Head of UNI MEI.”

“If Parliament should reject ACTA, it will send a negative signal to Europe’s trading partners and to investors around the globe, especially since much of the debate to date has been fuelled by unfounded rumour and misinformation. We would urge MEPs to restore balance and honesty to the debate. Contrary to what its opponents have claimed, ACTA will not curtail fundamental rights, will not lead to Internet censorship, will not endanger the health of millions and will not criminalise file-sharing. ACTA is about fighting commercial scale counterfeiting and piracy, which will ultimately protect Europe’s economy and citizens,” says Jeffrey Hardy, Director for ICC’s initiative Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy (BASCAP).

“Rejecting ACTA would both damage the international image (and credibility) of Europe and its institutions vis-à-vis its main external trading partners, and completely jeopardise the economic and legal interests of EU companies and citizens. Our textile and clothing industry considers that it would be a more enlightened and fair decision to postpone any plenary vote until the European Court of Justice ruling, as previously proposed by sceptical MEPs and, in the meantime, to work on the clarification of this agreement regarding its potential impacts on citizens,” says Alberto Paccanelli, President of EURATEX, CEO and Managing Director of Martinelli Ginetto Group.

“ECTA supports ACTA as a cornerstone in the fight against counterfeiting and piracy and in order to protect the creative and knowledge-based industries in the EU and beyond,” states Marius Schneider, chair of the ECTA Anti-counterfeiting Committee.

Temper-Mental MissElayneous | “”Step In the Ring””

Temper-Mental MissElayneous has teamed up with Eberhart from Bitches With Wolves to create an inspiring song for Katie Taylor, Irish 4x World Champion Boxer.  Katie is on her way to London for the 2012 Olympics so let’s step left right left and get in groove with Temper-Mental MissElayneous and Eberhart to send Katie off in her quest for Gold.  “Step In the Ring” can be purchased on Bandcamp here  http://temper-mentalmisselayneous.bandcamp.com/track/step-in-the-ring with proceeds going to the Peter McVerry Trust  http://www.pmvtrust.ie/  which supports the homeless in Dublin.

“Whether it was watching her freestyle on the street in Finglas or mentoring other female would-be rappers about their flow, she was on-point, lively and fascinating, one of the brightest sights and sounds on the Irish music scene right now. There’s someone who’s a whole lot more than just being one of the “incredible and sometimes barely believable characters” the show set out to capture. She’s the real deal.” — Jim Carroll, The Irish Times

Irish Music Rights Organisation Financial Results 2011

 Decrease in Licensing Revenue of 4.2% to €36.5m in 2011;

  • 566 new members;
  • Operating Expenses reduced by a further 0.6% representing a 16% (circa €1m) decrease over 4 years;
  • Overseas revenue increased by 13% to €3.7m;
  • Distributions (incl. cable) paid in 2011 amounted to €37.7m.

20th June 2012 – The Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) has today reported that its total licensing revenue in 2011 amounted to €36.5 million, an anticipated decrease of 4% on the previous year, reflecting the continuing difficult economic trading environment for all licensees, most particularly in discretionary spending sectors such as pubs, hotels, restaurants and cinema. Broadcast and concert revenue however, remained stable, while overseas revenue increased substantially.

Commenting on the results, Victor Finn, IMRO CEO, said, “Despite the harsh economic environment, IMRO performed well in 2011. While revenues were down 4% below 2010 levels, this was expected and can be attributed to the continued difficulties faced by the hospitality, broadcasting and live music sectors. Costs for the year were tightly controlled, with a 0.6% saving achieved from 2010. Over the past four years, we have managed to reduce our overheads by a total of just under €1m.”

Mr Finn continued, “IMRO remains committed to representing a collective voice for music creators in a challenging economic environment. We have and will continue to invest in our IT systems in order to further drive revenues. We have delivered many improvements in our services for members; moving member work registrations and distribution statements online. The majority of members are now using the members online portal to manage their membership transactions with IMRO. This is delivering both savings and enhanced information flow for all. The recent launch of a new and improved IMRO website continues our investment in online tools for members and licensees.”

The launch of IMRO’s secure member portal with enhanced facilities includes; the ability to access current repertoire details, register works directly online, view distribution statements, and also search and claim royalties. The launch of the new portal also eliminates the need for paper and allows members to interact with IMRO on a 24hr basis.

Keith Donald, IMRO Chairman also commented, “While the Irish business environment remains difficult, IMRO has managed to deliver satisfactory results for 2011. These reflect the proactive strategies the organisation has taken in the areas of cost containment, increased market penetration and continued investment in IT systems.”

