Japanese entertainment giant Sony on Tuesday announced a deal to acquire the music publishing firm and record label EMI for a price of around $1.9 billion.
Sony signed a deal with Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala to buy its 60 percent holding in EMI, giving the Japanese firm an indirect stake of approximately 90 percent, Sony said in a statement.
“We are thrilled to bring EMI Music Publishing into the Sony family and maintain our number-one position in the music publishing industry,” Sony boss Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement.
He said the music business had “enjoyed a resurgence in the past couple of years” driven by subscription-based streaming services.
EMI is the second-largest music publishing company by revenue and either owns or holds the rights to 2.1 million pieces of music.
It either owns or administers some two million songs, including classics by the likes of Queen, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams and Drake.
As for Sony, it already owns 2.3 million copyrights, including the Beatles catalogue.
The deal values EMI at $4.75 billion, the Sony statement said, adding that “the closing of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.”
Sony will later Tuesday unveil its latest strategic plan under new CEO Yoshida, expecting to focus more on content than hardware.
The electronics and entertainment behemoth last month reported record annual profits worth $4.5 billion, a roaring recovery supported by better sales across the board and helped by box office blockbusters like its Jumanji reboot.
Those figures were seen as a fitting send-off for Kazuo Hirai, who recently stepped down as the firm’s chief executive after spending the past six years pulling the firm out of deep financial troubles.
Hirai led an aggressive restructuring drive at Sony, terminating thousands of jobs while selling business units and assets.
Investors appeared dubious about the acquisition however, with Sony stock down around 0.6 percent in the first few minutes of trade, underperforming the wider Japanese market which was flat.
Following their successful comeback last year after an eight-year hiatus, alternative rockers Harem Belle have now released a new album titled “Sunset & Star” on SRP Label. The first cut, “Dao Tok” (“Shooting Star”), has gone down well with fans, both old and new, and is now approaching five million views on YouTube.
The seven-song album features a variety of sounds, which vocalist Kritsada Rungrasee says reflects the band’s new direction. Kritsada adds that two songs in particular are representative of the alt rockers reincarnation: “60 Winatee … Mee Kee Chuamong?” which speaks about how time passes slowly when we feel bad yet flies by when we are happy, and “Yang Yoo”, which he wrote for a friend who recently broke up with his girlfriend.
Also worth a listen are “Jaak Pai Yang Sangob”, “Yim Thang Namta” and “Thang Wibak”.
The other members of Harem Belle are guitarist Pongsathorn Mongkholsakulrit, bassist Samrit SaeFoong and drummer Panatsanite Sirirojanavanich.
Follow Harem Belle’s updates at Facebook/srplabel, or Facebook/HAREMBELLEROCK.
Folk from both directions
Folk rock trio West of East, who recently picked up the prize for Best New Artist at the 29th Season Awards, has just released their first album, “Western Music on Eastern Player” on Sanamluang Music, a subsidiary of GMM Grammy. The first single, “Rak Nai Nithan” (“Love in Tales”) features Isarakorn “Jan” Tuntrakool, guitarist with rock and roll outfit Sanim Yok.
Songwriter, singer and guitarist Chananan Chantorn, whose bandmates are Nattakorn Intaraprasert on electric guitar and Thitinun Kesorn on drums, describes the number as a portrayal of how the trio thinks.
The album is mastered by producer Howie B, who has worked with U2 and Bjork.
West of East have played at the Wonderfruit festival for the last two years and gained quite a following.
For more information on the trio, check out Facebook.com/westofeastband or Facebook.com/SanamluangMusicOfficial.
All that jazz
Boyd Kosiyabong, Nop Ponchamni & The Groovetomatix Band join up with the Groove Riders Trio, Pomelo Town , Mellow Motif, Sunny Trio & Natt Buntita, Snapper Town, Siam Jazz Orchestra, College of Music from BSRU, RSU Quintet and special guest singers for “Jazzin’ It Up with Smiles – No 1” being staged at Aksra Theatre King Power on June 910.
Tickets costing Bt1,500 are on sale at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com. Only 500 seats are available per show and tickets must be purchased between today and May 25.
