Industrial Strength: February 13

REVAMPED YOUTUBE STREAMING SERVICE BY MARCH?

All indications are that Google will announce a revamped music streaming service by early March.

YouTube Premiere is expected to merge YouTube Music and Play Music, and apparently already has a logo in place.

It matches that of the current YouTube Music logo at top-left corner of the app.

The last version of Music in January suggested additions as location-based playlists, subscriptions, and auto-downloads to the app.

PNAU BANG INTO US DANCE CHARTS

Hardcore dance radio stations in the US have been spinning PNAU’s new single ‘Go Bang’, with great gusto resulting in the track speeding into the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart at #39.

Their biggest success on the chart was in 2014 with ‘Changes’, credited as Faul & Wad Ad vs. PNAU.

NEW LABELS LAUNCH IN CAIRNS, ADELAIDE

Roaring out of Cairns is a new label The 5Five, which comes as part of a recording studio in an industrial warehouse in Bungalow, “punching out a DIY brand of music, merchandise and good times.”

The first releases are from quirky acts The Don Johnson Butlers, Tegan Koster Project, Biri "Keith Bourbon" Duffin, John "Saviour Crudd" De Satge and Nicholas "Wrong Scott" Mills.

To cast a torchlight at Adelaide’s underground electronic scene, record label Monotreme has been set up to issue a series of EPs and a compilation of the best of the new talents.

“Promoting homegrown goodness is what we are about,” the label declared, adding that results of collaborations would be a key element to their releases.

WAM SONG DEADLINE EXTENDED

The deadline for the WAM Song of the Year has been extended to 11:59pm this coming Thursday February 15.

WAM says, “This gives you a few extra days to pull your socks up and get your entries in and one last chance to share in over $45,000 worth of prizes and snap up career-boosting opportunities.

“A reminder also that your song doesn’t need to be professionally recorded - it can be an unreleased song or demo. As long as it’s a great song, it’s in with a chance to win.”

VEVO CANCELS SOUTHERN CROSS AUSTEREO DEAL

Radio Today had a scoop when it revealed that Vevo has not extended its 2016 deal with Southern Cross Austereo for it to represent its content and digital assets in this territory.

A number of SCA’s digital sales team have been retrenched.

Some of Vevo’s top overseas executives who were part of the team that struck the SCA deal have moved on.

CBAA MOVES ON WITH AMRAP

The Community Broadcasting Association Of Australia is continuing with its plans to restructure the role of Amrap (Australian Music Radio Airplay Project) within its operations.

The six staffers, led by GM Chris Johnson who earlier caused a protest walkout and set up their own ’The Republic Of Amrap’ have been sacked "following breaches of their employment contracts" in recent weeks.

Long time community radio identity Andrew Khedoori (2SER, and founder of the Preservation record label) now oversees Amrap.

WAS JUDGE MISLEAD OVER KIM DOCTCOM WARRANT?

The start yesterday of Kim Dotcom’s appeal case in Wellington, NZ, saw his legal team go on the attack.

Its argument is that the judge who issued the warrant for his arrest six years ago had been misled by NZ authorities – because they had not told him that the information for the warrant had been gathered secretly and hence illegally by the GCSB intelligence service.

The judge might have refused the warrant if he had known.

In 2012, the Prime Minister at the time, John Key, apologised to Dotcom, agreeing that as a NZ resident, the spooks had no right to spy on him.

FIRST ACT FOR SPLENDOUR REVEALED

The Wombats have outed themselves as the first international; act to play Splendour In The Grass in winter.

During a social media chat, singer and guitarist Matthew ’Murph’ Edward Murphy revealed ,”For anyone listening from Australia we are playing Splendour in the Grass this (northern) summer."

He added, "Our manager said we can tell you although we’re not sure the Splendour people were ready to share this yet."

Splendour rocks out for its 18th year on Friday July 20, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 at North Byron Parklands.

REYNE CANCELS ANOTHER SHOW

The post-surgery complications that caused James Reyne to cancel the last two shows of a national tour last month have forced him to now cancel the Friday February 16 ‘James Reyne Plays All Crawl’ show at Twilight at Taronga.

At this point, the Sunday March 11 show is still going ahead.

DRAKE GIVES COLLEGE STUDENT $50K FOR TUITION

University of Miami student Destiny James was asked to shoot a video on the benefits of the number of scholarships she had received.

However the shoot was a phoney. Midway through Drake materialised brandishing a cheque for $50,000 and told her it was for her tuition.

