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6 MusicWeek 22.06.12 NEWS
Wakeman is in for MIRC 2012
Prog-rock legend, composer and raconteur Rick Wakeman will address more than 200 musical
instrument retailers at this year’s Musical Instrument Retail Conference & Expo (MIRC). The event takes place at The
Brewery, Chiswell Street London – where the Music Week Awards were held earlier this year – on Thursday, June 28. It’s free for retailers to attend and they will all go home with a VIP retail gift bag. The day will comprise of
conference sessions in the morning, followed by a free lunch. The expo (www.mirc- expo.com) will open in the afternoon, while an after-show drinks reception, sponsored by Roland UK, will be held at the Chiswell Street Dining Rooms, situated opposite The Brewery.
ORGANISERS HERALD ‘BEST EVER’ EVENT • SELL-OUT PREDICTED FOR NEXT YEAR
World-beating headliner secured for Download 2013
LIVE BY TIM INGHAM
A
n “internationally renowned” headliner has already been secured for
Download Festival 2013 – as Live Nation predicts another sell-out event. The 2012 festival took place
earlier this month at Donington Park. Over 100,000 ticket- holders braved heavy rain and muddy conditions to witness The Prodigy, Metallica and Black Sabbath headline the five-day event, which was the tenth Download in history. Due to demand, early-bird
tickets for 2013’s event – which will take place on June 14-16 – have already gone on sale at Downloadfestival.co.uk. Live Nation promoter and
festival booker Andy Copping told Music Week this month’s event was “the best Download there has ever been”. He added: “We have been
Wakeman (pictured) will be
topping off the conference with his keynote speech – A Grumpy Old Keyboard Player’s View of the Music Industry – in which he will relate his recollections as both a performer and customer. Now in its third year, MIRC,
in association with Musikmesse, is backed by Music Week sister publication MI Pro. The UK’s top 250 musical
instrument retailers are set to attend and dealers can still register by emailing mirc@intentmedia.co.uk. A limited number of
additional Event Packages are available. Contact Jodie.Holdway@
intentmedia.co.uk, or call 01992 535647 to find out more.
inundated with notes of congratulations and thanks from all corners of the globe. The fans in particular have been very vocal in saying that they believe that this has been the best Download ever and that they loved the experience in spite of the rain leading up to the festival.” The festival season has under-
Photo: Andrew Whitton
performed this year, with tickets still available for the UK’s biggest events and 14 cancellations – making Download’s weekend ticket sell-out all the more remarkable. The 2013 market
brings yet more competition in the shape of Glastonbury, but Copping said that the Download team remained unworried about the festival giant’s return. “Having just had the best
Back in black: Metallica
frontman James Hetfield at Download 2012
Download on record, I'm confident that we can hit sell-out numbers again next year,” he said, adding: “There are always improvements to be made. We spend a lot of time speaking to the fans and asking them for their input and we always action their ideas.” Metallica returned to
Donington for the seventh time to headline Saturday’s Main Stage, performing the Black Album in its entirety, plus hits including Master of Puppets and Seek and Destroy. Black Sabbath headlined the Sunday night, whilst on Friday The Prodigy played after a rousing set by Chase & Status. Meanwhile, acts such Soundgarden, Megadeth, Refused, Shinedown and Anthrax returned to the UK on Download 2012’s stages. Copping said Live Nation
already has one act confirmed to headline next year’s event. “The act I already have locked
in to headline Download next year is an internationally renowned band, that will please a lot of people, including myself,” he added. Download Festival specials
will broadcast next month on Sky Arts with bands set to be aired in the programming including Slash, The Prodigy and Metallica.
One Media posts profits after spending spree
Independent publishing group One Media PLC has posted impressive fiscal results for the first half of its fiscal year. For the six months ending
April 30, the firm recorded a 29.3% year-on-year increase in turnover to over £1 million. It posted pre-tax profits of £204,667, a year-on-year jump of 35.4%, while cash balances were announced as £792,938 at April 30. Eleven new music catalogues were acquired in the period,
Infante and beyond: One Media CEO looks to the future
The Moody Blues, Phil Collins and Iggy Pop. One Media was set up in
while the firm this week snapped up a pop video collection from label OVOW, including performances from
2005 and listed its shares on the Plus Markets Exchange to become what it claims is the only City Listed independent purely digital music label and rights owner. It has invested over £1.25 million in 50-plus catalogue acquisitions since 2006 and now owns rights for in excess of 120,000 tracks. CEO Michael Infante said: “It’s doubly gratifying to be
delivering a great set of results for One Media in the first half year, as digital revenues in the industry overtake physical for the first time. “One Media will be
energetically looking for new acquisitions to continue its development, as well as ensuring that each and every catalogue we currently already work is given the best possible sales platform. It’s an exciting time to be a digital music company and hungry for growth’.
Photo: Lee Wilkinson / www.lwmultimedia.co.uk/