ONE MOVEMENT FOR MUSIC PERTH UNVEILED
One Movement for Music Perth (OMFM) has been formally unveiled today and is positioned as the most important music industry event in the Southern Hemisphere. A pioneering music industry conference and showcasing event, OMFM will also feature the MUSEXPO Asia Pacific executive conference. OMFM and MUSEXPO Asia Pacific have announced the first round of speakers and artists for this groundbreaking event to be held October 16-18, 2009 in Perth, Australia. OMFM is a must-attend for those looking to do business in the Asia Pacific region, as well as experiencing some of the region’s (and world’s) top music talent.
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Diane Warren
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Music industry luminaries such as Diane Warren (international hit-maker extraordinaire) and Dave Holmes (Coldplay’s worldwide manager and founder of 3D Artist Management) will be making their way to Perth, Australia for their first-ever major speaking engagements in the Asia Pacific region. Joining them will be the likes of Seymour Stein (co-founder of Sire and Vice President at Warner Bros. Records), Barry Dickins (founding partner of the UK’s International Talent Booking), Atul Churamani (VP A&R, Publishing & New Media for Indian music giant Saregama), Ruuben van den Heuvel (Head of Asia Pacific Digital Music Retail, Nokia), Neil Thompson (Deputy Managing Director for Thailand’s leading entertainment conglomerate BEC-TERO), Jason Sausto (President of Technology, Onkyo, China), Colleen Ironside (Sr. Vice President of Pan Asia Booking, Live Nation), Mandar Thakur (General Manager, Soundbuzz, India), Colleen Zulian (President & Chairman, Asia Sounds Pty, Ltd), Tom Windish (Founder, The Windish Agency, USA) and Molly Meldrum, Australia’s most celebrated music industry commentator who makes his conference debut. Many other leading influencers from throughout Asia Pacific and the world will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
As well as the above firsts, Hilltop Hoods will be dropping sounds from their brand-new No.1 album, MySpace’s multiple-million hit sensation Meiko will be making her Asia Pacific debut and Little Red, Scribe and Old Man River will be premiering new material from their upcoming albums.
Event partners David Chitty (Sunset Events), Michael Chugg (Chugg Entertainment) and Sat Bisla (A&R Worldwide) agree that the caliber of both speakers and artists has proved beyond their expectations. The worldwide enthusiasm for a dedicated music industry conference and showcase festival such as OMFM in the Asia Pacific region has allowed the event to secure many of the industry’s leading professionals in their respective fields, as well as the finest up-and-coming export-ready musical talent from Australia and across the globe, with many more speakers and artists to be announced in the months ahead.
Western Australian Minister for Tourism the Hon Dr Elizabeth Constable said OMFM will generate important discussions amongst key stakeholders of the international music industry at a world-class music industry conference held in Perth. “With the announcement of some of the world’s most influential music industry leaders such as songwriter Diane Warren and Dave Holmes, Worldwide Manager of Coldplay, OMFM will reinforce Perth’s reputation as a major music hub as well as a breeding ground for new bands,” Minister Constable said.
For more information on attending the event, log on to www.onemovementfestival.com.
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MICHAEL JACKSON, R.I.P.
We’d like to offer condolences to the family, friends and fans of one of the most vibrant entertainers of our time, Michael Jackson, who passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, June 25 in Los Angeles after suffering an apparent heart attack. Early reports state that he wasn’t breathing when paramedics arrived at his Holmby Hills home and attempts to revive him at nearly UCLA Medical Center were unsuccessful.
During an entertainment life that started almost 40 years ago Michael Jackson enchanted audiences worldwide, whether as the lead singer of familial act The Jackson Five or during his groundbreaking solo career. His 1983 album Thriller remains the best-selling in history and earlier this year he sold out an unprecedented 50 dates at the O2 Arena in London for the “This Is It” concert experience, which was due to commence July 13 and run through March 2010.
Jackson was 50 years old and is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.
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BUZZ BANDS READY FOR INT’L A&R SHOWCASES
A number of international buzz bands are currently creating strong interest from A&R executives from the Asia Pacific Region, N. America to Europe. The following acts are sparking measurable A&R, publisher, licensing, booking and management interest.