Jung Hae In comes to town
K-pop star Jung Hae In, who has been stealing women’s hearts with his warm smile, will be in town for a “Smile Fan Meeting” at Ultra Arena Hall of Show DC on Rama IX Road on June 2 at 6pm. The star of wellloved drama “Something in the Rain” captivated viewers with his performances in “While You Were Sleeping”, “Prison Playbook”, “Conspiracy: Age of the Rebellion”, “The King’s Case Notes” and “Heungboo”.
Tickets cost from Bt2,000 to Bt4,800 at Thai Ticket Major.
Aeh Pongchuk, right, helped Tanupop “Man” Notayanont, left, revive La Ong Fong, featuring new singer Kornkamol “On” Chaiwattanamethin.
After 30 years in the music business, including a successful stint with La Ong Fong, Pongchuk “Aeh” Pissathaporn is finally ready for his closeup. His first solo album, “Aeh Syndrome”, is out now.
Aeh Pongchuk has been helping coach BNK48 since they were born, basically, so he recruited the girls for his “Chukachu” music video.
Aeh’s finally on his way
music May 19, 2018 01:00
By Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul
THE NATION
4,478 Viewed
Pongchuk Pissathaporn has been musically visible for three decades, but his real dream lies just ahead
Pongchuk “Aeh” Pissathaporn would love to be a singing superstar onstage and in the charts, duplicating the global “Gangnam Style” success of South Korea’s Psy.
Until recently, though, he was stuck in his day job – as singing-dancing-cheeriness coach for BNK48, by far the most popular idol-girl group that Thailand has ever produced.
Aeh is happy, confident and full of drive and self-esteem and sees no reason he can’t be the next Psy or perhaps Pikotaro, the Japanese comedian-turned-singer who had his own smash hit with “Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen”.
“I’ve been struggling to make it as a singer since I was a teenager and I’m 45 now,” he says. “But everybody has the chance to make the impossible possible. Psy and Pikotaro are my role models – they inspire and motivate me and put me in the right mindset. I believe in myself as a singer-songwriter and I believe I’ll be able to go international.”
Aeh is hugely grateful for the support of Pichai “Teng” Chirathivat, founder of the Spicy Disc record label, who told him to come up with a new look and musical style to convince listeners he’s “the Thai Apple Pen” or “the Thai Gangnam”. “Because Thailand doesn’t yet have the artist like them,” Aeh says.
“If Thai people believe in me, I could tour Asia and overseas like Psy and Pikotaro – I can speak English, Japanese and Chinese – and neither of those guys is young either. It will have been worth waiting more than 30 years.”
Phase 1 is already on the airwaves. Aeh’s debut solo album, “Aeh Syndrome”, features a dance-pop lead single called “Chukachu”. He’s pitching the music as “Aeh Syndrome-esque style”.
“The word ‘syndrome’ refers to a group of symptoms, and I’m a relatively optimistic guy, even if I’ve lived a dull, boring life,” he laughs. “So to say someone has Aeh Syndrome, it’s means he’s happy. I’m bringing everyone happiness and I’m going to be an inspiration for everyone.
“‘Chukachu’ is about how men like looking at good-looking women even if they’re married or otherwise attached, but whatever they’re thinking, it’s only thoughts. They’re adulterers only in their mind.”
Aeh unveiled the song in a live performance at the Melody of Life music festival at Bangkok’s CentralWorld last month.
“I want everybody to see that this 45-year-old can do everything – sing, dance and energise. If you’re original, you have to go beyond whatever other people are doing – do more than just sing and dance.”
It shouldn’t come as too much of surprise that all 26 members of BNK48 appear in the official “Chukachu” video. Aeh says it was the first time they’d collaborated with an artist from a different label.
“We have a strong teacher-student bond because I’ve been involved with BNK48 right from the beginning, right up to their massive popularity today,” says Aeh. “For the video, I changed my look and arranged a heavy schedule of dance rehearsals with the girls. So I’ve become a role model for them!”
