Industrial Strength: April 5

TEG acquires two family-friendly companies

Under its new owners, Australian/NZ ticketing, live content and touring company TEG (formerly Nine Live) has expanded further into family entertainment territory with the acquisition of Life Like Touring and The Entertainment Store.

Life Like Touring’s current tours include Ben & Holly’s Magic Kingdom and Scooby-Doo Live!

The Entertainment Store has the live action and performance entertainment licence for The Walt Disney Company (Frozen), Mattel (Barbie), Warner Bros (Batman), Sony Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Cartoon Network, BBC, Sesame Workshop and Entertainment One. It uses these, as well as brands as Peppa Pig, Scooby Doo, Sesame Street and Bob the Builder for theatres, corporate and sporting events and publicity tours all over Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Middle East and North America.

According to TEG CEO Geoff Jones, “Both companies are leaders in branded family entertainment and show a deep understanding of children and how important immersive entertainment events are for them and their families.” TEG plans to announce more strategic transactions in coming months. The growth follows the purchase of TEG in August 2015 by private equity group Affinity Equity Partners.

Famous closes print version, goes online

After ten years, celebrity goss magazine Famous yesterday announced that the current print version will be its last year. This followed a steady decline in circulation: in the last circulation figures, published in December 2015 by Roy Morgan Research, it dropped by 22.4% to 191,000 from 246,000 from 2014.

It will be released by a digital-only version with FAMAOUSLive which Pacific Magazines CEO Peter Zavecz said “refocuses our energy and investment to better tap into the immediacy, innovation and social currency this digital native market demands.” It will target social and mobile video obsessed millennials.

Quickflix axes two offices and staff

Troubled WA-based SVOD Quickflix is cutting costs of $1 million by closing its Sydney and Auckland offices, slashing its workforce by 15% and taking customer support in-house. Meantime, company founder Stephen Langsford has also cut his executives’ salaries. Langsford reduced his own salary from $280,000 to $200,000 and will defer $150,000 of that until the company raises a further $2 million in capital raising. Chief Finance Officer Simon Hodge’s salary drops from $250,000 to $170,000 per year with $150,000 deferred until financial targets are met. Non-executive Director David Sanders will step down to reduce corporate overheads.

The company will also move from streaming back to DVD rentals and on-demand movies and TV shows.

Quickflix has stopped trading on the ASX since August 2015 and last traded at 0.1 cents. It has already made $4 million in savings by axing staff and restructuring license rates with TV and movie studios with a reported saving of $7.5 million of dues. Earlier plans for a partnership with rival Presto and a buy-out of a Chinese film and TV company to boost content and user numbers fell through. In a consumer satisfaction research firm Canstar published last month, 39% of Quickflix users subscribed to other services. Comparatively the figure was 42% for Stan, 29% for Presto and only 24% for Netflix.

Amrap Airit gives QMA winners a boost

Winners of the Queensland Music Awards get a special focus on community radio. Amrap’sAirIt, which distributes new Australian music to community radio stations around the country, has set up a specific playlist aimed at programmers to widen their reach. Five million Australians listen to community radio each week.

Since Amrap started in 2009, Australian music airplay on community radio has increased by 7% to a new average of 39%.

National Folk Festival draws over 45,000

Good weather and a diverse bill saw the 50^th National Folk Festival draw over 45,000 to Exhibition Park in Canberra between March 24 to 28. This figure was a slight dip from 46,109 in 2015. Previous attendances were 51,357 in 2014; 50,191 in 2013; 52,338 in 2012; 50, 935 in 2011; 55,092 in 2010 and 52,338 in 2009.

A 2016 survey is currently been collated to see where the crowds came from. Last year 45% from ACT, 36% from NSW, Victoria 12%, Queensland 3% with 1% from the other areas of Australia. Generally 1.4% comes from abroad, although Festival Director Pam Merrigan indicates this could have risen this year. Traditionally, the festival has drawn an older audience, with 60% of attendees female. It would also be interesting to see if the 2016 festival was successful in attracting new faces: last year 30% were first timers.

Moo’s Maitland show sells out

The Maitland, NSW opening show of the regional Groovin’ The Moo festival has sold out. Hitting the Maitland Showground on April 23, it is the 2016 run’s second of six shows to hit capacity. The Bendigo, Victoria, April 30 concert at the Showground sold out in February.

Stephen Halpin of Cattleyard Promotions announced yesterday, “Thank you Maitland and all the NSW Moo fans who’ve committed to come along for what will be a magic opening event of the GTM tour. We are super excited with the program this year and can’t wait to launch it with you and the Maitland community.”

