In This Issue: we look at the 84 successful artists who applied to the Converse Rubber Tracks Program, the partnership between Rdio and AIR for the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards, plus the latest signings and the ARIA charts.
Converse Rubber Tracks Gives 84 Emerging Artists Keys to the World's Most Iconic Studios
The 84 acts selected for the global Converse Rubber Tracks program have been announced! The selected artists will each receive free recording studio time at twelve iconic studios around the world. Out of the 84 in total, four local Australian acts have been selected. From Melbourne, that includes Reptiles, and The Attics, who have been chosen to record in Sydney at Studio 301 with Sydney band VIGILANTES. Additionally, Melbourne band Abreact have been selected to fly to Vancouver, Canada, to record at Warehouse Studio.
Commencing on September 14th, these four Australian bands, along with other emerging acts from around the world, will start their two-week recording period. They will be provided with experienced producers and sound engineers during their sessions, and each act will retain all the rights to their music. Over 9,000 up-and-coming artists applied for this opportunity, with a total of 28 countries being represented in the end.
Jed Lewis, the Converse Global Music Marketing Director, said the following: “This Converse Rubber Tracks studio takeover is the biggest thing we've done for the platform to date, and we’re thrilled to have reached so many local music communities worldwide in just the registration period alone. We received an incredible response from such a vast pool of talent, and we look forward to providing this unique platform to new, diverse acts from all over the globe within these twelve iconic studios."
The full list of successful applicants is as follows:
• 白举纲 - Chengdu, China
• A.J. Crew – Los Angeles, California, USA
• A2 – London, England, UK
• Abreact – Melbourne, Australia
• Arima Ederra – Inglewood, California, USA
• AZEKEL – London, England, UK
• Aziz the Shake – Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
• Baco Krisi and Nasty Lime – Milano, Italy
• Barf Troop – Colonial Heights, Virginia, USA
• Beach Youth – Caen, France
• BESTiE – Vancouver, Canada
• Big Eyes – Long Beach, New York, USA
• Cândido — Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
• ChaCha / in3 – Shanghai / Beijing, China
• Chico Unicornio – Lima, Peru
• coconuts 椰子 – New Taipei City, Taiwan
• Coldworm – Bry Sur Marne, France
• Coro Mc – Fortaleza, Brasil
• DAP – Providence, Rhode Island, USA
• dBURNZ & The FlashMob – Kingston, Jamaica
• Denai Moore – London, England, UK
• Diamond Thug – Cape Town, South Africa
• Down and Outlaws – San Francisco, California, USA
• Dreamr Digital – Marietta, Georgia, USA
• Dude York – Seattle, Washington USA
• Fever Charm – Oakland, California, USA
• Flame – Santiago, Chile
• Frida – Gravataí, Brasil
• Gemini – Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Glass Tunnels – Seattle, Washington, USA
• Grand Prize Winners From Last Year – Atlanta, Georgia, USA
• Gurr – Berlin, Germany
• Heat Mark 热斑 – Beijing, China
• Heroes For Sale – Auckland, New Zealand
• Howling Giant – Nashville, Tennessee, USA
• Indische Party – Jakarta, Indonesia
• Indiscipline – Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
• Jermaine Blake and The One Drop Routz – Kingston, Jamaica
• JÓGA – Będzin, Poland
• jONNY CALiFORNiA – Los Angeles, California, USA
• Les Passagers – Montreal, Canada
• los tiros – Quilmes, Argentina
• Lume – Chicago, Illinois, USA
• Magaly Fields – Santiago, Chile
• Mental Bend – Berlin, Germany
• Motor City Madness – Porto Alegre, Brasil
• murmur – Hong Kong
• NOAH SLEE – Berlin, Germany
• Noise Nebula – Madrid, Spain
• Noonwraith – Moscow, Russia
• Paperwhite – Brooklyn, New York, USA
• Phobophobes – London, England, UK
• Planta Carnívora – Santiago, Chile
• Prateek Kuhad – New Delhi, India
• Pumpkins 小南瓜乐队 – Xinxiang City, China
• Reptiles - Melbourne, Australia
• Ring of Gyges – Reykjavík, Iceland
• Shandy Mandies – Berlin, Germany
