Australia's Central Station Relaunched March 03, 2009
- Global
| Dance
By Lars Brandle, Brisbane
Australian dance label Central Station Records has been revived within the Universal Music fold.
The specialist dance firm will be guided by GM Jamie Raeburn and founders/former owners Morgan Williams and Giuseppe Palumbo, along with Ministry of Sound Australia managing director Tim McGee, who earlier helmed CSR's A&R activities.
CSR will tap into MoS's back-end infrastructure, and UMA's sales, distribution and marketing nous. "Operating as an independent within major market leaders Universal Music, the CSR business model will be more compact and adaptable to allow it to navigate and succeed in a turbulent, ever-changing industry," the company said in a statement.
CSR began life as a record shop in Melbourne in 1975. Through the years, the record label became synonymous with the rising dance scene Down Under, regularly nailing hits with local artists and club tracks licensed from abroad.
Moving forward, expectations are "set high that Central Station will once again be back in a dominant position in the music industry," the release continues.
Raeburn led a team that picked up CSR's trademarks last year from stricken digital media/entertainment firm Destra Corporation for an undisclosed price tag. Just two years earlier, Destra paid $14 million Australian ($9.8 million) for the label.
According to the CSR's latest statement, the buyout team was also able to re-sign the vast majority of artists, label deals and content.
The first release through the new venture will be Chicane feat. Natasha Bedingfield's "Bruised Water" on March 20. Releases from September, Sash!, and the compilation brands Wild, Pacha and Ultimate NRG will follow.
Share
Share on LinkedIn
