Sydney’s Hussle label inks deal with Universal Music Sweden

Image: 4x Platinum-selling artist and Hussle signing Joel Fletcher

Ministry of Sound Australia sub-label Hussle Recordings has inked a strategic partnership with Universal Music Sweden to grow its artists in Europe.

Speaking to TMN, Jeff Drake, Head of A&R for Ministry of Sound Australia, said Hussle now has a dedicated team in Europe focused on its catalogue of artists.

“The explosion of Australian music onto the world stage over the past two years has been hugely exciting for Australian talent in all styles,” said Drake. “[…] We are hugely excited by the prospect of what is possible with this type of infrastructure in that part of the world.

“The opportunities that have already emerged for the likes of Uberjak’d, SCNDL, Savage and Timmy Trumpet across not just releases, but collaboration and writing with artists in that part of the world are hugely exciting.”

The two labels have been developing their working relationship over the past 24 months; their collaboration helped lead to the Platinum certification Will Sparks’ Ah Yeah So What single and Top 10 chart placing of Timmy Trumpet’s Freaks in Sweden, Finland and Poland to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

“In that time we’ve developed a really strong working relationship that has been great for lots of our artists,” Drake told TMN. “Making that a formal relationship across a wider number of our artists and releases was a natural step and an easy decision given the great opportunities it is creating for our artists.”

The now 16-year-old Hussle is also behind the 4 x Platinum selling Swing by Joel Fletcher and Savage, and the 5 x Platinum selling Freaks by Timmy Trumpet and Savage – Ministry of Sound Australia’s highest selling single ever.

The new deal, announced today, adds to the host of labels Hussle currently has agreements with. Globally, Hussle is partnered with the likes of Republic/Casablanca, Sony and Universal, and collaborates with independent labels such as Spinnin, Dim Mak, PandaFunk and Ministry of Sound UK.

In the past two years alone, Sydney-based Hussle has sold over three quarters of a million singles in Australia.

“This is a relationship that functions both ways,” added Drake, “as we are the home in Australia for a great number of artists from our partner labels, as well as those labels working our releases elsewhere around the globe.”

Mikael Wadström, A&R from Universal Music Sweden said, “We are extremely happy to have this partnership in place. Australian dance music is doing very well in Sweden and several other European countries right now, and no one knows that genre better than Hussle Recordings and the team at Ministry of Sound Australia.”