Live: Night 3

Mads Langer kicked off the final evening of Musexpo Europe 2009's showcases at Borderline. The Danish singer-songwriter's second self-titled album is out on Copenhagen Records at home (original home to Alphabeat). What a voice, and a what a charming performer. A truly affecting and impressive show piqued the interest of live agents in the UK, which is handy seeings how Mads is getting ready to move to London soon. The looks, the talent, the personality -we're jealous but impressed.

We're not sure we've ever seen a band from Lebanon perform on any stage before, so for that reason alone, it was a pleasure to catch The Kordz at The 100 Club.The group, who are balls-out power rock personified, has spent the past two years working on a new album, Beauty & the East, with Grammy-nominated producer Ulrich Wild (Deftones, White Zombie), recording in Canada, Los Angeles and Lebanon. We think there could defintely be other territories outside of their home country that would appreciate their tight, powerful brand of rock.

Meiko made her Musexpo debut in LA last year, where she appeared on a panel and performed a showcase. Since then she's signed to MySpace/DGC Records, and released a self-titled debut album to critical acclaim. Her debut European show was tonight. We can safely say the crowd were smitten by this kooky and cute performer with tracks like 'Boys With Girlfriends' and 'Under My Bed' standouts for many. This girl is a star and can defintely find a fanbase outside the US.

The Jessie Rose Trip from Manchester displayed some quirky northern soul and bags of charm at The 100 Club. Tracks like 'Forever and a Day', a reggae-tinged retro-soul number back by Jessie's powerful voice impressed us. They've been getting plenty of tastemaker buzz on UK radio (from XFM to BBC R1 and R2) and we hear things are starting to happen for them in the US too. It's much deserved.

Kate Miller-Heidke's voice ranged from mid-range pop to operatic superstar during he triumphant gig at Borderline. The Australian’s range and eclectic blend of styles, along with some bona-fide radio hits-in waiting was as engrossing as it was exciting. Her most recent album Curiouser, which was produced by Mickey Petralia, (Beck, eels, Peaches, Dandy Warhols) is well worth a listen.

We're not sure we've ever seen any like Norwegian metal act The Cumshots ever before. If you sidestep the name, which is sure to raise this blog's visitor numbers considerably, and the logo (a defaced version of Rolling Stones' lips one), what you're left with is an extreme hardcore act who make Rammstein look like The Jonas Brothers. It was theatrical, manic, hilarious, power and frightening. Mostly frightening. The singer started the show by showing us his 'Wooly Mammoth' (don't ask) and ended it by chewing broken glass and bleeding all over the sacred 100 Club stage. One of the more unforgettable shows of Musexpo Europe and a messy but thrilling end to proceedings for 2009's live acts.

In Converstation with Adam Tudhope, Keane/ Laura Marling manger

Adam used his brief interview with creative director of Musexpo Europe 2009 Ajax Scott to reveal that the Music Managers Forum is to reshaped into The Managers Collective. In the interim period, a website , musicbizorgwithnoname.com - has been set up to open debate and a consultative process with artist managers and representatives. The affordable price for joining the newly revamped organistation is to be £100 incl. VAT instead of the previous £200 fee. Another advantage of joining The Managers' Collective is a deal with smaller venues in the UK owned by the MAMA group, which will see the lifting of restrictive merchandise percentages given to the venue on those with a capacity of up to the Kentish Town Forum. Bargain.
Outside of the collective his own clients, the wonderful folk ensemble Mumford and Sons have signed to Island in the UK. Island gave them money to record the album, which they then licensed back to Island. Adam said he had already spent £30k developing the band himself before signing, which is a pretty powerful case of putting your money where your mouth is.

