Australian promoters Showtime are looking to recoup $500,000 from Timbaland as part of a new lawsuit targeting the rapper-producer over a tour cancellation.
According to the lawsuit, Showtime claims they paid Timbaland, real name Timothy Zachery Mosley, $500k – half of his million dollar performance rate – after he agreed to play a series of shows in Australian and New Zealand back in July of 2008, as TMZ reports.
But weeks out before he was set for his Australian/New Zealand tour – promoting his then most recent album Shock Value, Showtime was notified that the 42-year-old performer had to postpone his shows a month later, to August, without a reason for the delay.
The promoters then found out that Timbaland had another series of shows already booked in Finland on the exact same dates as his rescheduled August tour of the Antipodes. The suit then alleges that Timbaland’s people then contacted Showtime to let them know he was cancelling his Down Under appearance while also demanding the final $500k half of his payment.
Timbaland, who has just played a South African concert with Nas & Wiz Khalifa before heading off to play Poland’s Orange Warsaw Music Festival, has yet to respond to the lawsuit.
This Week’s New Tracks On Triple J
Adds:
Christian Rich – Better To {Ft. DWNTWN} [PIAS/Mushroom]
clipping. – Work Work {Ft. Cocc Pistol Cree} [Sub Pop/Inertia]
Fractures – Won’t Win [Create/Control]
Kučka – Unconditional [triplejunearthed.com]
Porter Robinson – Lionhearted {Ft. Urban Cone} [EMI]
Rise Against – I Don’t Want To Be Here Anymore [Warner]
Sticky Fingers – Just For You [Sureshaker/MGM]
Violent Soho – Fur Eyes [I OH YOU/Mushroom]
Spots:
Apes – Pull The Trigger [Independent]
Darlia – Dear Diary [Dew Process]
Nadus – Nxwxrk [Pelican Fly]
Tin Sparrow – Echoes In The Dark [triplejunearthed.com]
Industry News
(Photo: Len Panecki. Source: Carlton Dry AIR Awards 2013 Tone Deaf Gallery)
AIR General Manager Set To Step Down As Board Undergoes Changes
Nick O’Byrne is leaving the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) after seven years of service, including four as General Manager. O’Byrne’s will step down on 30th June so he can focus on his role as Executive Programmer for the BIGSOUND conference and as artist manager to Courtney Barnett, Milwaukee Banks, and Sterling Silver. He will however, remain to consult on the 2014 Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards. CFO Maria Amato will take over responsibility for AIR’s commercial and sponsorship relations, while Membership & Communications Manger Joanna Cameron will oversee AIR’s day to day business. Along with O’Byrne’s exit, the AIR board sees Mushroom Group’s Matt Gudinski and Correne Wilki and HUB Artist Service’s Troy Barrott stepping down while Henry Compton (Client and Retail Marketing Director at music distributor The Orchard), Ed Sholl (Future Classic Label Manager), and Andrew Stone (Chugg Entertainment Artist Services Manager) now join the board. (via The Music Network)
Universal Music Australia Undergoes Restructure
Executives Michael Taylor and Darren Aboud have been appointed as joint managing directors for Universal Music Labels Australia as part of a restructure to the major record company last week that brings unites its international and Australian marketing, strategic and promotions, classics and jazz, and A&R teams under the one umbrella. Under the new structure, Taylor and Aboud will handle Island, Mercury, Modular, Polydor, IDJ, USM, Republic and Interscope, while EMI will be run as a stand-alone by John O’Donnell. All three will report to Universal Australasia President George Ash. (via Billboard)
Aussie Musicians Among Queen’s Birthday Honours List
A total of 783 Australians were named among this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours list, including the four original members of historic Aussie band The Seekers being made Officers of the Order of Australia (AO). The honour comes nearly 20 years after singer Judith Durham received an Order of Australia Medal (back in 1995). Other music figures honoured include composer and Professor Paul Grabowsky, Adelaide’s Graeme Koehne, former Country musician Tim Gavel, reporter Richard Wilkins, Sydney songwriter Garry Frost, Anne and John Brennan Keats (of publishing company Wirripang), and more. (via The Music Network)
Aussie Video Company Large Noises Relaunches
Large Noises, the Australian production company and music video makers co-founded by director Charlotte Abroms, singer-songwriter Eliza Hull, and producer Jono Steer, have relaunched their website this week with a new design, blog section, and a new video featuring local bands Sweets, Haarlo, and Open Swimmer joining forces for a cover of Flume & Chet Faker’s ‘Drop The Game’. The same lineup are playing a launch show at The Retreat Hotel in Melbourne on 26th June 2014. (via Large Noises)
Melbourne City Council Backs Three Year Arts Strategy To Endorse Arts
Developed via a comprehensive engagement process with the arts sector and community, Melbourne City Council has outlined its new Arts Strategy 2014-17, a vision for retaining the city’s status as one of the country’s leading arts and creative destinations. Lord Mayor Robert Doyle says the “courageous Arts Strategy” will see Council continuing to pledge “support, funding, spaces and collaborative opportunities for artists and organisations.” The Arts Strategy 2014–17 outlines council’s commitment to the arts under the themes of Connection, Activation, Spaces, Funding, Recognition and Heritage and is part of a $14 million budget aimed at supporting artists and art events in Melbourne. (via City of Melbourne)
Artist Signings
The Lazys Sign American Deals
NSW’s raucous rock band The Lazys have been signed to the roster of American booking company The Agency Group after its President Ralph James caught the band’s set at this year’s Canadian Music Week, where they played three shows in under 24 hours. The band have also signed a co-management deal between Aussie representative Geoff Trio (of Code One) and Larry Wanagas of Bumstead Productions who will represent the five-piece outside of Ausralia and New Zealand. The Lazys are now gearing up for series of Australian tour dates to coincide with the release of their new album this September, before a US/Canadian Tour in October.
