Independent labels: We won't pay for the launch of Apple Music (AAPL) | ||
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Independent labels are concerned that by giving away their music for free during Apple Music's three month free trial, they will essentially be footing the bill for Apple's customer acquisition costs. A group of independent labels, Beggars Group, has been in discussion with Apple over the launch of its new music streaming service, and isn’t happy with the deal the company is offering independent artists. In a blog post published on its site for the attention of artists and managers belonging to the group, it said that Beggars Group had not come to an agreement with Apple. Beggars Group is arguably the largest and most influential independent group of labels in Europe. Matador Records, 4AD, Rough Trade Records and XL Recordings are four main labels that help make it up. The post said: “In many ways the deal structure is very progressive, but unfortunately it was created without reference to us, or as far as we know any independents, and as such unsurprisingly presents problems for us, and for our coming artist releases.” The group's main problem is with the three-month free trial Apple is offering to users when it launches on June 30. During that time, artists won’t be paid anything when their music is played on the platform. This could cause problems for artists that are releasing new albums between July and September, when Apple will start to pay artists from the £9.99 monthly fee users will pay, the group argued. Artists will miss out on essential revenue from those new releases, because they’ll be forced into giving their work away for free for three whole months. “Whilst we understand the logic of their proposal and their aim to introduce a subscription-only service, we struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs,” the group continued. “And given the natural response of competing digital services to offer comparable terms, we fear that the free trial aspect, far from moving the industry away from freemium services – a model we support – is only resulting in taking the 'mium' out of freemium.” The group also raised concerns over whether independent artists and the labels that represent them are being given the same deal as major labels and their artists, adding that it hoped Apple would make changes to the terms of its new service. Apple has been trying to position its new, paid streaming services as a "friend" to artists, no matter how small. But Andy Heath, the chairman of industry lobby group UK Music, told The Telegraph earlier this week that, to his knowledge, no independent British labels have agreed to allow their music to be used in the three month free trial. He said: “If you are running a small label on tight margins you literally can’t afford to do this free trial business." The fear is that stream revenue those labels would have earned from Spotify will dry up as people check out Apple's three-month free trial. Once the trial is over, Apple says it will be paying more than the industry average of 70% of music streaming revenues to music owners. In the US this will come to 71.5%, and outside the US it will average out to around 73%. But this hasn't been enough to reassure independent labels in the UK. These labels are happy to stick with Spotify, Heath said, which continues to pay them for each track played, even if Apple is promising to give them more than the industry average at a later date. The Telegraph report added that two record label bosses had confirmed Heath's view, but did not want to be named because talks with Apple are still ongoing. In the face of spreading dissent, Apple is apparently playing hardball with artists. Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman Anton Newcombe claims that the company is threatening to pull his entire back catalogue from iTunes if he doesn't agree to forgo royalties during a three-month trial period Apple is due to offer consumers, Consequence of Sound reports. It isn't just small labels and independent artists that aren't happy with Apple Music's terms. Taylor Swift has also snubbed the new service, and won't be putting her new album on the platform. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Two models in Russia just posed with a 1,400-pound bear  | ||
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The French company that makes £1,390 high-end speakers just raised $20 million in funding | ||
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Devialet, the high-end audio hardware company from France, has raised $20 million (£12.6 million) in new funding and will use the money to bring its fancy spherical speakers to the US, Forbes reports. The company creates products that aren't designed for normal consumers. Its most well-known product, the Phantom speaker, is a spherical speaker that starts at £1,390 ($2,203) in the UK. Devialet says that it delivers superior sound quality by combining analogue and digital sound in one device, with the result that there's no background noise.
Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 clever iPhone tricks only power users know about  | ||
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The French company is keen to promote its growth in America, referring to its launch — perhaps incorrectly — as a " Google's European venture capital fund just made its second investment (GOOG) | ||
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Google's European venture capital fund has made its second investment on the continent, the Telegraph reports — in an Oxford University fund called Oxford Sciences Innovation. Google Ventures Europe launched in July 2014, but since then has been remarkably silent. In the space of almost 12 months, it has made just one investment, in Kobalt — a music publishing and rights company. It invested $40 million of its initial $125 million fund. Now, GVE has invested in Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI), a spin-off fund of the world-class Oxford University. First announced in May, OSI was after £300 million to "boost development of science and technology businesses" that will help "develop the University’s world-leading scientific research and work with Oxford University’s academics to commercialise their ideas into market-leading companies." Read: It will invest in promising research at Oxford to help find commercial applications. This isn't the first time a university has done this. Imperial University-linked fund Imperial Innovations is one of the biggest, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange — as is Allied Minds, which has links to 33 American universities. This funding round was over-subscribed, and OSI has ultimately raised £320 million. Alongside Google Ventures, Charles Dunstone — founder of Carphone Warehouse is investing. Other investors include IP Group, Invesco Asset Management, Lansdowne Partners, Oxford University Endowment Fund, the Wellcome Trust, and Woodford Investment Management, according to The Financial Times. It's not clear exactly how much Google Ventures Europe has invested, and we've reached out to the firm for clarification. But Google Ventures partners Tom Hulme and Dr. Krishna Yeshwant will join OSI's advisory board, according to The Telegraph, along with Google AI researcher Demis Hassabis. Hulme says that "Google Ventures' investment in OSI represents our faith in Oxford University's ability to develop the next generation of scientific breakthroughs." Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Animated map shows what Europe would look like if all the Earth's ice melted  | ||
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One of Twitter's biggest investors says its CEO search is 'a debilitating mess' (TWTR) | ||
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Chris Sacca, the venture capital investor at Lowercase Capital — who is one of Twitter's biggest stockholders — has slammed the company in another brutal blog post. This time, he says, the company's search for a CEO to replace Dick Costolo is a "a debilitating mess." What Sacca says is influential. Not just because he owns Twitter stock, but because his calls on Twitter's strategy have been right on the money. On June 3, he published a lengthy manifesto about what Twitter needs to do to fix its problems (stagnant user base, alienating user interface). A few days later CEO Dick Costolo announced he would leave the company and founder Jack Dorsey would lead a search for a replacement. Here is Sacca's opinion on how that search is proceeding: However, any observer will agree that the CEO transition announcements were sloppy and confusing. Investors were left trying to interpret seemingly conflicting accounts and trying to read the tea leaves about where the company was going. Along the way, specific statements about Twitter’s future crushed investor hopes and turned what could have been a very positive event for the company into a debilitating mess. You can read the whole thing here. Some context: Sacca actually loves Twitter, and he uses the product a lot. He says he is holding his Twitter stock for the long-run, and that he believes the company has a bunch of new products and features in the pipeline that can cure its temporary ills. So while this all sounds harsh, it is actually coming from a place of support. (But it still sounds pretty harsh). Disclosure: The author also owns Twitter stock. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 cool tricks your iPhone can do with the latest iOS update  | ||
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Independent labels: We won't pay for the launch of Apple Music (AAPL) | ||
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Independent record labels are concerned that by giving away their music for free during Apple Music's three month free trial, they will essentially be footing the bill for Apple's customer acquisition costs. Beggars Group, the parent of a group of legendary independent labels such as 4AD and Matador, has been in discussion with Apple over the launch of its new music streaming service, and isn’t happy with the deal the company is offering independent artists. In a blog post published on its site for the attention of artists and managers under the group, the company said it could not come to an agreement with Apple. Beggars Group is arguably the largest and most influential independent group of labels in Europe. Matador Records, 4AD, Rough Trade Records and XL Recordings are four main labels that help make it up. The post said: “In many ways the deal structure is very progressive, but unfortunately it was created without reference to us, or as far as we know any independents, and as such unsurprisingly presents problems for us, and for our coming artist releases.” The group's main problem is with the three-month free trial Apple is offering to users when it launches on June 30. During that time, artists won’t be paid anything when their music is played on the platform. This could cause problems for artists that are releasing new albums between July and September, when Apple will start to pay artists from the £9.99 monthly fee users will pay, the group argued. Artists will miss out on essential revenue from those new releases, because they’ll be