Bello Winter Music returning

After a successful debut last year when the Saturday night sold out, Bello Winter Music is returning for a second bite. Between July 7 – 10, the picturesque historical NSW town of Bellingen will host 100 performances at clubs, cafes, churches and halls along with seminars and workshops. Acts include New York born Willie Watson of Americana outfit Old Crow Medicine Show (who recently toured here as a band member with Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings Machine) and Melbourne neo-soul diva Kylie Auldist of The Bamboos and Cookin’ On Three Burners.

The family-friendly event is set up so patrons can leisurely walk from act to act or ride the free psychedelic Magic Bus. Aside from the music, there is also street theatre, markets, free events and walking tours, the sustainability focused Bellingen LeaF program, and successful Youth Mentorship Program which gives young aspiring musicians the mentorship from established artists on the lineup and to perform at the festival The Bello Winter Music format is similar to its summer sister festival Mullum Music Festival (Nov 17-20).

More Festival Updates: additions, success stories, invites

* Queensland gets a new music and arts festival next month. The Death Valley Fun Camp is held at Lake Moogerah from May 21-22. Founded by Brisbane’s Death Valley Bar and Records, its set up to be an up-market version of classic school camps, with kayaking, swimming, workshops, camp-fire sing-alongs and chef-made food. Profits from food and beverage sales go to Kids Helpline.

* Last month’s 25^th Four Winds at Barragga Bay, NSW, was its most successful yet, organisers said. It drew 4300 people over the Easter long weekend to 21 events, some of which sold out. A fund raising campaign to raise $100,000 to buy a concert grand piano saw each of the 88 piano keys sold to bidders from the audience.

* The Portarlington National Celtic Festival in Victoria (June 10 – 13) announced its first 65 acts. Headliners were Damien Leith and overseas names Bernadette Morris and John McSherry. The event’s attractions are a mix of music, poetry, dance, art, food and market stalls.

* The second Tamar Valley Peace Festival is inviting musicians and artists to get involved in its events. The festival aims to provide an outlet for people to express peace and celebrate the roles of art, diversity, education and sport in building goodwill. The festival was initiated by peace advocate Jean Hearn after hearing a speech from former Tasmanian Governor Peter Underwood, said: “We want lots of little voices making a big noise about peace.” Send ideas to tamarcommunitypeace.org.au.

* Sunshine Coast Ukelele Fest begins this week for a third year. It has outgrown its previous site and this year moves to Kenilworth. Organisers for the April 14-17 event have widened the bill, this year also drawing performers from France, Alaska, Singapore and the UK. Organiser Sunshine Coast Ukelele Masters expects a crowd of 1000. Popular events as the songwriting competition return, one new one is Ukewiz, the ukulele version of the ABC’s RocKwiz.

* A reunion of Ol 55’s F.J. Holden and Wilbur Wilde with Skyhooks drummer Freddie Strauks will be one of the musical features of the Ipswich Festival. This year is expands to 18 days, winding up on April 24. Other music acts at organiser Ipswich Events Corporation’s mix of classic cars parade, fireworks, laser shows, performing arts, theatre, exhibitions, visual and public art include Grace Knight, Tyrone Noonan, Australian Idol’s Angie Narayan & Soul Engine, John McSweeney, cabaret performers Carita Farrer Spencer, Annie Lee and Leigh Buchanan, as well as Bollywood and South Pacific Island dancing, gypsy swing ,African drums and Brazilian Samba.

AC/DC track used to deliver cancer drug

AC/DC’s Thunderstruck might be used in the new Colonial First State TVC to depict a retiring staffer telling his colleagues to get stuffed. But researchers from the University of South Australia reveal that they used the track to improve cancer drug delivery. Their paper ’Thunderstruck: Plasma-Polymer-Coated Porous Silicon Microparticles As a Controlled Drug Delivery System was published in the American Chemistry Society. It says that vibrations caused by rock music can increase a drug’s therapeutic window by creating a Teflon-like coating over the micro particles used in drug delivery to stop it from escaping.

Senior research author Prof. Nico Voelcker said normally they’d ignite a plasma onto the surface. But that would mean that only one side would be coated. “That is where we came up with the idea of using a loud speaker that we would play into the system. We would turn that loudspeaker to a song that it would vibrate and the particles would bounce up and down. The chaotic frequencies worked well and gave you a more homogenous coating.” The specific use of Thunderstruck in the study was intentional, Prof. Voelcker admitted, because of its tempo and title which linked thunder and plasma gas.

