NOVEMBER 2015: Sixth Media, the international live-focused music company that was newly formed earlier this year by Dean James (former co-founder and CEO of MAMA Group) has acquired a strategic stake in Big New Year LLP, the parent company of leading London arts and music venues Oval Space and The Pickle Factory.

Starting with a minority stake, acquired for an undisclosed sum, music entrepreneur Dean James will join the board, bringing over 20 years of experience and a vast wealth of knowledge to Oval Space. Oval Space will use the funding to build more world-class venues and invest in technology that will benefit the live music venues industry.

In three short years, Big New Year CEO Jordan Gross and his business partner Daniel Sylvester have created one of the most forward-thinking and in-demand arts and music venues in London. A 6,000 square foot converted warehouse in what was previously a neglected patch of Bethnal Green, Oval Space has pulled in the world’s biggest artists – including Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Hot Chip, Lorde and Jeff Mills – and hosts regular film screenings, classical concerts, pop-up dining experiences, art exhibitions and installations. In October 2015 Oval Space launched its second venue, The Pickle Factory: a state-of-the-art, intimate 200 capacity space.

Commenting on the acquisition, Sixth Media CEO Dean James said: “As one of the most exciting, creatively led, independent venue businesses out there right now, Sixth Media is delighted to be acquiring a stake in Big New Year. We have been following them closely for a while; at a time when many venues are closing and the venue industry is in upheaval, they have clearly cemented their position as one of the forerunners of the UK music scene. I am confident that their ambitious and uncompromising vision for the future is synergistic with Sixth Media’s and we very much look forward to being involved in the company’s growth.”

Big New Year CEO and Oval Space founder Jordan Gross says: “We are tremendously excited to announce our deal with Sixth Media. Since we opened in 2012, Oval Space has proved itself to be a vital addition to the capital’s nightlife and live music scenes, and a palpable contributor to the wider cultural landscape within London. Despite the negativity in the press surrounding the current state of arts and music venues, I believe there is still room in the market for more quality venues, and I am thrilled to have Sixth Media involved as we enter a new chapter and seek to create more spaces for London.”

For more information, please contact:

Kitty Lester – kle@ovalspace.co.uk / 0207 183 4422

Notes to Editors:

About Big New Year

Big New Year LLP was founded by Jordan Gross and Daniel Sylvester in 2011. Prior to launching Oval Space in 2012, Gross was an early pioneer of cloud computing. In 2002 he launched Ultraspeed, a London-based hosting and cloud provider which he founded in 1998, which served a variety of FTSE 250 companies including Nando’s, British Heart Foundation, John Brown Media Group and others. He sold Ultraspeed to Six Degrees Group in 2012. As of November 2015, Oval Space co-founder Daniel Sylvester will take a step back from Big New Year to focus on other projects, including the highly successful London Craft Beer Festival.

About Sixth Media

Sixth Media is a next generation, tech-enabled music and media business. Operating within UK and Asian markets, the Sixth Group focuses upon artist management, live venues, festivals, brand partnerships and technology sectors. Using analytics to inform activity, Sixth captures all areas of the artist to fan value chain through ownership of content and distribution networks. The Sixth Group was founded in October 2014 in conjunction with Indian ‘family’ conglomerate Apeejay Surrendra (owners of Typhoo Tea). Sixth’s management team, led by Dean James (ex CEO of MAMA & Company), has over 60 years of combined industry experience. In addition to Dean James as CEO, Sixth's board includes Sethu Vaidyanathan (senior director of Apeejay) as deputy chairman and co-founder, Kirsty McShannon (ex COO of MAMA & Company) as COO and co-founder and Anthony Gahan (Wyvern Partners) as chairman. Sixth operates from offices in Hoxton, London and New Delhi, India.