A TYNESIDE music firm is set to turn North East grass roots talent into an international business after announcing plans to set up radio stations for listeners in Brazil, Japan and the US.
The team behind Gateshead-based Amazing Media Group said the stations would feature up and coming musicians from the North East and other parts of the UK.
The firm’s current station, Amazing Radio is the first national station to be based outside of London and transmits on DAB digital radio across the UK and online for the rest of the world.
It also claims to be the world’s first radio station playing 100% new music from unsigned and emerging artists – and the first whose playlist is chosen by its listeners.
The firm’s expansion has been supported by £240,000 of grant funding from regional development agency One North East, with the firm also attracting £800,000 of additional private investment over the last year to fund its additional plans.
These include the launch of a new record label, Amazing Records, by the end of the year, which will allow some of the emerging musicians featured on the stations to release material to the public.
Based in Amazing Towers in Gateshead, the former home of Century FM, the firm also recently launched The Amazing Chart – the world’s first 100% unsigned chart, which music industry bible Music Week plans to publish online every week.
Much of the company’s operations are funded through amazingtunes.com, which gives artists a legal, global means to sell their music online, where they receive 70% of download revenues.
Launched in 2006, the site now contains more than 15,000 tracks and has a global audience of around 35 million people.
The company, which has gone from eight to 31 employees over the last year, was set up by Paul Campbell, who is a keen drummer and has worked for the BBC in the past as well as having hosted youth and music programmes for Channel 4 and appeared on the Grumpy Old Men TV show.
He said: “ The business has gone mad since we moved from Newcastle to Gateshead.
“Audiences to the radio station are growing at a rate of knots, we’re hitting record numbers on amazingtunes.com both for downloads and new tunes being uploaded, and the viral activity on Twitter and Facebook shows people are really paying attention – and liking what they hear.
“We are now eager to export this model around the world, while still transmitting from Gateshead.
“By sharing music from around the world we will be able to discover even more talent.
“Suddenly, a band from the North East that has had just a few plays on our UK station will have their songs played in Rio. It will be fantastic.”
The funding from One North East helped the company to purchase vital broadcasting equipment, computers and to make changes to its new building.
One North East director of business and industry, Ian Williams, said: “Amazing Media Group has a strong management team with extensive senior level media and software experience. I am pleased they have created this globally-unique business in the region and wish them the very best of luck in the future.”
Source: The Journal 17 August 2010
