Industrial Strength: February 16

Three overseas festivals heading here?

Social media this week was rife with speculation that three overseas festival brands are planning to enter the Australian market. Names bandied about are Download, Sonisphere and of course, Legion.

But how sure-fire an exercise would this be? Few overseas branded festivals have lasted the distance, even at a time when international promoters saw Australia’s festival scene as among the most buoyant in the world. Now it’s regarded as a hit or miss. While established festivals continue to do good business in a tough market (even the promoter of one of this country’s biggest told this column he expects numbers to be down this year), what is obvious is that consumers are increasingly moving from “brand names” to a different experience where music is just part of the mix.

A test case for overseas festivals coming to this side of the world is next month in New Zealand. America’s Austin City Limits is staging a local version called Auckland City Limits in partnership with NZ promoters. The organisers are experienced, and the bill is strong. But obviously the proof will be in the digits clicked.

Sydney’s Reclaim The Streets turns up the heat …

Reclaim The Streets is holding another lockout laws protest on Saturday March 19 from 4 pm at Wynyard Park. Protesters can expect to dance to Techno, Drum n’ Bass, Psytrance, Reggae, Hardcore, Deep House, Hip Hop, Band Stage and U.K. Garage/Grime across 15 stages, with more to be confirmed. ‘The NSW government has deprived us of a dancefloor, so we’re just going to have to dance in the streets instead,’ a spokesperson said.

Dismissing the lock-out as “a draconian measure enacted during a manufactured moral panic”, the group wants to point out the hypocrisy of exempting the casino. “The casino is the single most violent licensed location in NSW, if the lockouts were about protecting people The Star would be included. The lockout laws are a clear example of the NSW Government putting their mates and donors ahead of good policy.” Details at www.reclaimthestreets.com.au.

…and former High Court judge to head lockout review

The NSW Government has appointed former High Court judge Ian Callinan AC QC to head a review of the impact of the Sydney’s lockout laws. He will provide his final report to Government in August. Its findings and recommendations will be debated, and Callinan will provide a response.

Deputy Premier and Justice Minister Troy Grant said: “The Callinan Review will provide an independent, open and transparent assessment of the state’s liquor laws, focusing on the facts, to advise the NSW Government on the future of these laws in NSW.”

Grant’s insistence that the results of the review would not be pre-determined were not helped when Premier Mike Baird flapped his gums that “it is going to take a lot for me to change my mind on a policy that is so clearly improving this city.” A number of bars that he is banned from their premises as a result.

Griffith Uni study: pre-loading the problem

A new study by Griffith University suggests that the Queensland Government’s lockout plans could be wrong in just targeting violent drunks at the end of the night. It found there 82% of 3,039 people it breath-tested on the Gold Coast before they entered venues between 10.30 pm and 11 pm had pre-loaded. The figure was 71% in Brisbane where 2,751 were tested. The average blood alcohol level was 0.071 (0.05 is the driving limit).

The university’s Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, Grant Devilly, says those who drink heavily before heading out are more likely be involved in violent or risky behaviour. His view is that the current debate on lockout laws should include statistics on preloading. “If you’re going to end the night earlier, then you need encouragements to come in earlier at least,” he reckons, adding that education is a key to combating alcohol-fuelled violence. Prof. Devilly suggests that any ban on cheap drinks will lead to the dilemma where pre-loading gets people very drunk before they leave home.

Surfers Paradise Licensed Venue Association President and Sin City owner Tim Martin agrees preloading is a massive problem for venues. Police presence in the entertainment precincts also bring the level of violence down, Prof. Devilly’s research shows.

Stadium Australia wins Perth Stadium bid

The West Australia Government picked Stadium Australia Operations, which runs ANZ Stadium in Sydney, to operate the new 60,000-seat Perth Stadium which opens in 2018. The stadium will hold 37 sports events and concerts a year.

Missing out were Perth Stadium Management (a consortium of the WA Football Commission, Ticketmaster, Live Nation and caterer Delaware North), and Spotless’ venue division Nationwide Venue Management. AEG Ogden was the reserve respondent, in the event the Government could not conclude negotiations with Stadium Australia Operations.

Hilltops Initiative back for 11^th year

The Hilltop Hoods Initiative is back for its 11th year, to further careers of hip hop and soul artists who are APRA AMCOS members who are yet to release an album commercially.. Winner gets $10,000 cash to cover costs of manufacturing, marketing and distributing an album or EP, legal advice from Media Arts Lawyers and a Love Police ATM merchandise start-up kit.

