Kiwi Stadium Rockers Six60 Launch Massive Records With Sony Music
New Zealand’s stadium kings Six60 are throwing their considerable muscle behind a new label, Massive Records.
Announced today (Dec. 9), Massive Records is a joint venture between the rockers and Sony Music New Zealand, and is said to be a passion project and “labour of love” for the bandmates.
The first signings are Coterie, HINA and Spencer Coyle.
“We’re stoked to finally announce Massive Records, a label run by artists for artists in the modern world,” says Six60 frontman Matiu Walters.
“Twelve years ago, we created our own label out of necessity, which allowed us to share our music with the world and gave us years of experience controlling every aspect of our journey,” he continues.
“We have always desired to share that knowledge and use our position to help the next generation of artists and that’s why we’ve launched Massive Records. We love music, and we love seeing artists’ dreams come true.”
To celebrate the new deal, Coterie, a signing led by Six60’s Marlon Gerbes, today releases its self-titled album.
Spanning 13-tracks recorded on both sides of the Tasman, Coterie includes the soulful Six60 collaboration “Always Beside You,” along with the previously-released singles “Déjà vu” and “Shame”.
“Each member of Six60 brings their own unique musical taste and flavour to the label,” reads an official statement, issued by Sony Music NZ, with a chief mission for “fostering and nurturing musical talent in Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Six60 will oversee and drive the label’s A&R, recordings and its various projects, and is operated from Six60’s Auckland studio.
Label manager Aroha Rerekura handles its day-to-day, liaising with the team at Sony Music New Zealand to manage the promotion and marketing of its releases.
“Each member of Six60 brings their unique flavour to the label and you’ll see this in the diversity of the roster’s sound,” the statement continues.
Massive is an appropriate name for anything involving Six60.
Last year, as the rest of the world was stuck in lockdown, the Kiwi band was playing stadiums around their homeland.
Indeed, the rock faves were the biggest touring act on the planet in 2021, when, across seven shows, the band grossed US$13.7 million and sold 168,761 tickets across seven shows in New Zealand in 2021, according to Billboard Boxscore.
“Every month we have a sit-down and try to figure out how to do something really big, to make a difference,” Walters told this reporter. “We’re continually trying to challenge ourselves.”
Vanessa Picken, chair & CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Australia & New Zealand, welcomes the band to the “Sony family.”
Six60 “share our ethos when it comes to finding and developing new artists and the pathway to success,” she comments. “Fostering and amplifying talent is at the core of what we do, and I cannot wait to see our partnership flourish.”