Glastonbury 2019 -Highlights

Glastonbury 2019 has been full of star-studded performances from some of the most incredible artists both old and new, such as The Cure, Kylie Minogue, Miley Cyrus, The Chemical Brothers and so so many more. Personally, my favourite acts over the weekend were The Chemical Brothers, Mahalia, Loyle Carner and Jorja Smith but for today’s post I’ll be reviewing some of the most iconic performances; not by means of just talent, but surprises.

Stormzy

“I made a customised stab-proof vest and thought – who could possibly wear this? Stormzy at Glastonbury”

Banksy via Instagram

An iconic headliner performance by British Grime artist, Stormzy, set alight Glastonbury 2019 with a continued catalogue of memorable performances over the weekend. Not only was Stormzy’s performance full of musical delights, true to Stormzy style, he used his platform to highlight key issues happening right now. Walking out on stage wearing a stab-proof vest made by the one and only Banksy immediately shone light on the current debates surrounding the increase in London stabbings; something close to Stormzy’s heart. Comically, a key lyric in Stormzy’s release of ‘Vossi Bop’ portrays his complete disregard for Boris Johnson in the run up for Tory leadership – ensuring the crowd repeated ‘Fuck the government and fuck Boris’ for full affect. It seems Boris Johnson was featured in various performances over the weekend – UK rapper Loyle Carner opted for a simple ‘I Hate Boris’ T-Shirt during his time on stage (again, an insane performance). One powerful statement after another made for a truly memorable headline act.

Olly Alexander’s speech on equality

Not only was this weekend about Glastonbury, it was also the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Years & Years frontman, Olly Alexander stole the crowds hearts as he spoke about LGBTQ+ rights and remembering the bravery of those who took part in the Stonewall Riots. The British Pop band had a screen displaying ‘Queer is beautiful’ during their performance and Olly made it clear that he understood that ‘Queer’ can be seen as a derogatory term to many due to it having a ‘painful and complicated history’.

‘Our history is what shapes us into who we are’

Olly Alexander at Glastonbury 2019

Despite this he demonstrated his admiration for those who struggle with their sexuality on a daily basis and his powerful speech gained a huge amount of respect and credibility as I’m sure it will for many years to come. 

Noel Gallagher, who?

Lewis Capaldi at Glastonbury 2019

Lewis Capaldi has quickly become a British treasure after his fast incline to fame over the past year. His witty and charismatic personality has captured the eyes of his ever growing fan base, with his social media posts becoming viral sensations on a weekly basis. However, there’s always going to be haters – and for Lewis Capaldi, he’s received negativity from none other than Noel Gallagher. Living up to expectations, the Scottish born singer graced the Glastonbury stage in as comical fashion as always, styling a T-Shirt featuring a heart-shaped Noel and using his criticism as his background music entrance. A gentle mocking to prove that Lewis Capaldi will give as much as he gets.

#AlexFromGlasto

Dave at Glastonbury 2019

#AlexFromGlasto has been trending since Dave’s infamous performance on Sunday. Dave invited a crowd member on stage to rap the AJ Tracey verses to his single ‘Thiago Silva’ and nobody could’ve anticipated that the chosen fan would become an internet sensation within hours. Once Alex Mann was on stage he proceeded to rap the whole track with little help from artist, Dave. It’s undeniable how much he entertained the crowd of thousands and how he shocked Dave with his impressive ability to not only memorise the lyrics, but confidently relay them in front of such a magnitude of onlookers. Unsurprisingly, it appears BoohooMan have snapped up the opportunity for exposure and have teased a possible collaboration with the newly famous sensation. A Glastonbury highlight that will go down in history.

Glastonbury 2019 has been argued to be the best yet with so many surprises but with the 50th Glastonbury coming up in 2020, can it get any better?

The Future is DIY

So what makes a DIY artist? In recent years there’s been an apparent rise in artists separating themselves from the conforms of record labels and the standard format of signing a deal and worrying about the rest later. DIY artists can come in many forms, whether it’s taking full control of every aspect of their career, maintaining the rights to their Masters, managing themselves or hiring their own team; DIY is ‘doing it yourself’, however best suits the individual.