• Smash Boom Pow – Vancouver, Canada
• Smokey Brights – Seattle, Washington, USA
• Sound Bullet – Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
• Sparhawks – Hudson, Massachusetts, USA
• Stxnga – St. Elizabeth, Jamaica
• The Attics – Melbourne, Australia
• The Belle Game – Vancouver, Canada
• The Bluffs – Costa Mesa, California, USA
• The Extraordinaires – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
• The Lytics – Winnipeg, Canada
• The Magic Gang – Brighton, United Kingdom
• THE MAKONNEN SOUL – Bogota, Colombia
• The Plastics – Cape Town, South Africa
• the superglasses ska ensemble – Samut Prakan, Thailand
• The Veggers – Uiwang, South Korea
• The Wizard – Toluca, Mexico
• Toneron – Vogar, Iceland
• Vaya Futuro – Mexico City, Mexico
• Via Audio – Los Angeles, California, USA
• VIGILANTES – Sydney, Australia
• Von Spar – Cologne, Germany
• Water Rats – São Paulo, Brasil
• Whiskey Bitches – Brooklyn, New York, USA
• WILDE – Toronto, Canada
• Worshipper – Boston, Massachusetts, USA
• Zanillya – Almere, Netherlands
Boffins & WAM Presents Breakfast With Peter Garrett
To celebrate the release of Peter Garrett’s upcoming autobiography, Big Blue Sky, WAM has partnered with Boffins Books to hose a breakfast event, in conversation with a soon-to-be announced high profile local celebrity. The event will take place on Monday October 19th, at the Duxton Hotel Perth, and will commence at 7am, and will be followed by a book signing by the former Midnight Oil frontman.
Lou Pontarolo, co-owner of Boffins Books, has said the following about hosting the event: “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate Peter Garrett’s life and career, as he shares his story in his highly anticipated memoir.”
WAM’s CEO Mike Harris, has also enthused over the event. “Although having to overcome a difficult start in life, in that he's not from WA, Peter Garrett is a legendary musician who has inspired many a West Australian act, and thrilled hundreds of thousands of WA fans over the years. WAM is excited to partner with Boffins to present this rare opportunity to gain intimate insights into the inspirations behind this rock’n’roll legend.”
Tickets for the WA event are $60 (with a full cooked breakfast, coffee, and pastries), or $99 (the same, plus a copy of the novel) and are available at trybooking.com/INQZ.
Big Blue Sky will be launched in Sydney on October 13th, followed by an Australia-wide tour including stops in Melbourne, Adelaide, Newcastle, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Bowral, Darin, Alice Springs, Canberra, Hobart, and Geelong.
Rdio Creates Playlists for the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards
Rdio has partnered with AIR this year for the Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards, and created a number of playlists to showcase the 2015 Long List Nominees. There are twelve playlists in total, ranging from Best Independent Artist, Best Independent Single Or EP, Best Independent Hard Rock Heavy or Punk Album, all the way through to Best Independent Jazz Album.
To listen to the playlists and see who the longlist nominees are, visit http://www.rdio.com/people/ausindies/playlists/.
SCA Announces Richard Smith As Head Of Digital Design
Southern Cross Austereo has announced Richard Smith as their new Head of Digital Design. He has over sixteen years of experience in creative design from Sydney and London, having worked with some of the world’s biggest brands on Australian and Global Accounts, including the Commonwealth Bank, Google, Qantas, and McDonalds.
Southern Cross Austereo, Director of Digital and Innovation, Vijay Solanki, said: “Richard brings vast experience, thought leadership and a real passion for digital design. With those assets and his mindset I’m confident he’ll make a real difference.”
Richard Smith said: “I'm excited to be joining the team at SCA to help drive digital design. I'm passionate about how digital design can help push new boundaries in entertainment and look forward to creating richer experiences for our consumers and clients."
