KOBALT SIGNS TOKIO HOTEL WRITING TEAM
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Tokio Hotel
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David Jost, David Roth and Pat Benzner, who are Germany’s top songwriter/producer team and managers behind the global superstar act Tokio Hotel, have signed an exclusive publishing and creative services deal with Kobalt Music Group (Kobalt). The announcement was made last week by Willard Ahdritz, CEO & Founder of Kobalt Music Group and Matthias Kind, Managing Director of Kobalt Music Group Germany GmbH.
“We are delighted to welcome David, Dave and Pat to our international Kobalt roster of great songwriters and producers. Kobalt offers them not only a unique, centralized collections platform, but also the services of a top global team that works across borders,” said Ahdritz.
Matthias Kind added, “This was a very highly contested deal and we’re extremely proud to be working with David, Dave and Pat. Our global creative team is already working together to expand their songs all over the world. We look forward to a long and successful relationship,”
As part of the deal, Kobalt is providing global creative and synch licensing services, as well as copyright administration for the entire Tokio Hotel catalog and their next album for all worldwide territories excluding Germany. Kobalt is also representing their new works and material for other artists.
David Jost, Dave Roth and Pat Benzner have been awarded 68 times with Gold and 45 times with Platinum as songwriters and producers. In April 2010 they received Germany’s top award for songwriting from GEMA collection society.
With Tokio Hotel, Jost, Roth and Benzner have sold more than seven million records and helped craft one of the most successful German acts in 20 years. The albums Humanoid and Scream have been recorded in German and English. The Goethe-Institute, a non-profit German cultural institution that promotes the study of the German language worldwide has noted that a soaring demand has emerged for German language courses in many European countries because of the huge success of Tokio Hotel and interest in their music and lyrics. Even all over France and in the US, fans have sung along to the songs in German.
Tokio Hotel’s international mega hit single, “Monsoon” (also known as “Durch den Monsun”) also reached the No.1 spot on Israeli radio charts, an accomplishment that no other German act has ever before achieved. Tokio Hotel has had five No.1 hits, three No.1 albums and has won almost any music award possible to win in Europe. With a total
of 38 awards, Tokio Hotel has received three MTV Europe Music Awards, MTV’s
Best New Artist awards in the US and four MTV Latin Music Awards. including the award for Best Song for “Monsoon.”
In addition, Jost, Roth and Benzner have written songs for American Idol star Adam Lambert, Kerli, Sarah Brightman and the song “I Like,” No.1 platinum hit for Keri Hilson. Furthermore, they have composed music for major TV campaigns by
BMW, Mercedes and Verizon/Motorola, have done remixes for Mötley Crüe, Faith
Hill and Jewel and wrote songs for various soundtracks including Tim Burton’s
Hollywood blockbuster film Alice in Wonderland.
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NIC HARCOURT MUSIC SELECTIONS
Global music tastemaker, radio veteran and music supervisor Nic Harcourt joins A&R Worldwide with an exclusive monthly editorial on some of the artists he is excited about from around the world. Harcourt was instrumental in helping launch the careers of such artists as Coldplay, Corinne Bailey Rae, Doves, Norah Jones and many others during his tenure as the Music Director and host of “Morning Becomes Eclectic” on KCRW Santa Monica and continues sharing his passion for music discovery with our international readership via this month’s editorial.
Harcourt currently writes for Los Angeles Magazine (a part of the Los Angeles Times) and hosts a Sunday evening radio show on KCRW Santa Monica while also still supervising some TV and film projects.
Los Angeles-based art rockers Autolux release their second full length, Transit Transit, in August featuring the title cut, a heady mix of staccato beats, swirling harmonies and keyboards
Minneapolis duo Howard Hamilton and Laura Bennett call themselves Red Pens and bring a little Surf Rock to this month’s list with “Hung Out,” just raw enough and jangly guitar, angst-ridden dirty indie rock.
Whilst in Shanghai a couple of weeks back for the TransmitCHINA conference I saw a wonderful performance from Toronto’s Ohbijou. Beautiful string arrangements together with the folk-tinged vocals of Casey Mecija make for stunning indie chamber pop. The song “Cannon March” is from their 2009 release titled Beacons. You can get more information at www.myspace.com/ohbijou.
From Santiago, Chile via Boston (and now Los Angeles-based) Yael Meyer’s Heartbeat EP was handed to me at this year’s MUSEXPO conference in West Hollywood. I do eventually listen to everything and really like the track “Shed Their Fear,” a pretty song in the vein of Jose Gonzales.
Los Angeles-based band The Sea of Cortez is set to deliver their debut full-length, Make It Sound, featuring the kickoff track, “The Shore,” which pretty much throws a kitchen sink of influences such as the Beatles, Beach Boys and Neil Young into a lovely shuffle of a song.