Get Your Crystal Balls Out: Here Comes The Future

Andrew Phillips and Safta Jeffrey moderated this lively and informative discussion with the challenging and rather broad remit of 'The Future Of Music' Stephen Knill of The Radiate Group, Vijay Nair of One Much Louder (India), Zane Lowe of BBC Radio 1, Adam Zammit of Peer Group Australia and Martin Morales of Disney Music Group (EMEA) were the brave ones tasked with thrashing it out.
In the discussion about the filters and recommenders of music Steven lamented that " the sources of recommendations have changed so much. You don't know where to look. The future is another set of recommenders".
As the subject moved on to future markets Vijay told us that a Non-Bollywood market didn't exist in India previously because there was no distribution network. Now there's an organised structure in place and so common sense would dictate that the smart music companies would start offering product there soon. Zane Lowe, a hugely influential tastemaker DJ in the UK stressed the need for a trusted place of recommendation, saying that "People have taken back control" as opposed to having tastes and trends shoved down their throats. "(the future recommenders) could be local record stores. Even though the collapse of high street music retail is worrying, the Amoebas and Rough Trades have nothing to worry about". Adam Zammit said the best ideas will come from individuals not big companies. "They will come from entrepreneurs who have grown up with technology". Lowe thought that the industry is probably still at a tipping point where we're still just holding on to the old industry, but looked to things like Spotify as exciting glimpses of what the future could be like. Zane, incidentally, tweeted about the Future Of Music panel before it started, asking his thousands of followers for ideas. The responses, a mixture of hilarious and interesting, are worth a look. On the artist side of things, Vijay argued that we don't need future superstars -We want them, but we don't need them. "The future lies in a 'merit class of musicians' rather than superstars"
Vijay also shared some further insight into his home market, claiming that India always comes top of the ranking lists on countries for piracy precisely because there are no legal music download services in India - 'you have to at least give them an option'. After pointing out the number of people who work for digital stores in the audience, Zane pondered why they weren't on the next plane to India - smart guy.
Adam Zammit thought the use of the word 'free' in marketing language is damaging and said labels had no right to whinge about illegal downloading if they've used 'free' as a marketing tool for the same purposes.
Vijay thought people will pay for value. He also used the example of UK band Fanfarlo, who made an album available for 15 days for $1. "I know lots of kids in India snapped it up because someone was allowing you to pay for music". He also told us that mobile marketing in India is driven by the value-adds like music rather than tariffs.
As to music's position in the cultural landscape, Adam warned that music is finding itself in a secondary position to other lifestyle industries. "It takes the backseat in films and games.". Adam claimed that music is not leading the technology, it just being bundled with it. " It's not a comfortable position to be in." Although he seemed pleased that music is driving fashion again, with new artists like Bat For Lashes and MGMT bringing an aesthetic back to music that was missing in the grunge era.
Nobody knew what the future would be, but there were some interesting pointers from people with a keen eye for what tomorrow holds.

Making D.I.Y Pay

In the Making D.I.Y. Pay panel, moderated by Nicola Slade from music industry bible Record of the Day, some of the scarier realities of going your own way were brought to light. In the last decade there has been a 15 per cent drop in the sales of recorded music. With over 30,000 albums released each year, the chances of success are less certain than ever. Human hand-grenade and respected music writer John Robb, who is never one to keep his opinion to himself on a panel offered this advice for anyone thinking of doing it themselves: "Kids think its about celebrity culture when it should be about creativity". David Courtier-Dutton from band investment site Slicethepie.com revealed that of the 24,000 bands they have on Bebo, 24 have been funded. He reiterated his claim that slicethepie are a utility for investment, not a tastemaker. UK soul singer Beverly Knight's manager David Woolf said that Beverly is happy since leaving EMI and getting VC investment for her own label. "She is happy to be in charge of her destiny now". He also suggested that EMI hadnt invested in the right way. Nick Denton, the head honcho at Dirtee Stank (Dizzee Rascal's label), when asked how to 'get seen' as a DIY artist replied succinctly "Get off your fucking arse and play some gigs". Sage advice. Denton confided that although XL were great, there would always be a massive gap between artist and the label in terms of goals and attitudes.
David Courtier-Dutton delivered the maxim that for marketing "every email address is sacred". David Woolf said that there were several surprises associated with taking the DIY route, namely that every decision is taken with a long-term goal in the DIY sphere. He thought that contracts can be intimidating. Nick Denton said that when you sign with a big company, they can give you a 7-figure sum and not ring you once per year. Peter: Thompson thought tastemakers were a' necessary evil. To round off the panel, each participant was asked their definition of success:. The responses included 'playing to a packed house', 'survival', 'creative freedom', 'a living wage' and 'doing what you love' - why not have a game of matching the definition with the panellist?

