Cooking Vinyl backs new UK artist management venture

Cooking Vinyl has partnered with veteran manager John Black to launch London-based Black Gold Music Management.

Black, who scored his first major managerial success with Sandi Thom’s 2006 No. 1 ‘I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker’, will head up the new company, which will operate independently of CV.

Black Gold will benefit from the label’s A&R, marketing expertise and financial muscle.

Cooking Vinyl said it may assist in an act’s early development, such as releasing an initial EP or helping build social media. Beyond that the partnership will be at arm’s length, with Black free to partner with outside labels and publishers.

Black Gold’s first clients include JLS star Oritsé Williams who worked with John Black at The CAN Group, and who is now working under stage name OWS. The multi-platinum artist’s debut single ‘Waterline’, featuring Pusha T (signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. label) has been building traction since first appearing on Jay Z’s influential RnB Life+Times blog.

It will be released 29th March via a collaboration between Island and Oritsé’s entertainment company Overthrow. Meanwhile, OWS will be performing at SXSW ahead of his first solo UK show since JLS split in 2013, at OSLO Hackney in late March.

Other artists under Black Gold Management include A*M*E, singer-songwriter Stevie Appleton, and indie band Modern Addiction.

Shortlisted for the BBC’s Sound of 2013, Grammy nominated A*M*E is managed by Black Gold in partnership with Oritsé’s Overthrow. She hit the top of the UK charts in April 2013 for her collaboration with Duke Dumont and MNEK on ‘Need U (100%)’.

Black Gold is also partnering with Overthrow to represent a number of video directors such as Greendore (videos for Peter Andre and Gregory Porter) and Drew Cox (videos for OWS and Alesso).

John Black has managed Stevie Appleton in various guises since 2007, overseeing his debut single ‘Dirty Funk’ top the Japanese airplay charts for six weeks in 2009. Since then Appleton has been writing for other acts while continuing to tour in Japan. He’s now returned to penning his own material, recently spending a month in the studio with producer Danton Supple (U2, Coldplay and Hudson Taylor).

New indie band Modern Addiction have just returned from Embrace guitarist Rick McNamara’s Magnetic North studio, where he has been helping produce their debut EP.

Said Black Gold Music Management MD John Black “It’s a great honour to have the backing and support of Martin and such an incredible team at Cooking Vinyl. I’m very much looking forward to a successful and long lasting partnership”

Added CV Group founder & CEO Martin Goldschmidt “We worked with John on the recent Peter Andre/Iceland Christmas campaign and we really enjoyed it. He has integrity, over-delivers on promises, and has an artist centric philosophy that really fits into the Cooking Vinyl ethos. We are thrilled about being involved in growing his new management venture.”

Black has worked in the music industry for over 15 years. He began his career providing digital services for pop acts such as Destiny’s Child, All Saints and 5ive.

In December 2010 John joined Logan Media Entertainment, looking after domestic and international activity for Cher Lloyd, Russell Watson and Anastacia.

In 2013 he joined The CAN Group, heading up their music division.

Cooking Vinyl Records is a member of the CV Group of companies, which include Essential Music & Marketing, CV America, Cooking Vinyl Australia, Cooking Vinyl Group France, Germany and Cooking Vinyl Publishing.

[Pictured: OWS and Pusha T]Music Business Worldwide

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