Downtown Music Services has announced a global music publishing agreement with French artists Air.
This new admin and services deal with the band covers their full back catalogue, including their classic debut album Moon Safari and songs such as Sexy Boy, Playground Love, La Femme d’Argent, Cherry Blossom Girl and All I Need.
Downtown Music Services will be working closely with the band to maximise new opportunities for their music and introduce new generations to their catalogue, according to the announcement.
Mike Smith, global president of Downtown Music Services, said: “I’ll never forget hearing Air for the first time, in a world of guitar anthems and breakbeat heroes, their Premiers Symptômes EP in 1997 arrived fully formed from another planet and totally floored me. Moon Safari is a masterpiece and yet Nicolas and Jean-Benoit always pushed forward, reinventing themselves through soundtracks and albums both commercial and experimental. Their catalogue represents some of the most timeless music ever made. It is a great honour to be given the opportunity to work with this remarkable music and bring its genius to a new generation.”
Grand Musique Management represents JB Dunckel; Laurence Muller & Marc Teissier du Cros represent Nicolas Godin.
Air’s management team said: “Air’s music is one of a kind and became a benchmark for the sound of the new century. Their mixture of analogue sounds, ethereal vocals and true songwriting originality deserves to meet a new audience, which we aim to achieve with this association. We are delighted to start this collaboration with such a great team and organisation.”
We started in the suburbs, it feels good to be Downtown now
Air
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of 10,000 Hz Legend, Air’s second album from 2001, a special edition with an enhanced Dolby Atmos spatialised mix along with rarities was released on November 5.
Laura Bedikian, senior A&R manager at Downtown Music Services, said: “As a creative, growing up on Air’s music and later working with writers and artists influenced by Air, it is a true honour to represent their catalogue today. This partnership is about being creative with a legacy and finding new and exciting ways to reach the newest generation, a generation whose ears came across their music without them even realizing it.
“This new mission has brought huge excitement throughout all Downtown’s offices, and this is why we do what we do. And as a French person, I couldn’t be more proud to have our musical history part of Downtown now. I’m equally excited to start this new journey with some of the most respected and historic managers of our territory and beyond.”
Air added: “We started in the suburbs, it feels good to be Downtown now!”
Downtown offers bespoke distribution, publishing administration, creative marketing and finance solutions. It recently relaunched with a focus on music services.
PHOTO: (L-R) Laurence Muller, Marc Teissier du Cros, Nicolas Godin, Mike Smith, Jean-Benoît Dunckel, Laura Bedikian, Matthieu Couturier and Olivier Mathieu
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