4 Music Week 23.11.12 NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF
INGROOVES FONTANA: The group has announced the creation of INresidence Artist Services in the US – an in-house artist marketing and promotion division. The unit will provide select INgrooves Fontana clients with access to product management, radio and video promotion, sync licensing, online marketing, publicity support and sponsorship services. IMAGEM: The publisher has signed Mark Ronson to a worldwide, multi- year co-publishing agreement. In addition to his own work, Ronson is well-known for collaborations and has worked with artists such as Adele, Bruno Mars, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Rufus Wainwright, Duran Duran, Lily Allen, Robbie Williams and more. GLOBAL: Downtown Music Publishing has signed an agreement to exclusively administer the Global Talent & Publishing catalogue in the US and Canada. Kobalt previously administered Global’s repertoire in the territories. iTUNES: The catalogue of rock band AC/DC has finally been made available on iTunes. The full catalogue from the band has been mastered for the platform. UK MUSIC: The trade body’s Oliver and Ohlbaum research into the commercial value of private copying has been nominated for an award by The Market Research Society (MRS). The research now competes against three others in the category of Public Policy/Social Research. The awards ceremony will take place on December 10. PARLOPHONE: The cousin of Warner’s Edgar Bronfman Jr. – Stephen Bronfman – is reportedly joining forces with Simon Fuller to bid for divested EMI label Parlophone. Bronfman is head of private equity firm Claridge Inc – which is rumoured to be in talks to back an offer made by Fuller for the label that counts Coldplay and Kylie Minogue among its artists. MAMA: The Masque, a live music venue in Liverpool, is to be revamped and taken over by MAMA Group. CO-OP: Contrary to last week’s Music Week analysis, a deal had not been completed for the sale by Universal of Cooperative Music to PIAS at the time of going to print.
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.com ROBSON BACKS UK POP ACT TILLY, MULLS LABEL DEAL
Ex-19 A&R returns 1
EXECUTIVES BY PAUL WILLIAMS
9 Entertainment’s former head of A&R Cheryl Robson has ended a three-
year break from the music industry to launch pop trio Tilly. As their manager she already
has a host of top hit songwriters on board collaborating with the band, which has been built around singer Emma Hopkins, including Eliot Kennedy (Spice Girls, Take That), Dee Adam (Newton Faulkner, Booty Luv), Steve Booker (Duffy, Alexandra Burke) and Wendy Page (Billie Piper). Robson, who before joining
Simon Fuller’s company in 2005 worked at Innocent Records, East West, Chrysalis Music Publishing and Ministry of Sound and Demon-backed 2M Recordings, said she was not looking to return to the industry, but was “vocally blown away” when producer friend Andi Crutwell-Jones introduced her two years ago to Hopkins, then aged just 16. “I couldn’t resist it. She was
really talented,” said Robson, adding: “It was important she finished her schooling and musical diplomas and we thought we’d develop her in the old school, A&R way, do songs first, get her in the studio.” It was then decided that,
rather than developing her as a solo act, a band should be put together around her and so were born Tilly – Hopkins’ nickname
Hands on the Tilly: Cheryl Robson has launched the pop trio
since she was a young child. The group includes her brother Daniel on drums and school friend Tom Barker on keyboards. Hopkins comes with a
background in musicals, having as a child been in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Whistle Down The Wind in the West End and played Annie on a national tour. However, Robson stressed she was not from stage school – “she cold auditioned” for the parts. Since the band were formed
they have constantly played live and are currently undertaking a fourth schools tour, while even before landing a recording deal have won extensive support at regional radio, including on The Beat, which goes out on BBC Radios Nottingham, Leicester, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. A database of more than 10,000 fans has also been built up. Robson’s vast industry
contacts have led to the band working with numerous top songwriters, in addition to Crutwell-Jones, and there are plans to extend their collaborations further, including next month with The Invisible
Men whose credits include Jessie J, Conor Maynard and DJ Fresh. “We’ve got some really
exciting massive pop records to come,” says Robson. “We’ll have elements from Katy Perry through to Blondie, a little bit of electronic pop but big pop across the board.” Paul Franklin of CAA is now
on board as their live agent as the band prepare for more live dates, including playing Notting Hill Arts Club on December 18, while Clare Newsham of Promo Stint, whose clients include Labrinth, is handling regional promotion and Shazz Smith of Tornado Promotions is overseeing the school tours. A deal has further been struck
with AWAL to release material, with more than 3,000 sales achieved so far of an EP, while Robson is presently in talks with record companies having deliberately held off until now to give the band time to develop. “The brilliant thing is they are
learning their craft. They could have been signed a year ago and still be sitting in a record label doing nothing,” she said.
4Music backs vInspired charity campaigns
4Music is embarking on a year- long partnership with national youth charity vInspired to highlight and address youth unemployment in the UK. 4Music and vInspired will
work together on a number of cross-platform campaigns that will drive awareness of the benefits of volunteering as a career development tool and will offer more exciting opportunities for young people to do good things through the vInspired volunteering hub.
As part of the partnership,
4Music will produce a series of five ob-doc short-films that will culminate in a standalone two- hour show at Christmas. The short films will follow a number of UK celebrities, including chart- topping British rapper Wretch 32, boyband Lawson, and presenting duo Rickie and Melvin, as they volunteer at local charities Gidon Katz, MD of Box TV,
said: “Box TV relishes championing social causes that are important for 16-24 year
olds. We know that our audience are actively searching to develop their skillsets at the same time as they seek employment. “This partnership will promote
these opportunities in engaging formats which can only help to alleviate the challenges facing young people today.” Jenni Young, director of
marketing at vInspired, said: “We’re really excited about how many new young people we are going to be able to reach and inspire with 4Music.”
Kassner signs Barlow-backed songwriter
Going solo: JP Jones with Chrissie Hynde
www.musicweek.com
Kassner Music has signed artist/songwriter JP Jones to an exclusive, worldwide music publishing agreement. Jones is the former frontman
of British rock band Grace, who signed to EMI and released the album Detours in 2006. After the band split up in 2008, Jones began a solo career that led to him teaming up in 2009 with Chrissie Hynde to form JP, Chrissie and The Fairground Boys. They released the album Fidelity! in 2010 on their own label La Mina and toured the US, performing in a number of festivals including Lollapallooza. Following the completion of
his tours with Hynde, JP has been developing his first solo release. Tentatively titled Cariad and featuring the production talents of former Beth Orton and Nick Cave collaborator Victor Van Vugt, the album will be recorded under the artist name Son of Jack. Writing with the team at
Metrophonic Studios and artist Nell Bryden has alredy yielded the track Sirens, which was placed on the Radio 2 A-list and was personally endorsed by Gary Barlow. Charlie Pinder, head of A&R
at Kassner Music, said: “JP is a huge talent and his work to date indicates a songwriter of rare promise. He constantly pushes himself on to greater heights and is totally dedicated to his craft. I am delighted to welcome him to the Kassner Music roster.” JP Jones said: “What struck
me most when I met the team at Kassner Music was their passion for music and for songwriting. I love the fact that they are a family company.”
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