Artist Management | 19.04.2023
Pictured: Josh Pyke // Photographer: Matt Wilson
Acclaimed singer-songwriter, producer and children’s book author Josh Pyke has signed a new artist management deal, revealing today a partnership with UNIFIED Artist Management’s Sarah McMillan.
Pyke’s career to date has seen the release of six studio albums including 2022’s To Find Happiness, all of which have debuted in the ARIA Top 10, as well as four ARIA Awards and category wins at the APRAs and CMAs. His songs have placed in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown on nine occasions.
A multi-talented creative, Pyke has also written several children’s books, with seven titles currently available through publishers worldwide, and another set to be released in September this year. Pyke has established himself as a respected composer for Film and TV. He is currently writing music for ABC’s dedicated 24/7 radio station and on-demand app ABC Kids Listen.
Of his signing with UNIFIED, Pyke said: I’m incredibly excited to be working with Sarah and UNIFIED for the next chapter of my career. I’m as passionate about music now as I was when I started almost 20 years ago, and seeing Sarah share that passion and energy is really inspiring! I can’t wait to see what the next 20 years holds!”
UNIFIED Artist Manager Sarah McMillan said: Josh Pyke is an incredibly talented artist, revered both domestically and internationally. We are honoured to be working with him at this stage of his career and looking forward to taking him to new heights here at UNIFIED Music Group. I personally have been a big fan of Josh right from Memories and Dust days so I feel very lucky to get this opportunity to work with him. I am looking forward to learning from such a successful musician, songwriter, producer, author and all-round lovely human being. The future is bright!
Josh Pyke today also announces the final Josh Pyke Partnership. Launched in conjunction with APRA AMCOS in 2015, the Josh Pyke Partnership has for almost a decade offered an unsigned musician the opportunity to receive mentorship and funding to help grow their career. Past winners include Gordi, Alex Lahey and Angie McMahon.
As with previous years, the 2023 winner will receive a $7,500 grant as well as mentorship from Pyke, as well as meetings with experienced artist manager Sarah McMillan from UNIFIED music group and Select Music’s owner and booking agent Stephen Wade, to help grow their careers.
Entries are open from April 19 through June 21, 2023. Entrants must not have signed a contract with a recording or publishing company to be eligible. Submissions must include a business plan (maximum two pages) explaining how you would like to grow your musical career, including a SoundCloud link to a maximum of two songs online. The winner will be announced on July 5.
Pyke added: “Creating the JP Partnership with APRA AMCOS has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever worked on. Having a tiny hand in supporting the success of artists like Gordi, Alex Lahey and Angie McMahon has been an enormous privilege, and has also led to friendships and collaborations. I’ll always be super proud of this project.
“After 7 years though, it’s time to announce the final JP Partnership. I want to acknowledge the input and generosity of Wonderlick and Select, who have been pivotal to the mentorship element, and welcome Sarah and UNIFIED into the fold for the final endeavour! I can’t wait to dig into the entries for the final round, there are always incredible musicians to discover!
UNIFIED Artist Management is part of UNIFIED Music Group.
Josh Pyke’s upcoming live shows include Salt Festival in South Australia on April 29, and Banana Festival in NSW on May 6. Pyke has also been announced as a support for The Waifs for a run of shows in NSW and the ACT this July.