GLOBAL MUSIC INFLUENCERS JOIN MUSEXPO LINEUP
Hailed by many around the globe as the most inspiring and important music industry conference in the world for those looking to grow their int’l business and relationships, and the only music, media and technology conference on the planet to have a firm presence on the top three music continents (N. America, Europe, Asia Pacific), MUSEXPO 2010 in Los Angeles is rapidly shaping up to be the best event to date.
MUSEXPO 2010 will take place April 25-28 at the London West Hollywood Hotel just off the heart of the famed Sunset Strip. The focus of this year’s world-respected confab is solutions, innovation and inspiration for an industry that seeks to build a strong and united front for artist, fan and industry alike. Considering that the US is the world’s No.1 music market and most influential entertainment market, the setting is ideal for one of the globe’s most meaningful music, media and technology conferences to return for its sixth year in the heart of W. Hollywood.
Some of the innovative mindsets just added to the already impressive lineup at MUSEXPO 2010 in West Hollywood include Lady Gaga’s worldwide manager Troy Carter; Mercury/Island Records Group President David Massey; Bug/Windswept Music Publishing CEO John Rudolph; BBC Radio 1 & 1 Xtra (UK) Head of Music George Ergatoudis; The Killers worldwide manager Robert Reynolds; Chairman of Cherrytree Records, President of A&R, Pop & Rock, Interscope Records & President of International Operations for Interscope Geffen A&M Martin Kierszenbaum; EMI Records President New Music N. America, UK & Ireland Nick Gatfield.
|
|
|
|
|
David Massey
|
John Rudolph
|
George Ergatoudis
|
Nick Gatfield
|
Founder Shalit Global Entertainment (worldwide manager of N-Dubz) Jonathan Shalit; Partner Spraggon & Stennett Solicitors (and co-worldwide manager of Ellie Goulding and Sugababes) Sarah Stennett; Director Int’l Marketing Pepsi Co Ellen Healey; Chairman, Cashmere Agency & President, Doggy Style Records (Snoop Dogg) Ted Chung; making his debut N. American speaking engagement Music Director Triple J Radio Australia Richard Kingsmill (the most influential national new music station in Australia); Sr. Director Bourbons & Whiskeys/Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. Kelly Doss and Program Director WRXP New York City Leslie Fram. For additional speakers confirmed for this year’s MUSEXPO in West Hollywood click HERE.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jonathan Shalit
|
Sarah Stennett
|
Ted Chung
|
Richard Kingsmill
|
Leslie Fram
|
For registration access MUSEXPO 2010, click HERE (Registration price includes access to all panels, keynotes, showcases, complimentary networking breakfasts, complimentary networking lunches catered by the Gordon Ramsey Restaurant, complimentary tea and coffee networking breaks hosted by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and the complimentary networking cocktail parties. Access to the Global Consumer Brands & Synch Summit is subject to availability on a first-come basis).
MUSEXPO HOTEL: Discounted room rates are available at the MUSEXPO conference hotel at The London West Hollywood Hotel; please click HERE.
|
KEY POSTS ANNOUNCED FOR ARTS & HUMANITIES
US President Barack Obama has announced the appointment of six executives to key administration posts to serve on the President’s committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Those selected to serve on the committee include Chuck Close, Fred Goldring, Sheila Johnson, Pamela Joyner, Jhumpa Lahiri and Ken Solomon.
President Obama said, “I am proud that these distinguished individuals will serve in my Administration. The arts and the humanities enhance the vibrancy of our society, inspire us and strengthen our democracy. I look forward to working with them in the weeks and months ahead.”
