New Signings & Team-Ups: September 13
SONY MUSIC AUST PICKS UP LUPE FIASCO…
Sony Music Entertainment Australia has signed US MC Lupe Fiasco (pictured), marking the new partnership with new single Pick Up The Phone. It’s through http://smarturl.it/LupeFiPick.
Fiasco said, “I’m looking forward to collaborating with Sony Music Australia and connecting more with my international fans through this platform.”
Denis Handlin AM, Chairman & CEO Australia & New Zealand and President, Asia, Sony Music Entertainment, commented: “Lupe Fiasco is an extraordinarily talented artist who has established a brilliant connection with Australian audiences. We are delighted to be releasing his new single and forthcoming album and are looking forward to being a part of this exciting new era in his career.”
Aside from his many visits to Australia, another Aussie connection for the Chicago-based rapper are collaborations with Sony Music Australia artist Guy Sebastian. Their Battlescars sold a million in the US and in Australia topped the ARIA chart and went 9x Platinum. Another collaboration, Linger, in 2014, went Platinum in this country.
…AND GRANDADDY
Sony Music Entertainment Australia is releasing California band Grandaddy’s first music in ten years, the tracks Way We Won’t and Clear Your History. The band comes to SMEA via its pact with Danger Mouse’s 30th Century Records.
UMPG ADDS TRAVIS SCOTT
Recording artist and producer Travis Scott, whose album Birds In The Trap SingMcKnight entered the US charts at #1, has inked a worldwide publishing deal withGrand Hustle Publishing/Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), The deal covershis back catalogue and the new album. His new single has already picked up 29million Spotify streams.
Scott is also executive producing the long-rumoured Cruel Winter album, thesecond compilation for Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label.
Travis Scott and JodyGerson, UMPG Chairman and CEO
UNIVERSAL EUROPE EMBRACES MELBOURNE’S EVANGELINE
Melbourne dark-electro pop artist Evangeline is making waves in Europe, especially on the radio front, and attracted the attention of Universal Music affiliates there. Polydor France secured her licensing for the world, outside ANZ whee she is with Razor Recordings. She also has a worldwide (excluding ANZ) sub-publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing, France.
The act is currently in France for three weeks performing six radio-sponsored showcases, some before 10,000-strong crowds. Her second single My Kingdom, earlier received 3.5 million streams. Evangeline has charted in France on the Virgin Radio chart and getting major radio airplay including on the powerful NRJ.
EVOL WALKS INKS GLOBAL MANAGEMENT DEAL
Gold Coast five-piece, Evol Walks, have signed a worldwide management deal with Los Angeles based Managers, Rick Sales and Adam Mott of Rick Sales Entertainment. The band have spent the past twelve months touring up and down the American West Coast.
Evol Walks are currently in the recording studio working on new material for their upcoming EP due for release in early 2017.
ABC COMMERCIAL EXPANDS WIGGLES DEAL
A new multimillion-dollar five-year license deal gives ABC Commercial global distribution rights to The Wiggles’ entire back and future catalogue of music, television, audio books and video productions for the first time. It allows the ABC’s commercial division to distribute their product on all platforms, and negotiate with global broadcasters, including those in North America, for their TV series.
The Wiggles originally signed with ABC Commercial in 1991 for their self-titled first album on ABC Music. Since then, act and label have sold 8 million Wiggles DVDs and almost two million CDs in Australia. Globally the group has sold over 23 million DVDs, two million albums and eight million books.
SECOND SIGNING FOR GREYSCALE
Greyscale Records, launched this year by Destroy All Lines’ Ash Hull and radio’s Joshua Merriel with Sydney band Our Past Days, has added its second act. Graves, from Wollongong, drop their debut album Monster on October 21. First single Fear is a highly personal comment from singer Rhys Benn on feeling uncomfortable with his family because they consider him “the black sheep of my family, the failure.”
KANYE WEST INKS MORE ACTS
Kanye West brought in rapper Tyga to his label G.O.O.D. Music after his acrimonious departure from Cash Money Records, and Atlanta trio Migos (who’ve recorded some unreleased material with West) to his newly formed management division. Tyga is dating Kanye’s sister-in-law Kylie Jenner.
