www.musicweek.com
05.10.12 Music Week 3
MORE INFLUENCES SHOWN ON UNORTHODOX JUKEBOX
Mars gets diverse on new album
Mars explorer: Bruno will be mining new influences on forthcoming album
Unorthodox Jukebox
The Entertainment Retailers’ Association says it will continue to offer iTunes the opportunity to join its members – as the trade body’s ranks welcome yet more digital operators. Last month’s ERA AGM saw
the announcement of three new Board members from the digital world, elected for the next three years: Spotify’s Will Hope, Deezer’s Mark Foster and Rapture’s Gary Smith. Meanwhile, 7Digital, 24/7,
Amazon. Lovefilm, MSE and Quirks Online were also all re- elected to the group’s Board. However, ERA director
TALENT BY TIM INGHAM
B
runo Mars’ new album will introduce all-new influences to the mega-
selling Atlantic artist’s output. The Grammy winner will
return with second LP Unorthodox Jukebox on December 11 - the follow-up to his platinum-selling debut Doo- Wops & Hooligans. It will be preceded by new single Locked Out Of Heaven, which goes on sale in the UK on November 25. The album was executive
produced by The Smeezingtons, the hit-making production team comprised of Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine. An additional array of top
producers also joined in the creation of Unorthadox Jukebox, including such award-winning studio stars as Jeff Bhasker (fun., Kanye West, Jay-Z), Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lil Wayne, Black Lips) and Diplo (M.I.A, Usher). Mars will host and perform on Saturday Night Live in the
US on October 20, with mainstream UK TV spots due to be lined up. Atlantic Records general
manager Mark Mitchell told Music Week: “Bruno Mars is a uniquely talented international singer, songwriter, producer and performer. His phenomenal global success is down to his ability to create and perform music that fans immediately connect with. Doo-Wops and Hooligans is testament to this – it was one of the best-selling albums of 2011, won a number of distinguished awards and produced the soundtracks to the year, with hits such as Just The Way You Are, Grenade, Marry You and The Lazy Song.” He added: “Our partnership
with Bruno has helped him to develop and grow a broad and loyal fanbase throughout the UK and they’re very excited about his upcoming single and album. “With Unorthadox Jukebox
Bruno brings a new rich depth to his songs and showcases a broader range of his musical influences.
“It really is a sonically exciting
album, and I look forward to working closely with Bruno and his management to build on his success and create new opportunities for fans to engage with this great music.” Doo-Wops and Hooligans,
which hit No.1 in the UK, has spent 88 weeks on the Official Chart since being released in 2011, with more than 40 weeks inside the Top 10. The BPI has certified it with quadruple- platinum status. Mars won the Brit Award for
Best International Solo Artist in February, performing at the ceremony. He has sold more than 45,000 tickets in the UK including London Koko, Hammersmith Apollo twice and Brixton Academy twice. He has sold more than five
million albums and over 45m singles worldwide and, as part of The Smeezingtons, has written and co-produced songs including Cee Lo Green’s F**k You - plus Travie McCoy’s Billionaire and Nothin’ On You by B.O.B, on which Mars featured.
general Kim Bayley explained in her speech: “Given we already have board representation from We7 and have brought on board new members such as Rdio over the past year, ERA now represents alongside its traditional strengths in physical and digital retailing, well over 90% of the audio streaming market. And it doesn’t end there. Overall we have welcomed 22 new members in the past 12 months from indies like Piccadilly, Tangled Parrot and Honest Jons to the video streaming service Netflix. “It is fair to say that ERA’s membership, like the entertainment landscape itself, is now more diverse and more dynamic than it has ever been. “One notable omission,
however, remains iTunes, who despite much discussion remain outside of the fold, despite the fact that they are established members of our sister US
organisation NARM. We remain hopeful that they will at some point recognise the benefits of being part of ERA and working with us and the wider entertainment industry.” Meanwhile, Paul Quirk was
re-elected to serve a sixth term as ERA chairman, alongside deputy chairman Ben Drury and treasurer Graham Lambdon. Quirk told the AGM:
“We remain hopeful
that iTunes will at some point recognise the benefits of being part of ERA and working with us and the wider entertainment industry” KIM BAYLEY, ERA
“Recently we have seen a creeping erosion of the Monday release date with a string of albums from the likes of Bloc Party and Two Door Cinema Club released to digital retailers on a Sunday. Some even advertise the release date as a Sunday – something that even a few years ago would have had retailers up in arms. “There may be
a short-term advantage to the
label, but there is long term damage to internet retailers who can’t deliver on a Sunday, to stores who can’t open on a Sunday and most of all to the credibility of Monday release dates with consumers. “If we want to change the
Monday release date, by all means let’s have the debate, but labels pulling such strokes on an ad-hoc basis really seems to be missing the big picture. “Likewise there is the issue of
labels doing direct-to-consumer exclusives. Again there is potentially long-term damage. Suppliers cannot have it both ways, asserting that the retail market is important to them and then trying to cut us out of the loop.”
iTunes urged to join ERA ranks
Digital invitation: iTunes is an established member of ERA’s sister US organisation but has yet to sign up with retailers in the UK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52