Warner Music signs deal with Matt Corby’s Rainbow Valley Records
Australian artist Matt Corby has launched a new record label which will unearth and showcase the best emerging Australian musicians.
The label, known as Rainbow Valley Records, has already signed a deal with Warner Music Australia (WMA), marking the first JV for new president of WMA and former ARIA CEO, Dan Rosen.
Corby conceived the new label with longtime producer, writer and collaborator, Alex Henriksson. It will sign artists across multiple genres, from diverse backgrounds.
Corby first came to prominence in 2007 when, at 16, he finished runner-up on Australian Idol. He began releasing independent music in 2009. His EP Into the Flame, released in 2011 via Communion, peaked at #3 in Australia, while his 2016 album Telluric via Universal Music Australia reached #1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and 2018’s Rainbow Valley hit #4. His iconic ‘Brother’ came in at #3 in triple j’s Hottest 100 in 2011.
He said he’s now excited to be stepping into a different role in the music industry and to assist new and established acts from the perspective on of an artist.
“I’ve learned a lot over the last decade and am looking forward to bringing my knowledge and experience to the table for this new company. I’m excited to share the music we have already been a part of and will continue to foster with a diverse crew of people, hopefully, for years to come,” he said.
Henriksson added: “I am excited to start working alongside this amazing team curating and facilitating a range of super special artists from our country and around the world. This is an opportunity I could only dream about and to see it coming to life makes me truly grateful.”
Rosen, meanwhile, said it was a new era for WMA.
“I am thrilled to welcome Matt Corby and Alex Henriksson into the Warner Music Australia family. It is a new era for WMA, and Rainbow Valley Records is emblematic of what will stand for as a company – putting great music and brilliant creativity at the heart of everything we do. I cannot wait to start working with Alex and Matt and bringing the artists and music from Rainbow Valley to Australia and the world.”
SVP of Australian artists and A&R at WMA, Paul Harris, added: “After years of talking to Matt and Alex about music, I’ve always been blown away by their insight, and natural gut instinct for what an artist and song really needs. I can’t think of more capable hands to be putting an artist’s vision in. They just get it. I’m so excited to be working on this new venture with the two of them, and the incredible artists that we’re soon going to be bringing to the world through RVR.”