State Champ Radio International
Page: 57
Punjabi music history is being made in Canada. An innovative new wave of diasporic artists is blurring boundaries between genres and setting chart records. They’re blending traditional and contemporary sounds to create something undeniably their own — and it’s spreading worldwide.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
With its massive population and an ultra-profitable entertainment film and music industry, India is one of the top entertainment markets in the world. Punjabi music has emerged in its own right, with labels like New York hip-hop legend Nas’s Mass Appeal and Universal Music teaming up to spotlight the music in both India and North America. This year, singer/actor Diljit Dosanjh became the first to play a set at Coachella entirely in Punjabi.
It’s not only an Indian phenomenon, but a Canadian one. Diplomatically, the relationship between the two countries is suddenly tense, but it hasn’t dulled the power of the music. There are over 2.5 million people of South Asian heritage in Canada, and they account for some of the most popular music on both sides of the world. Three of the top 10 tracks in India in 2022 were made by Canadian artists. On Spotify, the top streamed track was “Excuses” by AP Dhillon, Gurinder Gill and Intense, who broke out from British Columbia. Canada, where artists blend cultural heritages fluidly, is proving to be fertile ground for an international movement of genre-spanning music.
Collectively, artists like Dhillon, Gill, Karan Aujla, Jonita Gandhi and Ikky continue to amass billions of streams on Spotify and YouTube and perform on the country’s biggest stages. They’ve starred in documentaries, collaborated with hip-hop stars like YG, and turned audiences who might not speak a word of Punjabi into overnight diehards.
But despite all of their measurable success, it’s taken the Canadian music industry a long time to recognize and support the artists who have been proving themselves on their own terms. That’s finally starting to change, even during a challenging time.
Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set off a diplomatic crisis when he accused the Indian government of potential involvement in the assassination of Sikh activist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Tensions have been rising between the two countries since then, and artists have simultaneously found themselves facing scrutiny. Just weeks ago, Punjabi-Canadian rapper and singer Shubh had his Indian tour cancelled after facing criticism for sharing a piece of art that he says was politically misinterpreted.
“We are trying to make art that helps people on an individual level, regardless of their colour, race, religion, nationality [or] gender,” writes Dhillon in a recent Instagram post. “Division has gotten us to this point but unity is the key to the future.”
For Punjabi-Canadian artists, this is not a time to shrink away from the spotlight. It’s a time to engage and spread their music around the world. It’s a culmination of years of work that is now coming to fruition in a major way.
A home for Punjabi music in Canada
Karan Aujla and Ikky have some serious bragging rights.
Their addictive summer pop album Making Memories debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, making it the highest-charting Punjabi album debut in Canadian history. At launch, it sat above Midnights, the newest album from arguably the largest pop star in the world.
“All of my friends were joking around telling me, yo, you passed Taylor Swift!” Aujla tells Billboard Canada. “When we saw these numbers, and we saw that mark, we thought, okay, something is happening here.”
This summer, Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India came together to launch 91 North Records, a new label aimed at supporting South Asian artists across borders. At their industry launch event at their new office in Toronto, Warner Music Canada’s president Kristen Burke called the label a reflection of significant changes in the Canadian music industry.
The rise of music streaming and social media networks like TikTok have built worldwide exposure to music beyond local radio and opened the doors to new and different sounds. There’s been a rise in popularity for artists from all over the world, especially Punjabi music. “This music deserves a platform on the global stage and a dedicated label based in Toronto,” she said.
Ikky, the 22-year-old producer born Ikwinder Singh, is the label’s creative director. Internationally renowned playback singer Jonita Gandhi is one of their first signings. Gandhi, who sings in various regional Indian languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Punjabi, said at the launch that she sometimes has a hard time figuring out where she belongs, but feels right at home at 91 North. “I feel like I’m finally being seen,” she remarked.
Ikky says 91 North gives him a chance to think beyond himself and build a unified front amongst the new Punjabi wave. The goal, he says, is to get Punjabi artists to a point where they can compete on a global level next to the biggest artists in the world. It’s not just global outreach, but major label infrastructure that he says many artists in India desperately need.
Aujla says that’s something he struggled with before he signed with Warner Canada and Warner India. He came to Surrey, British Columbia, from the small village of Ghurala in India’s Punjab state when he was 17 and built a career writing for other artists. But he didn’t know how he was supposed to be compensated for it. He’d never heard of SOCAN, for instance, which represents rights holders for music in Canada.
“When I was young, I didn’t know what I was doing. I really needed help,” he says. “I wrote over a hundred songs and didn’t know I was supposed to get royalties. Some people around me took advantage. And that’s still happening in Punjab a lot. It needs to be corrected ASAP.”
