Columbia president Ferdy Unger-Hamilton has spoken to Music Week about the “incredibly devout” audience for Rex Orange County.
The indie-pop artist is taking his major label debut Pony on the road with a sold-out UK tour launching November 12 at O2 Birmingham Academy.
In the latest issue of Music Week, Columbia execs discuss the campaign for the artist. Pony has sales to date of 14,498 after two weeks, according to the Official Charts Company. In the US, it debuted at No.3 with 70,000 equivalent album sales.
“Rex Orange County has built an incredibly devout audience through touring and his released material so far,” said Unger-Hamilton. “Our aim has been first to galvanise that audience with the release of 10/10 and now Pony.
“The fact that Pony has gone Top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic is an incredible start for a debut artist – one that we could have only dreamed of."
The tour also includes three nights at O2 Academy Brixton. Rex Orange County’s single 10/10 has made the A-list at BBC Radio 1 and peaked at No.68 on the OCC chart.
Rex Orange County built up his streaming profile and live business as an independent artist. Unger-Hamilton suggested that his major label debut will be the start of a long-term campaign that continues throughout 2020.
“This is where the campaign starts, and with the quality of this album and the upcoming tour we know that we will be reaching people that haven’t even heard of Rex yet in 12 months’ time,” he said. “We’ve barely even begun.”
To read the full interview with team Columbia, pick up the latest issue – or subscribers can click here.
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