Damien Rice is feeling suitably chuffed with himself this week, having secured major licensing deals for his DRM (Damien Rice Music) label in Europe and the USA.

The American deal is a partnership/licensing agreement with the former Managing Director of RCA, Jack Rovner.

“Jack Rovner is setting up a new record label with Nashville based manager Ken Levitan. Damien is the first artist on this label and we look forward to working very closely with them,” says Rice’s manager, Bernadette Barrett, speaking from Los Angeles where Damien is currently gigging. “It’s a very small and new start up venture and is really exciting to be working within such an unusual set up.”

Rice has also signed a similar agreement with Christian Tattersfield, the former MD of East West records, who has set up his own as-yet-unnamed imprint. The label, which has struck its own distribution deal with the Warner Group, will now be responsible for the marketing and sales of Rice’s music throughout the world, outside Ireland and North America.
“There’s a huge buzz about Damien in the UK, and one beginning to start in the US as well,” says the Warner Group’s Conor O’Mahony. “Everyone connected with Damien has a really good feeling about things.”

According to Bernadette Barrett, the deals will enable them to do what they’re already doing on a lager scale.

“We were not looking for any record deals,” she says. “Situations arose for us to be able to work with people that we are currently working with, or have worked with in the past. Both the US, UK and European deals are license deals, not record deals and we have not signed directly to any particular label. This basically allows Damien full creative control to record whatever album he wishes in whatever way he wishes and deliver the albums himself, artwork, singles etc. included.”

Underlining his faith in the independent sector here, Rice will continue to have his records distributed in Ireland by RMG who’ve already helped him to a platinum disc.

“DRM retains releases of Damien’s recordings for Ireland, and we will continue to work with RMG for the same”, Barrett confirms.

These sentiments are reciprocated by RMG Distribution Manager, Janine Nallen.

“Having worked closely with Damien on the campaign for O here in Ireland,” she says, “and with all the success he’s had over the past year, we were absolutely delighted that he was signing with them. And obviously, the important thing for us is that he’s going to be continuing to work with us here. Things are going particularly well for him at the moment and RMG very happy to have been involved since the beginning.”

As a result of all this activity, O finally receives its full UK release this week (March 24), with the USA next up in May.

The good news doesn’t end there, with Rice confirmed to play at the Fair Play Dublin gig that’s taking place on April 16 in Vicar St. Also on the bill, which aids the Oxfam Make Trade Fair campaign, are Nina Hynes, Leya and Mundy.

St. Patrick’s Day also saw the UK release of ‘Woman Like A Man’, his first single there, which also features ‘Lonelily’, ‘Delicate’ and ‘The Professor & La Fille Danse’.