Talking publishing and legacy

An experienced panel line-up with some fine advice to impart was made up of Ian Ramage of Sony ATV, Jens-Markus Wegener of AMV Talpa, Germany, Francis K. Pettican Fairwood Music (UK), Alison Donald, MD of Chrysalis Music Publishing, Andy McQueen -Chairman of The Notting Hill Music and Barbara Orbison, President, Orbison Music Co. & Still Working Music Co.
Barbara Orbison, who was married to Roy Orbison for 20 years, now holds over the big industry that surrounds his catalogue and legacy. "With heritage artists it's important to keep him or her on an iconic level, but also to bring them into today". She also dismissed moderator Emmanuel Legrand's query about licensing a sample from Orbison to a rap star, claiming that if it worked well and was true to his legacy, she'd green-light it. After all, she reminded us, Roy worked with Rick Rubin in his latter years.
Alison Donald put the job of a publisher into a personal context when she told us that publishers are "in the relationship business". Ian Ramage thought that the closeness of the relationship business is determined by which point in the story the publisher gets involved. Andy McQueen claimed that one of the more important roles of the publisher was to be a sounding board for opinions, saying "Sometimes an inexperienced manager coupled with an experienced publisher can be a good thing".
There were mixed opinions traded on A&R bidding wars. McQueen thought that "the bidding wars can be counter-productive because you're trying to recoup more quickly". Ramage profered that the upside of the bidding wars was that it endorses the value of songs and songwriters. The downside being that it sets the expectation high for the artist and can lead to negative energy and thought it was a question of balance.
Alison relevaled that Bon Iver was reluctant and nervous to do a publishing deal until it was explained to him. For him, the decision of who he signed to was really about the right relationship and the right team which shared his vision. Alison also stressed the importance of development deals. Bat For Lashes, who Chrysalis licensed to Parlophone, won Alison over by giving her a book of 'Natasha's World' when she had only heard a few demos.
Jens confessed frustration at the A&R Panel yesterday "the label A&Rs came up with a lot of of excuses as to why they can't sign things... I don't want those guys working at my company". He then admitted that he'd need to speak to those same A&Rs the next time he had a fantastic songwriter to plug to them.
Barbara lamnted that although heritage acts' back catalgue is keeping the majors afloat, it's not as respected as it should be.
In a panel with some confusion as to the best models for engaging with new revenue streams, Alison offered succour for any publishers, big or small : "music is more ubiquitous now than it has ever been". Amen to that.

Emmanuel asked each panelist for a tip of a songwriter who is worth keeping an eye on, here are their answers:
Ian: Rachel Furner
Jens: Patrick Noor (Switzerland)
Francis: Noel Hogan - Architect/ The Cranberries
Alison: Laura Marling
Andy: Dizzee Rascall
Barbara: Taylor Swift

Night 2 at Musexpo Europe 2009

The Borderline didn't quite know what to expect when a band billed as 'Germany's punk rock standard-bearers' were due to kick off proceedings for the second night of showcases. We'd hope their expectations were confounded by a raucous, energetic and well-received show from Donots. At one point, their singer looked like he was in danger of strangling himself on his microphone wire as he excitedly emoted their rough rock sound. They've been going for over 15 years in Germany and recently self-released an album, the wittily-titled 'Coma Chameleon' to great acclaim

Dirty Epics came fresh from an Irish TV show challenge where they had to write, record and perform a song in 18 hours. They coped admirably if the results on stage were anything to go by. Dirty Epics released their debut album, 'Straight In No Kissing', last October through their own SCAR Records (distributed by Universal) and received a rapturous response from the Irish Times and more local media. They brought their brand of sexy, spiky pop-punk to The 100 Club, a venue with quite a bit of punk history. it was their London debut - we're sure we'll be hearing more from them in the future.

FrankMusik was a last minute addition at The Borderline. The pint-sized Island Records-signed artist has just been added to the Radio 1 playlist in the UK, so he had cause to celebrate. Scorching beat, piercing falsettos and some very wise choices of samples and covers, FrankMusik is pure pop joy personified - and it really works live. His cover of Pet Shop Boys' 'It's A Sin' was a highlight for us. He definitely made the most of his Musexpo moment - he even expressed relief that the crowd wasn't "all corporate and boring" - it was certainly a warm Los Angeles welcome in London for Frank.

Pint Shot Riot signed a publishing deal with EA/Nettwerk joint venture Artwerk Music late last year. They displayed the jagged rhythms and sharp melodies that led to their initial interest at The 100 Club. Their first single "Punches Kicks Trenches and Swords," earned significant airplay throughout the UK and was chosen by EA Games for their "SIMS 3" soundtrack in November 2008. They strutted the famed stage in central London like they owned the place - we're sure that pretty soon they will.

Australian act All Mankind make the kind of epic radio-friendly MOR songs which the likes of The Script and The Fray found success with in recent times. They're not doing too badly in their home territory at the moment, with award nominations for song-writing and performance in both Australia and America. It's not hard to see why they are so well-received - it's smartly written pop songs which will sound great on the radio - like their peers, they also have a sound which could fill stadiums. A winning combination and an impressive performance.

