Douglas-based record label Saffron Music Ltd has signed a licensing deal for their artist Emin with EMI Music Germany to cover his first international album ‘Wonder’. The deal secures release in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with further options for EMI across all global territories, except for the UK and Ireland, where ‘Wonder’ was developed and has been released by Saffron as an independent label and distributed by Essential Music. To mark the occasion Emin performed two of his hit songs, ‘Obvious’ and ‘Just For One Night’ at EMI Music’s ‘Partners’ Conference’. Held at EMI’s in-house live venue in Cologne, the audience consisted of around 270 leading players in German retail, press, TV and radio. Commenting on the deal Emin said: ‘It’s a dream come true for my music to have been discovered by EMI. Signing with a major label means working with a team who have experience of working with successful artists. This gives my music the best possible chance of reaching new audiences across Germany, Austria, Switzerland and beyond. I couldn’t be happier and signing to EMI is a tremendous confidence booster for everyone involved in my music.’ The contract signing was attended by the CEO of EMI Music Germany Uli Muecke and chairman Wolfgang Hanebrink, as well as senior executives from Emin’s international management and UK record label including Saffron Music director Alistair Audsley, David Bainbridge and Nick Phillips. Mr Audsley said: ‘Emin came to the attention of EMI’s A&R in Germany as a result of the progress we have made in the UK over the last year. The UK is a notoriously hard market to crack, especially with an international pop artist, but is also a real marker for credibility. Any success gets noticed by the industry as a whole and we are delighted to partner with a major label like EMI to take Emin to the next level.’ Welcoming Emin into the EMI ‘family’ of artists Mr Muecke said: ‘We are so pleased to start our partnership with Emin. The album is a great piece to start an international career with. And that's what we will do together.’ Emin added: ‘EMI have an extremely selective approach to developing their roster of artists and I am only their 33rd signing. Their dedication and focus for their artists is very impressive and their team live up to the reputation that German people have of being very thorough and organised in their approach!’ The first single to be released in Germany will be ‘Obvious’. The song, co-written by Emin with Jamie Scott and produced by Brian Rawling has already been a huge radio hit in the UK, having been BBC Radio 2 ‘Record of the Week’ and play-listed by more than 50 UK radio stations, including Manx Radio. ‘Obvious is a great track to open the first chapter of Emin in Europe,’ said Mr Muecke confirming that the single is to be released to German radio on October 7th. As well as looking forward to extensively promoting ‘Wonder’ in Europe, Emin is already writing new songs and developing his live show, ahead of his much anticipated special guest appearances at Eurovision 2012, which is to be held in his home country of Azerbaijan and will be broadcast to more than 150 million people across Europe. www.emin-music.com ENDS