Mr Donald added, “The  ongoing economic downturn continues to pose challenges for IMRO. In 2012 our focus will be to maintain 2011 revenue levels, continue a review of our licensing schemes, grow online revenue, enforce rights on behalf of our members via an effective office based and on-the-ground presence, and via a rigorous defence of member’s copyrights. All of this will be done in the most cost effective and efficient manner possible.”

Commenting on the Copyright Review, Victor Finn, IMRO CEO said, “The statutory instrument giving copyright owners the right to take injunctive proceedings against third parties in the event that infringement acts are committed on their networks, was transposed into Irish law earlier this year by Minister Richard Bruton. We welcome this development. The future for music is in broadcast, online, on mobile and cloud platforms, all of which offer growth prospects.”

Mr. Finn continued, “Growth will occur through partnerships collaboration between the creative community and technology companies, not by these sectors being pitted against one another. Respect and reward for innovation go hand-in-hand with copyright protection, promotion and enforcement. We will continue to advocate such a partnership approach on behalf of our members. We are currently engaging with the Copyright Review Committee and with Government to ensure a balanced set of measures is introduced. This will ensure that new enterprises in the off-line and online environments have easy access to our repertoire and that royalty fees paid for such use are fair and reasonable.”

 Ends

 For Further Information:

 Keith Johnson
Director of Marketing & Membership
Irish Music Rights Organisation
Copyright House
Pembroke Row
Lower Baggot Street
Dublin 2
Ireland

P: 353 1 6614844

E: keith.johnson@nullimro.ie

 

Notes to Editors:

 

Overview of Licensing Revenue

Licensing revenue of €36.5m was achieved in 2011, a fall of 4.2% on 2010. This was split across four areas:

  • Broadcasting (excluding cable) & Online
  • Cable and Satellite;
  • Public Performance;
  • Overseas.

 

Broadcasting (excluding cable)

This comprises royalties from RTÉ, TG4, independent commercial radio and TV broadcasters.

Revenue from this industry sector, excluding cable, at €7.3m was in line with 2010.

 

Cable and Satellite

Cable and satellite revenue reflects the royalties payable for the cable retransmission of UK terrestrial

and satellite channels in Ireland. Revenue at €11.6m, was down on 2010 due to certain channels not

being carried by cable operators. The majority of this revenue is distributed to the cable rightsholders

involved in the rebroadcast of BBC, ITV, and Channel 4  programming  on cable networks, with the

remainder being distributed to IMRO members and affiliates.

 

Public Performance

Public performance revenue reflects royalties arising from the public performance of copyright music

in shops, bars, cinemas, hotels, offices, and at live concerts. At €13.5m, this figure fell by 9%

(€1.4m) when compared to 2010. The fall mainly reflected backdated revenue from the cinema sector

of almost €1m in 2010. In addition, lower levels of music usage and higher bad debts in all sectors

resulted in revenue falls. Concert revenue, however, remained stable.

 

Overseas

Overseas revenue arises from the use of IMRO members‘ repertoire in other countries. In 2011

overseas revenue increased by 13% to €3.7m, reflecting a strong performance of the IMRO repertoire

overseas. This revenue comes to IMRO members via our overseas sister societies, with 35%

earned in the United Kingdom, a further 36% earned in other EU countries and 11% earned in the US.

 

About the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)

IMRO is a national organisation that administers the performing right in copyright music in Ireland on behalf of its members –  who are songwriters, composers and music publishers – and on behalf of the songwriters, composers and music publishers of the international overseas societies that are affiliated to it. IMRO does not represent the interests of record labels. Their interests in Ireland are administered by Phonographic Performance Ireland (PPI) and their representative trade body is The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA).   IMRO’s function is to collect and distribute royalties arising from the public performance of copyright works. IMRO is a not-for-profit organisation. 

Music users such as broadcasters, venues and businesses must pay for their use of copyright music by way of a blanket licence fee. IMRO collects these monies and distributes them to the songwriters, composers and music publishers who created the songs. The monies earned by copyright owners in this way are known as public performance royalties.

IMRO is also prominently involved in the sponsorship and promotion of music in Ireland. Every year it sponsors a large number of song contests, music festivals, seminars, workshops, research projects and showcase performances. Indeed, IMRO is now synonymous with helping to showcase emerging talent in Ireland.