Chuck Close is a visual artist noted for his highly inventive techniques used to paint the human face, and is best known for his large-scale, photo-based portrait paintings. He is also an accomplished printmaker and photographer whose work has been the subject of more than 200 solo exhibitions in more than 20 countries, including major retrospective exhibitions at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and most recently at The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Fred Goldring co-founded the prominent California-based entertainment law firm Goldring, Hertz and Lichtenstein, which represents numerous global superstar recording and performing artists, and is also co-founder of entertainment strategic consultancy MemBrain, which works with Fortune 500 companies and new media and technology enterprises regarding entertainment marketing strategy. Mr. Goldring is also the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rock The Vote, and has been the co-recipient of an Emmy Award, a Clio Award, a Global Media Award and an NAACP Image Award.
Sheila Johnson is the founder and CEO of Salamander Hospitality, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, a documentary film producer and the only African-American woman to co-own three professional sports teams.
Pamela Joyner is the Founder of Avid Partners, LLC. Her other business experiences include holding senior positions at Bowman Capital, LLC and Capital Guardian Trust Company. Ms Joyner is a former Co-Chair and current Trustee Emeritus of the San Francisco Ballet. She is a Trustee of The MacDowell Colony, The School of American Ballet and Dartmouth College.
Jhumpa Lahiri is a fiction writer whose debut collection of stories, Interpreter of Maladies, received the Pulitzer Prize, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Addison M. Metcalf Award, and the New Yorker magazine's Debut of the Year. Her novel, The Namesake, was a New York Times Notable Book, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was selected as one of the best books of the year by USA Today and Entertainment Weekly.
Ken Solomon is chairman of Ovation TV, a national cable and satellite network focused on bringing art, culture and personal creativity to all Americans. He is also Chairman and CEO of Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour network dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. With more than 25 years of television and multimedia experience, Mr. Solomon has held top posts with the Walt Disney Corp., Universal Television, DreamWorks, News Corp. and Scripps.
|
Australia is noted as being one of the most creatively inspiring markets in the world when it comes to new music. The country has a population of less than 60% of the state of California; however, it punches above its weight when it comes to delivering on successful music exports over the years (INXS, Midnight Oil, Natalie Imbruglia, The Temper Trap, Savage Garden, AC/DC, Missy Higgins to name just a few).
Queensland is one of a number of states within Australia that has a burgeoning music scene that is constantly and proactively engaging with exporting its musical sounds to the rest of the world. This week we feature several emerging acts from Queensland who will be heading to the US in the coming months to showcase for the US music industry. Here’s a little snapshot of what’s happening Down Under (musically speaking of course) in Queensland.
26 (Queensland, Australia/Floodboy Records, MGM)
Website: http://26theband.com
26 is an Australian musical outfit founded six years ago by friends Nick O'Donnell (lead vocals/guitar) and Drew Fellows (keyboardist/vocals). who later recruited Ross Duckworth (bass/vocals) and Iain Wilson (drums/vocals). Originally categorized as indie rock, the group has employed a variety of guest artists and choirs to produce a unique sound. The band’s first album, The King Must Die, was released in Australia through Floodboy Records and MGM Distribution and globally through iTunes in 2005. The album received national airplay and was honored as the FBI 94.FM Sydney radio’s “Album Show” feature album. With the band’s growing popularity, 26 toured Australia in 2006 for the release of their single, “Friendly Fire,” which went on to win the highly regarded 2006 Queensland Song Award for Best Rock Song and was also a finalist in The Courier-Mail “People’s Choice Awards.” The single also received airplay on Triple J nationally and FBI 94.5 FM Sydney. With the release of their second album, Births, Deaths & Marriages,in 2008, 26’s track “Aloha” was featured on the 3 Mobile website which led to it debuting at No.8 on the ARIA Digital Download Charts the following week. Throughout the course of 2009, 26 released the album 26x365 exclusively to iTunes in four parts: three songs every three months for one year. With 26x365, Parts One and Two released, 26 have already picked up an award for the third track from the album, “Bring on the Colour Guard,” which captured the QSong 2009 Rock Song of the Year. “Bring on the Colour Guard” was also nominated for the Song of the Year. The band is currently seeking international management, licensing/synch opportunities and label support. The contact is Nick O’Donnell, who can be reached at nick@floodboy.com.
