New Signings & Team-Ups: Deutsch Duke added to Niche roster; will.i.am endorses WSJ; Nickelodeon debuts mobile service; Inertia representing LA’s Innovative Leisure

SFR offers Dallas Frasca multi-album deal

Hard rockin’ trio Dallas Frasca release their third album through a deal with Social Family Records. CEO Jake Challenor said, "When SFR's Marketing Manager Alli Hodge introduced us to Dallas Frasca's new material, it was love at first listen. Rock n’ Roll is part of our young DNA over here.”

The album Love Army is out on April 17 followed by a national tour booked through 123 Agency.

Deutsch Duke added to Niche roster

EDM/ R&B artist and producer Deustch Duke (pictured) is now booked through Niche Agency. Duke has worked with Elizabeth Rose, Gypsy and The Cat, Cassian, and most recently, Flight Facilities on their new album. He has a new single Battleground just released, following up debut single Feels Good which was instantly picked up by triple j.

300 signs Conrad Sewell

The Brisbane-born artist has joined Rich The Kid, ASTR, Young Thug and fellow Australian artist Panama on Lyor Cohen's 300 Entertainment roster.

This morning he was also announced as a special guest on Ed Sheeran’s sold-out national tour and unveiled his first single Hold Me Up.  The track, produced by Brian Lee (Lady Gaga, Icona Pop) and Louis Bell, will be available digitally from Friday 6 March.

APRA AMCOS, 4ZZZ, announces second Brisbane Live Music Week

APRA AMCOS and Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ hold the second Brisbane Live Music Week from Sunday March 22 to Saturday March 28. Last year’s initiative won a CBAA award. 4ZZZ will work with promoters, venues and artists on a series of shows focusing on local acts promoted through its BLMW website, a number of ‘BLMW Presents’ events, live to air performances on the station and online, and a seven day calendar available online, in-print and on-air for punters.

Nickelodeon debuts mobile service

Nickelodeon is creating new content and resurrecting old shows for a mobile subscription service aimed at preschoolers in America. Noggin, at US$6 a month, will have new games and activities as well as shows no longer screened on Nickelodeon’s TV channels.

Following the success of its SpongeBob movie (it grossed $140 million at last count), Nickelodeon is developing a musical based on the cartoon character for a potential run on Broadway. It’s still in pilot stage but Aerosmith have written a song for it, while David Bowie will contribute an old track.

Australia will screen NY’s Global Citizen Festival

The Global Citizen Festival, staged in New York’s Central Park on September 26, will be screened in Australia through a deal with BBC Worldwide. With Coldplay’s Chris Martin as Music Director, it will be screened live in Australia for six hours as well as a one-hour special by award-winning screenwriter, Richard Curtis. The festival launches the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a 15-year plan to end extreme poverty and fight climate change.

New Perth stadium team looking at other WA, national, venues

A new stand-alone company Perth Stadium Management consisting of West Australian Football Commission, Live Nation, Ticketmaster and US catering company Delaware North, was set up to run Perth’s Domain Stadium (previously Patersons Stadium) for three years. Now plans are to expand it to operate other venues in WA (bidding for the 2017-due, 60,000 capacity Perth Stadium) and the other states. Live Nation will use its international contacts to draw big name acts to the venues.

will.i.am endorses Wall Street Journal

Black Eyes Peas member and (former) The Voice Australian judge will.i.am stars in a new American TV, social media, outdoor and digital campaign for Rupert Murdoch’s business title The Wall Street Journal. Under the theme “make time”, the rapper says he doesn’t have time to read it but “People who don’t have time, make time to read The Wall Street Journal.”

Dot Dash/ Remote Control score Methyl Ethel

Dot Dash / Remote Control signed Perth trio Methyl Ethel, releasing their debut album Oh Inhuman Spectacle in May. First single Rogues was recorded over 24 hours in a doorless room of an old Fremantle shopfront. Formed in 2013 by singer/songwriter Jake Webb, they tour with San Cisco. Remote Control’s roster includes Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Teeth & Tongue, Sunbeam Sound Machine, Pearls, Client Liaison, Miami Horror, Klo and Velociraptor.

