FEDERAL COURT UPHOLDS TENENBAUM DAMAGES
A US federal court last week upheld the $675,000 in damages that one-time file-sharer Joel Tenenbaum must pay the American record industry, with a judge ruling that the figure was "not excessive".

As much previously reported, Tenenbaum was one of the few people targeted during the Recording Industry Association Of America's big sue-the-fans lawsuit party last decade to actually let his case get to court. He was accused of sharing 31 songs. He lost his court battle, and was ordered by a jury to pay $675,000 in damages.

But the judge hearing the original case felt that was way too much and tried to cut the damages payment down to size. But she did so on constitutional grounds - arguing that such a high pay out for an act that in itself caused nominal damage to the plaintiffs was unconstitutional, despite it being based on parameters set out in US copyright law - rather than using a more complicated damages review process called remittitur. An appeals court subsequently criticised that judge's process, and reinstated the $675,000 damages sum.

Tenenbaum's lawyer, Charles Nesson, tried to take the matter to the US Supreme Court, but it refused to hear the case earlier this year, meaning future appeal efforts are now confined to lower federal courts. More recently, Nesson has been pushing for a new jury trial for his client, but last week Judge Rya W Zobel said no new full court hearing was necessary, because the original jury had appropriately considered the evidence regards Tenenbaum's actions.

According to C-Net, Zobel also said last week that, despite the original judge hearing the case expressing concerns at the size of the damages sum chosen by her jury, the $675,000 was actually at the lower end of the range allowed by American copyright law for wilful infringement, and that "in light of these factors, a rational appraisal of the evidence before the jury, viewed in the light most favourable to the verdict, supports the damages award".

Needless to say, the Recording Industry Of Association Of America welcomed the ruling, while Nesson told C-Net he planned a further appeal on behalf of his client. As previously noted, either way, Tenenbaum doesn't have $675,000 and has previously suggested he'd have to bankrupt himself if that figure stuck.

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CREAMFIELDS CALLS OFF SECOND DAY AFTER FLOODING
Organisers of the now Live Nation-owned Creamfields festival had to call off the show half way through this weekend after heavy rainfall left parts of its Cheshire site flooded. On Sunday morning those with day-tickets were told not to come to the festival's site, while those camping were asked to leave early. Sets from the likes of Deadmau5, Calvin Harris and Sub Focus had been due to take place later that day.

A statement on the dance event's website read: "Following heavy rainfall over the last 24 hours, significant and heavy flooding is affecting the Creamfields arena near Warrington. No serious casualties have been reported, and Cheshire Police and partner agencies are supporting event organisers in ensuring the safety and welfare of festival goers during this time". Extra public transport was laid on to help festival-goers depart the flooded site, while an announcement regarding any ticket refunds is still pending.

In nearby Liverpool, much of the city's Mathew Street Festival was also cancelled because of very strong winds. Some indoor events did go ahead, but the street-based activities that were expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors were called off. Liverpool City Councillor Wendy Simon told the BBC: "It's when you mix rain and heavy wind that you have got the risk of barriers broken down, street signs and the potential for flying objects. And when you have got a lot of people in a small place moving quickly you then risk crushing and people being trampled, and we are not prepared to risk that".

The latest cancellations round off a bad summer for British festivals. Poor weather forced a number of events to cancel, while also routinely putting off last-minute ticket buyers from attending events that desperately needed some extra sales, as the combination of a poor economic climate and extra competition from Olympic-related entertainments took hold. And with insurance premiums likely to be up significantly in 2013, given the cancellations and weather-based site damage caused this summer, next year could be a challenging year too.

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PATRICK WOLF SHARES ANNIVERSARY LP TRACKLISTING
Bathtime bard Patrick Wolf has shared the final tracklisting for his previously reported tenth anniversary acoustic retrospective compilation 'Sundark & Riverlight'. At a glance, he's narrowed his catalogue to a capsule collection of 16, then matched each track to either the 'dark' or 'light' side of the LP.

Just look...

