Angel Music Group
Encyclopedia
Angel Music Group is a management
company for various dance music
groups in the United Kingdom
, including Godskitchen
, Global Gathering
, Polysexual, and others. It was set up in 2005
. The company has expanded from managing simple events like music festival
s to more complex activities.
UK & Ireland as an umbrella company to look after its Innocent
and EMI Classics
labels. At the time, the Innocent label was looking after such acts as Blue
, Atomic Kitten
, and Billie Piper
. Since then, the Innocent label has been left to the side as the Angel bosses resurrected the Charisma
label, who at one time boasted acts like Genesis
and Peter Gabriel
.
Since then, the acts on the label have changed dramatically. Although Blue have since disbanded, Simon Webbe stayed with Charisma to pursue a solo career and has put out two albums under the Charisma label. The French soloist Camille also survived the Innocent/Charisma changeover.
Since 2005 until present, Angel has been on an A&R
mission searching for new acts to fill its roster. Head of A&R Elias Christas has spearheaded the campaign which has brought over Phil Campbell
, the Scottish born singer/songwriter; Alphabeat
, the Danish pop act; Tom Baxter, the UK singer/songwriter; Al'MargiR, the Icelandic pop band and Julian Velard
, the Brooklyn
-born singer.
As well as looking after the homegrown acts on Charisma, the Angel Music Group also handles the accounts for a lot of EMI's overseas talent. There is a deal with Hollywood Records
(the music arm of Disney) which has acts like the Aly & AJ
, Plain White T's
, Vanessa Hudgens, and Hilary Duff
. Due to Duff ending her contract with Hollywood, her upcoming Best of Hilary Duff
album will be her last released via Angel. Other Hollywood Records
acts are now distributed via Polydor, a branch of Universal Music UK. Angel are also responsible for looking after the French dance DJ David Guetta
.
MAMA Group
bought a majority share in the company in 2008.
The company is responsible for producing the large-scale events Global Gathering
, Escape into the Park, Hi-Fi North, Hi-Fi South, as well as the United States production for the festival series called Bacardi B-Live.
In late 2007, AMG partnered with US nightclub owner and operator Jon Bakhshi
, who is responsible for the Home and Guest House clubs. New projects include nightclubs in Ameristar
properties, the first of which, Home, has opened in the Ameristar Resort and Casino in St. Charles. In addition, the group established the first eco-friendly club in the US, to be called "Greenhouse." Greenhouse made its debut in October 2007 with a launch party during Paris Fashion Week, hosted by Carmen Kass and Jessica Stam.
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
company for various dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
groups in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, including Godskitchen
Godskitchen
Godskitchen is an international superclub brand which is associated with dance music and organises events, particularly in the UK and US. The company runs a club night of the same name at their nightclub AIR, in Birmingham, England and has an in-house music label...
, Global Gathering
Global Gathering
GlobalGathering is an annual dance music festival by Angel Music Group. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronica artists from across the globe...
, Polysexual, and others. It was set up in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
. The company has expanded from managing simple events like music festival
Music festival
A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...
s to more complex activities.
History
Angel Music Group (Record Label) was set up in the summer of 2005 by EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
UK & Ireland as an umbrella company to look after its Innocent
Innocent Records
Innocent Records is a pop record label created to cater to for EMI's Virgin Records more Pop oriented acts. Following the success of the Spice Girls, Virgin Records decided to delve into the Pop market. In doing so they poached Hugh Goldsmith from RCA Records...
and EMI Classics
EMI Classics
EMI Classics is a record label of EMI, formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases....
labels. At the time, the Innocent label was looking after such acts as Blue
Blue (boy band)
Blue are an English pop vocal group, whose members are Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan, Duncan James and Antony Costa. Blue originally formed in 2001 before splitting in 2005. In 2009, it was confirmed that the band would reform. In April 2009, the group reunited and a Best of Blue Tour was announced...
, Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten
Atomic Kitten were an English girl group from Liverpool, first established in 1997. Created by Andy McCluskey, the final line-up, and most commercially successful, consisted of Natasha Hamilton, Liz McClarnon, and Jenny Frost...
, and Billie Piper
Billie Piper
Billie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
. Since then, the Innocent label has been left to the side as the Angel bosses resurrected the Charisma
Charisma Records
Charisma was a record label founded by former journalist Tony Stratton-Smith in 1969. Manager for The Nice, the Bonzo Dog Band and Van der Graaf Generator at the time, Stratton-Smith was unable to find a record company willing to release an album by one of his favourite groups so he founded his own...
label, who at one time boasted acts like Genesis
Genesis (band)
Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
.