Back home, he says, some people actually pay TV stations and record labels to play their music, not vice versa. “They don’t know what’s going on with the business side of music,” he says. “But now they’re starting to know.”
Paving the path
One of the biggest stars of Punjabi music is AP Dhillon, whose mix of trap beats and melodic lyricism has made him a champion of Punjabi culture in both India and North America. AP Dhillon: First of a Kind, a recent Prime Video docu-series about his rapid rise, follows Dhillon, his collaborators Shinda Kahlon and Gurinder Gill, and his small team at Run-Up Records as they embark on their first Canadian tour.
Dhillon’s very first show was at his hometown hockey rink, Vancouver’s nearly 19,000-seat Rogers Arena, and it only went up from there. Though the venues may be large, staying small and independent helps him keep his vision in his own hands, where he collaborates on everything from production to music videos. But it wasn’t a conscious choice. It was a necessity.
“Early on, I tried to send my music to a few labels, to people in the industry. I tried to message producers,” Dhillon recounts. “It wasn’t going anywhere. They weren’t grabbing it. They were like ‘this ain’t it.’ So we just kept going, kept going, kept going, and we didn’t stop.”
Gurinder Gill, his former collaborator who’s now striking out on his own, had never even been to a concert before performing for crowds of more than 10,000.
“The first concert we went to was our own,” he says. “One day you’re living your daily life and then, boom, next thing you know you’re on stage with this many people cheering on your music, cheering your name. It’s just a blessing.”
For major concert promoters, the numbers are becoming too big to ignore. Baldeep Randhawa is a talent buyer at Live Nation, and he says the company has big plans for Punjabi artists in Canada, the United States and the U.K. “We’re all collectively working on this on a global scale to really put some fuel on this fire,” he says from his office in Vancouver.
Used to seeing major Punjabi acts play in banquet halls and wedding venues, his initial goal was to break barriers and get them into “proper venues” of 500 capacity or more. The growth has been so rapid, however, that the company now has their sights set much higher: stadiums. That’s an achievable goal for artists like Dhillon and Diljit Dosanjh, who have already easily sold out arenas in cities like Toronto and Vancouver. But the strategy also includes breaking up-and-coming acts, like Calgary-based Prabh, who already have tens of millions of streams. Often, that means giving them the support they never had access to, which sometimes includes PR, management, even advice on merchandise.
That’s something new for many Punjabi artists, who are able to get huge numbers quickly without the tools to properly capitalize. For Gill, before coming to Canada as a student in 2015, he didn’t seriously consider pursuing music as a career. Though he’d perform at local singing competitions in Punjab, it wasn’t until he found a small community of friends who shared his passion for music that he realized music could be something bigger.
“We were not financially stable [at first], and we were finishing school,” he says. “It was a lot of work when we started taking it seriously. We had to do everything by ourselves.”
Now, his tracks have garnered billions of streams worldwide. His debut solo album, Hard Choices, which dropped this summer on Run-Up Records, showcases his lyrical prowess, blending Punjabi imagery, melodies and confident wordplay over steady hip-hop and trap beats. It represents a willingness to innovate, which is something he and his peers all share.
“We always try to do something new, something that hasn’t been done before,” he says. “That’s why the songs we release are a different sound for our industry or for the mainstream.”
A sound that crosses borders
The new sound of Punjabi music reflects a sensibility more than a genre. Combining classical folk stylings with elements of hip-hop, R&B and electronic music, it’s music that refuses to be limited.
Bhangra, an upbeat folk dance and music native to Punjab that originally celebrated the harvest season, is known for its accompaniment with live instruments like the dhol drum. Noticing a lack of heavy bass, artists in the 1980s and 90s began merging it with funk, reggae, dub and garage music that punctuated British soundwaves, making a global impact. In the process, artists have created points of connection for youth who may otherwise have been alienated from their language, art and culture — which is increasingly challenging to preserve with generations of migration.
Following this tradition, Punjabi-Canadian artists have put themselves on the map by creating music reflective of their specific worlds of influence. That’s especially true in multicultural cities like Toronto, where diverse sounds flow organically.
Gandhi, who has fielded questions about sounding “too Indian” or “too Western” throughout her career, says she now appreciates the blend of global influences that defined her early life in the Greater Toronto Area city of Brampton. “Being exposed to so many different cultures and people from around the world in my school opened up my mind to a lot of music that I might not have come across if I grew up somewhere else,” she says.
Ikky, who was born in Rexdale and now lives in Brampton too, says his music is also inextricable from his upbringing. The essence of his Punjabi heritage is in everything he makes, but so are reggae and dancehall, hip-hop and R&B, because those were the influences he was growing up around. “Our diversity is crazy in Toronto,” he says, “enough for you to be adding these cultures in your music without you ever knowing it.”