There’s a mountain of benefits that arise from becoming a DIY artist. No full commitment or legal contracts to follow that would be in place if an artist relied on a record deal, but how can artists gain worldwide success on their own resources?

It’s all about connections in this industry – knowing the right people can get you far. Radio play is as crucial today as it always has been, if an artist can network with the right people they can achieve the promotional attention. However, the larger an act becomes the more likely it is that they will need to employ a manager to (funnily enough) manage all their business commitments; and so begins the building of their team.

Streaming has massively impacted the increase in DIY artists and the lengths of their success. It’s so easy to upload your music to a streaming site and the magnitude of listeners means your chances of an accidental listen are higher than in the days of iTunes and downloads.

“I own all my masters… I would advise every other artist to try and do the same”

AJ Tracey via Twitter (@ajtracey)

Popular London based hip-hop artist, AJ Tracey happily announced that he owns his own masters, stating “I own all my masters… I would advise every other artist to try and do the same”. When looking at his success, it proves that independently running your career can work just as well as if you rely upon a label. Masters should always stay with the artists, they deserve the control over the records that make them.

Personally, I think the future is DIY. The biggest benefit that derives from following the DIY route is owning and controlling your masters.  I’m sure there’s many artists out there who have or are currently being screwed over with re-recording restrictions, royalty payments, licencing ect ect from contracts they’ve signed wherein they’ve consequently signed over their ‘moral rights’. For those who aren’t aware, it’s shamefully a standard for artists to sign over all ‘moral rights’ in contracts. Signing over these rights almost completely restricts what artists can do or disagree with happening to their masters. Masters should always stay with the artists, they deserve the control over the records that make them.

Introducing… Mai Khalil aka Mai.K

Syrian born Singer/Songwriter Mai. K is a breath of fresh air in a crowded industry of manufactured artists. Mai.K can be regarded as a 21st century, DIY artist. Someone who has suffered, fought and continued to know the only person she can truly rely on, is herself and the results are a true testament to her strength. Mai.K demonstrates that showing your true self and stripping back to show the honest truths, instead of coating the ‘truth’ in glitter creates a unique and much needed art form in today’s Music Industry.

“Breath of fresh air in a crowded industry of manufactured artists”

Fate is a wondrous thing – sometimes the timing isn’t ideal, but sometimes it’s perfect. When Mai.K was at the height of her career in 2017 and her critically acclaimed album, Reflection, was released and foreshadowed for big things, Mai discovered she was pregnant. She sacrificed the promotion of her newly released album to enjoy and delve into pregnancy and future motherhood; what an amazing time to reflect upon. Reflection of personal experiences is undeniably one of the key features in Mai.K’s music, it’s her truth and that’s something that’s sadly lacking in many popular acts today.

Luckily for us, Mai.K wouldn’t let motherhood set her back too far. Once again proving her perseverance and independence, she released EP, Change, in April of this year. Now, let’s do some reflection of our own and see what delights spring from Change.

The lead single, ‘Little Arab Girl’, is beautifully written with such simple yet emotive language. It’s one of those tracks you could listen once then listen to 50 times over and still be drawn into the emotional story it conveys. Racking up over 30 thousand views on YouTube, the video for Little Arab Girl is perfectly directed. It follows the theme of authenticity and Mai.K definitely acknowledges that such an emotive song doesn’t need a ‘busy’ video behind it. Simple and so beautifully effective.

“Powered by their equally politically driven music”

If you’ve heard of rapper, Lowkey, you’ve certainly been delighted with Mai.K. The two have collaborated on several tracks together, powered by their equally politically driven music. Most recently, Mai.K featured alongside Lowkey on ‘Ghosts of Grenfell’. Fortunately for many of us, we can’t directly relate to the struggles Mai.K refers to in her music but she demonstrates them so emotively that they become topics we have to attempt to relate with and understand how those directly impacted struggle.