Geelong punks The Living Eyes score record deal

Geelong punk band The Living Eyes signed with Flightless and Remote Control Records, and release their second album Living Large this week. It was recorded over 1½ days with Owen Penglis (Straight Arrows) at Goliath Professional Recording Studio, finished off in various members’ bedrooms and then mixed by Mikey Young. Their first self-titled album came in 2013.

Mark Holden fronts Queen of the Desert ride for cancer charity

Blue September, the charity for men suffering cancer, announced the inaugural Queen of the Desert festival is hosted by its ambassador Mark Holden. The festival (April 1 to 4) is a 720km outback 4WD charity adventure along the Oodnadatta Track from Marree to Coober Pedy via William Creek, Oodnadatta and the Painted Desert.

The festival celebrates the films made in the South Australian outback. At each stop, Holden will talk about Blue September’s work. Further details to for entry, visit http://www.queenofthedesertfestival.com.au/.

After the trek, Holden heads to Adelaide where he will be inducted into the South Australian Hall of Fame.

Inertia representing LA’s Innovative Leisure

Inertia is representing Innovative Leisure for the Australian market. Innovative Leisure, based in Los Angeles, was set up three years ago with a roster ranging from punk to disco. This year’s schedule includes albums from BADBADNOTGOOD, Bass Drum of Death, Gossamer, Nick Waterhouse, Machinedrum, Nosaj Thing and Rhye.

Fiona Joy Hawkins in multi-media collaboration

Grammy-winning NSW-based composer and performer Fiona Joy Hawkins has teamed with video company The BIG Movie Company and artist Leanne Prussing for Signature Synchronicity. It is a Port Macquarie based collaboration of music, art and video in an art gallery installation. Recently signed with Blue Coast Records, a content partner with Sony, her next album Signature Solo comes out in April.

Car initiative for Mardi Gras

CarsGuide, Uber and GLBT charity the Aurora Group team for a Mardi Gras initiative to run until March 6. Three Mardi-Gras cars, dubbed MardiCars, provided by VW Sutherland and designed by Sydney illustrator Irene Fele, have been driving around Sydney giving lifts requested through the Uber app, for a $10 donation given to Aurora Group.

Nova trio ciders up for third year

Nova’s Kate, Tim & Marty national drive team up for a third year with Sydney-based 4 Pines Brewing Company to launch their latest InCider apple cider this week. The team up first started in May 2013 when 4 Pines got Tim Blackwell to select his fave ingredients to produce Tim’s Cherry Pie lager. It was so popular that Tim’s Summer Pie Beer followed.

The double F word: Fairfax and Ford

Fairfax Radio Network’s range of station apps are now available in Ford’s dashboard app enabler SYNC AppLink in certain model. Fairfax Radio is Ford’s exclusive commercial radio partner, allowing its customers with compatible smartphone apps to use the vehicle’s display screen, steering wheel-mounted buttons and voice control system to interact with mobile apps. Over 1 million Ford SYNC AppLink-enabled vehicles are sold worldwide.

FRN Technology Director Joe Sexton said, “The system gives our audience another way to connect and engage with our content easily, all without taking their eyes away from the road. It also extends the reach of our advertising partners and complements any in-app activity they have.”

Sonos strikes audio listening deal with Deezer

US wireless audio firm Sonos cut a 12-month deal with France’s Deezer to deliver high quality audio content to Sonos customers worldwide. The new Deezer Elite service streams content at 1,411 kilobits per second while Deezer’s standard service and most streaming services have a rate of 20kbps. The two brands introduced the service in a Sydney studio last week. Aside from Australia and New Zealand, Deezer Elite will roll out on March 19 in 178 countries in Europe, North and South America and Asia. A version of the service was introduced in the US last October. Deezer has 16 million monthly active users and 6 million paid subscribers. Its major demographics are 20-25 year-old tech-friendly males and 35+ male music consumers.