Since then, the acts on the label have changed dramatically. Although Blue have since disbanded, Simon Webbe stayed with Charisma to pursue a solo career and has put out two albums under the Charisma label. The French soloist Camille also survived the Innocent/Charisma changeover.
Since 2005 until present, Angel has been on an A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
mission searching for new acts to fill its roster. Head of A&R Elias Christas has spearheaded the campaign which has brought over Phil Campbell
Phil Campbell (musician)
Philip Anthony Campbell has been the lead guitarist of the British heavy metal band Motörhead since 1984. He is also the former guitarist of Persian Risk.-Early life and career:...
, the Scottish born singer/songwriter; Alphabeat
Alphabeat
Alphabeat are a Danish pop band from Silkeborg, fronted by singers Stine Bramsen and Anders SG and signed to Polydor Records. Their single "Fascination" was a major hit in Denmark during the summer of 2007 and a significant hit in the United Kingdom in 2008...
, the Danish pop act; Tom Baxter, the UK singer/songwriter; Al'MargiR, the Icelandic pop band and Julian Velard
Julian Velard
Julian Velard , is an American pianist and singer-songwriter, born and raised in New York City.-Biography:Velard was born and raised in New York City, New York. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Hampshire College, in Amherst, Massachusetts, where...
, the Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
-born singer.
As well as looking after the homegrown acts on Charisma, the Angel Music Group also handles the accounts for a lot of EMI's overseas talent. There is a deal with Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
(the music arm of Disney) which has acts like the Aly & AJ
Aly & AJ
78violet is a pop rock band consisting of sisters Alyson and Amanda Michalka. They were born in Torrance, California, but spent part of their childhood in Seattle, Washington. They are both actresses, singer-songwriters, and guitarists. They signed a record deal with the Disney-owned label,...
, Plain White T's
Plain White T's
Plain White T's is an American Pop rock band from Chicago, Illinois. Formed in 1997 by high school friends Tom Higgenson and Ken Fletcher, the group had a mostly underground following in Chicago basements, clubs, and bars in its early years, and underwent numerous personnel changes.The band is best...
, Vanessa Hudgens, and Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
. Due to Duff ending her contract with Hollywood, her upcoming Best of Hilary Duff
Best of Hilary Duff
Best of Hilary Duff received mostly mixed reviews. Allmusic gave the album a positive review stating that The Best of Hilary Duff "is a flipside of her 2005's Most Wanted", which was "pitched squarely at bright, happy tweens". They also went on to say the album "is not a look back at the past but a...
album will be her last released via Angel. Other Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records
Hollywood Records is an American record label owned by Disney Music Group, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company.-History:Hollywood Records was founded in 1989 by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner with the idea of expanding the music operations of the company and to develop and promote...
acts are now distributed via Polydor, a branch of Universal Music UK. Angel are also responsible for looking after the French dance DJ David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
.
MAMA Group
MAMA Group
MAMA Group Limited is a live venue and artist management company which was founded in 2002 and is owned by the HMV Group. It is a parent company of a range of music and marketing businesses...
bought a majority share in the company in 2008.
Events
Originally, Angel Music Group hosted music festivals and nightclub events. It has since expanded to business in nightlife consulting, interactive design, as well as producing the aforementioned music festivals.The company is responsible for producing the large-scale events Global Gathering
Global Gathering
GlobalGathering is an annual dance music festival by Angel Music Group. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronica artists from across the globe...
, Escape into the Park, Hi-Fi North, Hi-Fi South, as well as the United States production for the festival series called Bacardi B-Live.
In late 2007, AMG partnered with US nightclub owner and operator Jon Bakhshi
Jon Bakhshi
Jon Bakhshi, known as Jon B., is an American nightclub promoter and owner.-Nightclubs:Bakhshi established the Home and Guest House nightclubs on West 27th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in 2005; the venue closed in 2009....
, who is responsible for the Home and Guest House clubs. New projects include nightclubs in Ameristar
Ameristar Casinos
Ameristar Casinos, Inc. is a casino operator based in Paradise, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The company has eight properties in seven markets, including four in the United States’ largest 30 metropolitan markets.The company...
properties, the first of which, Home, has opened in the Ameristar Resort and Casino in St. Charles. In addition, the group established the first eco-friendly club in the US, to be called "Greenhouse." Greenhouse made its debut in October 2007 with a launch party during Paris Fashion Week, hosted by Carmen Kass and Jessica Stam.