Kraftwerk win landmark sampling case. Mixcloud debuts premium services. ADE expands further. A missing raver has been found dead 38 days after police raid.
Kraftwerk win, sampling loses. In a decision that could have wide-reaching implications on the music industry, Krafwerk won a 20-year-long court battle over their 1977 track “Metal On Metal.” The dispute was over a two-second clip of the track, which the band alleged was looped and sampled on the 1999 song “Nur Mir” by Sabrina Setlur. Since its release, Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider-Esleben have sought damages in court against producers Moses Pelham and Martin Haas, who supposedly used the sample. And on Monday, the European Court Of Justice ruled in favour of Kraftwerk, determining that any sample or reproduction of an existing recording requires clearance from the original rights holders. However, the court gave exemption for samples that have been modified in a form “unrecognizable to the ear,” which falls under “freedom of the arts” rules. What happens next isn’t exactly clear, as Florian Drücke, chairman of German musician’s union BVMI, said that “the interpretation of the new criteria of the ECJ will be up for discussion.” Though sample-heavy genres like hip-hop and dance music could suffer from the decision. Listen to Kraftwerk’s “Metall auf Metall” and Sabrina Setlur’s song “Nur Mir” below.
LGBTQ solidarity in Poland. In the wake of widesprad anti-LGBTQ attacks in Poland, members of the local dance music community are asking for solidarity and support. Recent weeks have seen violent attacks perpetrated by factists against participants at Białystok’s Pride Parade, as well as members of the media and government distributing anti-LGBTQ propaganda. While promoters from Unsound and Oramics have spoken out against the attacks, Revive/Interior Festival initially claimed that they would stay out of it, saying “there are two sides to every story.” This prompted backlash, with artists like Avalon Emmerson, Schacke and Kangding Ray dropping out of the festival’s lineup. For those who would like to march in solidarity or donate to a local group, head here to find out more about Polish LGBTQ+ groups you can support.
Mixcloud premium. Mixcloud has introduced new limitations on what users can access for free on the site, along with the addition of Mixcloud Select and Mixcloud Premium, new paid services. While free listeners will still have access to the site’s 15 million-strong catalogue of shows, they’ll only be allowed to listen to the same show three times in a two-week window before being asked to pay. Similarly, any show featuring more than four tracks by the same artist or three tracks from an album, will no longer be available to free users. And free users will only be able to seek forwards in a show. In a Medium post the streaming platform explained the reasoning behind the new restrictions, sighting “the costs of running a streaming service that puts artists and creators at its core,” and building a “sustainable platform.” Starting at $2.99, Mixcloud Select is Mixcloud’s flexible plan, which allows listeners to directly pay creators, receiving rewards in exchange for support (much like Patreon for YouTube creators). There’s also Mixcloud Premium, which allows full access to the site for $7.99 a month. As trends continue shifting towards streaming over buying, Mixcloud’s paid model hopes to help artists and creators receive fair compensation for their work.
ADE on the rise. According to Stubhub, Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) is the fastest growing festival in the world, growing from 300 attendees in 1995 to 400,000 in 2018 — growth of 23,233 percent. Other notables include Insomniac’s Electric Daisy Carnival, coming in second place with a 2,600 percent increase in attendance since its 1997 debut, and Boomtown festival, growing from 1,.000 attendees in 2009 to 60,000 each year. In a nod to the growth of India’s scene, Magnetic Fields, which takes place in the Rajasthani desert, has grown 500 percent in six years. This year’s ADE will once again host the biggest DJs and live acts from across the electronic music spectrum from 16th to 20th October 2019. Learn more here.
Gaslamp drops lawsuit. The Gaslamp Killer has dropped a defamation lawsuit against his rape accuser, Chelsea Tadros, after the pair had a “heartfelt discussion” about the matter. The announcement was given in a legal letter, signed by Tadros and William Bensussen, AKA The Gaslamp Killer, which went on to state that the pair have a “mutual desire to move on with their lives and put this lawsuit behind them.” Tadros accused Bensussen of raping her and a friend at the Standard Hotel in 2013. No criminal charges were filed against Bensussen. “Ms. Tadros acknowledges she does not know who drugged her, and both parties recognise that Ms. Tadros could have been drugged by one of the many attendees that were present on July 5, 2013,” the letter states, before asking “their supporters show respect and compassion for this decision and for the other side.” Read the full statement below.
Missing raver found dead. The body of 24-year-old Steve Maia Caniço was found 38 days after police raided Fête de la Musique, which Caniço attended. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up the event for running half an hour after its scheduled closing time. Escaping the chaos, 14 people fell into the River Loire before being rescued by firefighters. Caniço’s friends said he couldn’t swim, and witnesses said they saw a man struggling in the water. Caniço’s body was found several hundred metres down the river from the spot he was last seen, and an investigation is now looking into whether the local administration should be held accountable for the incident.
Insomniac acquires Space. Electric Daisy Carnival parent company Insomniac Events has acquired an ownership stake in Miami’s Club Space. Space is one of Miami’s most popular clubs, regularly hosting marathon sessions with DJs like Loco Dice, The Martinez Brothers and Dixon. In 2016, management of the club was taken over by Davide Danese, Coloma Kaboomsky, and David Sinopoli, who are largely seen as responsible for its renewed popularity. “Space is one of the most iconic dance music venues in the US if not the world, and I’m excited that Insomniac is now a partner,” Insomniac founder and CEO Pasquale Rotella said. “Davide, Coloma and Sinopoli have done an exceptional job revitalizing this venue to be better than it’s ever been,” he continued. Insomniac also runs EDC Orlando, which will expand to three days in 2019.