Industrial Strength

Image: Midnight Oil at Marrickville Bowling Club (Photo by Adam Lewis)

OILS WARM UP FOR WARM UP

Welcome to the world of a warm-up for a warm-up. Rather than wait to do their scheduled pre-tour club date at Selinas on Thursday before their The Great Circle world tour starts on April 25 in South America, Midnight Oil blasted their first gig since 2009 at Marrickville Bowling Club in Sydney last Sunday afternoon.

Some in the 400-strong crowd had heard rumours, others turned up for a quiet drink and were pleasantly surprised.

Kicking off with Pictures (from Species Deceases, 1985), they hurtled into Too Much Sunshine (from Capricornia, 2002) before delving back to Species Deceases for Progress.

Burnie (from Place Without A Postcard, 1981) preceded Renaissance Man (from Earth and Sun and Moon, 1993), Say Your Prayers (from Capricornia), Best of Both Worlds (from Red Sails In The Sunset, 1984), Forgotten Years (from Blue Sky Mining, 1990) Dreamworld (from Diesel and Dust, 1987) and, for an encore, King of the Mountain (from Blue Sky Mining).

VICTORIA PREPS A CREATIVE INDUSTRIES SUMMIT

The Victorian Government’s arts ministry Creative Victoria is staging the inaugural Creative State: The Summit from June 28–30.

It’s asking for speakers with insights, case studies or stories to share for a range of formats, including keynotes, panels and workshops. Go to http://creativestatesummit.com/.

Among subjects organisers are interested in are new partnership and business models in the creative industries. So are new ideas and trends, collaborations with other sectors, new markets and international engagement.

Submissions close on Thursday April 13.

ANNOYANCE OVER NZ GROWTH FIGURES

Last week’s figures from Recorded Music NZ, demonstrating that the NZ music industry showed a second year of growth, wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms by all folks.

Yes, it was up 16% to $88 million, they agree. But how much of the figures was about NZ music, and how much was it international product?

“It doesn’t indicate if NZ music is growing and if NZ artists are getting more money,” Ben Howe, founder of Arch Hill Recordings and managing director at iconic label Flying Nun Records, told one newspaper.

WA GOVT TO CHANGE LAWS FOR VENUES

True to its electoral promise, the WA Government is making it easier for venues to get liquor licenses. It has proposed changing the Liquor Control Act to add a new category which allows for a venue’s contribution to tourism, community and cultural benefits to be considered.

Tourism bodies will get the same legal weight as the Police Commissioner and the Executive Director of Public Health.

The Government is also removing the archaic restriction that has prevented distilleries from selling their products if they were mixed with any other drink.

NOVA SEARCHING FOR NEW PODCASTERS

Nova Entertainment has come up with a new initiative to discover and support new and emerging podcasters.

Those who upload a podcast on the PodQuest website until Friday May 19 are eligible to win financial assistance, as well as access to NOVA’s production facilities, technical expertise and distribution channels.

ROB POTTS GETS INTERNATIONAL AWARD

Country music promoter Rob Potts of Rob Potts Entertainment Edge was awarded an international gong by America’s Country Music Association.

Potts, involved in CMC Rocks Queensland and major country tours, was given an outstanding achievement award for his role in lifting the profile of country music in territories outside the USA.

SIA WINS AN ECHO AWARD

Sia won Female Artist international at Germany’s Echo Awards for her This Is Acting album.

They were held in Berlin on April 6. Other international winners were Metallica for band and Rag’n’Bone Man for artist.

DOCKLANDS STUDIOS MAKES $17M

The Victorian Government reveals that the five soundstages at Dockland Studios – covering Australian and international movies, music videos, TV productions and jingles – have injected $17 million into the state’s economy since the Government took over their running in 2008.

NEW DIVISION FOR 6 DEGREES

Sydney-based music, media and sports artist manager Titus Day’s company 6 Degrees – music acts include Guy Sebastian and Sophie Monk – has set up a specialist sports division called 6 Degrees Sport. It will be run by former Reebok marketing head Rhys Dal Cin.

THREE GET MYER AWARDS

The 33^rd Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards went to three recipients this year, chosen for their achievements.

They were Gavin Webber, Co-Artistic Director of Queensland physical theatre company The Farm ($60,000), the Australian Theatre for Young People in NSW ($90,000) and Kathy Burns, Artistic Director of NT-based Barkly Regional Arts ($25,000).

APPSOLUTELY BRILLIANT

Australian global streaming company Switch Media’s Appsolute is a multi-screen streaming app set up for immediately deliver live and on-demand media.

