Industrial Strength: YouTube, Chugg, Awards, Venues, Eurovision and a few other things…

NEW GM & BOARD ADDITION FOR WAM

Livia Carré has been promoted to general manager of WA peak music association WAM.

She was previously its business manager, joining the association in January 2016.

A singer and photographer, Carré is a member of Chartered Accountants Australia with over 20 years’ experience in governance, corporate accounting and finance in a wide range of industries including music, hospitality and mining.

She is co-owner of Artisan Music Studios and Creative Shelf Photography.

WAM CEO Mike Harris said, “Livia has been an important part of the WAM team for the past three years, increasingly taking responsibility for WAM’s administration, beyond her role as business manager.

“I think this appointment gives WAM a mature and robust oversight across all its activities and allows me to focus on positioning WAM to best support WA artists and the local music sector.”

WAM also added Clive Hodson of Perfect Pitch Publishing to its board.

The association said, “With his extensive knowledge of the music sector both nationally and internationally and his previous board experience, Clive will be an incredible asset and addition to WAM’s board.”

Hodson commented, said, “Throughout my whole career, which started in Perth, I have been a massive supporter of WA music.

“The enormity of the talent in both the creative and management of music, in WA, is now recognised not only nationally but globally.

“I’m proud and excited to be a part of an organisation whose objectives are to support and develop WA music at all levels.”

NEW TEAM & NEW HOME FOR MELBOURNE’S CHANGES

There are changes afoot for Melbourne’s Changes this year.

Emily Ulman is its new programmer, fresh from her role as a music programmer at the Brunswick Music Festival.

Also joining as project manager is Hayley Percy, a specialist in ticketing, project management and event production for major Australian festivals and events.

This year also marks the July 3 & 4 event’s move to a new home, Abbotsford Convent in Collingwood.

The event is divided into:

Changes In Music: curated showcases and one-off gigs in collaboration with Victorian labels, agents and music organisations.

Changes In Tech: discussions on how tech redefines the music industry whether it’s distribution, the engagement between fans and artists, and the ways data affect decision-making.

Changes In Talks: knowledge-sharing via keynotes, workshops and masterclasses

Changes In Ideas: “The open dialogue on the music industry lends itself to turning ideas, questions and hesitations into opportunities and new realities.”

Changes is a collaboration between The Push, Yarra City Council, Music Victoria, VMDO, APRA AMCOS and the state’s music community.

YOUTUBE MUSIC OFFERS DISCOUNT FOR AUSSIE STUDENTS

YouTube Music is offering Australian tertiary students a new Premium subscription at a discounted A$8.99, instead of the single membership rate of $14.99.

For YouTube Music, it’s only $5.99 a month, down from $11.99.

Until now the deal was only extended to students in the US but is now extended to eight countries.

The others are New Zealand, UK, Brazil, Japan, Canada, Mexico and Russia.

The student plan, only valid for four years, and has to be re-authenticated each year via SheerID.

Those students who are already subscribers will have to cancel their membership and resubscribe.

YouTube Music comes as Apple Music and Spotify recently expanded their family and student plans.

MICHAEL CHUGG TO KEYNOTE AT TURN UP!

Michael Chugg will deliver the keynote at Sunshine Coast’s Turn Up! music industry conference (October 17—18).

He will touch on subjects from digital distribution and monetising music to the strength of the southeastern Queensland music scene and, look out!, his two sore subjects, radio quotas and ticket scalpers.

AUSTRALIAN AMAZON PRIME SUBSCRIBERS GET JI HENSON CONTENT

Australian subscribers to Amazon’s Prime Video service from today get 2,500 hours of the Jim Henson Co.’s classic programming including specials and one-offs, as well as all 96 episodes of Fraggle Rock.

GOOGLE PLAY CLOSING ARTIST HUB

Google Play is on April 30 closing its Artist Hub as part of its plan to replace Google Play Music with YouTube Music.

It was an essential service where smaller indie acts could post and sell their music.

But they will now be directed to YouTube for Artists.

MULTIPLE NOMINEES FOR GOLD COAST AWARDS

Amy Shark, Casey Barnes, San Mei, Hussy Hicks, Mass Sky Raid and Ella Fence are among multiple nominations for the May 2 Gold Coast Music Awards.