Posting the two of them with a giant version of the said cheque on Instagram James said, "Drake told me that he has read great things about me and appreciates how hard I’ve worked through so many trials and decided to give me $50K for my tuition.

“@champagnepapi THANK YOU SO MUCH!!’ You don’t understand what this means to me.

"I would’ve never imagined this happening to me. I’m just a girl from Denmark, SC that wants to MAKE IT and be somebody and for you to see my hard work means the world. Thank you so much. God I thank you."

The Canadian superstar was in Miami shooting a video for ‘God’s Plan’ and visited a number of local schools.

The Miami Senior High School copped a $25,000 donation and OVO-designed uniforms.

JB HI-FI: SALES UP 41%, PROFITS UP 21% IN HY18

JB Hi-Fi again showed why it was one of three Australian companies to make Deloitte’s list of the world’s top 250 retailers.

In the six months to December 31 (HY18) sales were up 41% to $3.69 billion while net profits soared 21% to $151.7 million.

Over this period, the chain opened seven new outlets

The last month of this period was when Amazon entered the Australian market, so it’ll be interesting to see what the next set of financials are.

Fastest growing items over the Christmas period were drones, gaming hardware, audio devices and computer and communication devices

NORTHLANE TAKING BREAK AFTER EUROPEAN TOUR

Sydney’s Northlane will take a lengthy break after a European summer tour to recharge the batteries.

Meantime, they’re playing the Download festival as well as a March 16 headliner at the UNSW Roundhouse with Justice For The Damned, Resist The Thought, and DVSR.

The show is to mark the digital-only release that day of their live album Analog Future, culled from their Mesmer world tour.

The European shows include the Slam Dunk festival in the UK in late May with Good Charlotte and Jimmy Eat The World as headliners.

CALUM SCOTT PROMO TOUR

Callum Scott is in Australia on his first visit (February 28 to March 3 for EMI Music) behind the March 9 release of his debut album Only Human.

He’ll be in Sydney and Melbourne during that time, and will do an intimate showcase performance in Sydney.

Lead off single ‘You Are The Reason’, which whipped up 70 million streams worldwide, has gone Gold in Australia and featured on sitcom Home And Away over the summer.

LIMELIGHT FOR SALE

Music magazine publisher Arts Illuminated wants to sell classical music magazine Limelight before it goes into liquidation, as revealed in TMN last Friday.

Its head, Andrew Batt-Rawden, is thinking of a six figure price tag, and that it could roll over $200,000 a year.

Limelight was doing about 8000 copies a month, and seven staff lost their jobs.

ALPHA WOLF SINGER STEPS DOWN AFTER ASSAULT CLAIMS

Melbourne metalcore band Alpha Wolf has gone off the road for the time being, and singer Aidan Holmes stepped down after allegations of sexual assault were made against him.

20-year old Queensland woman Jaye Lunson, stated that the alleged incident occurred in her home after a night out in April 2017.

Holmes said he stepped down because “I feel it is my battle and I do not want to drag (the band) through it.”

Alpha Wolf immediately cancelled shows in Sydney and Brisbane on the weekend, and will sit out commitments at Download Festival and The Mortal Coil tour with Polaris.

The band said in a joint posting: “The individual member has made a statement, which we stand behind, however we feel the best course of action for now is to leave the matter in hands of legal authorities to be resolved with our full co-operation.”

Holmes said that “due to the seriousness of the allegations” he had been advised by his lawyers and label not to respond to the allegations.

“At this stage I can only say that the evidence and truth will come out in due course.”

SEA FM BUNDABERG TO GET REBRAND

Southern Cross Austereo is looking at rebranding Sea FM Bundaberg to 93.1 Triple M from February 26.

The Queensland station, which has been in the SCA portfolio for 18 years, brings the Triple M metro and regional stations to 35.

Triple M also has four digital stations, including newly launched Triple M Country.

GUCCI MANE WORKING ON BIOPIC

Rapper and southern trap music pioneer Gucci Mane is getting his autobiography adapted for the screen.

Paramount Pictures has written out a cheque for the rights, the Hollywood Reporter said, and will be working on it with Imagine Entertainment, the folks behind the Eminem flick 8 Mile and the music biz TV series Empire.

Mane is simply a screenwriter’s joy. Born Radric Delantic Davis in Alabama to a conman father, he fast tracked his way to rap cred with the usual route to dope dealing and gangs after the family moved to Atlanta.

After that came addictions, feuds with other rappers, a jail term for carrying a gun when a felon, a return to the scene making mixtapes in the pokey with help from Migos and Young Thug and, oh yes, the road to redemption.

