IS GOOGLE PLANNING A CRACK DOWN ON PIRATES USING ITS AD NETWORK?
The number of top brands whose ads routinely appear on websites that participate in or enable piracy has been a talking point of late, though the real problem - of course - is the ad networks that sit between brands and their marketing agencies and websites which earn from banners and text ads.

Most ad agencies have entertainment-industry informed black lists of websites they won't directly shunt advertising or sponsorship money to on the grounds said sites are involved in piracy, but the online advertising networks they also hand ads and budget to aren't always as on it - partly because of slackness, partly because of the scale of their operations, and partly because of the issue as to who, exactly, other than a court of law, has the right to deem any one website as being a hot bed of piracy.

But according to the Telegraph, Google, as the owner of one of the leading online ad networks, is stepping up its efforts to cut off the advertising revenues of piracy enabling sites, and is talking to the likes of Visa, Mastercard and PayPal, who have been in cahoots with key entertainment industry trade bodies for a while in a bid to stop piracy services taking money direct from users, with a view to joining their more coordinated effort.

Google has, of course, been under increased pressure from the content industries to be more proactive in the fight against piracy on various fronts, and the web giant has made various commitments along the line, though with mixed results if you ask the big music, movie and media companies. The downgrading of unlicensed content sources in Google searches remains possibly the hottest topic, though the web firm has been more vocal on the need to stop the pirates from carrying its ads, and last year it partnered on some research with PRS For Music that focused on the need to cut off the revenue streams of piracy enablers.

Quite what new plans Google may be concocting in this domain isn't clear, though the Telegraph seems to think they could be more radical than past efforts.

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TAYLOR SWIFT SUED OVER ADVANCE ON CANCELLED SHOW
Taylor Swift is being sued over a $2.5 million advance she was paid for a Canadian festival appearance that never took place. According to TMZ, Taylor Swift was due to headline the Capital Hoedown in Ottawa last summer, but it was cancelled by organisers. Swift, however, got her fee upfront, so has profited from the axed event.

Except the ticketing company forced to pay out $1.8 million in refunds after the country festival was pulled is trying to claw back the cash to cover its costs. Though a spokesman for the singer points out that she had no direct agreement with the ticketing firm, which could hinder the lawsuit somewhat; and, says the Swift rep, her lawyers are yet to see the litigation anyway.

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THE CRIBS TO PICK UP OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION GONG AT NME AWARDS
The Cribs will be handed the Outstanding Contribution To Music prize at this year's NME Awards, and there's nothing you or I can do to stop it. And why would you want to? I mean, their old mate Johnny Marr will be declared Godlike Genius on the same night, so that's all very symmetrical, is it not?

Confirming this bit of news, NME editor Mike Williams told CMU: "The Cribs arrived on the scene in 2003 with a DIY, never-say-die attitude and they've not let up since, literally bleeding for the cause at some of the most chaotic and thrilling gigs of the past decade, and at the same time producing five amazing albums that encapsulate punk spirit and outsider indie like no one else. Needless to say we're incredibly proud to salute their achievements by honouring them with this award. They truly are outstanding as well as inspiring, and we're looking forward to staying with them every step of the way for another ten years".

Meanwhile The Cribs themselves popped by CMU HQ and said in perfect unison (with Marr on backing guitar for old times sake): "It's a tremendous honour, and something that you never really dream of when first starting out as three maladjusted weirdos from the middle of nowhere. It's almost like a purple heart in some ways - recognition for your time in the trenches and varying degrees of suffering. Not sure there were too many acts of bravery, but if anything, we hope that people remember the fact that we always tried to negotiate this strange, and oftentimes sleazy industry with an ethic rooted in DIY - trying to forge your own path rather than riding the gravy train, so that makes this all the sweeter. Thanks a lot".

The NME Awards take place on 27 Feb.

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SHAKUR ESTATE ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH JAMPOL MANAGEMENT
The estate of Tupac Shakur has signed a deal with Jampol Artist Management, the US-based management firm that particularly specialises in managing the legacies of deceased music stars, and which already represents the estates of Jim Morrison, Otis Redding and Janis Joplin amongst others.

Moving forward the company will oversee licensing, merchandise and other ventures utilising the late rapper's image or music. Tom Whalley, the US record industry veteran who originally signed Shakur to Interscope in 1991, will also advise on projects.

Confirming the new arrangement, and revealing that there is yet more unreleased music by Shakur to be unleashed the rapper's mother Afeni Shakur told reporters: "I believe it is our responsibility to make sure that Tupac's entire body of work is made available for his fans. My son left many incomplete pieces and even more unfinished ideas. Using the blueprints he gave us, I am committed to fulfilling this duty".

