New Signings & Team-Ups: April 12
Radiohead’s early catalogue moves to XL
Radiohead’s(pictured) pre-2004 catalogue is now credited to Britain’s XL Recordings on digital services. It was previously with e Warner Music Group, which acquired the Parlophone label. Warner is in the process of divesting some of its assets to labels on Impala. But it is not known if XL has bought or licensed the early catalogue, which includes best sellers as Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac and Hail To The Thief.
It is not known if the deal is for certain territories or if it includes Australia where XL is distributed through Remote Control. XL acts include Adele, The XX and The Prodigy.
San Cisco slip on their denim
Fremantle-based rock band San Cisco will later this week be announced as the face of Sydney fashion label Glue Store’s denim winter campaign. It is their first foray into fashion. Glue Store’s website includes recommended playlists and has strong ties with events as Splendour In The Grass.
Image Credit:Simon Upton
Client Liaison launch own gelati flavour
Melbourne duo Client Liaison have launched their own limited edition gelati, called Gelato Liason, a mix of bush wattle and macadamia. The band’s Harvey Miller explains, “We’re excited to expand our brand into the food sector.
Customers can expect a native Australian flavour, with Gelato Liaison being the perfect taste of what you have grown to expect with Client Liaison’s past and future releases – international in flavour, cosmopolitan in style – this is Client Liaison.” The launch is timed with the opening of Pidapipó Windsor, which serves hand-crafted gelati.
Ed Sheeran switches agencies outside North America
Double Grammy winning Ed Sheeran is now with CAA (Creative Arts Agency) for all territories outside the US and Canada. In North America he remains with Paradigm. Sheeran’s agent Jon Ollier to CAA after Ollier left Free Trade Agency last year. Sheeran recently finished off a 179-date X world tour which was ranked #7 of 2015’s top grossing tours with £79.52 million (A$148.7 million). It hit Australia last November. In the Sunday Times Rich List, Ed was seventh on the list of wealthiest musicians under 30, with a fortune of £20 million ($148.7 million).
Universal Music Publishing extends Martin Garrix deal
Universal Music Publishing Group extended the global publishing deal with EDM superstar Martin Garrix. Mark Bremer, MD of UMP Benelux said: “As a multi-talented and versatile songwriter, artist and producer, Martin Garrix is has become a phenomenon in music and he continues to amaze us with his creativity.” Garrix, the youngest DJ to reach the Top 3 of DJMag’s Top 100 DJs list, had a Top 10 hit with Animals which has had 750 million YouTube views and 150 million Spotify streams.
Barely Dressed sends smoke signals
Barely Dressed / Remote Control signed Melbourne alt-country rock band Big Smoke. After their EP last year, the Smokes spent most of 2016 on their debut album … venturing out only to play the Out On The Weekend and Boogie festivals. For Record Store Day they issue a 7” vinyl of the Stones-flavoured Have You Heard and a cover of The Black Sorrows’ Harley & Rose.
The Game smokes his own
US rapper The Game teamed with major Californian chain of marijuana dispensaries, G FarmaBrands, to launch his own range of pot-enhanced smokes (G-Stiks) and drinks (G-Drinks). Using The Game’s own personal tastes, they will only be available in California and Washington State where G FarmaBrands has 700 outlets. “These guys are the pioneers of innovation in the cannabis industry,” said The Game.
Dog Whistle can hear Viper Creek Band
Country music label Dog Whistle Music posted it has signed Newcastle four piece The Viper Creek Band. The band has been touring along the East Coast since 2011 and debut album Kickin’ Up Dust debuted at #2 on the ARIA Australian Country Album chart. They head into the studios to cut a follow up with Brisbane producer Andrew Cochrane.
Liberation expands roster with Gordi
Liberation Music signed singer-songwriter Gordi (Sophie Payten). Starting to write songs in her university dorm while studying medicine, the 22-year old came to attention with singles Can We Work It Out, Nothing’s As It Seems and Taken Blame. Debut EP Clever Disguise is out on May 13 in Australia and New Zealand. She joins the Canberra stop of Groovin’ The Moo.
Bird’s Robe take in Osaka Punch
Sydney based Bird’s Robe Records, one of the most adventurous labels, signed Brisbane prog rock act Osaka Punch. Label founder Mike Solo says, “To be honest, they have felt like family for some time now. After a long time hearing about their much-fabled live shows, the first time I saw these guys play they were a rare band who lived up to the hype. It was like someone had put together everything that is fun about music and assembled a band in front of me.”
Bird’s Robe will re-release Osaka Punch’s Voodoo Love Machine album on May 30, taking it into mainstream outlets for the first time. The band returned from the UK where they recorded their next album (an EP is out in a few months), while current single Stonk got airplay on triple j, Triple M and community radio during their February and March tour. The band heads out in early July with The Fall of Troy, Closure In Moscow and Meniscus for shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Dare sponsors Hamish & Andy
Iced coffee brand Dare struck a partnership with media identities Hamish & Andy. It includes advertising, custom content creation and their joint digital content across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and www.hamishandandy.com which is managed by Switch Digital. Hamish & Andy Facebook page has over 2.3 million “likes” whilst their recent Jurassic Car Park video got 6 million views.
Lee Stephens, CEO of Switch Digital, pointed out, “We believe that a native content and online advertising partnership with Dare Iced Coffee is a perfect match in terms of brand voice and communication objectives. With native and branded content investment growing almost 60 per cent per year in Australia, Dare have achieved a coup in teaming up with the most talented content creators in Australia.”
Sony Music getting into comedy
Sony Music Entertainment partners with online comedy production company Above Average to create digital video programming. Founded in June 2012, as of February 1 this year, it has over 8.6 million subscribers and 2.4 billion views on YouTube for its webi-sodes. Under the new deal, they will create hardy-ha-ha content around Sony artists. The two work together on the documentary series Thank You And Sorry which starred Jack Antonoff who records for Sony-owned RCA Records.
Australia to get digital radio in LG smartphones
Australia will be one of seven countries that will benefit from the LG brand’s move into digital radio on its smartphone.
The LG Stylus 2 goes on sale later this year with a DAB+ chipset and a new version of the Radioplayer app that allows it to support digital radio broadcasts. The other countries are Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway and the UK.