MUSIC NT ON RECRUITING SPREE

Music NT, which represents the Northern Territory’s contemporary music scene, is on a recruiting spree.

It’s looking for a full-time Indigenous Music Development Officer based in Alice Springs to deliver its regional and remote programs, and a part-time Marketing and Communications Officer.

Applications close on February 16 for both, with more info from marksmith@musicnt.com.au.

Music NT also advertised for a Central Australian Manager, working out of its Alice Springs office, but applications closed last weekend.

INQUEST ON ARMIDALE CLUB FIRE INDICATES ARSON

A coroner ruled that the fire which destroyed The Armidale Club the fire was deliberately lit after traces of petrol were found at the scene.

But the coroner, Michael Holmes, could not pinpoint who started it.

The blaze broke out at 5am on September 16, 2016 in the front bar of the wooden club and spread to the roof.

The alarm was activated but “the monitoring company did not respond to the alarm”.

MULTI NOMINEES FOR WA COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

Singer-songwriters Karin Page, Jasmine Atkins and Julie Kember and the duo Jane Germain & Ian Simpson, are multi-nominees in the West Australian Country Music Awards.

Page has three nominations alone in the independent single category.

The eight categories, and the newly introduced People’s Choice, are announced on February 16.

PRESETS UNVEIL ALBUM TITLE, DROP VIDEO

The Presets revealed that their fourth album, due out later in the year, is to be called HI VIZ.

It boasts an array of collaborators including Alison Wonderland, DMAs, Jake Shears, Shane Parsons of DZ Deathrays, Michael Di Francesco of Touch Sensitive, Rromarin and Fritz Helder.

At the same time they also dropped the video for new single ‘14U+14ME’.

Julian Hamilton describes the result as "a cataclysmic, freak-out created by (New York) US director duo Georgia… they basically crushed planet Earth with this one - thanks guys. Hope you all like it as much as we do.”

The track’s art cover is by long-time collaborator Jonathan Zawada who has also worked with Flume over recent years.

TOURISM AUSTRALIA TAPS WILLIAM BARTON MUSIC

William Barton’s traditional didgeridoo playing begins Tourism Australia’s new ad campaign, which comes across as a trailer for the fake Dundee: The Son of a Legend Returns Home.

Starring Margo Robbie, Chris Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Paul Hogan, it made its debut during the Super Bowl before 110 million viewers.

Barton’s piece of music is titled ’Birdsong At Dusk’,the title track from his 2014 ABC Classics album and published by G. Schirmer Australia.

FUND TO IMPROVE QUEENSLAND ARTS FACILITIES

Queensland’s Palaszczuk Government has initiated a new $250,000 Arts Infrastructure Fund to help small-to-medium-sized organisations improve their facilities.

The Fund will offer up to $50,000 per applicant for a maximum of 50% of the total eligible project cost.

Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said, “The breadth of infrastructure projects that could be delivered as a result of this new funding is considerable.

“It could include essential premises upgrades such as roof replacement or repairs, the installation of stairs, ramps or lifts to increase accessibility, and other structural improvements.

“New art studio spaces or workshops could be constructed through the use of this funding, which will further enhance these creative environments and allow Queensland arts organisations to connect with their communities even more.

“The fund can also support sustainability initiatives such as solar panel installation, energy-efficient lighting, and new or improved air-conditioning and ventilation systems.”

Applications close on March 16, more info here.

NEW TWIST IN STEELY DAN NAME CASE

With Donald Fagen taking Steely Dan out in May with the Doobie Brothers for the first time since Walter Becker went to meet his maker, the dispute over the name heats up.

This is the recap, as told through a tennis match.

THWACK! Becker dies in September 2017.

THWACK! In November Fagan sues for full ownership of the band’s name – named for a dildo – stating that in 1972, the two founders drew up a deal where if a member dies or leaves, the others would buy their shares.

THWACK! The Becker team argues on January 19 that the idea of the deal is that no one person would get sole ownership, and that the pact would be automatically dissolved.

THWACK! In the latest round, Team Fagen pushes the argument that Becker already got his money from Dam through the years and it’d be most unfair if he keeps getting royalties from the hard work that only Fagen is doing.

STUDY: AUSSIES SPEND MORE TIME ON NET THAN TV

The Digital in 2018 report by Hootsuite and We Are Social looks at 239 countries.

The Australian figures finds that we’re spending 80% more time on the internet than watching TV.

Two thirds of Australians use social media a month, and spend almost 100 minutes on social platforms each day.