Judges are Koolism’s Hau, SA graff artist and promoter Nish, artist manager and agent Ran Dee, artist and Blank Clothing owner Raph and Qld beat boxer Tom Thum. Deadline is March 22, winner announced May 11Deadline is March 22, winner announced May 11. See apraamcos.com.au/hth.

Australia to get two more SVOD services

The Australian subscription video on demand (SVOD) market looks like getting two more this year, The Walt Disney Company is reportedly in talks with telecommunications companies for a launch of its DisneyLife after it debuts in the UK in November, the AFR said.

NBCUniversal’s Hayu is reality-TV focussed, and part of a roll-out that includes the UK and Ireland. It’ll cost $5.99 a month (one month free trial for (mobile, tablet, laptop and connected TV) with 3000 episodes at launch, and 500 new episodes added through the year. Subscribers can share “specially made short-form content snippets” pulled from full episodes directly to social media.

Brian Mannix, Casey Donovan, will rock you

Brian Mannix, ex-singer of ‘80s Melbourne band The Uncanny X-Men, and soul singer Casey Donovan join the new Australian production of the Queen musical We Will Rock You. Mannix plays hippy librarian/philosopher Buddy who’s an expert on the lost sacred musical texts. Donovan slips into Killer Queen, the ruthless and power-hungry businesswoman who rules the world through her corporation Globalsoft which suppresses live music and original thought.

Others in the case are Gareth Keegan (Jersey Boys, Hugh Jackman’s Broadway to Oz concerts) in the central role of dreamer Galileo, Erin Clare (Heathers, The Phantom Of The Opera) will be the sharp witted Scaramouche.

The production begins in Sydney’s Lyric Theatre on April 28, then Lyric Theatre, Brisbane from July 10; Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from August 30. Perth’s Crown Theatre in November and Adelaide Festival Theatre from January 2017. It is produced by John Frost, Queen Theatrical Productions, Phil McIntyre Entertainment and Tribeca Theatrical Productions, and directed by Ben Elton.

First round of SA’s Contemporary Music Grant program

The first round of Arts SA’s Contemporary Music Grant program closes on April 15. It will support activity that commences after July 1. An information session will be held in the lead up to the closing date, details to be announced.

As reported in Industrial Strength before, there’ll only be three grants now. The March and May rounds are combined to be April. The August and December closing dates will become available over the next few months.

Tasmanian festivals draw the numbers

Tasmanian festivals continue to draw numbers. Music and food event Festivale wrapped up at City Park with Festivale Chairman Lou Clark estimating an attendance of 30,000. Despite a $5 ticket price hike, the crowds turned out and experienced exceptional sets from Wendy Mathews and Kate Ceberano.

The inaugural Qjam in Launceston was enough of a success for it to return next year, organiser Kirstie Aitken said. It showcased 18 diverse Tasmanian artists in a 60-hectare Quamby Estate in the rolling hills of the Meander Valley.

Groovin’ The Moo strikes up partnerships

Regional touring festival Groovin’ The Moo struck up a range of partnerships which promoter Stephen Halpin of Cattleyard Promotions explains “strengthen the bond between GTM and each of our communities and offer talented locals valued experience by showcasing their skills and talents to a wider audience.”

The Local Legends program engages local artists, volunteers, providores, students, community groups and sporting clubs. The triple j Unearthed Groovin the Moo competition is open to find one artist in each region to open the event. Upload tracks to www.triplejunearthed.com by February 28.

Shoot The Moo taps regional talent to shoot from the photographers’ pit. Entries open soon at its website. Ground Control calls out to artists, graphic designers and students for artwork for the GTM-TEE competition. The Short Internship Program and Work Experience Program for Youth remain integral to the festival for the past 12 years.

Last year’s inaugural Sister Cities Art Exhibition between Townsville and Bendigo is in 2016 a national initiative with posters inspired by GTM 2016 Interstellar artwork theme. Entries open until March 6 at www.gtm.net.au.

GTN is asking emerging producers, beat makers, lyricists or songwriters to join a music workshop backstage in a joint venture with Heaps Decent, which works with young folks and emerging artists from marginalised and disadvantaged communities. For initiatives in specific regional stops, check out their website.

