New Signings & Team-Ups: Ruel x UMPG, JAY-Z x Puma and more
Photo: UPMG’s Arwen Curson, Ruel, Nora Wever & Andrew Jenkins
UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING GOES GLOBAL WITH SYDNEY’S RUEL
Universal Music Publishing has signed emerging Sydney-based Ruel to a global deal.
Ruel is a protégé of Melbourne producer M-Phazes, with whom he made his live radio debut earlier this year, on triple j’s Like A Version – at 14, Ruel was the youngest performer in the segment’s history.
They both performed their collab ’Golden Years’ and a cover of Jack Garratt’s ’Weathered’, which gathered half a million views in less than 48 hours.
Ruel has just dropped debut solo single ’Don’t Tell Me’, a slick slab of pop-soul, which he wrote aged 12 with M-Phazes and songwriter Thief.
“This is a very special signing for us,” said Arwen Curson, Vice President of Creative, UMPG Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s an honour not only to welcome Ruel into our family, but to feel warmly welcomed into his.
“Ruel is an incredibly talented young writer and artist with a long and successful career ahead of him.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be part of the team that will help him achieve those, what we believe to be, inevitable goals on a world stage.”
Added Nora Wever, UMPG Australia’s A&R Manager, “I’ve known Ruel for a few years now and it’s been incredible watching him grow as a performer as well an excellent songwriter – skills that will only keep developing – and we’re thrilled to be a part of that journey!”
JAY-Z SLIPS ON PUMA FOR 4.44 TOUR, PROJECTS
Puma is tying its laces up with JAY-Z, entering a partnership to work with him on a number of (unspecified) collaborative projects as well as his upcoming 4:44 US tour.
“More details will be shared at the appropriate time,” the footwear brand stated.
Puma, which is owned by French fashion house Kering, is one of the few growing labels while other footwear companies are declining.
Sales rose 16.3% to 968.7 million euros (A$1.41 billion) in Q2, while EBIT positively leaped 265% year-over-year to 43.9 million euros ($63.9 million).
It is also endorsed by Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Ariana Grande and Big Sean.
Rihanna, who began working with them two years ago, has found great success with her Fenty Puma by Rihannaline.
KINGDOM SOUNDS SIGN TWO MORE VENUES
Sydney venue booking and event management agency Kingdom Sounds has extended its roster to include HOME The Venue, overlooking the Darling Harbour waterfront, and the Crescent Amphitheatre in Parramatta.
The multi-level HOME The Venue has been part of Sydney nightlife for 19 years and currently run by Sophie and Susannah Page. Kingdom Sound founder Steve Sewell says its location, brand name and versatile layout makes it “a booking agent’s dream venue”.
A natural amphitheatre on the Parramatta River, The Crescent holds up to 18,000 patrons, with the recent $6 million addition of a 2,485 m2 stage platform, that allows 160 degree viewing for up to 1,000 additional patrons. It’s the home of the MOFO festival.
“The new bookers have an eye to potentially create a summer sunset session series, where attendees can picnic on the lush grassy grounds while enjoying major contemporary music headliners.”
Aside from Sewell, who founded Kingdom in 2010, the team includes Matt Wise, Skylar Kyu and Heather Bergan.
NEW AGENT FOR CODY SIMPSON
West Hollywood-based Gold Coast singer-songwriter Cody Simpson is now represented globally for bookings by ICM Partners.
Simpson is working on his fourth album and struck success Stateside since he moved over there. His 2013 album Surfers Paradise debuted at #10 and track ’Home To Mama’, a collaboration with Justin Bieber, generated 100 million streams.
He is also the United Nations Development Program’s first ocean ambassador.
PREMIER ARTISTS ENTER VOIID
After recent signings of punk acts CLOWNS, Amyl & The Sniffers, Private Function and Pagan, Premier Artists agency now also represents Brisbane all-female Voiid to its roster.
Their thrash garage punk is “guaranteed to make your face melt and your boyfriend cry.”
Premieralso recently signed Davey Lane.
LARSSON LATEST IN NOVA RED ROOM
The next act to feature in NOVA Entertainment’s NAB-sponsored Red Room is Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson,who does a show in Sydney on July 27.
She’s also performing at iHeart Radio Live the next day.
