New Signings & Team-Ups: Nov 24
Rice Is Nice adds Us The Band
Sydney indie Rice Is Nice’s latest signing is Sydney garage punk duo Us The Band. They describe themselves as “sonically inspired by Cloud Nothings, Hüsker Dü, Thee Oh Sees, and spiritually inspired by Hot Chocolate.” Their music has achieved recognition in the UK (the NME, Fat Cat Records) as well as in the US where Henry Rollins spun their track Fallout on KCRW.
ASCAP extends Hendrix agreement
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) extended its agreement with late guitar hero Jimi Hendrix’s(pictured) family company Experience Hendrix to report use of his music. Hendrix joined ASCAP in 1968, two years before his death in London. ASCAP EVP Membership John Titta said, “Hendrix was such a pivotal figure and talent in rock and roll. There will never be another like him and we are privileged to play a role in helping his influence live on.”
Hendrix sold 15.5 million albums globally since 1991. In August, Experience Hendrix issued via Legacy/Sony Freedom: Atlanta Pop Festival, from his July 4 1970 concert at the Second Atlanta International Pop Festival before 400,000.
It is this week issuing 12″, 10″ and 7″ vinyl collectibles as part of Record Store Day’s Black Friday. In early 2016, Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson, Dweezil Zappa, Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd are part of the Experience Hendrix Tour through America performing the maestro’s songs asThe Wind Cries Mary, Foxy Lady, Little Wing, Voodoo Chile and Purple Haze.
Byron Bay Records to tap local EDM acts
Byron Bay Records, which launched last month to tap Byron’s growing EDM community, announced its first uncovering. 19-year old Vamasi (Samuel Cooper) plays “chill, down tempo, electronica, hip hop”. Also to release material through the label is co-founder and musician Shazay (Sharon Sharabi), who set it up with Josh Preston, drummer and multi-instrumentalist with As We Stand who is Label Manager.
Kobalt Music Publishing finds Kemi(stry)
A new worldwide agreement with Grammy nominated Detroit R&B singer/songwriter Kem, sees Kobalt Music Publishing administer and provide publishing and sync-licensing services for past and future works. These include his 2003’s gold-certified Kemistry, platinum Album II (2005), the gold Intimacy: Album III (2010) and last year’s Promise To Love.
triple j reaches out to headspace
A media statement from triple j pointed out: “We all like rippin’ digits online. With that in mind, triple j’s Matt & Alex give you Doin’ Numbers, a song for anyone who racks mad stats on the reg. Doin’ Numbers can be downloaded from iTunes and Google Play, with all proceeds going to headspace, who do a great job of taking care of young people dealing with mental illness. Because even though poppin’ numerals like a baus is sweet, it’s not everything.
“Our friends at headspace add, ‘triple j and its listeners will make a big difference to the mental health and wellbeing of young people across Australia. By helping headspace to help young people and their families get the support they need, when they need it, we can also reduce the stigma of mental health illness and let people know it’s ok to seek help’.”
Cooking Vinyl to release Astronautalis
Cooking Vinyl Australia will release the new single SIKE! by Minneapolis’ Astronautalis (Andy Bothwell) through his new worldwide deal with SideOneDummy Records.
Insurance survey on radio listeners
The third of the Finding Consumer Trend (FCT) series by Commercial Radio Australia and Presslaff Interactive Revenue focuses on insurance buying habits of 1700 listeners of 96 regional stations. It looks at what types of insurance they buy, what factors are important and if they buy online. Those in the study were 80% female, with 33% aged 25 to 34 and 26% in the 35-44 year demographic.
The first study looked at their car purchases, the second at their grocery habits.
Inaugural Chapel Summer Sessions set to launch
Melbourne’s 123 Agency, Chapel Off Chapel and Beat magazine have announced a huge line-up for the first ever Chapel Summer Sessions series. These include Darren Middleton and Shihad’s Jon Toogood (January 21), Ash Grunwald (22), Abbe May (23) and Woodlock (30).
LG Adds Google Play Services To Its Smart TVs
LG smart TV consumers in Australia will be one of the first four countries – along with the US, UK and Canada – to have access to Google Play’s thousands of movie and TV shows to rent or buy in both standard and, where available, high definition form. The service, from this month, will be for LG TVs that use the pre-webOS NetCast 4.0 and 4.5 smart TV platform, as well as being able to run across LG smartphones, tablets and PCs.
Clip It! opens for applications
South Australia’s video competition Clip It! returns courtesy the Media Resource Centre (MRC) and Music SA, and funded by Arts SA. The project pairs local music acts with budding SA filmmakers to “interpret songs in a creative and resourceful way” and further the careers of both. Five clips will get cash ($1,000) and in-kind support (MRC equipment hire). Applications close December 14.
UMPG scores soundtrack deal with studio
A global agreement between Universal Music Publishing Group and LA movie/TV studio STX Entertainment sees it represent its future soundtracks and scores. STX produces 12 movies a year. In the next four months it starts work on the thriller Secret In Their Eyes with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman and Julia Roberts; The Boy, a horror from director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside); and Matthew McConaughey’s action-drama The Free State of Jones.
More orchestras join Google classical project
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra is one of four international orchestras to join Google’s Classical Live. The project was set up in June to attract more classical music concert audiences to streaming. The others are the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Boston Pops Orchestra. They will all issue recordings for streaming.
Gold Coast festival benefits from sponsorship
In May when Broadbeach Alliance in Queensland announced a five-year sponsorship deal with Frizelle’s automotive group for Blues On Broadbeach, CEO Jan McCormick told TMN that the extra funds would go towards securing more high profile acts. That’s kicked in for the 2016 festival, which in its 15th year (May 19-22), will be headlined by Eric Burdon of The Animals and War fame.
This year’s free four-day festival had an attendance of 127,000 with a $18.65 million economic impact to the region.
NZ Music Foundation to make announcement
The New Zealand Music Foundation posted on its Facebook that it’s about to make a major announcement. Or as it put it, “Christmas is nearly here. We’ve got something really, very, hugely big for you. Oh yes.” The NZMF helps musicians in need and develops projects that use music in health programs for the community.
This year it was the charity of choice for the third year for APRA’s Silver Scrolls song awards and last week’s NZ Music Awards. Both used the media attention they received to urge music fans to donate to the NZMF.
YouTube and Queensland Government to help creatives
In an Australia-first, YouTube and the Queensland Government have teamed up to help boost local online content creators reach a global market. The two will work with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Griffith University to deliver the new Queensland Creative Entrepreneurship Program. It is funded to the tune of $900,000, with $750,000 from the Government over three years through the Advance Queensland scheme and $150,000 from Screen Queensland.
YouTube will arrange for top global creators to visit Queensland to collaborate with local talent at the Creator Days, to be hosted by Griffith University and QUT to bring together YouTube executives, entrepreneurs, producers, content creators, and industry partners. YouTube will also organise co-funded trips for Queensland’s top creators to visit the YouTube Space in Los Angeles.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade Jackie Trad met senior YouTube executives at its regional office in Singapore in June as part of a trade mission. She said that YouTube channels by Queensland creators as My Cupcake Addiction, Charli’s Crafty Kitchen and Halfbrick Studios collectively had over 3.2 million subscribers.
The short film Modern Educayshun by comedian and filmmaker Neel Kolhatkar, a send up of political correctness in Queensland classrooms, had by last week clicked 3 million YouTube views. The Queensland Creative Entrepreneurship program opens early 2016 at www.qld.gov.au/youtubepartnership.