New Signings & Team-Ups: October 25
INXS, CHAMBERS, JPY HITS ADDED TO ARCHIVES
Four international hits by INXS, Kasey Chambers, John Paul Young and Frank Ifield – all while the acts were based in Australia – have entered the National Film & Sound Archive’s Sounds Of Australia division.
INXS’s ‘Don’t Change’ (1982) was their first international hit.
Chambers’ ‘Not Pretty Enough’ (2001) was a diatribe against commercial pop radio.
‘Love Is In The Air’ was written by the Harry Vanda-George Young team specially to get JPY into European clubs in the late ‘70s disco boom but has gone on to have a number of resurgences after being included in movies and musicals.
Ifield’s ‘I Remember You’ was the second biggest hit in the UK in 1962.
The others were the Louie The Fly Mortein jingle (1962), the Playschool theme (1968), Kuckles’ ‘Brand New Day (Milliya Rumarra)’ (1981), Len Maurice’s ‘Our Don Bradman’ (1930), Australia’s Amateur Hour With Chad Morgan (1952), Marie Narelle’s ‘Sweet Spirit Hear My Prayer’ (1910) and Australia’s Amateur Hour With The Reading Sisters (1957).
MELBOURNE METALCORE BAND SIGNS O/S DEAL
Melbourne metalcore band Earth Caller have been signed to global powerhouse Entertainment One Metal, a record label, music management and A&R business.
Out now is the video for their single ‘Fall’ (featuring actress and model Sophie Jest who also sings backup on the track), with the album Crystal Death out in mid-January.
INTROVERT AT UNIFIED
Hard hitting Newcastle guitar alt-rock/90s grunge band Introvert are looking at recording their debut album and hitting the overseas tour market now that they’ve joined the Unified family.
The band, whose debut EP got triple j spins, have a new single out ‘December; and follow it up with their first headline shows around the country.
They won the opening slot for Groovin’ The Moo, slammed hard at BIGSOUND and toured with Birds of Tokyo.
BMG GAINS PUBLISHING OF UK’S GIGGS
BMG signed a world publishing deal with British hip-hop pioneer Giggs, whose mixtape Wamp 2 Dem debuted at #2 in the UK following the #2 peak of his Landlord album.
Griggs co-wrote two tracks on Drake’s More Life, which jointly generated 85 million Spotify streams. His own material has notched up 118 million Spotify plays.
Wamp 2 Dem, which came out on his own No Bs Music label (through Universal Music) featured guests2 Chainz, Popcaan, Donae’o, Lil Duke & Young Thug and Dave.
PROPER MUSIC GROUP GETS AUSSIE DISTRIBUTION
Funk soul label Tru Thoughts will handle sales and physical distribution for Proper Music Group in Australia.
The deal also covers New Zealand, the UK, and Europe.
Home to Quantic, Hot 8 Brass Band, Alice Russell and Rodney P, Tru Thoughts was set up in Brighton in 1999 by dance outfit Deeds Plus Thoughts’ Robert Luis and former club promoter Paul Jonas.
It quickly became one of the UK’s most respected independent labels, “with a roster featuring uniquely talented singers, American brass bands, underground UK hip-hop acts and globetrotting dance music producers.”
Proper Music Distribution is the largest totally independent physical distributor in the UK, with 5% of the UK physical recorded music market, handling over 1 million titles at any time.
ARLO GUTHRIE GETS AUSSIE BOOKINGS
On the eve of a return visit to Australia, veteran US troubadour Arlo Guthrie will have Australian and global bookings after a new strategic alliance with New Jersey-based The Roots Agency and 1st Mark Artists Management.
The two companies have been working together for 17 years.
Guthrie’s Back By Popular Demand Tour coincides with the 50th anniversary of the cult movie, Alice’s Restaurant. The tour will be primarily scheduled at performing arts centers and music festivals in North America, Europe and Australia.
27 CULTURE GROUPS FORM THE SYDNEY CULTURE NETWORK
After two years of discussions, 27 Sydney arts organisations and culture groups have come together to form the Sydney Culture Network.
In what is lauded as a world first, they’re working to support cooperation between them to drive greater creativity and innovation through research, programming and data sharing, and to grow public engagement.
The first projects should start mid-2018. The 27 directly employ over 2700 people in Sydney, and draw a total audience of 12.7 million.