The Broken Beats closed night two of showcases at The 100 Club. Their psychedelic rock/pop sounds like Alphabeat met Talking Heads down a dark alley. Essentially, it's very unpredictable but no less fun for it. Their new album, You're Powerful, Beautiful and Extraordinary, has already spawned a Danish hit with leadoff single "The Rules". With a zany but excellent set-up, we wouldn't bet against them doing the business in other territories too.

Day One Closes: Global A&R Forum

The assembled panelists for Global A&R Forum have signed everything from Gnarls Barkley to Muse, to Blur, Sugababes and Madcon.
Sarah Stennet of SSB/ Crown Management, Korda Marshall (MD, Infectious Records), Fredrik Ekander (Bonnier Amigo, Sweden), Mike Smith (MD of Columbia Records, UK) and Bjorn Teske (Sony Music A&R Director, Germany) were on call to discuss the finer points of their most-prized discoveries. They were led into conversation by moderator Joe Taylor (Field Recordings/ Nuxx Publishing & Music Consultant to Record of the Day).
Sarah said she approached Sugababes "as a brand that represented the type of pop music we were doing" and that despite three line-up changes and being picked up after being dropped by their first label, the girls are still in the game and currently working on a new album which will be a co-production with Jay-Z's RocNation label in the US. She thought the main responsibilities involved in management was managing the individuals, working with a label which works through the difficulties and keeping the focus on the brand itself and the music.
Korda signed Muse when they were a bunch of 17 year-olds, he says because it was very obvious from the start that they had the right attitude, focus and drive. Initially signing them for Australia/ UK-only singles deal with matching rights clause for other territories, his market specific approach at first allowed them to ramp up to a global campaign after 3 albums. Interestingly, he had passed on them a few times before signing them as they were too young.
Mike Smith's experience of working with Mark Ronson included taking up reigns from another label (Ronson's first album didn't do so well for Elektra while they were on their last legs). Ronson's version of Radiohead's 'Just' which appeared on a soundtrack in 2006, and his involvement in Lily and Amy's album led Smith to believing Ronson's signature sound was connecting with people at just the right time - that's why they waited two years before launching the album.
Bjorn's experience with the fledgling German rockers Aloha From Hell came when their lead singer was just 14 years old singer. What followed for them was an 18 month period of artist development before partners Bravo Television got behind them. Bjorn reiterated the importance of reaching a mass market after that point. "After grassroots development, you do need Radio/ TV and press. We had already invested Eur500,000, so we needed to get a Gold album with them."
Most of the artists Sarah Stennet has worked with were dropped from their label or sidelined from the industry at one point. She listed Noisettes, VV Brown and Sugababes as examples. She said she looked for the drive from the artists to still be involved - with The Noisettes, the idea of a waste of a unique talent and the work they had put into their career drove her to continue to be involved. They were eventually signed back to the label they were dropped by in the UK, by working with another dropped band under her management company.
After taking the demos from the audience the panel discussed hit discovery. Korda said he heard Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" on a Tuesday afternoon and signed it by Friday and that he's had 4 records like that in a 30 year career.
Michael Jackson was a topic that couldn't be avoided on this panel. Korda spoke of " the big machine whirring" in majors when an artist dies. He compared Sony's job at present to RCA's when Elvis died. Mike Smith, although stressing his role at Columbia wasn't directly involved in Jackson's catalogue at all summed up the feeling in his company: :I think it's really important for the industry...Tony Wilson said it best when he said 'nothing sells like death'. We have to do as much as possible to respect the legacy and his family. We need to do it in a way in which the families feel comfortable with." Fredrick Ekander was of the opinion that music no longer has the ability to touch the same number of people at the same time, and that was why there would never be a superstar like Jackson again. Smith retorted that "The opportunity is still there for an artist to touch people on a global scale, but they just don't come along very often."
After discussing the methods of discovery and the filters used ,Smith's comment on what buzz does to an act was telling in the current music media environment: "Just because something is the most-tipped act of the year, that doesn't mean it's going to crossover."
To conclude the entire panel admitted that they have never signed a band after discovering it on a CD they had been given at a conference , but have signed bands they've seen at conferences - Korda name-checked The Temper Trap who he saw at last year's Musexpo Europe event in London.
And so to the Carbon Lounge for some cocktails and another evening of musical discovery. Follow us on Twitter for updates as we go. We're back tomorrow for more coverage from The Cumberland Hotel, kicking off with The Publishing Forum at 9:30am. Sleep is for wimps.