CHRYSALIS ENTERS GLOBAL PACT WITH EBTG
Chrysalis Records told Music Week it has entered a global licensing deal with British band Everything But The Girl. It will distribute and promote their first eight albums after acquiring band member Ben Watts’ Buzzin’ Fly Records–a result of Warner Music’s divestment of its indie labels.
TWO MORE SCA PODCASTS
As part of Southern Cross Austereo’s deal with PodcastOne, the broadcaster has launched two new podcasts.
A Plate to Call Home with chef and Masterchef host Gary Mehigan covers food, while Sex and Life with relationship expert Dr Nikki Goldstein is about…well, take a wild guess.
CLASSICAL CROSSOVER ON MGM
Sydney-based independent distributor and label MGM is tapping the Australian classical crossover music market.
It is on September 1 issuing an album Flying Free featuring soprano Tania de Jong AM with composer and pianist Anthony Barnhill.
Guest artists including Zoe Black (violinist), Jonathan Morton (baritone) and orchestra performing original singles ’Flying Free’ and ’The Everlasting Light’ and classical catalogue hits.
SONY MUSIC FINDS VR
Sony Music is the latest to strike a licensing agreement with virtual reality startup MelodyVR.
MelodyVR will produce and distribute VR content by Sony’s roster of artists for its upcoming app, which will allow it to expand its subscriber numbers. The content will be initially available to MelodyVR before general release.
MelodyVR recently announced a global partnership with Microsoft that accesses its content to500 million Windows 10 consumers and currently negotiating with Facebook, Google, HTC and Sony PlayStation.
SIOUX ME SIOUX YOU BLUES
Universal Music Group’s latest roster addition is Sioux City, a team up between Colombian/Uruguayan singer Caterina Torres and UK producer James Ash.
Marketed as “music that is proudly multicultural pop without borders and refreshingly, without rules”, the first release in Australia is the single ’Until The Sun Go’.
The band name came after they finished the album, and Ash rang Torres who was on a road trip to ask her to come up with a name for the band. Sioux City was the first name on the next road sign.
CYN CATCHES PERRY’S EAR
CYN, the latest addition to Katy Perry’s Unsub Records, was born Cynthia Nabozny in Detroit. In 2011, after attending Perry’s California Dreams Tour, she got in touch with opening act DJ Skeet Skeet to listen to her demos.
He dug her voice and brought her to LA. The music reached Perry who invited her to her home to play her originals on her piano.
CREPES FINALISE DEAL
Melbourne garage pop band Crepes announced on social media that they’ve signed to Spunk Records, and are releasing their debut album Channel Four.
SEVENDUST ON RISE
US heavy metal mainstays Sevendust are now in the company of Five Finger Death Punch, Of Mice & Men, Silverstein and PVRIS after joining the roster of Rise Records. The first release under the deal is their 12th album.
BIEBER DJ TO SPRUIK APP
DJ Tay James, who’s been with Justin Bieber since he started his career, has signed on as Global Ambassador for the world’s best-selling DJ app, djay Pro.
The app, by the firm Algoriddim, makes it easy for someone with its software to DJ, and James will represent their various apps to show how DJs can work on all devices. “I am really excited to … inspire more people to be able to find their beat through DJing,” he said.
ARN, AFTRS OPEN DOORS
A new internship program will see the top-performing AFTRS students gain hands-on radio experience at Australian Radio Network’s KIIS 106.5 Sydney. They’ll pick up tips on aspects including producing, digital content and panelling.
FOXTEL NOW GOES TO PLAYSTATION 4
Foxtel’s streaming app Foxtel Now is now accessed by owners of PS4 and PS4 Pro – just in time for the new season of Game of Thrones.
It wasn’t all fun: Foxtel had to blubber apologies to all its subscribers on Monday night.Its Identity Management System (IDM) had to take a Valium and have a lie-down after its usual daily 5000 transactions took a pole vault to 70,000 transactions in a few hours, leaving thousands of GoT fans stuck with onscreenerror messages instead of the season premiere.
CASH MONEY SIGNS LAMBORGHINI HEIRESS
US urban label Cash Money’s latest signing is Elettra Lamborghini, the 22-year-old heiress of the Lamborghini fortune. With 42 piercings and 15 floating diamonds studded all over her body, Lamborghini has created a wild child image through appearances on MTV’s Latin-skewed Super Shore show, which helped her make an impact in southern Europe and Latin America.
Now, after a meeting with Cash Money label head Birdman, he’s produced her record and she’s heading to make a mark in America.