More Festivals Updates: artist applications, success, liquidation

* Sydney’s Manly Jazz, which drew 120,000 last year, is back for its 39^th year September 26 to October 3, with more venues this year. Applications for artist performances are open until March 31 at www.manlyjazz.com.au. Festival Creative Director Caroline Speight says, “Jazz is at the core of almost all modern music styles, so at Manly Jazz we celebrate different music styles while still cherishing the purest forms of jazz.” This includes everything from traditional New Orleans jazz to funk, Latin, fusion, blues, gospel, swing and blues.

* Also looking for participants for sets and workshops is pioneering EDM lifestyle event Earthcore, which was a sell-out last year. It returns on November 24 to a location 90 kms outside of Melbourne near Pyalong. Lineup is unveiled

* FasterLouder reported some acts rumoured for Spendour In The Grass 2016 won’t be making it. LCD Soundsystem, Chet Faker, FKA Twigs, The Last Shadow Puppets, Chvrches, Foals, Aluna George, Wolf Parade and Savages are playing Canada’s WayHome Music & Arts Festival that weekend.

* Northern Territory’s Wide Open Space returns to Ross River Resort, 80km east of Alice Springs, from Friday April 29 to Sunday May 1. Eight NT acts play withe eight from Melbourne, one each from the UK, San Francisco and Rome.

* Carl Cox unveiled more doss on his inaugural techno and house Pure. It lands at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on Sat April 23 and Melbourne’s Shed 14 on Sunday April 24 with Cox, co-curator Eric Powell, Italy’s Joseph Capriati, Germany’s Format:B and Australia’s DJ HMC taking major spots.

* The business behind the Asiafest event in Adelaide last year Adelaide has been placed in liquidation and several artists say they have not been paid.

* Canberra’s National Multicultural Festival reported attendance rose by 10,000 to a total of 280,000 to event represented by 170 nationalities. Multicultural Affairs minister Yvette Berry expected the festival’s economic impact to exceed last year’s $7.5 million.

Catherine Britt sticks it with four F U Cancer Concerts

Catherine Britt is telling her breast cancer to stick it with four shows called F U Cancer. In the past year, she’s had to reduce her workload during exhaustive treatment. Now she and friends hold their digits aloft at The Basement in Sydney (Thursday April 7), The Triffid, Brisbane (Thursday 14), Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne (Saturday 23) and Wests Leagues Club, Newcastle (Sunday May 1).

“The last 8 months have been incredibly hard for me; looking back I don’t know how I made it through it all,” Britt confesses. “I now see a light at the end of the tunnel and am excited to celebrate with music and good friends. I can’t

think of a better way to do it, than with a tour. Saying ’F U Cancer’ is the perfect way to respond to this disease. It’s brave, in your face and strong, just like all those that have fought Cancer and all of those that will in the future.”

Joining her at stops include Josh Pyke, Kasey Chambers, Troy Cassar-Daley, Shannon Noll, Beccy Cole, Busby Marou, Wendy Matthews, Wes Carr, Ellie Drennan, Lloyd Spiegel and Danny Widdicombe.

Number Crunching

746 submissions of the 767 made to the parliamentary committee on Queensland’s proposed lock-out laws were against it, according to Cairns City Liquor Safety Accord President John Lynch.

100,000 projects now successfully funded on Kickstarter. 22,133 were music related, 15 which lead to albums.. Four of these were nominated for Grammys.

£82 million annual contribution by The Beatles’ economy to the city of Liverpool. It also supports 2,335 jobs.

33% rise in sales for US seafood chain Red Lobster on the day of release of Beyoncé’s song Formation which name-checks it.

Aussie celeb titles drop in print form

The latest Audit Bureau of Circulation figures, covering the three months ending December, showed that readers of local celeb titles are moving from print to online and social media for their goss. Famous dropped to 45,096, a 25% decline from 60,122 from the same period in 2014. OK! had a 20% jump, from 70,342 to 56,250. Who was down 8.9% to 92,418, NW by 18.6% to 59,544.

Adelaide Festival Centre creating Walk of Fame

As part of its redevelopment, the Adelaide Festival Centre is setting up a new Walk of Fame along the new Riverbank precinct. It plans to honour 150 of the South Australian performers who have graced its stages from 1984. Festival Centre CEO Douglas Gautier said the initiative would not only celebrate the venue’s “rich performing arts history” but be a tourist draw.

Beyonce’s Super Bowl entertainment draws 1.75m Aussies

The Beyonce, Coldplay and Bruno Mars Super Bowl 50 half time entertainment drew 1.75 million Australians across the metro and regional markets to Seven’s telecast. OzTAM and RegTAM say they watched all or part of the event. This was 13% up from last year. 112 million Americans tuned in on CBS.

