Originating in Japan, the leading pan-Asian independent music company Hostess Entertainment (Hostess) has upped its game in the Philippines, focusing its pan-Asian operations in Singapore headed up by new Label Manager Nikki Mahmood-Chee and simultaneously beginning a progressive partnership locally with Ivory Music & Video, the exclusive licensee and distributor of Sony Music in the Philippines.
Formed in 2000 in Tokyo, Hostess has quietly grown over the years that followed to be the largest western music label beneath the majors, and since 2011 has been gradually developing its operations across the Asian continent. With a next generation business model that focuses on artists and fans, and the engagement between the 2, Hostess has built a unique reputation as the home of the very best artists and labels from around the world for Japan and Asia.
From it’s representation of leading labels such as XL, 4AD, Domino, Jagjaguwar / Secretly Canadian, Merge, PIAS, Rough Trade and Matador, handling artists the calibre of Adele, The National, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Bon Iver, 2ManyDJs/Soulwax, Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian and Queens of the Stone Age, to it’s pioneering artist direct relationships that see the likes of Radiohead, Beck, Sonic Youth, Atoms for Peace, Four Tet, Travis and Bloc Party release region-wide via Hostess, it is a brand synonymous with quality control and the very best in new music.
The new partnership with Ivory Music kicks off with the recently released Travis album “Where You Stand”, and follows that up quickly with releases from the likes of Four Tet, DARKSIDE whilst also making available many of the finest recent albums by the likes of The National, Vampire Weekend, Atoms for Peace, Savages, Kurt Vile, Daughter, Youth Lagoon, Sigur Ros, The xx and many many more.
It is anticipated that the unique live series “Hostess Club Weekender” which for the past 2 years has become a permanent and hugely popular fixture in the Japanese live calendar, presenting a smorgasbord of Hostess artists every 4 months will, as part of the gradual regional expansion, land in the Philippines next year as well. The series, which presents artists big and small, in a refreshingly simple music-heavy format has been quietly growing into countries outside Japan over the past year and with previous HCW programs featuring artists of the calibre of Vampire Weekend, Dirty Projectors, Travis, Bloc Party, Hot Chip, Spiritualized, Dinosaur Jr as well as introducing the likes of Toro Y Moi, Youth Lagoon, Anna Calvi, Deap Valley, Villagers, Fidlar and Perfume Genius to Asian fans for the first time, it plays a crucial role in the process of connecting fans to the music.
“I’m very happy we’ve been able to upgrade both our own presence in Asia with Nikki’s experience, knowledge and overall right vibe the perfect way forward for us in the region, whilst also upgrading our local partnership to Ivory Music. Steven has a great team around him and an unrivalled track record in the Philippine music business as an innovative and positive force that can only help Hostess deliver on its commitment to bring artists and fans closer together in the country. As fans of the very artists and music we present, everyone involved in this process really understands what we need to do, and I’m very excited to see how far we can go.” Andrew Lazonby, Hostess Founder & CEO
“As we all know, music has been an integral part of the Filipino culture and we, at Ivory Music & Video, have been witness to it. We are more than excited to work with Hostess in delivering an extraordinary music experience to their Filipino fans.” Steven L. Tan, Ivory Music & Video President
“I’m thrilled to be part of the Hostess team after being a fan for such a long time, and can’t wait to get stuck in the process of introducing as well as connecting music fans to our artists and their music!” Nikki Mahmood-Chee, Hostess Label Manager, Asia
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