A BLOG OF SORTS FROM CHRIS COOKE
Here is some stuff I did in November 2021…
Tout ruling
While on the recorded music side, the legal dramas were happening in Parliament last week, on the live side there was a significant development in the Court Of Appeal. Judges there set an important precedent regarding ticket touting rules in the UK – and made a pretty dramatic statement about the wider ticketing sector too. Read our report here.
Airport tips
What I learned on my latest trip: At airport security, I need to take out my microphone as well as my laptop, otherwise my bag gets diverted to a security person for extra scrutiny. When said security person saw the mic at Milan airport his only question was: “Influencer?” “No”, I replied, “podcaster”. Actually I had the mic with me so I could run a webinar while I was away, but “podcaster” seemed a bit cooler, given he’d already set the bar at “influencer”. And I did use the mic for podcast recording on a previous trip.
The ultimate
From Spotify to the metaverse – via #fixstreaming, YouTube, TikTok, live streaming, digital gifting, interactive music formats, fitness apps, blockchain, smart contracts and NFTs – we went on quite the journey with my brilliant panellists at the Ultimate Seminar this morning! Thanks to Des, Yoav, Paul, Michael and Nur – and the whole Ultimate Seminar team!
This week’s chatter
Here’s me chatting to SIAE director Matteo Fedeli at Linecheck in Milan yesterday. Today I got to talk through all those digital music debates as part of the Runda Digital Day at PIN in Skopje. Tomorrow back to London for the Ultimate Seminar on Saturday. So, a busy week all round for on-stage chatter. (With thanks to Team SIAE for the photo!)
Milan to Skopje
After two great sessions at Linecheck in Milan I am now heading to Skopje for the PIN Conference. That involves changing planes in locked-down Austria. The four different web pages of official COVID travel guidance I read last night all said that’s fine. Though official COVID travel guidance always has so many caveats and footnotes you end up doubting your interpretation of what you just read. So wish me luck!
I’m at Linecheck
So, a nice sunny day in Milan for day one of the Linecheck conference. My sessions are tomorrow, kicking off with ‘Content Creation And Remuneration 2022 Onwards’ at 10am. I’ve got my questions sorted – I’ll let you know what I learn from the conversation!
Malpensa stamp
I very nearly missed out on my Malpensa stamp, having initially joined the wrong line at passport control. Maybe the automatic barrier at the front of that line would have known to spit out my British passport – though the automatic barrier I eventually went through was exactly the same, just with a stamping booth on the other side. It was confusing signage that got me in the wrong queue by the way, not my brain blocking all memories of Brexit in a brief moment of wishful thinking.
Heading to Linecheck
Off to Milan tomorrow for the Linecheck conference and festival that’s taking place this coming week, which is exciting. On Wednesday I’ll lead a conversation on protecting creator rights as the digital market continues to evolve, plus I’ll be interviewing SIAE director Matteo Fedeli. And once that’s done, I’ll be moving on to Skopje – but more about that later!
CMU+TGE 2022
So when we finally return to the stage at Jurys Inn Waterfront in Brighton next May for some in-person CMU+TGE Sessions we’ll be presenting a full day of talks and debates on each of the following: music + education, music + data, and music + video. Check out all the info and put forward speakers for consideration here.
Midem chat
Midem Digital is happening online this week and on Friday I’ll be chatting to Cécile Rap-Veber, who was recently appointed CEO of French collecting society Sacem, as well as the organisation’s Chief Technology Officer Paul Cohen Scali. It’s free to access this and all the other sessions. Info and sign ups here.
Latest Setlist
A more serious story than normal to discuss on this week’s Setlist – so there are no flippant tangents or sarcastic asides in this edition – as we look at the legal fall out from the tragedy that occurred at this month’s Astroworld festival in Houston. You can tune in here.
AI chat
I have a few panels coming up that I probably ought to plug. This first one is especially interesting. I’ll be at the Audio Developer Conference next week to discuss some super clever new fangled AI technologies and – in particular – the legal and copyright questions and challenges they pose. It’s at 3pm on Tuesday – more details about the full conference here.
Diagram time
I was speaking at Loughborough University today. Though at the Stratford campus that’s 1.8 miles from my house, which is rather convenient. It was a beginner’s guide to the music industry in 45 minutes and three diagrams, with only slight detours to discuss perfume deals, copyright terms, k-pop management and why Japan is playing digital music catch up.
Setlist edited!
So the recording of this week’s Setlist podcast ran for, like, I don’t know, about eighteen hours, because – after 300+ episodes – both Andy and I forgot how to form sentences. But don’t worry, we’ve expertly edited it down to a neat 32 minutes. Well, I say “we expertly edited it down”. Andy expertly edited it down. But with my moral support from afar, obviously. Maybe we’ll set up a premium package with Spotify or Apple Podcasts where people can access the long rambling original recording. That would be worth a few pounds a month, right? Anyway, we talk about the CISAC stats and COVID Passports. Here it is.
