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Mike Highfield
Wayne Petti
Record Labels
Hamilton Indie Label Sonic Unyon Launches SUM Artist Management, Headed By Wayne Petti
The long-running independent music company is boosting its management arm, with roots-rocker turned manager Petti at the helm.
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Hamilton-based independent label and music company Sonic Unyon Records has unveiled its latest initiative, SUM Artist Management. It's a new arm of the company dedicated to representing and developing artists, identifying and opening opportunities to them.
Taking the helm as both director of artist management at SUM Artist Management and label operations for Sonic Unyon Records is Wayne Petti, a well-known figure on the Canadian music scene as frontman for highly-regarded roots-rockers Cuff the Duke. At SUM, Petti will work in league with Sonic Unyon owner/CEO Tim Potocic, representing a musically diverse and notable roster of clients.
That includes roots-rock singer-songwriter Terra Lightfoot, Polaris Prize-winning auteur Owen Pallett, Hamilton shoegaze combo Basement Revolver, American feminist performance artist and electro-rocker JD Samson (Le Tigre), retro cover band Born in the Eighties, multi-instrumentalist and composer Michael Peter Olsen, and three bands at the forefront of an Indigenous wave in Canadian rock, Zoon, OMBIIGIZI and Status/Non-Status.
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Sonic Unyon Records has long taken on a management role with some of the artists on their label, but creating SUM Artist Management solidifies the label's work in this sector, with the management roster expanded significantly.
“We’re about constant evolution," says Potocic. "As a label, we’ve signed newcomers and longtime favourites as well as bigger bands like Danko Jones and Big Wreck. All of that is super exciting and some of the best music we’ve ever released. At the same time, this is not an industry that rewards sitting still. It’s a challenging time and a tough landscape, but opportunities still abound. We’ve always believed in the value of our artists, and artists more generally, so artist management is the natural outgrowth of that.”
In an interview with Billboard Canada, Petti notes that, "I’ve been involved in artist management for close to 10 years now. I have a unique perspective on the music business having both experienced what it’s like to be a recording artist and everything that goes along with that, plus experiencing working with artists and helping to guide them through their own careers. I’m very much an 'artist first' type of manager. I don’t chase things just for the money. I want the artists I work for to feel supported. I want them to focus on being creative and unique artists and I’m just there to help facilitate their vision and goals artistically."
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Discussing his roster, he explains that, "I have only recently started working with Zoon, OMBIIGIZI and Status/Non-Status. All are incredible artists, creating music that is unique through a perspective that is equally unique and refreshing. It’s very exciting to be a part of helping them fulfill their artist visions."
"I have managed Owen Pallett for the last 8 years. Working with an artist of their calibre has opened many doors. Owen has worked with so many amazing artists whether it be from touring or their string arrangement and film scoring work. All this to say, it was Owen who introduced me to JD Samson of Le Tigre. Like Owen, she has been venturing into film scoring and was looking for some help behind the scenes.
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"Our main goal at SUM is to work with unique artists regardless of whether they are Canadian, American or from somewhere else around the world," he continues. "I think we’re off to a great start."
Petti previously made a major mark in artist management during eight years with Hamilton-based Straight & Narrow Management, which handles major international stars The National, as well as Broken Social Scene, Hannah Georgas, Kevin Drew and Georgia Harmer.
The creation of SUM Artist Management aligns with Sonic Unyon's expansion into industry sectors beyond the traditional duties of a record label. Sonic Unyon Distribution was founded in 1998 to distribute Sonic Unyon and other labels in Canada, going on to build a roster that included dozens of domestic imprints and the exclusive representation of over 200 international independent labels in Canada.
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A decade later, having sold its distribution company, Sonic Unyon ventured into event production by launching award-winning multi-arts festival Supercrawl (it draws over 250,000 attendees to Hamilton every September), along with production contracts like the Polaris Music Prize Gala, JUNOFest and Grey Cup festivals.
Sonic Unyon also manages and programs Hamilton event spaces Mills Hardware and Bridgeworks and Guelph's Sonic Hall.
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