Music Week’s round-up of essential music biz stories you might have missed...
#Catalogue
Spotify has launched a new throwback hub in response to its popular nostalgia-based playlists. The hub will house highlights from #ThrowbackThursday, which were previously only available for one week. The best themes from this playlist will be championed alongside Spotify's wider catalogue offering, which includes the All Out series.
Austin Daboh, head of music culture & editorial, said: “We know Spotify users love our #ThrowbackThursday lists, so it’s great to be able to create a permanent home for our main nostalgia brand. The editorial team work tirelessly to bring our users the very best, personally curated playlists for all occasions so it’s brilliant to be able to provide a new home within Spotify for them to live on in.”
50 not out
Graham Nash is hitting the road in July for a new batch of UK tour dates as he continues to support the Over The Years collection. It marked five decades since the formation of Crosby, Stills & Nash.
The UK tour begins on July 16 at Southport Theatre with stops in Halifax, Oxford, Cardiff, Folkestone, Bath and London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre. In addition, Nash will be featured at both the Wickham Festival (August 1) and the Cambridge Folk Festival (August 2).
The rain in Spain...
Doctor Music Festival has been relocated to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Montmeló, and will take place on July 12-14. The move was because of a flood risk at the original site in the Pyrenees.
The opening day on July 11 has been suspended, with Parquet Courts’ performance being moved to July 12 and Smashing Pumpkins moving to July 14. All of the festival’s previously confirmed acts will remain the same, with the exception of Chris Robinson Brotherhood. There will also be several new acts added to the line-up.
Guincho’clock
Latin singer Pablo Diaz-Reiza – better known as El Guincho – has renewed his worldwide deal with Warner/Chappell. The partnership will also cover songwriters and producers that sign to Rico Publishing, Diaz-Reiza’s new production and publishing company. The first song written under this deal is Con Altura, performed by Rosalia and featuring J Balvin and El Guincho. It has made No.1 on the Spotify Chart in Spain and Top 50 on the Global Spotify Chart.
Diaz-Reiza said: “Rico aims to showcase the best of the exciting new talent in production and songwriting and will work as a permanent song camp hub based in Barcelona, where all our signees can work together crafting the freshest music of tomorrow."
Board masters
The Music Producers Guild have added Olga FitzRoy and Rhiannon Mair to its executive board. FitzRoy and Mair join the existing members of MPG’s executive board, Cameron Craig, Dan Cox and Bruno Ellingham.
Olga FitzRoy, the founder of the Parental Pay Equality campaign, has been an assistant director of the MPG for the last two years and has represented the Guild at the UK music board. Rhiannon Mair is a producer, songwriter and artist and has been involved in representing the MPG at social and industry events around the UK.
Acid Jazz FM
Record label Acid Jazz has launched a new radio station, Totally Wired Radio. It’s available from the website of the label and brand partner Fred Perry.
The station marks 30 years of the label, which has championed soul, jazz, reggae, mod and funk. Totally Wired is helmed by Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller, alongside the label’s creative director Dean Rudland.
Rock & Enroll
School Of Rock is partnering with Atlantic Records and Artist Partnership Group (APG) to launch a worldwide artist search called Center Stage.
Singers can submit a five-minute audition video in the hope of being one of 25 artists selected to be flown out to Los Angeles. Artists chosen will perform in front of Atlantic Records and APG executives at a private artist showcase and will record songs at APG’s studios with professional engineers. One hundred applicants that show promise as artists will receive a scholarship to a School Of Rock camp of their choice.
The programme is open to all vocalists aged 13-19 years old living in a country where School of Rock operates, including the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa, Australia, and the Philippines.
By Carol Wright
