DEALS
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Play It Again Sam has announced a deal with Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds to release the band’s new album ‘Wild God’ under a worldwide licensing agreement. “I have been a massive fan of Nick Cave since the early days of Play It Again Sam when we were importing his Birthday Party albums and it is the realisation of a long held dream to partner with one of my all-time musical heroes”, says Kenny Gates, founder and CEO of parent company [PIAS]. New single ‘Wild God’ is out now.
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BMG has acquired the catalogue of German record label Coconut Music, which includes the recorded music rights of Haddaway. BMG previously acquired Haddway’s recording royalties in 2022. “We are delighted to become custodians of Coconut’s 2500 track catalogue and especially [Haddaway’s 1993 hit] ‘What Is Love’”, says BMG EVP Repertoire & Marketing Continental Europe Maximilian Kolb. “It is one of the most influential tracks in the whole Europop movement and - as seen in David Guetta’s successful homage last year - it still very much resonates with music fans today. We look forward to ensuring its place in music history”.
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Warner Chappell has signed AntsLive to a worldwide publishing deal “I’m grateful to be kicking off the year by joining the Warner Chappell roster”, he says. “They all get my vision, so I know we’ll get the best out of each other as we create new projects together this year”.
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Wise Music Group’s new Icelandic office has signed composer Högni Egilsson to a worldwide publishing deal. "Wise Music, with their broad perspective and rich experience, stands at the crossroads of tradition and innovation”, he says. “As artistry lies not just in composition, but in the integrity of its presentation, I am deeply grateful to be working with Wise as my new publishing partner”.
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Communion Records has signed Esme Emerson - aka sibling duo Esme and Emerson Lee-Scott. Their first release for the label is new single ‘Please’, with a full EP due later in the year. “‘Please’ is about young, queer love”, says Esme. “It’s about all the tentative moments and shame that comes with something so confusing yet simple. It’s about feeling unsure and wrong, angry and gentle. It’s about such a pure and sweet emotion, but how that feeling can sit so sickly and rotten in your gut”.
APPOINTMENTS
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UK songwriter organisation The Ivors Academy has appointed Roberto Neri as its new Chief Executive Officer. He’s had a long career in music rights with Downtown, Utopia and most recently Believe. “I am deeply honoured and humbled to step into the role of CEO of The Ivors Academy”, he says. “It is a dream job to fervently advocate for and represent songwriters and composers, who I have been fortunate enough to represent for over two decades globally. I believe now, more than ever, is the pivotal moment to ensure music creators’ interests are protected, championed, valued and recognised for their central and indispensable role in the success of the entire music business”.
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Native Music has hired Sophie Faricy as Executive Producer / Music Supervisor. She joins from Cavendish Music. “I am beyond THRILLED to transition into the realm of commercial music supervision and to be joining such a warm, creative and hugely respected team”, she says. “Renowned across the industry for their total ease of doing business without ego, I’m looking forward to contributing fresh energy to the company and expanding the client base, whilst uncovering new opportunities for Native”.
LIVE BUSINESS
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The music industry has responded to the latest budget statement from the UK government, which was delivered by Chancellor Of The Exchequer Jeremy Hunt yesterday. There was one positive in the budget, the extension of orchestra tax relief. However, the big ask from the live sector - a cut in the VAT charged on tickets - was ignored, meaning the industry’s response has mainly been negative. There also remain calls from some parts of the industry for other tax relief schemes to benefit the wider music community. Read the various responses here.
ROYALTIES
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JKBX, the new music rights investment platform headed up by The Orchard founder Scott Cohen, has formally launched having got approval from the US Securities & Exchange Commission. It soft launched last year. The platform allows anyone to buy shares in music royalties from songs recorded by artists including Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, OneRepublic, and more. "I love the idea that music fans will be able to participate in the success of some of music's greatest hits, alongside artists, writers and producers”, says OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. "JKBX has done the hard work to make this possible in a safe and secure way, and I’m so excited for the fans as they get access to this part of the industry”.
ARTIST NEWS
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Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has been selected as the Labour candidate for Mid Sussex. "We think Dave will be an excellent and a very successful candidate”, said a spokesperson for the Mid Sussex Labour Party. He will stand to become an MP at the upcoming General Election in the currently Conservative-held seat.
GIGS & FESTIVALS
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Girl In Red has announced UK shows later this year, including a performance at Wembley Arena in London on 3 Sep. Tickets go on general sale on 15 Mar.
RELEASES
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Mura Masa has released new single ‘Still’.
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Alice Ivy and Låpsley have teamed up for new single ‘Popstar’, released to coincide with tomorrow’s International Women’s Day.
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King Hannah will release their second album ‘Big Swimmer’ on 31 May. The title track, which features Sharon Van Etten, is out now. They are also set to play Rich Mix in London on 25 Sep.
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Mal Not Bad has released new single ‘No Worries’. The track is taken from her debut album 'This Is Your New Life', which is due out later this year.
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Breed 77 are back - having gone on hiatus in 2015 - with new single ‘End Of the Line’. They’ve also announced UK tour dates in May.