Sundark:
Wind In The Wires
Oblivion
The Libertine
Vulture
Hard Times
Bitten
Overture
Paris

Riverlight:
Together
The Magic Position
Bermondsey Street
Bluebells
Teignmouth
London
House
Wolf Song

Wolf will release 'Sundark & Riverlight' on 25 Sep, and here's a beautifully apt overture for it in... well, the new version of 'Overture': www.youtube.com/watch?v=3i-KqFCKa_c

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FINK RECORDS LIVE LP
Brighton singer-songwriter Fin Greenall, alias Fink, will release a collection of live recordings, titled 'Wheels Turn Beneath My Feet', on 8 Oct.

Made during a tour organised in promotion of Fink's last LP, 'Perfect Darkness', the album features multi-national tapings taken from stages in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris, Lyon, Prague and Vienna.

For some live Fink now, though, here's a video of him doing 'Perfect Darkness' single 'Fear Is Like Fire' at London's Koko back in February.

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FRANCOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS TO RE-ISSUE LONG PLAYER, TOUR
Domino Records is to oversee the reissue of 'Plaine Inondable', the sophomore LP by ethereal French folkists Francois & The Atlas Mountains. First released in 2009, it'll be available this time on 5 Nov. Francois Marry et al's newest studio player, 'E Volo Love', is also out now.

The band have accompanied word of the re-release with details of a forthcoming tour, and its five dates are:

24 Oct: Reading, South Street Arts
25 Oct: London, Village Underground
26 Oct: Bristol, Exchange
28 Oct: Paisley, The Paisley Spree
30 Oct: Dublin, Academy 2

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MOTOWN MUSICAL TO OPEN NEXT APRIL
A new stage musical telling the Motown story will formally open on Broadway next April with previews from March, the show's producers have announced.

'Motown: The Musical' will be directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, and will feature Brandon Victor Dixon playing the legendary record label's founder Berry Gordy, and Valisia LeKae playing another key character, Diana Ross. Songs aplenty from the early Motown catalogue are expected to appear.

Gordy himself is one of the producers of the show, alongside Sony Music chief Doug Morris and leading Broadway producer Kevin McCollum.

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HYDRA SERIES TO HOST JAMES BLAKE DJ SET
A James Blake DJ set - staged as part of a night hosted by his label R&S Records - is one of the many, many facets of London club promoter Broken & Uneven's new Hydra Series of events.

Taking place on 23 Nov at a 'tba warehouse location', the R&S showcase will also feature cameos by Lone, Pariah, Airhead and The Chain, plus live performances by Vondelpark, Space Dimension Controller and new signings Egyptian Hip Hop.

In addition to this, the Hydra Series will also present events curated by Ostgut Ton, A Bunch Of Cuts, Dial Records, Deviation, Bleep.com, Innvervisions x Permanent Vacation, Non Plus x Workshop, Bugged Out, Border Community and Electric Minds x Aus/Simple.

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THE CRIBS TO TOUR
The release of their fifth studio LP, 'In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull', accomplished back in May, The Cribs have now detailed twelve live dates during which they'll probably just carry on promoting and playing said long player. Or promote and play a new one, anything's possible.

Tour dates:

23 Oct: Oxford, Academy 2
24 Oct: Norwich, Waterfront
25 Oct: Liverpool, Academy
26 Oct: Manchester, Apollo
28 Oct: Edinburgh, Haddow Fest
29 Oct: Newcastle, Academy
30 Oct: Sheffield,Academy
1 Nov: Leicester, Academy
2 Nov: Hull, University
3 Nov: York, Barbican
5 Nov: Leamington Spa, Assembly
6 Nov: Birmingham, Institute

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ENTER SHIKARI UNWRAP FESTIVE DATES
Just as Enter Shikari's Rou Reynolds today releases his solo charity EP 'Nourishment', the band have also confirmed they're to headline a series of December shows. Reynolds et al will play with Cancer Bats and Engine-Earz Experiment in Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Birmingham, London and Norwich in the run up to Christmas - what a nice festive treat for us all.

