HMV has announced that Ticketmaster UK will take over the running of hmvtickets, which sounds a bit like the high street retailer getting out of ticketing, though the official line is that this is a move to “extend the scope” of the hmvtickets service. Certainly there will remain a separately badged HMV tickets platform within the HMV.com website, even if it is mainly selling Ticketmaster tickets, and the retail firm will keep an in-house ticketing team to liaise with promoters and venues.

Here are some quotes.

HMV boss Simon Fox: “We remain committed to offering our customers a premium-quality ticketing service, and by partnering with the world’s number one ticket agent we’re now in a position to significantly expand the range and depth of events that we can make available to them, not just loads more gigs and festivals, but also across comedy, sport, theatre and many other attractions besides”.

Ticketmaster UK MD Chris Edmonds: “This partnership is bringing together two leaders in their field in the form of HMV as the leading entertainment retailer and Ticketmaster, the world’s leading ticket provider. Enabling our customers to buy tickets from HMV’s network of stores is another great addition to our service we can now offer. We are excited about the opportunity of using our combined experience to deliver ticket and music bundles”.

hmvtickets was originally launched as part of the entertainment retailer’s grand diversification strategy, which also included the purchase of the MAMA Group – aka HMV Live – which gave the firm a network of venues and a portfolio of tours and festivals. But, as much previously reported, HMV is now in the process of selling MAMA in a bid to raise some cash to reduce debt liabilities.

The musical eco-champions at A Greener Festival have planted 300 trees to create Festival Wood in a corner of the Dundreggan Estate near Loch Ness in Scotland as part of an initiative to “give something back to the great outdoors that we love to enjoy”.

Festivals like T In The Park, Belladrum Tartan Heart, Bestival, Deer Shed, End Of The Road and Glastonbury have all contributed to the initiative, as have the Big Green Coach company which provides coach travel to various festivals and live events, and A Greener Festival’s Helen Wright, Claire O’Neill and Ben Challis recently made the trip to Scotland to plant the trees. Slotting in to an existing tree-planting programme run by Trees For Life, it’s hoped hundreds more trees can be planted on the site later this year thanks to additional support from affiliated festivals.

O’Neill told CMU: “Festival Wood is a positive reforestation initiative from A Greener Festival. It is not an offset scheme as such, but an opportunity for the festival community to give something back to the great outdoors that we love to enjoy. A festival legacy that will grow and grow and be there for future generations”.

This week the CMU Tips library – the free online resource for music people from the CMU Training team – will again expand ahead of the launch next week of a new training course focused on social media. As previously reported, the new one-day course will focus on social and digital networks, and how they can be used to engage and grow a fanbase for both established and new artists.

It will look at the key social media platforms available and other useful digital tools, the importance of interaction and content, how to manage an artist’s social media presence on a day-to-day basis, advertising on social media platforms, how to measure social activity, and how social media fits in to a wider marketing and communication strategy. The first edition takes place next Wednesday, 23 May, in Shoreditch, East London, and places are just £95 plus VAT.

Ahead of that, CMU Training’s social media expert Sam Taylor has thrown the spotlight on Facebook’s timeline, that recent innovation that most artists and labels are still grappling with. The new default landing page for anyone’s Facebook presence has a lot of potential if used correctly, and today we provide a introduction to the feature, and on Thursday will provide ten tips to getting the most out of it.

Access the CMU Tips for free here, and book your place on the social media course here.

While Saturday’s sessions at The Great Escape convention last week were more laid back, there was still time to discuss a couple of important topics for bands and rights owners, perhaps most prominently the whole brands thing.

Richard Kirstein from Resilient Music, Tim Dellow from Love Live, Jemma Downey from Live Nation and Jasmine Skee from O2 debated when and why brands work with new acts over global rock stars, what brands might offer such acts in return, and how artists should go about pursuing brand partnership opportunities. After the event Richard took to his own blog to round up some of the points raised by both himself and his fellow panellists.

In terms of how band brand partnerships are formed, a lot was said about the importance of ‘fit’. Richard writes: “Clearly authenticity and credibility are important objectives in any artist partnership – and on Saturday we examined the idea of ‘fit’; though it’s certainly a subjective term, there were some strong views on partnerships that worked and those that didn’t”.

Richard shares some of those case studies on his blog, before advising artists considering approaching brands that they too consider the ‘fit’ thing: “Identify brands who work with artists in a similar genre to you, examine the types of campaign that target brands have previously activated, and examine brands’ campaign cycles [ie when are they likely to be planning new activity] and time your approach accordingly”.

He adds: “Consider brands that you or your artist already uses in daily life, and consider brands whose services or products you need to support your career eg transport, clothing, footwear, equipment”.

