Former Festival Mushroom Chairman Roger Grierson returns with new independent artist services company GO!

Roger Grierson, one of the catalysts of the Australian independent music scene, has launched his new music company GO!

As it’s a joint venture with Grant Gillies’ Gaga Music, the Melbourne-based business will be called GoGaga.

Also part of GO! Is Tulalah manager and up and comer, Tim Eilenberg.

Grierson says, “We offer publishing based writer / artist services and worldwide representation to independents who control their own publishing (and masters)”

“We work with them to raise awareness across the media and the music industry in general, locally and globally.

“We assist in their creative and business development.

“With GoGaga we have an international network of publishing representation and digital distribution, as well as hundreds of key contacts garnered through my 40 years of internationalising Australasian music.

“We assist with a customised strategy around finding partners (where required) in synchronisation, management, live representation, government assistance, label services, PR, and business advice in general.”

Grierson tells TMN, “There has never been a better time for Australian music – 40% market share and ¾ of that is independent.”

Grierson has played an integral role in the rise of the Australian indie scene.

He was Chairman of Festival Mushroom Records for eight years.

He managed artists such as Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and The Go-Betweens.

He was also their publisher, as well as publisher for the likes of Tex Perkins, Tim Rogers and Powderfinger.

His first independent label GREEN in the 1980s, launched Do Re Mi, Lime Spiders, The Johnnys, New Christs, Allniters, Beasts of Bourbon and Spy V Spy among others.

Grierson says, “This is a 21st century version of everything I have been involved with over the years. Internationalising Australian music through proper practical flexible representation around copyrights.

“This time, 40 years after 1977, its total DIY time, the creators are in control of the process and the ownership, and we facilitate that.”

There is another difference. He tells TMN, “Definitely people are smarter and more adaptable to DIY.

“We are about finding pathways and avoiding gatekeepers.”

GO! launches operation representing Cash Savage, Peep Tempel and their mainman Blake Scott, singer songwriter Liam Linley and Delsinki.

It also represents Tumbleweed, Rebecca’s Empire, Ben Mullins and Grierson’s own punk band The Thought Criminals.

Grierson and Grant Gillies knew each other from when Gillies was state manager of festival and A&R manager at Mushroom.

He set up Gaga in 2007 as a licensing and rights management agency, and went on to secure 20,000 copyrights for Australia and New Zealand that included The Black Keys, The National and Animal Collective.