Late last year Melbourne emcee 360 capped a successful 2012, and scooping an ARIA award for Best Breakthrough Artist, by announcing his abrupt departure from his booking agent in the wake of a busy summer touring schedule that included appearances at Insert To Play and Pyramid Rock.
The outspoken rapper walked from New World Artists booking agency effectively immediately in December, with Rae Harvey, of 360’s management team Crucial Music issuing a press statement indicating she would be handling all enquiries for upcoming Australian shows, while Rob Zifarelli of the Agency Group would continue booking 360’s North American commitments, including the hip-hop star’s first ever US shows this March.
It was a surprise move for the Melbourne based artist, especially considering that the rest of his fellow Crucial Music roster – namely The Living End, Children Collide, Gyroscope, and Hunting Grounds – all remained loyal to New World Artists for their booking.
During the holiday break however, the relationship between the companies seems to have soured with the shock news that New World Artists have now dumped the rest of the acts on Crucial Music’s roster.
A representative from Crucial Music has confirmed that the management company’s entire roster is no longer associated with New World Artists (NWA), issuing the following statement:
All we can tell you right now, is that on Friday Jan 4th, NWA decided to discontinue their role as agent for the remaining acts on Crucial’s roster. It wasn’t something we were expecting, and therefore can not advise future plans at this early stage. Bookings will be via Crucial Music until further notice, and we will be investigating the best opportunities which present themselves for our artists from this point forward.
New World Artists spoke with Tone Deaf and confirmed Crucial’s statement, but declined to comment further.
There is still some speculation surrounding the catalyst for the events, but industry rumours circulate that it may have something to do with New World Artists signing rising Aussie hip hop star Drapht that may have spurred 360 to walk from the booking agents last December. “It wasn’t something we were expecting, and therefore can not advise future plans at this early stage.”
Despite having a stable of high-profile Australian acts already on the books, including Silverchair, Grinspoon, Hermitude, and Spiderbait, parting ways with the Crucial Music roster would certainly have financial implications for the agency.
Particularly given that it features some of Australia’s most successful acts, including The Living End, who have just finished their immense Retrospective tour that saw the band playing every one of their seven albums live, in full, in each capital city around Australia.
Meanwhile, Children Collide recently returned from overseas to see out the last legs of their tour for their latest LP, Monument, similarly Hunting Grounds landed with an electric thud in 2012 with their debut album In Hindsight and an equally dense national tour.
Gyroscope have been the most dormant of the Crucial roster, understandable considering that their guitarist and vocalist Zoran Trivic was involved in a motorcycle accident last May that took months of physical recovery before the Perth quartet could return to work on the follow-up to their fifth studio album, 2010’s Cohesion.
Meanwhile 360 looks set to continue his unabashed success into 2013, with his critically and commercially lauded album Falling & Flying earning much kudos, including his cross-over hit with Gossling, ‘Boys Like You’ – which has earned four-times platinum status as well as being one of the few Australian acts featured in a recent industry poll of the most heard songs on Australian radio in 2012.
On top of appearing on festival bills for the imminent Big Day Out, Tasmania’s Breath of Life Festival, and Rockhampton’s Oxford Street Party, 360 is set to embark on first ever North American tour, with dates plotted around the US in March before an appearance at the world’s largest music industry event, Texas’ SXSW.
