New Signings & Team-Ups: October 5
NICHE WELCOMES DYLAN JOEL
Niche Entertainment’s latest addition to the roster is Melbourne born singer, songwriter and rapper Dylan Joel. His latest single Hollering Love follows the previous Done Witchu.
He says, “I believe that in a world full of so much hate, loving is the biggest act of rebellion.
“This song is inspired by the incredibly talented, kind, loving and fly AF friends that I have, making this movement of love real.”
The track’s video director Grey Ghost explains: “At a time full of paranoia, particularly about gangs and what is deemed as suspicious activity, I loved the concept of a clique that seem to be up to no good, but are in fact planning an act of love.
“The truth is this world has more people wanting to do good than wanting to inflict harm.”
JIMMY BARNES DOCO DRAWS FOR 7
The October 1 screening of Jimmy Barnes’ Working Class Boy documentary drew an overnight metro of 733,000 viewers, and 1,146,000 regional and metro.
Less than 24 hours of its screening, there were six Barnes and three Cold Chisel titles in the iTunes Top 200.
RESIST FINDS JACOB’S PASSION
Sydney hardcore and punk Resist Records is on November 2 releasing Show Me Some Passion the second album from emo band Jacob.
Its members are divided between Newcastle and Wollongong, with the record made at Newcastle’s Woodriver Studios.
Jacob was formed in 2013 by singer Ruairi Burns and guitarist Andrew Jago after their respective bands How To Survive A Bull Fight and None But The Brave toured together.
APPLE JOINS THE MINISTRY
Apple Music has begun hosting Ministry Of Sound-branded global playlists.
It’s an effective way to translate Ministry of Sound’s highly successful EDM compilations into the streaming world, Music Business Worldwide stated.
According to ChartMetric, Apple’s biggest EDM playlists include Relaxed/Remixed, The A List: Dance and The A-List: Electronic which are all curated internally.
OCEAN ALLEY RAISE MONEY FOR CEREBRAL PALSY
Sydney Northern Beaches psych-rockers Ocean Alley are up with Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) later this month, raising money for the initiative through ticket sales from both sold-out Sydney shows.
They also set up a platform for friends and fans to donate online, you can find it here.
The news comes with the announcement of local supports for all dates of their upcoming regional run, which has sold out six of eight dates and recently expanded with a performance in Byron Bay.
Cerebral palsy is caused by injury to the developing brain, and is the most common physical disability in childhood. In Australia, one in every 500 babies is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a lifelong disability that affects movement and muscle control.
Ocean Alley will donate $2 per ticket from both Sydney shows, with Coopers Brewery, UNIFIED Music Group, 123 Agency and Wrangler Australia throwing their support behind the initiative – collectively raising over $20,000 for CPA.
The band has a longstanding association with Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s Twenty/20 Challenge event, which raises funds for essential equipment for children, and hopes that with the increased awareness over these two shows, public support will take their contribution to even greater heights.
LA REID’S HITCO INTO MUSIC TV
L.A. Reid and Charles Goldstruck’s Hitco Entertainment is working on a number of new music-related programming., in a partnership with Pilgrim Media Group.
One of them will be a documentary on Atlanta’s R&B and hip hop scenes.
Another, Take the Lead, is a music competition show.
Pilgrim was set up by television producer Craig Piligian, and produced shows as Ghost Hunters, American Chopper, and The Ultimate Fighter.
KORN KOFFEE
KoRn launched their own coffee brand Korn Koffee, which blends Ethiopian, Guatemalan, and Peruvian beans via its partnership with J Gursey Coffee.
Guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer said: “The Korn Koffee idea pretty much came up because we drink so much coffee on the road when we’re touring it’s good to have something to really kick you in the pants in the morning.”
MANAGEMENT FOR CULTURE CLUB
Nixxi Entertainment founder Paul Kemsley who looks after Boy George, is now also managing Culture Club.
After tours through Australia, Culture Club’s dates in the US with The B-52s are selling strongly, Kemsley says.
Since he took over George’s career, he’s also pushed him onto TV work with cameos on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and The Voice Australia.
IMBI THE GIRL SELECTS AGENCY
After a buzz showcase at BIGSOUND, Sydney poetic hip-hop, soul and R&B artist imbi the girl has assigned booking to Select Music.
After exploding onto the scene in 2017, the non-binary singer’s signing comes on the heels of a national tour with Listen Out festival and the recent release of their debut EP – For Me.
“I am over the moon to be a part of team imbi the girl,” Select Music agent Casey O’Shaughnessy says.
“I have been a fan for a long time, and look forward to working on a long and exciting career with them.”
MELBOURNE’S MILD MINDS AT FOREIGN FAMILY
ODESZA added another Australian act to its Foreign Family Collective.
Joining Rüfüs Du Sol and Golden Features on the label (distributed here via Inertia Music) is Los Angeles-based Melbourne producer Mild Minds aka Benjamin David.
His debut SWIM EP focuses on lo-fi house and synth work.
Benjamin David began creating electronic music at the young age of 13.
He soon found himself part of Australian and international projects.
SWIM was written, explored, and created between Californian landmarks Joshua Tree and Lake Arrowhead.
