Industrial Strength: August 19

19 August 2010

by Christie Eliezer

NEW SIGNINGS

You Am I leave EMI for Other Tongues
After two albums with EMI, You Am I’s eighth studio album is out through Sydney indie Other Tongues. Band leader Tim Rogers explains, "Although we've had a strong, affectionate, intelligent relationship with EMI for our past two LP's, the making of this record has been such a unique, bewildering, exciting experience that the band has decided to formalize a release with a hand picked crew that we've spent more than a few early hours pontificating about what we love about being in this band, and creating music." The album You Am I is out October 8.

Bon Scotts at Popboomerang
Popboomerang Records have signed Melbourne folk rock band The Bon Scotts whose speciality is playing instruments they make at home. Their first album is titled Oddernity.

Aerial Maps go Mobile
Sydney band The Aerial Maps have been signed by booking agency Mobile Industries, joining a roster that includes Sarah Blasko, Jack Ladder, Songs, The Paradise Motel and Smudge. They release their second album next year.

Dawn Raid distro with SCM/Fontana
New Zealand’s largest hip hop label Dawn Raid signed a three year US distro deal with San Francisco-based SMC Recordings / Fontana, the independent distribution division of Universal Records. Dawn Raid’s Savage sold two million copies of his single Swing in America, and Dawn Raid has been eager to get more NZ/Pacific acts into that market. The deal, which allows up to six albums a year to be released, sees Dawn Raid CEO, Andy Murnane, taking an executive role at SMC.

Undercover, Sonicbids, team for Big Sound
Australian website Undercover and Boston-based Sonicbids.com will jointly produce a new show on uctv.fm. It will showcase acts playing at festivals around the world. The first focuses on acts playing at next month Big Sound summit in Brisbane, featuring Pikelet, City Riots, Last Dinosaurs and Bonjah.

Mnet Group partners with LiveWire Mobile
Sydney-based mobile solutions company Mnet Group has teamed its delivery service with America’s LiveWire Mobile, which personalizes mobile services includes ringback tones, advertising ringback, ringtones, mobile full-track music and video downloads and a fully integrated storefront. Mnet deployed its Mercury Content Management Delivery System with LiveWire’s Infuse Integrated Storefront service at a North American telecommunications carrier. “It allows (subscribers) easy shopping and retailing of premium digital content including ringtones, games, applications, DRM-free full tracks and video." said Paul Paoliello, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Mnet.

Five deals for Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile entered into strategic one-year partnerships with five media companies — Nova FM, PBL Media (Ninemsn and ACP Magazines), Pedestrian TV and Pagesdigital to provide content for its subscribers.

Sony to distribute Core
Sony Music Australia pacted an alliance with country music producer Rod McCormack’s new label Core Music. It will launch with album releases next month by Beccy Cole and Gina Jeffreys.

US management for Amity
Things have been moving for The Amity Affliction, especially after its Youngbloods album debuted #6 on the ARIA mainstream chart. Its Australian management Staple has done a deal with Sacrameto, California-based Artery Foundation to look after them for the world outside Australia. In December the band will tour the UK with Asking Alexandria.

National Airlines land Latin deal
Melbourne’s National Airlines landed a deal on a new overseas TV series called NIÑAS MAL (Bad Girls) about naughty rebels who attend a Latin American girls’ finishing school. A team-up by MTV Latin America and Sony Pictures Television, it will premiere on MTV Latin America in September and also air on Tr3s US and Vh1 Brazil. Its producers found the band online, and want to use their song “Sweet Life” as part of the show’s promotion and during the season.

Dialect & Despair distro
Adelaide based crew Dialect & Despair inked a distribution deal with Melbourne’s hip hop label Obese Records for their debut album The Vortex. The album is an in-house project between production camps Butterthief and Carlisle Productions, with guest appearances by Delta, Social Change and Motion.

We Are Hunted on MySpace app
Australian company We Are Hunted provides the back-end technology for MySpace Music’s new Romeo application. It plays videos at random that complement the user’s mood, from 15 styles and 13 moods including "chill" and "naughty". We Are Hunted will scour the internet for the “right” choices.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Jackson at DMG Radio
Paul Jackson, the Group Program Director for the UK’s largest radio group Global Radio and before that at Virgin Radio, replaces Dean Buchanan in the role at DMG Radio Australia.

Cubito joins Nova
After two and a half years at PR company eckfactor, Adam Cubito returns to his journalism days, Nova FM as National Online Content Editor – Nights. From Aug 23, he will work on the Nova website and is at acubito@dmgradio.com.au.

Newman to oversee Cooly Rocks On
Former Rally Australia operations manager Bob Newman has been appointed as Operations Manager for the new Cooly Rocks On festival on the Gold Coast. It replaces the retro Wintersun festival which has moved to Port Macquarie.

