New Signings & Team-Ups: May 3

Elefant Traks reaches high with Okenyo

Sydney hip hop label Elefant Traks has issued a single 10 Feet Tall by its latest signing Okenyo (pictured), whom it describes as “part of a new generation of powerful women making their mark.” Okenyo emerged last year with Just A Story. It featured in Clash (UK), Noisey (US) and Hunger TV (UK), which described her music as “equal parts Frank Ocean, Grace Jones and M.I.A.”

This year she issued Second Heartbeat with label-mate Urthboy and Sampa The Great, a fave of triple j and community radio. 10 Feet Tall, described by Okenyo as a call to females to muster their strength to change their habits, “a manifesto for the future: stand tall and claim your power.” It comes with a video helmed by Josh Harris, featuring the singer in desert designs with a girl gang.

UNFD takes on Ocean Grove

UNFD has clicked on Melbourne genre-bending heavy rock band Ocean Grove. They’ve just released a single Lights On Kind Of Lover and go out on the five-date national Equinox tour with Northlane (whose Josh Smith calls them “the freshest heavy band I’ve heard in years”), In Hearts Wake and Hands Like Houses June 10 to 18. Formed in 2010, last year they released the Black Label EP with drummer Sam Bassal overseeing the production process.

Singer Luke Homes revealed, “We’ve spent the better half of the past year in ambivalence deciding who and where is the best stream to entrust with our music and we were very close to making decisions to the contrary. Loyalty and belief mean a lot more to OG than hypotheticals or promises. UNFD through their actions, not words, proved to us that they were the best entity for us to take our art above and beyond. We are especially excited about the creative freedom they have afforded us.”

United Talent Agency expand Muse representation

United Talent Agency, which previously represented Muse for international territories only, has expanded the deal to a worldwide one. The British band, back in Australia this year, took its Drones world tour recently set a new attendance record during a five-day stint at London’s O2 Arena and is embarking on a series of northern summer festivals including a headline slot at Glastonbury.

Last August UTA acquired The Agency Group’s 2000 acts and 100 agents, and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, London, Nashville, Toronto, Miami and Malmo, Sweden.

123 Agency expands with The Pretty Littles …

Melbourne’s 123 Agency has added The Pretty Littles to its roster. The Melbourne band’s garage rock single Pride is currently on triple j and community radio rotation, setting up for an EP for release later in the year. The band is currently on a heavy touring schedule, including regional dates with Kingswood and West Thebarton Brothel Party + The Harlots.

… and Evangeline

Dark electro pop singer Evangeline’s debut single last year Chemicvl was picked up by triple j, which she followed with My Kingdom which has notched up 2.5 million streams. 123 Agency has her in a residency at the Workers Club for the first three Tuesdays in May and a Sydney show at World Bar on Friday June 17.

Be Like Children signs social media hero

Luke Girgis’ Be Like Children signed social media hero Swedish inventor and robotics enthusiast Simone Giertz to a global management deal. Her “Wake Up Machine” recently featured on The Ellen Show weeks after she announced she had joined Adam Savage (Mythbusters) on his new venture at Tested.

US label deal for Sydney’s Alex Cameron

On the eve of an 18-date UK/European tour, Sydney electro-pop muso Alex Cameron has joined the roster of Bloomington, Indiana-based label Secretly Canadian. It is home to Ben Abraham, ANOHNI and The War On Drugs. Cameron is part of a duo with his saxplayer Roy Molloy, and released a new track She’s Mine. This week Cameron kicks off his tour in London (May 5) which winds up on July 16 at the Pete The Monkey festival in France.

Cameron quips, “It’s 2016, and it’s time for Alex Cameron. Entertainer. Showman. Shaman. Side by side with his business partner and saxophonist, Roy Molloy, the duo are a living and breathing story of success told through the internet; unedited, unscripted, and, up until now, to a dedicated audience of no one. Thanks to the good people at Secretly Canadian that is about to change.”

Tidal adds Neil Young catalogue

Neil Young has been critical about putting his music on streaming services because of “sound quality”. But Tidal, which has a premium high audio option, now has his entire catalogue. These consist of 57 albums including the 125-song Archives Volume I (1963 – 1972).

Nine, SCA, enter affiliation agreement

Nine Entertainment and Southern Cross Austereo have entered into a new five-year regional television affiliation agreement. SCA will broadcast Nine’s metropolitan free-to-air television content as The Voice and The Block into regional Queensland, Southern NSW and regional Victoria from July 1. SCA will pay Nine an affiliation fee of 50% of its television revenue and the two will work on joint projects to grow their businesses.

