Check out our great new clients, UK writer/ producer Tim Deal (http://t.co/IpmdDcdX) and US writers Smash City (http://t.co/5mFcFurY).
Covert Music News
X FACTOR GERMANY 2011 - BELLE HUMBLE WRITES WINNER SINGLES
Belle Humble has co-written 2 out of the 3 winner singles for the 2011 German X Factor finalists. She wrote "Build A Palace" for Nica & Joe in the Groups category and "I'm Here" for David Pfeffer in the 25-and-overs category. The final takes place on Tuesday 6th December.
COVERT MUSIC WRITING CAMP - BERLIN, GERMANY - 12TH TO 16TH SEPT
Our first writing camp took place between 12th and 16th September 2011 in Berlin. We had 5 studios and some great writers attended the camp including, Nick Coler, Belle Humble, Tim Laws, Joe Cross, Andy Love, Jason Perry, Yasmin Green, Smash City, Tim Deal, The BeatGees, Heike Kospach, Tom Olbrich and Phil Schardt.
We are worked closely with the major labels to ensure the writers collaborated with their artists rather than just writing tracks to pitch. The artists lined up to attend the camp include Strify (Sony), Valentine (Sony), The Polaroids (Universal), Nadine Vasta (EMI), Road Kill Cafe (Sony), Die Orsons (Universal) and Jan Sievers (Warners).
It looks like we achieved a number of cuts and another Berlin writing camp is currently being planned for next year. If you are interested in being involved in the next camp, please get in touch.
FIRST COVERT MUSIC WRITING CAMP - BERLIN, GERMANY
Covert Music is planning a number of writing camps in Europe to work directly with record label's, A&Rs and their artists. Rather than just pitching tracks to labels we believe involving the artist in the songwriting process to ensure they connect with the songs and that they are tailored to their voices. It also gives the writers and A&Rs a chance to work closer together and ensure their creative vision is communicated properly, resulting in songs that work both for the artist and the label.
Our first writing camp is being put together in conjunction with BMG Rights and will take place over 5 days in the autumn in Berlin featuring writers and producers from the Covert Music roster as well as from various publishers.
More info coming soon...
BELLE HUMBLE SIGNS TO BMG MUSIC RIGHTS
Belle Humble has just signed an exclusive publishing deal with BMG Music Rights. She has some great cuts with major labels in the last year and has been writing in Canada, Sweden and the UK. She is now being requested for writing sessions from all genres because of her fresh approach, her quirky lyrics and melodies. Belle is really excited about working with BMG and pushing her writing career to the next level.
THE GREAT BRITISH BARBERSHOP BOYS SIGN TO SONY RECORDS
Covert Music has branched out into artist management after discovering The Great British Barbershop Boys (http://www.barbershopboys.com) and getting them signed to Arista Records through Sony Music Entertainment. Their album "Christmas Time" is out on 6th December.
Here is part of the press release from Sony:
London, 6 October 2010, Sony Music announced today that they have signed a £1 Million pound record deal for the most original form of boy band – a barbershop quartet. One of the first signings to the newly reformed Arista records, the home of two of the best-selling boy bands ever, N-Sync and Backstreet Boys, these four young (all under 25 years) unlikely pop stars, have signed the most unique deal that will see them receive an extra £1 Million pound ‘tip’ when the album sells platinum.
The Great British Barbershop Boys, four ordinary working guys based in the North of England could not have been more surprised when they realised they would be signing a record deal with Sony Music, home to Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen and X Factor winners Leona Lewis and Alexandra Burke. “We are just four guys earning a living and getting on with our lives”, muses Joe Knight the group’s baritone who lives in Nottingham, “We have always done well with our barbershopping, but we started it as a means to socialise. This deal is just truly amazing.”
The Great British Barbershop Boys will release their debut album Christmas Time for Arista Records on 6 December 2010. A collection of classic Christmas songs rearranged to perfectly suit the unique and memorable barbershop sound, the album will rediscover the distinctive sound of barbershop quartets, recognised as the earliest form of boy band.
PORT ISAAC FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS - TOP TEN ALBUM & GOLD SALES
The Port Isaac FIsherman's Friends album went in at Number 9 in the UK album charts and has now reach Gold status on Sales. A special edition Christmas version of the album is coming out later this year. The album was produced, arranged and mixed by Rupert Christie and he also co-wrote the lead track "No Hoper Joker's & Rogues"
THE PORT ISAAC FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS NET £1M RECORD DEAL WITH UNIVERSAL RECORDS
Taken from Guardian News - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/mar/18/cornish-fishermans-friends-1m-deal
For 15 years they have been entertaining locals and visitors in the pretty Cornish fishing village of Port Isaac with their traditional songs of loss and longing.
But now a group of fishermen is going global after landing a £1m record deal that could take their repertoire of sea shanties to the top of the charts.