COOKING VINYL GETS LEWIS WATSON
Cooking Vinyl Australia will issue UK singer-songwriter Lewis Watson’s second album early next year. It’s part of a worldwide service deal signed with the UK office by Watson, who at 18 was signed to Warner Music and whose debut album The Morning was a UK Top 30 entry.
BARNES IN PLAYAIR CAMPAIGN
Jimmy Barnes is starring in The Song Room’s national PlayAir TV campaign, which runs until late October. It aims at driving funds to buy musical instruments for underprivileged kids. Three out of four children in Australia do not have access to specialist music education at school. It encourages people to spend $2 at JB Hi-Fi stores to “buy” an air guitar.
Barnes would have donated his time anyway. But more so in this case, as the ad was directed by daughter Mahalia Barnes for the Dept. of the Future agency.
BUSH REPPED BY ICM
British band Bush, fronted by Gavin Rossdale, are represented in all areas by ICM Partners, the Hollywood Reporter learned. The act has sold 20 million records in the US and Canada alone since its 1994 debut Sixteen Stone. Rossdale went to acting in films and TV, and is working on a new Bush record.
BRAT OUT OF HELL
Media company Bell Media and legendary Canadian concert and theatrical producer Michael Cohl are working together on a musical of Meat Loaf’s 50-million selling Bat Out Of Hell to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Cohl has previously produced musicals Spamalot, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark and Rock of Ages. American playwright and director Jay Scheib will direct.
FIRST SYNC FOR SAHARA BECK ALBUM
Queensland singer-songwriter Sahara Beck’s April-released Panacea (Create Control) has landed its first sync licensing. The track I’m In Love. Is being used in a Bradley Cooper-starring ad as US company General Mills tries to break its ice-cream brand Häagen-Dazs into the Australian market for the second time.
NOVA ENTERTAINMENT’S DAY AT THE RACES
NOVA Entertainment has partnered with the Melbourne Racing Club (MRC), its agency Vizeum and Crown Lager to deliver live music and entertainment as part of ticket entry to the 2016 BMW Caulfield Cup Carnival. The Preatures and British India perform on Ladbroke’s Guineas Day (Saturday October 8) while DJ Timmy Trumpet and DJ Minx are at the Crown Lager Live Stage on Cup Day (Saturday October 15).
NZ FIRM HELPS MAKE ROLAND’S DJ-808
Serato, the New Zealand company behind world-leading DJ software, collaborated with electric musical instrument manufacturer Roland to create the Roland’s first DJ controller, the four-channel DJ-808. Serato calls it “the most advanced piece of DJ hardware yet” and “redefines what it means to DJ” citing its built-in drum sequencing and vocal processing.
LIVE FROM MELBOURNE ON LONDON RADIO
London radio station WIZARD has picked up the weekly Live From Melbourne show to add to its international programming. Hosted by Serena Ryan and Bernadette Morley and produced by Yael Cohn with a regular segment from Molly Meldrum, the show covers the city’s new and established acts with unplugged live segments and interviews.
LIVE NATION JV TO RUN QATAR VENUES
A joint venture between Live Nation and Middle East-based media and entertainment company ELAN Group is to operate two arenas in Qatar. They will provide management, promo, and maintenance of the 15,300-capacity Lusail Multipurpose Arena in Lusail, and the 7,700-capacity Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Multipurpose Arena in Al Sadd after being appointed by the Qatar Ministry of Culture and Sports.
FUGA ADDS FOUR MORE CLIENTS
Digital music distribution and services company FUGA (which performs 2.5 million deliveries being performed every month to 275 digital service providers) has announced it’s brought on four more international clients. These include UK-based labels Fire Records and Earth Recordings (which was nominated for best small label in the recent AIM indie awards), V2 Benelux and leading Italian distributor Sounday.
V2 Benelux handles Butler Records (Anneke van Giersbergen, LAMB, Chris de Burgh) and Excelsior Recordings (Triggerfinger, Bewilder, Moss) and licences Mumford & Sons and Skunk Anansie for Benelux. Sounday, which represents 150 labels, including top Italian dance label Time Records (Hardwell, Alex Gaudino, Yolanda Be Cool).
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