A&R Worldwide featured artist and Brisbane, Australia’s Kate Miller-Heidke who as recently crowned grand prize winner of the prestigious International Songwriting Competition 2009 (ISC) is generating significant label, booking agent and licensing buzz in the US and across Europe. The winning track was Kate’s current single, “Caught In The Crowd,” the second single lifted from her sophomore album Curiouser. The song was picked from over 17,000 entries from across the world. “Caught In The Crowd” was co-written with Kate’s longtime musical collaborator Keir Nuttall.
Kate’s recent showcases in Los Angeles and New York have seen strong interest from labels such as Decca/Universal, Warner Bros., Downtown, Ryko, Sire and others. She’s also just secured booking with John Bongiorno from Pinnacle in New York.
To capitalize on the strong international interest Kate Miller-Heidke will be showcasing for labels, bookers, music supervisors and media in London, England on Wednesday, July 1st at The Borderline Club at 9:45PM.
The International Songwriting Competition is one of the world’s premier songwriting competitions and Kate is the first Australian to win the grand prize. The names on the panel of judges that unanimously picked Kate as the overall grand prize competition winner included: Tom Waits, Robert Smith (The Cure), Neil Finn (Crowded House), Ray Davies (The Kinks), Jerry Lee Lewis, KT Tunstall (Grammy nominee), Rob Thomas (Matchbox 20), Black Francis (The Pixies), John Scofield, John Mayall, Paul Van Dyk, “Weird Al" Yankovic, legendary country artist Loretta Lynn and many For guest list information on the US and UK shows, contact Bill Cullen at bill@onelouder.com.au.
From the land “down under” is four piece alternative power-pop act Kingston. Consisting of Dan Gibson on vocals, Scott Cleary on guitar, Shohan Hustwick on bass and Ben Barter on drums, the Auckland, New Zealand outfit has a high-energy show that never lets up. The band has been creating strong A&R interest on both sides of the Pacific thanks to its infectious alt-pop music and energetic live performances. Kingston were chosen as the 2008 New Zealand Schools Tour band, giggingacross the entire country on a three-month nationwide tour. Kingston pride themselves on having a fresh and catchy sound that leaves all who listen feeling great. The quartet has just released their debut single, “Good Good Feeling,” and it has reacted very well in New Zealand, already charting in the top 40 NZ singles chart; U.S. stations are starting to catch the “Good Good Feeling” as well, including KNRK Portland, WXPN Philadelphia and WEQX Albany to name a few. You can get more information at http://www.myspace.com/kingstonnz, or contact Tim Youngson at timyoungson@gmail.com.
Australian act All Mankind has become a fan favorite both at home and abroad, having performed over 500 times in the last three years to more than 100,000 ecstatic fans. The quartet, comprised of vocalist/guitarist/pianist Rich Beeston, brother Dave Beeston on drums and backing vocals, bassist Gavin Perkins and lead guitarist Dorny, has parleyed that live success into album sales into the thousands, as well as award nominations for songwriting and performance in both Australia and America. The single “I Give in to You” earned a No.1 spot on the independent chart and received nationwide airplay in Australia and regional airplay in the US. In February 2008 All Mankind went into the studio with noted ARIA-winning producer David Nicholas (Elton John, Sting), who called the resulting effort, Puzzles, “a great album from a great young Australian band.” The band’s latest single, “Can You Hear Me” (produced by Grammy-nominated and the Juno Award-winning producer Brandon Friesen), was released in January 2009 and is now receiving radio support throughout the US, Germany, Australia and beyond. The group has been garnering musical and live comparisons to Coldplay, Keane and U2 and is currently available for worldwide signing, licensing and booking and will be showcasing for UK A&R, publishers and booking agents on Tuesday, June 30 at The Borderline Club. For more information log on to www.allmankind.net, or contact management@allmankind.net.
Although British act The Jessie Rose Trip released their debut single, “Forever and a Day,” in May 2009, they are already making waves across the UK. The quartet first formed in April 2008 behind Jessie Rose, a 20-year-old chanteuse who also plays guitar, keys and a mean ukulele, backed by drummer James Wood, double-bassist Sarah Buckley and trumpeter/keyboardist Jonny “Tiger” Thompson. The band has played live sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 and BBC Radio Manchester, performed on stage with Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy) and won a recording trip to LA on Xfm DJ John Kennedy’s X-Posure show. “Jessie Rose has one of those voices that comes along once in a blue moon,” says BBC Manchester’s Chris Long. “The lazy will compare it to Amy Winehouse, while the more savvy ear will hear the potential for it to flourish into one of the greatest set of soul pipes this city has produced. Couple it with the ukulele rhythms and great piano lines, and you get something very special. If there’s any sense left in music, Jessie will be huge.” The Jessie Rose Trip will be showcasing for labels and publishers on Wednesday, July 1 at the 100 Club. For more information contact manager Carl Marcantonio at carl@formidable-mgmt.com.
