Concord All-In On Australasia, Buys Native Tongue
• Concord announced the acquisition of independent Australian music publisher Native Tongue and the opening of its first offices in the Australasian region, Concord Music Publishing Australia & New Zealand (ANZ).
Native Tongue was founded in 2003 by Chris Gough. Since Gough’s semi-retirement in 2014, the company has been led by siblings Jaime and Chelsea Gough. Concord Music Publishing ANZ will be based in Melbourne, with staff in Sydney and Auckland, and will be led by Jaime Gough as Managing Director, and Chelsea Gough as SVP, along with their executive team including VP of Publishing David Nash and VP of A&R, Matt Tanner. Chris Gough noted, “Jaime and Chelsea, along with our wonderful team of people have grown the company significantly in recent years. This is the next step, providing our home-grown writers with a truly international organization capable of maximizing their potential worldwide.” Pictured, (l-r): Chelsea, Chris & Jaime Gough
The Native Tongue roster includes such writers as Courtney Barnett, Stuart Crichton (Backstreet Boys, Kesha, Kygo), Sophie Curtis (Cosmos Midnight, Jessica Mauboy, aespa), Sir Dave Dobbyn, Jon Hume(Dean Lewis, Sofi Tukker), M-Phazes (Ruel, Remi Wolf), Don McGlashan, Ciara Muscat (NiziU, TWICE), Steve Rusch (Clinton Kane), Tim Tan (Enhypen, Seventeen), Gin Wigmore and Marlon Williams.
John Minch, Concord’s President of International Publishing said, “Australia and New Zealand are important music markets in their own right and this is a region that we have wanted to invest in for many years. This will be an important strategic move for Concord in coordinating our Asia publishing initiatives, which Jaime will handle. Above all, this acquisition is about the Native Tongue team, who we know well and believe will really enjoy being part of Concord.”
Jaime Gough remarked, “This is the start of a new chapter for us. Our team has worked hard to provide the best publishing service in the region, so to combine this with the support of an independent global music powerhouse will enable us to provide a superior international service for our local songwriters and artists. To be able to take this next step with friends that we have worked closely with for many years is exciting. We know Concord believes in the team we have here, and in the Australasian market. This will be fun!” [Gough photo credit: Joanne Manariti Photography]