As for what brands will offer artists in return, we asked the panel what was on the table for new artists, money, free product or audience? “Yes to all three”, Richard says. “During the panel, on money, Tim felt that artists should always be paid, but Jasmine commented on how O2 rarely paid emerging artists. I believe that ‘value exchange’ is certainly a better strategy for both parties (rather than a straight financial transaction), especially where longevity of relationship is a key objective”.

He continues: “Where brands pay fees, managers take commission and labels/publishers withhold artists’ shares against unrecouped balances. In contrast, artists receive the full benefit directly for any goods or services provided by a brand within a “value exchange” deal. A manager can’t take 20% of a van or jacket!”

You can read Richard’s full post-TGE blog post here.

One of the early music-focused digital locker services, MP3tunes.com, has filed for bankruptcy, its founder, Michael Robertson, has confirmed. The announcement brings to an end the latest venture from Robertson who, as the creator of the original MP3.com, has been innovating in digital music for years, though usually in a way that aggravates the big record companies.

And, Robertson argues, it was the actions of one such aggravated major label that drove his latest company into the ground. As previously reported, EMI first sued MP3tunes.com in 2007 and, although in the main the arguments put forward by Robertson’s lawyers prevailed in court last year, the major is appealing and a new round of court hearings are due to kick off this month.

In part the case considered the legalities of services that let users upload their MP3 collections to a remote server and then re-download or stream them to other net-connected devices. In most territories (though not the UK) the upload bit is allowed within copyright law under the user’s private copy right principle, but some rights owners have argued that if a service like MP3tunes.com then lets people stream those MP3s back to another device through a user-friendly bespoke player, then that isn’t covered and a licence is required. MP3tunes.com did not concur, and nor did Google or Amazon who subsequently launched similar services.

However, when the case finally got to court last year, much of the deliberations actually focused on a periphery services offered by MP3tunes called Sideload.com, which let users store and share links to music files online, the majority of which linked to unlicensed content. There was some criticism of MP3tunes from the judge with regard to Sideload.com, though even there, in the main, Robertson’s arguments – that, because his company operated a takedown system to remove links to unlicensed music the service was allowed under US law – prevailed.

Indeed, although neither side won outright, last year’s court rulings did seem to favour Robertson more than EMI, leading the former to accuse the latter of deliberately dragging out its legal assault against his company, knowing that – even though their legal arguments might not stand up in court – there was always the option of draining the smaller defendant’s resources and driving them out of business that way.

Robertson told C-Net: “Four and a half years of legal costs and we’re not even out of trial. MP3tunes has no choice but to file [for bankruptcy]… this is what they do. The labels engage in multi-year legal battles and put small companies through hell for years. EMI went to other companies and demanded that they not work with us. They went to retailers, as one example, and forbid those guys to work with us”.

Meanwhile, according to Music Void, the MP3tunes.com chief added: “At every opportunity EMI dragged out the legal process, making it costly and burdensome. One example is the interrogation of company employees in all-day inquisitions called depositions, where attorneys try to trick people into making admissions. In our case, they deposed not just management but nearly everyone in the company, all the way down to clerical help and customer support personnel. They even paid $25,000 to get an ex-employee to agree to a deposition. From management they deposed everyone – some multiple times – with me getting deposed three separate times”.

For its part, EMI says that Robertson has decided to shut down his locker company now, just before appeal hearings are due to begin, because he fears this time he will lose. But, the major adds, with Robertson himself also a defendant in the case, bankrupting the company will not enable him to avoid liability for the copyright infringement it believes the entrepreneur enabled.

In a statement to C-Net, the major said: “Since November 2007, EMI Music and EMI Music Publishing have been engaged in a lawsuit with MP3tunes and its principal, Michael Robertson, in connection with Mr Robertson’s facilitation of widespread copyright infringement on MP3tunes.com and Sideload.com. These sites have built their businesses on the unauthorised distribution of music, at the expense of EMI’s songwriters and artists”.

“Now on the eve of trial, and after an ongoing press campaign claiming that MP3tunes would fight to vindicate its ‘right’ to infringe, Mr Robertson has filed for bankruptcy protection for MP3tunes in the Southern District of California. After four and a half years of Robertson’s bluster and rhetoric, it is apparent to EMI that Robertson has finally realised that his case has no merit”.

“While Robertson may believe that MP3tunes will be able to escape liability in the upcoming trial through this bankruptcy, Robertson himself is still a named defendant in the case and the court has already determined that both he and MP3tunes have infringed EMI’s copyrights. As such, he is facing personal liability both for infringements that the court has already determined have occurred and for the further alleged infringements that will be addressed at trial. Accordingly, EMI will continue to pursue its case against Robertson, to ensure that its songwriters and artists are properly compensated for their creative work”.

