Musicbusinessworldwide.com
Concord Music Publishing ANZ is continuing its investment in Australian songwriting catalogs, this time striking a deal with one of the architects behind the country’s electronic music boom.
The company has acquired an interest in the publishing catalog of songwriter, producer and The Presets co-founder Julian Hamilton while simultaneously signing him to a new publishing agreement covering future works and material outside the acquired catalog rights.
The agreement gives Concord access to songs that helped define a generation of Australian electronic music. Included in the acquisition are rights connected to key works from The Presets’ catalog, including tracks such as “My People,” “Talk Like That,” “This Boy’s In Love,” “Are You The One?” and “Girl and the Sea,” songs that helped move dance music from clubs and festival tents into mainstream Australian culture.
Hamilton’s catalog carries significance beyond streaming numbers. Alongside bandmate Kim Moyes, he helped establish The Presets as one of Australia’s most influential electronic acts during the 2000s indie-electro explosion, with Apocalypso becoming both a commercial breakthrough and a landmark release for local dance music. The album’s ARIA Album of the Year win in 2008 remains one of the defining moments in the genre’s crossover into the Australian mainstream.
His songwriting footprint stretches well beyond The Presets. Hamilton’s credits span collaborations with artists including Silverchair, Flume, Flight Facilities, Cut Copy and The Sleepy Jackson, while his work with Daniel Johns on “Straight Lines” earned major recognition at the APRA Awards. His compositions have also crossed into dance and performance spaces through projects with Sydney Dance Company and Chunky Move.
The deal continues Concord’s broader strategy of building deeper roots across Australia and New Zealand following its 2022 acquisition of Native Tongue. Since then, the company has steadily expanded through songwriter signings and larger acquisitions, while positioning itself as an increasingly influential player in regional publishing.
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