Mushroom Music partners with LA-based Big Deal for further North American move

Mushroom Music Publishing has opened up more doors in North America for its roster by entering a sub-publishing agreement with LA-based independent publisher Big Deal Music to represent them in those territories.

Mushroom Music’s long time Melbourne-based Managing Director Ian James told TMN, “I am looking to Big Deal to provide advice on the US and Canadian landscape and to connect them to the right opportunities. This applies to the managers as much as the artists.”

The new partnership marks the latest in a 40-plus year relationship between Big Deal Music’s co-founder Kenny MacPherson and Mushroom founder Michael Gudinski and Ian James.

MacPherson first sub-published the Mushroom catalogue when he was President of UK’s Chrysalis Music Publishing.

When he set up Big Deal five years ago with colleagues Jamie Cerreta and David Ayers, he chose Mushroom to represent the company in Australia and New Zealand.

Discussing the new agreement, MacPherson said: “Michael, Ian and the entire Mushroom team are more than business partners to us. They are family.”

“There has always been good business involved with a strong friendship and mutual respect between all of us,” James added. “When our sub-publishing rights became available in North America, Michael and I thought this was the right place for our writers.

Chrysalis, set up in 1967 by booking agents Chris Wright and Terry Ellis, was an inspiration for Gudinski when he set up Mushroom in 1972. He learned from them that revenue needed to come from a number of sources – management, label, publishing, agency – to keep the company afloat.

Down the track, Chrysalis signed up such Mushroom acts as Split Enz for the English market.

Mushroom signings and affiliated acts as Vance Joy, Nick Murphy (aka Chet Faker), Yothu Yindi, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kylie Minogue, Birds of Tokyo, Sheppard and Choirboys have found varying levels of success in North America.

Others like The Temper Trap have found sync success with a number of tracks as Fall Together.

Mushroom Music’s recent success sync stories in North America have included Ash Grunwald’s Money for TV’s Lucifer, Catcall’s World Is Ours for a Google Music campaign, David Dallas’ Runnin’ for the Lowriders film trailer, Whittaker’s Horizon for the APB TV series, Jess Kent’s Get Down for a Target campaign, DJ Snake’s Talk for The Bleacher Report TV series and Mia Wray’s Where I Stand in the film Midnight Sun.

Big Deal writers include Dan Wilson (who penned a number of Adele hits), Underworld, St Vincent, Afghan Whigs, Teddy Geiger and a number of Aussie talents including Wolfmother, Missy Higgins, D.D. Dumbo, Birds of Tokyo and Methyl Ethel.