London, 14th March 2022 “We cannot be unbiased, unless we are unbiased”
The Music Federation is pleased to announce the creation of Killing Moon Academy as a solution to procure the best opportunities for their members and remit of artists. Created with one simple objective, to let creative people create, KMA has the success of its artists as its core objective. With a sole-purpose of developing these emerging artists and helping them fulfill their full potential, KMA puts the artist and their talent first.
By disbanding Killing Moon Records, and creating another trade that sees longevity to its artists (something the industry is seriously lacking), The Music Federation can continue to release music without being in direct competition with its members, therefore eradicating any conflicts of interest.
“We wanted to find a way to bring artists into The Music Federation party, and give them the same benefits and services members get. It turns out we don’t need UK legislation or for someone else to say it’s ok for us to start payloading Music Federation services – which the artist certainly does not have to pay for – towards individual artists, all under a non-contentious, exclusive license framework. That’s it. That’s all we need to make this happen.
It is therefore with some degree of pleasure that I announce that Killing Moon Records is no more. We will no longer actively sign artists to Killing Moon Records.
It is with even greater pleasure that we can announce the creation of The Killing Moon Academy, to pay homage to an entity I created when I, well, saw the world in a very different way from how I see it now. Artists are not just zeroes and ones; they are the story-tellers of our time, and we have a responsibility to tell that story to the world, unencumbered by the agendas of others that are not aligned with them.” – Achal Dhillon (CEO of The Music Federation)
“With emerging artists, it can take a village to put together a viable and successful strategy for success. We signed Corella to The Music Federation because of their commitment to artist development, which is a dying practice these days” Mark Wakefield, Velvet Hammer Management (Korn, Deftones, System Of A Down, AFI)
This model allows artists to sign directly to The Music Federation – with the added incentives that they can release through TMF, or through a Federation member label. This allows TMF’s diverse members to access a quality-assured set of artists, with a stable trajectory in the contexts of records, live, song writing, merchandise, and more via Federation services and that of their vetted-service providers, in order to accelerate their profile, subject to mutual agreement. The artist in turn is then encouraged to immerse themselves in the Federation community, and collaborate accordingly.
“We are calling this company policy M.A.D – people might have seen this acronym before to mean “Mutually Assured Destruction”, which is generally the politics through which I have understood the music industry to rely upon. Instead, we are tabling a new meaning, which might have some particular relevance in terms of what is happening elsewhere in the world: “Mutually Assured Development”, to usher in the next generation of music industry entrepreneurs, which always includes artists” – Achal Dhillon (CEO, The Music Federation)
“I think a lot of labels have forgotten their original love for music and their passion for developing amazing artists. This is exactly what the KMA will do whilst supporting some of the best emerging talent right now. I think more labels and music companies need a reminder of why we started in this industry in the first place” – Jasmine Hodge (Head of Promotions, The Music Federation)
“Sad as it is to see the end of Killing Moon Records, it’s been equally exciting to watch the birth of The Music Federation. KMA feels like a natural extension to the ethos of the Federation. I’m really looking forward to seeing the part it will play in the development of the artists within TMF.” –Liam Craig (Artist Management, ROE)
Additionally, this purposefully allows for a situation for the artist to leave TMF and when they land a deal with a third party that they desire. Honest and open to the fact that artists in the development phase will probably be approached by third-parties, this would be considered a win within the entire independent sector and the KMA. By affirming their commitment to change the music industry for the better, TMF and KMA allows participants based on merit, not who has the biggest bank balance.
Over the following weeks KMA will be announcing their artists in waves:
Corella
Hongza
ROE
Maud
More TBA