Ikky pushed Aujla to expand his sound while recording Making Memories in Toronto. None of his collaborators spoke Punjabi, but they built a shared musical language in the studio while jamming and trading records. Ikky curated an inspo playlist on Spotify ranging from hip-hop (Drake, J. Cole, Mobb Deep, 50 Cent, DJ Khaled) to R&B (Aaliyah, Ashanti, Keyshia Cole) to reggae (Wayne Wonder) to Punjabi-Canadian forebears (Jazzy B). You can hear it all in the smooth, effortless vibes of the music.
Aujla prides himself on being a writer first, but he’s proud of the cross-cultural audience his music is reaching. He’s a big fan of Bad Bunny, and he’s been obsessively listening to the Puerto Rican artist recently, trying to figure out how his specific melodies feel so universal despite the language barrier. Latin artists are dominating charts in and out of Latin America, and that inescapable global power is within reach for Punjabi artists.
“It’s just that one thing that we need to get right and what’s happened with Spanish music could happen to Punjabi music,” Aujla says. “We’re working day and night to get that right sound, that right melody that will just go everywhere in the world.”
A sound that lasts
Meanwhile, they’re still fighting for recognition at home. At this year’s Juno Awards, AP Dhillon did something that has never been done before.
Donning a dapper white tux, he crooned his recent single “Summer High,” giving the first ever Punjabi performance at Canada’s biggest music gala. It was a big breakthrough moment of recognition from the industry, but Dhillon says he fought to make sure it wouldn’t be a novelty or a one-off.
“I had a thorough talk with them before performing. I said ‘I’m honoured to do it. But there’s one condition: you gotta put my people on.’” he recalls. “It’s not a one-time thing that helps sell tickets for the Junos and then call it a day. Punjabi music will be there forever.”
Musicians are seeing the shift, and not just in the places you might expect.
This summer, Ikky was booked at the Calgary Stampede, an annual festival best known for rodeo exhibitions and cowboy boots. Ikky, who is Sikh, heeded warnings that people in Alberta tend to experience racism more acutely than in Ontario. Knowing he would be the first Punjabi artist to perform there, he arrived ready to DJ country songs. But his plans quickly changed.
“I intended to go there and play Morgan Wallen. That is what I really thought I was gonna go do,” he laughs. “As soon as I saw the mixture of people there, I was like, no, we gotta go completely Punjabi. We gotta give what defines Punjabi music.”
By the end of the set, people had come from rides and from queues to hear the music that was coming from that street stage, and by the end the crowd grew to about a thousand people. “That’s that moment where I thought, okay, what you’re doing is right. Keep your foot on the gas.”
That’s still the case, even as artists like Shubh (who Ikky collaborated with on last year’s “Baller”) face obstacles to free expression and risk misinterpretation for things they do or don’t say. In a way, it shows how much their music is resonating.
“It scares us a little, but at the same time it shows our power,” Ikky says. “As artists, we have a big enough voice to shake a country.”
There have been teases of this kind of mainstream crossover in the past, from “Beware of the Boys,” the Bhangra/hip-hop collaboration of Panjabi MC and Jay-Z in the early 2000s, to the “international” version of Shania Twain’s 2002 mega-seller Up!, but while those fusions have been taken as short-term novelties, the new wave of Punjabi artists are building a foundation to make it endure.
Brampton-based rapper Sidhu Moose Wala was a major figure in opening the door to the mainstream for Punjabi musicians. Tragically murdered in India in 2022, the same year his album Moosetape became the then-highest charting Punjabi album in Canada, he is unable to see the success of this new wave, many of whom collaborated or took inspiration from him. That’s why these artists stress the importance of banding together to uplift each other, paving the path for the next generation.
AP Dhillon says he’s seeing the industry change rapidly. When he started to blow up, the labels weren’t seeing what he and his peers were doing. Today, like billions of people on YouTube and at concerts, they have their eyes on what’s happening here.
“A few years ago, nobody was paying attention,” he says. “Now, they’re paying attention.”
This story originally appeared on Billboard Canada.
Ishmil Waterman, Lane Dorsey, Sasha Jairam/Billboard Canada
The Japanese entertainment company that has acknowledged its founder sexually assaulted hundreds of boys over the span of half a century, took a new name on Monday: Smile-Up. It also vowed to focus on compensation for victims of the abuse.
Tokyo-based Johnny & Associates, founded in 1975, will eventually fold, but its performers can join an independent company that is being set up, said Noriyuki Higashiyama, the company’s new leader and a former star at Johnny’s, as the company is known.
Higashiyama, tapped last month to head the old Johnny’s, will now be president of both Smile-Up and the new company. The new company’s name will be put to public vote by Johnny’s fans.
“All things with the Johnny’s name will have to go,” Higashiyama told reporters at a Tokyo hotel. “A wounded heart isn’t easy to heal. Compensation on its own will never be enough.”
