DEALS
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CTS Eventim’s acquisition of Vivendi’s festivals business and See Tickets has completed. The deal - which was originally announced in April - is worth around €300 million. Vivendi’s venues, See Tickets France and the Brive Festival are not part of the deal.
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Music industry data standards organisation DDEX has signed a liaison agreement with US indie label trade body A2IM. It already has similar agreements with AIM in the UK, the Independent Music Coalition Japan and the Worldwide Independent Network. “Our liaison organisations are a vital part of DDEX, providing access to music industry companies that may not wish to become members of DDEX”, says the organisation’s Secretariat Mark Isherwood. “A2IM will be an incredibly valuable asset to our existing members and help advance DDEX standard adoption throughout the music value chain, particularly in the independent music sector”.
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Music university BIMM has partnered with Idles to launch the Idles Future Talent Scholarship, covering three years of tuition fees for one student. “We're THRILLED to be a part of this scholarship”, says the band’s drummer Jon Beavis, a former BIMM student himself. “We hope this scholarship allows someone to truly focus on honing their craft. Investing in the next generation of artists is important”.
APPOINTMENTS
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Booking agency CAA have promoted Emma Banks, Darryl Eaton and Rick Roskin to become co-Heads of Global Touring. “With the most talented team of agents ever at one agency, and serving the most influential artists in the world, we see unlimited opportunities ahead”, say the trio. “The live business has never been stronger nor had more momentum, and artists have never had more ways to express themselves and grow their careers, making this an absolutely incredible time to help chart CAA’s path for the future”.
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The PRS Foundation has appointed Susannah Simons as its interim Chair. “Susannah has always been a huge advocate for the Foundation even before joining the board officially and her experience and understanding of the sector has made a huge contribution to steering the charity already”, says CEO Joe Frankland. “I very much look forward to working with Susannah in her new role over the coming months and as we look to recruit a permanent Chair”.
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The Edinburgh International Festival has appointed Nicolas Zekulin as Head Of Music Programme and Paul Sharp as Head Of Artistic Management ahead of this year’s event. “I am delighted”, says Sharp. “I am THRILLED”, says Zekulin.
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Concord Music Publishing has hired Adam Salomon as Senior Director of A&R. He joins from Chosen Music. “I feel THRILLED and privileged to become a part of the Concord family”, he says. “Concord's roster is one of the most dynamic and exciting in the industry, and I am eager to contribute to their ongoing success and legacy”.
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Gamma has named Lionel Ridenour as EVP Promotion. He joins from his own Anchor Promotions company, which has worked with the music and content company for a number of years. “Early into the formation of Gamma, we oftentimes heard the critique that one of the things we would be challenged to deliver on is radio promotion, for any artist at the highest level. So we challenged ourselves to roll up our sleeves and debunk that theory”, says CEO Larry Jackson. “And it's because of Lionel, his staff and our efficient spend in this area that we now have such an unbelievably strong radio market share for a company that’s only a year old”.
MUSIC PUBLISHING
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The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency, or CMRRA to its friends, has announced that it distributed more than $78 million in 2023. The agency represents the mechanical rights of music publishers in Canada. “We’re THRILLED to have processed and distributed over $78 million dollars of mechanical royalties to our music publisher and self-published songwriter clients last year”, says President Paul Shaver. “We are witnessing a significant uptick in music consumption, a trend that highlights the vibrancy and vitality of the industry, and which also emphasises the growing demand for music across global audiences”.
ARTIST NEWS
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The Black Keys have split from their managers Irving Azoff and Steve Moir of Full Stop Management. A spokesperson for Azoff told Rolling Stone that it was an “amicable parting”. Last week, the duo cancelled US tour dates set to begin in September.
LIVE
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Rick Ross will play IndigO2 in London on 4 Aug. Tickets go on general sale on 14 Jun.
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Aurora has announced that she will play Wembley Arena on 3 May 2025. Tickets go on general sale on 12 Jun. Her new album ‘What Happened To The Heart?’ is out today.
RELEASES
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Billie Eilish has released the video for ‘Chihiro’ from her latest album ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’.
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Raye has released new single ‘Genesis’.
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Noga Erez will release her third album ‘The Vandalist’ on 20 Sep. Out now is new single ‘PC People’.
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Taahliah has released new single ‘Boys’.
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Isabella Lovestory has released new single ‘VIP’.
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Big Woes have released their debut single ‘Small Business Man’.
Listen to all the new music we’ve covered this week in our Brand New On CMU playlist.