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MUSEXPO EUROPE ARRIVES IN LONDON
One of the world’s most important and essential music, media and technology conferences for those vested in all things music will take place from June 29 – July 1 at The Cumberland Hotel in the heart of London, England and will bring together some of the most important and influential minds shaping the future of the music industry as well as showcasing the crème de la crème of int’l talent at both The 100 Club and Borderline.
Recently added to the already influential lineup at MUSEXPO Europe 2009 are Big Life Management Founder Jazz Summers, BBC Radio 1 DJ and global tastemaker Zane Lowe, Columbia Records UK President Mike Smith, Fairwood Music Managing Director Francis K. Pettican, Chrysalis Music Publishing Managing Director Alison Donald, Adam Tudhope (worldwide manager of Keane), Sincere Management’s Peter Jenner, Sarah Stennett PartnerSpraggon & Stennett Solicitors, Nigel Harding Music Executive BBC Radio 1 and many others.
MUSEXPO Europe will uphold the quality and focus the music, media and technology decision-makers have come to expect from this world-class and meaningful event in its second year in Europe. Registration credentials are required to access all areas of the event including the executive networking lounge, complimentary networking breakfasts, lunches, tea-breaks and cocktail parties, panels, showcases and more. To register to attend the event, log on to www.musexpo.net.
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GLOBAL NEWS UPDATES…
Universal/Republic Records has announced the promotion of Tom Mackay to Executive VP A&R. Mackay was most recently VP A&R.
Jay King has been promoted to Vice President of Artist Development/A&R at Integrity Music. He was most recently Sr. Director at the label.
MySpace has announced that it will eliminate 300 jobs internationally and close the doors on four of its non-US offices in a bid to cut costs and shrink its territorial coverage around the world. The move comes after the company announced it would be laying off 30% of its US work force last week to increase efficiency and save costs.
EMI Music Publishing has announced that Jo Smith has been given the role of leading its business affairs team in the UK.
Myles Lewis has announced his exit from BMI’s Los Angeles-based office after spending nine years with the collection society. Lewis tells A&R Worldwide that he will be announcing some exciting news in the very near future about his new venture.
Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co. Inc., has signed a worldwide long-term publishing agreement with 2008 “American Idol” winner and songwriter David Cook. Cherry Lane will be administering Cook’s current catalog and holding co-publishing rights in any new writing opportunities that are set up through Cherry Lane.
David Weitzman has joined the ole Los Angeles team as Director, Business Development. Weitzman brings over 15 years of experience in the music business to ole, ranging from A&R and radio promotion to digital music development and distribution to music supervision.
ReverbNation, a leading marketing platform for musicians, announced the launch of “Sponsored Songs,” a new online music distribution program that will give music fans access to unlimited free song downloads from 1,000 artists. Through this pilot program, a passive advertisement is embedded alongside the album cover art that is seen by music fans when they play the song on their computer, portable device or phone. The advertising in Sponsored Songs travels with the fans wherever they enjoy their music - following them onto the subway, going with them to the gym, and showing up at the party - giving the advertiser frequent and regular brand exposure,and the fan free music. Today the company announced that Windows is the first advertiser to participate in this program.
Sponsored Songs will be available for free June 24 – September 24, 2009 on www.myspace.com/windows, and will feature music from independent and mainstream artists in the rock, alternative, hip-hop, Latin and electronic genres. Music fans will be able to browse, sample and discover music from both established and emerging artists that isn’t available anywhere else on the web, for free.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Anders Johansson, Marc Mozart, George Ash, Richard Kingsmill, Nick Shymansky, Dawn Hood, Tim Renner, Jitin Abraham, Christophe Taste, Lindsay Fellows, Doug Mark, Tim Smith, Ron Poore, Mark Kates and Lucian Grainge.
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