So all in all, while the ending of this story may have already been revealed, the final chapters could still make for interesting readings.

More EMI, and a committee in the US Senate will consider Universal Music’s proposed acquisition of the EMI record companies, according to the Wall Street Journal.

As previously reported, two lobby groups, Public Knowledge and the Consumer Federation Of America, recently called on the Senate judiciary committee’s antitrust panel to give time to considering the proposed EMI takeover, given concerns amongst some tech and consumer rights groups, and in the indie music community, that the deal, that will make the world’s biggest music company significantly bigger, will be damaging for artists, digital music providers and music fans.

Of course the US Federal Trade Commission, like the European Commission, is already considering the competition law implications of the proposed takeover, and the ultimate ruling from said regulator is much more important than any debates that happen within US Congress, though any public airing of the arguments for and against the acquisition could be interesting.

Responding to the news the Senate committee was planning on discussing their EMI proposals, a spokesman for Universal told reporters: “We welcome the opportunity to answer any questions that the subcommittee may have, address the facts and debunk myths. Universal Music is committed to reinvesting in EMI to create even more opportunities for new and established artists, expand the marketplace with more music and support new digital services. We remain confident of regulatory approval”.

The estate of Michael Jackson have settled with the former Playboy model who appeared in the iconic video for ‘Thriller’. Ola Ray sued Jackson shortly before his untimely death in 2009 claiming she was owed royalties from the monies generated by the pop promo. It’s not clear what kind of pay off Ray has now received, but, according to TMZ, representatives for the Jackson estate reached an out of court settlement with the actress earlier this month.

The 2012 Yearly Music Conference Awards, or YMCAs to its friends, were presented at a late morning gathering at The Great Escape on Saturday morning.

With the showcase festival and music conference season reaching its conclusion for another year, before heading to the fields for the big summer events the YMCAs is a chance to look back at the music convention year just gone (plus a sneaky way to justify vodka cocktails at 11am on a Saturday morning). And the winners were…

Categories with a public vote:
Best Delegate Bag: SxSW
Best Bar: Primavera Pro Bar
Best Hotel/Convention Bar: Nordic Hotel Forum, Tallin Music Week
Best App: BigSound
Best Export Office: Nordic Export Office
Best Networking, Event, Trip or Service: International Delegates Lounge, Canadian Music Week and Mikey’s Montreal Tour at M For Montreal (joint winners)
Best Award Show: Breakout West Awards
Best Regional/Smaller Awards: Novia Scotia Music Week

Categories picked by the YMCAs committee:
Incident Of The Year: Peter Briggs tearing tendons playing football during the ILMC’s Wembley Stadium trip
Punch Up Of The Year: Mark Meharry v IMPALA at Tallin Music Week
Convention Junkie Of The Year: Ruud Berends from Eurosonic

In addition to the main awards, the YMCAs Hall Of Fame was opened for business for the first time, and the following five things were inducted.

1. YMCAs at The Great Escape – For being the best music conference based awards event.
2. The Eurosonic Bag – For being consistently the best bag of the year.
3. Donna Close from Brighton & Hove City Council – For her constant support of The Great Escape.
4. Millie Millgate, Sounds Australia – For consistently great showcase events around the world.
5. Neill Dixon – For 30 years of Canadian Music Week.

During Thursday’s Spotlight On DIY strand at last week’s Great Escape convention, Bristol-based organisation Teenage Rampage – which offers mentoring and hands-on training to those who aspire to perform or work behind the scenes in music – presented a session looking at how young people wanting to work in music should go about it; what is it that employers in the music sector look for?

While opinion was slightly divided over the merits of university qualifications in music business management, all agreed that hands-on experience, passion and the willingness to work hard were prerequisites for those looking for their first job in music. And while internships at existing music companies – especially the paid kind – can be as hard to come by as proper jobs sometimes, the panel of experts noted that setting up a music blog, running a gig night or helping manage a friend’s band were just as valuable, and could be achieved with initiative rather than contacts and resources.

Speaking just before the session, Morna Cook, Senior Director Of HR at Universal Music UK, told CMU: “Any music experience is good experience – put together a CV that shows you have carried out music related projects in your own time, whether that’s running or promoting your own night, managing a band, or writing a music related blog. Projects like this show you are passionate and have an active interest in the industry, and that you are proactive”.

From the independent side, Simon Goffe of Brownswood Recordings also talked up the blogging approach. “Set up your own music blog”, he said. “It will impress potential employers immensely and show them your genuine passion. And then, when contacting prospective employers, do your research and write a personalised letter. Never send round blanket letters or emails. They get deleted straight away!”

