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CMU’s One Liners: CAA, De La Soul, BMG, more

By Andy Malt and Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 2 February 2016

Other notable announcements and developments today…

• As long expected, Jeffrey Azoff – the CAA agent and son of veteran artist manager Irving Azoff – is taking on management duties for a now solo Harry Styles. One Direction management firm Modest told Billboard it wished young Harry all the very best with his new business partner. As, I’m sure, do we all. That Zayn record’s good, isn’t it?

• De La Soul have engaged the services of those Kobalt Label Services dudes to help with the release of their new record ‘And The Anonymous Nobody’. The group’s Vincent Mason, aka Maseo, says of the deal: “I think this is the best situation for this project”. And you don’t get higher praise than that.

• BMG US has promoted Zach Katz to the role of President Of Music Publishing. He was previously Chief Creative Officer. “Second”, said Laurent Hubert, President of Creative & Marketing. “Seven”, added Katz.

• Good news for Kobalt’s business card printers, another promotion! LA-based Jeannette Perez has been upped to SVP Head Of Global Synch & Brand Partnerships. Though can someone tell Kobalt’s business card printers that it’s ‘sync’. Thank you. Perez is “THRILLED”, by the way.

• Team Rock has gone and entered into a partnership with Spotify. The first thing they’re doing together is adding Metal Hammer to the line-up of the streaming service’s ‘In Residence’ shows, using it to celebrate the magazine’s 30th anniversary. Spotify’s Rob Fitzpatrick is “THRILLED”.

• In recognition of her new single ‘The Wheel’ being featured in the CMU Approved column, PJ Harvey has released a video for the track.

• Al Jourensen’s new project Surgical Meth Machine will release their debut album through Nuclear Blast on 15 Apr. “It’s a very dichotomous record, but it’s me, and I’m acknowledging everything that’s been me through, like, the last 35 years”, says the former Ministry frontman. “Let’s just throw my balls on the table and hope somebody doesn’t have a meat cleaver running”.

• Asking Alexandria have released the video for the title track off their upcoming album ‘The Black’. The album, their first with new vocalist Denis Stoff, will be out on 25 Mar.

• Vessels are releasing a new edition of their 2015 album ‘Dilate’ on 1 Apr. From it, this is new track ‘4am’.

• Momoiro Clover Z have released the video for new single ‘We Are Born’, taken from their third album ‘Amaranthus’. That and their fourth album ‘Hakkin No Yoake’ will both be released on 17 Feb.

• Wet have announced a handful of UK live shows, finishing up at the Scala in London on 23 Mar. Their new album ‘Don’t You’ is out now.