forced into giving their work away for free for three whole months. “Whilst we understand the logic of their proposal and their aim to introduce a subscription-only service, we struggle to see why rights owners and artists should bear this aspect of Apple’s customer acquisition costs,” the group continued. “And given the natural response of competing digital services to offer comparable terms, we fear that the free trial aspect, far from moving the industry away from freemium services – a model we support – is only resulting in taking the 'mium' out of freemium.” The group also raised concerns over whether independent artists and the labels that represent them are being given the same deal as major labels and their artists, adding that it hoped Apple would make changes to the terms of its new service. Apple has been trying to position its new, paid streaming services as a "friend" to artists, no matter how small. But Andy Heath, the chairman of industry lobby group UK Music, told The Telegraph earlier this week that, to his knowledge, no independent British labels have agreed to allow their music to be used in the three month free trial. He said: “If you are running a small label on tight margins you literally can’t afford to do this free trial business." The fear is that stream revenue those labels would have earned from Spotify will dry up as people check out Apple's three-month free trial. Once the trial is over, Apple says it will be paying more than the industry average of 70% of music streaming revenues to music owners. In the US this will come to 71.5%, and outside the US it will average out to around 73%. But this hasn't been enough to reassure independent labels in the UK. These labels are happy to stick with Spotify, Heath said, which continues to pay them for each track played, even if Apple is promising to give them more than the industry average at a later date. The Telegraph report added that two record label bosses had confirmed Heath's view, but did not want to be named because talks with Apple are still ongoing. In the face of spreading dissent, Apple is apparently playing hardball with artists. Brian Jonestown Massacre frontman Anton Newcombe claims that the company is threatening to pull his entire back catalogue from iTunes if he doesn't agree to forgo royalties during a three-month trial period Apple is due to offer consumers, Consequence of Sound reports. It isn't just small labels and independent artists that aren't happy with Apple Music's terms. Taylor Swift has also snubbed the new service, and won't be putting her new album on the platform. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Two models in Russia just posed with a 1,400-pound bear  | ||
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A man may have plunged to his death after clinging to a British Airways plane as it flew over London | ||
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A man is believed to have died after falling from a British Airways plane as it flew over London, after a body was discovered on the roof of business in Richmond on Thursday, ITV News reports. The death is currently being treated as "unexplained" by Metropolitan Police, however, it may be connected to a stowaway who was found in the undercarriage of a British Airways jet on the same day. The second man, believed to be 24-years-old, is in critical condition and is being treated at a London hospital. The plane on which the injured stowaway was discovered was flying from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Heathrow Airport in London. Both men may have been clinging onto the plane. "At this time there is no evidence to link the death to the discovery of a stowaway in the undercarriage of a plane at Heathrow Airport; however this is one line enquiry into identifying the deceased and the circumstances of his death," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Police added: "The body is so far unidentified and enquiries are ongoing into this and how long it had been at the scene. No next of kin have yet been informed." A British Airways spokesperson referred us to the Metropolitan Police in regard to the incident. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 6 scientifically proven features men find attractive in women  | ||
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Scientists have debunked these 5 common myths about eating fats | ||
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Fats may be one of the most misunderstood food groups. Many believe that eating foods rich in fats leads to many illnesses and obesity. But science has proved otherwise. Produced by Ryan Larkin Follow BI Video: On Facebook Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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The French company that makes £1,390 high-end speakers just raised $20 million in funding | ||
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Devialet, the high-end audio hardware company from France, has raised $20 million (£12.6 million) in new funding and will use the money to bring its fancy spherical speakers to the US, Forbes reports. The company creates products that aren't designed for normal consumers. Its most well-known product, the Phantom speaker, is a spherical speaker that starts at £1,390 ($2,203) in the UK. Devialet says that it delivers superior sound quality by combining analogue and digital sound in one device, with the result that there's no background noise.
Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 clever iPhone tricks only power users know about  | ||
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Google's European venture capital fund just made its second investment (GOOG) | ||
