DEALS
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Halsey has signed a new record deal with Sonyâs Columbia Records, two months after departing Universalâs Capitol. In April, Halseyâs managers Jason Aron and Anthony Li told Billboard: âAfter eight great years the decision to leave Capitol is bittersweet, but we are excited about exploring a new partnership and sharing new music with fansâ. The record deal follows a new publishing deal with BMG, announced in December last year.
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Soundtrack Your Brand â the music streaming service for businesses that play music on their premises â has raised $15 million of new funding, led by Matt Pincusâs MUSIC company. âItâs hard to believe but, before Soundtrack Your Brand, business owners had no legitimate option to play music on demand for their customersâ, says Pincus. âAlmost every business has some need for music â and most business owners believe that music creators should be paid for their work. It sounds obvious, but it took a mountain of technological and business innovation to bring on-demand music to enterprise and Soundtrack nailed itâ.
APPOINTMENTS
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Artist services business Empire has hired Alexandra Moore as Chief Business Officer. âAlex is a proven leader with strong business and operational acumenâ, says CEO Ghazi Shami. âShe has a wealth of relationships in the music, talent and consumer internet industries and beyond, and I am confident she will be a key player to amplify our global presenceâ.
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Armada Music has hired Jason Ellis as Global Senior A&R Director. âJoining the team at Armada and the recently launched BEAT Music Fund feels like the natural next step in my career, given the exciting opportunity to utilise my considerable network and experience built up over many yearsâ, he says. âItâs a very exciting time for both companies on many levels, but fundamentally itâs all about building and nurturing the best music and artists. I canât wait to get started!â
RELEASES
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Alice Cooper will release new album âRoadâ on 25 Aug. âFor âRoadâ, I wanted the band to be involved in the foundation of all the songsâ, he says. âI only see these guys when weâre on the road. So, I wanted them to be as tight as they are for the show but on all new material. When you have a band this good, I believe in showing it off, and this is my way of doing soâ. Out now is new single âIâm Aliceâ.
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Quantic is back with new single âRunâ, featuring Andreya Triana. âThe seedling for âRunâ began with a remote collaboration between Andreya Triana and meâ, he says. âWhat started out as a simple sketch slowly became a patient gathering of lyrical ideas and musical fragments. These initial ideas were blended by an incredible array of musical contributors across New York and London. Our patience in seeing the idea through paid off and I think we found a perfect balance between raw emotion and musical expression for the danceâ.
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Knocked Loose have released two new songs âDeep In The Willowâ and âEverything Is Quiet Nowâ â their first since 2021âs brilliant âA Tear In The Fabric Of Lifeâ EP. â[These songs] are a reminder that we are heavy, intense and extremeâ, says frontman Bryan Garris. âSome elements come and go, but those will never changeâ.
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Chai have announced that they will release an eponymous new album on 22 Sep. Out today is new single âPara Paraâ. The band will also be in the UK for live shows in November.
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Melanie De Biasio has released two new songs, âNow Is Narrowâ and âWe Never Kneel To Prayâ. Both are taken from her new album âIl Viaggioâ, which is out on 13 Oct.
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Grove has released new single âStinking Rich Familiesâ, featuring Bob Vylan. The track is taken from new EP âPWRâ, which is set for release on 19 Jul. âThe âcost of living crisisâ is a phrase of pure propagandaâ, says Grove on the inspiration for the new track. âRepeated to us to take away blame from the greedy families whoâve syphoned off hundreds of millions of pounds of public money for themselves and their friendsâ.
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Andrew Hung has released new single âFind Outâ. âThis is a song about isolation, which is very different from solitudeâ, he says. âIâve never really felt part of any particular tribe, yet I know it exists because belonging is a deeply-ingrained needâ. His new album âDeliveranceâ is out on 11 Aug.
GIGS & TOURS
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Colin Stetson will perform his soundtrack to the movie âHereditaryâ accompanied by the London Contemporary Orchestra at Londonâs Barbican on 25 Apr 2024. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.