Cook likewise agreed that, when approaching music companies for jobs, whatever the size of the firm, aspiring music execs needed to do their research before getting in touch. “Ensure you’ve done your research on the company, and know what’s going on in the wider industry, from the latest technological developments to what’s happening in the charts”.

Meanwhile Matt Booth from Teenage Rampage, who has run numerous programmes helping young people interested in the music industry, had some other advice for people who do find internships, training opportunities or even a first job in music. “Be prepared to work very hard. Don’t just wait for the opportunities to come to you, and when you do get that first opportunity, do the job you’ve been asked to do as well as you can. Hard and passionate workers will be spotted by other people working on a project, and they might be future employers”.

Wrapping things up in the ‘advice for newcomers’ department, Jack Kingslake, who has also run ventures supporting young talent, told CMU: “Appreciate and innovate. Be professional: be nice, turn up on time and work hard. And don’t forget why you love music”.

There is more information about Teenage Rampage here.

Record label trade body the BPI has released new data for 2011 showing that British music accounted for 12.6% of global music sales in 2011, up from 11.8% in 2010. That’s £1.9 billion in retail value, and means that one in eight of all artist albums sold around the world come from the UK industry.

So that’s nice. Nice enough, in fact, that David Cameron has taken to his Blackberry to email us a quote. Well, he BBMed it to someone at the BPI, who has passed it on. Says the PM: “British music is loved all over the globe, and as a country we can be proud of the tremendous success of our music industry, which is a world leader”.

So there you go artists and label owners and songwriters and all other music people, David Cameron is proud of your achievements, which is presumably what you’ve all been striving for all these years.

BPI boss Geoff Taylor also has a quote, which is this: “Britain makes great music – and the world is tuning in. From the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Coldplay and Adele, our global success helps the reputation of Britain overseas and generates jobs here in the UK. This success is due to the creativity of our artists, but also because we have an innovative, risk-taking music industry in Britain that helps our artists reach billions of fans around the globe. Music is one of the things that makes Britain great. Government support for the British music industry is pivotal to maintaining the UK’s position as the second most important producer of music in the world”.

These stats and quotes have landed on our desks this morning at the start of Music Is GREAT Week, which apparently is a ‘thing’. Or a THING, possibly.

Cross-industry trade group UK Music announced the appointment of a new Director Of Government Relations & Public Affairs last week in the form of Tom Kiehl, who has most recently worked in the Liberal Democrat’s Whips Office in the House Of Lords and was very involved in the crafting of the Live Music Act. He will join UK Music next month.

Says UK Music’s CEO Jo Dipple: “This is a key appointment for UK Music. The secondary legislation needed to enable the Digital Economy Act is due for parliamentary scrutiny. The government’s consultation on intellectual property and copyright will result in draft legislative proposals in the autumn term and a Bill next year. Meanwhile, the anticipated Communications Green Paper will include provisions on formalising the responsibility ISPs have to prioritise consumer access to legal content”.

She continued: “These are just three areas where Tom’s technical skill and parliamentary knowledge will be invaluable to shaping legislation that will define the future of the music industry. I am very excited about him joining our team. He will be a great asset to UK Music, our members and the industry”.

One of the main strands of the first day of the CMU-programmed Great Escape convention, which kicked off in Brighton yesterday, was a series of panels looking at the DIY approach and offering advice to artists looking to manage their careers themselves, both creatively and commercially.

The second session of the day saw PR company Create Spark’s Debbie Ball, digital marketing agency Good Lizard’s David Riley, direct-to-fan service Music Glue’s Joe Porn and DIY artist Chris T-T discuss getting noticed without a record label’s marketing budget. Ahead of the session, we asked Debbie Ball and Chris T-T for some of their top tips.

“Be selective”, said Ball. “Figure out how you want to present your act to the public from the off, both aesthetically and ideologically, online and offline”.

She continued: “Build a team that suits you to advise the early stages of your musical endeavours and start off small (you don’t have to have the whole range of promotional people to start with, for instance). Work out a realistic plan together to loosely stick to, to create opportunities to get your music noticed and take advantage of new opportunities that may arise”.

Finally, she emphasised the importance of timing. She said: “Don’t rush into doing things that might be too early in relation to where you’re at in your career and bear in mind that certain opportunities can be come back to further down the line. A considered approach is a good way to building your reputation and letting people know about your music. You can then adjust the pace of when you do things depending on how quickly people start taking notice and a natural momentum occurs”.

On the more creative side of things, Chris T-T said: “Make everything you do beautiful and something you’re 100% proud of. Get the art and craft right first, before you become a marketing guru. Never send out demos that are just roughs – 99% of people, industry or not, can’t hear ‘through’ the rough sound or rehearsal-room performance, even if they claim they can”.