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Google's European venture capital fund has made its second investment on the continent, the Telegraph reports — in an Oxford University fund called Oxford Sciences Innovation. Google Ventures Europe launched in July 2014, but since then has been remarkably silent. In the space of almost 12 months, it has made just one investment, in Kobalt — a music publishing and rights company. It invested $40 million of its initial $125 million fund. Now, GVE has invested in Oxford Sciences Innovation (OSI), a spin-off fund of the world-class Oxford University. First announced in May, OSI was after £300 million to "boost development of science and technology businesses" that will help "develop the University’s world-leading scientific research and work with Oxford University’s academics to commercialise their ideas into market-leading companies." Read: It will invest in promising research at Oxford to help find commercial applications. This isn't the first time a university has done this. Imperial University-linked fund Imperial Innovations is one of the biggest, and is listed on the London Stock Exchange — as is Allied Minds, which has links to 33 American universities. This funding round was over-subscribed, and OSI has ultimately raised £320 million. Alongside Google Ventures, Charles Dunstone — founder of Carphone Warehouse is investing. Other investors include IP Group, Invesco Asset Management, Lansdowne Partners, Oxford University Endowment Fund, the Wellcome Trust, and Woodford Investment Management, according to The Financial Times. It's not clear exactly how much Google Ventures Europe has invested, and we've reached out to the firm for clarification. But Google Ventures partners Tom Hulme and Dr. Krishna Yeshwant will join OSI's advisory board, according to The Telegraph, along with Google AI researcher Demis Hassabis. Hulme says that "Google Ventures' investment in OSI represents our faith in Oxford University's ability to develop the next generation of scientific breakthroughs." Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Animated map shows what Europe would look like if all the Earth's ice melted  | ||
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Rosberg on top after opening Austria practice | ||
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Spielberg (Austria) (AFP) - Nico Rosberg outpaced his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to clock the fastest time in Friday morning's opening free practice session for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix. The 29-year-old German, who was victorious in last year's race to inspire a run of strong mid-season form, clocked a best time of 1min 10.401sec. He is currently second in the drivers' standings, 17 points behind Hamilton. Defending champion Hamilton was second, 0.308sec adrift of Rosberg's best lap at the Red Bull Ring track in foothills of the Styrian Alps. Both men had trouble-free mornings as they began preparations for an event that is a severe test for engines and traction. Finn Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari was third fastest ahead of compatriot Valtteri Bottas of Williams and Brazilian Felipe Nasr of Sauber. Russian Daniil Kvyat was sixth ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Australian Daniel Ricciardo, the pair both running with new engines – their fifth of the season – which will mean they take a 10-place grid penalty for the race. Dutch teenager Max Verstappen was eighth for Toro Rosso ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa in the second Williams, Mexican Sergio Perez of Force India and Spaniard Carlos Sainz in the second Toro Rosso. Massa was involved in a near-miss in the pit lane when he had to brake sharply as he exited the Williams pits to avoid hitting Ferrari team chief Maurizio Arrivabene, as he crossed the road. A brief exchange of rueful grins was followed later by a smiling chat. Four-time champion German Sebastian Vettel was hampered by gearbox problems and wound up 20th and last in his Ferrari while the two McLaren Hondas of Briton Jenson Button and Spaniard Fernando Alonso were 16th and 17th, Alonso having struggled to overcome 'system problems' on his heavily revised car. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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One of Twitter's biggest investors says its CEO search is 'a debilitating mess' (TWTR) | ||
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Chris Sacca, the venture capital investor at Lowercase Capital — who is one of Twitter's biggest stockholders — has slammed the company in another brutal blog post. This time, he says, the company's search for a CEO to replace Dick Costolo is a "a debilitating mess." What Sacca says is influential. Not just because he owns Twitter stock, but because his calls on Twitter's strategy have been right on the money. On June 3, he published a lengthy manifesto about what Twitter needs to do to fix its problems (stagnant user base, alienating user interface). A few days later CEO Dick Costolo announced he would leave the company and founder Jack Dorsey would lead a search for a replacement. Here is Sacca's opinion on how that search is proceeding: However, any observer will agree that the CEO transition announcements were sloppy and confusing. Investors were left trying to interpret seemingly conflicting accounts and trying to read the tea leaves about where the company was going. Along the way, specific statements about Twitter’s future crushed investor hopes and turned what could have been a very positive event for the company into a debilitating mess. You can read the whole thing here. Some context: Sacca actually loves Twitter, and he uses the product a lot. He says he is holding his Twitter stock for the long-run, and that he believes the company has a bunch of new products and features in the pipeline that can cure its temporary ills. So while this all sounds harsh, it is actually coming from a place of support. (But it still sounds pretty harsh). Disclosure: The author also owns Twitter stock. Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: 5 cool tricks your iPhone can do with the latest iOS update  | ||
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Afghan warlord angry at being 'sidelined' by Ghani | ||
