Artist News Business News Deals Gigs & Festivals Industry People Labels & Publishers One Liners Releases

One Liners: BPI, Fraser T Smith, System Of A Down, more

By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 2 February 2021

EDUCATION & EVENTS

Brexit has turned out to be an almighty disaster. If only someone had given some kind of warning. Later this month, record industry trade group BPI will begin a series of webinars to help music companies try to navigate the whole sorry situation. There will be talks on movement of people (11 Feb), movement of goods (18 Feb), VAT (24 Feb) and data (3 Mar). Click the links to register.

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DEALS

Fraser T Smith has appointed Three Six Zero as his new management team, with Phil Sales his direct manager. Smith co-wrote Adele’s ‘Set Fire To The Rain’ and produced Stormzy’s ‘Gang Signs & Prayer’, among many others, and released his own Future Utopia artist album last year.

Dead Can Dance’s Lisa Gerrard and Jules Maxwell will release a new album together, titled ‘Burn’, on 7 May, having recently signed to Atlantic Curve. “It is with great pleasure that I share this collaboration with Jules Maxwell”, says Gerrard. “Jules and I began our creative journey with Dead Can Dance. We realised that we could connect through improvisation and that musical exploration continues to evolve with this present work”.

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APPOINTMENTS

Heidi Jacob has joined Universal Music’s all-new 0207 Def Jam as Promotions Director. “I grew up listening to Def Jam compilation CDs, so this really is a dream come true”, she says. “I’m absolutely THRILLED to be part of the 0207 Def Jam team, heading up and building the promotions team”.

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LABELS & PUBLISHERS

Australian label services company Remote Control has launched a new joint venture publishing company with Beggars Music, called Remote Control Music. “We are excited to expand Remote Control into the publishing space”, say co-founders Steve Cross and Harvey Saward. “We have worked with the Beggars Group for 20 years, representing their catalogue of recorded music in Australia and New Zealand. It makes perfect sense to expand on that successful partnership and work with the publishing company”.

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RELEASES

System Of A Down have released the video for one of two recently released new tracks, ‘Genocidal Humanoidz’.

Every Time I Die have released new single ‘AWOL’. The track was previously made available to people who bought tickets for the band’s fundraising live stream – ‘Every Time I Die’s online telethon extravaganza to raise $69 for the members of Every Time I Die’ – in December.

Skullcrusher has released new single ‘For Nick Drake’. The song, she says, “is about my relationship to the music of Nick Drake. It recalls moments in my life that are viscerally intertwined with his music, specifically times spent walking and taking the train. The song is really my homage to music and the times I felt most immersed in it”.

Victoria Monét has released new single ‘F.U.C.K’. It is, she says, “a nod to the millennial and gen Z mindset. We do not have to be confined to traditional commitment ideals, and instead, embody the freedom to be intimate when and with whom we mutually please. I wanted to give that non-binding friendship intimacy an official name – the way we see it, if you’re never in a relationship, you technically can never break up. It’s forever fun, it’s playful, it happens. So… F.U.C.K. it!”

Pinty has released new single ‘Comfort Me’, featuring Emma-Jane Thackray. It “was written while I was going through therapy and coming to terms with strife in my life – I lost three friends in the last year”, he says. “These lyrics are about me summoning my omens and calling out for some nurture, desperately in need of some comfort”.

Sibille Attar has released new single ‘Somebody’s Watching’. “There was a time when I felt like I couldn’t trust the business, and it was draining me of my love for the music”, she says of the inspiration for the song. “Eventually, I realised you can’t live your life trying to fit into somebody else’s mould all the time”. Her new album, ‘A Hand Of Silence’, is out on 26 Feb through PNKSLM.

Ragz Originale has released new single ‘Nightcap’, featuring John Glacier.

Kesh has released new single ‘Jadine’s Escape’.

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GIGS & TOURS

Celeste has announced UK tour dates to promote her newly released debut album, ‘Not Your Muse’. She will play six dates in March and April 2022, including one at The Roundhouse in London on 21 Apr. Again, that’s 2022.

Tom Grennan has announced that he will play an interactive livestreamed show this Friday at 5pm UK time. “I’ve missed performing live so much and am buzzing to get back on stage again”, he says. “I’ve got something super special planned and cannot wait to see you all singing along with me at home!” Tickets are available to anyone willing to pre-order his new album, ‘Evering Road’, via his website.

Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily – updated every Friday.