Castlepalooza Unveils Full Line-up For 2012

CASTLEPALOOZA MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

 CHARLEVILLE CASTLE, TULLAMORE, CO OFFALY.

 3rd, 4th & 5th AUGUST 2012

Ireland’s best value festival of the Summer, Castlepalooza, has announced its full line-up to join headliners British rock icons The Charlatans at Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co. Offaly this coming August Bank Holiday weekend.

Already playing alongside The Charlatans in the haunted Charleville Forest is Castlepalooza’s trademark mix of hip acts including Ghostpoet; King Charles; Jape; Donal Dineen’s Parish Project; Solar Bears; Jon Phonics; Mmoths; Little Green Cars and many others. And now joining the line-up are electronic group Plaid; returning Irish heroes HAL; Illum Sphere; SertOne and a cocktail of other fresh Irish talent including:

·      This Club
·      Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands
·      The Casanova Wave
·      Deaf Joe
·      Nanu Nanu
·      Frankie Grimes
·      Lil’ Dave
·      Kenny Bogan
·      Conal Bailey
·      Ocho
·      Brad Pitt Light Orchestra
·      Trumpets of Jericho
·      Overhead the Albatross
·      Slow Skies
·      The Viking Project
·      In the Willows (Redbull Bedroom Jam Winner)
·      Tara Stewart & a Stage of Being

In addition for the first time ever, Castlepalooza asked Irish acts to apply through Breaking Tunes and received an incredible response from the deep pool of up-and-coming Irish talent.  Despite an original commitment of 4 slots, based on the number of applications and the high quality of the entries, a total of 13 acts have been selected. These are:

·      Benny Smiles
·      Cars Love Girls
·      Cry Monster Cry
·      Grand Pocket Orchestra
·      Kammerpop
·      Last Days of 1984
·      Lights Camera Sundown
·      Little Xs for Eyes
·      Mrs Healys First Class Choir
·      Owensie
·      Roisin O
·      The Statics
·      White Collar Boy

If you fancy a break from the music, there’ll be plenty of fun to be had at free workshops in the castle including Hip Hop and Hula Hoop; you can enter an art contest at Dr Sketchy’s Life Drawing Classes; check out some future film greats at the Eat My Shorts Short Film Showcase or relax by the fire at our Sunday Spa in The Morning Room!

Tickets for Castlepalooza are on sale now at www.castlepalooza.com or from usual ticket outlets.

love:live music – Focus on New Music and Irish Composers

love:live music, Ireland’s celebration of National Music Day on Thursday 21st June, presents a brilliant opportunity to experience new music written and performed by some of the country’s most exciting musicians. Events take place throughout the day and are free to attend.

CMC’s Live at Your Place, 8.30am-9.30am, broadcast on Dublin City FM (103.2FM)

The Contemporary Music Centre begins the day with the launch of CMC’s Live at Your Place. Musicians from Crash Ensemble will give an intimate early morning concert to staff at the council’s offices on Wood Quay. Commuters across the city will be able to listen in, as the concert – which features music by CMC composers Enda Bates, Judith Ring and Benedict Schlepper-Connolly – is broadcast live on Dublin City FM’s Live Drive.

Enda Bates (b.1979) is a composer, musician, producer and academic whose work combines traditional acoustic and electronic music.  He is a founder member of the Spatial Music Collective.

Judith Ring (b.1976) is a Dublin-born composer working in electroacoustic music as well as with electronics in live performance. Her works include a number of highly successful collaborations with choreographers and film artists.

Benedict Schlepper-Connolly (b.1985) studied composition with Donnacha Dennehy at Trinity College Dublin and Justin Dello Joio at New York University.  He is a co-founder and director of Ergodos and General Editor of the Journal of Music.

 

CoMA Limerick, 1pm-2pm, Hunt Museum, Limerick

At lunchtime, CoMA Limerick, founded by Fiona Linnane, will play an exciting concert of pieces inspired by the collection at the Hunt Museum, where the group is currently in residence. The works include Linnane’s Viking Ice Skate, commissioned as part of CoMA’s Reaction project in 2011, as well as The Dining Controversy by Derek Ball, which written in response to a call for scores held earlier in 2012. An open invitation has been extended for musicians to join CoMA Limerick for three days of rehearsals with guest conducted by composer John Godfrey and to perform in the final love:live music concert.

Fiona Linnane (b.1978) is a composer, teacher and musician living in County Limerick.  In 2008 she founded CoMA Limerick, a contemporary music ensemble for amateurs.

