New Signings & Team-Ups: Global deal for Counting Crows; Wind Up Records launches EMD imprint; NZ band gets Coke ad

New global publishing deal for Counting Crows

Counting Crows, who’ve just finished off an Australian visit, have signed a global publishing deal with Atlas Music Publishing. The agreement covers their entire 20-million selling back catalogue except their most recent album Somewhere Under Wonderland. The band’s hits include Mr. Jones, Accidentally In Love, Round Here, A Long December and Colourblind. On its Australian visit, the Crows continued to prove to be a great live band, including 10-minute versions of Round Here and Goodnight El;ozabeth/ Pale Blue Eyes. The band promised to return for a national tour soon.

Coopers chooses Kingswood for its After Dark dates

After its successful partnership with British India last year South Australian brewery Coopers chose Melbourne rock band Kingswood for its Coopers After Dark national dates. The shows focus on Coopers Dark Ale and cover six club shows from Thursday May 28 to Thursday June 11 covering Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Byron Bay and Brisbane.

National Sales & Marketing Director, Cam Pearce, said "Live Australian music belongs in Australian pubs alongside Australian-owned beers. As our largest family owned brewery, we're proud to get behind bands like Kingswood who are giving it their all and succeeding, not just here, but also internationally."

Wind Up Records launches EMD imprint with Australia’s Feenixpawl

New York’s Wind Up Records launched an EMD imprint Eclypse Records with Australian DJ/ producer duo Feenixpawl. It will be co-owned by the pair, Aden Forte and Josh Soon as well as Forte’s brother Jason. Feenixpawl said, "It has been a dream of ours since this musical journey began, to start our own record label. This is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication to dance music and we’re truly privileged to bring this new venture to dance music fans."

NZ band gets Coke ad

Wondering who’s behind the soundtrack to Coca-Cola’s new ‘Let Life Surprise you’ TVC for its Life drink? it is New Zealand’sThe Babysitters Circus(pictured).The EDM/funk four piece (made up of two ex-members ofOpShop) started throwing ideas and sounds together while babysitting for a friend.. The track is calledEverything’s Gonna Be Alright, a New Zealand top 10 hit in 2011.

Ben Stiller’s punk band gets re-released

The teenage Ben Stiller’s 1980s industrial punk band Capital Punishment (he was the drummer) has its sole 1982 album Roadkill re-released on NY indie Captured Tracks (Diiv, Soft Moon, Mac DeMarco, Perfect Pussy). 500 copies were pressed. Some other members went on to become a Supreme Court judge, a professor of Slavic Studies and a musician/ doco maker whose great-great-great grandfather designed the Brooklyn Bridge.

Gill Bates added to New World Artists

Sydney based New World Artists added R&B/ hip hop act Gill Bates to its roster. He is repped by agent Edwin Tehrani, who tells us that they’ll lift his profile by adding him to the sold-out Allday tour in June, with a radio and online campaign to begin with second single Didn't Mind, and tours and festivals down the track. “Gill has a fresh and exciting sound that is unique to the Australian market,” Tehrani emphasizes.

SGC Media to represent Play MPE in ANZ

Vancouver-based Destiny Media Technologies appointed Brisbane-based music marketer SGC Media to represent the Play MPE system in Australia and New Zealand. Play MPE distributes pre-release music to radio stations and other music biz pros. SGC, run by Stephen Green, is involved in direct sales, client services, marketing, list management, training, and customer support. The marketing will be through SGC’s label services arm MusicSend.

Destiny Media’s COO Dale Borland said, “We currently have all the major labels and some of the largest independents in Australia under contract with Destiny and our partnership with SGC and will further strengthen our value proposition in this important market. We believe that this partnership will create great value for independent labels and artists in Australia and help to further Play MPE’s continued growth.”

MGM distributing Mace and The Motor

Major Sydney-based label and distributor MGM have picked up Mace and The Motor, from Toowoomba, Queensland, for digital distribution. The trio, who were chosen to open triple j's One Night Stand 2012 in Dalby, launch their new EP Yeah Alright Wow at TheGRID Gallery on Saturday, April 18.

Pandora, Shazam, on Apple watch

Pandora and Shazam will be available from launch for the new Apple Watch due later this month. The Pandora app will include a Now Playing screen and new music notifications. Its Chief Technology Officer Chris Martin said, "The Apple Watch represents another opportunity for Pandora to be available anytime and anywhere to our more than 81.5 million monthly users in order to deliver the most personalised music experience ever while also making discovery as effortless as possible."

