DEALS
🌭
Mustard has partnered with BMG to release his fourth album ‘Faith Of A Mustard Seed’. “I'm happy to join forces with BMG, a company known for its dedication to nurturing artistic independence, integrity and innovation”, he says. “Together, we'll continue to push the boundaries of creativity and deliver groundbreaking music that resonates with audiences worldwide”.
🎮
Electronic label NoCopyrightSounds, which offers free music to creators, has announced a new partnership with popular music rhythm game Geometry Dash. "I have long been a fan of NCS and know there is a huge amount of user-generated Geometry Dash content on platforms like YouTube featuring the catalogue already”, says the game’s founder Rob Topala. “The longevity of our game has been in part down to the passion and creativity within our community and there have been repeated calls for us to partner with them, so this is long overdue. We’re delighted to partner with a like-minded company and I'm really excited to see what our community comes up with”.
🏝️
Universal Music’s Island Records and Virgin Music Group have partnered with Carín León’s Socios Music label. The first release under the deal was León’s latest album ‘Boca Chueca Vol. 1’, which came out last month. “Carín León is a true outlier. He transcends not only stylistic and sonic boundaries, but also cultural boundaries”, say Island’s co-CEOs Justin Eshak and Imran Majid. ‘We’re THRILLED to work with Carín and manager Jorge Juarez via this new partnership with Virgin Music Group and Socios Music. There’s no limit to what we can accomplish together.”
APPOINTMENTS
🇺🇸
Warner Records in Nashville has hired Kelly Bolton as VP A&R. “I'm excited for this new role”, she says. “It’s a unique position. Living and working in Nashville and helping artists reach a global platform is the best of both worlds”.
🐰
Bad Bunny’s Rimas Entertainment has hired Rodrigo Prichard as General Manager and Kristen Quintero-Garriga as VP Brand Partnerships for the company’s new creative consultancy RIT.MO. “I am THRILLED to welcome Rodrigo Prichard and Kristen Quintero-Garriga to our corporate leadership team”, says COO Jorge Bracero. “Their deep knowledge and experience in the music industry and in creating strategic alliances are invaluable to us at this time of growth and evolution. I am confident that their leadership will be crucial in further driving Rimas’s success in the future”.
LEGAL
💌
Kanye West has agreed a settlement with the estate of Donna Summer over the unauthorised sampling of her song ‘I Feel Love’ on the track ‘Good (Don’t Die)’ from his album with Ty Dolla $ign ‘Vultures 1’. The track was pulled from streaming services and download stores prior to the Summer estate’s lawsuit. The estate’s attorney has said that deal bars the rappers from re-releasing it.
DIGITAL
🤖
More than 50 music organisations have now signed up to a set of principles for music creation with AI, launched by Universal Music and instrument maker Roland earlier this year. “We are pleased to see the growing list of principle supporters from across the ecosystem of tools, services, educators and services addressing the needs and interests of current and future artists”, says Chris Horton, UMG’s SVP Strategic Technology. “The scope of support reflected by all of these participating organisations clearly indicates emerging consensus about the importance of strongly advocating a thoughtful approach to AI adoption”.
LIVE BUSINESS
💔
With the cancellation of Northwich's Geronimo Festival, the Association Of Independent Festivals has announced that 50 UK festivals have now been postponed, cancelled or completely closed down in 2024. “This is a regrettable landmark for the UK’s festival sector”, says AIF CEO John Rostron. “This is the most challenging time for independent festivals who desperately need an intervention from the incoming government before more events inevitably fall. Our research suggests around 100 festivals will throw in the towel before the year is out, and more will go into 2025 at risk if there is not the temporary fiscal support they need”.
MANAGEMENT
🚀
Tara Richardson has announced that she is leaving Q Prime Management after seventeen years to launch her own company T-Time Management. “I’ve both scouted and closely developed a number of powerful and globally successful artists over the past two decades, and the inception of T-Time feels like a positive outcome of that experience”, she tells Music Week. “The company will grow into a strong collective of smart, creative individuals across all disciplines, and those joining us will all be on an equal footing. I’m really excited to get going with it”.
MEDIA
❌
Paramount Global has deleted its MTV News and CMT websites, erasing decades of music journalism from the internet. MTV News stopped producing new content last year, as part of cost-cutting measures at Paramount. “Eight years of my life are gone without a trace. All because it didn't fit some executives’ bottom lines”, wrote former editor Patrick Hosken on X. “Infuriating is too small a word”.
INDUSTRY EVENTS
💡
AIM’s Future Independents conference for independent artists, labels and music entrepreneurs will return on 10 Jul. Its first wave of speakers has just been announced, including a keynote Q&A with grime pioneer Elijah. Free registration here.
RELEASES
🛝
A new posthumous album by Sophie is set for release on 27 Sep. Close to completion when she died in 2021, it has been finished by her studio manager Benny Long and other friends. Out now is ‘Reason Why’ featuring Kim Petras and BC Kingdom.
⛓️
Bicep have released the fourth track in their ‘CHROMA’ series, ‘CHROMA 004 ROLA’. They are also set to play two outdoor shows under the ‘CHROMA’ banner this summer, on Brighton Beach on 19 Jul and London’s Finsbury Park on 2 Aug.
💃
Stefflon Don has released new single ‘Dilemma’ featuring late Indian rapper Sidhu Moose Wala. Her debut album ‘Island 54’ is out this week.
🚥
Kim Gordon has released new single ‘ECRP’, an outtake from her recent solo album ‘The Collective’. The release comes as she prepares for UK shows, starting tonight at Koko in London.
🌊
The Waeve has announced that they will release their second album ‘City Lights’ on 20 Sep. Out now is new single ‘You Saw’.
🫧
Donna Thompson has released new single ‘Fever Bubbles’. She is set to play PRAH Recordings’ tenth anniversary show at Rough Trade East on 17 Jul.