Rag & Bones - Fraser Anderson

Record of the Day - In tune. Informed. Indispensable.

In tune. Informed. Indispensable. Thursday 9 April 2020

Rag & Bones Fraser Anderson unsigned Released: Out now

We say Within the first thirty seconds of this beautifully picked acoustic number by gifted singer-songwriter Fraser Anderson, you’ll be struck by how welcoming and intimate his voice is. His musical journey though was one borne in tragedy, when aged just 14 he saw his friend die in a Land Rover accident, which spurred him into songwriting as a coping mechanism. Through hard work and determination, the Scottish artist has released four acclaimed albums, weaving vivid, semi-confessional tales drawn from his life while raising three sons. Taken from his third album, Little Glass Box featuring Danny Thompson, this tale of having nothing left to give and scraping the barrel to survive, is the perfect taster of his talent. With a voice that is up there with the folk greats of Nick Drake and John Martyn, he has been lauded by BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris as “truly beautiful” and praised by legends like Chuck Berry. He is currently readying the release of his fifth album, Sankalpa, for later this year, after a fan gave him £15,000 to record it at a gig. Having heard a couple of the tracks already, we can safely say this is set to be a gorgeous album from an artist you can truly believe in and connect with.   Fraser’s charity of choice is BASS (Bristol Autism Support Service) “Because one of my sons is autistic and they have been nothing short of amazing. They not only helped my son become more independent but they have helped me learn how to be a better parent for him’. Sound Advice marks its 12th anniversary with a Spotify playlist focussing on its current roster of unsigned/DIY/independent artists. The playlist can also be viewed on YouTube. Contact Label and Publishing: Available PR: Kurt Mayling Legal: Robert Horsfall, Sound Advice Management: Peter Conway, Peter Conway Management & Bex Baxter

HEADLINES BPI reveals diversity of songs consumers streamed in 2019 (see News) PRS for Music announces record royalty distribution (see News) Report: Austin Daboh set to join Atlantic (see Business)

BUSINESS MBW reports Austin Daboh is to join Atlantic Records UK in an Executive Vice President position, although other details are thin on the ground at this stage. He is currently at Apple Music as Head Of Editorial for the UK & Ireland.

NEWS AND FEATURES In advance of the publication of it annual yearbook All About the Music 2020 to its members next week, the BPI reveals the diversity of songs going back 60 years that the nation’s music consumers streamed in 2019. (RotD, BBC) Songs from 2019 make over just over a fifth of all the songs streamed last year, but tracks released before 2018 still account for over 60% of all streams in 2019. PRS for Music announced a record £174m royalty distribution to members, marking the highest ever April payment in its history. The payment is a 15% year-on-year increase on April 2019. (RotD) Following the adoption of IMPALA's ten point crisis plan, the organisation's Covid-19 task force has launched a mapping tool to measure results for the independent music sector in Europe. (RotD) BST Hyde Park has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. (iNews p2, Metro) It was due to take place in July, with headliners including Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Little Mix, Pearl Jam and Duran Duran.

COMMENT, OPINION AND ANALYSIS UK Music’s acting chief executive Tom Kiehl said “worrying gaps” have been emerging within the government’s support for self-employed workers who have been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. (TTB) Incorporated Society of Musicians flash survey reveals severe financial impact of COVID-19 on music businesses and organisations. (ISM) Factors including weak consumer confidence, competition from streaming entertainment and a worldwide recession could stifle the live sector's return to normal. (IQ)  Covid-19 - We may need emergency funding today, but tomorrow will require sustainability, partnerships and longer-term thinking. (Medium - Paul Bonham, MMF) New data obtained by TorrentFreak suggests that there has been a surge in global file-sharing traffic as well as an increased number of visitors to pirate sites. The legal underbelly of livestreaming concerts. (Cherie Hu)

MEDIA A number of commercial radio stations could close within months if help is not provided by the Government, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Commercial Radio has warned. (RadioToday) RADIO 09.30 Radio 2 Ken Bruce - with Alesha Dixon 14.00 Radio 2 Steve Wright - with Marc Almond LIVE STREAM 20.15 Rufus Wainwright #RoyalAlbertHome - website 22.00 Radiohead - Live From A Tent In Dublin (October 2000) - YouTube  PODCAST George Ezra Phone A Friend Podcast Song Exploder - FKA twigs - Mirrored Heart Submit your music podcasts and livestreams for inclusion in RotD.

