ARIA Charts Release Day Moved To Accommodate Radio
ARIA have announced today that the weekly ARIA Charts will now come out at 7pm Saturday night each week, coming a day earlier from its traditional release at 6pm Sunday, so that they can make the announcement live on radio and in synch with social media. The ARIA Chart week (the days in which sales are collated) will still remain Friday through to Thursday. The new release date comes into effect this coming Saturday 1st June, with the ARIA Singles Chart officially announced on radio show Take 40 Australia with Jackie O, from 3pm – 7pm on the Today Network. The full ARIA Charts list, including Album, Australian, and Genre Charts, will be then be released at 7pm via the official website.
“We wanted to make sure that we could announce the ARIA Charts at the earliest possible time, giving Australian music fans the most up to date account of what tracks and albums have charted over the past week,” said ARIA CEO Dan Rosen of the move. “This is a fantastic development for the ARIA Charts which serve as the official barometer of what music fans across the country are buying and listening to each week and act as an important source of information for both the industry and fans alike.”
Aussie Label Grants Ignore Victoria
Australia Council has handed out a series of Federal grants to Aussie labels as part of The Recording Initiative, but Victoria has missed out in the pilot grant program which finds the Australia Council supporting record label activity for the first time ever. Based on the three criteria of “artistic merit, track record of the organisation, [and] strength of planning” the council has whittled down 65 applications to six successful applicants. Northern Territory-based Indigenous label, Skinnyfish Music received $50,000, while the other four successful applicants were all NSW labels, namely Hub Artist Services (receiving $50,000), Elefant Traks ($50,000), Siberia Records ($38,000), Spunk Records ($48,000), and 4-4-2 Music ($17,600), which combined have 35 planned new releases from a diverse list of Australian artists.
Co-Op Local Manager Moves With Label To Liberator
Local manager of the Cooperative Music label, Neil Robertson, is leaving his position at Universal Music to follow Co-Op to the Mushroom Group subsidiary, Liberator, reports TheMusic. Launched as division of Universal in Australia in June 2011, Cooperative Music was sold to indie label PIAS earlier this year as part of provisions in the Universal/EMI merger, PIAS distributes Liberator locally, and Robertson has become Liberator’s Local Manager. His new role will see him handling Co-Op’s labels, including Bella Union, DFA Records, Kitsune, and Mad Decent.
General Manager Tim James, the former Shock Records employee who moved to Co-Op when it launched, will stay at Universal to help with their new division, Caroline, along with Label Manager George Dalziel, and Sydney-based Caroline/Spunk National Publicist Gabrielle Ryan. As reported last week, Caroline will pool Spunk, Popfrenzy, Dine Alone, Cooking Vinyl, Resist and Spinefarm as initial label partners.
On The Map PR Team Expands
Music Publicity company On The Map PR, has expanded their workforce, with news that Fiona Peacock has joined company director Emily Cheung, as TheMusic reports. Peacock is a music industry professional with 10 years experience, having worked at PolyGram, Warner, Shock, before recently announcing her departure from Sony. Speaking of her new employment at the communications firm, Peacock said: “To be given the opportunity to work for a company such as On The Map with artists and projects I feel passionate about has really re-ignited my love for PR.” On The Map PR’s client list includes Ella Hooper, Buchanan, The Paper Kites, Pseudo Echo, EMPRA, Black Fox, ABBA tribute band Björn Again, and more.
Popboomerang Signs Nick Batterham
Melbourne singer-songwriter Nick Batterham has signed on with Popboomerang for the release of his new album, Closing Time At Yah Yah’s. Previously releasing material through Head Records, Batterham is an AACTA Award nominee (for his sound production work on the Paul Kelly documentary, Stories Of Me), and is the latest addition to Popboomerang’s roster, which includes Celadore, Skipping Girl Vinegar, and recent signees The The Solicitors. Ahead of the August release of Closing Time At Yah Yah’s, Nick Batterham is about to drop a lead double-A side single, featuring ‘Your Own Head (The River Is Wide)’ and a duet with Amaya Laucirica, ‘Own Worst Enemy’.
Ministry Of Sound & Totem One Love MDs On World Dance Music Board
Ministry of Sound Australia’s Managing Director, Tim McGee, and dance festival promoter Richie McNeill of Totem One Love, will represent Australia on the ‘Association For Electronic Music’ (AFEM) board, as the Music Network reports. The new global collective was formed as an advocacy and lobbying group for the global dance music sector, now valued at US$ 4 Billion, and announced a the International Music Summit (IMS) in Ibiza. The 51-strong AFEM board brings together a host of representatives from the dance music world including Patric Moxey (Ultra Records), James Barton (Live Nation), Lohan Presencer, Steve Goodgold (Windish Agency), Matthew Adell (Beatport), Mark Jowett (Nettwerk Music Group), Georgia Taglietti (Sonar Festival), Liz Miller (Big Beat/Atlantic), as well as Tim McGee’s English counterpart for Ministry Of Sound, Lohan Presencer. Others on the AFEM board include members from Germany, South Africa, Canada, North America, Argentina, Netherlands, France, and India.
Vaudeville Smash Confirmed For Japan’s Sapporo Jazz Festival
Genre-defying Melbourne band Vaudeville Smash have scored a slot at this year’s Sapporo City Jazz Festival in Japan. The funk fusion act will join the ranks of around 350 other artists hitting the festival, performing on the mainstage of Japan’s biggest Jazz Festival on August 25th. The news follows what has been a great start to the year for the Melbourne five-piece on the international front, having played Austin Texas’ SXSW 2013 conference earlier this year before heading to the Canada Music Week for three shows, then stopping in at New York City venue The Bitter End for two concerts. The band are currently performing at Singapore’s Music Matters Live after releasing their debut album Dancing For The Girl. They head home for an Australian Tour this June.
PLUDO Sign With Ctrl-Alt Through Universal Music Australia
Two-piece electronic rock band Pludo have announced that they have signed with Sydney-based label ctrl-alt records, with their music released through Universal Music Australia. News of the three-year ctrl-alt deal arrived alongside announcing tour dates in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide for June 2013 to support their new single ‘Haywire’ out Friday 14th June, the first release under the new ctrl-alt deal. For full dates and tickets for PLUDO’s tour, head to www.pludo.com.au
Sydney Getting LabelMate.com Pop-Up Band T Shirt Shop
Aussie Band T-shirt retailer, LabelState.com, are opening a pop-up store in Sydney, at 118 Oxford St, Darlinghurst for two months from June 4th to August 4th. The pop-up shop will stock hundreds of tee designs from over 400 Aussie bands, artists, labels and venues, just like those featured on their online store, offering a no-cost solution to bands selling merch. LabelState handles the costs of production and shipping and pays a $5 royalty to the artist for every t-shirt sold, and from bands like DZ Deathrays, Screamfeeder, and Velociraptor, to Sydney community radio’s FBi Radio and label Rice Is Nice Records, there is a large selection to choose from. To help launch the new Oxford St store, the shopfront will host a series of live shows, including a performance from Velociraptor frontman Jeremy Neale, which will simulcast on FBi Radio at 2pm on Saturday 6th June. For more info: www.labelstate.com