Shakur, of course, was murdered in 1996, less than five years after the release of his debut album, though a plethora of work made by the prolific rapper before his untimely death has been released posthumously.

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AZEALIA BANKS COLLABORATES WITH ARIEL PINK, REMIXES HARLEM SHAKE
So as per familiar protocol, a dependably non-dependable Azealia Banks hasn't released that first official single, 'Yung Rapunxel', she was PR-ing via Twitter last month, in line with its original 12 Feb release date (it's since been set back to March). But she has, she says, been in the studio with Ariel Pink, so... that's something, at least.

Meanwhile, Banks has been hitting other virtual headlines over an unofficial (and, says its maker, DJ Baauer, totally unauthorised) rework of 'Harlem Shake', the 2012 dance track that went Top 3 in the UK charts this week thanks to the latest silly-dance phenomenon on YouTube. As everyone in the known world contributed their own efforts to the 'Harlem Shake' video fad, Banks went and released a version of the track on which she guests.

The Banks-featuring edit began as an official collaboration with Baauer it seems, but one he decided not to put out. The Mad Decent-signed producer, real name Harry Rodrigues, tells The Daily Beast: "She laid something on 'Harlem Shake' and it was so-so. Didn't love it. And that was a little while ago, and since all this video stuff happened, our plans all changed. Because of that, we decided to just release the song on its own with no vocal version. So we told her, 'Please don't release your version'. And she said, 'Well, I'm going to put it online anyway'. And we said, 'Please don't. We'd really like it if you didn't'. And she did".

Oh dear. But it isn't all bad for Baauer, who is set to capitalise on his new found 'Harlem Shake' infamy via collaborations with AlunaGeorge's Aluna Francis and, potentially, A$AP Rocky. Take that, Azealia Banks.

And if you're somehow oblivious to the whole 'Harlem Shake' thing, this may or may not help you understand.

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BIG DADA TO RELEASE GRIME 2.0 COMPILATION
What does the grime scene look like in 2013? Or, most importantly, what does it sound like? This is a question Big Dada aims to answer on new compilation 'Grime 2.0'.

Compiled by journalist Joe Muggs and the label's founder Will Ashton, the album delves into the latest crop of grime producers and MCs, as well as rubbing up against the scene's godfather, Wiley, and more.

The compilation is due for release on 6 May, but you can hear snippets of what it has on offer in this trailer.

And here's the complete tracklist:

Disc 1
Footsie - Oh My Gosh
Tre Mission - Dollar Bill
Teeza - Rum and Coke
Visionist - Dem Times
Faze Miyake - 5000
TRC - Cartwheel
Chaos & Order - Logan's Mind
Preditah - Vinyls VIP
Youngstar - Loop 29
Chimpo - Codeine and Dragon Stout
DECiBEL - Bend
Shy One - 927
Inkke - L-O-K
J Beatz - Shotta Krew
Matt Shadetek - Battery Charge
Juzlo - Nail Thrower
Major Grave - Like A G

Disc 2
Darq E Freaker - Trojan
Moony - Winner
Mr SnoWman - Frosty Lake
Mr Mitch - Viking
Wiley - Logic Pro
MRK1- Smash It Up Hard
Prettybwoy - Kissin U
Swifta Beater - Numb VIP
SNK - Mongrel
Royal-T - Space Cowboy VIP
Stenchman - Machine Molester
Sinden - Arcane
Slackk - Spray
Spooky - Moonlight
Starkey - Tunnel
TC4- Lazer Riddem
Gumnaam - Desi Bullet
Threnody - Emergency

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DAVID BOWIE ADDS EXTRA NEXT DAY DETAILS
David Bowie has taken a figurative cloche off the final tracklisting for his new LP, 'The Next Day', also revealing the title of its next single, aka 'The Stars (Are Out Tonight)'.

Set for release on 26 Feb, the single will precede the LP itself, which will be available in various shapes and sizes - not least a 'deluxe' Blu-spec CD carrying four extra tracks, no less - on 11 Mar.

The standard 'The Next Day' tracklisting is as follows:

The Next Day
Dirty Boys
The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
Love Is Lost
Where Are We Now?
Valentine's Day
If You Can See Me
I'd Rather Be High
Boss of Me
Dancing Out in Space
How Does the Grass Grow
(You Will) Set the World On Fire
You Feel So Lonely You Could Die
Heat

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ALISON MOYET GIVES AWAY NEW TRACK
Abiding popstar Alison Moyet has released a free memento of her signing to Cooking Vinyl last month. It's in the shape of new track 'The Changeling', and you can take it away via this link.

