UK-based classical music publishing firm Smart Music Group has launched a unit in Iceland.
The corporate says the brand new division will permit it to work extra intently with current Icelandic composers and writers together with Ólafur Arnalds, Hugar, Eydís Evensen, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Dustin O’Halloran.
Smart Music, previously The Music Gross sales Group, will function in Iceland as a three way partnership between Smart Music-owned Version Wilhelm Hansen (EWH), and Bosworth Music, one other firm owned by Smart Music.
Smart Music claims that the launch of Smart Music Iceland ehf in Reykjavik marks the primary time {that a} world publishing enterprise has arrange a full publishing entity within the nation.
“We’ve had our eyes on this distinctive territory for fairly some time, because the sheer high quality of music being created in Iceland is so spectacular. We additionally see a variety of potential of getting an in-market presence in music supervision,” Loui Törnqvist, Managing Director at Smart Music-owned Version Wilhelm Hansen (EWH), stated.
“We’ve had our eyes on this distinctive territory for fairly some time, because the sheer high quality of music being created in Iceland is so spectacular.”
Loui Törnqvist, Version Wilhelm Hansen
EWH shall be tasked with the day-to-day operations of the corporate together with technical elements corresponding to finance and royalties, whereas Bosworth shall be accountable with A&R and new signings.
The group has appointed Inga Weisshappel to steer Smart Music Iceland. Weisshappel has been Smart Music’s Music Supervisor in Iceland because the begin of the 12 months.
As a part of her new function, Weisshappel will turn out to be Smart Music’s lead level of contact in Iceland, liaising with composers, movie and tv manufacturing firms and STEF (the Icelandic amassing society).
“I really imagine that our involvement within the native business could have an actual optimistic affect which makes me extremely enthusiastic about what’s to return.”
Inga Weisshappel, Smart Music Iceland
“These previous months, working with Smart Music Group has been such a beautiful and sudden journey. With the ability to spend my days admiring nice music whereas surrounded by artistic and passionate folks is considerably of a childhood dream coming true. I really imagine that our involvement within the native business could have an actual optimistic affect which makes me extremely enthusiastic about what’s to return,” stated Weisshappel.
The transfer expands Smart Music’s presence in Iceland after working for years with native artists.
“Working for a few years with Icelandic artists like Ólafur Arnalds, Hugar, Eydís Evensen or Anna Thorvaldsdottir, we totally admire the distinctive creative high quality, professionalism and the cultural richness of Iceland. We need to nurture {our relationships} with Icelandic artists and to discover new artistic potentials,” in keeping with Bosworth Music’s Michael Ost.
Ost added: “We’re additionally trying ahead to discovering new expertise and collaborations in addition to persevering with our useful relationships.”
“We totally admire the distinctive creative high quality, professionalism and the cultural richness of Iceland.”
Michael Ost
Headquartered in London, Smart Music additionally has a world community of standalone places of work in New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, Copenhagen, Madrid, Paris, Tokyo, Bergamo, and Berlin.
The corporate claims to personal or management practically 500,000 copyrights, together with the world’s largest impartial holding of historic and up to date classical music and a spread of common songs spanning evergreen, jazz, reggae, blues, pop and rock.
It additionally represents practically 100 of probably the most profitable dwelling composers and songwriters together with Ólafur Arnalds, Hans Abrahamsen, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano, Ludovico Einaudi, Philip Glass, Aram Khachaturian, Missy Mazzoli, Olivier Messiaen, Francis Poulenc, Sergei Prokofiev, Hania Rani, Dmitri Shostakovich, Kaija Saariaho, Jean Sibelius, Igor Stravinsky, Tan Dun, Joby Talbot, John Tavener and Anna Thorvaldsdottir.
Thorvaldsdottir is being dubbed as “probably the most thrilling factor to have emerged from Iceland” since Björk, the Monetary Occasions stated in 2019.
The growth in Iceland comes as Smart Music continues to develop its enterprise.
In 2020, it shaped a strategic partnership with Sony Music Masterworks to determine and signal artists and composers within the broad-based classical style to recording and publishing agreements.
Earlier this 12 months, Smart Music acquired Italian indie writer Child Angel Music. The corporate and its subsidiaries additionally proceed to purchase the catalogs of artists like German composer Franz Waxman and Italian movie composer Riziero ‘Riz’ Ortolani, and teams like rock band The Zombies.