ARTIST AND MUSIC FEATURES Our brains reward us for seeking out what we already know. So why should we reach to listen to something we don’t? (Pitchfork) “There’s still the myth floating around that it’s a ‘dark art’ when it really isn’t” — An interview with Mastering Engineer, Katie Tavini. (Medium) Duffy's brave account highlights why so few rape victims speak up. (Guardian - Yomi Adegoke) My Splendid Isolation: Rufus Wainwright (Telegraph p23) Rising Stars: Aime Simone’s uplifting melancholic pop finds hope in apocalyptic times. (Star - Rory McKeown)  Drake’s Toronto mansion is, in a word, outrageous — and has Twitter talking. (LATimes) After years of studying the lo-fi hip-hop scene on YouTube, Vancouver's Powfu is the emotive rapper whose viral TikTok smasher 'death bed' is taking the unique genre into the mainstream. (NME - Hannah Mylrea)  Donovan is on an environmental mission, in tribute to Greta Thunberg. He discusses love, success, Brian Jones – and how drugs became big business. (Guardian2 p6-7 - Zoe Williams) Why Simple Minds hated Don't You (Forget About Me) – until the cheques arrived. (Telegraph - Ed Power)  Fifty years ago today, the counter-cultural whirlwind that was the Beatles ended. Musicians, fans and insiders relive the devastating day their era-defining story came to an abrupt close. (Guardian - Jude Rogers) The pig that got away: the epic story behind Pink Floyd's porcine fiasco. (Telegraph p23 - Neil McCormick)  The Strokes: 20 best songs, ranked (Independent - Mark Beaumont)  Björk: where to start in her back catalogue (Guardian - Rebecca Nicholson) The loss of the magnificent John Prine will break any music lover's heart. (iNews - Martin Chilton)  Obituary: John Prine, Grammy-winning folk and country singer known as ‘the new Dylan’ whose legion of admirers included the old Dylan. (Times p50)

SHOWBIZ AND NEWS The 2020 Womad festival has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the artists billed to appear have agreed to play the 2021 edition. (Guardian) U2 is contributing €10m for the sourcing and purchase of PPE and other supports to help combat Covid-19 in Ireland. (RTE) Influencers, including MIA, among 'key distributors' of coronavirus misinformation. (Guardian p3) Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins will release their duet of We'll Meet Again to raise money for NHS charities. (Times p9, Telegraph p7, Metro p3, Sun p9, iNews p6, Standard) Manic Street Preachers have announced a pair of arena concerts, one free show and one fundraising show, to benefit NHS workers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. (Guardian) Adele appears to have taken a £1m hit on the sale of her country estate after it was snapped up for £3m last year. (Sun p15) Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow were among the stars to pay tribute to folk singer John Prine. (Standard p5, Independent)  Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon are so terrified of catching Covid-19 they are self-isolating in their mansion and do not go out. (Star p5) Reported yesterday, Cliff Richard has blasted radio stations and streaming services for snubbing his songs and hits. (Star p11, Mirror p3) Reported yesterday, Post Malone is being sued by a songwriter Tyler Armes who says he deserves credit and compensation for co-writing the hit track Circles. (Independent)  Sun Bizarre: Robbie Williams has recorded a new tune that features large sections of Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners. Lady Gaga has revealed in an interview with InStyle she dreams of walking down the aisle and having kids. Jade Thirlwall has written a song for the transgender community on the next Little Mix album. Charli XCX is releasing her first track from her new album How I'm Feeling Now today. Boy George is not picky about who plays him in his biopic. Example is putting the finishing touches to his seventh album. Katy Perry has heaped praise on Dua Lipa saying they share a 'sisterly bond'. Star Wired: Calvin Harris will be headlining Defected Records virtual festival streaming on Friday under his Love Regenerator moniker. Vevo has launched Watch This, where acts view their own videos and first up is The Killers. Katy Perry says she and Dua Lipa have a 'kind of an unspoken sisterly bond'. Charli XCX posted rare snaps of herself and boyfriend Huck Kwong. Post Malone is counter-suing a musician who claims he co-wrote the hit Circles. Rita Ora wants to write the theme song to Twist, which sees her play the Artful Dodger. The Weeknd says his new single Until I Bleed Out was about the darkest time of his life. Rufus Wainwright kicks off the Royal Albert Home series tonight at 8.15pm. Vera Lynn and Katherine Jenkins have teamed up to release We'll Meet Again to raise money for NHS Charities Together.  Metro Guilty Pleasures: Lady Gaga is looking forward to having kids. Jesy Nelson shares snap of her posing in the sun. The Weeknd's new track Faith is about him being arrested around seven years ago. Robbie Williams dusted off his tiger pants from his Rock DJ video days for a Tiger King-themed workout.

REVIEWS ALBUMS The Strokes (Independent - 4* Helen Brown)

INTERNATIONAL NEWS CAA is the latest agency to implement pay cuts during the pandemic. (HR) It has not yet laid off any employees. Eventbrite is laying off 45% of the company - most of which will come from the music division. The cuts are believed to impact about 450 employees in the San Fransisco office. (Billboard) The German government has confirmed corona-hit event organisers will be able to offer credit vouchers as an alternative to cash refunds. (IQ) Russia wants new fines for platforms that don’t remove pirated content fast enough. (TorrentFreak)

THE BIGGER PICTURE The owner of the Sun lost £68m last year as newspaper sales fell and the company continued to deal with the fallout of the phone-hacking scandal. (BBC)

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