This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
CMU Planner
Five Day Forecast – w/c 23 May 2011
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 23 May 2011
Who was down at the Independent Label Market on Saturday, then? If not, you missed out on a really lovely event. I think what made it for me was that it was part of an existing market. Fruit stalls and the like separated record stalls, meaning there wasn’t an overwhelming grab for your attention. Except on the Wall Of Sound stall, perhaps, where Mark Jones was as understated as usual. Of course, ultimately it was an exercise in consumerism – and I certainly exercised myself as a consumer – but who said buying stuff couldn’t be fun? Hopefully this was the first outing for what will become a regular event. But after all that excitement over the weekend, let’s have a look at what other treats we have in store this week…
01: International Music Summit and SPOT Festival. After a couple of weeks of homegrown music industry conventions, it’s time to head abroad. The dance music community will be heading over to Ibiza for the International Music Summit, while those of us with an interest in the best new Nordic acts will be heading over to Århus in Denmark for SPOT Festival. I fall into the latter category, and will be heading out to the mainland later this week. So, that’s exciting. For me, at least. If you’re going to be there, let me know.
02: FutureHit.DNA Live. Senior Vice President of Music Strategy for CMT, Jay Frank, will be in London this week to present the findings of his book, ‘FutureHit.DNA‘, which looks at how musicians can achieve success in the digital age. Whatever you think of Frank’s method of tweaking musical output based on user statistics to maximise online commercial success, it should be interesting to see him speak about it. You’ll also see Frank give advice to the writers of fifteen pre-submitted tracks on how they could shape them into hits.
03: Music Week Awards. Music Week will sit members of the music industry down in The Roundhouse this Tuesday and force awards into their hands. Well, some of them. Not everyone can have awards, that would be chaos. Taking the outstanding contribution award this year, or The Strat as they insist on calling it, is PPL chairman and CEO Fran Nevrkla.
04: New releases. OK, you all know this already, as it’s been the subject of a six month, unrelenting campaign, but Lady Gaga‘s new album ‘Born This Way’ is out this week. The campaign is appropriate, as it turns out that the album is also about six months long and relentlessly throws itself into you face as you listen. It’s not an entirely pleasurable experience. Instead, I recommend ‘Isam’ by Amon Tobin, ‘Wild Romance’ by Kissy Sell Out or ‘Bliss Release’ by Cloud Control. Or, indeed, Gallops‘ new double A-side single, ‘Joust/Eukodol’.
05: Gigs. Not exactly a gig (well, not a gig at all), but very recommended: Amon Tobin will this week launch an art exhibition featuring artwork created by Tessa Farmer inspired by his new album, ‘Isam’, at Euston’s Crypt Gallery. As for more gig-like gigs, Seasick Steve will be playing a charity gig in aid of homeless charity The Connection at the Electric Ballroom, Vice will be holding gigs around the country to mark its 100th issue, and frontman of electro trio Scarlet Soho James Knights will be celebrating his birthday by playing a rare acoustic set at The Dogstar in Brixton. Also, touring this week are The Mountain Goats and The Kills.
Also, check out the latest CMU podcast. We’d already recorded this when HMV announced they had sold Waterstones, the bastards. Chris did a nifty edit to try and turn a ‘this is about to happen’ story into a ‘this has just happened’ story, see if you can spot it! Listen here: www.completemusicupdate.com/podcast
There’ll be no Five Day Forecast next week, it being yet another bank holiday. But take it from me, nothing’s happening next week. Nothing. See you in a fortnight with a week when things are happening.
Andy Malt
Editor, CMU