It's taken from Moyet's lower-case-titled new long player 'the minutes', and will soon be followed by an official single titled 'When I Was Your Girl'.

On collaborating with top pop professional Guy Sigsworth on the new record, her eighth to date, Alison says: "He returns me to a programmer's world and marries it with perfect musicality. I have been waiting for him. We have made an album mindless of industry mores that apply to middle-aged women and have shunned all talk of audiences, demographics and advert jazz covers. This has easily been my happiest studio experience".

This is 'Changeling'.

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WILLY MOON TALKS DEBUT LP
Wiley's least favourite Willy, iPod ad-syncing pop debutante Willy Moon, is to release his first ever LP, the smartly-titled 'Here's Willy Moon', on 1 Apr. "It's an unusual record because Willy Moon is an unusual man", says its PR.

Moon himself presents his self-presenting new LP thus: "My album is short like my songs. I always loved the relentlessness and excitement of that first Ramones album and there's something of that spirit in there. I think it will surprise people who've only heard 'Yeah Yeah', there's some slower, more atmospheric songs on it and one that even lasts for over three minutes... ha!"

"Ha!", indeed. Its tracklisting looks something like this:

Get Up
Railroad Track
Yeah Yeah
What I Want
Fire
I Wanna Be Your Man
Working For The Company
Shakin'
She Loves Me
I Put A Spell On You
My Girl
Murder Ballad

And this is its Dizzee-indebted new single 'My Girl'.

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FESTIVAL LINE-UP UPDATE
So, several movers-and-shakers within the British festival scene have revised their line-ups of late, and we'll start - for no especial reason - at T In The Park. Thanks to a frenzy of artist add-ons, that'll now co-star the pop-playing likes of Stereophonics, Calvin Harris, Chase & Status, Dizzee Rascal and Disclosure alongside a holy headlining trinity of Rihanna, The Killers and Mumford & Sons.

Ed of a made-over Editors, who'll also be playing T in mid-July, says: "It is our pleasure to be coming back up to T In The Park this summer, after what seems like an age. Editors have undergone some changes in the last twelve months, but we have come out the other side a more determined band with a bunch of new songs that we think you are going to like. We can't wait to get back amongst it with some special festival crowds, and where could be a better place to do that than T In The Park?"

Hmm, "changes"? Most intriguing. And talking of change, let's skip on to the Isle Of Wight-based festival, er... the Isle Of Wight Festival. IOW programming bosses have opted to conscript a cast of all-ages and all-genres to the festival's 2013 cache, not least Little Mix, T'Pau, Rizzle Kicks, Bastille and solo Charlatan Tim Burgess, who'll be aromatising his Tim Peaks Diner stage with DJs, live sets, coffee and "all sorts of grooviness & goodness".

Nice. And hey, Londoners, guess what? Yeah, really... Dutch trance DJ Armin Van Buuren is playing his only Britain-based summertime show at a park near you (if you live near Clapham Common, that is) as part of the tenth ever SW4 Festival. Hard to believe, isn't it? But still, it's a FLUU-based fact, as is the first line-up communiqué from Live Nation's no-longer-Hyde-Park-based Wireless, a hip hop pop extravaganza headlined by Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z, and featuring Snoop Dogg, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar and Scotland's own Emeli Sandé. "Jay-Z is coming. JT is bringing sexy back. Snoop is gonna to drop it like it's hawt", reads its tagline. What a thrill.

And here are all the latest listings in full:

GALTRES FESTIVAL, secret location, York, 23-25 Aug: Maximo Park, Holy Moly & The Crackers, Maia, Boss Caine, Counting Coins, David Ward Maclean, Horse Guards Parade, Littlemores, Ryan Spendlove, The Blueprints, The Talks, Blackbeard's Tea Party. www.galtresfestival.org.uk

ISLE OF WIGHT, Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle Of Wight, 13-16 Jun: Rizzle Kicks, T'Pau, Little Mix, Everything Everything, Bastille, Damian Lazarus, Delilah, Zane Lowe, Tim Burgess. www.isleofwightfestival.com

SOUTH WEST FOUR, Clapham Common, London, 24-25 Aug: Armin Van Buuren. www.southwestfour.com