Somebody with such realism, passion, bravery and drive for success deserves complete admiration. The future for Mai.K is bright, her drive for success equal to her drive to display positivity during dark times will carry her far. Keep a lookout for new releases and watch her artistry develop and teach along the way! I’ll link Mai.K’s social platforms below.

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClfG-4PKSWSgDcbkt0r2BMA

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Maikhalilmusic

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/maikhalilmusic/

What Artists Present Online

In a time when Social Media is the key to connecting with your audience, how can artists freely and appropriately present themselves, without portraying a distorted truth?

It can’t be denied that artists/labels take full advantage of Social Media platforms like Instagram and Twitter as a direct communication with their fans, particularly those classed as ‘generation z’. Social Media can be one of the greatest marketing and development tools around but if used negligently, it can cause damaging behaviours.

There are various ‘social media influencers’ around, the concept of being an influencer has grown dramatically over the past few years and will continue to grow in the foreseeable future. I won’t be delving into all the types of social media influencers because we would be here for a while, today will be focused on the responsibility artists and labels have online.

Social Media is used as the ideal place for individuals to present their true self without the face to face judgement of others; which is amazing, right?

But, when its taken into account those who have easily influential followers, where does it become dangerous for a person to promote their lifestyles/ideologies online?

As I stated in the “Brand vs Legacy” blog, artist’s are a brand, they have an image to uphold through their music, promotional activities and online. However, there must be a line that separates responsible brand upkeep and a clear negligence of influential behaviour towards their audience. Brand reputation is key for any company and they have a responsibility to portray morally and ethically abiding content online or they face jeopardising their consumer trust. Although I am aware that artist’s can and have destroyed their reputation with silly behaviour, it appears to me that certain behaviours don’t apply online.

“Create an attractive bubble around an artist”

Evidently, the success of an artist depends very highly on their targeting of a key audience. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve felt a sense of jealousy and even worthlessness when comparing my lifestyle to that of artists I follow online and I know I won’t be the only one. Record labels and artist managers are also very very aware of this, which is why they will use it to create an attractive bubble around an artist. It’s extremely rare to see artist’s giving insight into the struggles they face, this could be due to contractual reasons or a personal choice yet social media is supposed to be for freedom of self expression.

I won’t name artists who show a lack of moral code online because who says they are the ones controlling the content but whether it’s posting of drug usage, drinking, over-sexualised or extremely unnatural photoshopping; somebody is to blame.

Supporting Mental Health in the Music Industry

Mental Health in the Music Industry is sadly a very current and prevalent topic that simply isn’t being addressed enough. Luckily, the new wave of generation Z superstar artists such as Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber are using their platforms to resonate with their fans by portraying that they suffer with mental health as well and it is OK to talk.

It’s a sad juxtaposition that Music has been proven to support the improvement of individuals suffering from mental health but yet the individuals that create this music, are suffering themselves.

Mental Health in the Music Industry has always been an issue but a clouded issue. Thankfully, in the digital age we are seeing many industry workers and artists coming out and openly addressing these issues and bravely speaking about their own experiences.

“I have anxiety attacks, constant panicking on stage, my heart feels like it’s going to explode because I never feel like I’m going to deliver, ever”

Adele – Q Magazine

So what is the cause of mental health suffering in the Music Industry? A questions with so many varied answers. Not one person is the same and not everyone has the same experiences.

Heartrendingly, one too many of the worlds iconic artists have suffered in silence with many forms of mental health and addictions. Most recently we’ve seen the relapse of Demi Lovato and the suicide of Prodigy front man, Keith Flint. Are record companies doing enough to support their artists?

Evidently it isn’t widely publicised the long hours artists deal with when touring or the fact that, thanks to advances, there tends to be more expenditure than cash inflow; the list of issues could go on and on. Consequently, when you take into account the pressure artists are under to provide and be consistent with their brand, it’s not a surprise how many of them are suffering.