He states, “I wanted to do something that was completely ‘me’ in that moment.
“After being used to working with songs that had elaborate visions over long periods of time, it was nice to make music simply as it came out.
“Without overthinking it, without pausing or questioning the process like I was used to”.
A full length album is out In 2019.
KOBALT’S AWAL INKS KEVIN GARRETT
AWAL, Kolbalt Music’s recording company, finalised a global deal with songwriter Kevin Garrett, who was notably nominated for a Grammy for co-writing and producing Pray You Catch Me from Beyoncé’s Lemonade,
Garrett, received critical acclaim for debut EP, Mellow Drama, from 2015.
The AWAL deal is multi-service but his publishing remains with Jay-Z’s ROCNATION.
THREE AMBASSADORS FOR ADELAIDE FRINGE
The 2019 Adelaide Fringe has appointed as its ambassadors’ comedian Judith Lucy, Adelaide cabaret act Hans the Boy Wonder of Berlin (who recently increased his profile as a finalist of America’s Got Talent) and footballer turned visual artist Gavin Wanganeen
Adelaide Fringe director and CEO Heather Croall said,
“Audiences have long loved these three Australian stars and we are so grateful that they are going to help us spread the word and encourage more people to join us on the wild and wonderful Adelaide Fringe ride!”.
PANDORA & SOUNDCLOUD TEAM UP IN US
In a move to rival Spotify, SoundCloud will from next year start using Pandora as its US advertising and sales representative.
Their combined ad audience is more than 100 million, which they claim makes them the largest digital audio advertising marketplace in the US.
SONG KEEPERS ON DVD
The remarkable 2017 Northern Territory documentary film The Song Keepers celebrates its release on DVD with a launch today (Friday, October 5) at Darwin’s Provenance Arts, located at 55 Stuart Highway in Stuart Park.
Indian-born Darwin-based director Naina Sen will talk about the four-year making of the movie, about the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir.
They sing baroque German hymns first brought to the Red Centre by Lutheran missionaries in the 19th century then translated into Pitjantjatjara and Arrarnta by the local Aboriginal communities.
The film also follows them on a tour through Germany.
TWEEDY EXTENDS PUBLISHING WITH BMG
Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy extended his six-year-old publishing deal with BMG to include his entire ten album-strong catalogue.
Tweedy was originally with Bug Music, which was acquired by BMG in 2011.
Yù Yī AT NEW WORLD
Yù Yī, the mysterious producer who landed a triple j Unearthed spot at Brisbane’s upcoming Listen Out festival, joined the New World Artists roster.
According to the release, Yù Yī is the story of a little astronaut who goes by the name of Mister Hugo, embarking on a quest tackling some of planet Earth’s biggest obstacles.
“Earlier this year we jumped onboard the spaceman’s vibrant adventure with his new friend Ellen in Peaches where we were first introduced to his forthcoming debut LP FRÖÖTI.
“Now hold onto your helmets and buckle into your spacesuits for the next cosmic ride beyond your dreams, through the weird and wacky world of the Yù Yī galaxy with shining new release Jello.
Jelo features New Jersey-based producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist, Jack The Tyrant aka Jackdylan
HUSKY NAMED MULLUM MUSIC PATRONS
Gideon Preiss and Husky Gawenda of Melbourne psychedelic folk band Husky are new patrons of regional NSW’s Mullum Music (November 15—18).
Following in the footsteps of previous patrons Mama Kin, Harry James Angus and Suzannah Espie, the two will bring something special to the festival.
As well as performing as Husky, the two incredibly talented musicians will also lead and perform in a host of other projects at the festival.
Preiss, a trained pianist, will program (and perform at) the Piano Bar – one of the 12 festival venues.
He will perform with many of the artists at the festival, many who’ve never played with each other before.
Gideon will also perform with Lachlan Mitchell’s improvisational project Uncomfortable Science and Melbourne blues performer Tracy Miller, as she presents her brand new show 45 Packin’ Mama, a tribute to the great women of blues.
Gawenda will debut a new project, playing two intimate shows at the Drill Hall venue.
He will play songs that no one has heard and have not yet been recorded (except on his phone).
They are songs he has been writing and quietly tinkering with over the last 12 months and will be played for the first and possibly only time at Mullum.
Both Husky and Gideon will also act as mentors to young emerging artists via the festival’s long-running Youth Mentorship Program and, of course, lead the annual street parade.
WARNER CHAPPELL TAKES IN ROY STRIDE
Warner/Chappell’s new global signing Roy Stride is described as “one of the top British pop songwriters.”
Stride is a musician, producer, songwriter and frontman of Scouting For Girls.
He has also written and produced for Luke Friend, Union J, 5 Seconds Of Summer, The Vamps, McBusted and One Direction.
His combined worldwide single and album sales are over 15 million and he has been credited on three US No.1 albums and three UK No.1 albums, as well as over 400 million streams.
ULTRA LEAVING MIAMI
The now global Ultra festival is losing its original home at Bayfront Park in Miami. It lost its bid to extend its stay for a further five years,
Some in the local council were swayed by complaints by older residents about the “relentless noise”.