BMG strikes global partnership with Farmer & The Owl

BMG has signed a global partnership with Wollongong-based label Farmer & The Owl.

It is home to Hockey Dad, Bad//Dreems, The Pinheads, Bec Sandridge, Totally Unicorn, TEES and Tropical Strength.

The label was set up in 2014 by Ben Tillman and Jeb Taylor as a vehicle through which Wollongong acts could get their music out.

Their first release was the debut EP of Hockey Dad, who have since released two albums via the label.

Their latest, Blend Inn, debuted at #6 on the ARIA charts and scored four entries into triple j’s annual Hottest 100 countdown.

Their third album is out via Farmer & The Owl/BMG in 2020.

Jeb Taylor said “We originally started the Farmer & The Owl label with the intention to help artists from our local area release their music to a wider audience after we’d witnessed a wealth of talent being overlooked.

“As those artists have grown over the last few years it has now developed into a full label operation.

“We are now really excited to partner with BMG for the next phase of this development in taking Farmer & The Owl to an international market.

“We had many discussions about the direction and future partnerships for the label and found that BMG were closely aligned with our vision and offered the best opportunities available for our stable of artists”.

Heath Johns, managing director of BMG Australia, added, “Ben and Jeb have established Farmer & The Owl as one of the finest independent labels in Australia and built a genuinely inspiring roster of established and developing talent.

“BMG is beyond excited to welcome F&O into our family of labels, and we look forward to amplifying their vision on a global level.”

As the first release of the BMG and Farmer & The Owl partnership, Adelaide’s Bad//Dreems’ third album Doomsday Ballet was released globally today.

Lead single ‘Double Dreaming’ got playlisted on triple j.

Their second single ‘Morning Rain’ got airplay in the UK where the band toured with Midnight Oil this year.

Bad//Dreems’ return to the UK this year with The Chats after an Australian run which kicks off on October 25.