A study in 2017 by Help Musicians UK found that artists are up to three times more likely to suffer from depression. This can come from the vast number of strains artists are dealing with, it’s not always the glitter and glamour is looks on social media (social media is a massive issue in itself).

Working in the Music Industry requires loooong hours and many sleepless nights; this is consistent with the pressure industry professionals are under. I wish there was a simple solution. However, there are many organisations and charities who are dedicated to helping and supporting anyone suffering in silence, or suffering full stop. I’ll make a list below, thank you for reading!

Music Minds Matter – https://www.musicmindsmatter.org.uk/

Help Musicians UK – https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/about-us

Music Support – http://musicsupport.org/

MusiCares – https://www.grammy.com/musicares

Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk/

Who Runs the (music) World?

Sorry Beyoncé, but apparently it’s not girls.

Before anybody thinks it, I’m not putting the blame on anyone nor am I suggesting that it’s just women who are suffering – it’s just a topic I wanted to address.

When I first began my Music Industry course at University I remember the look of sheer thrill on my lecturers face when he walked into a room predominantly full of eager to learn women; I asked myself ‘why?’. Luckily he gladly reminded us all that in the Music Industry today there is a lacking of women, particularly in the recording sector, but is this true or are women just given less publicised attention?

One of my favourite topics to study last year was on the gender pay gap in the Industry and (finally) it was made a law for large corporations to have to release their statistics on gender pay – I was mortified at the results. How is it fair for women to earn 33.8% LESS than men? Well, simply put, it isn’t. It’s really barbaric to think that gender equality continues to be an issue in 2019, especially in the Music Industry that has held some of the most powerful women to grace the business.

After an incredible chart-dominating year, pop sensation Ariana Grande spoke out about gender inequality in the industry and admitted even she has felt underestimated.

“There are so many unbelievable female artists out there that try so much harder.”

Ariana Grande speaking to Paper Magazine, 2018

A study by USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that between 2012 to 2017 the 600 most popular song were only 22% female artists and even worse, only 12% of songwriters were female. Gender inequality is apparent in all sectors of the industry. Granted there isn’t an obligation for A&R to scout and rocket just female artists to success but it is questionable why THIS is taking place.

It can’t be denied that there is a vast amount of men in senior executive roles in comparison to women, but why is this? There could be a huge amount of factors in answer but I want to address the possibility that maybe women do feel intimidated and underappreciated, resulting in them being (consciously or subconsciously) unmotivated. It’s not a far reaching explanation.

“Giving everyone the same opportunities to thrive, and rewarding each person’s contribution fairly”

Sony Music Group

The Music Industry is based on and run by people, without people we would have no recordings, no lyrics, no producing, no marketing (arguable with technology advances) and no artists. Every single person who contributes to the music we feed on in everyday life should be accounted for, appreciation is so key in all careers. There shouldn’t be a deliberate minority.

“Women are underrepresented in the music business”

Live Nation UK and Ireland Chairmen, Denis Desmond

Representation for women should and maybe at the forefront of all the major labels minds, it’s a blessing that we have representation from non-profit organisations such as ‘Women in Music’ – an organisation based on equality and respect. I hope that in my (hopefully long) career in the Music Industry I don’t find myself deflated by lack of appreciation and let’s look forward to real change.

Oops, Spotify did it again…

Back in January 2018, the Copyright Royalty Board raised the royalties payable by streaming services to songwriters from 10% to 15%, over a 5 year period – meaning it covers 2018-2022. I can’t confirm why this has suddenly resurfaced as an issue today but it has, with force.

It’s been reported continuously that ‘Spotify is suing songwriters’ which, at first glance, is a very shocking claim and certainly puts shame on the streaming giant. However, Spotify alongside other streaming services (Google, Amazon, Pandora) aren’t suing songwriters, they are in fact appealing against the rates set by CRB. As Spotify have stated they believe that paying out more will impact the discounted subscription packages they can provide customers; they want to ensure the new rates cover “the right scope of publishing rights”. So in short, the streaming services are not suing songwriters, they are appealing the ruling to benefit everyone involved.

