APPOINTMENTS
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Tencent Music has taken a 10% stake in Thailand-based music company GMM Music, giving the business a $700 million valuation. “As the music industry is entering the second wave boom, with revenue surpassing all time high and continuing on the upswing, GMM Music has developed a new strategic roadmap to drive our future growth, along with continuously improving the infrastructure for the Thai music industry”, says GMM CEO Phawit Chitrakorn.
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Downtown Artist & Label Services has agreed a partnership with AI-powered music marketing operating system SymphonyOS. “As we see the needs of artists and their teams evolving rapidly, SymphonyOS’ suite of tools represents an important shift in the way we and our partners can make the most informed decisions, with the goal of developing a targeted fanbase of authentic listeners”, says the Downtown division’s VP Marketing Geoff Halliday.
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23rd Precinct Music has signed Gun to a new publishing deal covering their latest album ‘Hombres’, which came out in April. The band’s Giuliamo Gizzi says they’re “THRILLED” to sign the deal, which they hope “will take our music to the next level".
APPOINTMENTS
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Spotify has promoted Federica Tremolada to General Manager for Europe. She replaces Michael Krause, who revealed earlier this week that he is leaving the company. “I’m super honored and THRILLED to continue this amazing journey at Spotify by extending my scope and being appointed as General Manager for Europe”, says Tremolada. “A huge thanks goes to everyone inside and outside Spotify who supported, inspired and trusted me in every single step along the way”.
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TikTok has hired former Warner Bros lawyer John Rogovin as its new General Counsel. He arrives as the video-sharing platform attempts to fight its looming ban in the US. “I am incredibly excited to be joining this world-class team and look forward to helping to ensure that our platforms continue to provide a critical forum for more than two billion users worldwide to entertain, teach and connect with one another”, he says.
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Universal Music has announced the formation of a new Global Impact Group, appointing Susan Mazo as Chief Impact Officer and hiring Dylan Siegler as Head Of Sustainability. “The formation of the Global Impact Team reflects our commitment not only to accelerating our work in these critical areas but to do so in a way that leverages the experience and talent of these exceptional individuals to drive positive impact across our company, our industry and in the communities in which we serve”, says CEO Lucian Grainge. “With this new structure we are ensuring that these functions are not siloed, but rather positioned to meaningfully influence all aspects of our global strategy”.
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MNRK Music Group has announced that President and CEO Chris Taylor has resigned. He will officially step down at the end of this month. Taking his place will be current COO Sean Stevenson. “We wish Chris the best in his future endeavours”, says Stevenson. “He’s been a great leader and partner over the years, and I look forward to continuing the growth of MNRK with the whole team”.
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Booking agency Wasserman Music has promoted Lee Anderson to the role of President. “I’m honoured to accept this new role, but my mission remains the same: to work closely with my colleagues on our executive leadership team to ensure that we remain true to our vision and consistently deliver the best results for our clients and our global team”, he says.
LIVE BUSINESS
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European festival trade body Yourope has launched a new Diversity & Inclusion Toolset, a collection of resources to help organisers make their events more diverse and inclusive for their ticketholders, artists and staff. “When we talk to festival organisers about diversity at their events, we sometimes hear that they would like to do more, but they don’t know where to start”, says project manager Katharina Weber. “With this toolset, we give festival organisers a chance to fight this insecurity. It’s a place to start their diversity journey”.
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Promoter of the Duckie club night Simon Casson is attempting to rally support to buy South London LGBTQ+ venue the Royal Vauxhall Tavern through the formation of a community trust. The current operator of the venue, James Lindsey, is stepping down and is looking to sell the business, though Casson proposes buying the building instead. “The only way the Royal Vauxhall Tavern can survive is to be taken over by a community trust”, he writes in a post on Facebook. “It’s a wonderful building with a wonderful history and its soul doesn’t belong to the asset stripping James Lindsey”.
MUSIC EDUCATION
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Following a pilot programme in Manchester, Casio Music UK and Manchester City footballer Nathan Aké are launching Playing For Change. The initiative aims to improve music education provision in disadvantaged schools and colleges by donating free pianos. “Every child deserves the opportunity to experience the gift of music, regardless of their background, and I’m proud to be working with Casio to make that a reality”, says Aké. “Learning to play the piano during lockdown was a revelation for me. It gave me a sense of calm and focus during a difficult time, and it continues to bring me joy and stress relief, especially between games”.
FUNDING
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Applications for the latest round of Youth Music’s NextGen Fund are now open. It offers grants of £2,500 for 18-25 year olds to fund creative projects in the music industry. The deadline to apply is 28 Jun.
GIGS & FESTIVALS
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Marina will play her only UK show of 2024 supporting Kylie Minogue at BST Hyde Park in London on 13 Jul. Tickets are on sale now.
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Sting and Pet Shop Boys have been announced as the headliners of this year’s BBC Radio 2 In The Park. The event is set to take place at Moor Park in Preston on 6-8 Sep. Other acts set to perform include Sugababes, Manic Street Preachers and Snow Patrol. Tickets are on sale now.
RELEASES
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Pixies have released new double A-side single ‘You’re So Impatient/Que Sera Sera’. The band will be on tour in the UK in August.
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Blossoms have announced that they will release their fifth studio album ‘Gary’ on 20 Sep. The title track is out now.
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Divorce have released new single ‘My Room’. The band will be on tour in the UK in October.
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Fat Dog have released new single ‘I Am The King’. Their debut album ‘Woof’ is out on 6 Sep, with UK tour dates set for November.
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Los Bitchos will release their second album ‘Talkie Talkie’ on 30 Aug. Out now is new single ‘Don’t Change’. UK tour dates are also scheduled for September and October.
Listen to all the new music we’ve covered this week in our Brand New On CMU playlist.