Stuart heads to NXFM
After eight months, Ryan Stuart has quit as Drive Announcer / Music Director at NEWFM, Newcastle, effective September 1. He is moving to Austereo station NXFM as Afternoons Announcer / Operations Manager effective September 6. His new contact is Ryan.Stuart@austereo.com.au.

Brown delays departure
SBS has asked managing director Shaun Brown to delay his retirement to July 8 2011 so he can oversee the first part of a strategic plan roll-out.

Chiew turns earth mother
After seven years as publicist for Remote Control Records, Angela Ashley Chiew is leaving the label — and the music industry. Her other passion is food, she says, so she is joining the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation as a Project Officer. She’ll work with primary schools in Victoria and Tasmania, to help them construct vegetable gardens and kitchens, and implement programs to teach littlies how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh food.

Hunter Valley radio changes
2NM and Power FM in NSW’s Hunter Valley have announced staff movements. Jacqui Pfeffer is Program Director and Drew Johnson is Journalist at both stations. At Power FM, Michael Grey is the new Music Director and Kat Adams takes over the breakfast shift.

Spence back in Darwin
After being in Queensland for the past 2.5 years, Dil Spence has returned to Darwin for the third time — as Account Manager for 100 and Mix 1049.

Saffell to head Country Arts SA
South Australian regional association Country Arts SA appointed Stephen Saffell as its new CEO, replacing Ken Lloyd who retired after being at the top job for 17 years. 51-year old Saffell has been the deputy CEO. He worked at Arts SA and the SA Museum, and, as an accountant by trade, was Treasurer and Board Member of the Come Out festival and the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association. CAS has a $13 million turnover.

Two more at ABC-TV
ABC TV appointed Jennifer Collins as Head of Factual, and Alan Erson as Head of Documentaries.

Anderson at Triple M Adelaide
Mel Andersen joins Triple M Adelaide on Aug 23, as on-air presenter and Assistant Music Director. She was most recently at NXFM in Newcastle.

LIFELINES

Born
A son, Louis Robert Rose, for Sydney publicist Megan Rose and husband Jarrod, a project manager in construction. Their first child was Finley.

Born
A daughter Harper Rain Sinclair McGlinchey for former Rogue Traders singer turned TV presenter Natalie Bassingthwaighte and her drummer partner Cameron McGlinchey.

In Court
Neil Jason Annesley, 30, pleaded guilty in the ACT Supreme Court to having 60 drinks for 24 hours before a Def Leppard show in Canberra on November 11, 2008. He left the show early and walking to nearby Radford College, where he set a classroom on fire and stole a computer.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

$100,000 raised at the Duetting It For The Kids fund-raiser in Sydney’s State Theatre to raise money for the Australian Children’s Music Foundation to promote kids play music.

$11,500 sale of a guitar at the above function signed by all the acts including Wendy Matthews, Tim Freedman, Wes Carr, Jimmy Little, Leo Sayer, Melinda Schneider, Diesel, Richard Clapton, Christine Anu and Paulini.

8 dogs used as bridesmaids at Robbie Williams’ nuptials

18 Number of glassings in Perth nightclubs this year.

$17,000 raised at the Legends of Aussie Rock Celebration Dinner at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, for Support Act Ltd.

60 classics albums from the ‘60s re-released by Elektra (Doors MC5) on iTunes at 1960s prices.

44% rise of drunk and disorderly behaviour of clubbers in Townsville’s Flinders St East, up to 409 from 183.

3 hours Madonna took to prepare for a 10-second bath scene in her latest movie “W.E”

INSIDE TRACK
John Farnham’s first studio album in four years will be out in October — and will be the best record to show off his capabilities. “We were brutal with our song selections,” says manager Glenn Wheatley who, with Farnham and A&R chief Ross Fraser tapped “hundreds and hundreds of songs from around the world.”

Andrew Gillespie, singer from heavy rock band Scarymother is back in the studio, working on a new project that includes other members of Scarymother, Cog and Karnivool. We hear a young heavyweight Australian producer is helming.

‘90s Sydney band Glide, who recently did a 20th anniversary reunion show at the Annandale Hotel with Youth Group’s Toby Martin stepping in for the late William Arthur, have reissued their back catalogue on iTunes.

Country rock band Jonah's Road are compiling a 3-CD set of all its audio and visual cuts to celebrate their 10th anniversary.

The Rapture, who’re back for the summer festivals this year, say that their upcoming fourth album took shape on their last visit here when they played Parklife. Daft Punks ex-manager Busy P, who was here djing heard the material and insisted on hooking them up with Paris producer Phillipe Zdar.

TRIPPIN’

When will we see the second Empire of the Sun album?

How much pain was Darwin Mix 1049 Mornings presenter Rick Knight in after he got a pussycat's paw tattooed on to his right shoulder for charity?

Does Kanye West want to do a duet with Justin Bieber?

Guns N’Roses Aussie tour organisers are pulling their hair out, after someone hacked into Axl Rose’s twitter account and claimed he’d cancel all gigs for the rest of 2010. The Gunners are coming…