Aeh’s drive to become a singer took him to numerous music competitions. In 1995 he won second place in the Coke Duet Contest, performing with Visa “Chompoo” Attaseri. They sang tunes from Thongchai “Bird” McIntyre’s album “Khon Nok Kup Dokmai” (“Feather & Flowers”), but lost out to Panadda Ruangwut.
The following year, fortunately, Aeh got an audition for a band signed to GMM Grammy. Unfortunately, they wanted him to play the bassist, not sing. That band was La Ong Fong and the singer was Chompoo, but its first album, “Volume I”, was a commercial flop, and the band split up soon after.
In 2004, Ae and Tanupop “Man” Notayanont, the guitarist from La Ong Fong, put the pieces back together, but with a new singer, Kornkamol “On” Chaiwattanamethin. Their four-track EP, “Volume 2”, drew a good response, and Spicy Disc signed them up. The subsequent albums “Cozy Collection” and “Windup City” generated the smash hits “Aeb Chob”, “Arai” and “Rak Perd Poei”.
Aeh says he specifically asked to sing “Aeb Chob” when “Windup City” was being recorded.
“I was so happy – my dream had come true! But once we reached the pinnacle in 2012, including doing songs for movies like ‘Crazy Crying Lady’, we had one last concert and I decided to retire the band.”
Since the (second) demise of La Ong Fong, Aeh has been working behind the scenes with BNK48. He’s also starred in Rergchai “Yacht” Poungpetch’s film “Fudjanto” and in Worrawech “Dan” Danuwong’s “Kyushu The Movie by SanQ Band”.
“I was always telling the girls in BNK48, ‘If you have a dream, go ahead and climb to the top of your pyramid.’ Then I looked in the mirror and asked myself when I was going to start following my dream again.
“Dan gave me the inspiration to break through the wall. While we were filming ‘Kyushu’ in Japan, Dan said he still hadn’t reached his peak in life. And he said he thought it was my time. If I can do it, I’ll be able to stand at the top myself.
“I said, ‘I’m getting old and I’m not as handsome as other artists. Dan said, ‘Trust me – everyone has the right to have a dream. Like me, I had to fight my life, all the time. But if I didn’t fight, I wouldn’t be here today.’
“By the time I got home,” says Aeh, “I was determined to dedicate myself to this solo project.”
He went to see Sethasit “Pom” Bulased, the creative director at Spicy Disc, and “asked him for something impossible – to make me a solo artist at the age of 45”.
“I said, “After 30 years in the music business, I’d like to finally make a solo album. It’s the last bend in my music career.’” Pom looked at him, says Aeh, and said, “No, it’s your first bend.”
On the tube, in your face
– Check out the single “Chukachu” on Butter’s YouTube Channel.
Pharrell Williams’ song “Happy” is one of the happiest songs of the decade.
“Stay with Me” by British singer Sam Smith, seen here performing in Barcelona on Tuesday, came in on the low side of the happiness index.
It pays to be upbeat
music May 19, 2018 01:00
By Agence France-Presse
Paris
4,340 Viewed
Happiness makes hit songs, a new study says
Hit songs today are “happier”, more danceable and more likely to be sung by women than songs that fail to make it to the charts, a study into 30 years of musical evolution revealed Wednesday.
But also it noted a sombre trend: while people clearly prefer happy music, there is less and less of it.
“More and more unhappy songs are being released each year,” a research team from the University of California Irvine reported in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
Overall, they found that “happiness” and “brightness” in music has declined, “while ‘sadness’ increased in the last 30 years or so”.
But hit tunes defy the trend, and tend to be “much” happier than unsuccessful ones – think of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy”.
The findings of the study, which analysed the “sound” characteristics of popular tracks but not their lyrics, echoed earlier research showing that “positive emotions” in music was dwindling, the team said.
A previous study covering 1980-2007 found that music lyrics have become more self-centred, with increased use of the words “me” and “I”, fewer social words such as “we”, and more anti-social ones such as “hate” and “kill”.
This trend in lyrics is in tune with overall increases in loneliness, social isolation, and mental disorders across society.