T IN THE PARK, Balado, Kinross-shire, Scotland, 12-14 Jul: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Editors, Frank Turner, Calvin Harris, Chvrches, Stereophonics, Dizzee Rascal, Chase & Status, Bastille, British Sea Power, The Courteeners, Deacon Blue, Disclosure, The Fratellis, Frightened Rabbit, The Heavy, Hot Natured, Imagine Dragons, Labrinth, The Lumineers, Miles Kane, Modest Mouse, Modestep, Nina Nesbitt, Noah and the Whale, Ocean Colour Scene, The Original Rudeboys, Peace, The Proclaimers, Rudimental, The Strypes, Tom Odell, Twin Atlantic, The View, Villagers, The 1975. www.tinthepark.com

WIRELESS, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, 12-13 Jul: Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Trey Songz, Snoop Dogg, John Legend, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Emeli Sande, Rita Ora, Kendrick Lamar, DJ Fresh, Calvin Harris. www.wirelessfestival.co.uk

Y-NOT FESTIVAL, Matlock, Derbyshire, 2-4 Aug: The Horrors, The Enemy, Ash, Dan Le Sac v Scroobius Pip, Dry The River, 65daysofstatic, Dutch Uncles, We Are The Ocean, Three Trapped Tigers, The 1975, Lewis Watson, Johnny Foreigner, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Toy, Stealing Sheep, The Computers, Wet Nuns, The Family Rain, The History Of Apple Pie, Sharks, Arcane Roots, Planes, Jack Martello, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys, Gnarwolves, Zico Chain, Evarose, Gallops, The Physics House Band, Rat Attack, Naymedici, Max Raptor, Stagecoach, Axes, Gunning For Tamar, My First Tooth, Crushing Blows. ynotfestivals.co.uk

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FESTIVAL CRIME CONFERENCE TO MEET AGAIN NEXT WEEK
Reading promoters Festival Republic will again host a conference to discuss combating crime at major music events. The annual Crime At Major UK Music Festivals Conference is now in its fifth year, with the latest edition due to taking place in Reading on 28 Feb.

Bringing together promoters from various British and Irish festivals, including Festival Republic's own Reading, Leeds and Latitude, plus Download, T In The Park, V Festival, Secret Garden Party, Global Gathering, Womad, Lovebox and Oxegen, along with police chiefs who have major music events in their regions, the event aims to share knowledge and best practice to cut down crime rates at festivals.

This year safety and liaison issues around a cancelled event will also be discussed following the last minute cancellation of some high profile festivals last year, mainly due to bad weather.

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ATOMIC KITTEN DESIGN COSMETICS LINE
'Whole Again' pop trio Atomic Kitten are going to release a new cosmetic range, and maybe even a new track or something, so that's nice.

Gifting one Alan Titchmarsh with the info, the band's Kerry Katona - who reunited in a big way with the original AK litter (aka Natasha Hamilton and Liz McClarnon) as part of ITV's 'Big Reunion' - said: "We have just signed a contract for our own perfume range and cosmetic range, so this isn't the last of Atomic Kitten".

Steering the talk away from eau-de-Katona and back to artistic endeavours, Hamilton added: "We've already been in the studio, we want to write some more music, so it's all very exciting".

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GATFIELD: SONY UK RELIED TOO MUCH ON X-FACTOR
While the shift to the digital world has proved challenging, the real challenge for record companies remains the same, says Sony Music UK boss Nick Gatfield, finding, nurturing and launching new talent. And while Sony's UK business has enjoyed some big new talent success stories in recent years, it had come to rely too much on the 'X-Factor' machine owned by its joint venture with Simon Cowell - Syco - and that's something Gatfield has been endeavouring to overcome since joining the major in 2011.

We know all this because of an interesting interview with Sony Music's UK boss on the CBI website posted late last week. Gatfield begins by noting: "The bedrock of this business is new music. As long as you've got credible new music coming through, there are always ways of finding the music-loving public, whether it's online or through stores. The fundamentals are great talent".

Talking about his joining Sony Music UK in 2011, initially as President Of Music and subsequently CEO, Gatfield adds: "My mandate from my boss was: 'We've got to turn the UK back into a domestic repertoire powerhouse'. It had lost its way in terms of domestic A&R. We also needed to become a strong exporter of talent and fuel the Sony machine globally with British talent".

And on the role of 'X-Factor' in Sony's new talent equation: "Every one of our competitors would want the platform that 'The X-Factor' delivers. We have a phenomenal pipeline of talent coming through the TV formats and we're incredibly lucky to have that. But I think we relied on it too much and took our eye off the ball. We got complacent".