Derek Ball (b.1949) was born in Co. Donegal and now lives in Scotland.  His music has been performed by many of the leading Irish soloists and ensembles and in 2009 he was among the featured composers in the Horizons series at the National Concert Hall, Dublin.

John Godfrey (b.1962) is a composer and conductor. He co-founded the ensemble Icebreaker and has had works performed by the Bang On A Can All-Stars and Crash ensemble among many others.  He is founder of the Cork-based experimental group the Quiet Music Ensemble.

 

Music Educators Orchestra/Kirkos, 7.30pm-10.30pm, The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Abbey Street, Dublin 1

Music Educators Orchestra, directed by CMC composer Peter Moran, will present its debut concert, Love Live Classical, as part of the celebrations. The event will be a unique open-mic session for classical musicians and will also feature three special concert performances. Among them, Kirkos Ensemble will present a programme of new works by student composers from the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

Peter Moran (b.1981) draws inspiration from sources as diverse as such as gamelan, improvisation, blues and rock.  He is active in music education and created CMC’s New Music Alive primary music series. He is director of the Music Educators Orchestra

 

Vyvienne Long’s Ballgown Musette, 8:00pm, Freemasons’ Hall, 17 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2

CMC composer Roger Doyle and Congolese guitarist Niwel Tsumbu have collaborated with cellist Vyvienne Long for Ballgown Musette, which takes place in the stunning surroundings of the Freemasons’ Hall. Audience members are encouraged to dress for the occasion in a vintage ball gown, a bow tie under a cape or a Zulu headdress! Places are limited, so advanced ticket reservation is advised by emailing catsarabande@nullgmail.com.

Roger Doyle (b.1949) is renowned in the field of electroacoustic composition and has worked extensively in theatre, film and dance.  Major works include Babel, composed over the course of ten years and completed in 1999, and Pasades (2002-07).

 

Linda Buckley premiere, 8.30pm, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin

The day draws to a close with the premiere of a new work, Cosán de Solas Gealai Bui (A Path of Yellow Moonlight) by RTÉ lyric fm Composer in Residence and CMC composer Linda Buckley which fuses the traditional and the modern. Following the ‘sonic thread’ of traditional Irish music, the piece travels between orchestral and electroacoustic sound-worlds and will be performed by members of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, DIT Traditional Music Ensemble and piper Mick O’Brien. The premiere will take place as part of La Ceoil, an all-afternoon outdoor event.

Linda Buckley (b.1979) is a composer from the Old Head of Kinsale, currently based in Dublin.  Her music has been performed internationally, including in Europe, the USA, China and South Korea.  She is a member of the Spatial Music Collective and is currently RTÉ Lyric fm Composer in Residence.

DERRY’S CULTURE TECH FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES £20,000 STARTUP COMPETITION

The team behind Derry-Londonderry’s Culture Tech festival have this week announced a £20,000 competition for digital startups, alongside a range of new speakers and acts for the August event.

Culture Tech, a four-day festival of digital culture, music and technology, will take place in the historic Walled City between August 29th and September 1st, in the run up to the city’s tenure as UK City of Culture in 2013. As part of the event, the organisers have launched SeedComp in search for the region’s best new digital business ideas.

The competition, which opened on Monday, is open to anyone interested in setting up a digital business in the city and features a first prize of £10,000 alongside two runner-up prizes of £5000 each. A selected shortlist of entries will be invited to present to a judging panel of investors and entrepreneurs during the Culture Tech festival with the three winners presenting live on-stage in front of an estimated 500 delegates, before collecting their awards.

The announcement comes alongside news of several new high-profile speakers at the event including Sir Nick Kenyon, Director of the Barbican in London, Idan Cohen, co-founder of Boxee.com and Julian March, the new Head of Digital for ITV news, sport and weather.

Mark Nagurski from Digital Derry, organisers of the festival, explained: “Culture Tech is a celebration of all things digital and entrepreneurship has become one of the defining factors of our digital culture. Last year’s SeedComp winners have gone on to secure major investment and we’re delighted to be able to make this exciting competition a key part of Culture Tech this year. Moreover, bringing it into the festival will create a unique opportunity for aspiring digital entrepreneurs to get their ideas in front of well-known industry professionals, keynote speakers, the media and the over 500 delegates we expect to welcome to the city for the event.”

