Cold Chisel may be one of the most celebrated rock bands in Australia but now they’ve reached a new milestone upon the eve of the their 40th anniversary this December, creating their own record label more than 35 years after first signing with Warner Music, then known as WEA.
The surviving members of Chisel – Jimmy Barnes, Don Walker, Ian Moss, and Phil Small – have reclaimed the rights to their extensive catalogue back from Warner, as Herald Sun reports, who have handled all Cold Chisel releases since signing a record deal in June 1977 that has resulted in more than six million albums sales worldwide through the course of their career.
With the Warner contract has now expired, and the rights reverting to the band, they have formed Cold Chisel Music to protect their recorded legacy while inking a new deal with the Universal Music Group to handle distribution and of future releases, with Barnes, Walker, Moss, and Small having been “messing around” in the studio since June on a tentative follow-up to last year’s No Plans.
The new Cold Chisel Music label deal with Universal will also ensure that royalties continue to go to the family of late drummer Steve Prestwich.
The move was engineered by John O’Donnell, one of Cold Chisel’s managers who also heads the EMI label that was taken over by Universal this year as part of a $1.9 million merger, while the lung-belting Jimmy Barnes says the creation of their won label was motivated by a desire to ‘shake up’ their catalogue and introduce their music to new generation of fans.
“We’re proud of all the albums we’ve made and the impact the band has had and we’re keen for people to keep discovering Cold Chisel’s music,” says Barnes. “We think that having our own label will give us the best shot at doing that.” “Having our own imprint will give us complete control over how our recordings are presented to people over the coming years.”
Principle songwriter Walker says that Cold Chisel Music is about offering autonomy over their historic discography as they reach their fourth decade as a band, first forming in Adealaide as a heavy metal outfit in late 1973. “Having our own imprint will give us complete control over how our recordings are presented to people over the coming years,” says Walker. “Ian, Phil, Jim, Steve and I always liked to do things our own way so this feels like the right next step for Cold Chisel.”
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George Ash, President of Universal Music Asia Pacific also shared his enthusiasm over the new deal. “We feel honoured and privileged to be working with Cold Chisel as they launch their own label and for the first time manage their incredible recordings themselves,” says Ash. “The songs of Cold Chisel have been an important part of our lives and it is with huge pride we look forward to supporting the band in the re-launch of their catalogue across Australia and New Zealand.”
The first release under the Cold Chisel Music imprint is slated to be a live album, based on performances from their record breaking Light The Nitro Tour of 2011 that was seen by over 300,000 fans across Australasia, and presumably re-issues of key parts of the band’s discography while the band’s members continue to work on-again, off-again on new material as they continue their own solo careers.
Walker has just released his latest LP, Hully Gully, and is embarking on a national album tour this November; Jimmy Barnes is currently touring Australia with his band of family members to promote his new single ‘Welcome To The Pleasure House’ and is working on material for a new solo album.
Fellow Australian music legends, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds found great success in forming their own label, Bad Seeds Ltd, for the release of their 15th studio album, Push The Sky Away. The record not only gave the group an ARIA #1 for the first time in their 30+ year career, but has also seen Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds nominated for major awards, such as the coveted 9th Austrlian Music Prize, as well as the Independent Album Of The Year gong for UK’s AIM.
