Management company Crucial Music have today announced an interesting move in light of their recent split with booking agents New World Artists last month, partnering with new booking agents Village Sounds to look after their family of artists including 360, The Living End, Children Collide, Gyroscope, and Hunting Grounds.
Effective today Crucial Music artists have since been taken under the wing of Village Sounds who will become the sole and exclusive Australian booking agent for all of Crucial’s artists. Village Sounds directors Jessica Ducrou and Evan Davis report that it is “a big day for the agency and we are super excited about this partnership.”
Crucial Musi’s Rae Harvey announced that “Village Sounds suggested a ground-breaking, modern and innovative partnership that perfectly suited Crucial Music and our artists – we’re absolutely delighted.” Having worked with Ducrou and Davis in the past Harvey is keen to build a strong and working relationship with the domestic booking agency who already represent a stalwart of brilliant live artists including Birds of Tokyo, Washington, The Vines, and Art Vs Science.
The new partnership with Village Sounds after the Crucial music roster was dumped by New World Artists, a breakaway move preempted by Melbourne rapper 360, who abruptly split from booker New World Artists back in December, with Rae Harvey from management team Crucial Music issuing a statement stating that she would be handing all national booking enquiries alongside Rob Zifarelli of The Agency Group who would be handling 360’s North American commitments.“Village Sounds suggested a ground-breaking, modern and innovative partnership that perfectly suited Crucial Music and our artists…” – Rae Harvey, Crucial Music
The Living End, Children Collide, Gyroscope and Hunting Groups followed suit in leaving being the booking agency after the relationship between Crucial Music and New World Artists reportedly turned sour. The scratching of the rest of Crucial Music’s roster was confirmed by the agency who issued a statement claiming that “It wasn’t something we were expecting, and therefore can not advise future plans at this early stage.”
New World Artists already had a strong collection of high-profile Australian acts on the books, including Silverchair, Grinspoon, British India and Spiderbait, but the loss of Crucial’s group of artists would have certainly made financial implications for the agency, especially in light of 360 making huge waves overseas and getting set to play Austin’s SXSW industry conference.
Village Sounds’ co-director Jessica Ducrou, is one half of the management duo behind the Splendour in the Grass festival, is a powerhouse in the Australian live music scene, recently buying into and partnering with the growing Falls Festival alongside partner Paul Piticco. The collaboration of two of Australia’s most renowned music festivals confirms a strong relationship and also suggests the remarkable pulling power of Ducrou and her company Village Sounds in terms of getting her artists on the bill for such festivals.
Does this mean we will possibly see the Living End and 360 joining the speculation of artists for Splendour in the Grass this year? The Living End, Bob Dylan, and Wavves on the same bill? Seems like a pretty good festival bill to us.