In recent months, dozens of men who were performers and backup dancers as teens and children at Johnny’s have come forward, saying they were sexually assaulted by Johnny Kitagawa.
Kitagawa, who died in 2019, was never charged.
So far, 325 people have applied to the company’s compensation program, and that number may grow. Payments will begin next month, Higashiyama said. How the monetary amount will be decided was not yet clear.
Last month, Kitagawa’s niece Julie Keiko Fujishima resigned as chief executive at Johnny’s and apologized for his past. She still owns 100% of the unlisted company but will not be part of the new unnamed company, whose capital structure is still being worked out.
Fujishima did not appear at Monday’s news conference and had a letter read aloud. The letter said she was “brainwashed” by her mother Mary, who insisted Kitagawa was innocent, even after the Japanese Supreme Court ruled two decades ago that the sexual allegations against him were accurate.
“I want to erase all that remains of Johnny from this world,” she wrote. “I do not forgive what Johnny has done.”
Some victims say they have suffered for decades in silence, unable to confide in family or friends, while experiencing flashbacks.
Most of the attacks took place at Kitagawa’s luxury apartment, where several youngsters were handpicked to spend the night. The following morning, he would thrust 10,000 yen ($100) bills into their hands, according to various testimony.
Rumors about Kitagawa were rampant over the years, with several tell-it-all books published. A recent U.N. investigation has said that the number of victims is at least several hundred, and called on the Japanese government to act. When BBC did a special on Kitagawa earlier this year, the scandal jumped into the spotlight.
Mainstream Japanese media have come under serious scrutiny for having remained mum about Kitagawa, apparently afraid of his influence and ability to deny access to his stars.
Now, some TV broadcasters and programming have done an about-face to shun Johnny’s stars. Major companies have also recently announced they will stop using them in advertising.
In a related development, several victims met with lawyers, feminists and Johnny’s fans to work together in pushing for legal changes so civil damages can be pursued after the current limit of 20 years. The criminal statute of limitations is now 15 years.
Attorney Yoshihito Kawakami said children often don’t understand what happened, and the changes will allow victims to seek damages from Johnny & Associates.
Japan raised the age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 only this year. Japanese media reports say Kitagawa often purposely picked on 13-year-olds, although his victims have been as young as 8.
The company has promised it will compensate victims “beyond the scope of the law. ”
“Some perpetrators are living their lives as though nothing happened. That causes great pain to the victims,” said Junya Hiramoto, who heads a group of Johnny’s victims.
The Associated Press does not usually identify victims of alleged sexual assault, but Hiramoto and others in the case have chosen to identify themselves in the media.
“By coming together, we can grow into a bigger force and move toward hope,” he said.
Steve Mac, Pablo Bowman Navarro and Aynzli Jones are the top winners at the ASCAP London Music Awards 2023, which shine a light on British songwriting and composing talent for their U.S. success. This year, the winners will be revealed on @ascap social media Tuesday (Sept. 26), starting at 10:30 a.m. ET.
Navarro takes home three awards including songwriter of the year and top Hot Dance/Electronic song. He shares the latter award with Sarah Baby Blanchard, Claudia Valentina and Lostboy for co-writing “The Motto” by Tiësto and Ava Max. The song reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Navarro also wins a Hot Dance/Electronic song award for “Numb” by Marshmello and Khalid, which reached No. 3 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Navarrro co-wrote the song with Richard Boardman, a fellow member of songwriting collective The Six. Navarro has gained a profile as a top hitmaker over the last few years with a catalogue that includes Anne-Marie and Marshmello’s global hit “Friends” as well as tracks for stars such as Bebe Rexha, Jonas Brothers and Alan Walker. His catalogue has accumulated 7 billion streams on Spotify.
Mac takes home both song of the year and top streaming song for Ed Sheeran’s smash, “Shivers.” The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for a full year. It also topped charts around the world, surpassing 1.35 billion streams on Spotify. Mac and Sheeran previously collaborated on 2017’s “Shape of You.” These two gongs represent Mac’s 19th and 20th ASCAP London Music Awards.
Jones wins his first ASCAP London Music Award with the Hot 100 song award for Doja Cat’s “Woman.” The song from Doja’s third studio album rose to No. 7 on the Hot 100 and, like “Shivers,” logged a full year on the chart. “Woman” also received a Grammy nod for record of the year, marking the third consecutive year Doja was nominated in that marquee category.