Toronto, Canada-based Eamon McGrath has been making a name for himself these past few years touring through Canada and Europe with a young man’s take on the blues, garnering comparisons to Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Black Flag. Check out his Cut Knife City Blues at www.myspace.com/eamonmcgrath.
The Sirens of Venice hail from Melbourne, Australia and is the project of Gersey’s Craig Jackson. The single, “Come Back to Me,” is from the self-titled album, a beautifully simple two and a half minute request for another chance.
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COLIN LESTER TO STEWARD UNIVERSAL’S MGMT BUSINESS
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Colin Lester
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Colin Lester, the newly installed CEO of Universal’s management business Twenty First Artists, says the major label wants to become a global force in artist management and plans to establish both a New York office and a producer management business. The New York office would be based out of Universal’s New York City-based offices on Broadway.
Lester is one of the most experienced managers in the industry, having worked with the Arctic Monkeys, Craig David, Travis and The Brand New Heavies amongst others.
Lester was tapped by Universal Music Group International (UMGI) Chairman and Chief Executive Lucian Grainge and UMGI Executive Vice President Max Hole a few weeks ago.
Lester told A&R Worldwide recently that he would take up the new post immediately, merging his present company, CLM Entertainment, with the Twenty-First Artists business. He will work with the artists and managers signed to Twenty-First Artists, and at the same time, he’ll be reaching out to the next generation of talent to help grow the company. Lester will work out of his Kensal House offices in London.
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VIRTUALLYINTERNATIONAL MUSIC
ARTIST: Penguin Prison
SONG: “The Worse It Gets”
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LABEL: unsigned
AVAILABLE FOR: signing or licensing (worldwide)
WEB: www.myspace.com/penguinprison
CONTACT: Ben Mawson ben@ssb.co.uk
Chris Glover, better known under the stage name Penguin Prison, is a New York City electro-pop wonder. His music has been featured throughout the blog-o-sphere in the last year, even being one of the top artists on The Hype Machine site. His music is completely counter-cultural and brilliantly regressive as it races back to the ’80s heyday of disco and pop. Penguin Prison has been compared to Hot Chip and deservedly so, as you can hear in the first official single “Animal Animal/Funny Thing” on Neon Gold records, released last November. The second single release “The Worse It Gets/Something I’m Not” came out in March and has spawned hundreds of remixes online. PP is no stranger to remixes either, as he has worked his magic on tracks from Ellie Goulding, Erik Hassle, Goldfrapp and Marina & The Diamonds. The Penguin Prison live show is one to catch as well, where Glover is joined by his band consisting of Conrad Stern-Ascher (synthesizers & electric piano), Steve Solomon (bass) and Ernesto Karolys (drums). If you are in the New York City area at the end of July, PP is performing at Coco 66 in Brooklyn on July 30.
ARTIST: Pocket Satellite
SONG: “Toy Train”
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LABEL: unsigned
AVAILABEL FOR: signing, licensing, publishing, booking
WEB: www.pocketsatellite.co.uk
CONTACT: www.myspace.com/pocketsatellite
Pocket Satellite was born after a chance meeting at an open mic night, over a hot chocolate, on a quiet Thursday evening in Sheffield. With five members from four cities, playing 15 different instruments, they put everything together to birth the Toy Train EP, inspired by their discovery of an antique glockenspiel. With new music to share with their fans, they supported Jenny Owen Youngs at Monto Water Rats, played as main support at The Plug and have played for Drowned in Sound at The Harley in Sheffield. Pocket Satellite have been introduced by Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music and performed a live session with Iain Hodgson on BBC Radio Sheffield’s Raw Talent Show. The summer itinerary for the five-piece consists of being on the road, with their schedules booked now through August in the UK. Musically, their influences range from Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service to The Shins and Guster. Positive praise for the outfit includes a review from The Sheffield Phonographic Corporation, which stated “The whole EP is a lovely mix of folky indie-pop, gently reminiscent of Monkey Swallows the Universe and Slow Club at their most winsome.”
ARTIST: Daniel Rata
SONG: “Sunshine”
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Australia
LABEL: unsigned
AVAILABLE FOR: signing, licensing, publishing, booking
WEB: www.danielrata.com
CONTACT: Daniel Rata info@danielrata.com.au
Born and raised in New Zealand before moving to Perth, Australia, Daniel Rata was determined to pursue his musical dream. With a lifelong love of music and cultural Maori background, Rata clearly saw his future as a musical artist and quickly established a strong reputation working Perth’s up-market bars, clubs and music venues. Though not formally trained, he is a unique and very gifted musician who has a strong feeling and superbly rich and warm vocal tone. Perhaps due to his cultural roots and a deep personal appreciation for a variety of musical styles, his music is free of conformity. Rata is left-handed, but taught himself to play a right-handed guitar by turning it upside down. This particular approach to his playing gives his chord progressions an original and unique harmonic flavor. His self-funded and independently released debut album, Suspended In Time, won both critical acclaim and strong sales in Australia and was played on a variety of radio outlets. Following the release of the album, Rata took some time off to reflect on how he had developed as a songwriter and live performer and this gave him the confidence and belief that he could start writing tracks for his second album. In late 2008, he began collaborating with UK producer John Ravenall, best known for his work with legendary artists including Elton John, Sting, Kool and the Gang and Sir Paul McCartney. At the end of last year, Rata traveled to Chicago to put the finishing touches on the sophomore effort, which included being able to record with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra. Having fine tuned his artistic direction and recorded what he believes to be his breakthrough album, Rata is now keen to reach out and perform to international markets.
