The Independent’s standfirst for its story on Parlophone artists’ unrest over UMG’s plan to sell the label is a bit inaccurate: “Artists threaten to withhold future releases if planned sell-off of Parlophone goes ahead”. That’s not quite what’s happening. Instead, artists including Blur say they want to be sure that the label’s new owner has their interests in mind. “Artists are the only people currently being left out of the conversation, which is unfortunate. If the staff at the label are unhappy with the new arrangements they are free to leave, but the artists are not,” says Blur’s drummer Dave Rowntree. The are both holding discussions with potential bidders. “We want them to understand that the future of the record business is about genuine partnership with artists and that works best when their views are involved and they are not just traded as assets,” says MMF boss Jon Webster.
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Tools: Kaiber
In the year or so since its launch, AI startup Kaiber has been making waves,…