Over 90 Bands Battle It Out For The Passport To Airlie
Over the next four weeks, over 90 bands will be battling for a Passport to Airlie Beach Festival of Music. The competition searches for the best performing bands with original music, and gives local Australian musicians the chance to win a gig at this major music festival in November.
Multiple locations along the coast will be hosting a Battle event, and all spots are currently filled, with the exception of a few places in Rockhampton. Bands must perform a half hour set with three original songs, allowing judges to decide upon a winner from each venue. The prize includes the festival slot, four nights accommodation in te area, VIP tickets to the Airlie Beach Festival of Music, and $1000 cash.
Airlie Beach Festival of Music promoter Gavin “Butto” Butlin has said, “This is the third year of the competition and it is a major opportunity for aspiring artists to advance their music career. The winning bands are invited to perform in paradise at the festival. Tthe quality of the performances is excellent and there is a real variety of music genres from rock, hip hop through to country and blues. Check out the dates for the competition and get down to your local and have a great night watching and supporting these bands.”
The dates and locations for the Passport to Airlie competition are:
Cairns: Balaclava Hotel on Sunday August 23rd and 30th.
Townsville: Dalrymple Hotel on Friday September 4th and 11th.
Rockhampton: Glenmore Hotel on Saturday September 5th and 12th.
Sunshine Coast: Villa Noosa Hotel in Noosaville on Friday August 21st and 28th.
Gold Coast: Shark Bar Miami on Saturday September 5th and 12th.
Newcastle: The Wickham Park Hotel heats August 20th and 27th, and September 3rd, with the final on September 10th.
The Airlie Beach Festival of Music is in its third year and runs from Thursday, November 5, to Sunday November 8, 2015. It includes three concerts in the main marquee at the Whitsunday Sailing Club and showcases over 200 musicians performing across a range of venues throughout the tourist town.
New Music Education Resources for Schools feat. Gotye, Clare Bowditch, Gossling and more!
The Song Room, a national not-for-profit organisation, has released a new music industry-focused course on its award-winning arts education platform, ARTS:LIVE. The online education resource hub is available free to teachers, and currently in use in over 6,000 Australian schools.
‘Music Industry Insight’ is a collection of resources and activities featuring some of Australia’s most talented musicians and industry figures, including Gotye, Clare Bowditch, Gossling, BLuejuice, Henry Wagons, and UNFD’s Matthew Rogers. The resources are designed to engage high school students by providing a behind-the-scenes look at the music at the music industry. Students will learn to collaborate on and share their music, understand the basics of copyright and ownership, and learn how to create a music video to accompany their compositions.
A promo teaser of the resources can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6GdV4VncZg
Signings This Week
Caligula’s Horse have signed an international record deal with lauded prog/metal label InsideOut Music, in preporation for the release of their third record Bloom. The album will be released on October 16th, and the band will tour Australia during the month before setting off for a month-long tour of Europe and the UK.
ARIA Charts
SINGLES
1. Wings — Delta Goodrem
2. How Deep Is Your Love — Calvin Harris & Disciples
3. Can’t Feel My Face — The Weeknd
4. Are You With Me (Original Mix) – Lost Frequencies
5. Ghost Town — Adam Lambert
6. Peanut Butter Jelly — Galantis
7. That’s How You Know — Nico & Vinz feat. Kid Ink & Bebe Rexha
8. Like I’m Gonna Lose You — Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend
9. Do It Again — Pia Mia feat. Chris Brown & Tyga
10. Get Stupid — Aston Merrygold
ALBUMS
1. Venom - Bullet For My Valentine
2. Aesthesis - Dead Letter Circus
3. Best Of The Soul Years - Jimmy Barnes
4. Compton - Dr. Dre
5. Beautiful You - The Waifs
6. 1989 - Taylor Swift
7. X - Ed Sheeran
8. Title - Meghan Trainor
9. Hoops - The Rubens
10. Chaos And The Calm - James Bay