The new study, based on a massive data trawl of 500,000 songs released in Britain between 1985 and 2015, found that as “happy” music declined, so did the popularity of songs sung by men.
“In the recent years, successful songs are more often sung by females,” said the authors.
“This is particularly interesting given a large debate about the role of women in the music industry, especially the issues of gender inequality, stereotypes and the sexualisation of female singers.”
Songs were considered successful if they made it into Top 100 charts, which less than four per cent of new releases do every year.
Also rising in popularity are songs described as “relaxed” and “danceable”, possibly linked to a rise in electronic music and a converse decline in rock and heavy metal.
The research showed that classical and jazz songs were “unlikely” to be successful. Dance and pop music were the most popular genres.
The team gave examples of happy songs from 1985, including “Live is Life” by Opus, “Freedom” by Wham! and Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days”.
More recent songs with a low happiness index included Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” and “Whispers” by Passenger, both from 2014.
Can the research help songwriters?
“In a way it could, if they look at the trends that we found and try to follow them,” said study co-author Natalia Komarova.
“But of course a large component of success is still something that even mathematics cannot quantify.”
Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park brings his first tour as a solo artist to Bangkok with a gig at Muangthai GMM Live House, 8th floor of CentralWorld on August 9.
Shinoda is a songwriter, rapper and producer who has been a major driving force behind the global success of Linkin Park for 22 years. The American rock band has claimed several prestigious music awards, including two Grammies, five American Music awards, and 10 MTV Europe Music awards. The band has sold 55 million albums and has fans around the world.
He is also a member of the Fort Minor Project, which release a spate of hip-hop tracks including “Where’d You Go” in 2005. “Post Traumatic” is the first album released under his real name as a solo artist. This album is about healing from the death of his band mate, Chester Bennington. He named his first solo album and accompanying tour “Post Traumatic”, he says, because “it’s a journey out of grief and darkness, not into grief and darkness.”
Tickets for the show start at Bt1,600 and are now on sale at Thai Ticket Major outlets and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.
For more on the “Post Traumatic Tour”, check out Facebook.com/bectero,
Thailand once again triumphed last month when the Siam Sinfonietta played as the showcase orchestra at the New York International Music Festival in Carnegie Hall, providing inspiration to young musicians from around the world.
The six selections played by Siam Sinfonietta in a programme of music by Thai and American composers selected by maestro Somtow Sucharitkul and Trisdee na Patalung, consisted of new adaptations of music by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Trisdee’s autobiographical tone poem “Perception” and film music from “Naresuan 5” by Pantawit Kiangsiri. The American works were Aaron Copland’s iconic “Appalachian Spring” and the title music from “Star Wars”.
As the showcase of the festival, Siam Sinfonietta was chosen as an example of a youth ensemble and the audience response was heart-warming. At the end of the first piece, in which violinist Chot Buasuwan played an affecting interpretation of HM King Bhumibol’s “Alexandra”, the audience spontaneously rose to its feet. The excitement increased with each performance until the final rendition of “Star Wars”, which the production manager of the New York Festival described as “incredible beyond measure”.
It was a programme of uncompromising technical difficulty, with a dynamic range that stretched from the sheerest whisper to the most thunderous roar, and emotional range from the dreaminess of Somtow’s “Architect of Dreams” to the self-examination of Trisdee’s “Perception” and the “epic fantasy” sound of “Naresuan” and “Star Wars.”
World renowned composer Johan de Meij, who was in the audience, remarked “ I would love to work with those amazingly talented young people some time. The clarity of the sound was stunning, especially in ‘Appalachian Spring’.”
Prominent New York pianist Kimball Gallagher commented that the Siam Sinfonietta is remarkable as an ensemble, from the standpoint of sheer passion and energy while Japanese musician Erina Iwasaki echoed his words, praising the orchestra for being full of passion, energy, and lyricism throughout the whole programme.
Following this concert and an outdoor concert in Central Park’s famous Naumberg Bandshell, Somtow and a team from Opera Siam went to Washington to discuss with Dr Paul Michael Taylor of the Smithsonian Institution a forthcoming concert in Washington, which will be coordinated with news of the exciting discovery of manuscripts and documents in the Library of Congress that shed new light on the music of HM King Bhumibol during the 1950s.
