Disaster response scheme 'hit by bad management' 31/10/08
“England's biggest programme to handle catastrophes from terrorist attacks to widespread flooding is in danger of going awry because of sloppy management and woeful financial management, Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, warns today.
The £330m programme, run by the Fire and Rescue Service, was set up two days after the 9/11 attack on New York's twin towers. It involved the ordering of hi-tech equipment such as powerful water pumps and decontamination suits, setting up a national control centre and specialist training for firefighters.” [Guardian]
Regulator leaves Network Rail with £2.6bn spending gap 31/10/08
“Network Rail is under pressure to cut costs after the industry's financial regulator left it with a near £3bn spending gap. The Office of Rail Regulation said the owner of Britain's rail infrastructure should spend £28.5bn between next year and 2014, £2.6bn less than it requested.
The regulator added that there was no money for electrifying the remainder of the rail network, a day after the transport secretary, Geoff Hoon, said the industry should be "getting on with things like electrification".” [Guardian]
Biggest economies caught in 'storm of the century' 31/10/08
“Belt-tightening by American consumers on a scale unprecedented for almost three decades meant the world's biggest economy joined the list of countries in or close to recession, according to official figures released yesterday.” [Guardian]
Darling: tax may rise in downturn 30/10/08
“The Chancellor signalled last night that taxes might have to rise if the economic downturn is prolonged.
Alistair Darling warned that Government revenue has collapsed because of the recession. He said that ministers would attempt to stimulate the economy by accelerating spending projects even if it meant a sharp increase in Government borrowing.” [Guardian]
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10/31/08
In the Loop: 31/09/08
Petrol price to drivers still not falling as fast as a barrel of oil 31/10/08
“The price of petrol at the pump is not falling as fast as the price of oil from peak levels over the summer, according to Guardian analysis.
The average pump price is falling by about a penny every five days but still has 5.8p a litre to drop if it is to catch up with recent sharp declines in the price of oil.” [Guardian]
Barclays raises more than £7bn from Middle East investors 31/10/08
“Barclays is raising up to £7.3bn from Middle East investors, who could end up owning more than a third of the UK's second largest bank. The move allows the bank to strengthen its balance sheet without taking help from the taxpayer.
The cash injection is coming from the royal families of Abu Dhabi and Qatar, who have both agreed to pump billions into Barclays to bolster its capital ratios. The Qataris, who already own a significant shareholding in Barclays, are providing up to £2.3bn. Once the deal goes through they will own up to 15.5% of the bank.” [Guardian]
People-power a step closer in energy bill 31/10/08
“The prospect of households with wind turbines and solar panels being able to sell power back to the national grid has come a step closer after the government tabled an amendment to a bill that would allow people to generate enough power to serve a community of more than 1,000 people.
The government said 10 days ago it was keen to get the proposal into the energy bill after facing down opposition from power companies concerned that allowing individuals and communities the chance to profit from energy creation significantly altered the market. The measure will be debated in the Lords next week.” [Guardian]
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“The price of petrol at the pump is not falling as fast as the price of oil from peak levels over the summer, according to Guardian analysis.
The average pump price is falling by about a penny every five days but still has 5.8p a litre to drop if it is to catch up with recent sharp declines in the price of oil.” [Guardian]
Barclays raises more than £7bn from Middle East investors 31/10/08
“Barclays is raising up to £7.3bn from Middle East investors, who could end up owning more than a third of the UK's second largest bank. The move allows the bank to strengthen its balance sheet without taking help from the taxpayer.
The cash injection is coming from the royal families of Abu Dhabi and Qatar, who have both agreed to pump billions into Barclays to bolster its capital ratios. The Qataris, who already own a significant shareholding in Barclays, are providing up to £2.3bn. Once the deal goes through they will own up to 15.5% of the bank.” [Guardian]
People-power a step closer in energy bill 31/10/08
“The prospect of households with wind turbines and solar panels being able to sell power back to the national grid has come a step closer after the government tabled an amendment to a bill that would allow people to generate enough power to serve a community of more than 1,000 people.
The government said 10 days ago it was keen to get the proposal into the energy bill after facing down opposition from power companies concerned that allowing individuals and communities the chance to profit from energy creation significantly altered the market. The measure will be debated in the Lords next week.” [Guardian]
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Grimsdale's Ire: 31/10/08
Child Poverty In London: The Facts 31/10/08
End Child Poverty, providing a crib sheet on child poverty in London [EndChildPoverty]
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End Child Poverty, providing a crib sheet on child poverty in London [EndChildPoverty]
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Heron's Eye: 31/10/08
Mr Darling, the master of contortion 31/10/08
Steve Richards highlights the lack of economic philosophy within New Labour, examining why this is the case and its effects on parliamentary strategy. [Independent]
Smith orders inquiry into MI5 and CIA torture claims 31/10/08
“Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, has asked the attorney general to investigate possible "criminal wrongdoing" by the MI5 and the CIA over its treatment of a British resident held in Guantánamo Bay, it was revealed tonight.
The dramatic development over allegations of collusion in torture and inhuman treatment follows a high court judgment which found that an MI5 officer participated in the unlawful interrogation of Binyam Mohamed. The MI5 officer interrogated Mohamed while he was being held in Pakistan in 2002.” [Guardian]
Straw asked to pardon executed witches 31/10/08
“A petition calling for the posthumous pardon of women and men who were executed as witches in Britain will be presented to the justice secretary, Jack Straw, today.
Campaigners hope evidence of eight grave "miscarriages of justice" will persuade him to take action.” [Guardian]
BBC battles to calm prank storm 31/10/08
"The BBC attempted last night to draw the poison from another calamitous week by taking the unprecedented step of banning its highest paid star for three months, and accepting the resignation of one of its most senior and best-loved executives." [Guardian]
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Steve Richards highlights the lack of economic philosophy within New Labour, examining why this is the case and its effects on parliamentary strategy. [Independent]
Smith orders inquiry into MI5 and CIA torture claims 31/10/08
“Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, has asked the attorney general to investigate possible "criminal wrongdoing" by the MI5 and the CIA over its treatment of a British resident held in Guantánamo Bay, it was revealed tonight.
The dramatic development over allegations of collusion in torture and inhuman treatment follows a high court judgment which found that an MI5 officer participated in the unlawful interrogation of Binyam Mohamed. The MI5 officer interrogated Mohamed while he was being held in Pakistan in 2002.” [Guardian]
Straw asked to pardon executed witches 31/10/08
“A petition calling for the posthumous pardon of women and men who were executed as witches in Britain will be presented to the justice secretary, Jack Straw, today.
Campaigners hope evidence of eight grave "miscarriages of justice" will persuade him to take action.” [Guardian]
BBC battles to calm prank storm 31/10/08
"The BBC attempted last night to draw the poison from another calamitous week by taking the unprecedented step of banning its highest paid star for three months, and accepting the resignation of one of its most senior and best-loved executives." [Guardian]
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10/30/08
Grimsdale's Ire: 30/10/08
New skills service for prisoners 'has failed'
“Prisoners are not being provided with opportunities to take qualifications and improve their basic skills, the chair of a cross-party group on MPs claimed today.
Edward Leigh, chairman of the public accounts committee, said the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (Olass) - which was set up to help deliver skills and learning for offenders has "failed in almost every respect".” [Guardian]
You're wrong Jack Straw, our prison system is a disgrace
Mary Riddell draws comparisons between more and less successful prisons, focusing especially on the rehabilitative element offered by prisons. [Telegraph]
Government warned not to backslide on equal pay
“The government was warned today not to "backslide" on taking measures to close the gender pay gap after a new poll showed widespread public support for tackling the issue.
Nine out of 10 of those questioned by the Fawcett Society campaign group and the Unison trade union said the government should do more to tackle the pay gap.” [Guardian]
Much at stake for Sinn Féin when army war veterans parade through
“In the centre of
The first is the conflict between the city's republican community and the pro-British unionist one. The former are turning out in force to protest against a homecoming parade in honour of local troops who have served in British army regiments in
Grimsdale's Ire: 30/10/08
Gordon Brown urges banks to keep lending
“Gordon Brown today called on the banks to keep lending to small businesses despite the global credit crunch.