Among those part of The Sydney Culture Network are Australian Film, Television and Radio School, Carriageworks, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, National Institute of Dramatic Art and The Studio
MANAGEMENT FIRM FOSTERS TWO MUSIC ACTS
In March last year, Kate Edwards’ Fostered which manages visual artists and Shae Constantine’s music management Intersection (iOTA, GRMM) merged under the name Fostered. The idea was for their arts and music acts to collaborate more easily.
The company has just added Sydney performer and community radio presenter Kid Fiction and Newcastle band The Owls to its slate.
WARNER CHAPPELL REPS HIT MAKER LINNEA SODAHI
Swedish singer/songwriter Linnea Södahl, who’s written major hits for Zara Larsson and Tinie Tempah, now has a worldwide publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music.
Södahl has also worked with Anne-Marie, Axwell, Icona Pop, Louisa Johnson, Tove Styrke and Wizkid.
2SER, GUARDIAN, PRODUCE NEW PODCAST
Sydney community radio station 2SER and The Guardian Australia have come together to create a podcast that provides four different takes on subjects as immigration, marriage equality and other red-hot debate issues
MORE SCHOLARSHIPS FROM AUSTRALIA COUNCIL,
A three-year partnership between the Australia Council and Perpetual, established with the philanthropic support of former NSW Premier, the late Sir Robert Askin, and his wife Lady Mollie Askin, will offer two new scholarships worth up to $400,000, for nine creatives to travel abroad to study and expand their careers.
The Australia Council is also again delivering the Marten Bequest traveling scholarships, which are the legacy of the late arts philanthropist John Marten.
These scholarships will support seven emerging artists with $50,000 each to develop their craft.
Applications are open from practitioners of singers and instrumental musicians as well as acting, architecture, ballet, painting, poetry, prose and sculpture.
LOVE BITES DOCOS TO MARK MARDI GRAS 40th
ABC Arts and Screen Australia’s Love Bites initiative has announced 10 documentary shorts by LGBTQI filmmakers.
They will screen on iView as part of the 40th anniversary of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in 2018.
Each team will receive $10,000 to make a 5 minute documentary about the life experiences of the community, with Film Victoria providing additional production funding support for four projects.
Subjects range from dance parties and dating aps to challenges thrown up by migrant communities and over-50s, to the role of facial hair and how radical performance art can play a role in challenging gender conformity.
POISON CITY OPENING UP TO LOOBS
Things are on the move for Melbourne indie-garage-pop, four piece LOOBS since signing to Poison City Records.
They’re releasing a new surf rock/ early ‘90s slacker inspired single ‘Dandelion’, their two EPs are reissued on cassette, and a debut album made in a holiday shack on the Victorian coast produced by Matt Chow and mastered by Nao Anzai.
!K7 PICKS UP MORE WARNER INDIES
Music Week reported that in the latest Parlophone divestment by Warner Music, electronic and avant-garde pop label !K7 Music has picked up back catalogues of Patrice Rushen (from Elektra), Miriam Makeba (Reprise) and the Bahamas-hailed The Beginning Of The End (Atlantic subsidiary Alston) whose catalogue includes the much-sampled ‘Funky Nassau’ from the early ‘70s.
CONCRETE PLAYGROUND LAUNCHES NIGHT TIME APP
The digital publisher has launched an Australian-first voice-activated Guide To Tonight app that allows Millennials to plan where to eat, drink and be entertained in their area by providing recommendations to specific questions.
IHEARTMEDIA ADDS AFTRS’ STATION
The AFTRS Graduate Diploma of Radio students’ music and talk broadcast station targeting 18 to 24-year-olds is now live online and via the iHeartRadio Australia app until October 27.
HOOBASTANK GETS NEW LABEL
US rock band Hoobastank’s sixth album will be released locally in the first half of 2018 through Napalm Australia, which is distributed through Rocket.
The band (Pictured), which has sold 10 million albums through Island/ Universal, recently inked a global deal with Napalm’s Austrian headquarters.
Also, recent signings are UK band The Brew who’ve had five chart-topping records in their home market.
TONYS EXTEND CBS DEA
The Tony Awards extended their deal with CBS until 2026. The Broadway show has been with the network in America since 1978.
The 2018 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 10.’
The awards are broadcast in Australia on Foxtel Arts.
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