DRAWN FROM BEES (Queensland, Australia/Bonefinger Records)
Website: www.myspace.com/drawnfrombees
Drawn From Bees is an art rock band from Brisbane, Australia composed of Dan James (lead vocals, guitar), Stew Riddle (bass guitar, vocals), Raven Jones (lead guitar, keyboard, vocals) and Matt Wedmaier (drums, vocals). The Australian outfit is signed to local Brisbane-based record label Bonefinger Records and distributed via MGM Distribution. Forming in April 2008 out of the ashes of a 10-year stint as progressive rock band Glasshouse, Drawn From Bees launched their first EP, The Boy and the Ocean, less than four months later. Since this time the foursome has carved out a niche as one of the most engaging new art rock bands emerging from Australia. In March of last year the band released their second record; a mini-album entitled And the Blind Shall Lead the Way, which has garnered widespread praise from the music press. The guys have also been featured on Richard Kingsmill’s flagship Triple J radio show, as well as having the single “Long Tooth Setting Sun” added to rotation. In October 2009 Drawn From Bees released their third record, The Sky is Falling, an EP containing a series of vignettes revolving around a central theme of the sky falling down. A limited edition pressing included an illustrated booklet containing the associated narrative for each record track. Drawn From Bees are searching for UK-based management as well as licensing and synch opportunities; the band is represented by Stew Riddle stew@bonefingerrecords.com.
HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY (Queensland, Australia/MGM)
Website: www.hungrykidsofhungary.com
Hungry Kids of Hungary is an Australian four-piece indie pop outfit from Brisbane, Queensland. The band consists of Dean McGrath (lead vocals, guitar), Kane Mazlin (lead vocals, keys), Ben Dalton (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Ryan Strathie (drums, backing vocals). Their influences vary from modern day luminaries such as The Shins, Dr. Dog and Spoon to classic vocal groups such as The Beatles, The Zombies and The Beach Boys. Their profile rose rapidly and a showcase at the 2008 Big Sound conference in Brisbane introduced them to their manager Ben Preece of Mucho-Bravado. In December 2008 the band was announced as the Queensland winners of Triple J Unearthed, entitling them to play the Gold Coast Big Day Out. They also went into the studio to begin recording their next EP with Brisbane producer Matt Redlich. The group embarked on the formative International Relations Tour with fellow Unearthed winners Philadelphia Grand Jury (Sydney) and Washington (Melbourne). The tour was a great success and sold-out nine of the 12 shows on the east coast. In September 2009 the quartet entered Electric Avenue studio in Sydney with producer Tony Buchan to record new material. Dean McGrath hinted on stage recently that the band was recording a new single and would be working toward their debut album for release sometime early this year. The band is looking for international management, distribution, label support and synch opportunities. Please contact Angela Kohler at Mucho-Bravado for full details ange@mucho-bravado.com.
|
The third annual Liverpool Sound City music industry conference and music festival has announced Mercury Prize winner Speech Debelle and stunning UK vocalist Paloma Faith (Epic, UK) as the first of their headline acts for this year’s festival, alongside music legend Seymour Stein as the first of their keynote speakers. The annual event has quickly turned into one of the most important music events in the UK.
Retro soul singer Paloma Faith headlines the prestigious Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Wednesday May 19. Faith released her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? at the end of 2009 to rave reviews following a summer of strong shows.
The event has attracted some great speakers over the past two years. including global tastemaker Nic Harcourt, influential music supervisor Gary Calamar (“True Blood,” “House”); Robbie Williams’ A&R Chris Briggs, former Muse worldwide manager Safta Jaffrey, Shalit Global Founder Jonathan Shalit and many others.
Liverpool Sound City takes place from May 19-22, 2010 at the brand new Hilton Hotel in the heart of this famous English city. For more information, log on to www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk.
|
Australian buzz band and one of the most successful independent acts from Down Under, Birds of Tokyo will be showcasing at the Relentless Garage in London on February 12. The band is currently available for signing, licensing and publishing in various markets around the world. They are noted for their spectacular live shows and stunning songwriting. For more information, contact manager Ross MacPherson at ross@nodicemgt.com.