The prime minister welcomed a commitment by the European Investment Bank to make £4bn available to provide finance to firms in the
Alistair Darling urges banks to use £4bn from European Investment Bank 30/10/08
“Alistair Darling today urged the banks to use a £4bn package of support from the European Investment Bank to help small and medium-sized businesses through the credit crunch.” [Guardian]
Card demand
“Gordon Brown yesterday demanded that lenders who provide store and credit cards must change their rules to make it more difficult to repossess homes. The prime minister's intervention came after Shelter warned that up to 5,000 homes repossessed last year - out of a total of 27,100 - were from people who took out "second-charge" loans. These can be people who take out a loan against their home to pay off cards. The Treasury wants the Finance and Leasing Association, which covers the £11bn "second-charge" market, to draw up a code of practice in line with that adopted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders, which stipulates that a lender should take a debtor to court to repossess a property only if they have exhausted other options.” [Guardian]
Heron's Eye 30/10/08
Throwing out the rulebook
“Alistair Darling and George Osborne gave opposing explanations yesterday for why government borrowing is on the rise. In last night's Mais lecture, the chancellor told a simple story: extraordinary times require extraordinary measures - and what could be more extraordinary than a historic banking crisis? By breaking targets on public debt, the government was being not profligate, but pragmatic. Labour was "spinning a virtuous strategy out of extra borrowing", retorted his Conservative shadow, when really the public finances had been in a mess for years.” [Guardian]
“Labour today launched an all-out assault on George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, by releasing a dossier that accused him of a lack of judgment (pdf) on the global financial crisis and "schoolboy errors" in his spending plans.
The document highlighted Osborne's early opposition to the nationalisation of Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley, his support for a Tory report advocating the deregulation of the mortgage market, and his pledges on fuel duty and hospital beds.” [Guardian]
Swinney's still got a real fight on his hands
Ian Swanson assesses the difficulties that the SNP are facing in attempting to introduce the local income tax in
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Heron's Eye: 30/10/08
Chancellor demands cheaper petrol as Shell posts record profits
“Alistair Darling today called on oil companies to pass on lower costs to consumers by cutting petrol prices as Royal Dutch Shell posted a 71% rise in profits.
The chancellor said that he wanted the recent drop in the oil price, which has halved in recent months, to be passed on to the pumps as soon as possible.” [Guardian]
Government accused of breaking rules over Sellafield decommissioning plans
“The government was last night under pressure from parliament's most powerful watchdog committee to re-open consultations on the deal which has landed taxpayers with the bill for nuclear accidents and leaks when a private consortium takes over the decommissioning of Sellafield next month.
Edward Leigh, chairman of the Commons public accounts committee, has written to Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, telling him that his ministry had broken Treasury rules and failed to given MPs the opportunity to object to the indemnity to private firms.” [Guardian]
Ministers accused of arrogance over 128-day parliamentary session
“Opposition politicians have accused the government of "arrogantly" misusing its oversight of parliamentary business, as it emerged yesterday that the number of days MPs would attend parliament in the next session would be the smallest since 1979-80.” [Guardian]
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In The Loop: 30/10/08
Councils told to adopt 'click use' licences
“
US Public Affairs - 30/10/09
Copyright Owners Must Consider the Fair Use Doctrine when Issuing DMCA Takedown Notices
"The plaintiff, Stephanie Lenz, posted a 29-second video clip on YouTube of her children dancing to the Prince song “Let’s Go Crazy.” Universal, the copyright holder of that song, issued a DMCA takedown notice with which YouTube complied. Lenz believed that her otherwise unauthorized use of the song was permissible under the fair use doctrine and issued a counter-notice. YouTube reinstated the video six weeks later. Under 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)(A)(v), DMCA takedown notices must contain a statement that the issuer has a “good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner … or the law.” Lenz sued Universal and claimed that forming such a good faith belief required a consideration of the fair use doctrine. She argued that because Universal had allegedly not given such consideration, it had misrepresented in its takedown notice that it had, in breach of 17 U.S.C. § 512(f)." [CyberLaw]Fair Use Protection Limits Common Law Copyright Claims Over Sound Recordings in
"This was a case of first impression for fair use as a defense against common law copyright infringement of a sound recording. For the first time, the court defined the doctrine of fair use in New York and applied it to sound recordings. Fair use applied to the sound recording regardless of its publication since the song was subject to ‘de facto publication’ and dissemination. The court then looked to both the history of common law copyright in New York and the current federal statute for guidance about fair use. The court applied the federal fair use factors: the purpose and character of use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount and substantially of use, and the effect on the market." [CyberLaw]
Chinese Copyright Law, Peer Production and the Participatory Media Age: An Old Regime in a
"In 2005, a funny flash song, "I Don't Want to Say I'm a Chicken", spread over the Internet (hereafter referred to as the Chicken Song Case). People were sharing it among friends, downloading it and using it as a mobile phone ring tone, and singing the song on KTV. The flash song is the lament of a chicken that was happy to be a source of eggs and meat, but is now facing extermination because of the threat of bird flu. Although the lyrics of the "Chicken Song" are creative and humorous, the melody of the song is lifted entirely from a famous Chinese song, "I Don't Want to Say", written by Li Haiying. As a result Li has sued the wireless content provider Kongzhong.com where the "Chicken Song" first appeared, for copyright infringement. Li believes he is owed an apology, 2 million Yuan in compensation, court costs and 50000 Yuan for mental suffering." [SSRN]
Ezra Pound's Copyright Statute: Perpetual Rights and the Problem of Heirs
"This Article explores the historical and present-day significance of proposals for copyright reform advanced by the controversial American poet, Ezra Pound, in 1918. These proposals have never been discussed by legal scholars and have received but scant attention from literary scholars. Yet, like William Wordsworth and Mark Twain, whose efforts to reform copyright law are much better known, Pound is a major writer whose views shed considerable light on the state of copyright law and the conditions of authorship in his time. Pound's proposed statute-offered as a "cure" for American book piracy-begins by making authors' copyrights exclusive and perpetual, and goes on, surprisingly, to introduce broad compulsory-license provisions that would prevent authors and their heirs from interfering with later efforts to disseminate authors' works, and would require publishers only to pay a fixed royalty on sales. The tension in Pound's proposal between a perpetual, exclusive copyright and expansive compulsory licenses shows him to be an inheritor of two legal and economic traditions: on the one hand, a Lockean and Romantic belief in a strong property rule grounded in an author's natural rights and unique personality, and, on the other, an anti-monopoly, free-trade preference for a liability rule that would encourage wide dissemination of affordable works to serve the public interest. As the author of such a dual-purpose proposal, Pound emerges as remarkably and presciently alert to the dangers currently posed by lengthy copyright terms unaccompanied by limitations that adequately protect the public. Today, the estates of James Joyce, T.S. Eliot, Marianne Moore, Samuel Beckett, and other modernist authors use extended copyrights to discourage or control use of those authors' works by scholars, critics, and others. Pound's perpetual, royalty-based copyright would, in principle, have removed or reduced such obstacles to the study and enjoyment of modernist authors. Moreover, Pound's draft statute anticipates recent proposals by Richard Posner, Lawrence Lessig, and others for mitigating the conflict between the lengthy copyright monopoly and the needs of the public." [SSRN]In The Loop: 29/10/08
Speed limits should be cut to 20mph in some areas, say MPs 29/10/08
“Speed limits should be slashed to 20mph in some areas, MPs said today, as they condemned the "appalling" level of child road deaths.
The Commons transport committee described the number of deaths and injuries on
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Grimsdale's Ire: 29/10/08
Grants for 'middle-income' students to be cut 29/10/08
“The amount of student support available for children of middle-income parents will be cut next year, the universities secretary confirmed today.
Growth in student numbers will also be cut next year to "no more than 10,000" after the government miscalculated increases in the bill for higher education, as revealed by the Guardian.” [Guardian]
On the right track 29/10/08
“He was born in
It is not surprising, then, that Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones comes chock-full of opinions. He fumes about social exclusion; he is angry at how black people have been let down by the middle classes; he is hugely critical of corporate
What may be more surprising and interesting is that Emmanuel-Jones is thriving in the Conservative party. He has been invited for tea with David Cameron - despite labelling him a "toff" - and was given a prominent place for the leader's speech at the Tory conference. Most surprising of all, he has become a darling of the Wiltshire blue-rinse set and is to fight the newly minted seat of Chippenham for the Conservatives at the next general election.” [Guardian]
White working class need help in recession, says Phillips 29/10/08
“Special measures are needed to help the true losers from the economic recession - the poorer, white working class - if an anti-migrant backlash is to be avoided, the head of
He said that historically ethnic minority groups and women were worst hit in an economic slowdown.
But it had to be recognised today that in some parts of the country "the colour of disadvantage isn't black or brown. It is white."” [Guardian]
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Heron's Eye: 29/10/08
Osborne escapes investigation into donation discussions 29/10/08
“George Osborne will escape a parliamentary investigation into his decision to discuss a possible donation from the Russian billionaire, Oleg Deripaska, the parliamentary standards watchdog said yesterday.
