New Signings & Team-Ups: Kosher and Audiopaxx merge; Fifty Records launches in Aus with Austin signing; WAU takes on Timberwolf; Mulholland extends Warner tie to NZ; Northtone Records unveils acts

Sydney agencies Kosher and Audiopaxx join forces

Sydney booking agencies Kosher and Audiopaxx have joined forces, with Kosher taking on Audiopaxx’s local bookings roster while it refocuses on management. This brings Kosher’s roster to 19.

Kosher’s Managing Director and Head Agent, Jon Debeere, said, “We’re absolutely thrilled about beginning this new chapter. With Audiopaxx’s roster joining the already strong family of artists here at Kosher, we are in a great position moving forward.”

Kosher formed out of Debeere and Josh McAuliffe’s touring company Leibowitz & Weinberg in November 2014 and signed Dutch producer GANZ, LA via Melbourne electro pop singer Chela and esoteric beat-maker Chiefs.

Following a merger with Swerve Productions in June 2012, Audiopaxx shifted from events to artist bookings. It evolved into Audiopaxx Agency to specialise in domestic bookings, international touring and corporate activations for clients like Microsoft and Red Bull. They also served as artist managers for Carmada (whose single Maybe went gold) and brokered global tours for Just A Gent.

Audiopaxx Managing Director Dominic Furber hailed Debeere, saying “he has the highest attention to detail I have ever witnessed and is one of the hardest working agents in the country.”

The new venture, under the Kosher banner, is led by Directors Debeere, McAuliffe, Furber, Ignacio Garcia and Hadi Jowiehan.

Fifty Records launches in Australia with Austin signing

Sydneysider Casey van Reyk, ex-staffer at Pulse Radio and Finely Tuned/2SER radio host, has launched her own label.

Fifty Records launches today with 22-year-old hip-hop artist D.R.O. from Austin, Texas. With no distribution deal inked yet, D.R.O’s DRO EP is out 14th July via Bandcamp.

van Reyk says Fifty Records has a manifesto that allows each artists to choose their own artwork, have full creative control, and be completely satisfied with their direction.“We don’t want to lock artists into doing something they don’t want to do. We really want to nurture them.”

Eden Mulholland extends Warner tie to NZ

Australian-based Eden Mulholland, who is signed to Footstomp / Warner Music, inked with Warner NZ after a successful tour there. He is to issue a single River Of Hurt from the September-due album Hunted Haunted. It was recorded in New York and Los Angeles with producers Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds/ PJ Harvey) and Neil Baldock (Neil Finn). It was a change from his debut album Feed The Beast which was self-produced.

Mulholland was singer, guitarist and main writer in NZ band Motocade in 2000. He is also a theatrical composer, a link which began in his younger days when he studied dance at a performing arts school, during which he began to compose electronic beats to accompany dance movements.

WAU takes on Timberwolf management

Melbourne’s WAU Management – home to REMI, The Kite String Tangle, Violent Soho and Vance Joy – has taken on Adelaide folk singer Timberwolf. He is repped by Aidan and Rhett McLaren and new UNIFIED recruit Joe Miles.

Timberwolf just returned from London as guitarist for fellow Adelaide artist Jesse Davidson, clutching the first recordings of his debut album. He’s playing Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide behind his Flux EP and off to NZ for his first tour there.

Caroline Australia sign Norway’s EDM supergroup Rytmeklubben

While Rytmeklubben's membersHenrik The Artist, Hi Tom, Torjus and DJ Karaoke are each heavily involved in solo projects, they've come together for the release of new single Girlfriend. The track features ontheir forthcoming EP, which also features tracks from their solo projects. The Norwegian quartet follow Caroline Australia's latest international signingsHighasakite and Tei Shi.

Warner/Chappell sign MNEK

Aside from inking Lady Antebellum, as reported in TMN last week, Warner/Chappell secured a worldwide publishing agreement with songwriter, producer and recording artist, Uzo Emenike, aka MNEK. His track record includes Oliver Heldens and Becky Hill’s #1 Gecko (Overdrive), Duke Dumont and A*M*E’s Grammy-nominated Need U (100%), Gorgon City’s Ready For Your Love, Karen Harding’s Say Something as well as co-writes for Madonna, Rudimental, Clean Bandit and Little Mix. He’s also remixed for Duran Duran, Olly Murs, Bastille and Tinie Tempah.