Peermusic has inked a publishing deal with American artist manager Melvin Brown’s new UK-focused enterprise So Star Entertainment. The new venture will be overseen by British-based promoter Ed Swinburne and will focus on signing writer/producers. So Star Entertainment currently manages US talent Just Blaze, who has songs with Jay-Z, Rihanna and will also be quite strongly present on Eminem’s upcoming full-length, Relapse 2. Brown, whose current and past roster has included Britney Spears, Akon, Boyz II Men and Justin Timberlake, stated, “This is the kind of set-up that can really benefit the writer/producer or artist on many different levels and I am excited to be working with a publisher with a great global reputation like Peermusic.”
Tommy Sparks, who had his song “She’s Got Me Dancing” featured on the worldwide iTouch TV ad, has his album available for licensing in multiple territories. Sparks was until recently signed to Island Records in the UK.
Nashville, TN-based act American Bang will soon release their debut album for Reprise/Warner Bros. Records under the direction of A&R executive Kevin Williamson. The band’s epic rock debut is being produced by the legendary Bob Rock and is sure to create some strong outcomes for this very talented rock quartet.
A&R updates: Stefan Max has joined Roadrunner Records; Dannielle Malkin has been added to the Razor & Tie team; Alex Shenitsky and Ryan Murphy have both joined the A&R team at Virgin; Mark Terry has joined Atlantic (UK) as the label General Manager and former Roadrunner A&R executive Mike Gitter has joined Century Media. For the latest A&R Registry, contact ritch@musicregistry.com.
New York City-based soul/pop artist Elle Varner (www.myspace.com/ellevarner) has signed a co-publishing agreement with Sony Music Publishing; the deal was negotiated by the law firm of Ziffren Brittenham in association with Ben McLane, Esq. Elle Varner’s manager is Jeff Robinson.
A&R Worldwide-championed LMFAO will see the release of their debut album, Party Rock, in the UK in May 2010. The duo garnered their UK publishing deal back in January 2008 thanks to initial advice from A&R Worldwide many months earlier (prior to them securing management) to target the UK and European markets; an introduction from A&R Worldwide to Polydor’s Nick Shymansky, who in turn introduced the band to Briony Turner (then at London-based Global Publishing), secured LMFAO’s publishing in the UK. Now signed to will.i.am’s Interscope imprint will.i.am Music Group in the US and Polydor in the UK, LMFAO is poised for international success.
Thrive Records, whose hit-driven Total series and ThriveMix series contributed to the company’s ranking as Billboard’s No.1 U.S. independent dance label for the second year in a row in 2009, has signed an exclusive worldwide multi-year production and distribution (p&d) deal with Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ), it was announced recently by Steve Bartels, President & COO, Island Def Jam Music Group.
Kobalt Music Publishing CEO/Founder Willard Ahdritz and Sr. VP Creative Benjamin Groff have just signed Kid Cudi. In addition, Groff has also signed Greg Wells, who has penned songs for both Adam Lambert and Kelly Clarkson and produced tracks for Mika and One Republic.
Former Nettwerk Records executive Tom Gates has been tapped to join the Bill Silva Entertainment team in West Hollywood, CA. Gates tells A&R Worldwide he will be involved with a variety of responsibilities within the Silva organization.
Talented Canadian-based singer/songwriter Dan Mangan has entered into an artist management agreement with Kieran Roy (who is also the General Manager, Arts & Crafts).
|
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Max Lousada, Ged Doherty, Benjamin Groff, David Taylor, Jamie Nelson, Sketch, Tim Westergren, Pete Giberga, Gary Calamar, Ryan Tedder, Nanci Walker, Greg Brimson, Kathy Spanberger and Iain Watt.
|
|