Extinguishing the hopes of Gordon Brown and Labour backbenchers for an investigation into the shadow chancellor's holiday activities, the parliamentary standards commissioner dismissed a complaint that was lodged anonymously. The other body that could conduct such an inquiry - the Electoral Commission - has already said that it will not be investigating the meetings in
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand suspended by BBC 29/10/08
“The BBC today suspended Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand until an investigation into their prank calls to actor Andrew Sachs has been completed, in an attempt to quell the mounting furore over the "Sachsgate" affair.” [Guardian]
The BBC should admit its mistakes more quickly 29/10/08
Michael White analyses the BBC’s public relations strategies and tactics. [Guardian]
Banking crisis: What questions should the authorities be made to answer? 29/10/08
Jill Treanor on Alistair Darling, Mervyn King and Lord Turner before the Treasury select committee of MPs he chairs on Monday to seek a public explanation to how the taxpayer has ended up needing to pump £37bn into the high street banks. [Guardian]
The markets are clear:
Larry Elliott paints an informative and depressing picture of the British economy. [Guardian]
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Heron's Eye: 29/10/08
Downturn will not hamper public transport projects, says Geoff Hoon 29/10/08
“Geoff Hoon, the recently appointed transport secretary, said today that the economic downturn should not have an effect on delivering public transport projects.
And he said that
Mandelson hails thaw in relations with
“Lord Mandelson hailed a thaw in relations between
Diplomatic spats that poisoned ties between the two countries in the last two years seemed to be swept under the carpet as the business secretary lauded a new climate of partnership.” [Guardian]
Bigger databases increase risks, says watchdog 29/10/08
“The proliferation of ever larger centralised databases is increasing the risk of people's personal data being lost or abused, the government's official privacy watchdog claims today.
The warning from the information commissioner, Richard Thomas, comes as he discloses that reported data losses have soared in the past year.” [Guardian]
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10/28/08
Heron's Eye: 28/10/08
The toilet roll of reason and the burger box of justice
Through examining the day’s Parliamentary debates, Simon Hoggart humorously highlights some of the hyperbole connected with crime and punishment. [Guardian]
Alex Salmond hints at concessions on local income tax plan
“Alex Salmond has signalled a significant switch in economic policy as his plans for a new local income tax for all wage earners came under sustained attack from Alistair Darling.
I think I made a mistake, admits Osborne
“George Osborne attempted yesterday to draw a line under the row over his contacts with a Russian billionaire when he admitted he had made a mistake in discussing a donation from Oleg Deripaska during his summer holiday in
Brown and Sarkozy unite in call for increased IMF funds
“Gordon Brown tonight received the backing of French president Nicolas Sarkozy for a substantial increase in the resources available to the International Monetary Fund to stop the "financial contagion" from spreading around the world.” [Guardian]
In The Loop: 28/10/08
Cost of crash: $2,800,000,000,000 28/10/08
“Autumn's market mayhem has left the world's financial institutions nursing losses of $2.8tn, the Bank of England said today, as it called for fundamental reform of the global banking system to prevent a repeat of turmoil "arguably" unprecedented since the outbreak of the first world war.” [Guardian]
£100m road to electric motoring ... police, post office and politicians step off the gas
“A new generation of electric public service vehicles, including postal vans, police vehicles and ministerial limousines is to be introduced as part of a government initiative to speed up the introduction of low-emission technology on
MPs hit out at government over motorist project
"The government's commissioning of a £385m telecommunications contract to help motorists beat jams on motorways took nearly three times as long as planned and cost five times more than expected, a committee of MPs says today." [Guardian]
Hats off to the new recruits
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Grimsdale's Ire: 28/10/08
The toilet roll of reason and the burger box of justice
Simon Hoggart takes a light hearted look at how crime and punishment is being questioned in the House of Commons. [Guardian]
Tory thinkers offer lesson in equality
Polly Curtis describes an influential new Policy Exchange report on reforming schools funding. [Guardian]
There's cynicism at the heart of the communities agenda
David Clements makes a concerned critique of the Sustainable Communities Act, suggesting that its motive may be to build political legitimacy rather than promote democracy. [Guardian]
Unions prepare big pay demands to offset food and fuel price rises
“Substantial pay rises are being sought to compensate for sharp increases in energy and food prices, the union-funded Labour Research Department warned last night.” [Guardian]
Child support changes could hit 25% of lone parents, warns charity
"Changes to the way lone parents receive child support could see a quarter falling through the system, a charity warned on the day government reforms come into effect. From this week, separating couples on benefits - who make up 70% of child support claimants - will be encouraged to reach their own arrangements voluntarily, leaving the government's new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to concentrate on those cases where people repeatedly refuse to pay maintenance or regularly default." [Guardian]
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10/27/08
In The Loop: 27/10/08
Government encourages car companies to make motoring greener
“Car manufacturers are being encouraged to participate in a £10m scheme to make motoring greener and create thousands of jobs
Geoff Hoon, the transport secretary, has today invited car manufacturers to bid to take part in an initiative to run electric car and ultra-low carbon vehicle demonstration projects, overseen by the Technology Strategy Board." [Guardian]
Call for clampdown on rogue online ticket sellers
"Ticketing websites have called on the government to crack down on rogue online operators after a spate of high-profile examples of consumers being ripped off.
Andy Burnham, the culture secretary, is believed to be close to launching an industry consultation based around proposals first floated this year in response to concerns about the booming online market in tickets for concerts and sporting events." [Guardian]
Pay rises and Christmas parties cancelled as companies cut costs
“Almost four in five British businesses are cutting back on everything from hiring new staff to paying for the office Christmas party, as they batten down the hatches for a deep recession.” [Guardian]
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Grimsdale's Ire: 27/10/08
Minister bows to calls on climate change bill
The government is to announce tomorrow that it will include rapidly growing aviation and shipping emissions in
More councils expected to ban speed cameras
“Several more local authorities are expected to ban speed cameras over the next year, following the lead of
Heron's Eye 27/10/08
Government must be bold to deal with recession
MP John McFall lays out a possible solution to ensure an equitable injection into the economy. [Guardian]
Borrowing more is responsible, says Gordon Brown
“Gordon Brown insisted today that increasing borrowing to shore up the economy was the "responsible" thing to do.” [Guardian] [Guardian]
MP's anger as state bears cost of any Sellafield disaster
“Taxpayers have been left with unlimited liability amounting to billions of pounds should there be a repeat of a nuclear accident at Sellafield under a deal signed with a US-led consortium which takes over the decommissioning of the waste facility from November 24. The indemnity even covers accidents and leaks that are the consortium's fault.” [Guardian]
Woolas dropped from TV panel after gaffes
“Immigration minister Phil Woolas has been axed by the government from a high-profile television appearance, days after making a series of gaffes. Woolas, who controversially called for population curbs and predicted the disestablishment of the Church of England, had been due to appear on tonight's Question Time on BBC1. A Home Office spokesman confirmed the change of plan but insisted the decision had been taken on the basis of the most topical subject matter.” [Guardian]
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Heron's Eye 27/10/08
Political hypocrisy - don't you hate it?
Michael White analyses the Machiavellian positions that politicians take to appear honest and compares it with historical politicians from the past. [Guardian]
Tories face call to repay Rothschild £1m loan
“The Conservative party faced demands last night to repay a huge loan from a member of the Rothschild banking family made through a company set up with the sole purpose of protecting her anonymity.” [Guardian]
Survey shows George Osborne affair has tarnished Tories
Deborah Summers on how the Oleg Deripaska affair appears to have impacted on the Conservative part’s image. [Guardian]
“A group of economists has attacked the government's Keynesian strategy to spend its way out of the recession as "misguided and discredited". Further big increases in public-sector spending would make the state's role so dominant it would stunt the private sector's recovery, they say in a letter in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph.”[Guardian]
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Heron's Eye: 27/10/08
Justice system should put victims first, says Jack Straw
“Jack Straw, the justice secretary, today signalled a more punitive approach to prisons by attacking the "criminal justice lobby" for putting the needs of offenders before those of victims.” [Guardian]
Police will use new device to take fingerprints in street 27/10/08
Every police force in the
Where the hell is parliament?
Henry Porter highlights how the CGHQ and Home Office are arguing for £12bn to collect data on telecommunications such as the Internet and phone calls and how the police are being issued with mobile fingerprint scanners to allow offices to carry out identity checks on people in the street. He goes on to criticise how this is occurring without having been debated in Parliament.
EU Public Affairs Monitor - 27/10/08
Music trade unites to fight against piracy October 27 2008
"A new umbrella organisation formed to represent Britain's entire music industry will today promise to deliver a five-year plan to plot a safer course for a sector that has been battered in the past decade.
UK Music intends to replace the disparate voices of the confusing tangle of bodies that previously represented the industry, frequently with conflicting viewpoints." [Guardian]
Behind the music at Musexpo: Can we fix a 'broken' industry?