Top box office film of the year goes to Daniel Pemberton for his soundtrack for The Bad Guys. He also takes a top box office film award for his work on Amsterdam. Other top box office film awards go to John Lunn for Downton Abbey: A New Era, Dickon Hinchliffe for Father Stu, and Robin Carolan and Sebastian Gainsborough for The Northman. Joby Talbot wins for the second year in a row for Sing 2, Patrick Doyle wins for Death on the Nile and Jonny Greenwood wins for Licorice Pizza. The Radiohead multi-instrumentalist and composer was recognized in the same category last year for his soundtrack to Spencer.
In the world of film and TV streaming, Natalie Holt wins two awards — top streaming film for The Princess, and top streaming series for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Other top streaming series awards go to Scottish band Mogwai for the crime drama Black Bird and Anne Nikitin for The Dropout.
The trio of Barrie Cadogan, Virgil Howe and Lewis Wharton are awarded the top cable series award for the soundtrack to Better Call Saul, while Julian Gingell and Barry Stone win top network series again this year for their work on American Idol.
It’s been months since the concept of “artist-centric” royalties was introduced in a January memo from Universal Music Group Sir Lucian Grainge to his staff. It raised a considerable amount of speculation for a company memo, even though for a while the concept remained rather vague. Something about streaming manipulation, functional music, and a model that “supports all artists.”
Now, though, that speculation is over: Deezer has announced its UMG-backed proposal, with plans to launch it soon.
We need more clarity, but this proposal definitely adds to the streaming debate, which is important if we want to improve the streaming ecosystem. The European recorded music market is still far from where it should be – around 42% of its market peak when adjusted for inflation, following the absence of any substantial change in streaming subscription prices over the past decade and a half.
How do we fix this?
First, we need to see higher subscription prices. We have seen some increases, but they are still minor. We just can’t escape that fact. Then there are ideas about how the business can reallocate royalties, and we need as many voices as possible to take part in the discussion. IMPALA started t this wo years and a half ago with its 10-point plan to make the most of streaming, which we revisited in April (infographic here and full plan here). We think Deezer’s proposal is ambitious, and some of it resonates with our own. But it also includes some more controversial provisions.
Let’s start with them.
I’m referring of course to Deezer’s plan to set a threshold for boosts in royalties, available only to acts that get a certain number of streams from a certain number of listeners. Where would the additional revenues go? How many artists would benefit? And what does it say about the stability of the system that an artist could attain “professional” status for a month, only to potentially lose it in following one?
More clarity is needed. Independent labels account for 80% of new releases (including artists patiently awaiting discovery, artists who cater to niche audiences, artists from smaller territories and newcomers just starting their artistic journey). We must avoid a two-tier approach that would impact not only their work, but musical diversity as a whole. We understand that this is not Deezer’s objective, but IMPALA will always oppose thresholds that would harm smaller players and smaller markets, a position that was set already in our first streaming plan. Let’s make sure it’s not the case here.
Key to IMPALA’s approach is a progressive redistribution of revenues where tracks would see a boost in royalties beneath and before the point of global ubiquity, and those which are in the top echelon (however that’s defined) would lose a small percentage of revenue. That’s the Artist Growth model – initially developed by AIM in the UK. We feel this can lead to a healthier ecosystem and more opportunity for new creators from diverse genres.
This could be controversial as well, which is fine, as long as we remember that change must be discussed – and negotiated. It shouldn’t simply be imposed in a deal between two market players, even when one of them is the leader of the market. And while Deezer and UMG will launch this plan soon, until other stakeholders agree, this “artist-centric” model will really be UMG-centric.
Deezer’s plan also has a lot of positives, though.
Who could argue that streaming manipulation needs to be addressed, for example? We absolutely support Deezer’s commitment there, which is also point 4 of IMPALA’s proposal, but we will need to review the idea of caps on individual accounts as we wouldn’t want superfan streams to be devalued.
Deezer also want to address “noise” content is also an issue that Deezer seeks to address. We flagged this in our plan, as a way to address revenue dilution. So we welcome this move and would appreciate other ideas to handle this content, which has a place, as long as it doesn’t dilute royalties.
Deezer’s second proposal for boosts in royalties, for tracks that fans actively engage with, is also interesting. That’s also the rationale behind our “Active Engagement” model, put forward in our plan in 2021. There are different ways one could do this, but it’s great to see the idea getting traction.
Is Deezer ready to make the imaginative leap to embrace the “Fan Participation” model, also proposed by IMPALA, to offer creators a space within the service where they could develop incremental revenues from direct relationships with fans? If so, we could be talking about really exciting and important changes in the streaming market.
We hope that services will also look at ways of rewarding artists who record longer-form music. That’s a conversation we started with our “Pro rata Temporis” model. The issue needs to be addressed without at the same time harming shorter tracks.
In the meantime, we need more extensive discussion and debate. We invite all interested parties to explore IMPALA’s plan and share their perspectives as we collectively navigate the evolving streaming landscape.
Let’s keep the ideas coming!