“The industry needs to continue evolving to ensure that the people who create the music we all love
— artists and songwriters — can earn a living”

Spotify’s statement

It’s completely understandable that streaming services are desperately resolving what they see as an issue because if they can’t offer the best deals, they will lose consumers and lose their ultimate attraction. But, where do Apple Music stand?

This is where it gets interesting, Apple Music have not appealed the CRB ruling, but they HAVE slammed Spotify for their appeal.

“It represents a real, meaningful and damaging step backwards for the Music Industry.”

Apple’s statement

Apple Music present themselves as completely artist friendly and artist focused, and they portray Spotify as being a money-focused corporation and they appear to be ultimately appalled by Spotify’s appeal. Remember the twist and turns of the Spotify vs Warner case? Well, this is no different.

Coincidentally (I’d say ironically but it’s not), Apple’s slamming of Spotify comes just weeks after Spotify filed a formal complaint against Apple’s ‘app tax’ in which they charge a 30% commision on in-app purchases; Spotify clearly finds this extortionate so are doing what they do best, complaining.

Anyway, the point remains; are Apple genuinely fighting for songwriters or are they fighting Spotify? This is a question that will attract many answers and many opinions, and unfortunately I cannot give you a definite answer but let’s hope the issue is resolved sooner rather than later!

Brand vs Legacy

Firstly, I’d like to state that ‘Leaving Neverland’ will not be mentioned in the following post, neither will my personal views on the allegations be presented. I’ll be talking about whether artists should be treated as individual to their musical talent; Michael Jackson as a human is separate to his music.

Globally known as the ‘King of Pop’, Michael Jackson has had a profuse impact on the modern day music industry. The importance of MJ’s music legacy shouldn’t be clouded as a result of the current allegations, like I have stated; Michael Jackson as a human is separate to his music.

“I think the business people behind some of his upcoming new ventures will be looking at this closely and looking at whether his brand is on the verge of becoming toxic.”

Andy Barr – PR Expert

It is understandable that brands will not want to be directly associated with the current state of Michael Jackson’s reputation because it will have an impact on the public’s perception of them. However, when it comes to the Music Business (radio stations, TV advertisements, streaming sites, psychical distributors ect ect), how far does corporate social responsibility go until you’re damaging the careers of those who are not slightly involved in the allegations but ARE directly responsible for the global success of MJ’s music?

Since the documentary was aired, MJ’s music has been removed from radio stations across Canada, New Zealand, Australia. Even major artist and self-identified MJ fan, Drake has removed an MJ track from his tour setlist since the controversy began last month.

MJ’s music being removed from streaming sites and radio playlists would directly affect his estate, his family but more importantly, the producers and songwriters who were involved in the creation of MJ’s more successful albums. (Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton and so many more). Is it fair for these genius’ to be financially affected? Personally, I think not.

If the allegations that have surfaced specifically from this documentary were around during the pre-digital age, it cannot be denied that they wouldn’t have had nearly as much coverage or controversy as they do today. Luckily and in some cases, unluckily, social media acts as a constant reminder and spotlight that highlights any brands wrongdoing. Subsequently meaning the chances of MJ’s family or state ever escaping these allegations are extremely unlikely. Unfortunately, this documentary and the fall-out is a trial by media and it’s unclear how or when (if ever) the truth will prevail.

Spotify vs Warner Music Group

The whole Spotify vs Warner drama has been hard to miss over the past few weeks, so I thought I have to write about it!

Let’s go back..

Spotify have been set to launch in India for a while now and finally their time came, but like most things, it didn’t come without some industry drama. Arguably one of the biggest music publishing companies, Warner/Chappell have denied Spotify access to their publishing catalogue ahead of their big launch. Without the appropriate licence from Warner/Chappell, Spotify cannot legally host a Warner/Chappell songwriters work (even if released through another label). Resulting in any future Spotify subscribers in India missing out on some of the worlds biggest global artists; Ed Sheeran, Led Zeppelin, Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar and so many more.