"This week's conference in London brought into focus the lack of trust and transparency that is rife in the music industry
This week, the decision makers of the music industry rolled into London for the music conference Musexpo. Musexpo started out with three music executives having dinner in LA. Sat Bisla, one of the diners, realised that there needed to be more communication between the different areas of the music industry and started a yearly event." [Guardian]
"A new umbrella organisation formed to represent Britain's entire music industry will today promise to deliver a five-year plan to plot a safer course for a sector that has been battered in the past decade.
UK Music intends to replace the disparate voices of the confusing tangle of bodies that previously represented the industry, frequently with conflicting viewpoints." [Guardian]
Behind the music at Musexpo: Can we fix a 'broken' industry?
"This week's conference in London brought into focus the lack of trust and transparency that is rife in the music industry
This week, the decision makers of the music industry rolled into London for the music conference Musexpo. Musexpo started out with three music executives having dinner in LA. Sat Bisla, one of the diners, realised that there needed to be more communication between the different areas of the music industry and started a yearly event." [Guardian]
EU Public Affairs Monitor - 27/10/08
Cox To Internet Users: Three Strikes and You're Out
Over the course of the last year, we've seen an intense, international lobbying effort on the part of the entertainment industry to craft policies that would boot alleged filesharers off of the Internet. The folks over at TechDirt have been keeping a close watch on this front and point to legislation and negotiations in the UK, France, Australia and Canada that would institute a "three strikes" rule. As proposed, this three strikes policy would require ISPs to filter their networks for copyrighted content and send out notices of infringement to users suspected of engaging in filesharing--effectively turning ISPs into "copyright cops". As implied by the three strikes moniker, users would receive two written warnings before having their contract with the ISP terminated outright, upon receipt of the third." [PublicKnowledge]
"I originally wrote this post as a comment on Andrew Dubber's blog. Out of courtesy for Andrew, I am going to turn comments off on this post. Please go to Andrew's site to continue the discussion.
Andrew, you create the best scenarios on the Internet for discussion…
If the water analogy were as simple as turning on a faucet, and out comes music that everyone pays a flat fee for, then I would agree with you. However, sticking with the water analogy, there are thousands of brands of bottled water, fizzy water, flavored water, tap water, fountain water, toilet water, brown water, fruit water, mineral water, etc, etc, etc. Only a dolt would let their brand become commoditized, municipal tap water… The water utility thing will never happen anyways; innovation will outrun legislation." [UnsprungMedia]
10/25/08
Music News Bulletin - 25/10/08
Why Nokia's Comes with Music package comes with a price
"MySpace, the social networking site owned by News Corp., is hoping to reclaim its mantle as king of the digital music sites when it relaunches its music site sometime this month.
SD: the new CD?
"With CD sales dropping despite a demonstrable increase in music consumption, you might think that music fans just aren't as interested as they used to be in paying for tunes. Or you could believe in the spirit of hope springing eternal, and that the problem is with the CD itself. If you're in the latter camp, then you should be cheered by the announcement this morning that the four major record companies plan to experiment with a new physical format for albums: microSD cards. See my colleague Michelle Quinn's piece about the deal here.
10/24/08
EU Public Affairs Monitor - 24/10/08
IGC Consultations to Continue on Future Work Program
"The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Mr. Francis Gurry, and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), Ambassador Rigoberto Gauto Vielman of Paraguay, said they would pursue efforts in the coming weeks to bridge differences among member states on the way to move international negotiations forward. The IGC wrapped up its 13th meeting late in the evening of October 17, 2008 after attempts to hammer out compromise texts on the future work program faltered. Despite intense negotiations, delegations were not able to agree on the working procedures required to deliver the concrete outcomes that many have called for from this Committee. The IGC’s mandate calls upon it to accelerate its work, and expectations remain strong that the Committee should produce a significant outcome by the time it is required to report back to the WIPO General Assembly in September 2009." [WIPO]
EC Legal Affairs Committee set to debate term
"No fireworks are expected, but some industry executives are already blocking out early November in their diaries as the next critical date in the copyright term story. The EC’s Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) meets in Brussels on November 4 to discuss the issue, which has so far been exercising a number of working groups.
According to one insider, the LAC is then likely to draw up a draft report, which will be put before the European Parliament.
“The word from the working groups is that Holland and the UK are currently not supporting copyright term extension. But, if the UK is isolated, it will not insist on being difficult,” he says. Poland was also thought to be against the extension of term, but another source suggests its ministers are sitting on the fence.
Once the European Parliament has looked at the work done by the LAC – and made its own amendments and readings - it will be sent down to the European Council for policy making. But the source is worried that, with the EU presidency due to change next year, the timing is tight if the Parliament goes for a second reading. “I think we are talking about the Parliament working on it in January and February, but March is really the last month that Parliament can vote,” he adds." [MusicWeek]
New Comms Minister plans report on Digital Britain
"Our new Minister For Communications, Technology And Broadcasting, former OfCom chief Stephen Carter, has announced he has commissioned a report on 'Digital Britain' which will inform government on what role it should play in the ongoing development of the digital and communications industries.
The report comes as one key digital media platform - digital audio broadcasting - faces an uncertain future following the decision by Channel 4 to bail out of its ambitious plans to launch a second national DAB network, and past decisions by some of the major radio firms who were instrumental in setting DAB up in the first place to sell off or close down their digital-only stations. The BBC remains committed to DAB, and with internet capacity issues already a concern as more people start to use rich media services like BBC iPlayer, the wider radio sector is probably advised to continue investing in a digital radio system that doesn't rely on the internet for delivery. Though with ad revenues from digital services still somewhat less than the cost of operating them, and with ad budgets set to be even further slashed in the coming year, it's not surprising commercial radio chiefs have lost their enthusiasm for DAB. Carter will also have to consider what to do about internet piracy. Although the ISPs have this year reluctantly agreed to take a more proactive role in helping record companies distribute warnings to those who access illegal sources of music online, if the warnings campaign doesn't prove to be a success and the labels start to push the ISPs towards taking more extreme action against copyright infringers - maybe even the 'three strikes and then you're cut off' proposal being considered in France - then they may need the government to come good on their promises to legislate in this area, and Carter may have to oversee that." [CMUDaily]
French Culture Minister Launches Cultural Independents Conference
"French minister of culture Christine Albanel has launched the "Arenes europeennes de l'independence" (European Arena Of Independence), a two-day conference session gathering European independent companies from the cultural field - mainly music, cinema and literature. The event will take place in Paris on Oct. 23 and 24.
"Creation is largely supported by independent companies," said Albanel, "which are largely impacted by online piracy." Albanel stressed that independent companies release 80% of new music records in France and generate 44% of the recorded market revenue and 67% of the industry jobs.
Albanel named several measures taken by her ministry during the past 18 months to support the recording industry, namely a €12 million ($15.7 million) tax-credit scheme allowing record companies to offset part of their investments on new records and a dedicated advance fund to help record companies borrow money.
"We need to go further," she added, in terms of financing and distribution. Albanel also reminded her audience about the importance of the EU to preserve fair market conditions and to rule on a more consistent VAT scheme for online cultural business."" [Billboard]
"The Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Mr. Francis Gurry, and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), Ambassador Rigoberto Gauto Vielman of Paraguay, said they would pursue efforts in the coming weeks to bridge differences among member states on the way to move international negotiations forward. The IGC wrapped up its 13th meeting late in the evening of October 17, 2008 after attempts to hammer out compromise texts on the future work program faltered. Despite intense negotiations, delegations were not able to agree on the working procedures required to deliver the concrete outcomes that many have called for from this Committee. The IGC’s mandate calls upon it to accelerate its work, and expectations remain strong that the Committee should produce a significant outcome by the time it is required to report back to the WIPO General Assembly in September 2009." [WIPO]
EC Legal Affairs Committee set to debate term
"No fireworks are expected, but some industry executives are already blocking out early November in their diaries as the next critical date in the copyright term story. The EC’s Legal Affairs Committee (LAC) meets in Brussels on November 4 to discuss the issue, which has so far been exercising a number of working groups.
According to one insider, the LAC is then likely to draw up a draft report, which will be put before the European Parliament.
“The word from the working groups is that Holland and the UK are currently not supporting copyright term extension. But, if the UK is isolated, it will not insist on being difficult,” he says. Poland was also thought to be against the extension of term, but another source suggests its ministers are sitting on the fence.
Once the European Parliament has looked at the work done by the LAC – and made its own amendments and readings - it will be sent down to the European Council for policy making. But the source is worried that, with the EU presidency due to change next year, the timing is tight if the Parliament goes for a second reading. “I think we are talking about the Parliament working on it in January and February, but March is really the last month that Parliament can vote,” he adds." [MusicWeek]
New Comms Minister plans report on Digital Britain
"Our new Minister For Communications, Technology And Broadcasting, former OfCom chief Stephen Carter, has announced he has commissioned a report on 'Digital Britain' which will inform government on what role it should play in the ongoing development of the digital and communications industries.
