At the beginning of October 2024, LinkedIn’s algorithm pushed an interesting piece of news to my feed: UNIFIED Music Group was relaunching its COMMUNITY MUSIC platform – a global distribution and amplification alternative made in Oz.

The press release provided a comprehensive background of the whole concept. But I still wanted to know about the ins and outs of the platform from someone involved in building it.

And I couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Will Cuming aka artist LANKS.

PART 210 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE / THE SILLY & GREEN PROJECT

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To understand what Community Music is, we need to talk about what makes it a unique endeavour first. It’s three things: the people who created it, their broad industry knowledge and the tech expertise used to to build it.

It definitely wouldn’t exist without UNIFIED Music Group‘s support. This globally renowned multi-service music company with teams in Melbourne, Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, Nashville and Toronto offers services covering artist management, recorded music, publishing, and live events to a diverse roster of local Australian and international artists.

Guided by its people’s deep passion for music, musicians and the independent music community, UNIFIED leads a professional, innovative and motivated team to achieve extraordinary results. The company is highly committed to the growth and success of Australia’s independent music industry.

One of the company’s newest artist-centered projects is COMMUNITY MUSIC.

A full artist services ecosystem and platform, it is a global distribution and amplification alternative created to enhance Australian acts’ independence in building long-term, global careers. Powered by custom-built tech, it provides access to services, tools and insights that comprehensively support their careers, like ‘Community Centre’ – an information hub for music release management.

Community and collaboration, connected through UNIFIED’s independent ethos, are the driving forces behind the platform’s concept. Most importantly, however, it has been built for artists and managers by people who empower musicians, including other artists, managers and tech experts.

The platform has been spearheaded by Will Cuming, who joins as Product Development Manager for COMMUNITY MUSIC. The Platinum-certified artist and songwriter, aka LANKS, brings a mix of tech, industry and artist knowledge, having worked as an artist manager and a Director of Zantipi – a music-focused data and digital advertising agency.

Supporting him in driving the platform’s future is a global team led by LA-based Francesca Caldara, Vice President of UNIFIED Recorded Music. Melbourne-based Dan Nascimento – who manages Australian alt/psych rock band Ocean Alley – has been appointed General Manager of COMMUNITY MUSIC.

The platform is already supporting a host of incredible artists, including Ocean Alley, ISHAN and Sarah Saint James, and welcoming new artists Maddi Jane, Azure Ryder, Jahnavi Harrison, The Stamps and Mulga Bore Hard Rock. In addition, Community Music will provide services to labels Domestic La La (Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers, Dear Seattle, and Teenage Joans) and UNFD (Silverstein, Void of Vision, Thornhill, and Yours Truly).

Artists working with the platform have already achieved various milestones.

Ocean Alley surpassed 1 billion global streams, and their single “Confidence” exceeded 6x Platinum status in Australia and 4x Platinum in New Zealand. The recent touring and export success of The Grogans, Jack Botts, The Rions, and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers is another prominent example. Finally, the recent slew of ARIA Awards nominations for Teenage Joans and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers prove that COMMUNITY MUSIC caters to promising acts making waves in the local and international music business.

Jaddan Comerford, Founder and CEO of UNIFIED Music Group, said he and the team are energised and excited by the opportunity to further support the independent music sector, unearth more independent creative talent, and put their money where their mouths are.

“We want to put the creative control back in the hands of Australia’s music community,” he said. “The way we can do that is by offering them the tools and the tech platform to craft the career and support systems they need. COMMUNITY MUSIC’s offering is inspired by music amplified by tech. The artists, managers and label representatives who have worked on this transformation care for the music first and foremost, and the system uses data and custom-built technology to support everyday decision making.“

“There’s always more that can be done to uplift and uncover more in the Australian independent music community, and that’s why we’re also committing $10 million over the next three years to support Australian artists build long-term global careers. We know there are so many independent Australian artists looking for a community who should be supported and heard all over the world – and COMMUNITY MUSIC is here to help them do just that.”

It’s also worth pointing out that the relaunch of COMMUNITY MUSIC follows the announcement of new partnerships with two other music companies. Merlin will ensure access to the suite of direct deals they have struck with major DSPs globally, while FUGA will share the technology, physical distribution, strategic marketing and neighbouring rights services expertise.

But how does it all work in practice?

Here’s where Will Cuming’s experience comes in.

Armed with all the info from the press release, I set up a virtual chat with the artist-turned-full-stack developer. The result is an insightful conversation about the practical side of COMMUNITY MUSIC and the value it brings to local Aussie artists, explained by both its main tech architect and an actual user. 

Check it out below:

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