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21.11.14 Music Week 19
for her EBBA win this year, as did a number of sync deals for Kopparberg, Armani, Michael Kors and
boohoo.com. Meanwhile, electronic duo Milky Chance picked up traction with their Stolen Dance track on YouTube (which now has over 86 million views) in April. Prior to that, their UK release Down By The River, enjoyed support at Radio 1 from DJ’s including Zane Lowe and Fearne Cotton, whilst reaching No.9 in Shazam’s worldwide chart. Their debut LP, Sadnecessary, has charted in nine European territories outside of Germany. Klangkarussell’s debut album, Netzwerk, peaked on the Belgian charts at No.11, German No.8 and Swiss at No.2. Hozier broke onto the scene with his single
Take Me To Church. The hit was huge in the singer/songwriter’s own Ireland, as well as in the UK, where it saw plenty of airplay and reached No.5 on the UK Singles Chart. His self-titled debut reached No.5 on the UK Albums Chart and fell within the Top 10 in European territories Belgium and Denmark and the Top 20 in Germany and the Netherlands. Elsewhere, electro-pop artist Tove Lo topped
Hype Machine five times with different versions of her track Habits. She headlined London’s Hoxton Bar & Grill in May before heading to Manchester and Brighton. And her debut LP, Queen Of The Clouds, peaked in four European territories outside of Sweden. Melanie De Biasio’s [PIAS]- released second jazz album, No Deal (eligible as it was her first international release), garnered highly favourable reviews in The Guardian, charted in France and the singer was booked to play at
Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg earlier this year. Indila’s debut LP, Mini World, charted in Belgium, Germany, Poland and Switzerland, while The Common Linnets self-titled debut was certified gold in Austria and charted within the Top 50 in nine other countries aside from their home turf. DJ Todd Terje’s It’s About Time also charted in
Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK.
“I hope that the EBBAs will grow to be [as big as] The BRIT Awards. It would be great if we could get a British broadcaster to pick up
on them” JOOLS HOLLAND Launched in 2004, the EBBAs drew inspiration
from Music & Media’s Border Breakers charts, which tracked artists and songs that were selling or picking up airplay outside of their country of origin. After the magazine folded in 2003, a replacement for the chart failed to emerge and the EBBAs have taken heed. First taking place at Midem in Cannes, the show moved to Eurosonic in 2009, when the ceremony started being filmed for TV. Eurosonic Noorderslag creative director Peter Smidt is more than happy to host. “The EBBA Awards are vital because these are
the only awards for artists on a European level,” he says. “We have lots of national awards in every
country but I think it’s extremely important to have visibility for young artists that are breaking their borders. To celebrate and award that success will only help it get bigger and better. “We’re working to have the EBBAs as well
known and recognised all over Europe as much as possible. We’re working together with 28 radio stations in the European Broadcasting Union – the ceremony is broadcast in 13 countries in Europe on TV and that number is growing all the time.” Jools Holland is keen for it to get as big as
the BRITs. “It’s amazing how things grow, when The BRIT Awards started, it was just an industry thing. It’s only in the last 15/20 years that it’s turned into this huge event. I can remember when they were just in the ballroom at the Grosvenor House and they weren’t televised. I hope that the EBBAs will grow in the same way and I think it will be great if we can get a British broadcaster to pick up on them.”
HASSAN CHOUDHURY: ‘THIS IS A BRILLIANT SPRINGBOARD FOR JOHN NEWMAN TO ONLY GET BIGGER’
So what exactly does it take for an artist to break borders? Singer- songwriter John Newman is flying the flag for the UK at 2015’s European Border Breakers Awards. Released in October last year, Newman’s debut LP, Tribute, peaked on seven European charts
outside of the UK. Its promotional tour saw him visit Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Universal Music UK international vice president Hassan Choudhury (pictured, left) headed up the campaign.
What was the marketing strategy for John Newman outside of the UK? The most important thing was a powerful song with Love Me Again. It was very traditional in terms of the right artist for the right song - he looked great, he had some history already as a featured singer with Rudimental and his social media was pretty lively. All the components were there, we just had to press the right buttons. Love Me Again was one of the fastest moving radio records that we had, it moved very quickly across the whole of Europe. In terms of promo, we were ever-present in all the key markets and had repeat visits in those key markets. The way we approach campaigns is market by market,
we don’t do a scattergun approach. We try and regionalise our success, so if we are going to Germany we try and tick off the GSA region, the Benelux region, and the Nordics together. And if you have a hit in Germany, you can cross over to Austria and Switzerland. Similarly, if you can
get things going in Sweden, you tend to cross over into Norway and Denmark or vice versa. What we’re finding now more and more is that for artists to really penetrate the market, you need visibility. If you dip your toe in the water, the whole campaign is diluted. You need to do every single thing that you can to deliver a hit record – that includes traditional promotion, live, social media and any other digital initiatives that you have.
What is it about John Newman that has gained traction with an international audience? Star quality. One thing everyone has said to me is that when John walks into a room, you know he’s the star. He looks like a star - he has this presence, physically he’s a very tall chap and that helps, but he has this look - his style, his charisma, and he’s incredibly engaging. For someone who is so young, he seems to have adapted very easily into the world of being a pop star. He’s a very humble guy and I think that goes a long way to people going that extra yard for him. He’s got a voice, look and dance which is unique and he’s incredibly hardworking too - he goes into a market and wants to know how it works, what works and what doesn’t.
How important is it that this kind of border breaking success is recognised? It’s really important for John, it’s recognition for him more than anyone to show how he’s broken out of the UK into so many markets. It’s an accolade he deserves because that young lad has gone through some torturous schedules that we put in front of him. He’s accepted what we’ve asked him to do, and delivered. I’m glad he’s got this accolade; we’re very proud of him and really proud of the award that he’s achieved. It’s a brilliant springboard for things to get bigger for him next year.
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