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Herat (Afghanistan) (AFP) - Ismail Khan played a major role in Afghanistan's struggle against Soviet occupation, but the powerful warlord now accuses his country's government of sidelining him just as it faces up to the Taliban's obstinate insurgency. Khan was once one of the most important commanders of the "mujahideen" fighters who battled to expel the Soviets from Afghanistan in the 1980s. The 68-year-old is still a force to be reckoned with in western Afghanistan, and in an interview with AFP in his stronghold in the city of Herat, he railed against the administration of President Ashraf Ghani. Sat in a huge armchair in his reception room, the white-bearded commander said sidelining the leaders of the anti-Soviet resistance had created unnecessary divisions in the country. "The jihadi leaders are not in the government and it (has) created distrust among the people and led to insecurity in Afghanistan," he said. For Khan and some of the other big hitters of the anti-Soviet fight, a power-sharing deal agreed following bitterly disputed presidential polls in 2014 has left them out in the cold. They include influential Islamist leader Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, the powerful governor of Balkh province and northern strongman Mohammad Atta Noor, former vice-president Yunus Qanooni and former Nangarhar provincial governor Gul Agha Sherzai. Instead Ghani has passed more power on to a new generation, with a few exceptions -- such as the redoutable and indefatigable old Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum, now the first vice-president under Ghani. Khan was water and energy minister under previous president Hamid Karzai and was disappointed at not being allowed to continue when Ghani took over. To add to his frustration, the new interior minister Noor ul-Haq Ulumi is a former military commander in the former Afghan communist regime that the Soviets propped up -- the sworn enemy of the mujadhideen. When the Soviets pulled out in 1989, the mujahideen descended into bloody factional fighting, beginning a bloody civil war that opened the way for the emergence of the Taliban, who seized power in 1996. They were dark years during which many, including Khan, have been accused of committing rights abuses. In a ceremony last month to mark the defeat of the Soviets, Ghani referred to the internecine bloodshed of the 1990s, lamenting that Afghanistan has not managed to stay unified and peaceful. In the same speech Ghani said he wanted to listen to the advice of old commanders, but Khan is unconvinced. "The current government does not have legitimacy... it's a government created based on compromise, imposed on Afghans by US foreign secretary John Kerry," he said. Khan supported Ghani's rival Abdullah Abdullah in last year's bitterly disputed presidential run-off vote and clashed with him as early as 2003. The strongman had come under fire for withholding customs revenue from Kabul gleaned from lucrative Iranian border traffic, forcing Ghani, then finance minister, to travel to Herat to demand payment.
- 'Worried about Pakistan' -
Khan has been criticising Ghani's policies unrestrainedly in recent interviews with foreign media. Like many in Afghanistan he is deeply wary of the president's willingness to pursue rapprochement with Pakistan, the Taliban's historic backers. Ghani wants Pakistan to use its influence to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table, but little substantial progress on this front has been made. "President Ghani is getting closer to Pakistan and trusting Pakistan more, and this has made the mujahideen really worried," he said. "We believe Pakistan is never sincere about peace talks, and will not bring the Taliban to the negotiating table." He also criticised the government's strategy for fighting the Taliban, who are inflicting heavy losses on Afghan forces and are still able to carry out suicide attacks, particularly in Kabul. "This year, the fighting is heavier and the districts will fall to the Taliban," he said. "Next year, the fighting will be even heavier and worse than now." He hinted that he would be happy to oblige if the government asked him to fight the Taliban, though former warlords like him officially deny still having combat-ready forces at their disposal. And he warned the old fighters might not take being sidelined for too long. "Mujahideen comprise a big population of the Afghan nation," he said. "If they are not happy with the government, the government will face serious challenges."
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India toxic liquor kills 33 in Mumbai | ||
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Mumbai (AFP) - Thirty-three people have died in Mumbai and nine are fighting for their lives after drinking toxic home-made liquor, police said Friday, in the latest incident of alcohol poisoning in India. Dhananjay Kulkarni, Mumbai police deputy commissioner, said the victims had started to fall ill on Wednesday morning after consuming the illicit moonshine. "Thirty-three people have died and at least nine are in a critical condition after they consumed spurious liquor. The death toll may rise," the commissioner told AFP. "Crime branch is investigating and three suspects are being held in custody," Kulkarni said. The three men, aged 30, 47, and 50, were arrested on Thursday night, he added. Bootleg liquor is widely consumed across India where it is sometimes sold for less than a dollar for a 25cl bottle, with deaths frequently reported. It is rare however for such incidents to occur in a major city like Mumbai, with most cases taking place in poor, rural villages. Kulkarni said it was the worst case of its kind to be recorded in the western Indian city in more than a decade. "Such a tragedy happened in 2004 when more than 100 deaths took place," he explained, referring to the "Vikhroli hooch tragedy", named by the local press after the suburb where the victims lived. The victims of the latest incident were residents of a slum in the suburb of Malad West, in the north of the city. Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, ordered an immediate inquiry. In January, more than 31 people died near Lucknow in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after drinking a lethal batch of home-brew. Police arrested 12 people in October 2013 after more than three dozen villagers died from toxic liquor also in Uttar Pradesh. In 2011 nearly 170 people died in the eastern state of West Bengal after drinking moonshine. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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