New Signings & Team-Ups: July 19

Image: Globally renowned Australian DJs Nervo

Double Drummer marks third signing with Brisbane’s Fresco

Sydney boutique publisher and artist development company Double Drummer Music Publishing has signed Brisbane art-pop band Fresco to its roster. Formed in high school and lead by singer Robbie Balmer, their debut self-produced single Separate, launched on the weekend at The Zoo in Brisbane has already notched up 6,500 Soundcloud streams. Double Drummer is teaming them with a producer, and new music is due in September.

Double Drummer was set up last year by label and publishing veteran Tim Prescott and his musician and producer son Edward. Prescott Sr has an extensive A&R background, as well as senior positions at Sony, PolyGram and BMG in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and in New York (as CMO of BMG, and then Sony after they merged). As Head of Australian Music at Polydor, he signed Powderfinger, and Augie March as MD of BMG Australia. As CEO of Albert Music, he discovered Megan Washington.

“Artist development excites me,” Prescott told TMN. Internationally affiliated with Kobaly, Double Drummer signed Melbourne-based Cousin Tony’s Brand New Firebird and Sydney band Why We Run. Cousin Tony, whose Melbourne Bitter was a triple j Unearthed standout and received 100,000 Spotify streams, has released the parent EP digitally with new single Make It. Why We Run last Friday launched their debut album Holograms (produced by Wayne Connolly and the last album to be cut at Albert Studios) with a show at Plan B Small Club that featured a customised lighting show by artist Aly Indermühle who caused a stir at Vivid.

Nervo to inspire female engineers

A team up between agency WhybinTBWA Sydney and globally renowned Australian DJs Nervo has seen the launch of a new track People Grinnin’ ft The Child of Lov and video as part of Made By Me. It is a collaborative project between eight Australian universities and Engineers Australia, to address the gender disparity and skills shortage in the field.

The interactive video features female engineers creating android versions of Nervo. It encourages the viewer to discover how engineers created various objects in the film, from the shoes the duo wear to the bottled water they drink.

Having studied sound engineering, Miriam and Olivia Nervo said the idea of the project immediately resonated with them.

“When we did engineering, we were the only girls in the class. So when we were approached to get behind this project it just made sense. We loved the chance to show the world that there is engineering in every aspect of our lives.”

Golden Robot Records signs two more acts

Independent Australian rock label, Golden Robot Records had added multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Ben Gillies (Silverchair) and four-piece rock outfit The Art to its roster.

Gillies is working on a new solo album, slated for release in the first quarter of 2017, while The Art are set to release their second full-length album, All In The Mind, in November, which features their current single, Minute to Madness.

The Art, who have opened for The Pixies, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Linkin Park, and Thirty Seconds to Mars, said in a statement:

“It’s an honour to be welcomed by a team who so genuinely foster the passion and creativity of their artists, while providing a platform for us to all dream bigger!”

Golden Robot Records has 15 new albums of Aussie music scheduled for release both nationally and internationally over the next 12 months.

Sony/ATV re-signs Tinie Tempah

Sony/ATV Music Publishing will continue to represent British rapper Tinie Tempah after extending his worldwide deal. The company first signed him in 2010 after he first signed to EMI Music Publishing. Last month, the act became the UK rap artist with the most UK No.1 singles in chart history. He’s just had a chart topper with Not Letting Go while his Youth album is being prepped for a mid-September release on Warner Music.

Kid Zr0 moves a step forward with Loudmouth

A sign-up with UK label Loudmouth Music sees NSW Central Coast teen pop-punk outfit Kid Zr0 head to Los Angeles at the end of July to cut their first tracks. Loudmouth (Natasha Bedingfield, The Script) was set up by Andrew Frampton & Paul Lisberg as an artist development label. The deal was brokered by Kid Zr0 managers Michael Browning (who guided the early careers of AC/DC and INXS) and Brent Jeffrey. The band had an additional boost: Pink heard their cover of her Just Like Fire and shared it with her 32 million Facebook followers.

Inertia Music takes on Feki

On the eve of his debut appearance this Sunday at Splendour In The Grass, Inertia Music has signed Brisbane based producer and remixer Feki. His track You Got Me feat. Dom Vino, was premiered overnight on triple j via Good Nights With Linda Marigliano. Since emerging two years ago, Feki’s single Remember landed BBC Radio 1 UK airplay while Nothing Lasts Forever has recently cracked 1 million spins on Soundcloud. Feki has remixed international acts ODESZA and Years & Years, and worked with locals Kilter and Vallis Alps.

Sweat It Out brings in Dena Amy

Sweat It Out Records has struck a deal with Sydney-based DJ / producer and actor Dena Amy. The South African born Amy started out touring musicals and went on the road with Rüfüs in May after appearing on their Bloom track Hypnotised. She drops her debut single, Wait For You (cut with label mate Benson) on the eve of a North American run of six dates (she played Coachella in April). She returns to Australia to open for Hayden James’ club tour through late August and early September.

Flea designs signature bass with Fender

Melbourne-born Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea has worked with Fender to recreate his Shell Pink ’61 Jazz Bass guitar, which he received from a fan. The recreation comes with a 4-bolt neck plate with engraved artwork by Flea. He used the guitar on the Peppers’ Stadium Arcadium and The Getaway as well as with Thom Yorke’s supergroup Atoms For Peace.

