New Signings & Team-Ups: February 7

US INDIE LABEL FOR BRITISH INDIA

After signing Dan Sultan and Tia Gostelow, New York indie label AntiFragile’s Tom Sarig was scouring online for more Australian acts to licence when he happened upon Melbourne-based triple j faves British India.

“Who said rock is dead?” he mused, when he hunted them down for a worldwide licensing deal.

The band’s Forgetting The Future will become their first international release.

DEADMAU5 DONATES TO TWITCH USER 

EDM star and avid Twitch user Deadmau5 donated $25,000 to a charity via a fundraising event held on the platform over the weekend. Twitch community playBATTLEGROUND hosted the livestream, and the DJs efforts didn’t go unnoticed. 

The charity, Extra Life, is heavily supported by gamers worldwide, and has raised $40 million since 2008 for sick and injured children.

BRITISH DJ/PRODUCER DUKE DUMONT AT KOBALT

British DJ, producer and remixer Duke Dumont (the stage name of Adam George Dyment) now has his publishing administration for future works with Kobalt Music. 

He’s had a series of UK chart-toppers as ‘Need U (100%)’ and ‘I Got You’ – which reached #40 and #17 in Australia respectively – and wrote and produced hits as Katy Perry’s ‘Swish Swish’, a Top 25 hit locally.

SOAPBOX AGENCY LIFTS OFF WITH APOLLO1

Sydney-based Soapbox Agency added Gold Coast-based Apollo1 to its roster of DJs and performers.

Apollo1 is made up of professional magician and TV personality Apollo Jackson and DJ/producer Untold, with the pair combining their DJ sets with visual magic and theatrics, including death-defying escapes and large-scale illusions.

Apollo Jackson, who already made a mark in Las Vegas as a magician and also a singer and multi-instrumentalist, was also a contestant on The Bachelorette last year, and will have a second chance at love on Bachelor In Paradise later this year.

BRIT AWARDS ON YOUTUBE 

YouTube will be streaming the Brit Awards for the fifth year outside the UK (where it is being broadcast on ITV), delivering the show to Europe, North and South America, as well as large parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Australia gets the February 21 ceremony through the UKTV channel on Foxtel, but no screening date has been announced.

SONY/ATV LANDS HIT COUNTRY WRITER 

Sony/ATV has landed US country music hit writer Luke Laird a worldwide deal. 

The prolific Laird has landed himself #1 on the US country charts 23 times, with recordings as Eric Church’s ‘Drink in My Hand’, ‘Downtown’ by Lady Antebellum and ‘Last Name’ by Carrie Underwood.

ALICE IVY JOINS THE LAST GANG 

Melbourne singer-songwriter Alice Ivy has released her debut album I’m Dreaming this week through Toronto-based Last Gang Records.

Both LGR and Ivy’s Australian label Dew Process will work together as she showcases at South By Southwest. 

LGR’s roster includes Metric, Purity Ring, MSTRKRFT, Chromeo and Crystal Castles.

WAM SONG SPONSORS INCREASE PRIZE

This year’s WAM song of the year has increased its prize pack to the value of $45,000 as more sponsors signed on. 

The complete list is:

Major Partner: APRA AMCOS

Associate Partners: City of Fremantle, Sorrento Strategic Music

Category Sponsors: Badlands Bar, Clancy’s Fremantle, Cool Perth Nights/Mojos Bar, Country Music Club of Boyup Brook, Freo Social Hall, Nannup Music Festival 

Grand Prize Sponsors: Debaser Studio, Audiofly, Comes With Fries, Cool Perth Nights, Diskbank, Firestarter Distribution, Happy Mag, Headphonic, Perfect Pitch Publishing, Rhubarb Records/XVinylX, RØDE Microphones, RTRFM, Spotify

Studio Sponsors: Artisan Music, Blackbird Sound Studio, Blondel Recording Studios, Crank Recording, Fremantle Recording Studios, Pavement Studios, Poons Head Studios, Shake Down Studio, Shanghai Twang Studios, Sonic Lolly, Soundbaker Studios, Sumo Sound Studios, Templeman Audio, Tone City Recording Studio, Underground Studios, Vision Studios

Deadline for entries is 5pm on Monday February 12.

BRUNO COLLABORATOR GETS OWN DEAL

Bruno Mars hitmaker and Grammy winner James Fauntleroy has signed his own writing deal with New York-based Reservoir Publishing.

Fauntleroy wrote Mars’ chart-topping ‘That’s What I Like’ (which picked up two Grammys last weekend) and new single ‘Finesse’ with Cardi B.

Altogether, Fauntleroy co-wrote eight of the nine tracks on 24K Magic, which took home Album of the Year. 

Fauntleroy recently had two co-writes on Justin Timberlake’s latest Man of the Woods album, including lead single ‘Filthy’.

TINDER TURNS RAINBOW FOR MARDI GRAS

Tinder has joined the list of sponsors of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (February 16 to March 3).

Its involvement includes a float in the parade, and an interactive space where seasoned and new Tinder users can register their experiences “and make meaningful matches throughout the carnival”.

TREMONTI DROPS IT AT NAPALM 

Never one to miss the opportunity for a brutal riff, Napalm Records will release the upcoming album A Dying Machine by the band Tremonti, fronted by guitarist and singer Mark Tremonti. 

Napalm also handles Tremonti’s other band Alter Ego.

CREATIVE VICTORIA GETS APAM TENDER

The Australia Council for the Arts awarded Creative Victoria the tender for the delivery of the 2020, 2022 and 2024 Australian Performing Arts Markets (APAM). 

APAM is Australia’s international performing arts market, bringing together Australian art with programmers from across Australia and around the world for more than 20 years.

It has showcased new and established talent, fostered new networks and collaborations, and been a critical driver for market and audience development of Australian performing arts. 

The existing delivery partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse concludes with APAM 2018.