The festival, which is being backed by Invest Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Screen, Seagate and urban regeneration company ILEX amongst others, will be announcing a major programme of music events, as well as its main keynote speakers, in early July. Tickets are currently available online via the festival website at www.culturetech.co with further information about SeedComp at www.digitalderry.org

 

Blas Summer School Returns To UL

The Blas International Summer School of Irish Traditional Music and Dance returns to the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick for the 16th successive year this June 25th – July 6th 2012.

 Blas, directed by Ernestine Healy, has firmly established itself as one of Ireland’s most prestigious summer schools, drawing students from all over the world to spend two weeks gaining access to the expertise of some of Ireland’s finest artists.  

 Apart from tuition and master classes, Blas students can expect a whole range of activities including lectures on Irish Traditional music topics, field-trips, sessions, Irish Language classes (facilitated through the Aonad na Gaeilge) lunchtime and evening concerts, céilís, and above all, the opportunity to share tunes with some of Ireland’s leading traditional musicians. 

 The summer school will be launched this year by Aodán O’Dubhghaill, Director of RTÉ lyric fm, on Monday 25th June at 5.30p.m. Following on from this, a number of public events will take place throughout the summer school, based at the Irish World Academy on the university campus.

 On Tuesday 26th June at 5pm, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Nell Ní Chróinín and Eamonn Costello come together for a discussion entitled ‘Irish Language Singers in a Contemporary Context’.

 Performer, composer, academic and teacher, Dr. Mel Mercier, will deliver this year’s Francis Roche Memorial Lecture. Entitled ‘Making Music Together: Father and Son Duets’, the lecture will take place on Thursday June 28th at 5pm in the Tower Theatre at the Irish World Academy.

 The Blas public concerts are hugely popular and include Iarla Ó Lionáird, Steve Cooney, Tom Doorley, Derek Hickey & guests on Wednesday June 27th and Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich, Seamus Begley, Michelle Mulcahy & guests on Wednesday July 4th. A series of free lunchtime concerts will also run daily at 1.15p.m. from Tuesday 26th June to Thursday July 5th.  Tickets for the concerts are available on www.uch.ie or by contacting the box office at 061-331549.

 Tutors for Blas 2012 include Dennis Cahill, Dónal Lunny, Steve Cooney, Aileen Dillane, Alan Colfer, Ciaran Coughlan & Francis Ward (accompaniment), Martin Hayes, Siobhán Peoples, John Carty & Matt Cranitch (fiddle), Niall Keegan, Kevin Crawford, Tom Doorley, Garry Shannon & Majella Bartley (flute), Derek Hickey, Danny O Mahony & Sean Óg Graham (Box), Colin Dunne, Catherine Foley, Mats Melin and Orfhlaith Ní Bhriain, Breandán de Gallaí & Michael Ryan (dance), Noirín Ní Riain, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, Sandra Joyce & Seamus Begley (song), and Jim Higgins & Mel Mercier (bodhrán).

 For further information on the Blas Summer School, see www.blas.ie or contact Ernestine Healy, Director, Blas Summer School of Irish Traditional Music and Dance, Irish World Academy, University of Limerick.

Email: Ernestine.Healy@nullul.ie or by Phone: 061 202653.

Carol Keogh wins Unsigned and Online title

Dublin-based singer-songwriter wins top prize in competition run by Microsoft and MUZU TV to find Ireland’s best unsigned act

Singer-songwriter Carol Keogh has been announced as the winner of Unsigned and Online, a competition to promote independent Irish music. Unsigned and Online was the collaboration of Microsoft and MUZU TV, in association with IMRO, designed to challenge unsigned musicians to use various Microsoft products and digital media to promote their band. Over the past ten weeks bands and artists from around the country battled it out to win points online and vie for the Number 1 spot. The artists’ videos were viewed nearly 100,000 times.

Carol Keogh walks away an amazing prize worth over €10,000. The prize consists of a digital marketing campaign across Microsoft platforms, including Windows Live and MSN, Ireland’s number one portal, an acoustic session in MUZU TV’s studio and a slot on stage at an upcoming gig at Dublin’s The Academy.

Carol’s song ‘Into the Blue’ beat off some stiff competition from second placed Policy with ‘Suggestion Box’ and The Last Crash with ‘Melt Me’ in third.


Carol Keogh – Into the Blue on MUZU.TV.

Dublin-based Carol has been working the music scene for a number of years, writing, performing and recording with various bands, such as The Plague Monkeys and The Tycho Brahe. She has been performing as a solo artist since 2008 and is currently demoing tracks with her backing band The City Fathers for her forthcoming debut album, which will be called ‘Mongrel City’.