In a statement, Flea said: “It’s truly the greatest bass I’ve ever played. It reflects the soul of rock, punk, R&B and funk. It’s this bass that pushes me to give more each time I play. The Flea Jazz Bass is a true resurrection and possesses that wave of energy a bass should give you when it’s in your hands.”

Feeder at Cooking Vinyl

British band Feeder’s next album, All Bright Electric, will be released here through Cooking Vinyl Australia. The band signed a deal with Cooking Vinyl in the UK, where the album is released on September 30.

Rob Collins, Director of Cooking Vinyl, said, “Feeder are a great British band and have returned with album that’s up there with their best. From 1995 Feeder have gone the distance, while other British alternative rock bands of the 90s crashed or faded.”

Nina Las Vegas’ NLV signs up two overseas acts

Nina Las Vegas’ NLV has signed up its first two international names. So far the label has released three Melbourne talents – Swick, Lewis Cancut and Air Max ’97 who born in the Netherlands and raised in New Zealand – and Strict Face from Adelaide.

UNiiQU3 is a New Jersey singer, rapper, DJ and club promoter whose early stuff Las Vegas played on her triple j show. They toured Australia together two years ago, and makes her label debut with a remix of Cancut’s Say OK.

Hi Tom is Norway-based game-changing producer who is also part of Norwegian crew Rytmeklubben with Henrik the Artist, Torjus and DJ Karaoke.

PledgeMusic acquires NoiseTrade

PledgeMusic has bought NoiseTrade, a platform designed to help artists and labels connect with fans via the exchange of free music for email and postal data. As a result, PledgeMusic can expand its services to its 3 million active listeners and 50,000 artists. NoiseTrade co-founder and President Derek Webb becomes PledgeMusic GM, Nashville, reporting to PledgeMusic CEO Dominic Pandiscia.

SPAA, MEAA, strike performers rights deal

A deal struck by Screen Producers Australia (SPA) and the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (the union which represents Australian performers) will protect local TV drama actors at a time when foreign content is pouring into the country, The Actors Television Repeats and Residuals Agreement (ATRRA) provides immediate pay-off for performers.

There’s a new 10% loading on top of their basic negotiated fee whenever their work is played on free streaming services like iView, and a 70% loading for the premiere release of their work on subscription video on demand platforms such as Netflix and Presto.

For the first time, performers appearing in web productions get a 57.5% upfront loading and a 10% share of any revenue generated.

Screen Producers Australia CEO Matthew Deaner said, “The impetus for change is that technology has transformed the available content distribution platforms and audience behaviour while the original agreement itself has remained substantially unchanged since 1982.

“We approached negotiations with the view that there should be something in it for each of the major stakeholders. Performers clearly needed increased fees for increased rights. Networks and investors needed greater flexibility to stream and play programs across multiple platforms to drive up audiences for Australian programs and increase recoupment from their considerable investment. Producers needed the opportunity to derive greater value from their intellectual property by opening up the possibility that programs could be re-licensed.”

Blues for Beyondblue

A number of Australian blues players have re-recorded AC/DC’s Back In Black album in its entirety – with all profits donated to Beyondblue, which offers help to those suffering depression and to their families. The album, titled Back In Blue, was conceived by Queensland musician Darren Griffis who also suffers from bouts of depression.

He said, “We hope to make a change – a lasting change – in the way that depression is regarded and treated by society, and make dealing with depression less intimidating. We believe creating this album is a great way to do this.”

The names involved on the album are Lloyd Spiegel, Geoff Achison, Gale Page, Lachy Doley, Shaun Kirk, Marshall Okell, Chase The Sun and 8 Ball Aitken. It is released online and physically through Only Blues Music.

Heineken creates Melbourne festival

As part of its Open Your World platform, premium beer brand Heineken will create the Heineken City Shapers Festival in Melbourne. On August 4, guests will be taken by private train to a secret location. The journey will cover the campaign’s mission to celebrate the cultures, people, music, art and entertainment of global cities. Earlier smaller events in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth enable consumers to discover and be part of the cultural influences shaping their city’s dining scene, music and nightlife.

USA’s Friends Records gets ANZ presence

Baltimore-based Friends Records struck a distribution deal with Sony/RED will see its records released in Australia and New Zealand, as well as the UK, Europe and across the US. Founded in 2009 by Jimmy MacMillan and Brett Yale, they say, “It gets us out of being a regional label and becoming an international label.”

Its acts include Ami Dang, Other Colors, Amanda Glasser, Moss of Aura, Jenny Besetzt, Bond St. District, Peals, Blacksage, Microkingdom, Natural Velvet, Garcia Brothers and Nicky Smith.

Val Morgan Cinema provides audience insight

A new audience insights tool called CineTAM Plus launched by Val Morgan Cinema will provide advertisers with such data as patrons’ ‘movie going’ and media habits, the kinds of entertainment they prefer (including streaming and SVOD) and even when and where they shop and their attitudes to brands. The data information will be expanded throughout, with more insight from the tool’s 12,500 respondents.