The Fisherman's Friends have secured an album deal with Universal, the company behind acts such as Lady Gaga, Take That and Amy Winehouse. The 10-strong group, which also has a date at the Glastonbury festival, will issue an album of traditional tunes and folk songs next month.
The deal follows a wave of unusual album hits for Universal in recent years, which have included releases by the Fron Male Voice Choir and the Coldstream Guards. This month the company also released an album of tunes by brass bands.
The album, Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends, was due to be released on the group's own label, Marine Records. But Universal decided to give them a break after record producer Rupert Christie spotted the group performing in a pub while he was on holiday.
The singers have been performing locally for more than 15 years. The troupe – who are or have been fishermen, lifeboatmen and coastguards – perform weekly shows on the harbour front during the summer months in the fishing village of Port Isaac.
Founding member Jeremy Brown, who has two brothers in the group, said: "We all grew up together with the exception of one member of the group, although he has lived in the village for maybe 25 or 30 years so he is almost one of us.
"We get together each Friday night on this area of concrete by the harbour which is a lovely setting – unless it is raining and blowing. Then we just retire to the pub."
Members of the group – who released two low-key acapella CDs themselves – are mainly in their 50s, although one of their number is in his 70s.
Baritone Brown, who is a fisherman, said: "In Cornish pubs there is a tradition of singing and we just all got together with the intention of learning all the words instead of just knowing the first verse and the last verse and making up the bit in the middle.
He said he had been surprised there had been such interest in the group.
"We don't really know what to expect, to be honest – we're just making it up as we go along. We are booked in for a few festivals, we've got a slot at Glastonbury, but I don't really know too much about it. We might just be playing behind the bar."
Despite the size of the deal, the men may not be able to give up their day jobs just yet. The £1m deal includes money spent on marketing the record. "How much they'll get depends on how many they sell," said a spokesman for the group.
The new album – recorded in a 15th-century church in nearby St Kew – will be released on 26 April.
It features a haul of 14 songs from their repertoire, including South Australia and the haunting Cornish robber ballad, Cadgwith Anthem.
Johnny Depp helped to float interest in sea shanties when he developed a passion for them after filming Pirates Of The Caribbean. He was behind an album of shanties performed by artists such as Bono, Richard Thompson, Nick Cave and Jarvis Cocker, called Rogues Gallery and released in 2006. The Coral included a sea shanty-style track Spanish Main on their debut album.
Sea shanties were originally sung by the crews of ships while they worked on deck and the term comes from the French verb "chanter" (to sing).
Also check out the following links:
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8573754.stm
Yahoo News: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/18/20100318/tuk-cornish-fishermen-net-album-deal-a7ad41d.html
The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/fishermen-seek-to-storm-charts-with-sea-shanties-1923409.html
RUPERT CHRISTIE TO PRODUCE ALBUM FOR THE FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS
The Fisherman's Friends, discovered by Covert Music and Rupert Christie in 2009 have teamed up with Ian Brown from Bright Artist Management (The Priests, Sandi Thom, Words For You, Jason Donovan) who will be managing the group. Rupert Christie is producing their album which will be released in Spring 2010.
COVERT MUSIC DISCOVER THE FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS.
During the summer Covert Music and Rupert Christie discovered a group of singing fishermen in the beautiful Cornish coastal village of Port Isaac called The Fisherman's Friends. After spending a few days (and drinking many ales) with the guys we offered to help them secure a record deal and for Rupert to produce their album.
ONLY MEN ALOUD ARE NO. 1 IN THE CLASSCAL CHARTS
Only Men Aloud's latest album "Band Of Brothers", produced, mixed and arranged by Rupert Christie is number 1 in the Classical Charts and enters the overall charts at number 21.
RUPERT MIXES NEW RHYDIAN ROBERT'S ALBUM FOR SYCO
Rupert Christie is mixing the forthcoming Rhydian Robert's album for Syco records. Rhydian is best known for his 2007 appearance on the fourth series of the British talent show The X Factor in which he came second. His debut album has sold over 600,000.
PALOMA FAITH COVERS BELLE HUMBLE TRACK.
Belle Humble has got her first cut on the new Paloma Faith album with her track "Upside Down". The album is due for release on the 28th Sept through Epic Records. You can check out an acoustic performance of the song by Paloma here: http://www.bebo.com/c/video?FlashBoxId=9799806943
RUPERT PRODUCING ONLY MEN ALOUD ALBUM FOR DECCA RECORDS
Rupert is currently in the studio recording the latest Only Men Aloud album for Decca Records.
RUPERT CHRISTIE WORKING WITH LISBEE STAINTON
Rupert Christie is currently back in the studio producing more tracks for Lisbee Stainton who was recently playlisted on BBC Radio 2.
JASON WILCOCK FINISHING ALBUM
Jason Wilcock is finishing the latest album for Mann Friday.