UNIFIED Artist Management Signs Josh Pyke (EXCLUSIVE)

Josh Pyke’s career will now be guided by UNIFIED Artist Management, The Music Network can exclusively reveal.

The veteran Sydney singer and songwriter strikes a partnership with UNIFIED Artist Management’s Sarah McMillan, with new music and another children’s book said to be in the pipeline.

Set to be announced today (April 19), the new alliance marks an end to Pyke’s two-decade management spell with Wonderlick and its co-director Gregg Donovan. 

Pyke joined Wonderlick in the same year of its inception in 2007, with Donovan managing the artist since 2003. Sources say the split was amicable. 

Pyke is “an incredibly talented artist, revered both domestically and internationally,” comments McMillan in a statement announcing the new management deal.

“We are honoured to be working with him at this stage of his career and looking forward to taking him to new heights here at UNIFIED Music Group. I personally have been a big fan of Josh right from Memories & Dust days so I feel very lucky to get this opportunity to work with him.”

Those Memories & Dust days are 15 years ago. Pyke released his debut album back in 2007, and has since won four ARIA Awards, an APRA Music Award, and impacted the ARIA Albums Chart Top 50 with eight titles, including a top 20 debut for his seventh and most recent studio album, 2022’s To Find Happiness.

Also, nine of his songs have impacted triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown.

“I am looking forward to learning from such a successful musician, songwriter, producer, author and all-round lovely human being,” adds McMillan. “The future is bright!”

UNIFIED Artist Management, part of Melbourne-based UNIFIED Music Group, has a roster featuring Dan Sultan, Boy & Bear, Client Liaison, Dashboard Confessional, Jack River, Mo’Ju, Short Stack, Shihad and more.

At the same time, Pyke announces the final Josh Pyke Partnership, the winner of which will receive a $7,500 grant plus mentorship from the artist, and career-exploration meetings with UNIFIED’s McMillan and Select Music’s CEO and booking agent Stephen Wade.

Launched in 2014 in conjunction with APRA AMCOS, the Josh Pyke Partnership offers an unsigned musician a leg up with their career. Past winners include Alex Lahey, Angie McMahon and Gordi, who collaborated on the To Find Happiness track “Hummingbird.”

Entries for the 2023 prize open from April 19 through June 21, 2023.

To be eligible, entrants must not sign a contract with a recording or publishing company, and submissions must include a brief business plan, and a SoundCloud link to a maximum of two songs. The winner will be announced July 5.

Creating the JP Partnership “has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever worked on,” Pyke says in a statement.

After seven years though, he continues, “it’s time to announce the final JP Partnership. I want to acknowledge the input and generosity of Wonderlick and Select, who have been pivotal to the mentorship element, and welcome Sarah and UNIFIED into the fold for the final endeavour. I can’t wait to dig into the entries for the final round, there are always incredible musicians to discover.”

Pyke is currently writing music for ABC’s dedicated 24/7 radio station and on-demand app ABC Kids Listen, reps say, and he’s working on another children’s book, set to be released in September.

But before that, he’ll hit the road for a string of live shows include Salt Festival in South Australia on April 29, Banana Festival in New South Wales on May 6, and as support for The Waifs’ 20th anniversary Up All Night tour dates in NSW and the ACT this July.