Helen Smith is the Executive Chair of IMPALA, the European non-profit organization that represents independent music companies, with key issues that include copyright, sustainability, diversity and inclusion, streaming reform, AI, finance and digital services as well as strategic relations with key partners through the Friends of IMPALA program.
BMG is exiting its current distribution agreement with Warner Music Group’s ADA and taking direct control of its 80 billion-stream digital business in a move the company called “the biggest change to its recorded music strategy” yet, according to a statement released Monday. The fourth largest global music company will begin phasing in the new […]
London’s O2 Academy Brixton has been permitted to reopen as a music venue so long as it meets “extensive and robust” new safety measures, following a fatal crowd crush last year.
The 5,000-capacity venue has been closed after two people died and several people were seriously injured during a crowd stampede outside a sold-out concert by Nigerian singer Asake on Dec. 15, 2022. A 21-year-old woman injured on the night remains in hospital in a critical condition.
In an announcement on Friday (Sept. 15), Lambeth Council said the venue would be allowed to host live music events again but “only once it is compliant” with 77 new safety conditions.
They include stronger doors, new crowd management systems, more detailed risk assessments, a new ticketing system, a new centralised control and command centre, as well as new security and management.
Responding to the council’s decision, which followed a two-day hearing, O2 Academy Brixton owner and operator Academy Music Group (AMG) said it was “committed to ensuring” the tragic events of Dec. 15 “can never be repeated.”
“Our heartfelt condolences remain with the family and friends of [victims] Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson,” the London-based company said in a statement.
AMG said it will hold test events before reopening O2 Academy Brixton at an unspecified date.
Crowd management company Showsec has been brought in to look after security for the venue, replacing AP Security, which has been criticized for its operation at Brixton, including allegations that some staff regularly took bribes to let people into concerts without tickets.
When O2 Academy Brixton reopens, operators AMG will be subject to “rigorous independent scrutiny to ensure public safety,” said Lambeth Council’s licensing sub-committee.
“The robust, far-reaching and enforceable measures we have determined must be taken by the Academy, subject to independent oversight and scrutiny, will result in [it] being among the most highly regulated licensed venues in the country,” said the council committee in its 50-page report.
During the two-day hearing to determine whether O2 Academy Brixton should reopen, much of which was held in private, London’s Metropolitan Police said it didn’t have confidence in AMG — which runs 18 music venues across the U.K. — as the licensee, but didn’t want to see the building permanently closed.
The hearing saw several other people speak in favour of AMG’s application, including local businesses and music promoter Mazin Tappuni, who told the committee that the closure of O2 Academy Brixton was putting off some international artists from visiting the U.K. because of a shortage of similarly sized venues in the British capital.
More than 110,000 people signed an online petition to save the historic venue, which opened in 1929 as a cinema and began hosting live music gigs in the early 1980s. The Smiths, David Bowie, Madonna, Bob Dylan, Blur and the Clash are just a few of the famous acts to have played there.
“Brixton Academy has consistently held a special place in the hearts of music aficionados, and its cultural significance is immeasurable,” said Michael Kill, CEO of trade group The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), in a statement welcoming the council’s decision.
Kill said the venue’s safe reopening would help ensure “its continued success as a hub for live music and entertainment.”
A police investigation into whether any criminal offences were committed on Dec. 15, 2022, is ongoing.
BERLIN — After introducing himself in German — a daring act for a foreigner — Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl said a few words about why he was so excited to be at the opening of the company’s new Berlin office. “The world is noisier than ever,” he said, just as the roar of nearby S-Bahn made it so, but there was considerable excitement about the music coming out of Germany. He shared one example: “Komet,” a recent hit by veteran rock artist Udo Lindenberg and rapper Apache 207 that has broken chart records.
While the German music business has historically been divided among its major cities, Berlin is emerging as the country’s music capital, and although Warner’s German headquarters will remain in Hamburg, it celebrated the opening of its new Berlin office with a big party. (The new office is for both Warner Music Central Europe and Warner Chappell Music Germany.) Next week, during the Reeperbahn Festival, the company will have a second “hauswarming” party at its remodeled Hamburg offices.
“We see this new space, alongside our revitalised Hamburg headquarters, as a sign of our commitment to local players in the creative and cultural scene,” said Doreen Schimk, co-president of Warner Music Central Europe, who spoke in German. “It shows the importance of Berlin as a European metropolis and a location for the music industry.”
Fabian Drebes, also co-president of Warner Music Central Europe, spoke about how the new building would serve as a “new creative hub with possibilities for events, concerts and more to support our national and international artists.”