Dr Pathorn Srikaranonda of Kasertsart University, one of the leading experts on His Majesty’s music, and historian Dr Sirilaksana Khoman also attended the meeting.
The US tour of Siam Sinfonietta, which will continue with “Part Two” in Washington later this year, is being sponsored by TAT, PTT, Bangkok Bank, the JFK Foundation, Hemaraj, and many private donors.
Fundraising efforts continue to ensure the second leg of the tour.
Siam Sinfonietta, created by Somtow, is an orchestra of young people who are trained using a revolutionary new holistic music education method devised by Somtow to fast-track talented young musicians into professional status. To make sure that students are chosen based on talent alone, the orchestra is a full scholarship programme, meaning that the students and their parents are not asked for any financial contribution for their participation.
The Siam Sinfonietta works with some of the world’s top musicians from major orchestras including the Deutsche Oper orchestra, the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, the London Symphony, and the Hungarian Radio Orchestra. Now in its eighth year, the orchestra has won five first prizes in international festivals and competitions, and has performed to critical acclaim in New York, Los Angeles, Prague, Vienna, Munich, Abu Dhabi, and other major cultural centres.
The Asia International Guitar Festival & Competition –the biggest and most vibrant event for classical guitar aficionados and music lovers in the region – will be back for its twelfth edition at Kamolmart Room of The Sukosol Hotel Bangkok from June 7-10.
This festival, which is organised by the hotel and the Thailand Guitar Society in association with Savarez Strings, presents Southeast Asia’s finest assembly of international guitar players, makers and enthusiasts.
Internationally acclaimed guests include Gerard Abiton (France), Paul Cesarczyk (USA/Poland), Roberto Aussel (Argentina), Giovanni Grano (Italy), Luciano Pompilio (Italy), Ruben Parejo (Spain), Gen Matsuda (Japan), Bruno Pancek (France), Andres Madariaga (Chile), Huy Thanh Nguyen (Vietnam), Jorgos Panetsos (Austria), Anton Isselhadt (Germany), Woratep Rattana-umpawan (Thailand), Pongpat Pongpradit (Thailand), Ruttasart Weingsamoot (Thailand), Apichai Chantanakajornfung (Thailand).
This year’s agenda includes master classes, guitar exhibits, competitions and concerts by world-class musicians hailing from around the globe.
A varied programme sees four days of activities, each day culminating in a concert by one or more celebrated guitar maestros.
The event will also feature a guitar competition open to all, with the winner receiving a free guitar, case, string sets, certificate and performance rights at four prestigious events.
Tickets for concerts are Bt600 for adults and Bt400 for students, inclusive of coffee break. Afternoon concert tickets cost Bt300 for all audience members, excluding coffee break. Observers of master classes and competitions pay Bt200.
To book, call (02) 247 0123, extension 1916-1918. To find out more, visit http://Aigf.weebly.com/ or Facebook.com/pages/Asia-International-Guitar-Festival-and-Competition-Bangkok.
The Living Room lounge of the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit Hotel brings back popular American chanteuse Cynthia Scott, who starts a month-long residency in Bangkok from tonight (May 15).
An extraordinary jazz vocalist, Scott will be backed by the acclaimed Randy Cannon Group.
For more than four decades, the vocal artistry of the Arkansas-born vocalist has encompassed the swing of jazz, the soul of blues, R&B, and the sacred stirrings of gospel music.
Discovered by the late Ray Charles, she has a following from New York to Africa, Europe and Asia, and is a favourite of such musicians as Wynton Marsalis.
“I learned from Ray Charles to tell the story and do it your way, with all your roots included,” she says.
A true natural, Scott was exposed to a wide variety of music at an early age. “I loved Carmen McCrae. I heard her story when she sang. Roberta Flack … I could sing her ‘Chapter Two’ album straight through, note per note. Aretha Franklin always amazed me with the way you could really feel her. And then later there was Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday … talk about emotions on your sleeve,” she enthuses.
