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SYDNEY, Australia — Various Artists Management is now open for business in the land Down Under.
As VAM builds out its international footprint, the company establishes an office in Sydney. Leading the new affiliate is industry veteran Arwen Hunt, VAM’s head of Australia/New Zealand, with duties across the talent agency’s management, label and publishing activities. Hunt reports to CEO David Bianchi.
With the launch, VAM’s empire includes offices in London, Los Angeles and now Australia’s most populous city.
“After the successful opening of our L.A. office a few years back we decided upon further global expansions and Australia/New Zealand seemed like a logical next step, both in terms of the amount of business we have down there and its proximity and access to Asia,” comments Bianchi.
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In Hunt, VAM lands a talented international executive with a stellar CV.
Born in the U.K., Hunt entered the music industry as a 17-year-old and has soaked-up experience as an artist manager, A&R, music publisher, label manager, product manager and promoter.
“It took one meeting with Arwen to know that she was the person to run Various in Australia/New Zealand,” explains Bianchi. “Her management background with Catfish and the Bottlemen and Kate Nash was super-impressive. Mixed with her publishing background at Universal she is just perfect! We are so happy to welcome her to the global VAM Family”.
Most recently, Hunt served as vice president, creative / head of A&R for Universal Music Publishing Group Australia and New Zealand, signing and A&Ring such artists and writers such as PJ Harding, Ruel, Lime Cordiale, Idris Elba, DMA’S, Odette, Timmy Trumpet, Alex the Astronaut, Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Gang of Youths, Vera Blue, The Chats, Styalz Fuego, Hiatus Kaiyote, CW Stoneking, D.N.A. and others.
Previously, she was as an artist manager and partner at ATC London, where she guided the careers of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Kate Nash, Augustines, Half Moon Run, Black Lips (U.K. & Europe), Tegan and Sara (U.K. & Europe), and more.
“If you’re lucky enough to find your tribe in this often brutal industry, you find a way to work together. That’s exactly what happened when I first sat down with the VAM team, and now, here we are,” Hunt comments in a statement, issued Jan. 30.
VAM’s team “not only have a knack for identifying incredible musical talent,” she continues, “they’re also astonishingly adept at handpicking the right people to grow VAM and the careers of their artists and writers.”
The team culture is “one that inspires and excites me more than any other I’ve encountered in my lifelong career, and exactly what working in music should be about: a shared vision and exuberant passion and belief in the art they represent; an incessant drive to kick down doors for their artists, clearing the path for them so they can progress; a team that fights together, grows together, celebrate wins together, and inspires and supports each other.”
The VAM roster includes Tom Grennan, Good Neighbours, Melanie C, Ashnikko, The Libertines, Supergrass, La Roux and Rose Gray.
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Meghan Mahar:
What’s your full McDonald’s order?
Teddy Swims:
I’m gonna get, I’m gonna get two McDoubles. Sometimes I add the Mac sauce to it, because that’s the vibe. And then, you know, you got to get the large fry, baby. Or I’m abig fan of the breakfast too, those little d*mn hash browns. Man, two packs of ketchup on the top. God I-.
You put it right on the top?
I could destroy a hash brown, right now, girlfriend.
Wait, you don’t dip your hash browns?
No. I mean, they’re like, kind of made, like stupid for dipping, you know, they’re like a platform for two packs of ketchup, exactly. And you do, you can even do, like the Toaster Strudel kind of swirl, you know, kind of thing, the zigzag. Hit that with a couple packs. It’s perfect.
We’re making designs with the ketchup, now? That’s crazy.
Yeah, maybe add five of them and draw your name, T-E-D-D-Y.
What was the last concert you attended? Just as a fan.
I want to say, oh, I think last year I got a chance to go see Ocean Alley. They had played in LA and I was just getting back from tour. And, man, Ocean Alley is so dope. Man, my tour manager’s brother was doing the lights for them. So, you know, he got us in there.
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New month, new ruler on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart, as Oscar Maydon and Fuerza Regida’s co-billed single “Tu Boda” jumps 5-1 for its first week atop the radio ranking (dated Feb. 1). The new coronation lands two weeks after the song capped its 11-consecutive-week command on Hot Latin Songs.
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See latest videos, charts and news
“Tu Boda” advances to the summit on Regional Mexican Airplay after a 17% boost in audience impressions, to 7 million, logged in the U.S. in the tracking week of Jan. 17-23, according to Luminate. The collaboration unseats Eden Muñoz’s “Mi Lugar Favorito” which moves to No. 2 after a 6% drop in audience (to 6.6 million).
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As mentioned, “Tu Boda’s” new ascent on Regional Mexican Airplay arrives following its 11-week coronation on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, which gave Maydon his first champ last November on the list that combines airplay, digital downloads and streaming data into its formula. There, despite a 6% dip in streams (down to 7.6 million official U.S. clicks), the song jumps 20-16 thanks to its radio boost.
Both Maydon and Fuerza Regida add a new No. 1 to their Regional Mexican Airplay career. For Maydon, “Tu Boda” secures the singer-songwriter his second leader, following “Mercedes,” with Becky G, last August. Fuerza Regida collects its fourth (all through team-ups) which begun with three-week ruler “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera, in March 2023.
While “Tu Boda” also improves with a 17% lift on the overall Latin Airplay ranking, there, it gains 9 million audience impressions, holding it No. 3 high for a second straight week.
All charts (dated Feb. 1, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 28). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
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