Australia and New Zealand have welcomed a new label platform for heavy and alternative music this week, with global artist development company Believe partnering with Australian management company Immortal Music Group (IMG) to launch the new venture.
Since forming in 2019 by Destroy All Lines' Chris O'Brien and Northlane's Josh Smith, IMG has managed to curate a reputation as one of the country's leading artist management companies, boasting a roster which features names such as Make Them Suffer, In Hearts Wake, Windwaker, RinRin, Yours Truly, and more.
Teaming up with Believe's global distribution infrastructure, local market expertise, and international artist development capabilities, the nascent partnership allows IMG to level up by offering a flexible, artist-first label model, combining tailored release strategies and investment with global distribution, marketing, audience development, and full access to Believe’s international network.
“We’re incredibly excited to partner with Immortal Music Group and to support the next stage of their vision," said Believe's Country Manager AUNZ, Mick Tarbuk. "IMG has built an exceptional roster and a genuine understanding of what it takes to develop Australian heavy and alternative artists with global ambition.
"What makes this partnership particularly exciting is that we’re not simply providing distribution, we’re building something together. We can combine IMG’s artist relationships, creative vision and genre expertise with Believe’s global infrastructure, technology and market expertise to help take that vision beyond Australia and onto the world stage."
“We’re excited to develop our partnership with Believe, who have been supporting us since 2021 with Northlane’s independent releases," echoed IMG's Managing Director, Josh Smith.
"We are proud to combine Believe’s global capabilities with our own extensive experience in heavy and alternative music to create a compelling release option for heavy artists of any level."
News of the announcement is bolstered by the release of Serum, the lead single from Sydney heavy outfit Reliqa’s forthcoming album High Risk Thoughts – becoming the latest act to release music through the new partnership.
"The team at Immortal have managed us with such great care for nearly six years now, so it made perfect sense to expand our already wonderful professional relationship this way," said Reliqa's Monique Pym.
"We've worked so hard on this new album and we have the utmost trust and faith in our team to give it the service we believe it deserves."
While the new partnership will initially focus on a select roster of priority releases alongside its broader pipeline of emerging artists, the future goal is for IMG to establish itself as a leading independent heavy and alternative label platform across Australia and New Zealand.