Here's all that information again, only more specific and in a list format:

6 Dec: Manchester, Ritz
7 Dec: Manchester, Ritz
9 Dec: Newcastle, Academy
10 Dec: Glasgow, Barrowlands
11 Dec: Glasgow, Barrowlands
14 Dec: Birmingham, Institute
15 Dec: Birmingham, Institute
16 Dec: London, Roundhouse
17 Dec: London, Roundhouse
19 Dec: Norwich, UEA
20 Dec: Norwich, UEA

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KAISER CHIEFS DECLARE 2013 TOUR
Olympic mods-for-hire Kaiser Chiefs, who have just released an archival singles collection titled 'Souvenir', will on 11 Feb take topmost billing on their very own tour.

Taking in various sights and scenery across our fair British isle, it'll culminate on 1 Mar at London's Brixton Academy.

And now, the relevant dates:

11 Feb: Carlisle, Sands
12 Feb: Glasgow, Barrowlands
14 Feb: Dunfermline, Alhambra
15 Feb: Manchester, Apollo
16 Feb: Bridlington, Spa
18 Feb: Newcastle, Academy
19 Feb: Preston, Guild Hall
21 Feb: Cheltenham, Racecourse
22 Feb: Wolverhampton, Civic
23 Feb: Exeter, Great Hall
25 Feb: Southampton, Guild Hall
26 Feb: Margate, Winter Gardens
27 Feb: Cambridge, Corn Exchange
1 Mar: London, Brixton Academy

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BLANCK MASS TO PLAY XOYO
Blanck Mass, aka Fuck Buttons' Benjamin Power, has announced a show at London's XOYO venue, which will see him joined by director Alex Turvey, who will provide live visuals. Support comes from producer Russell Haswell.

Power's debut album as Blanck Mass was released last year through Mogwai's Rock Action label. He recently followed it up with a new double A-side single, 'White Math/Polymorph', on Oneohtrix Point Never's Software/Mexican Summer label.

The London show will take place on 19 Oct. You can get yourself tickets here.

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP ADDITIONS

PITCHFORK FESTIVAL PARIS, Grande Halle de la Villette, Paris, France, 1-3 Nov: Death Grips, Rustie, How to Dress Well, DIIV, Purity Ring, Julio Bashmore. www.pitchfork.com/festivals/paris/2012/

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GRAMMY ACADEMY LAUNCHES RECORDING CREDITS CAMPAIGN
Grammy organiser The Recording Academy has launched a new campaign to persuade digital music services to ensure that everyone involved in any one recording - ie the people who would be name-checked in the liner notes of a physical release - are credited via digital releases too.

That songwriters, producers, session musicians and other people involved in the creation of sound recordings are losing their credits in the digital age has been debated in certain quarters of the music community for sometime, with the Music Producers' Guild perhaps being most vocal on the matter here in the UK. The Grammy campaign, though, spins this trend from the point of view of music fans rather than music creators, arguing that not only do music people have the right to be credited on their work, but consumers have a right to access that information.

Recording Academy boss Neil Portnow told reporters: "The staggering pace of digital innovation gives consumers access to more and more information, but in this case - digitally released music without liner notes - the music fan is getting less information. We can watch movies online with the credits included, and the same should be true for digitally released recordings. If music devices can access millions of tracks in the cloud, we're confident we can find a way to acknowledge those who created the tracks here on Earth".

The Give Fans The Credit campaign will encourage music consumers to sign a petition in support of digital credits, while various representatives of the music industry will talk to digital service providers about how they could make such information available. The Academy's Producers & Engineers Wing, meanwhile, will continue in its efforts to ensure that accurate meta-data including all appropriate credits is contained within digital music files.

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BMG ACQUIRES FRED AHLERT MUSIC
Music rights company BMG US last week announced it had purchased the catalogue of Fred Ahlert Music, a roster of songs it has been administering since last year anyway.

Fred Ahlert Jr created his publishing company in 1953, mainly to administer the works of his late father Fred E Ahlert Snr, which included songs like 'I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter'. The company subsequently acquired songs by the likes of Ted Koehler, Mort Dixon and Joe Burke, and worked with songwriters like Juice Newton, Bones Howe, Burt Bacharach, Hal David and Chris Kenner.

