DEALS
Primary Wave has entered into a new partnership with Times Music in India. The deal will see the former invest in the latter – the music business of Indian media firm The Times Group – and provide resources to assist it in growing its reach globally. “Music is synonymous with India and Times Music has built an incredible catalogue with amazing global potential”, says Times Music COO Mandar Thakur. “Our partnership with Primary Wave will enable us to further accelerate our catalogue acquisition, acquire new music and reach worldwide audiences”.
Music distributor Believe has agreed a deal with Rinse FM to provide distribution and other services to its Rinse and Bad Music record labels. “We’re very excited to sign this deal with Believe”, says Marva Kreel, Label Manager at Rinse. “Our label at Rinse is ready to move into our next chapter and we feel that Believe is perfectly aligned with our ambitions and values”.
Sen Morimoto has signed a new record deal with City Slang. The company will co-release his upcoming third album with Sooper Records. The first single from that album, ‘If The Answer Isn’t Love’, is out now.
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APPOINTMENTS
Booking agency Runway has hired agent Zac Peters. He joins from DMF Music. “We’re really excited to have Zac join Runway and were THRILLED that he was open to a conversation with us, having been so well regarded during his time at DMF”, says Runway founder Matt Hanner. After bigging up his new recruit’s experience working with both new and established artists, Hanner adds: “Beyond that, Zac’s a family man and, as a company that has been built around individuals with their own family commitments, we’re determined to champion an equitable work-life balance that our industry so often doesn’t allow”.
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RELEASES
Yusuf/Cat Stevens has released new song ‘King Of A Land’, calling on King Charles III to use his reign to improve the world. “One of the privileges of being an artist is to express what seems unimaginable, and then hang it up there for people to ponder; we can say things that others can’t”, he says. “Sure, I know full well music can’t necessarily solve the world’s problems, but it can help to direct the narrative. There are a few aspirations in my song, ‘King Of A Land’, that I hope resonate with His Majesty”.
Thundercat has released new track ‘No More Lies’, a collaboration with Tame Impala. “I’ve wanted to work with Kevin [Parker] since the very first Tame Impala album”, says Thundercat. “I feel that I knew that us working together would be special. I’ve been excited about this song for a long time”.
Jon Hopkins has released two meditation versions of tracks from his ‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’ album. Hopkins says that while the LP “was not written to be a meditation album … it turns out a lot of people like to use it for meditation”, so he created simplified versions of the tracks ‘Tayos Caves, Ecuador’ and ‘Ascending, Dawn Sky’, removing “all the field recordings, so that no specific imagery is brought to mind”.
Cowboy Junkies have released new single ‘Hard To Build. Easy To Break’. “These days there seems to be this pull towards destruction”, says the band’s Michael Timmins of the inspiration for the song. “I’m more interested in the effort it takes to create something or the experience of seeing something evolve. On the flip-side of that is how easy it is to utterly smash and destroy whatever is at hand”. The band’s new album ‘Such Ferocious Beauty’ is out on 2 Jun.
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GIGS & TOURS
McFly have announced UK tour dates in October and November, including a performance at London’s Alexandra Palace on 27 Oct. Tickets go on general sale on 5 May.
Johnny Marr has announced UK tour dates in July and August this year, kicking off at the Picturedrome in Holmfirth on 17 Jul. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
Finch have announced two UK shows to mark the 20th anniversary of their debut album ‘What It Is To Burn’. They will hit Manchester’s New Century on 7 Nov and the Kentish Town Forum in London on 8 Nov. Tickets go on general sale on Friday.
Hardcore supergroup Better Lovers – featuring former members of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die – have announced four UK shows in October, two of which will be in London at the New Cross Inn and The Dome. The other shows will be in Brighton and Leeds. Tickets are on sale now.
Check out our weekly Spotify playlist of new music featured in the CMU Daily – updated every Friday.