He also emphasised the importance of trying to think differently and come up with ways of making yourself stand out from the rest of the pack: “Don’t be afraid to go outside the norms of the industry – even when you’re first gigging in your home town, build your own shows from scratch outside normal venues and away from regular promoters, so they’re memorable, crazy and different. If you get known for running insane parties, it’ll go a million times further than getting known for being a decent new band”.

Finally, he advised artists to get out of their hometown and tour as soon as possible, saying: “Play away as soon as you can and only ‘come home’ to your hometown friends/fanbase when you absolutely need to. Learn to tour. Learn to behave right on the road and play a great set to three people. Believe in a learning period, so don’t expect yourself to be sorted from the start – even if your music is amazing, you’ll need to learn the language and rhythm of the live world away from your mates”.

Stay tuned to theCMUwebsite.com/thegreatescape for more updates from this years Great Escape convention.

As part of the stand of sessions giving advice for artists considering going the DIY route on the first day of the CMU-programmed Great Escape convention, which kicked off in Brighton yesterday, the founders of four independent labels gave an insight into what goes into running an independent record label, and what they can offer over an artist self-releasing their recordings themselves.

The panel included Memphis Industries’ Ollie Jacob, Robert Luis from Tru Thoughts, Alex Fitzpatrick from Holy Roar, and Song, By Toad’s Matthew Young. Prior to going on stage, we asked three of the panelists whether they are any pros to artists going down the DIY route versus signing with a label.

“I think artists going the DIY route is a good way to understand how various aspects of the business of music works”, said Luis. “Though, in the long run, running a label is time consuming, so you’ll need someone fulltime working on it. As a label, we offer staff who specialise in different aspects of their jobs (publishing, licensing, PR, distribution, accounts and contracts to name a few) and a set up and contact list that is well established and experienced”.

He added: “My view is if you are a talented artist, keep an eye on the ‘business’ but let someone else concentrate on it and do the work so you can concentrate on the creative side of making great music”.

Fitzpatrick added: “I think a label such as ours offers (I hope) a stamp of validity to an artist’s work. I think labels can act as a filter, can elevate artists onto a pedestal somewhat and help them stand out above the clutter. Labels also offer advice on a variety of topics and help with tours, managers, booking agents, merchandise – everything really. I am very pro bands going down a DIY route, but it is a lot of work and harder than working with a label you trust and respect”.

As for advice for anyone considering setting up their own label, Jacob said: “Manage expectations, both yours and the artists. Make sure, however much you love them and their music, that you don’t let your spend on an artist get out of hand”.

Luis added: “Ask as many people as possible who actually run labels or have released music for advice (no matter what the genre of music). Do not worry about making mistakes, this is an important learning curve. And expect to work hard to get people to pay attention to your music”.

Stay tuned to theCMUwebsite.com/thegreatescape for more updates from this years Great Escape convention.

Live music major Live Nation has acquired a slice of Cream Holdings Limited, the company behind the Creamfields festivals and other Cream-branded clubbing and dance music ventures.

Live Nation has bought the stake in the clubbing firm previously owned by entertainment investment outfit Ingenious, which recently announced that its involvement in growing the profitable company had reached completion.

The deal is also Live Nation’s latest move into the dance and electronic music space, and as part of the transaction Cream chief James Barton will become President of Electronic Music for the company. The live firm seemingly has ambitions to grow the Cream brand, and especially the Creamfields festival operation, in North America, Europe and Southeast Asia.

The festival has already enjoyed some success with spin-offs and franchises in various corners of the world other than the North West of England, but it will be interesting to see to what extent the Live Nation alliance will step that up.

Confirming his company had bought a stake in Cream, Live Nation boss Michael Rapino told reporters: “We are committed to being a leader in electronic music and as one of the most recognisable brands in the electronic community, Cream is at the forefront of the mainstream youth culture today”.

Barton, meanwhile, added: “I am delighted to be a part of the Live Nation team and know that the company is the perfect partner. Our strategies are aligned and through the combined efforts of the Cream and Live Nation teams, we will substantially grow our electronic music offerings across the globe”.

The CMU-programmed Great Escape convention kicked off in Brighton this morning, with two sessions on copyright issues getting the proceedings going. One will look at the government’s current consultation on fair use type issues, while a session presented by PRS For Music is tackling the ongoing debate over piracy, and efforts to crack down on the distribution of illegal content online.

Artists, labels and other rights owners have scored a number of wins in recent years in persuading judges and ministers to crack down on illegal file-sharing, but when it comes to public opinion those who support file-sharing, or at least fear the draconian enforcement of copyright, have generally had the upper hand. And public opinion is everything – the successful anti-SOPA protests in the US earlier this year, led by Wikipedia and other leading web firms, derailed anti-piracy legislation Stateside that had been years in the making.

