New Signings and Team-Ups: March 7

Image: Collective Artists’ Ali Barter, City Calm Down, Sarah Blasko, Kučka

COLLECTIVE ARTISTS UNVEILS AGENCY ROSTER

The Collective Artists booking agency, set up late last year by agent and GM Rebecca Young, has launched itself hitting the ground unveiling its first additions to its roster.

The list is, alphabetically:Ali Barter, Body Type, City Calm Down, Fam Girl, Fraser A Gorman, GL, Hazel English, Hot Spoke, Husky, Jen Cloher, Jeremy Neale, KUČKA, Manu Crooks, Milwaukee Banks, Nick Hill, Pearls, Ryland Rose, Sarah Blasko, Saskwatch, Teisha, Tia Gostelow, Tigertown, Velociraptor and Yuma X.

Collective Artists is part of the Inertia Group and, joined by its executives Ashley Seller and Colin Daniels Young will stage shows throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

HOUSES OF THE HOLY

Universal Music Publishing Australia has signed a global music publishing deal with Tim Carroll, Ryan Strathie and Matt Redlich of Holy Holy. Starting out as a creative outlet for long time friends Tim and guitarist/producer Oscar, the act has now extended into a band format.

Their 2015 debut album When The Storms Would Come debuted at #11 on the ARIA Album Chart. The follow-up Paint came in at #7 this week.

Arwen Curson, VP Creative of Music Publishing Australia and New Zealand said of the new album, “Every track is so very carefully crafted to be signature Holy Holy, and underneath all the exquisite layers lie the most beautiful songs that will, no doubt, stand the test of time.”

PARLOPHONE TURN ON STEREOPHONICS

Parlophone Records signed Welsh band Stereophonics, who’ve sold 10 million albums around the world. Their tenth album will be their first through the deal. 2017 marks the band’s 20th anniversary. But leader Kelly Jones is adamant: “The band is not about looking back, it’s about looking forward. I don’t ever want to rehash what I’ve done. I’m proud of our run so far, but I feel we have so much more to give.”

ZEDD MARKS THE SPOT

Universal Music Publishing Group concluded a worldwide publishing deal with Grammy-winning artist and producer Zedd. Currently featured on Hailee Steinfeld & Grey’s international hit Starving, his first two albums yielded a number of Top 10 US hits and #1s on the dance chart and 600 million Spotify plays.

He’s also produced for Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga. Grande’s Break Free reached #4 in America and was a global smash with 345 million global Spotify streams to date. Beauty And A Beat by Bieber feat. Nicki Minaj reached #2 on US Top 40 radio.

POSSUM INKS MIDNIGHT ALIBI

Possum Records has inked NSW band Midnight Alibi, lauded for their hot and dirty approach to their riffs. Possum founder and CEO Phil Israel revealed, “I was looking for a great local rock band to round out our artist roster. After hearing the early mixes of the band’s forthcoming album, I was convinced I’d found the band I was looking for.”

Since forming in Albury in 2012, the band hit the road around the country, independently releasing two EPs and getting national airplay for the track Down The River. Their first Possum release is the single Ego Tripper on March 10 with debut album Just Like You Want It out in the first half of 2017.

US DEAL FOR POLISH CLUB

Sydney rock-soul duo Polish Club have become the first act to sign to new US label 432 Records, set up by Grammy-winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Fleetwood Mac) who says they could make it big in America.

Meantime, their debut album Alright Already, produced in eight days by Wolf & Cub’s Wade Keighran at Linear Studios in Sydney’s inner west, is set for Aussie release on March 31 on Double Double/ Island Records through Universal Music.

EMELI SANDÉ AT WME

Global talent agency WME, which has operations in Australia, has added Emeli Sandé for worldwide representation. Sandé who has toured Australian numerous times, was named Best Female Solo Artist at the recent BRIT Awards. Her latest album is titled Long Live The Angels.

BMG TAKES ON LAVIGNE LAVIGNE

BMG now has Avril Lavigne for the world (outside Japan). She is currently working on an album and says, “At this point in my career and in my life I just wanted to put fresh energy around me and I feel like I’m having somewhat of a rebirth in my life.

“I’ve been faced with a lot, gone through a lot emotionally. The whole writing process has been therapeutic and empowering. This album is a natural process for me and it’s coming from a very honest place. My hope is that it is an inspiration to many people.”

INERTIA LAUGHS WITH SHE-DEVILS

Inertia will release cinematic Montreal duo She-Devils’s new single The World Laughs. They got the act through a deal they signed with Secretly Canadian.

Audrey Ann and Kyle Jukka met four years ago while living in a music rehearsal space in the Mile-Ex neighborhood of Montreal. They are inspired by the cinema and art of Gregg Araki, Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol, John Waters and Quentin Tarantino. They direct their own videos, and Ann creates the artwork that accompanies the music. Her self-taught style evolved by watching hours of Disney movies, The Simpsons and Powerpuff Girls.

REMOTE CONTROL PICKS UP JOHN MORELAND

Remote Control gets the Australian distribution for John Moreland through his recent signing with 4AD. Moving from Kentucky to Tulsa at 10, he fronted hardcore and punk bands throughout high school before feeling the pull of the lyricism he heard in folk and country music; “I was 19 in 2004, and Steve Earle had put out The Revolution Starts Now, and I remember hearing the song Rich Man’s War and totally feeling like somebody just punched me in the chest”.

Moreland’s album Big Bad Luv, his fourth, is out on May 5, with a new track It Don’t Suit Me (Like Before) out as lead-off single.

EMBASSY RESCUE

Embassy Music Publishing, part of Musical Sales Creative, has added Darwin act Pole Top Rescue to its global roster. Formed in 2012, the act had a viral hit Budju (40,000 YouTube views), while second single Ladida gained national airplay. Coming up is an EP recorded in Melbourne with Shihad’s Tom Larkin.

IHEARTRADIO ADDED TO STREAMING

iHeartRadio has finally been added to Google Home, beginning in a month or so. “Listen to iHeartRadio on Google Home, the voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant,” says the statement.

“Coming soon to Google Home, playing iHeartRadio will be as easy as saying ’Ok Google’ followed by your favorite radio station or artist, giving users access to thousands of iHeartRadio’s live radio stations and millions of songs, with podcast functionality coming soon.”

GUY SEBASTIAN TEAMS UP WITH YAMAHA

Guy Sebastian is part of Yamaha Music Australia’s $100,000 School Band Search. The instruments company will choose a school and provide it with 42 new instruments and three days’ training from Yamaha’s Dr. Rob McWilliams. Sebastian will be one of the prizes, playing a concert at the school.