To be launched in Las Vegas at the National Association of Broadcasters Show (April 24—27), it additionally includes publishing, insertion of ads into content, data-driven analytics tools, a built-in universal player, is fully customisable, and seamlessly monetise the content for all kinds of associations, government, corporate and educational set-ups.

ED SHEERAN TO CHANGE NZ CHART?

Ed Sheeran’s phenomenal success in New Zealand could change the way the NZ charts are calculated. Recorded Music New Zealand’s chart compiler Paul Kennedy told the NZ Herald that Sheeran getting all 16 tracks off the new album ÷ into the Top 40 is a first for the country – and not an ideal situation.

Made up of sales and streams, the NZ Top 40 calculates 175 streams for one “sale” of a track. Kennedy thinks that this ratio could be reviewed after some monitoring, as it allows acts like Sheeran to dominate.

WAM BOARD CALLS FOR NOMINATIONS

WAM (West Australian Music) is inviting financial members to submit nominations for its board by 6 pm on Wednesday April 26.Its AGM is on Wednesday May 24.

YOUTUBE TIGHTENS UP

To reassure advertisers (or what’s left of them), YouTube has introduced changes. Ads will no longer be served on YouTube Partner Program (YPP) videos until the channel reaches 10,000 lifetime views.

This would affect 88% (or 164.5 million) of channels but would allow it to determine the validity of each channel.

WORKSHOP FOR ABORIGINAL ARTISTS IN BYRON BAY

APRA AMCOS is bringing its Starting Ground skills development workshop back to Byron Bay for up-and-coming Aboriginal songwriters and musicians.

Mentors will be triple j favourite Robbie Miller, singer/songwriter Sue Ray, MC Rival from Impossible Odds, record producer Yanto Browning, artist manager and publicist Emily Murphy; marketing expert Shane Murphy and APRA AMCOS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Representative Michael Hutchings.

It is held at SAE Byron Bay on May 11 and 12.

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…

• Wollongong’s Hockey Dadhad quite a week: recording in the same Seattle studio where Nirvana and Foo Fighters laid down their tracks, touring Canada with the Dune Rats, announced for Splendour in The Grass, and landing the support slot for Grinspoon’s return to the road.
• Last Sunday’s 60 Minutes featuring a piece on Tina Arena and Dannii Minogue drew 792,000 overnight metro viewers.
• Korn are looking to tour Australia this year.
• Many of the music festivals and events that benefitted from WA’s Royalties For Regions scheme are a mite nervous. The Government is going to give it a shake-up to provide money for initiatives that provide practical results.
• The Molly series about Molly Meldrum is up for another award: director Kevin Carlinscoreda nominationfrom the Australian Directors Guild Awards (May 5 in Melbourne).
• Aspiring Brisbane rapper 2Pec (Terry Peck) is out on bail after scoffing a seafood meal in Southport that cost $621.30 and then deciding not to pay. Well, he was going to, he said, but he, umm, had to go to the beach because he got a text from a friend saying she was having a baby. He couldn’t find her so (keep up with us here) he decided to run into the ocean. There he was nabbed by some coppers on jet skis. The Brisbane Courier Mail reported the magistrate was intrigued by how the bill got so high: two lobsters, 21 oyster shooters and a baby octopus. “My God! By himself?” she exclaimed.
• Tim Minchin’sWest End adaptation of Groundhog Day took out best new musical in the UK’s Olivier Awards.
• Newcastle singer-songwriter Catherine Britt who’s been battling breast cancer told the Sun Herald that her mum Anne Britt and mother-in-law Lee Beverley have also been diagnosed with it.
• AC/DC’s Brian Johnson’s latest TV foray is a six-part series on Sky Arts in the UK called Brian Johnson’s Life On The Road. He’ll be chatting to Lars Ulrich, Roger Daltrey, Floyd’s Nick Mason, Sting, Robert Plant and Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott on their road antics.
• Iggy Azalea claims she lost 15 pounds from twerking In the Mo Bounce video.
• The initial plan was for Daryl Braithwaite to duet with Rickie Lee Jones on The Horses, which she wrote, at Bluesfest. But the team up took place last Friday at Melbourne’s Recital Centre. “He sang it much better than me, that’s why he had the big hit,” she told the crowd.
• The instant sell-out of Queens Of The Stone Age sideshow at the 3000-seater Darwin Convention Centre on July 16 – they wanted to play somewhere they hadn’t before and Darwin fitted the bill – has led the venue’s GM Alan James to hope that other international acts would also come up.
• Perth songbird Samantha Jade, now living in London, is about to do 14 shows through the UK opening for Boyzlife (made up of Boyzone and Westlife members).
• As part of its 40^th year, Perth’s influential community station RTRFM is asking supporters for a donation of $40. That will put their names on the station’s honour board.