But what can the music community do to better put its side of the argument to the world at large? CMU spoke to two of the experts taking part in this Great Escape debate just before taking to the stage, and between them the advice is this: give a better voice to artists and creators, try to be less combative, and rethink your corporate PR strategy.

Songwriter and Guardian journalist Helienne Lindvall told CMU: “We need to end the myth that the music industry equals a bunch of big corporations, and that copyright only exists to line their pockets. The way to do it is to help creators and small labels feel safe enough to speak out”.

She continued: “As there’s safety in numbers, let’s start off by using a tool that the anti-copyright lobby has used with great success: online petitions. We need to support creators and smaller labels who dare to speak out, as it’s vital people understand that the erosion of copyright has a much more detrimental effect on creators and small labels than the big corporations. And to get people to understand, we need to explain why in an easy to grasp way”.

Meanwhile PR expert Andy Saunders of Velocity Communications told us: “If the creative industries think that they can put the genie back in the bottle they are wrong. They need to accept that, stop being so combative and take a more consultative approach to these issues”.

He added: “By properly engaging with consumers, ISPs, content licensees and governments, and listening to their arguments and concerns – rather than simply taking a blunt instrument, zero tolerance approach to all issues of copyright infringement – they might find a way through the no-win situation they currently find themselves in. They also need to invest in some decent PR strategy, which takes a more sophisticated, nuanced approach to the issues. This shrill, hectoring approach to external communications will get them nowhere”.

PRS For Music is hosting a whole day of sessions at The Great Escape today, including Brian Molko In Conversation with 6music’s Matt Everitt, and the always essential Will Page keynote, which became even more essential last night with the announcement that Martin Mills, Chairman of the Beggars Group, was joining his panel. Check theCMUwebsite.com/thegreatescape for more information about the convention and wider TGE festival.

As well as PRS For Music’s sessions, the other big strand taking place at the CMU-programmed Great Escape today focuses on the DIY approach, ie artists going it alone, either in a bid to keep more creative and commercial control over their careers, or simply to make themselves more attractive to future label partners down the line.

The first practical session in this strand will provide insights galore for new acts, and before the experts providing the advice took to the stage, CMU got some top tips from each of them.

First up, DIY artist MJ Hibbett told us: “Don’t wait around for just the right gig or release, get on with it – after all the most important part of ‘Do It Yourself’ is ‘Do It’! Get a diary and use it to plan out what you’re going to do – not just gigs, but notes to yourself to ring people, set up recordings, re-hassle people for gigs – everything”.

He added: “Don’t pay somebody else to do something if you can earn to do it yourself. Learning how to set artwork up into the correct format, for instance, is a colossal pain the first time you have to do it, but once you’ve learnt how it works you can do it forever and save yourself time and money”.

Thinking about the copyrights songwriters create, Simon Pursehouse from Sentric Music says: “As an emerging artist you’ll probably make more money from your music publishing rights than anywhere else – so ensure you’re registered with a performing rights organisation and that you’re claiming what is rightfully yours”.

As for the sync potential of those rights, Pursehouse adds: “Landing syncs isn’t easy and competition is fierce, but get a good representative in this space, and then make sure they have everything they need – WAVs, key information and correct metadata”.

In terms of selling recordings, Mark McQuillan of Brighton-based distributors Republic Of Music advises: “Believe in your product and work as hard as possible to engage your core fanbase to purchase – signed CDs, bonus discs and added value items will help. Don’t just sit back and wait for orders to come in, as it ain’t gonna happen, so be prepared to work for every sale”.

He continued: “Have strong distribution, if possible, as they can open doors into all the key first stage stores (and the best indies, iTunes and the online retailers) and listen to any advice your distributer offers regarding release strategy, release dates, formats and added value. And try not to overspend on promo costs or over budget on initial sales potential – it will leave you no options for phase two and beyond. It takes time to build a release, but small well planned steps can get you there”.

And finally, from a legal angle, Josh Little of ACUMEN told us: “Check the availability of your band name early and register a trademark. Your band is your brand so you need to protect it early on. And as much as possible, don’t enter into agreements on a handshake. They will only cause you pain later on. Oh, and copyright is free and automatic. You don’t need to register it – just able to prove when you created your work”.

So, that’s a lot of tips to be getting on with. Look out for a plethora of useful advice coming out of the Old Courtroom at The Great Escape today. We’ll document a helping of it here at theCMUwebsite.com/thegreatescape

Distribution firm The Orchard is again expanding through acquisition, according to Billboard, with the purchase of rival digital distributor IRIS Distribution. The new deal, seeming confirmed by IRIS co-founder Matt Laszuk in an email to his firm’s clients, follows the recent merger of The Orchard with IODA.