The report comes as one key digital media platform - digital audio broadcasting - faces an uncertain future following the decision by Channel 4 to bail out of its ambitious plans to launch a second national DAB network, and past decisions by some of the major radio firms who were instrumental in setting DAB up in the first place to sell off or close down their digital-only stations. The BBC remains committed to DAB, and with internet capacity issues already a concern as more people start to use rich media services like BBC iPlayer, the wider radio sector is probably advised to continue investing in a digital radio system that doesn't rely on the internet for delivery. Though with ad revenues from digital services still somewhat less than the cost of operating them, and with ad budgets set to be even further slashed in the coming year, it's not surprising commercial radio chiefs have lost their enthusiasm for DAB. Carter will also have to consider what to do about internet piracy. Although the ISPs have this year reluctantly agreed to take a more proactive role in helping record companies distribute warnings to those who access illegal sources of music online, if the warnings campaign doesn't prove to be a success and the labels start to push the ISPs towards taking more extreme action against copyright infringers - maybe even the 'three strikes and then you're cut off' proposal being considered in France - then they may need the government to come good on their promises to legislate in this area, and Carter may have to oversee that." [CMUDaily]
French Culture Minister Launches Cultural Independents Conference
"French minister of culture Christine Albanel has launched the "Arenes europeennes de l'independence" (European Arena Of Independence), a two-day conference session gathering European independent companies from the cultural field - mainly music, cinema and literature. The event will take place in Paris on Oct. 23 and 24.
"Creation is largely supported by independent companies," said Albanel, "which are largely impacted by online piracy." Albanel stressed that independent companies release 80% of new music records in France and generate 44% of the recorded market revenue and 67% of the industry jobs.
Albanel named several measures taken by her ministry during the past 18 months to support the recording industry, namely a €12 million ($15.7 million) tax-credit scheme allowing record companies to offset part of their investments on new records and a dedicated advance fund to help record companies borrow money.
"We need to go further," she added, in terms of financing and distribution. Albanel also reminded her audience about the importance of the EU to preserve fair market conditions and to rule on a more consistent VAT scheme for online cultural business."" [Billboard]
EU Parliament Monitor - 24/10/08
MEPs approve new EU trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton (UK)
"The European Parliament voted 538 in favour, 40 against and 63 abstentions in favour of new EU trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton from the UK. Baroness Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience.
Baroness Ashton will be Commissioner until the end of the current Commission's mandate - 31 October 2009." [Europa]
Summary of the hearing of Catherine Ashton (United Kingdom), Commissioner-designate for Trade
"Commissioner-designate Catherine Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience. The outcome will be considered on Tuesday by the Conference of Presidents, with the full Parliament due to vote on Wednesday." [Europa]
Ashton wins emphatic endorsement from MEPs
MEPs back the new trade commissioner; Ashton wants better co-ordination of trade policy.
Members of the European Parliament yesterday (22 October) endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the European commissioner for trade. MEPs voted 538 in favour, 40 against, with 63 abstentions during their meeting in Strasbourg. From there, Ashton went directly to Geneva for a dinner with Pascal Lamy, the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to discuss the prospects of reviving the Doha round of world trade talks.
Ashton had told MEPs on Monday evening (20 October), at a scrutiny hearing, that she would be assuring Lamy that “the WTO and pursuing a successful Doha round remain absolutely central to Europe's trade policy”. [EuropeanVoice]
EU parliament formally approves new trade commissioner
"MEPs have formally endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the EU’s new trade commissioner.
Deputies meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday voted 538 in favour of her appointment, with 40 against and 63 abstentions. She replaces Peter Mandelson, who stepped down after four years in the job to become the new business secretary in the UK. Ashton faced a hearing in parliament on Monday in which is she is generally thought to have given a good account of her grasp of the notoriously difficult trade portfolio.She was also questioned on the future of the Doha round, the financial crisis and bilateral trade negotiations.
The conference of presidents, or group leaders, endorsed her appointment on Tuesday ahead of today’s vote by the full parliament." [TheParliament]
Alliance of Civilisations: Jorge Sampaio addresses MEPs
"Building bridges and altering misguided perceptions of other cultures are crucial in a globalised world, according Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and a former President of Portugal, who addressed a formal sitting of the EP on Wednesday on the subject of cultural diversity, in a speech given as part of the EP's series of guest speeches for Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
In his introduction, the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, stressed the shared outlook between the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the EP, with their emphasis on the importance of cultural interaction, and argued that there was a need in the modern world for practical not just symbolic steps on this front, such as the many projects the EP had supported in the context of Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
At the start of his address, Mr Sampaio read out a short statement on behalf of the UN Secretary General, which said that "Like many other regions of the world, Europe faces multiple challenges in promoting intercultural dialogue. Migration, economic uncertainty and political tensions are putting strains on relations between different cultural, ethnic and religious groups. But it is precisely in your region, where constructive contacts over the centuries have allowed humanity to take major leaps forward, that opportunities for reconciliation and cooperation exist." Ultimately, "Cross-cultural tolerance, dialogue, respect and understanding must be pillars of the better world we are trying to build."" [Europa]
Row flares over EU commission's link with business group
"A furious row has flared over allegations of an “intimate” relationship between the commission’s trade directorate and the organisation representing European SMEs. It follows claims by a left-wing Swedish MEP of a possible conflict of interest between the influential directorate and Businesseurope. GUE/NGL member Jens Holm sets out his allegations in a letter to new EU trade commissioner Catherine Ashton.
But Philippe De Buck, director general of Businesseurope, hit back on Thursday, telling this website, “What is the problem?
“Yes, we have a close relationship with DG trade – they need us but, equally, we need them. I make no secret of that.
“However, I want to stress that all dealings between my organisation and the commission are done openly, publicly and transparently, and I object to these comments,” said De Buck, formerly the organisation’s secretary general." [TheParliament]
Click here to read the European Parliament Monitor
"The European Parliament voted 538 in favour, 40 against and 63 abstentions in favour of new EU trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton from the UK. Baroness Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience.
Baroness Ashton will be Commissioner until the end of the current Commission's mandate - 31 October 2009." [Europa]
Summary of the hearing of Catherine Ashton (United Kingdom), Commissioner-designate for Trade
"Commissioner-designate Catherine Ashton faced a hearing at the European Parliament on Monday. She has been nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as Trade Commissioner following his appointment to the British government. MEPs questioned Baroness Ashton on the future of the Doha Round, the financial crisis, bilateral trade negotiations - and on her own experience. The outcome will be considered on Tuesday by the Conference of Presidents, with the full Parliament due to vote on Wednesday." [Europa]
Ashton wins emphatic endorsement from MEPs
MEPs back the new trade commissioner; Ashton wants better co-ordination of trade policy.
Members of the European Parliament yesterday (22 October) endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the European commissioner for trade. MEPs voted 538 in favour, 40 against, with 63 abstentions during their meeting in Strasbourg. From there, Ashton went directly to Geneva for a dinner with Pascal Lamy, the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to discuss the prospects of reviving the Doha round of world trade talks.
Ashton had told MEPs on Monday evening (20 October), at a scrutiny hearing, that she would be assuring Lamy that “the WTO and pursuing a successful Doha round remain absolutely central to Europe's trade policy”. [EuropeanVoice]
EU parliament formally approves new trade commissioner
"MEPs have formally endorsed the appointment of Catherine Ashton as the EU’s new trade commissioner.
Deputies meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday voted 538 in favour of her appointment, with 40 against and 63 abstentions. She replaces Peter Mandelson, who stepped down after four years in the job to become the new business secretary in the UK. Ashton faced a hearing in parliament on Monday in which is she is generally thought to have given a good account of her grasp of the notoriously difficult trade portfolio.She was also questioned on the future of the Doha round, the financial crisis and bilateral trade negotiations.
The conference of presidents, or group leaders, endorsed her appointment on Tuesday ahead of today’s vote by the full parliament." [TheParliament]
Alliance of Civilisations: Jorge Sampaio addresses MEPs
"Building bridges and altering misguided perceptions of other cultures are crucial in a globalised world, according Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations and a former President of Portugal, who addressed a formal sitting of the EP on Wednesday on the subject of cultural diversity, in a speech given as part of the EP's series of guest speeches for Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
In his introduction, the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, stressed the shared outlook between the UN Alliance of Civilisations and the EP, with their emphasis on the importance of cultural interaction, and argued that there was a need in the modern world for practical not just symbolic steps on this front, such as the many projects the EP had supported in the context of Year of Intercultural Dialogue.
