O2 Shepherds Bush Empire now open

Following a period of closure to allow for structural repair work, the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire has re-opened. In an open letter from the venue, it was announced that the iconic venue re-opened earlier this month, with two sell-out shows from US indie rock outfit Band of Horses. The open letter said: “We appreciate and apologise that such delicate repair works at our Grade II listed building were regrettably delayed, however our ultimate objective and ambition has been achieved; to preserve our venue for the future and reaffirm its position as one of the country’s most historically important live entertainment theatres.”

Guitar amp giant Marshall launches record label

Iconic British guitar amp manufacturer Marshall has made a play for the recorded music market with the launch of its own record label Marshall Records, Music Week has revealed. Heading up the new venture as global heads are respected producer Rob Cass and veteran music biz executive Steve Tannett, who told us that the label plans to sign new and heritage acts, vowing to develop artists into global stars. The label has yet to announce any signings, but Tannett says it will be looking to make deals with future stars, particularly in the rock field. Music Week.

UTA promotes Alice Hogg

United Talent Agency has promoted Alice Hogg to the position of live agent. Since joining UTA as assistant to agent Natasha Bent in 2013, Hogg has played a key role in the growth of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, RY X and Chvrches. She has also been working alongside Bent on up and coming new artists Youngr and SHELLS. In addition to these artists, Hogg’s roster of talent will now include All Tvvins, Jarami, Majik and Tom Misch.

MPG backs IAO campaign to protect artists’ rights in digital age

The Music Producers Guild has announced its support for the International Artist Organisation’s campaign to protect the rights and opportunities of artists in today’s digital world. The IAO recently warned the European Commission that fixing the ‘Value Gap’ or ‘YouTube Question’ solely in favour of major labels would not in isolation solve the problems stakeholders face in the digital music economy. The IAO’s warning came about when major labels, represented by the IFPI, called on artists to sign a letter backing its campaign to revise Safe Harbour exceptions to copyright. And, while the IAO says it is happy to back the IFPI, it is keen to point out that the IFPI’s campaign is just one part of the story and is not enough to sufficiently address the long-term problems that are ‘holding the industry back from surging into the 21st Century’

Kobalt reveals new COO and CFO appointments

Music services firm Kobalt has promoted James Fitzherbert-Brockholes to the role of COO and has hired Tom Sansone to succeed him as its new CFO. Both executives will report to Kobalt founder and CEO, Willard Ahdrtiz, and will assume their respective roles effective immediately. In his new role as COO, Fitz will be responsible for ensuring the business delivers on the strategic and operational plans across the group. Fitz has been a shareholder and director of Kobalt since 2001. Sansone joins from the Gilt Groupe, where he served as COO and CFO.

Sound City opens artist applications for South Korean festivals

UK festival Sound City and Arts Council England are teaming up to offer British artists the chance to perform at South Korea’s Zandari Festival and MU:CON event. Zandari Festival and its conference, which runs from September 30th to October 3rd, focuses on the live and independent sector, with 200 emerging artists performing in 22 venues to 3,000 industry delegates and 15,000 music festival attendees. MUCON runs from October 6th-8th and showcases 150 artists to an industry audience of 3,000 at its conference. It has a strong focus on publishing and sync licensing. Applications are now open and will close on August 1st at 6pm. Artists can apply here.

Russia’s Facebook returns music playback to iOS app

VKontakte –the ‘Russian Facebook’ – has returned the music playback function to its iOS app. The platform’s parent company, Mail.Ru Group, reached an agreement with UMG (United Music Group) to end outstanding litigation disputes over its audio and video content usage. The settlement provides VKontakte users with access to licensed recordings from some of the world’s leading music companies, including UMG, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

Rock Sound to give away 5,000 free copies at Reading Festival

In a ‘one-off distribution initiative’, Rock Sound will be giving away 5,000 free copies of its magazine at this year’s Reading Festival. Rock Sound says that this distribution method is an ideal way of getting copies of the magazine directly into the hands of its core audience – rock fans aged between 16 and 24.

Shawn Mendes tops trending chart

Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better is No. 1 in this week’s Official Trending Chart. No. 2 is 5 Seconds of Summer’s Girls Talk Boys, while Katy Perry’s Rise is at No. 3. Ariana Grande’s Into You and MO’s Final Song are at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. Top 20 is as follows:

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