Artist of the Year

Amy Shark
Brooklyn
Casey Barnes
Hussy Hicks
San Mei

Breakout Artist of the Year

Chloe Styler
Elska
Mass Sky Raid
Radolescent
ROMII
San Mei

Live Act of the Year

Amy Shark
Casey Barnes
Electrik Lemonade
Ella Fence
Hussy Hicks

Musician of the Year

Ella Fence
Ian Peres
Jesse Boyle
Julz Parker
Scott French

Release of the Year

Love Monster – Amy Shark
The Good Life – Casey Barnes
Bachelor Tapes – Cold Ghost
Science Of Fiction – Mass Sky Raid
Doreen Drive – Peach Fur

Song of the Year

I Said Hi – Amy Shark
The Weekend – Athena Joy
XO – Calan Mai
Be Mine – Casey Barnes
I Got Nothing – Cheap Fakes
Girl on the Move – DVNA
Call Girl – Ella Fence
Boy – Elska
Silence Creeping – Hussy Hicks
Delirium – Mass Sky Raid
Cupid Love – Romii
Wonder – San Mei

Venue of the Year

HOTA, Home of the Arts
Miami Tavern Shark Bar
Mo’s Desert Clubhouse
Soundlounge
Vinnies Dive

Video of the Year

Best Day Ever – Burger Joint
XO – Calan Mai
Big Evil – Kobrakai
Cupid Love – ROMII
Dinosynth – Tesla Coils
Shipwrecked YT – DiNGO

AUSSIE SCHOOL OF ROCK STUDENTS GET GLOBAL OPP

Australia’s School of Rock students are eligible to enter a worldwide talent search by the school with Atlantic Records and its imprint Artist Partner Group (APG).

They will vie to be 25 singer applicants who will perform at a Los Angeles showcase for label executives and record songs with engineers

The search, called Center Stage, also includes School Of Rock students from .S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa and the Philippines.

A select amount of Australian entrants who miss out but show promise will win scholarships to the Australian school.

More information at schoolofrock.com/centerstage.

NZ DEATH METAL DRUMMER CHARGED WITH ARSON

A New Zealand death metal drummer has been charged with setting two Mormon churches alight.

Jacob Lowenstein, 28, who plays for metal band Igni, appeared by tele-link at the Christchurch District Court.

His charges relate to damage suffered by a Christchurch church after a fire was lit at 2 am on March 11, and another blaze on March 13 in Greymouth on the west coast.

MUSIC VICTORIA LAUNCHES LIVE MUSIC PROS PROGRAM

Applications have opened for Music Victoria’s 2019 Live Music Professionals program.

The state’s venue owners and managers, band bookers and independent promoters are encouraged to apply for the free professional business development program running between July and October.

Successful applicants will be matched with skilled and experienced music industry professionals and treated to one-on-one coaching sessions, specialised workshops, masterclasses, conferences, networking opportunities and a business development opportunity tailored to the needs of their music business.

Last year’s coaches included Brian Taranto (Love Police, Boogie, Out on the Weekend), Ashlea O’Loughlin of social media agency Social Season, Ben Thompson (venue booker at 170 Russell), Deathproof PR’s Emily Kelly and Moira McKenzie of Sanicki Lawyers.

To date, 85% of program participants reported it generated new business opportunities, identify and overcome weaknesses and increased ticket sales.

SYDNEY LOCKOUTS: DOOMED AFTER ELECTIONS

The Sydney lockouts could be on the Doomed list as a result of the elections.

According to The Australian two lockout opponents have made their way into Parliament and are in a position to create some serious damage.

The paper reported that Keep Sydney Open’s Tyson Koh and Liberal Democrat David Leyonjhelm are expected to be elected to the Legislative Council when preferences are finally distributed on April 12.

VENUES UPDATE

The newly opened sports-themed Marsden Hotel and Brewhouse in Sydney’s North West has live bands on Fridays (5pm-8pm), Saturdays (4pm-7pm) and Sundays (2pm-6pm) with DJs on Fridays and Saturdays until 2 am.

The Gold Coast has a new gay club Rainbow Allsorts every Thursday at the Underground nightclub in Surfers Paradise.

This comes as the Coast’s only gay nightclub is on the market, after closing due to what its former manager claimed was “closed-minded” licensing authorities.

Longtime Sydney club staple The Wall’s promoters Thomas Huynh and Billy Sierra are moving the Wednesday club from the newly re-opened Cali Club (FKA The World Bar) to Home The Venue on April 10.

ROGER WATERS TO KATE MILLER-HEIDKE: DON’T GO TO EUROVISION

Roger Waters has, through a Vimeo-posted video, asked Australia’s Eurovision rep Kate Miller-Heidke not to perform at the song competition because it’s being held in Israel.

He said, in part, “This is a personal entreaty to you, to consider the possibility of standing alongside the refugees in Palestine and also the Palestinian refugees who have been living outside of Palestine for the last 70 years.

“You, if you go to Tel Aviv and sing, will be used by the Israeli government to whitewash the occupation and it’s gone on too long.

“This has to stop. This boycott that was asked for, requested by Palestinian civil society back in 2006, is the most effective way of shining a light on these dark times.