Lars Karlsson, Managing Director Warner Chappell Music GSA & Nordics, Doreen Schimk, Co-President Warner Music Central Europe, Natascha Augustin, Vice President Warner Chappell Music Germany, Fabian Drebes, Co-President Warner Music Central Europe
Doering Agency
Warner occupies the top floor of the Schicklerhaus, a late-19th-century building near the Jannowitzbrücke S-Bahn stop, a block from the River Spree, not far from where the Berlin Wall once divided the city. These days, it’s about a mile from AEG’s Mercedes-Benz Arena. It’s a sleek, modern office, with prime roof space that overlooks the river. As about 500 partygoers mingled on the roof and a terrace, a drone hovered overhead taking photos. German artists attending included Peter Schilling, Katja Krasavice, and Shirin David.
“The music industry is of increasing importance for Berlin,” said Franziska Giffey, a deputy mayor for business, energy and labor. Speaking in what she called “Berlinish” — a mix of German and English that’s increasingly popular in a city filled with newcomers from all over the world – she said that music business jobs increased by 700 to about 6,800 this year, and that Warner would add another 150.
“Without the scene of such a vibrant city, we wouldn’t be the No. 1 publisher,” said Natascha Augustin, vp of Warner Chappell Music Germany. Warner Chappell leads the German music publishing business partly because of Augustin and her signings in German hip-hop. She told a story about starting out with a small Berlin office, moving to a slightly bigger one, and ending up here.
“Berlin,” said Lars Karlsson, managing director of Warner Chappell Music Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and Scandinavia, “is one of the most important cultural cities in the world.”
The Country Music Association has announced the nominees for the 2023 CMA International Awards. The awards, which encompass six categories – two for artists and four for industry players – honor those who have impacted the growth of country music in the international marketplace.
Luke Combs, Kip Moore and Morgan Wallen are vying for the International Artist Achievement Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the U.S. during the eligibility period.
“As we continue to see country music grow globally, it is thanks in large part to those who have supported our mission and spearheaded events, initiatives and programming to reach new territories around the world,” Sarah Trahern, CMA CEO said in a statement. “The dedication from each of these nominees has made them a vital part of the success of our genre internationally, and we cannot wait to celebrate them in the coming months.”
This year’s nominees hail from Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.
Nominees are voted on by international members of CMA along with a select panel of U.S.-based professionals who have knowledge in the international country music industry. Voting is open now through Thursday, Sept. 28. Winners will be announced later this year.
Here’s a complete list of nominees:
International Artist Achievement Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a U.S.-based artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth, development and promotion of the country music industry outside of the U.S. during the eligibility period.
Luke Combs
Kip Moore
Morgan Wallen
Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievements by a country music artist signed outside of the U.S. The artist must have furthered the popularity of country music as well as brought attention to the country music format in their foreign-based territory.
Casey Barnes (Australia)
Kaylee Bell (New Zealand)
Tebey (Canada)
Jo Walker Meador International Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by an individual in advocating and supporting country music’s marketing development in territories outside the U.S.
Jon Cauwood (U.K. – music consultant)
Sina Hall (Germany – Semmel Concerts)
Natalie Waller (Australia – ABC Music)
Rob Potts International Live Music Advancement Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievements by an individual who has made important contributions to the live music industry by extending performance opportunities and building live audiences for country music outside of the U.S.
Susan Heymann (Australia – Frontier Touring)
Anna-Sophie Mertens (U.K. – Live Nation)
Ron Sakamoto (Canada – Gold and Gold Productions, LTD.)
Neil Warnock, MBE (U.K. – United Talent Agency)
Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievements in the media as they relate to country music outside of the U.S.
Jill Johnson (Sweden – ‘Jills Veranda’ SVT)
Ross Jones (U.K. – Holler)
Richard Murdoch (Scotland – BBC Radio)
Dayna Bourgoin (Canada – Pure Country Radio, iHeart Radio)
International Country Broadcaster Award
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a radio broadcaster or syndicated radio reporter outside the U.S. who has made important contributions for the development of country music in his/her country.
Stefanie Jüneman (Germany – FM Maximum Roc)
Joakim Richardson (Sweden – Go Country)
Ricky Ross (U.K. – BBC Radio Scotland)
Justin Thomson (Australia – KIX Country)
Wimpie van der Sandt (South Africa – Bok Radio)
A government watchdog agency in France has ordered Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it emits levels of electromagnetic radiation that are too high.
The National Frequency Agency, which oversees radio-electric frequencies as well as public exposure to electromagnetic radiation, called on Apple in a statement Tuesday to “implement all available means to rapidly fix this malfunction” for phones already being used.
Corrective updates to the iPhone 12 will be monitored by the agency, and if they don’t work, “Apple will have to recall” phones that have already been sold, according to the French regulator’s statement.
Apple disputed the findings and said the device complies with all regulations governing radiation.
The agency, which is known by the French acronym ANFR, said it recently checked 141 cellphones, including the iPhone 12, for electromagnetic waves capable of being absorbed by the body.