Making the announcement, Orla Sheridan, Consumer Channels Group Manager at Microsoft, said: “We are thrilled for Carol on winning Unsigned and Online, ‘Into the Blue’ is a really great song. Carol has shown a real determination throughout her music career and the win will give her added exposure to help with her continued success.

She added: “We know that there are countless bands and musicians around Ireland using digital and social media as a powerful tool to gain and maintain their fan base. The power of online has been shown time and again as unsigned acts try to exploit its full potential by sharing their music. But it’s not just about making your music accessible; people need to know where to find you. That’s the reason Microsoft and MUZU TV came together to launch Unsigned and Online. We merged the best of Windows Live technologies, such as Hotmail and SkyDrive with MUZU’s reach and expertise to deliver a platform that really delivered exposure for the acts. SkyDrive from Microsoft is the best way to share documents, photos and videos on the web and across your devices.”

Ciaran Bollard, CEO at MUZU TV said: “Unsigned and Online is a great example of what can be achieved by harnessing the power of the internet and technology to record music and create music videos at a fraction of what it used to cost for artists.  There is an incredible amount of talent out there and Unsigned and Online is a chance for Irish artists to gain nationwide and international exposure.”

Carol has previously released two albums with The Plague Monkeys in the late 90’s and, while performing with The Tycho Brahe, she was nominated for Best Female Singer at the 2002 Meteor Awards. The band was also nominated that year for Best Irish Band.

On winning Unsigned and Online, Carol said: “It’s great to have won the competition, which was based on votes from the public, and the timing couldn’t be better. Digital and social media are the bedrock for unsigned musicians as it allows us to share our music with large groups of people. The exposure that I will get through the prize from Microsoft and MUZU will help greatly in getting my album finished and ready for release.”

All of the tracks are still available to view on www.muzu.tv/unsignedandonline.

European Petition For Instruments On Planes Issue

The Musicians’ Union (MU) is supporting the petition launched today by the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) which calls for European action on the issue of musicians taking musical instruments on planes.

The MU has been lobbying on this issue for many years now, because musicians regularly have problems taking their instruments on planes due to inconsistent policies from airlines.  In 2006 we reached an agreement with the Department for Transport which would have alleviated the problem, but some airlines continued to set their own arbitrary rules.

MU General Secretary and President of FIM John Smith says:

“It is only by working at a European and international level that we can successfully tackle this issue, and that is why today’s petition from FIM is so important. Just a few months ago we saw the U.S. Congress introduce a uniform national policy regarding musical instruments on airplanes – we need to see similar action in Europe.

“The problem is that existing law allows each airline to set their own policy regarding musical instruments – which we have seen recently with BA.  We need uniformity and fairness across the whole sector.”

The link to the petition can be found on the MU website – www.theMU.org

Pop to the rescue of the music industry

New research published by Informa’s “Music & Copyright” reveals that global retail sales of pop music increased 2.3% last year, to US$7.5 billion. Pop ended 2011 as the world’s favorite music genre, accounting for 31.9% of global music sales. Total retail sales slipped 3.7% last year, to US$23.3 billion, so the growth of pop sales was all the more impressive.

The second biggest genre in 2011 was rock, accounting for a quarter of the world’s music sales. Sales of rock were down 5.7%, to US$5.8 million. Pop and rock have dominated music sales for years. In 2000, Pop had a global sales share of 27.8% with Rock at 22.7%.

Aside from pop, all other genres suffered a fall in sales last year. However, the bigger fall in rap, R&B and hip-hop sales allowed country to become the world’s third most popular music genre with a 6.2% share.

According to Simon Dyson, editor of Music & Copyright, “massive sales of Adele’s album “21” clearly boosted pop sales last year. The unstoppable rise in the popularity of Justin Bieber, Michael Buble and Lady Gaga also made sure pop’s bubble didn’t burst. Despite lower viewing figures for the music-based reality TV show, artists and groups created by those shows, such as One Direction, Susan Boyle and Olly Murs, just keep on selling.”

In contrast to previous years, which have seen retail sales of some of the smaller genres such as classical music and jazz fall the fastest, the reverse was the case in 2011. Sales of classical music and jazz were only marginally down last year. Smaller genres have suffered more than most in recent years from retailers giving less floor space to slow-selling, low-margin genres in favor of better-selling items, such as DVDs, video games and consumer electronics.

 

Keep up to date with IMRO news and events

Please select login