Nearly 90% of Australians are online, with half a million coming on board for the first time last year.

In terms of global data, there are now 4.021 billion internet users (53% of the world’s population), with a rise of 7% in the past year.

Social media has 3.196 billion users (up 13% in the last 12 months), and of which 96% access it through mobile.

Put their totals together and in 2018, internet users will spend the equivalent of 1 billion years online, and social media folks will spend a total of 325 million years this year.

ART MUSIC FUND DEADLINE

Australian and New Zealand art music composers have until February 20 to get applications in for the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund.

Now in its third year, the fund offers grants totalling A$100,000 for the creation of new commissioned work from a wide range of music styles.

“Work to be commissioned must be innovative, display professional compositional craft and represent a benchmark of excellence in its field.

“The work must also have committed partners to ensure it is presented multiple times.”

VALE

The Gov in Adelaide is tonight (Tuesday February 13) hosting a multi-act tribute to singer songwriter Stephen Foster. Born in Murray Bridge, SA, Foster recorded his first single in 1963 while still at high school. Among the bands he fronted were The Mount Lofty Rangers with a pre-AC/DC Bon Scott.

His first album Coming Home In A Jar was out on Bootleg/ Fable in 1972.

A song he co-wrote with Graeme Goble, ‘Forever Blue’ for Little River Band’s No Reins (1986) became a hit in the mid-1990s in Europe.

Stephen Foster was 71, and died a month after he was diagnosed.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS …

Jimmy Barnes announced the final two shows on his Working Class Man: An Evening of Stories & Songs tour in Sydney at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith on Friday June 1 and the Concourse Concert Hall in Chatswood on Saturday June 2.

Missy Higgins was spotted with her father at the tennis men’s finals in Melbourne. She says, "Dad taught me how to play tennis from a young age and it’s still now pretty much the only sport I know anything about.”

Pete Murray’s new business venture Music & Movement Escapes kicks off this week. Set up with close buddy Benny Owen, it gives music lovers the chance to hang out at Elements of Byron Resort with the pair, get fit, do yoga, surf, rise horses and be around when he does impromptu acoustic sets.

You Am I’s next tour is doing the songs of Spinal Tap on their next tour The Majesty of Tap March 22 to April 7. Tim Rogers explained, “One out of every four and a half interviews has included the question ‘Have you ever had a Spinal Tap moment?’. Well sweet lord, any band worth their talc has, and we, whether on talc or not, have had more ‘Tap moments’ than liquid dinners!”

New Zealand singer songwriter Ladi6 almost died after an allergic reaction to a bee sting while holidaying at Mathesons Bay. She took to Facebook to thank those who helped. She broke out in hives: “(I) nearly died, as my throat was closing and I was losing consciousness.” A rescue helicopter rushed her to Auckland Hospital.

Yet another singing reality show emerges from the United States. This one, produced by Mark Burnett and Mike Darnell, is called The World’s Best. There’ll be acts of every musical style from all over the world going through their paces to impress a panel of US judges and 50 entertainment experts from around the world.  It’s been picked up by CBS in America, which TV Tonight suggests would automatically mean screening in Australia on the Ten Network.

After over six years of performing live, Melbourne trio, Wet Lips are taking an indefinite hiatus. But not before their inclusive mini-festival Wetfest 4: Wet Forever, which takes place on April 21 at Howler in Brunswick with some of the fave acts including  Brooke Powers, Jesswar, Suss Cunts, Moaning Lisa. Racerage and Porpoise Spit.

In Sydney’s community land, FBi is advertising for a Managing Director, and Koori Radio or a GM.

A New Zealand music festival Shipwrecked had to go alcohol free over three days this month, as promoters couldn’t get a liquor licence in time after residents objected. It went off without too many tantrums, especially as the cops lumbered down to make sure patrons didn’t sneak in any grog. In the meantime, revheads at Canberra’s Summernats this year drank through eight tonnes of tinnies,

GWAR cancelled their April tour, DRW Entertainment confirmed.

Seeing him pop his face up on Married at First Sight has seen Nightmare Music promoter Nasser Sultan accused of not paying in full some of his touring acts, including Nashville Pussy and Neptune Power Federation. He responded everyone was paid what they were to be paid.

Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre’s $66 million upgrade, to include a three level 1472-seat auditorium, is set to begin in April.

Word is that Courthouse Hotel at Southport could re-open.

As part of a public consultation of Newcastle’s lockout laws, a collective of 300 doctors have told the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority not only should they be maintained but extended to the suburbs, the Newcastle Herald reported.