According to Billboard, Laszuk’s email reads: “Today we announce that we’re joining with The Orchard. We’ve thought hard about where the industry is headed, and we truly believe that this is the best next step for our labels. Marketing, technology, and legal expertise are all fundamental at The Orchard, and we know that they have the momentum to help you succeed for the next nine years. I look forward to continuing to work with you. Myself as well as the staff you’ve gotten to know well will be here to answer questions and continue to move your music into retail and beyond”.

What impact the new acquisition will have on both the operations of IRIS and The Orchard itself remains to be seen. Official confirmation of the deal is pending.

While plenty of music industry players have hit out at Universal’s plans to buy the EMI record companies – Beggars chief Martin Mills and legendary producer George Martin perhaps most notably – some others have expressed indifference to the acquisition, while others still have given their backing to the proposal that the EMI labels be absorbed by the world’s biggest music firm.

Joining that latter camp this weekend just gone was Jim Beach, manager of Queen, a band signed for most of their career to an EMI label, before moving over to Universal once the private equity twonks at Terra Firma were in charge at the British major. Remembering his experiences of EMI of old, and then under Terra Firma’s leadership, he wrote in a letter to the Times on Saturday: “Today’s music business is very different to that of 40 years ago, when the band I represent, Queen, began its career with EMI Records. Then the company was a hugely influential creative force in the UK and overseas. It gave us extraordinary music across virtually every genre, and its artists shaped the tastes of more than one generation”.

“But”, he continued, “the latter-day EMI Records under private equity proved to be a very different place. Investment was slashed to the detriment of the artists, Queen among them, and we were not alone in jumping ship. I look forward to when EMI Records will again be owned by a music company as there are still great artists and executives there who need more creative people at the top”.

Over in the US, a recent feature in The Tennesean on the EMI acquisition, while noting Warner Music’s opposition to the deal, also quoted three players from the local indie music community who expressed indifference or even a positive attitude to the merger. Tom Baldrica of Average Joes Entertainment told the paper: “Whether you’ve got four majors in town or three – it’s still the same battle for us, but there’s one less Goliath”.

Meanwhile David Robkin of Bigger Picture Group said: “The merger might even help independent labels, which attract artists precisely because they aren’t big, mainstream companies. We’re competing not necessarily based on dollars, but based on time available and creativity and flexibility, and I think that’s something that as companies consolidate and get bigger – it actually creates opportunity for us”.

And Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Records remarked: “Consolidation doesn’t matter as much in a digital world. When the major labels controlled the distribution channels, it was a different deal, but now the barrier to entry is literally turning on your computer. If I continue to make great records by great artists, nobody can stop us”.

In the interests of balance, let’s remember George Martin – a former EMI employee – recently said: “I am saddened that great companies have been swallowed up by the giants, and the domination of the recording and music publishing industry by Sony and Universal can only lead to a virtual monopoly in the European market”.

Meanwhile Beggars chief Mills said: “We fear Universal’s acquisition of EMI. The mere fact that it controls 50% of the artists that media and retail want already gives them leverage other companies don’t have. [Adding EMI's artists] obviously gives Universal more access, but it also gives other people less. When one party has the ability to be so dominant, it’s going to be difficult for anything outside the mainstream to come through”.

Competition regulators in both the US and European Union continue to investigate Universal’s proposed EMI acquisition.

So, The Great Escape showcase festival and music business convention kicks off in Brighton bright and early tomorrow morning, and we’ve just put the full printed-programme for the CMU-curated convention strand online for you to view in a digital fashion. Meanwhile, here’s some updates on things to look out for that we’ve not previously featured in the CMU Daily.

Tomorrow morning copyright issues will be under the spotlight with two great sessions. The first, presented by PRS For Music, will look at piracy, and the battle to win over judges, politicians and, most importantly, the public in the debate on protecting music rights online. Arguably the music industry has done much better at presenting its case to the former two than the public at large, and public opinion is crucial if copyright rules are to work. The Register’s Andrew Orlowski, Velocity Communications’ Andy Saunders and Peter Bradwell from the Open Rights Group will join The Guardian’s Helienne Lindvall to debate those issues.

Next up, around the corner at Komedia, ACUMEDIA at The Great Escape will focus on the copyright consultation currently being undertaken by the government, following last year’s Hargreaves Review. Should UK consumers have a private copy right, and if so should they pay a levy on digital devices for the privilege? Should artists have the right to veto their music appearing on YouTube videos, even if they are being paid for it, and even if the video is a parody? And what about the grand plan for a Digital Rights Exchange? UK Music’s Adam Webb, Cooking Vinyl chief Martin Goldschmidt, comedian Jill Edwards and Darryl Sherbourne from Future Copyright will debate the issues.