According to Shazam’s Chief Product Officer, Daniel Danker, users can find out what song is playing, following along with lyrics and find tunes.

Domino to issue NZ’s Silicon

Weird World and Domino Recording Company introduce Silicon, the new Auckland based future disco project by Mint Chicks and Opossom frontman and multi-instrumentalist Kody Nielson. First Aussie release is the traclk God Emoji. His publishing is represented here by Mushroom Music Publishing.

Stan/ Vodafone do a deal

A partnership between Vodafone and VOD service Stan will see existing eligible Vodafone Red customers get a three month subscription to Stan. Vodafone is also offering new and upgrading customers the choice of a subscription to Stan when they sign to a 12 or 24 month Vodafone Red plan.

Smooth FM extends brand with Sony album

Radio’s smoothfm teams with Sony Music Entertainment Australia to release a 2CD album smoothfm Presents – Music For Mum 2015 for the run-up to Mother’s Day. It is their sixth collaborations and includes smoothfm staples as Chicago’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry, Whitney Houston’s Where Do Broken Hearts Go, Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful and Ben E. King’s Stand By Me.

First Nations stations collaborate on Digital Radio broadcastFirst Nations digital radio broadcasters 98.9 Brisbane, Noongar Perth, 3KND Melbourne and Koori Radio Sydney come together for a 12-hour broadcast during NAIDOC Week 2015. On July 8, using the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia’s Digital Radio Project infrastructure, the four stations will present a celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples. The venture is funded by the Community Broadcasting Foundation. In addition to the four capital cities, the broadcast is available to all community broadcasters via CBAA’s satellite CRN 2 and National Indigenous Radio Service.

"The 2014 Invasion Day national digital broadcast combining First Nations metropolitan broadcasters was a major success and signals a new spirit of cooperation in the sector,” says Tiga Bayles, CEO of 98.9 FM.“The 2015 NAIDOC Week provides an opportune time build on that success and showcase events and stories from each region on our digital services."

Universal Music Publishing signs Tobias Jesso Jr

Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) will represent Canadian musician Tobias Jesso Jr. in Australia and New Zealand, as part of a worldwide co-publishing agreement. Jesso Jr, whose ‘70s style balladeering is highly acclaimed by Adele, has his debut album Goon out this year.

Townsville’s Andy The Kid pens Cowboys theme

Expatriate Townsville musician Andy The Kid wrote the theme song Cowboys Evolution (Rise Up) for the North Queensland Toyota Cowboys’ 2015 season. The track features vocalist Toby Rand of Juke Kartel. Andy The Kid (real name Andrew Cole), one time Cowboys ball boy and bassist, relocated to Los Angeles in 2008. There he joined Static-X and is now with We Are The Riot. He was watching a Cowboys game in America last year when it occured the team needed “a song with a bit of oomph and energy” and sent it off to them. The song is played at all Cowboys games and in their marketing. The Kid returns to Australia for an East Coast run in May doing Static-X, We Are the Riot and DOPE songs with Benjamin Hatch (Full Devil Jacket, Vessel 33) out front.

Room40 celebrates 15th birthday at Carriageworks

To celebrate its 15th year, Brisbane experimental sound and media label Room40 founder Lawrence English teamed with Carriageworks to hold its ninth Open Frame showcase in Sydney for the first time. Held on July 30 and 31, it features the world premiere of sonic master Jim O'Rourke’s specifically commissioned Diffusion, Japanese film maker Makino Takashi, William Basinski, Austin Buckett/ percussionist Robbie Avenaim, Grouper/Paul Clipson, Chris Abrahams of The Necks and English himself.

Playstation chooses PR agency for Australia

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia has chosen One Green Agency to handle local PR for Playstation, replacing Hausmann Communications.

Perth tech investor buys stake in social media app

Perth-based tech investor Yonder&Beyond bought a 10% stake in US based social media music app PlayMeet. The platform matches music lovers according to their tastes, locations and venues attended. It was created in collaboration with JMPM Properties and the estate of Michael Jackson. Yonder&Beyond helps start-ups around the world through finance, business development, digital & corporate strategies and human resources.

MediaWorks picks up dancing format for NZ

MediaWorks picked up the NZ rights from BBC World for a locally produced version of Dancing With The Stars, to air on TV3. Obviously the two parties are moving on after the recent X Factor NZ debacle.