UK-based classical music publishing firm Clever Music Group has launched a unit in Iceland.
The corporate says the brand new division will permit it to work extra intently with present Icelandic composers and writers together with Ólafur Arnalds, Hugar, Eydís Evensen, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Dustin O’Halloran.
Clever Music, previously The Music Gross sales Group, will function in Iceland as a three way partnership between Clever Music-owned Version Wilhelm Hansen (EWH), and Bosworth Music, one other firm owned by Clever Music.
Clever Music claims that the launch of Clever Music Iceland ehf in Reykjavik marks the primary time {that a} international publishing enterprise has arrange a full publishing entity within the nation.
“We have now 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 lots of potential of getting an in-market presence in music supervision,” Loui Törnqvist, Managing Director at Clever Music-owned Version Wilhelm Hansen (EWH), mentioned.
“We have now 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 will likely be tasked with the day-to-day operations of the corporate together with technical facets akin to finance and royalties, whereas Bosworth will likely be accountable with A&R and new signings.
The group has appointed Inga Weisshappel to steer Clever Music Iceland. Weisshappel has been Clever Music’s Music Supervisor in Iceland because the begin of the 12 months.
As a part of her new function, Weisshappel will grow to be Clever Music’s lead level of contact in Iceland, liaising with composers, movie and tv manufacturing firms and STEF (the Icelandic accumulating society).
“I actually imagine that our involvement within the native trade could have an actual optimistic affect which makes me extremely enthusiastic about what’s to return.”
Inga Weisshappel, Clever Music Iceland
“These previous months, working with Clever Music Group has been such an exquisite and surprising journey. Having the ability to spend my days admiring nice music whereas surrounded by inventive and passionate individuals is considerably of a childhood dream coming true. I actually imagine that our involvement within the native trade could have an actual optimistic affect which makes me extremely enthusiastic about what’s to return,” mentioned Weisshappel.
The transfer expands Clever 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 absolutely recognize the distinctive creative high quality, professionalism and the cultural richness of Iceland. We wish to nurture {our relationships} with Icelandic artists and to discover new inventive potentials,” in line 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 absolutely recognize the distinctive creative high quality, professionalism and the cultural richness of Iceland.”
Michael Ost
Headquartered in London, Clever Music additionally has a worldwide 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 almost 500,000 copyrights, together with the world’s largest impartial holding of historic and up to date classical music and a spread of widespread songs spanning evergreen, jazz, reggae, blues, pop and rock.
It additionally represents almost 100 of essentially the most profitable residing 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 “essentially the most thrilling factor to have emerged from Iceland” since Björk, the Monetary Occasions mentioned in 2019.
The growth in Iceland comes as Clever Music continues to develop its enterprise.
In 2020, it fashioned a strategic partnership with Sony Music Masterworks to establish and signal artists and composers within the broad-based classical style to recording and publishing agreements.
Earlier this 12 months, Clever 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.