At the start of his address, Mr Sampaio read out a short statement on behalf of the UN Secretary General, which said that "Like many other regions of the world, Europe faces multiple challenges in promoting intercultural dialogue. Migration, economic uncertainty and political tensions are putting strains on relations between different cultural, ethnic and religious groups. But it is precisely in your region, where constructive contacts over the centuries have allowed humanity to take major leaps forward, that opportunities for reconciliation and cooperation exist." Ultimately, "Cross-cultural tolerance, dialogue, respect and understanding must be pillars of the better world we are trying to build."" [Europa]
Row flares over EU commission's link with business group
"A furious row has flared over allegations of an “intimate” relationship between the commission’s trade directorate and the organisation representing European SMEs. It follows claims by a left-wing Swedish MEP of a possible conflict of interest between the influential directorate and Businesseurope. GUE/NGL member Jens Holm sets out his allegations in a letter to new EU trade commissioner Catherine Ashton.
But Philippe De Buck, director general of Businesseurope, hit back on Thursday, telling this website, “What is the problem?
“Yes, we have a close relationship with DG trade – they need us but, equally, we need them. I make no secret of that.
“However, I want to stress that all dealings between my organisation and the commission are done openly, publicly and transparently, and I object to these comments,” said De Buck, formerly the organisation’s secretary general." [TheParliament]
Click here to read the European Parliament Monitor
EU Commission: Competition - 24/10/08
Mergers: Commission revises Remedies Notice and amends Merger Implementing Regulation
"The European Commission has revised its guidelines on remedies in merger control in order to ensure that competition concerns are dealt with more effectively and to clarify to companies involved in merger cases how best to address competition concerns. Remedies are modifications to a proposed transaction suggested by the parties involved with a view to eliminating possible competition concerns identified by the Commission. The main changes include the introduction of a form for submitting information on remedies, details on divestiture and access remedies and clarifications on the role of the Trustee. The Commission has also modernised the Remedies Notice in the light of the revised Merger Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 (see MEMO/04/9), the Commission's experience in a large number of cases, the Commission Mergers Remedies Study (see IP/05/1327) and recent judgements of the European Courts. The Remedies Notice also takes into account comments received from the public consultation held in 2007 on a draft Notice (see IP/07/544). In addition, the Commission has adopted amendments to the Merger Implementing Regulation (Commission Regulation (EC) No. 802/2004) in line with the changes to the Remedies Notice." [Europa]
State aid: Commission consults on three year extension of film support criteria
"The European Commission has launched a public consultation on plans to extend the state aid assessment criteria of its Cinema Communication (see IP/01/1326) until 31 December 2012. Under the current criteria, state support for film production can be exempted from the EC Treaty's ban on state aid under certain conditions. In particular, such support must concern cultural films, while respecting certain thresholds regarding territorial requirements and aid intensity. Schemes must also comply with the EC Treaty rules and cannot focus on specific film-making activities. The Commission proposes to extend the validity of these criteria for three years and invites interested parties to submit their comments by 30 November 2008." [Europa]
For more information on the European Commission please click here
"The European Commission has revised its guidelines on remedies in merger control in order to ensure that competition concerns are dealt with more effectively and to clarify to companies involved in merger cases how best to address competition concerns. Remedies are modifications to a proposed transaction suggested by the parties involved with a view to eliminating possible competition concerns identified by the Commission. The main changes include the introduction of a form for submitting information on remedies, details on divestiture and access remedies and clarifications on the role of the Trustee. The Commission has also modernised the Remedies Notice in the light of the revised Merger Regulation (EC) No. 139/2004 (see MEMO/04/9), the Commission's experience in a large number of cases, the Commission Mergers Remedies Study (see IP/05/1327) and recent judgements of the European Courts. The Remedies Notice also takes into account comments received from the public consultation held in 2007 on a draft Notice (see IP/07/544). In addition, the Commission has adopted amendments to the Merger Implementing Regulation (Commission Regulation (EC) No. 802/2004) in line with the changes to the Remedies Notice." [Europa]
State aid: Commission consults on three year extension of film support criteria
"The European Commission has launched a public consultation on plans to extend the state aid assessment criteria of its Cinema Communication (see IP/01/1326) until 31 December 2012. Under the current criteria, state support for film production can be exempted from the EC Treaty's ban on state aid under certain conditions. In particular, such support must concern cultural films, while respecting certain thresholds regarding territorial requirements and aid intensity. Schemes must also comply with the EC Treaty rules and cannot focus on specific film-making activities. The Commission proposes to extend the validity of these criteria for three years and invites interested parties to submit their comments by 30 November 2008." [Europa]
For more information on the European Commission please click here
Music News Bulletin: 24/10/08
UMG Bundles Tunes With Dell
"Universal Music Group is teaming with Dell to give customers the option of adding pre-loaded MP3s from the label's catalog to new computers purchased from the company.The deal does not provide access to the full UMG catalog, but rather a collection of curated playlists organized by various themes - No. 1 songs, Rock Titans, Blues Masters, etc. - as well as music featured in films that Dell also offers as bundled content. A 50-song playlist for $25, and a 100-song playlist for $50, which works out to about half the cost per-track from music purchased online. All files will be DRM-free.
The pre-installed music bundles will be organized under a "Music" icon in Dell's system, which customer can then move to their preferred music management software as they like. UMG says it plans to expand the number and themes of the playlists, as well as update the songs added to each, on a regular basis." [Billboard]
Microsoft celebrates antipiracy day
"Microsoft plans on Tuesday to announce "Global Anti-Piracy Day," an effort to gain attention for the steps the company undertakes in order to thwart those who would profit from illegitimate software. As part of the event, Microsoft is highlighting recent antipiracy efforts in 49 countries, ranging from the filing of lawsuits in the U.S. to a seminar for journalists in Pakistan.
It's the kind of thing that Microsoft does all the time, although the company is aiming for some added ink by grouping together so many actions at once.
"One of the things we want to illustrate with this announcement is the diverse nature of the work," associate general counsel David Finn said in an interview from Singapore" [CNet]
Baidu launches legitimate music channel
"BEIJING - Baidu has partnered with seven record companies to launch a music-streaming channel in an attempt to better combat illegal downloading.
According to Chinese reports, the channel, called New Song Debut, legally pairs Baidu with labels including EMI Music, Emperor Entertainment Group and Rock Records & Tapes to offer albums from nine Chinese artists for streaming.
This comes nearly a year after Beijing courts ruled that Baidu’s music search - which linked to sites that allowed users to illegally download music - was not classified as copyright infringement.
The ruling cleared the Chinese search engine of lawsuits issued in 2005 by seven international record labels, including EMI and Warner Music." [BrandRepublic]
MySpace Music adds more indies
"MySpace Music has signed a deal with leading indie distributor IODA, adding more than 1m tracks from independent labels to the service. The deal, announced this morning, adds labels such as Cooking Vinyl, Demon Music Group, Fat Cat Records and Cherry Red to MySpace Music, which already has content from all four major labels and aggregator The Orchard.
However, Merlin, which represents leading indie players such as Beggars Group and Domino, has still yet to agree a deal with MySpace after a very public war of words, and the announcement is likely to put more pressure on its CEO Charles Caldas MySpace co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe re-affirms the company’s commitment to indie music, saying, “The independent music community has been a cornerstone of MySpace Music. We remain fully committed to building an economy for artists and providing them with the necessary tools to further their careers and better connect with music fans everywhere." [MusicWeek]
MySpace Music Adds IODA
"MySpace Music added thousands of independent labels to its service today (Oct. 23) through a new deal with independent digital distributor IODA. Details of the agreement were not disclosed. MySpace Music has drawn criticism from some in the indie community for striking equity deals with major labels while not offering the same terms to indies.
The service opened Sept. 25 as a joint venture partially owned by the four major record labels, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The partners in the joint venture will profit not only from a cut of the same ad and sales revenue, but also in the underlying revenue the venture receives, even from content contributed by other labels.
The service has deals in place with indie digital distributor the Orchard, as well as the indie distribution arms of the four major labels. Merlin, the indie global rights organization that spoke out publicly about what they perceived as unfair treatment by MySpace Music, still has not signed a deal. Merlin says its represents labels that have a 9% share of the U.S. digital recorded music market." [Billboard]
TuneCore, iLike Bundle Indie Services
"TuneCore and iLike have teamed up to offer independent and unsigned artists a package deal on both distributing and promoting their music. The partnership is more of a bundled product than it is a new service, as both companies offer their core services independently. But together, the two hope to present a more complete message than they could marketing their services separately.
TuneCore brings to the table a wide digital distribution platform, which can post clients' music to all the major digital retailers and subscriptions services. Once the music is available, iLike then lets users promote it through full-song streaming applications on social networks like Facebook, Bebo and other channels. Each time their music is played, artists get a royalty from the corresponding service hosting the file.