Community broadcasting supports changes to CBF

Eight major community radio and TV associations have swung their support behind reforms to the Community Broadcasting Foundation’s (CBF) structure and governance arrangements and its suitability as the most appropriate funding distribution body and asks the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasters Council (NEMBC) to consider ending its public campaign in the interests of the sector.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia CEO Jon Bisset said, “The CBAA is supportive of CBF reform and considers the review conducted by the CBF as a constructive step in ensuring that the CBF can deliver on its mission and support the community broadcasting sector well into the future.”

The other associations which signed the letter were The Christian Media Australia (CMA), RPH Australia (Radio Reading Network serving people with a print disability), Southern Community Media Association (SCMA), South Australian Community Broadcasters Association (SACBA), Community Broadcasting Association of Victoria (CBAV), Technorama Inc and The Australian Community Television Alliance (ACTA)

South Australian venue, brands, head to China

Adelaide Fringe venue the Royal Croquet Club (rebranded the Royal Adelaide Club will be among a 100-strong trade delegation lead this week by South Australian Premier and Arts Minister Jay Weatherill. The $2.4 million China Business Mission (April 5 to 10) is part of the 30^th anniversary of the sister relationship between SA and Shandong province. The performance arts club will showcase for 24 days at the Qingdao International Beer Festival which draws 4 million people a year. It is part of a strategy to export South Australia’s festivals expertise and performance talent, among other things, to the growing Asian music market, draw more Chinese tourists and attract Shandong Province acts to perform at the Adelaide Fringe.

Also in the delegation will be reps from agribusiness, food and wine, health, tourism, e-commerce, mining services, education & research, urban planning, architectural design and e-commerce. Shandong is keen to invest in SA.

X-Press founder Joe Cipriani selling out

Joe Cipriani, founder and publisher of Perth street magazine X-Press is selling the majority share in in X-Press Print and Digital Media. X-Press was set up over 30 years, covering the growth of the Perth scene to international recognition. “Yes, it’s time to hand over the baton,” Cipriani says. “Time to take a back seat in supporting the future of X-Press in the pursuit of excellence in entertainment and lifestyle media.” Over the coming weeks he will be looking to pursue his other long time interests in property as a registered real estate operator.

Australia Council launches Leadership Program

The Australia Council has launched a Leadership Program to support emerging and established arts leaders with the skills and capabilities to lead through changes in the sector. Adding to these leaders’ knowledge and capability will be the chance to “share experiences, form dynamic connections, develop new skills and build confidence in their own capabilities. They will form networks and relationships, also share the benefits and outcomes of the program across their organisations and the wider arts community.

WAM announces its AGM

West Australia’s peak music association WAM is holding its annual general meeting on Wednesday April 20 at 6 pm at the Four5Nine Bar at the Rosemount Hotel in North Perth. WAM members wanting to nominate themselves for election to its board must contact Kate Branson via email (admin@wam.org.au) by today (Tues April 5) with nomination forms to be returned by tomorrow.

OzTAM introduces 8-28 day time shift viewing data

TV ratings company OzTAM will now allow the media to track viewing of TV programs played back through the TV set up to 28 days after the original broadcast. From last Sunday, 8-28 day time shift viewing became available in its TV database. OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer explained: “While the majority of playback activity happens within the first day or two, it’s not uncommon for people to ‘binge view’ a few weeks out – particularly with less time-sensitive genres such as dramas and movies.

More than 80% of playback activity takes place within the first seven days. Between 15 and 20% of playback happens in the 8-28 day period following the original broadcast. Playbacks account for 1.8% watched on in-home sets. The top genres for 8-28 Day viewing are mini series, drama and feature films. The least-viewed are sports, news and current affairs

Online music industry summit kicks off today

Business podcast www.musicbusinessfacts.net, set up by Rodney Holder, industry trainer and member of metal band Alchemist, is holding a free online music industry summit. It is for artists, songwriters, managers, producers and aspiring entrepreneurs. It kicked off yesterday (April 4) with manager Gregg Donovan of Wonderlick Entertainment on self-management. Today (April 5), Dave Jiannis of Epitaph Records discusses what not to do if you want to get signed.

For the rest of the week, Josh Pyke imparts advice on developing a music career, (April 6), Ditto Music’s Sarah Hamilton on being heard online (7), APRA AMCOS’ Andrew Tuttle on songwriter royalties (11), Andy Farrow of Northern Music on planning an international tour (12 & 18), and King Parrot’s Matt Young on career building (13).