ARTIST: Skybombers
SONG: “Jenny”
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Australia
LABEL: Unsigned
AVAILABLE FOR: signing, licensing, publishing, booking
WEB: www.skybombers.com
CONTACT: Darren Danielson darren@fur.com.au
Based in Melbourne and raised on a healthy dose of British and American music, the Skybombers formed while they were still in high school. Starting as a five-piece consisting of Hugh Gurney (vocals/guitar), Ravi Sharma (bass), Scott McMurtie (drums), Sam Bethune (guitar/vocals) and Will Brown (bass/vocals), they created a five-song demo called Sirens. This demo was intended to share between friends and fans at one of their early gigs, but found its way to Albert Productions, the very same label behind such classic Australian bands as Thorpe & the Aztecs, the Easybeats and AC/DC. Alberts were quick to sign the band and sent them to LA to record their first album, Take Me to Town. The experience was a whirlwind as their single “It Goes Off” was added into official rotation on the then-influential radio station Indie 103.1 Los Angeles. Their music was also licensed by EA Games and featured in two of their biggest titles. They performed up and down the infamous Sunset Strip, blowing the roof off of the Roxy and Viper Room venues way before they were even old enough to legally drink. To add to their accomplishments, they also had the opportunity to support X and Foo Fighters on tour in Australia. Last year saw the departure of Ravi Sharma, but that didn’t stop the guys from marching forward. With youth and energy on their side, they are now ready to release a new album that is sure to please fans all across the world.
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GLOBAL NEWS UPDATES…
Former Interscope A&R veteran Mark Williams has been tapped into a senior A&R position at Columbia Records by label President Ashley Newton after a two year sabbatical. Williams will officially take his post on July 15, 2010 and will be based at the company’s Beverly Hills, CA headquarters.
The UK’s PPL announced that it has signed a bilateral deal with Jamaican collecting society JAMMS. As part of the agreement JAMMS will manage PPL’s repertoire in Jamaica and PPL will do the same in the UK. The deal means JAMMS members - who are comprised of record companies – will receive airplay and public performance income from the UK, while PPL members in the UK will receive similar income from Jamaican airplay. Revenue from this agreement will become available in 2011, when PPL distributes income in respect of the 2010 period.
Los Angeles-based manager Tony Ciulla has picked up the Swedish act First Aid Kit for management. The sister duo from Sweden has been enjoying strong international support and look to break through in numerous markets worldwide.
Independent music publisher Imagem has signed Bombay Bicycle Club to a long-term global publishing deal. The band was signed with support from Imagem UK Managing Director Tim Smith.
Qiana Conley has been tapped as Director of A&R for Simon Cowell’s SYCO Entertainment. The former Kobalt and Notting Hill Music executive will be based out of SYCO’s Beverly Hills, CA offices effective immediately.
Union Entertainment’s Alex Saif tells A&R Worldwide that his act South Jordon has just signed a deal with David Massey and Steve Ferrara at Mercury/IDJ. Union Entertainment also manages multi-Platinum Canadian rock act Nickelback.
French music industry trade body SNEP (Syndicat National de l'édition Phonographique) has elected Denis Ladegaillerie, the founder and CEO of leading digital distribution company Believe Digital, as the new President of the organization. SNEP was established in 1922 and protects the interests of the French record industry. The organisation currently has 48 member companies and its remit includes collecting and distributing royalty payments for broadcast and performance, preventing copyright infringement of its members' works (including music piracy), and sales certification of silver, gold, platinum and diamond records. SNEP also compiles charts of France's top selling music.
RCA Records A&R executive David Wolter has tapped former MySpace Records assistant Lindsay Cook to be a part of his West Coast A&R team. Cook will report to the New York City-based Wolter.
Denis Ladegaillerie founded Believe Digital in 2004. The former Vivendi Universal Digital Chief Strategic and Financial Officer has developed Believe Digital’s innovative digital distribution and promotion technology to allow it to integrate with several hundred digital music stores to distribute independent music across a global network.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Ron Fair, Andrew Kronfeld, Daniel Werner, Kevin Cole, Tom Windish, Jochen Schuster, Mike Flynn, Steve Schnur, Keith Naftaly, Tim Hole, George Ash and Mandar Takhur.
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