“Either you will or you won’t. I hope you will. If you care about refugees, if you care about human rights, you will be the one to stand up and say, ‘You know what guys, I’m not prepared to be part of this whitewash. I would love to sing for you but it’s going to have to be after all the people in the holy land have equal human rights under the law.'”

MUSIC SA’ SETS UP VIDEO COMPETITION

As part of its Umbrella: Winter City Sounds, Music SA has announced the inaugural Clip Combat! competition which teams up emerging musicians and filmmakers aged 13—25 to create a music video for an original song.

Clip Combat! is being presented in partnership with the Department Of Innovation And Skills.

HOBART RADIO BECOMES DIGITAL

Commercial and community radio services in Hobart became available on DAB+ Digital Radio from April 1, alongside to ABC and SBS services which were already on air.

Hobart is one of three new cities where digital radio is currently being introduced, with Darwin due to commence within weeks and Canberra expected in July.

TRAVIS COLLINS, SUSAN HEYMANN, WIN GLOBAL CMA AWARDS

The Country Music Association of America has doled out its global awards to a number of Aussies – singer-songwriter Travis Collins for global artist, and Chugg Entertainment managing director Susan Heymann for “outstanding achievement by an individual advocating and supporting country music’s marketing development in territories outside the United States”.

HALFWAY CURATE NEW BRISBANE FESTIVAL

Brisbane band Halfway are curating Brisbane’s newest music festival, Autumn Fall.

Held at The Triffid on May 25, the bill features Even, The Predators, Dumb Things, Adele Pickvance & The Chandeliers, Sunny Flynn Hugo, Ben Ely, Jen Mize, Hillsborough and Sue Ray and hosted by author and TV presenter, Clinton Walker.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…

Federal politician Christopher Pyne farewelled Parliament this week with claims his next career move is to become “the fifth member of Human Nature.”

Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth unexpectedly joined Armin van Buuren’s headliner set at Ultra Music Festival, Miami. They did a duet on Van Halen’s classic ‘Jump’, which Armin has done a remix of, and was live debuting at the festival.

The issue of making parents pay for babies at concerts reared up again, this time in Perth when Tamsin Stone was told to pay full price for her 13-week-old baby daughter Finleigh for the Bryan Adams-headlined A Day On The Green show at Kings Park concert. The West Australian reported there’s a push for promoters to allow babies under two in for free. But Brad Mellen of Mellen Events is holding firm, saying it is clear on their website that babies must have a ticket. “We don’t believe a concert environment with 6600 people is a suitable environment for newborn babies,” he told the newspaper.

City of Darwin Council is proposing to start playing classical music across the central business district to create a soothing effect.

Hobart police were called to the Grand Poobah Bar 4 am when a 53-year old man allegedly released pepper-spray – which is illegal unless you have a valid reason. He was spoken to and an empty can of the stuff was confiscated.

A 41-year old man accused of sexual predator behaviour of targeting young men in Perth nightclubs and indecently assaulting them when driving them home, faces 15 more charges on April 15 as more alleged victims stepped up.

Police got wind of a bush doof being organised by a secret Facebook group in a forest north of Brisbane and sternly instructed the 1,000 punters to move on.

Among the great April Fool pranks played were plans by the Royal Albert Hall in London to be rotated 180° as part of its renovations, and the launch of a new flute which automatically uploads the music being played on to YouTube.

Deezer has added a new K-Pop Channel with K-Pop Classics, K-Pop Indie Chill and Top K-Pop, as well as Japanese K-Pop.

Federal Labor announced it will not “stand in the way” of the Morrison government’s move to introduce strict new legislation penalising tech companies which allow violent content on their platforms, such as videos of terrorist attacks, rape, kidnapping and murders. And the opposition cam good one that promise – the law passed on Thursday (April 4).

Right after they signed a deal with Decca Records for an album of their farewell tour, the original members of The Seekers are taking part in a documentary where they discuss their music, the impact of sudden fame and the painful fallout from their famous parting. A World Of Their Own screens on ABC-TV on Monday, April 8 at 8pm.

The Whitsunday Reef Festival in North Queensland is on its 19th-anniversary rebranding to Great Barrier Reef Festival and looking for “a creative genius” to run it.

43 people were busted for drugs at the EDM Paradigm Festival at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne last Saturday night. Nearby residents claimed no traffic management in place, and uber drivers parked on both sides of nearby roads waiting for their clients caused chaos.

Australian agency Born Bred Talent, which counts Warner Music Australia as a client, has expanded operations to New Zealand – where it will also represent the major music label in that country.

An unidentified American musician had to delay his return to the US as he recovered from a broken jaw and brain surgery after being allegedly bashed by a homeless person after he finished a gig in Melbourne. CCTV footage showed him getting off a tram in Preston before a man attacking him in a deserted car park. Police say that after knocking him out cold, the attacker returned and stood over him and taunted him. The two men apparently did not know each other.