“It’s not really about India, it’s about leverage and renegotiation of the global agreement.”

Barry McCarthy, Spotify’s CFO

The publicly known drama can be seen as childish playground behaviour of ‘you pulled my hair now I’ll pull yours’, let me explain. Warner Music Group have been in debates with Spotify over negotiating their global licence, in short, WMG want more money from Spotify and the streaming giant are a little unimpressed. So, when Spotify attempted to gain a publishing licence enabling them to stream all WMG and Warner/Chappell music in their new domain, India, WMG basically replied with a big fat no. See what I mean by childish?

WMG are fully aware that without being fully licenced in India, Spotify’s new (estimated 1.8 billion) customers will be missing out; they’re definitely playing it very clever. However, when Spotify fought back by applying for a statutory licence (traditionally used for TV and Radio), WMG hit back AGAIN with the application for an injunction against their claim. Unluckily for WMG, the Bombay High court denied their appeal for an injunction, but the following statement by WMG suggests a positive outcome:

“We welcome the court’s decision to direct Spotify to deposit monies with the court and to maintain complete records of any use of our music as well as all advertising and subscription revenue earned by Spotify. These are positive steps to protect our songwriters’ interests.”

Warner Spokesperson

Was the whole drama selfish on WMG’s behalf? They have songwriters to think about, if the injunction was accepted and set in place, they would in turn be denying royalties owed to songwriters in the second most populated country in the world. For now, it seems the court have found (or been forced to find) a temporary resolution.

It will be interesting to see how it all pans out, hopefully everything will become clearer after they’re next in court on March 25th; I’ll be sure to give you an update on our Instagram – Music Talks UK!

Blockchain in Music

We’ve all heard of bitcoin, right?! And if you haven’t, where have you been?

Over the past 5 years bitcoin and cryptocurrency has been taking over, it’s progressed from a way for people to invest and make money to the possible future of how our money can be controlled.

Let’s not be naive about it, our money is controlled by people a lot bigger than us. All we really know is how much (or little in my case) we have, and when/where we want to transfer it to; we have no insight into the behind the scenes journey our money goes on. This is why Blockchain Technology is particularly attractive in the financial industry – imagine having complete control and transparency over one the main things we need to survive?

I know what you’re thinking, what does this have to do with the Music Industry? Well, wait no longer..

One of the biggest issues currently affecting content creators in the Industry today is the loooong drawn out royalty process. Any creators who are owed royalty payment for their works are waiting months for a simple payment, not only is this crazy for the digital age we live in but completely unnecessary. I’m not saying that royalty payment will ever be as simple as a quick online transaction because of course all recordings have data attached to them and this same data and information travels through various collection society databases until FINALLY the content creators are paid. However, by using a decentralised Blockchain Technology to upload data and transfer royalties it will make the process quicker and slightly  painless for creators.

Grammy-winning artist – Imogen Heap

Artists, composers, songwriters, producers, ANYONE involved in the process of creating music deserves transparency in the success of this content. Maybe not all will be eligible for royalty payment but that doesn’t mean the use of Blockchain Technology won’t positively impact them. Imogen Heap, a grammy-winning artist, Blockchain enthusiast and founder of her own technology, Mycelia (impressive, I know) has been fully involved in educating future and current artists about how they can control their content and have full transparency over owed payments if they trust in Blockchain. Giving back the power and freedom to rights holders!

Mycelia for Music

“Giving back the power and freedom to rights holders”

The future of Blockchain in Music is definitely an exciting thing to look out for, most recently we have seen many big companies such as Spotify, Ticketmaster and major collection societies investing and portraying trust in how Blockchain can work in the Music Industry. Believe me, I could go on and on about how Blockchain can positively change the old ways the Industry works with creators but you really would have to be here all day and neither of us have time for that! I’ll attach a ‘Blockchain in Music’ infographic I created for a University project below (I can’t promise it’s any good) if you want to have a read..

Thank you for reading, hopefully I’ve educated you and not bored you to sleep but if you enjoyed, keep an eye out for next week’s blog!