U.K. DEALS: ONE BIT, DEAD PRETTIES

Seen waiting for their parking validation are, from left, MoS MD Dipesh Parmar, Incentive Music’s Timur Sekerci, Joe Murphy and Jonty Howard of One Bit and Incentive’s Nick Halkes.

New signing announcements in Blighty this last week have seen talent added to the rosters of Virgin EMI, Warner/Chappell, Ministry of Sound, Fiction and 3 Beat.

At Sony, two-piece electronic act One Bit have inked a deal with Ministry of Sound. Recent support has come from BBC Radio and latest track “Outlier” was featured in an Apple Music ad during the BRIT Awards. Management is Nick Halkes and Timur Sekerci at Incentive Music. At Universal, Ted Cockle’s Virgin EMI has signed London poet Hussain Manawer. A passionate campaigner for mental health, he has built up a following through his YouTube series, Hussain’s House.

Elsewhere, London rock ’n’ roll band Dead Pretties have joined the roster of Fiction Records (management is Charlie Davies at Golden Arm), while former Faithless member Sister Bliss has relaunched her career after signing a new deal with 3 Beat (which has a JV with UMG) under the name of Bliss. Debut single “I Wanna Feel” was released earlier in June; new material is expected later this year. She’s managed by Clarisse Quinn at ATC.

Over in the publishing world, Mike Smith has added another new name to Warner/Chappell’s roster with XTC’s singer-songwriter Andy Partridge. The two worked together during Smith’s time at EMI Publishing in the ‘90s. The deal is worldwide and covers Partridge's solo releases and all of his ongoing songwriting.