Gatfield believes that after a "year of restructuring and consolidation" he has now put in place the framework for a more holistic approach to new talent development, and while it's too soon to say how big the pay back will be, he's optimistic: "We have a whole range of new artists coming to market between now and March 2014. We have the most nominated artists in the critics' end-of-year polls for breakthrough success, while Tom Odell won the BRITs Critics' Choice award. You can't take any
of that to the bank yet, but experience tells me that a good number of our artists are on their way to significant sales".

Read the full interview here.

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NINJA TUNE LAUNCHES CROWDFUNDING SITE FOR OUT OF PRINT VINYL
Ninja Tune has announced the launch of a new website, called Beat Delete, to crowdsource funding for short run represses of out of print album and single releases on vinyl and CD.

Essentially the site collects the necessary number of pre-orders to cover the cost of repressing the records, making it worthwhile for the labels and ensuring that fans can get their hands on the records without having to fork out a fortune. As well as Ninja Tune itself, the service has Beggars, Domino, Sunday Best, Tru Thoughts, Big Dada, Accidental, Catskills and Brainfeeder also on board at launch.

Ninja Tune staffer and Beat Delete founder Martin Dobson told CMU how the idea came about: "It's a bit weird actually, the idea came to me in my sleep. Well, fully formed when I woke up one morning. I dreamed it up nearer the time of the [PIAS] fire, and when we found out how much stock Ninja Tune had lost, but more importantly how much stock the smaller indie labels lost, many of which wouldn't be able to repress much of their older and less sought after niche classics. It's taken a while to come to fruition but we've got some great labels on board already and a few exciting ones in the pipeline which I can't wait to announce in the next few weeks".

On how it all works, he added: "The labels decide on the price and order threshold they need to make the repress of the release feasible, we put the release up on the site and then customers can order the albums as you would normally on any shop. However their card is not charged until the order threshold is reached, once it is, we notify the label and then they go out and repress the product and post out the orders. It's likely to take two or three weeks once the threshold has been met for the album to be delivered to the customer".

Amongst records currently being offered for represses are Mr Scruff's 'Keep It Unreal', 'Brand New Second Hand' by Roots Manuva, 'Angles' by Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip, and 'Your Future, Our Clutter' by The Fall.

Check out the site at www.beatdelete.com

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UNIVERSAL PROMOTIONS: BRIEGMANN, CHOUDHURY
Universal Music made a couple of new appointments yesterday, with Frank Briegmann becoming the major's President for Central Europe, while in the UK Hassan Choudhury became Senior Vice President, International Marketing.

Briegmann, who has led Universal's operations in the German market, will have his remit expanded so to also cover Eastern Europe and the Nordic region in addition to Germany, Switzerland and Austria. He will also continue to oversee the Deutsche Grammophon label, and will join Universal Music Group International's management board.

He reports in to Universal's International boss Max Hole, who told CMU: "I've worked closely with Frank for many years and he shows calm authority and cool judgement in everything he undertakes. He combines business acumen with an instinctive understanding of artists and their ambitions, and will bring new energy and focus to all of the countries in his region".

Choudhury, who joined Universal in 2006 having previously worked in international marketing roles at both Sony and Warner, will oversee all aspects of international marketing for Universal's UK signed artists, reporting in to both Universal Music UK boss David Joseph and the major's President of Global Marketing Andrew Kronfeld.

Says Kronfeld: "This promotion recognises Hass's commitment and hard work in growing international sales of UK repertoire and helping develop the careers of artists including Amy Winehouse, James Morrison, Taio Cruz, Florence & The Machine, Amy Macdonald and, more recently, Jake Bugg and The Lumineers".

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EARMUSIC RENEW PARTNERSHIP WITH ABSOLUTE
The Edel-owned rock label earMUSIC, which represents artists including Foreigner, Europe and Deep Purple, has renewed its partnership with London-based label services company Absolute Marketing.

Confirming the renewed alliance, earMUSIC's Max Vaccaro told CMU: "[With Absolute] we have found more than just a distribution company. Absolute turned into our English office and in a few years we have achieved great results with radio airplay, charts successes and we have made an enormous step forward with our catalogue. Absolute in the UK and earMUSIC in Europe seems to have been the best choice for many artists who have trusted us and we feel this is only the start".

Absolute chief Henry Semmence added: "We have been working with Max and his team for several years now and are delighted to have helped establish earMUSIC as a highly successful label here in the UK. We are even more delighted to have renewed the deal and look forward to being involved with some iconic bands and releases over the coming months".

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NIGHTWISH METALLER WORKING ON SCROOGE MCDUCK-INSPIRED ALBUM
And if you can write a news story that improves on that headline you're a better man than me. Though read the Metal Hammer interview that explains all if you must.

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