The partnership between the two firms lets artists sign up for both services at the same time, rather than requiring separate agreements." [Billboard]
Facebook Music Redux
"Facebook doesn't seem ready to give up its music-service aspirations just yet. After first approaching the major labels with the idea back in March of this year, the company is now reportedly reaching out to existing streaming services as part of an outsourcing strategy.
The New York Post, citing unnamed sources, reports that Rhapsody, Imeem, iLike and Lala are all potential targets.
Tapping an existing provider to turnkey its music strategy would allow Facebook to avoid striking its own licensing deals with labels, not to mention give the winning service a huge marketing boost by promoting it via the massive Facebook platform." [Billboard]
Click here to read more from the Music News Bulletin
"Universal Music Group is teaming with Dell to give customers the option of adding pre-loaded MP3s from the label's catalog to new computers purchased from the company.The deal does not provide access to the full UMG catalog, but rather a collection of curated playlists organized by various themes - No. 1 songs, Rock Titans, Blues Masters, etc. - as well as music featured in films that Dell also offers as bundled content. A 50-song playlist for $25, and a 100-song playlist for $50, which works out to about half the cost per-track from music purchased online. All files will be DRM-free.
The pre-installed music bundles will be organized under a "Music" icon in Dell's system, which customer can then move to their preferred music management software as they like. UMG says it plans to expand the number and themes of the playlists, as well as update the songs added to each, on a regular basis." [Billboard]
Microsoft celebrates antipiracy day
"Microsoft plans on Tuesday to announce "Global Anti-Piracy Day," an effort to gain attention for the steps the company undertakes in order to thwart those who would profit from illegitimate software. As part of the event, Microsoft is highlighting recent antipiracy efforts in 49 countries, ranging from the filing of lawsuits in the U.S. to a seminar for journalists in Pakistan.
It's the kind of thing that Microsoft does all the time, although the company is aiming for some added ink by grouping together so many actions at once.
"One of the things we want to illustrate with this announcement is the diverse nature of the work," associate general counsel David Finn said in an interview from Singapore" [CNet]
Baidu launches legitimate music channel
"BEIJING - Baidu has partnered with seven record companies to launch a music-streaming channel in an attempt to better combat illegal downloading.
According to Chinese reports, the channel, called New Song Debut, legally pairs Baidu with labels including EMI Music, Emperor Entertainment Group and Rock Records & Tapes to offer albums from nine Chinese artists for streaming.
This comes nearly a year after Beijing courts ruled that Baidu’s music search - which linked to sites that allowed users to illegally download music - was not classified as copyright infringement.
The ruling cleared the Chinese search engine of lawsuits issued in 2005 by seven international record labels, including EMI and Warner Music." [BrandRepublic]
MySpace Music adds more indies
"MySpace Music has signed a deal with leading indie distributor IODA, adding more than 1m tracks from independent labels to the service. The deal, announced this morning, adds labels such as Cooking Vinyl, Demon Music Group, Fat Cat Records and Cherry Red to MySpace Music, which already has content from all four major labels and aggregator The Orchard.
However, Merlin, which represents leading indie players such as Beggars Group and Domino, has still yet to agree a deal with MySpace after a very public war of words, and the announcement is likely to put more pressure on its CEO Charles Caldas MySpace co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe re-affirms the company’s commitment to indie music, saying, “The independent music community has been a cornerstone of MySpace Music. We remain fully committed to building an economy for artists and providing them with the necessary tools to further their careers and better connect with music fans everywhere." [MusicWeek]
MySpace Music Adds IODA
"MySpace Music added thousands of independent labels to its service today (Oct. 23) through a new deal with independent digital distributor IODA. Details of the agreement were not disclosed. MySpace Music has drawn criticism from some in the indie community for striking equity deals with major labels while not offering the same terms to indies.
The service opened Sept. 25 as a joint venture partially owned by the four major record labels, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing. The partners in the joint venture will profit not only from a cut of the same ad and sales revenue, but also in the underlying revenue the venture receives, even from content contributed by other labels.
The service has deals in place with indie digital distributor the Orchard, as well as the indie distribution arms of the four major labels. Merlin, the indie global rights organization that spoke out publicly about what they perceived as unfair treatment by MySpace Music, still has not signed a deal. Merlin says its represents labels that have a 9% share of the U.S. digital recorded music market." [Billboard]
TuneCore, iLike Bundle Indie Services
"TuneCore and iLike have teamed up to offer independent and unsigned artists a package deal on both distributing and promoting their music. The partnership is more of a bundled product than it is a new service, as both companies offer their core services independently. But together, the two hope to present a more complete message than they could marketing their services separately.
TuneCore brings to the table a wide digital distribution platform, which can post clients' music to all the major digital retailers and subscriptions services. Once the music is available, iLike then lets users promote it through full-song streaming applications on social networks like Facebook, Bebo and other channels. Each time their music is played, artists get a royalty from the corresponding service hosting the file.
The partnership between the two firms lets artists sign up for both services at the same time, rather than requiring separate agreements." [Billboard]
Facebook Music Redux
"Facebook doesn't seem ready to give up its music-service aspirations just yet. After first approaching the major labels with the idea back in March of this year, the company is now reportedly reaching out to existing streaming services as part of an outsourcing strategy.
The New York Post, citing unnamed sources, reports that Rhapsody, Imeem, iLike and Lala are all potential targets.
Tapping an existing provider to turnkey its music strategy would allow Facebook to avoid striking its own licensing deals with labels, not to mention give the winning service a huge marketing boost by promoting it via the massive Facebook platform." [Billboard]
Click here to read more from the Music News Bulletin
Music News Bulletin: 24/10/08
What lies ahead for Sony Music?
"Since Sony purchased BMG's half of the companies' joint venture, people have wondered what Sony will do to make the acquisition pay off. Leadership under one roof is a good start. That should have a positive impact by itself. Integration was brought up in the Sony Corp. press release that announced the acquisition. Said Sir Howard Stringer,
This acquisition will allow us to achieve a deeper and more robust integration between the wide-ranging global assets of the music company and Sony's products, operating companies and affiliates. It enables us to offer a total entertainment experience to consumers." [Coolfer]
Sony seeks to harmonize music, electronics
"Now that Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG have broken off their troubled relationship, known as Sony BMG, the Japanese company hopes to harmonize its consumer electronics and its music, a duo that was badly out of sync.
The music business combination four years ago made Sony BMG the world's No. 2 record label, generating savings and pre-empting other industry consolidation. But the venture's cost-cutting didn't keep pace with falling CD sales, and the two companies' digital strategies didn't jibe. So they called it quits, and Sony bought out its partner for $900 million in a deal that closed Oct. 1.
Selling its 50 percent stake will let Bertelsmann refocus on its growing TV, magazines and book publishing businesses. And full ownership of the music venture gives Sony control of a medium it can use to drive electronics sales, just as it is using wholly owned Sony Pictures to help sell the Bravia line of TVs. The new company is called Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
"It's nice to see Sony at least trying to line up some of their content efforts with their hardware," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of global strategy for Jupiter Media. "Up until now, the left hand never seemed to know what the right hand was doing."" [RecordOfTheDay]
Click here to read more from the Music News Bulletin
"Since Sony purchased BMG's half of the companies' joint venture, people have wondered what Sony will do to make the acquisition pay off. Leadership under one roof is a good start. That should have a positive impact by itself. Integration was brought up in the Sony Corp. press release that announced the acquisition. Said Sir Howard Stringer,
This acquisition will allow us to achieve a deeper and more robust integration between the wide-ranging global assets of the music company and Sony's products, operating companies and affiliates. It enables us to offer a total entertainment experience to consumers." [Coolfer]
Sony seeks to harmonize music, electronics
"Now that Sony Corp. and Bertelsmann AG have broken off their troubled relationship, known as Sony BMG, the Japanese company hopes to harmonize its consumer electronics and its music, a duo that was badly out of sync.
The music business combination four years ago made Sony BMG the world's No. 2 record label, generating savings and pre-empting other industry consolidation. But the venture's cost-cutting didn't keep pace with falling CD sales, and the two companies' digital strategies didn't jibe. So they called it quits, and Sony bought out its partner for $900 million in a deal that closed Oct. 1.