Tomorrow afternoon, at the conclusion of a day of sessions focused on the DIY approach, the first ever Great Escape Digital Pitch Party will take place. Representatives from thirteen companies which provide digital tools for artists and rights owners will take to the stage and outline what their services offer in just 90 seconds, then taking question from the floor. Each pitcher will also bring a drink to the party, explaining their choice of beverage as part of their pitch. Once the pitching is done, networking will begin while the drink is drunk. Pitching up will be: Sentric Music, Webdoc, Zimbalam, Music Glue, 7digital, Dizzyjam, Mobile Roadie, Shazam, Bandwagon, Pepper, Rara.com, INgrooves and Mixcloud.

Looking ahead to Saturday, and there’s a great selection of more laid back panels for the weekend, including the Digital Wedding and a session where brand experts will tell it like it is. Plus you’ll get Producers (Lol Crème, Trevor Horn and Ash Soan) and ‘How Soon Is Now?’ author Richard King in conversation, John Robb’s Pop Question Time and the return of Heroes & Villains. Also taking place on Saturday, will be the recording of an edition of Vice’s ‘Noisey Talks’, in which music types debate various issues in front of a live TGE audience, and Noisey’s cameras for later webcasting (food and drink will also be dished out).

Spector’s Fred Macpherson will lead the talking, and he’ll be joined by Klaxons’ Jamie Reynolds, Radio 1′s Jen Long and Peter Jarrett from Record Of The Day. Macpherson told CMU: “Before ‘Noisey Talks’ I didn’t think there was a platform to discuss the minutiae of the music industry with like-minded indie geeks, and at the same time talk about other things I’m fond of, like Princess Diana, One Direction, Colin Firth and Stephen Hawking”.

So, get all those in your diary (or download the official Great Escape app from the Apple or Android app stores and make your own itinerary). But don’t forget the music while you’re at it! Over 300 bands will play Brighton over the next three days. We’ve already tipped some artists playing via three CMU Playlists which you can check out in numerical order here, here and here.

Plus, have some more playlisting action why don’t you? This year’s lead international parter at The Great Escape is Catalan Sounds, showcasing music from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. And the Catalan Sounds team have put together a Spotify playlist of the bands from their region playing at this handy link.

Meanwhile, how about a playlist of tracks from some of the many Canadian bands playing this year? Canadian Blast will host its own venue as part of the proceedings this time. To get you in the mood, you can check out a playlist featuring some of the Canadian acts appearing at TGE here.

And finally, a CMU approved act playing TGE this year, Bleeding Heart Narrative, have announced a competition to mark their performance at Above Audio on Friday at 8.45pm. Via the Great Escape and the band’s own Facebook pages, fans will be asked to list one animal and two objects. The band’s five favourite suggestions will win a copy of the latest BHN EP ‘Bison’. But that’s not it! “In recognition of the fact that ‘Bison’ is almost exactly how you say ‘Brighton’ with a mouth full of drawing pencils” (the band say) the top three will also have there suggestions of animals and things turned into a personalised drawing by BHN frontman Oli Barrett.

Phew. Hey, see you in Brighton. Wear a hat.

This could work, I suppose. Though the use of the word ‘instant’ in the press release is interesting.

Universal Music has teamed up with Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green retail chain to flog vinyl albums to music fans in the street. Artwork from twelve classic albums will be displayed in the windows of ten Pretty Green shops, alongside information on how those looking into the windows can use their smartphones to order copies of the records, utilising an app called Simply Tap.

Via the app customers will be able to “instantly buy the vinyl records” from the shop window, by which they mean a copy will be sent out in the mail and arrive at the phone owner’s home a couple of days later. Records for sale via the promotion, which will kick off in late May, include long players from The Rolling Stones, The Who, Elbow, Paul Weller, The Jam, The Cure, Ian Brown and Paul McCartney.

Says Universal Music’s MD Commercial Division Brian Rose: “We are seeing continued passion as well as new enthusiasm for vinyl through our online store Uvinyl and the great support the format gets from those indie music shops which are still flourishing, but by harnessing the latest technology we hope this partnership with Pretty Green will lead to much wider opportunities for selling music on the high street”.

Meanwhile Pretty Green’s Brand Director Nigel Grant added: “As music is a large part of Pretty Green’s heritage the collaboration with Universal Music and Simply Tap is in perfect synergy with our brand values. Through our label we strive to bring style, culture and music from past decades firmly into the future. We feel that providing the virtual vinyl outlets in-store further complements our brand and ideals”.