Niche repping Buoy

Niche Entertainment is now repping Sydney electronic act Buoy. She has gained airplay in Australia, UK and the US and her live shows use her jazz pianist training to create piano, vocals, synths and percussion build. Her forthcoming Break EP was preceded by the single Clouds & Rain.

Soothsayer signs second act

New Mushroom imprint Soothsayer, which made its debut with Roland Tings, has announced its second signing. Perth-born Sydney house, grime and electronica producer Dro Carey (Eugene Ward) has his Dark EP is out on Friday May 20. Lead-off single Queensberry Rules features Perth’s Kucka after they discovered each other on SoundCloud.

UK placement for a disabled arts practitioner

Unlimited, in partnership with the British Council, is offering a placement for a disabled person who is based outside of the UK and working as an arts producer, arts curator or arts administrator. Six of the 10-week placement will be in the UK, including September at the Unlimited Festivals in London and Glasgow. It is a paid opportunity, with travel expenses, living expenses and costs for access covered. Deadline for applications is Monday May 23.

ARN & iHeartRadio on the red nose

Commercial radio network ARN and its digital entertainment platform iHeartRadio partner with SIDS and Kids for Red Nose Day. They will give a cash donation and also bring awareness and funds for research, education and bereavement programs for sudden and unexpected deaths in infancy. iHeartRadio will set up two dedicated Red Nose Day stations for young listeners. The ARN promotions will be for schoolkids to host fundraising discos using its music.

City of Sydney scouting partner for Theatre Passport scheme

The City of Sydney is scouting a creative entrepreneur, organisation or consortium as a partner for its Theatre Passport scheme. Unsold tickets at theatre productions will be sold to high school children for a nominal fee. Based on the successful Adelaide program from the late 70s to the early 90s, which sold tickets for $5, the council’s cultural strategy division reckons it could help 11,000 and 20,000 students over the first 12 months. It would create a culture of supporting music and arts events, City of Sydney says.

Farmer & The Owl to announce new signing

Wollongong based record label Farmer & The Owl will announce its latest signing at a party at Sifters this Saturday (May 7). It was also be the last new roster addition for a time, the label says. Set up two years ago to promote local acts, it released music from Hockey Dad, Totally Unicorn, TEES and The Pinheads. The night will feature TEES and DJ sets from Hockey Dad and Webster Bros as well as the new signing which we’re told “burst made a huge impact in the back half of 2015 with a single that received plenty of Triple j and FBi play.”

Music For Nations expands into US

British heavy metal label Music For Nations is reactivated for the first time in ten years and will have a dedicated US presence via a team up with Sony Music Independent Network (SIN) in New York. First releases from next month will be Opeth and Paradise Lost catalogue titles. MFN discovered Metallica, Tool and Opeth.

Chihuahua Rock back for second year

The Chihuahua Rock concert in Melbourne returns for a second year with a $10 entry and raffle to raise money for Chihuahua Rescue Australia. It’s at Mr Boogie Man Bar on Saturday May 7 with Luke Laver (Falconio) Purroxide, MisSsta, Kill TV and Thrasher Jynx. Infowww.facebook.com/chihuahuarockaustralia

Selena Gomez joins Coca-Cola campaign

Coca-Cola fanatic Selena Gomez has joined the drinks brand’s new Share A Coke And A Song campaign northern summer campaign. Lyrics from two of her songs Love You Like A Love Song and Me & The Rhythm will be featured on cans and bottles of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Life alongside 70 new and classic songs. A Shazam tie-up provides profiles of each act and song.

NZ acts showcased on Air NZ TVC

Music from NZ acts Jupiter Project, Kings, General Lee and Baynk are showcased on a new Air NZ four-minute KiwiDaze TVC to “inspire young Kiwis to get out and explore their backyard”. It stars hunky online sensation Logan Dodds whose travel videos on social media has had 1 million views. He and a friend are seen skydiving, hiking, canyoning, bungee jumping and swimming with dolphins in NZ locations.

Roadrunner Records calls Code Orange

Roadrunner’s latest addition is Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based band Code Orange. Dave Rath, SVP of A&R at the label declared, “Now is the time for the next generation of heavy bands to take the torch and run with it. Code Orange is at the forefront of that generation, pushing the boundaries and changing perceptions of what heavy music will be for the future.”

MTV taps Scooter Braun for new show

As part of MTV’s return to music content, it has partnered with artist manager and entrepreneur Scooter Braun to develop a new show called Studio 24. A famous artist and mystery guest will be paired to create a new song in 24 hours.

In other changes, there will be a music documentary series called Year One looking through archival footage at the breakthrough year of a superstar. MTV is also bringing back Unplugged and its first live music series in 20 years.