Selling its 50 percent stake will let Bertelsmann refocus on its growing TV, magazines and book publishing businesses. And full ownership of the music venture gives Sony control of a medium it can use to drive electronics sales, just as it is using wholly owned Sony Pictures to help sell the Bravia line of TVs. The new company is called Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
"It's nice to see Sony at least trying to line up some of their content efforts with their hardware," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of global strategy for Jupiter Media. "Up until now, the left hand never seemed to know what the right hand was doing."" [RecordOfTheDay]
Click here to read more from the Music News Bulletin
Music News Bulletin: 24/10/08
Indies Point to Continued Barriers to Radio
"The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has conducted a study that looked into indie labels' feelings about radio and changes since a settlement brought an end to Elliot Spitzer's payola investigation. You can get get a PDF of the 17-page report here. I encourage you to read the executive summary after reading the rest of the report. The harsh tone of the summary -- the press release is more balanced -- is out of line with the limited and often benign information found in the report.
For example, 98.1% of respondents said their relationship with radio stations were the same or better than at the time of the settlement (which was only 18 months ago). When asked if stations' willingness to play indie label music had changed, 78.4% said there had been no change while 7.8% said it is now better and 13.7% said it was worse. That small 5.6-point difference between better and worse does not leave much open to interpretation or nuance." [Coolfer]
Indies beating credit crunch
"The Association of Independent Music annual members’ survey has shown indies are bearing up well in the credit crunch.
Chairman and chief executive Alison Wenham says that of around 300 companies, which responded, some 75% of them have reported increased turnover year-on-year despite the worsening economic conditions.
Further, Wenham says that a similar number expect that improved trend to continue in the next year. “This is some really good news in the current climate and shows our sector is bucking the trend and holding up well,” she adds." [MusicWeek]
OCC launches Coalition chart
"Alternative music tastes and the shape of independent retailing will become much clearer today (Monday) with the launch of the first Official Coalition Retail Charts.
The weekly charts count down singles and album sales and are compiled by the Official Charts Company from sales at the 26 independent record shops that form the Coalition. These include many of the UK’s most high-profile indie retailers, such as Edinburgh’s Avalanche Records, London’s Rough Trade and Manchester’s Piccadilly." [MusicWeek]
Can we really compete with free? ? A RATHER LENGTHY MUSICTANK THINK TANK ROUND UP
"The unnamed kid who took part in that previously reported 'kids and their music' survey for UK Music (then British Music Rights) and who admitted to having 72,000 illegally acquired music tracks on his hard disk became something of the star of last night's MusicTank debate on the state of the digital music sector. If the music industry is going to continue to sell recordings - and the latest four-talk Think Tank series from MusicTank is called 'Lets Sell Recorded Music', so that's the aim here - the question remains: what can you sell to a guy who's managed to acquire 72,000 songs, more than he could ever really listen to, without paying a penny?" [CMUDaily]
CD income slips into third place at MCPS-PRS
"Not much of a surprise really, but the MCPS-PRS Alliance has revealed that the wider songwriter community is set to make more from broadcast royalties and public performance royalties this year than from physical record sales. Alongside its third quarter financial report, the Alliance made projections for its full year revenues this year, predicting that money earned from radio and TV airplay and online streaming and downloads would bring in £173 million, while public performance royalties, from music played at gigs and in public spaces, would top £143 million.
By comparison, songwriter royalties paid on physical album sales are expected to slump from £152 million last year to £131 million this year. It will be the first time both broadcast and performance royalty income is higher than that generated by the mechanical royalties paid on physical record sales." [CMUDaily]
MCPS-PRS predicts physical slump
"The MCPS-PRS Alliance is predicting that 2008 will see songwriters earn less money from physical product than any other revenue stream. The collecting society today announced its third quarter results, as well as predictions for the full year 2008.
Revenue from physical product is expected to amount to £131m this year, behind broadcast and online (£173m), public performance (£143m) and international (£135m).
This shift is reflected to an extent in Q3 figures: physical product brought in £108m over the quarter, behind broadcast and online (£123m, up 20%) and public performance (£110m, up10%) but ahead of international (£94m).
The Alliance called the results “strong” despite the challenging market." [MusicWeek]
RIAA Wants Second Look At Mechanical Late Fees
"In a move to change issues related to the timing of late fees on mechanical payments - established by the U.S. Copyright Board in its Oct. 2 determination on royalty payments - the RIAA has filed a motion for the court to reconsider its decision to establish such penalties. As part of its Oct. 17 filing, it asked the court to hold its motion in abeyance for 20 days while it negotiates with copyright owners, like the National Music Publishers' Assn., the Songwriters Guild of America and the Nashville Songwriters Assn. International, and the Digital Media Assn.
The parties may be able to resolve issues related to the timing of the late fee through negotiation, the filing said. If the negotiations produce a settlement, the motion would be withdrawn; if not then the motion argues that late fees should be eliminated." [Billboard]
Click here to read more from the Music News Bulletin
"The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) has conducted a study that looked into indie labels' feelings about radio and changes since a settlement brought an end to Elliot Spitzer's payola investigation. You can get get a PDF of the 17-page report here. I encourage you to read the executive summary after reading the rest of the report. The harsh tone of the summary -- the press release is more balanced -- is out of line with the limited and often benign information found in the report.
For example, 98.1% of respondents said their relationship with radio stations were the same or better than at the time of the settlement (which was only 18 months ago). When asked if stations' willingness to play indie label music had changed, 78.4% said there had been no change while 7.8% said it is now better and 13.7% said it was worse. That small 5.6-point difference between better and worse does not leave much open to interpretation or nuance." [Coolfer]
Indies beating credit crunch
"The Association of Independent Music annual members’ survey has shown indies are bearing up well in the credit crunch.
Chairman and chief executive Alison Wenham says that of around 300 companies, which responded, some 75% of them have reported increased turnover year-on-year despite the worsening economic conditions.
Further, Wenham says that a similar number expect that improved trend to continue in the next year. “This is some really good news in the current climate and shows our sector is bucking the trend and holding up well,” she adds." [MusicWeek]
OCC launches Coalition chart
"Alternative music tastes and the shape of independent retailing will become much clearer today (Monday) with the launch of the first Official Coalition Retail Charts.
The weekly charts count down singles and album sales and are compiled by the Official Charts Company from sales at the 26 independent record shops that form the Coalition. These include many of the UK’s most high-profile indie retailers, such as Edinburgh’s Avalanche Records, London’s Rough Trade and Manchester’s Piccadilly." [MusicWeek]
Can we really compete with free? ? A RATHER LENGTHY MUSICTANK THINK TANK ROUND UP
"The unnamed kid who took part in that previously reported 'kids and their music' survey for UK Music (then British Music Rights) and who admitted to having 72,000 illegally acquired music tracks on his hard disk became something of the star of last night's MusicTank debate on the state of the digital music sector. If the music industry is going to continue to sell recordings - and the latest four-talk Think Tank series from MusicTank is called 'Lets Sell Recorded Music', so that's the aim here - the question remains: what can you sell to a guy who's managed to acquire 72,000 songs, more than he could ever really listen to, without paying a penny?" [CMUDaily]
CD income slips into third place at MCPS-PRS
"Not much of a surprise really, but the MCPS-PRS Alliance has revealed that the wider songwriter community is set to make more from broadcast royalties and public performance royalties this year than from physical record sales. Alongside its third quarter financial report, the Alliance made projections for its full year revenues this year, predicting that money earned from radio and TV airplay and online streaming and downloads would bring in £173 million, while public performance royalties, from music played at gigs and in public spaces, would top £143 million.
By comparison, songwriter royalties paid on physical album sales are expected to slump from £152 million last year to £131 million this year. It will be the first time both broadcast and performance royalty income is higher than that generated by the mechanical royalties paid on physical record sales." [CMUDaily]
MCPS-PRS predicts physical slump
"The MCPS-PRS Alliance is predicting that 2008 will see songwriters earn less money from physical product than any other revenue stream. The collecting society today announced its third quarter results, as well as predictions for the full year 2008.
Revenue from physical product is expected to amount to £131m this year, behind broadcast and online (£173m), public performance (£143m) and international (£135m).
This shift is reflected to an extent in Q3 figures: physical product brought in £108m over the quarter, behind broadcast and online (£123m, up 20%) and public performance (£110m, up10%) but ahead of international (£94m).
The Alliance called the results “strong” despite the challenging market." [MusicWeek]
RIAA Wants Second Look At Mechanical Late Fees
"In a move to change issues related to the timing of late fees on mechanical payments - established by the U.S. Copyright Board in its Oct. 2 determination on royalty payments - the RIAA has filed a motion for the court to reconsider its decision to establish such penalties. As part of its Oct. 17 filing, it asked the court to hold its motion in abeyance for 20 days while it negotiates with copyright owners, like the National Music Publishers' Assn., the Songwriters Guild of America and the Nashville Songwriters Assn. International, and the Digital Media Assn.
The parties may be able to resolve issues related to the timing of the late fee through negotiation, the filing said. If the negotiations produce a settlement, the motion would be withdrawn; if not then the motion argues that late fees should be eliminated." [Billboard]
Click here to read more from the Music News Bulletin
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