Entries open for community radio awards

Entries are open for the 2016 CBAA Community Radio Awards, which are this year held in Melbourne, at the Pullman Hotel in Albert Part on Saturday November 12. There are 20 categories, covering excellence in music programming, fund rising, new music program, small stations, indigenous, volunteers and contribution to music. Deadline for entries is May 8.

BIGSOUND back for 15^th year

Brisbane’s music industry conference and showcase BIGSOUND, is back for its 15th year on September 7-9. Early bird tickets and artist registration are open on its website. 150 bands play 15 Fortitude Valley venues before delegates from around the world. This year, new co-programmer Maggie Collins joined outgoing programmer Nick O’Byrne “in the creation of a provocative and joyful BIGSOUND 2016.”

SBS first Australian broadcaster to launch On Demand VR

SBS has become the first Australian broadcaster to launch a Virtual Reality (VR) app, SBS On Demand VR.

Developed by SBS’s Digital Creative Labs team, it allows audiences to explore the latest 360° videos produced by SBS and the independent production community.

SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald, said: “VR and 360° video technology represents the new frontier of storytelling – a truly powerful new medium offering audiences unique immersive experiences to give them greater insights and understanding, with distinctive stories that explore our diverse and multicultural world.” The first VR project is chef Heston Blumenthal’s Heston’s World and, later in the year, the second season of documentary series Untold Australia.

Venues Update: global rating, new venues, celebrations

* Sydney’s The Laundry made a re-entry into DJ Mag’s world’s best clubs poll at #80, the only Aussie venue to make the list. It was topped by Space Ibiza, followed by Green Valley, Brazil; Amnesia, Ibiza; Pacha, Ibiza; Octagon, S. Korea; Zouk, Singapore; Hakkasan, Las Vegas; Ushuia, Ibiza; Sirena, Brazil and BCM, Majorca. New entries to the Top 100 were super-clubs from Thailand and Indonesia.

* Will there be another performing arts/ music venue for Townsville in two years? City Council is concerned that the Townsville Civic Theatre was so in-demand that last year it was booked for 345 nights and had to turn down 115 bookings and 90% of its dates are already booked. Now with plans to revamp the 40-year-old venue over the first six months of 2018, the concern is the city’s venue shortage has to be addressed.

Mayor Jenny Hill told the Townsville Bulletin, there was “no doubt another venue would be handy” and Council was looking at options to ensure all shows will go on. Expressions of interest from private developers are open to construct arts and cultural facilities in the Waterfront PDA, with hopes a new venue may even be built by the start of 2018.

* Sydney nightspot The Argyle will celebrate its 9^th birthday with a two-day party on April 15 and 16. It will transform itself into a mystery garden with DJ and live performances, lasers, electronic floral installations, vine-draped walls and “nymph-like dancers”.

* In the meantime, after a year of monthly curated events, Rare Finds celebrates its first anniversary on Saturday April 16. It takes over both rooms at Oxford Art Factory with a bill headlined by Deep Sea Arcade and Lime Cordiale.

* While the NSW Government and the National Rugby League talk about building a new 55,000-seat stadium at Moore Park in Sydney, a number of clubs have teamed up to pressurise the NRL to get a further $200,000 so that the ANZ Stadium can also be retained. Fairfax Media was privy to a new design for the ANZ Stadium to make it rectangular and a capacity of 75,000.

* Medieval replica Kryal Castle near Ballarat in regional Victoria, which hosted EDM raves, is for sale again, five years after Castle Tourism and Entertainment bought it and renovated it. Local and overseas interest is reported. Presumably this does not include the brothel owner who made an unsuccessful bid to the previous owner.

* The OddFellow building in Yass, NSW, will be turned into a music hub. Not-for-profit YassARTS’s new scheme is to turn the 1887 space into a regular venue where Australian and overseas acts can play, and also showcase local bands with subsidised ticket sales. The live music kicks off on April 22 on a monthly basis, initially for a year, courtesy OddFellow owner (since 2001) and arts patron Rosemary Hodgkinson.

* Krzysztof and Grazyna Kubiak who took over the lease of the Palais in Hepburn Springs in regional Victoria last December complain the place is in such a bad state that they’ve already spent $18,000 on repairs and want the building’s owners to cough up some extra moolah for more revamping.

* After the completion of its renovations, Hobart’s Princess Theatre re-opened last night with the staging of the drama They Saw A Thylacine.