Australia also posted an additional 185,000 live streams on PLUS7 and 7live.com.au totalling 2.5 million minutes. The peak audience for streaming was almost 50,000 – during the half time entertainment.

Venues Update: assaults, out of space, resurgence

* Ten men assaulted a staffer at the OBH Hotel in Scarborough. Venue management says they’ll be banned once they are identified.

* Melbourne’s Old Bar is, for a week from March 29, transforming itself into a Mars stop. Titled Astronaut Alley, the installation piece has live music, guest speakers, an art exhibition and Martian beer on tap.

* The $2 million refit of Subiaco’s Regal Theatre (including 1000 new seats) lead to bookings of 200 shows and “tens of thousands” of visitors, said Regal Theatre Trust Chairman Richard Diggins. Show nights see a 40% rise in patrons for nearby restaurants and bars.

Radio consumer trend focuses on health

The fourth instalment of Commercial Radio Australia and Presslaff Interactive Revenue’s Finding Consumer Trend focussed on health and fitness. To provide data for advertisers, it used a sample of 1300 listeners in 96 regional stations for their views and preferred services.

Last year, it looked at habits and intentions involving automobile, groceries and insurance providers. Of four in 2016, the next is finance and superannuation.

Expressions of interest for Indie Week

AIR, Sounds Australia and PPCA are seeking expressions of interest from indie labels to join a 10-strong Australian delegation to Indie Week 2016. The label focused conference hosted by A2IM (American Association of Independent Music) is held June 13-16 in New York City. Aussie delegations have attended since 2013.

Dallas Buyers Club drops Aussie piracy case

The test case over handing over the names and addresses of alleged Australian illegal downloaders so that music and movie rights holders could chase them for compensation, seems abandoned for the time being. Hollywood studio Dallas Buyers Club LLC went to court over details of the 4726 Australians who allegedly illegally downloaded the 2013 movie Dallas Buyers Club.

It was also an Australian test case for “speculative invoicing” which is common in the US. It would have allowed rights holders to send a (usually high) bill to a suspected pirate hoping they’d cough up the money than go to court. It caused a public backlash in Australia, seen in some quarters as bullying and intimidating. Australian courts were alarmed by possibilities, with one judge calling the request “wholly unrealistic (and) surreal.” Last August, the Federal Court’s Justice Nye Perram imposed strict conditions. The studio could only get names and addresses if the compensation demanded was limited to the exact cost of obtaining the film, and some out-of-pocket expenses. To ensure that, he imposed a $600,000 bond which would be forfeited if these conditions were breached.

It seemed obvious that pursuing copyright infringers would be expensive and probably futile. DBC did not lodge a second appeal against that decision by its deadline. However some in the legal fraternity say it doesn’t necessarily mean that DBC (or other studios) have given up the fight and that Australian pirates shouldn’t necessarily see this as a green light to keep infringing.

Holly Arrowsmith wins folk “tui”

21-year-old Holly Arrowsmith’s For The Weary Traveller won the “tui” award for Best Folk Album in 2015 by a New Zealand artist. It was presented at Auckland Folk Festival. For The Weary Traveller won over finalists Amiria Grenell’s Autumn and Nadia Reid’s Listen To The Formation, Look For The Signs.

Canberra’s 1RPH to lose some funding

Due to disability funding changes, Canberra print-handicapped Radio 1RPH will lose up to a quarter (about $38,000) of its funding from Disability ACT. Station execs say that it runs on a budget of $160,000 (two staff, 120 volunteers) and it might need to pull back its broadcasting range as a result.

Videos Update: Taylor Swift, Sarah Blasko, Hilltop Hoods

* Taylor Swift has released on Vevo a five-minute behind-the-scenes video of her Out Of The Woods music video, shot in New Zealand late last year, to her 70 million Twitter followers. Directed by Joseph Kahn, it saw Taylor battle nature’s elements including fire and water, chased by wolves (they were real, by the way) and ends with her on a beach. The narrative regales, “She lost him, but she found herself. And somehow that was everything.”

Swift describes west Auckland’s Bethells Beach “the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been on in my life. It’s so surreal.” The shoot, which took place in between her Australian visit, was to be in total secrecy. But the word leaked, and New Zealand media chased her around. A helicopter whirred over the set for 45 minutes while the singer hid under towels.