It said it found a level of electromagnetic energy absorption of 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests of a phone in a hand or a pocket, higher than the European Union standard of 4 watts per kilogram.
The agency said the iPhone 12 met the threshold when radiation levels were assessed for a phone kept in a jacket or in a bag.
Apple said the iPhone 12, which was released in late 2020, has been certified by multiple international bodies and complies with all applicable regulations and standards for radiation around the world.
The U.S. tech company said it has provided the French agency with multiple lab results carried out both by the company and third-party labs proving the phone’s compliance.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s minister in charge of digital issues, told France Info radio that the National Frequency Agency “is in charge of controlling our phones which, as there are software updates, may emit a little more or a little less electromagnetic waves.”
He said that the iPhone 12 radiation levels are “slightly higher” than the standards but “significantly lower than levels where scientific studies consider there may be consequences for users. But the rule is the rule.”
Cellphones have been labeled as “possible” carcinogens by the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm, putting them in the same category as coffee, diesel fumes and the pesticide DDT. The radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light.
In 2018, two U.S. government studies that bombarded mice and rats with cellphone radiation found a weak link to some heart tumors, but federal regulators and scientists said it was still safe to use the devices. Scientists said those findings didn’t reflect how most people use their cellphones and that the animal findings didn’t translate into a similar concern for humans.
Among the largest studies on potential dangers of cellphone use, a 2010 analysis in 13 countries found little or no risk of brain tumors.
People’s mobile phone habits also have changed substantially since the first studies began and it’s unclear if the results of previous research would still apply today.
Since many tumors take years to develop, experts say it’s difficult to conclude that cellphones have no long-term health risks. Experts have recommended that people concerned about their cellphone radiation exposure use earphones or switch to texting.
Urgent action is needed to protect the United Kingdom’s longstanding success as one of the world’s biggest exporters of music, warns a new report from umbrella trade organization UK Music.
In particular, robust copyright laws must be put in place to ensure that creators and rights holders are shielded from the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI), says the trade body’s “Manifesto for Music,” published Tuesday (Sept. 12), which calls for increased government support to grow the sector.
In 2021, U.K. music exports totaled £2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) — up 10% on the previous year, but still lower than 2019’s pre-pandemic figures — according to data from UK Music. Those export totals are made up of record sales, publishing revenue, overseas touring by British acts and tourism spending by international tourists attending live shows in the United Kingdom.
When it comes to recorded music, hit albums by Harry Styles, Glass Animals and Ed Sheeran helped British music exports climb to a record high of £709 million ($910 million) last year, maintaining the country’s long-held position as the second largest exporter of music globally after the United States, according to labels trade body BPI.
Overall, the United Kingdom is the world’s third biggest recorded music market, as per IFPI rankings, behind the United States and Japan.
However, the growth of streaming in emerging territories such as Latin America, the Middle East and South Korea has eaten into the United Kingdom’s share of the global music market, which has fallen from a peak of 17% in 2015 to 12% in 2022. To arrest that decline, UK Music has published a five-point plan to boost exports, protect venues and studios, and promote diversity.
Among the trade group’s recommendations is the enforcement of strong copyright protections against generative AI systems, including clear labeling and a requirement for AI developers to keep and disclose records of any music works used for training purposes.
UK Music is additionally asking policymakers to introduce specific personality and image rights into the British legal framework — and ensure that AI-generated music is clearly distinguishable from human-created works.
Last month, a U.K. Parliament committee issued its own report on regulating the use of AI technology in the music and creative industries. One of the committee’s key recommendations was for the British government to commit to abandoning plans for a proposed (and since shelved) new text and data mining (TDM) exception that would allow AI companies to freely use copyright-protected works for commercial purposes.
“It’s critical that we ensure AI enables and supports human artistry and creativity, and does not damage it,” said UK Music interim chief executive Tom Kiehl, echoing the committee’s request to rule out any new TDM exceptions.
“Strong copyright and intellectual property protections must be at the center of any approach when it comes to AI,” said Kiehl.
Other recommendations in UK Music’s manifesto include the introduction of a new tax credit — similar to what’s in place in other European markets and some U.S. states — encouraging new music production in the country.
The trade group, which recently saw chief executive Jamie Njoku-Goodwin exit the London-based organization to work for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, is also calling for increased investment in music education and for the government to secure a post-Brexit cultural touring agreement with the European Union that would reduce costs for U.K. acts touring Europe.
“Without action, the U.K. risks being overtaken by countries who are more proactive and ambitious in promoting their music sectors,” said Kiehl.
The United Kingdom’s moves to police the rapidly evolving AI sector come as other countries and jurisdictions, including the United States, China and the European Union, explore their own paths toward regulating the nascent technology.
