New Signings & Team-Ups
PARIS JACKSON GETS WME ON BOARD
Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson has signed with WME in all areas. She’s developing into a star in her own right, appearing on the covers of Rolling Stone and CR Fashion Book. She makes her acting debut this week on Fox’s Star as a social media guru, and announces her next fashion achievement on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on March 15.
Jackson is managed worldwide in all areas by Tom Hamilton and Arnold Stiefel of Stiefel Entertainment.
AUSSIE START-UP STRIKES DEAL WITH MTV TRAX
Aussie start-up Unlockd has signed an ad-free streaming deal with the new mobile-only mainstream aimed MTV Trax service. It will be launched in the UK first, before expanding to other markets.
Unlockd, set up in 2014 with $20 million from blue chip investors, is on a revenue-share with MTV. MTV Trax is a visually stimulating app that delivers eight curated playlists based around genres, charts and MTV charts.
SPINEFARM TAKES ON LEGEND
Australia’s Spinefarm Records (through Caroline Australia) has expanded its international roster with North Carolina-based band He Is Legend. An album drops in Australia on April 28.
The band’s frontman Schuylar Croom said, “After seeing the tremendous response from our fans during the crowdfunding campaign, it was really important for us to find the proper home for this record.”
REUNITED BUTTERFINGERS AT NWA
With a return to live action at last month’s Mountain Goat Valley Crawl and new single Night Out creating waves at triple j, Brisbane hip hop outfit Butterfingers mark the end of their 10-year hiatus by assigning their bookings to Sydney’s New World Artists. The excitement behind their return expands to the quick ticket sales for shows they’re about to play in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne behind the single.
A$AP ROCKY GETS THE BENZ
Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz is aiming for a younger demographic with a tongue-in-cheek Grow Up campaign featuring rapper A$AP Rocky. He offers advice on growing old – about minding your manners, get a real job, respect your elders, start a family, move to the suburbs – while images behind show that the car has relevance to Generations X and Y.
GUN FEVER ADDS HYLA
As Perth dream pop/shoegazer band Hyla come towards the release of their debut album, they’ve signed with Perth agency Gun Fever. A new single Swam Out was recorded with producer Sam Ford and launched at The Bird at the end of March.
Gun Fever posted, “Feeling very privileged to welcome Hyla as the latest addition to the Gun Fever booking roster! They’ve just dropped this absolute gem of a single, the first taste of their debut album due out later this year.”
FUTURE POPES, WET LIPS, SET UP HYSTERICAL
Amanda Vitartas of Future Popes, Grace Kindellan of Wet Lips and Jenny McKechnie of Cable Ties / Wet Lips have joined forces to form a new “anti bullshit” label, Hysterical Records. It will release some of Melbourne’s best underground acts, and has its official launch on April 7 at The Old Bar with sets from Wet Lips, Shrimpwitch and Hexdebt.
The first signing, Melbourne crust(acean) punks, Shrimpwitch, release their debut EP in May.
Wet Lips and Cable Ties have long pushed against the gender imbalance in live music. In a statement, all involved say, “With a focus on supporting their artists in any way they can, Hysterical Records will continue to strive towards Future Popes and Wet Lips’ ethos of providing a voice for a diverse collection of artists that fit outside the mainstream, extending beyond releasing records and instead, working across all facets to maintain and strengthen the creative force of their talented community.”
TEG LIVE BRINGS IN ESL
A new partnership between Australian concert promoter TEG Live and Electronic Sports League (ESL), the world’s leading promoter of competitive gaming events, will see the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) staged at the Sydney’s 21,000-capacity Qudos Bank Arena on May 6 and 7 for a $280,000 prize money.
TEG Live Managing Director Tim McGregor said, “TEG Live has been watching the phenomenal global growth of pro gaming and waiting for the right opportunity in the Australian market. We are thrilled to have the world’s leading esports company, ESL, as a partner.”