Keith Urban ambassador for a CMA education initiative

Keith Urban is the ambassador of a Country Music Association initiative called Music Education Matters. He has pledged 60 guitars for the program, which provide musical instruments and instruction to inner-city youth. The guitars are being distributed this year to five programs, including Notes for Notes, which builds recording studios for students in various cities.

"I'm very passionate about making sure that music education isn't just pushed to the edges," said Urban. "Academics is very important, athletics is very important, but the music gets sort of thrown over almost as a luxury. It's very crucial for a lot of guys and girls … there are so many kids that are frustrated, troubled, they're very inward, but you put an instrument in their hand and they come to life."

Northtone Records unveils acts at launch

New Melbourne label Northtone Records – "founded by a love for creating beautiful music and run in a close-knit family-esque nature” – unveils its roster at its official launch at the Evelyn Hotel on July 12 with soul act Revival Nona, jazz lounge Sweeps and singer/songwriter Sean Marchetti.

As Paradise Falls announces Aus, US, agency deals

Queensland hard rock band As Paradise Falls, who’ve been battling floods and delays on their New Zealand tour with Grimmace, are widening their horizons. They signed booking agency deals for Australia with SF Media (repped by Megan Milner and Robyn Morrison) and America with the Lafayette Agency (repped by Tony Wilson). According to Lafayette, the deal was brokered by Brisbane-based Mannequin Republic Band Management, and will see the band tour the US in 2016.

Kobalt Music Publishing turns on TV On The Radio

Kobalt Music Publishing signed a world publishing deal with Brooklyn’s TV On The Radio. It covers its current album Seeds and will provide them with full global creative and sync services.

Milk! pours it on for Ouch My Face

Artist-run Melbourne label Milk! will release the new single Creep Heart for local art-punk band Ouch My Face. The outfit formed in 2007 with video maker and animator Celeste Potter (her video clients include Courtney Barnett, Husky, Sarah Blasko), Regurgitator member and visual artist Ben Ely, and drummer Ben Wundersitz who holds the title of six times undefeated NBA X-Box champion. Milk! will also release their debut album Bunyip in late July.

Touring masterclass for Adelaide

Music SA and APRA AMCOS present a touring masterclass in Adelaide called Breaking Out Of The Nest. It is held tonight (Tuesday June 23) at the Jade Monkey 6—8 pm. Tracer’s Jett Heyson-Hicks will chair the forum which includes Dan Sant (Harbour Agency) Dan Crannitch (5/4 Entertainment) Sue Germein (manager, The Germein Sisters) and Trials of The Funkoars.

Presto gives marketing push to WhybinTBWA

Foxtel and Seven’s joint venture streaming service Presto will use creative agency WhybinTBWA Sydney for its latest marketing campaign.

Cooking Vinyl Australia links with Allison Weiss

LA indie pop troubadour Allison Weiss’s third album is issued here by Cooking Vinyl Australia following her deal with SideOneDummy Records in America.

Stan extends Starz programming

Australian streaming service Stan extended its programming deal with Starz, America’s second biggest premium cable network. The fresh pact encompassed Starz’s global digital and on-demand licensing and content syndication arm Starz Digital.

As a result, Stan got the ratings breaking TV series Power (the entire first season from June 14, new episodes every Sunday within hours of its American broadcast), horror small screen Ash vs Evil Dead, the 10-part drama The White Queen and ballet drama Flesh & Bone.

TPG’s iiNet buy-out moves continue

As part of TPG Telecom's planned acquisition of Perth-based ISP iiNet, a proposal is to be sent to iiNet shareholders before a July 27 meeting. It includes an independent assessment by Lonergan Edwards & Associates that the scheme is fair and reasonable and an endorsement from the iiNet board of the buy-out. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s assessment on the impact on competition of the purchase will be announced on August 20.