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DEALS
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Universal Music has acquired Oriental Star Agencies, the Birmingham-based label specialising in South Asian music. The major label said that the deal was "another demonstration of UMG’s strategy to accelerate its growth in high potential music markets around the world".
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Universal Music's Virgin Music Group has announced a deal with Saban Music Latin. Under the deal, Virgin will both acquire the Latin-focused label’s catalogue and "release future albums by selected Saban Music Latin's artists". The catalogue acquisition is interesting given Virgin is Universal's artist and label services division, rather than being a frontline label.
APPOINTMENTS
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Ticketing firm Dice has appointed Piper McCoy as VP Communications. She joins from Buzzfeed, where she held the same title.
EVENTS
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This year’s Record Store Day will take place on 20 Apr, it has been announced.
ARTIST NEWS
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Hey, remember when you were a teenager and you dreamed of playing guitar in The Smashing Pumpkins? Well, now you can! It will be The Smashing Pumpkins in 2024, not The Smashing Pumpkins in 1995, but beggars can’t be choosers. All you need do is respond to this online ad for a replacement for Jeff Schroeder, who left the group in October after fifteen years.
RELEASES
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Liam Gallagher and John Squire have released ‘Just Another Rainbow’, the first track from their upcoming collaborative album, details of which are yet to be announced. “To me the most obvious take on ‘Just Another Rainbow’ is that it's about disappointment, and the sentiment is that you never get what you really want”, says Squire. “It's also one of the most uplifting tracks we’ve made together, which is weird”.
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Green Day have released new single ‘One Eyed Bastard’. Their new album ‘Saviors’ is out on 19 Jan.
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Bring Me The Horizon have released new single ‘Kool-Aid’.
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Cast have released new single ‘Far Away’. New album ‘Love Is The Call’ is out on 16 Feb.
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Mykki Blanco provides vocals on new Astrit Ismaili track ‘Miss Kosovo’. Ismaili’s new album ‘The First Flower’ is out on 23 Feb.
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Bob Vylan have released new single ‘Hunger Games’. Their new album ‘Humble The Sun’ is out on 5 Apr.
🖤
Mall Girl are back with new single ‘Emo Shred’. Their new album ‘Pure Love’ is out on 26 Jan.
💰
The Miserable Rich have released a new double A-side single featuring the songs ‘Quietly’ and ‘We All Know’. Their first album in over thirteen years, ‘Overcome’, is out on 2 Feb.
🫀
Yoasobi have released new single ‘Heart Beat’.
🦋
LuLa of recently disbanded J-pop duo FEMM has released her first solo single ‘Butterfly To The Moon’.
GIGS & TOURS
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Rage Against The Machine have officially retired from touring, according to drummer Brad Wilk. The band postponed a reunion tour in 2020 due to COVID. They managed to play a handful of shows in 2022 before frontman Zach de la Rocha tore his Achilles tendon, forcing another postponement and now, seemingly, full cancellation.
AWARDS
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Ed Sheeran, Max Martin and Foy Vance have won this year’s Emmy for Outstanding Music And Lyrics for the song ‘A Beautiful Game’, which they wrote for the third series of ‘Ted Lasso’.
🍽️
The Last Dinner Party have been named winners of this year’s BBC Sound Of 2024 poll. So get ready to be listening to them pretty much constantly for the next twelve months, I guess. “We are overjoyed to have won BBC Radio 1’s Sound Of Award for 2024”, say they. “We predict amazing things happening in music this year and it is truly an honour to even be a part of it”.