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THE BUSINESS OF MUSIC
www.musicweek.com
NEWS 03
Harriet Harman MP discusses an A&R tax incentive at BPI AGM
BIGINTERVIEW 10
A three-page special interview with Sir Elton John on British music
14
06.07.12 £5.15 ANALYSIS
We look into staggered release dates –and ‘fake’ cover versions
‘PHENOMENAL’ BRITISH COMPOSER AND PRODUCER SIGNS WORLDWIDE DEAL WITH PUBLISHER
BMG relishes big Mac signing B
PUBLISHING BY PAUL WILLIAMS
MG Chrysalis UK has secured the services of one of the UK’s most
successful hitmakers after signing a worldwide deal with Steve Mac. The multi chart-topping
talent moves from Peermusic to his new publishing home at a time when he is enjoying significant success in the US: his Glad You Came co-write for The Wanted alone has clocked up around 3 million Stateside sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The new agreement with BMG covers catalogue and future works. BMG Chrysalis UK vice
president of A&R Ben Bodie said: “We are delighted to be working with Steve Mac. His strike rate of hits is truly phenomenal.” Mac has enjoyed sizeable
success as both a songwriter and
Mac’s mates: (Left to right) Ben Bodie (VP of A&R BMG Chrysalis UK), Steve Mac and Kate Sweetsur (Senior Director, Creative, BMG Chrysalis)
they were very impressive. They work together well. They’re enthusiastic and passionate.” BMG Chrysalis UK senior
vice president Alexi Cory-Smith told Music Week the signing would “turn heads” within the industry and beyond. “It shows we’re a creative
force to be reckoned with,” she added, noting one of the company’s biggest selling points in securing Mac was its “tightly- knit” international network. Mac said: “I’m very excited
to join the BMG Chrysalis family and to seek more opportunities internationally.” The songwriter enters into
producer now for more than two decades. Some of his greatest triumphs have included working with acts associated with Simon Cowell, among them Westlife, Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, Il Divo and Susan Boyle, whose
first three albums were produced by Mac. He has also written for JLS, while his recent successes include credits on One Direction’s Gotta Be You, Cover Drive’s Sparks and The Saturdays’ Notorious, helping to
take his worldwide sales to beyond 140 million in combined single and album terms. Mac’s manager David
Howells of Darah Music said: “Looking at BMG’s teams in the territories where we’ve met,
the new partnership after notching up two huge US hits: Glad You Came followed his co- write You Make Me Feel… for Cobra Starship into the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10. To date, the latter has sold
2.4 million copies in the States for the US dance-pop band.
Official Charts app ‘brings streaming to mainstream’
The creator of a new app which allows consumers to hear the Official Singles Chart on their Samsung phone believes the platform will bring a “whole new audience” to streaming services. The Official Top 40 Chart
app is pre-loaded onto millions of Samsung Galaxy Ace II handsets in the UK. Consumers will receive free
unlimited access to streamed songs from the latest chart for eight weeks – before being asked to pay £1 a week to continue using the service.
The ad-free app, which has
been licensed by all major record companies, has been created by MusicQubed alongside the Official Charts Company. Chris Gorman, CEO,
MusicQubed said: “There are many apps in the marketplace for the music enthusiast. However, there’s also a mass market that just want to access current music instantly at a price that’s affordable in their mind. “This will open up a new
marketplace that doesn’t currently exist, pushing consumers who
currently spend £17 to £20 a year on music into a higher bracket without them realising.” Gorman said the
introduction of in-app purchases was being considered – from which rights holders and composers would be rewarded. MusicQubed is also in discussions with other charts providers in the UK and abroad for similar apps. “This Samsung app can be
both incremental and complementary to existing streaming services,” said
Universal Music commercial MD Brian Rose. “It has a very compelling up-
sell mechanism. As your favourite track drops down the chart, a message says you can own it forever [via download], with an integrated buy button.” The app joins celebrations
around the 60th anniversary of the Official Singles Chart - which include a three-part primetime ITV show. The first instalment of the Nation’s Favourite Number One Single will air at 9pm on Sunday ( July 8).
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