Scott moved to Dallas after she graduated from high school in Arkansas and honed her craft with some of the best musicians on the jazz scene. Her big break came in 1972 when she received a call from Ray Charles asking her to be a Raelette backing singer. Scott worked with the genius for two years. “I felt like I knew Ray’s spirit because when you work with someone as closely as I did with Ray, you learn so much,” she recalls. She also toured Europe with Oscar Peterson, with Joe Pass and the Count Basie Orchestra with Joe Williams.
In 2016, Scott was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, an honour that marks a lifetime of outstanding achievements and dedication to jazz.
Cynthia Scott and the Randy Cannon Group perform Tuesday to Thursday from 9.15 and Friday and Saturday from 8.30.
Book a table at (02) 649 8353 or email dining.sgs@luxurycollection.com.
Sips and Sounds returns to the St Regis Bangkok on May 25 with an hour-long master series concert featuring Miti Wisuthumporn, founder of Jeeb Bangkok and principle violist of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, and Trisdee Na Patalung, fresh from his Carnegie Hall appearance.
Organised in collaboration with acclaimed Thai violinist Dr Paye Srinarong, the event presents a series of sophisticated music constellations from the masters to the young and rising stars in Thailand.
“The St Regis Bangkok remains one of my favourite comfort zones. It is such a pleasure to bring my passion and expertise in music to this collaboration with this luxury Bangkok property. More importantly, we are looking forward to presenting a unique variety of music acts, from the little ones to the professionals, as we continue to underline Bangkok’s status as a cultured city,” commented Dr Paye.
Bodyslam’s first single in four years, “Khrai Khue Rao”, heralds great things from their seventh studio album, “Wicha Tua Bao”, produced as usual by Aof Big Ass.
“The English line ‘The stars hold our destiny’ sprang to my mind when I was talking to Mango Team and became this song,” says frontman Athiwara Khongmalai, a national hero after his cross-country run for charity. “Mango Team and I wrote the song with Po Posayanukul.
“But I believe we can control our own destinies if we’re willing, just once, to do what we love and what we believe in. ‘Khrai Khue Rao’ is the album’s opening song and I’d like everybody to find the answers in their lives.”
In the music video directed by Wuttisak “Un” Anakporn, a strange object, like a cocoon, falls from the sky, frightening residents of the rural village where it lands. They keep their distance, but one day a local girl sneaks out of her family’s home and examines the object, discovering the entire Bodyslam lineup inside. As she draws closes, she’s swallowed into it and connects with them, finally releasing them so that can resume playing music once more.
Nueng shows his moves
Apiwat “Nueng” Pongwat, singer in the pop band ETC, has surprised fans by appearing with sexy model-actress Davika “Mai” Hoorne in the music video for his new love song on Mono Music, “Close Your Eyes and See”.
The video was shot at Stadium 29 on Bangkok’s Chaiyaphruek Road and finds Nueng and Mai in 1980s attire dancing weirdly to choreography by Nicky the Zoo. Nueng also plays bass, synthesiser, guitar and an electric drum.
“The fans are a little surprised because they’ve never seen me dancing before,” he admits. “Honestly, I’ve ever taken dance lessons, so just enjoy it!”
Mr Big back again
American hard rock band Mr Big are beloved in Thailand and will be back again for a concert at GMM Live House at CentralWorld on June 12. Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Matt Starr will perform the hits plus songs from their ninth and latest album, “Defying Gravity”, their final release featuring late drummer Pat Torpey. Seats cost Bt2,000 and Bt3,000 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3456.
Music, then classes
Genie Records’ campus tour “Genie Back to School” is roaming the country this month through July. Big Ass, Potato, Paradox, Cocktail, 25 Hours, Noom Kala, the Mousses, the Yers, Instinct, Sweet Mullet, Retrospect, Kwang AB Normal, Palmy, Yes’sir Days, Pun Basher and Paper Planes will be at Nawamintharachinuthit Horwang Nonthaburi School on May 24. Get the rest of the schedule at http://www.Facebook.com/genierecords and Line TV.
SootinClaimon.Com 