Number Crunching

$6 million generated by Madonna for the final two shows of her world tour, at Sydney’s Allphones Arena on March 19 & 20. According to Billboard it was the highest gross from the other venues during the Australian tour.

$2 a day on meals, an initiative by the Oaktree Foundation charity to raise awareness of those living in extreme poverty, has been picked up by a number of Australian musicians.

60% drop in facial injuries since the Sydney lockout laws were introduced in 2014, according to data from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons during the first of the three day round-table called by the NSW Government.

3 shows in three New Zealand cities in one day by Shihad to mark the beginning of New Zealand Music Month on May 1.

And A Few Other Things…

Which international singer was enraged with a venue because its security refused to allow her fans to dance in the aisles or approach the stage?

Which international rock star plans to get married in Australia and asked the band’s promoter to do the needful?

Pandora’s CEO Tim Westergren says its new subscription service will be launched by the end of the year.

The County Court of Victoria found that Ralph Carr Management won’t receive commissions from former client Cosentino the magician. They worked together in 2011 after the act appeared on Australia’s Got Talent but terminated the deal in 2014 after their relationships broke down. Carr launched legal action, saying Cosentino breached their contract and would, as part of their contract, pay trailing commissions that decreased each year over four years. Cosentino argued that Carr breached contract. Justice Michael MacNamara ruled that a new management company set up by the act’s brothers was not subject to the trailing commission clause.

Trained Brisbane soprano Joy Baldwin, 72, is suing Redcliffe Hospital for $4.25 million. She claims that its alleged failure to order a scan that could have led to corrective spinal surgery, left her a paraplegic and losing her singing voice.

Victorian singer-songwriter Kayla Dwyer attended the National Folk Festival in Canberra to do sound for fellow folkie Peter Daffy. When an act dropped out, she was asked to step in at the last minute – and ended up winning the Lis Johnston Memorial Award for Vocal Excellence, named after the late Victorian folk singer who passed in 1994.

The world’s first Die Hard tribute band come from Adelaide and called McClane. Initially formed just as a lark and excuse to hang out in the rehearsal room, they’ve gone on to make a record and will, on April 30 at the Bluebee Room, do their first and only live show.

Australians have a global reputation for attending EDM events around the world. The Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, which is held over three days in June and last year drew 400,000 people, includes Aussies among its Top 5 attendees from outside the US.

US band St Paul and The Broken Bones, one of the exciting discoveries at Bluesfest Byron Bay, were so shocked by audience reaction at the festival as well as their sideshows that they’re working at returning to tour in 2017

Reno Nicastro, who ran a number of Cairns nightclubs – Including Reno, End of the World, Tropos and Velvet Underground and one time manager of ARIA winning female duo Shakaya – has found success as a digital entrepreneur. His new mobile phone and web app DoTalk is valued at $100 million by UK digital consultants St. Partners, even before it launches globally in Hong Kong this month, after which it could triple in valuation in six months. DoTalk translates 90 languages in real time, initially on audio and later on text. It’s aimed primarily at businesses with global partners. After trialling with 1800 users, it is expected to hit 6.6 million in 2016 and 14.8 million next year.

Queensland indigenous singer songwriter Thelma Plum attacked a segment on Seven’s Sunrise which debated whether Australia was “settled” or “invaded”. Plum said it was as “racist” (and we’re toning down her language here), and was furious that the debate was only with three non-Indigenous Australians including shock jock Alan Jones.

Aussie metal band Darkyra postponed a run of European shows for 12 months after singer Darkyra Black (Gina Bafile) was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

Adelaide duo The Audreys will play two shows with the Restless Dance Company at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in late June before going on an 18-month hiatus. During that time, Taasha Coates will work on a solo country-flavoured album produced by Shane Nicholson. A Thursday night residency at the Grace Emily begins this week.

Brisbane prog-rock singer songwriter Ben Craven’s new album Last Chance To Hear (the title about the demise of the music industry) features guests actor William Shatner and Yes member Billy Sherwood. He says when he wrote one of the tracks, Spy In The Sky Part 3, he thought to himself it needed a spoken word delivery and thought of Shatner. But not knowing the man, he went ahead and did the vocal himself. But the Shatner inspiration remained, and he reached out to Sherwood, who produced Shatner’s last album, to ask the great man.

After 12 years, four albums, a live DVD and festival appearances around the world including Glastonbury, 10-piece New Zealand soul electronica outfit Tahuna Breaks are calling it quits. They play a farewell next month at The Studio in hometown Auckland.