Confirming the acquisition of the catalogue, BMG Chrysalis North America President Creative Laurent Hubert told CMU: "We're thrilled to add Fred Ahlert's emblematic catalogue of 20th Century American classics to the BMG roster and equally delighted to introduce a new generation of music lovers to its timeless favourites".

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TOWNSQUARE BUYS MOG AD NETWORK
US radio company Townsquare Media has reportedly bought those parts of the MOG company not snapped up by Beats earlier this year.

As previously reported, the Dr Dre/Jimmy Iovine led Beats (partly owned by HTC, of course) bought the MOG streaming music platform back in July, but they didn't buy the original MOG business, a blog and online advertising network. And it's that that Townsquare has now bought in a deal reportedly worth $10 million.

According to All Things D, the deal makes sense, given that Townsquare also owns a network of music-based websites, most linked to its radio stations, and has been trying to transform those online operations into a standalone ad-funded business for sometime. Neither MOG nor Townsquare have commented as yet.

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A FIFTH OF COMMERCIAL RADIO LISTENERS SAY THERE ARE TOO MANY ADS
In a new listener survey by media regulator OfCom, over 20% said that they felt there was now too much advertising and sponsorship activity on most commercial radio stations, while 59% said that they thought any more ad-based output would be a bad thing.

Which possibly isn't surprising, radio listeners have always complained about the ads, but in most cases that doesn't actually stop them from tuning in to their commercial station of choice. Though whether the growth of online music services that offer an ad-free option, albeit in return for a subscription fee, will change that, especially as such services reach the kitchen and car dashboard (and especially if any such services attempt to more closely replicate the radio experience), remains to be seen.

Elsewhere in the same OfCom listener poll, it was revealed that only 10% of those surveyed said radio was their main source of local news, with TV the main source (53%), while newspapers and the web were cited by 15% and 6% respectively. Which is interesting, given that radio and newspaper services are generally more local than TV services, where local news is more regional than truly local.

Though of those that did look to radio for local news and information (including weather and travel news, and information about extreme weather conditions or other emergencies), in the main local commercial services were relied on more than BBC services. And while the differences were in the main only nominal - 4-10% - that's still possibly surprising.

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JESSIE J WON'T QUIT 'THE VOICE'
The nation's favourite anti-materialist popstar Jessie J has said that she'll stay loyal to 'The Voice' when it returns to British TV screens, and will be back on her electric swivel chair when a second series eventually airs.

It had been rumoured that the 'Domino' hitmaker - considering the programme's disappointing viewing figures and her own solo commitments (and the comments she made on the cancellation of 'The Voice' official arena tour back in June) - might not want back in. Or might not be invited back by the BBC. But no, she's "B B B BACK" alright? With a v v v vengeance.

J confirmed she'd reprise her role as 'Voice' 'coach' via Twitter, writing in a specially extended message: "I WILL be a coach on the second series of 'The Voice' UK! I'm B B B BACK! As I have always said. Unless you hear it from me, don't always believe what you read! Can't wait!"

J is so far the only 'coach' guaranteed to be on the 'panel' (ie row of four people in swivel chairs) of a second series of 'The Voice' in the UK. Tom Jones has expressed interest but is yet to make things official, while Danny O'Donohue and Will.i.am, well... maybe they're just waiting to see who else commits first, just like on the show.

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MADONNA PARDONS ELTON JOHN
A truce may just be in sight for warring pop icons Elton John and Madonna, after the latter forgave the former for likening her to a "fucking fairground stripper" (and other unmentionables) on Australian TV several weeks ago.

Appearing on stage - pretty appropriately - in Nice as part of her ever-controversial 'MDMA' world tour, Madge devoted an acoustic version of LP low-point 'Masterpiece' to her 'Rocket Man' rival, informing the crowd: "I'd like to dedicate this next song to a Mr Elton John. Yes, I know he's a big fan of it - and I know he's a big fan of mine. And you know what? I forgive him. You gotta start somewhere".

So that's nice. You can watch her Madgesty grant regal, semi-sarcastic pop clemency as only she can here.

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