The shoot also aroused headlines when the NZ production company breached its permit by taking up to 12 vehicles on to the beach, instead of the approved two, and accused by local conservationists with threatening the nesting site of local dotterel. Swift praises the NZ company for building the “most elaborate sets I’ve ever seen. We’ve been in a desert, we’ve been on a rocky cliff, we’ve been on a glacier, we’ve been in a swamp … I think they have such amazing access to trees and plants in things in New Zealand that … that’s all I can come up with as to why the sets are so good, they’re really talented set designers.”

The five-minute clip also covers Swift dealing with the cold and apprehension of having to be in a muddy river. “I’m not excited for it. It’s gonna be terrible. It’s gonna be gloppy and cold and slimy, and I’m gonna be climbing in it.”

* The video for Sarah Blasko’s I Wanna Be Your Man was helmed by award winning director and cinematographer Warwick Thornton (Samson & Delilah, The Sapphires) and features Sydney performance artist and cult drag figure Aaron Manhattan. The single, Blasko explains, is about wanting to be seen as an equal “or, better still, someone that you could look up to” in what is often described as “a man’s world”.

She adds: “With the video, Warwick and I wanted to take the intention some steps further by bringing another perspective into the meaning of the song. To highlight the ambiguity that exists in what we describe as a “man” or a “woman” & in the realms of sexuality & desire. We also sought to make it clear that no one can speak for anyone else or perhaps ever fully comprehend their perspective, we can only allow others to have their voice & admire them for their differences as well as their similarities.”

* Hilltop Hoods’ MC Suffa says the title for new single 1955 eludes to living in a small country town where nothing changes and is like living in another era. The track features singer songwriter Montaigne and beatboxer Tom Thum.

The video’s director Rich Coburn describes the video as “Little men from Mars fire rage-inducing lasers at a humble fifties diner. You know, that old chestnut. “This clip plays around with the wholesome image of the 1950s that exists in our minds. Set in a diner, it’s a world where everything is perfect and the people polite and happy.

“However, we see this through the eyes of an outsider. A young girl sits observing everything and it’s through her eyes that we see beneath the surface things are not what they seem. As the radio talks of Flying Discs in the sky, it’s almost like our “Visitor” has a capacity to reveal the repressed emotions within our perfect world inhabitants until all those pent up emotions explode.”

Vale

Rob Yeatman moved to the NSW Northern Rivers in 2012 from New Zealand and established a reputation for his 12-string guitar prowess. He formed the band Darklight with wife Belle Stewart. In 2014 he started tutoring five courses at the Byron Bay Community College including Guitar Improvisation, Song-writing and Home Studio Recording, Having previously released Learn Guitar Easily – Level 1 For Absolute Beginners​ (DVD, 2006) and Understanding Music Theory​ (Book, 1992) he began developing an online music education site offering video tutorials and educational products for guitarists. His album Wheel Of Life was recorded in Thailand and NSW. Yeatman battled an unspecified illness in recent months.

Richard Chandler was the Associate Principal Bassoon with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. He was also an accomplished pianist, winning New Zealand’s National Concerto Competition in 1985. He was cycling at 8 am when he was run over by a freight train and died on the site. He was 52-years-old.

And A Few Other Things…

New Zealand’s Woman’s Day romantically linked Lorde and Universal Music Promotions Director Justin Warren after spotting them breakfasting at a cafe. Warren called the claims “ridiculous” and that they had worked together for years.

Appearing on James Corden’s Late Late Show in the USA, Elton John cited Sarah Blasko along with Grimes as talents to watch. Sir Elton has championed Aussie talent back to the early ‘70s when he started touring here. He was so taken with Ross Wilson, whose Eagle Rock inspired him to write Crocodile Rock, he included Daddy Cool’s Come Back Again on British blues singer Long John Baldry’s Everything Stops For Tea which he produced. Catherine Britt and Pnau also received frequent public thumbs-up from the piano man.

Wollongong’s Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery presented the Key to the City to singer Cyrus Villanueva before the Illawarra Hawks’ final home game sang his new single Keep Talking during half time. Bradbery said that the 19-year-old singer had done the city’s reputation proud since winning The X Factor last year.

Meantime another X Factor performer, Jai Waetford (from 2013) says he and his mum are moving to Los Angeles later this year to further his career. Meantime, he’s landed a role in Neighbours which screens from May.

The Northern Territory is a transient place. Music NT notes that recent moves to NT are Melbourne rapper Tornts who now calls Darwin home, while indie rock muso Q Heartstrings aka Quentin Clark (his Heat won the Australian Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year in 2015) is an Alice Springs citizen. Blues funk musician Mark Gray has left Darwin to the East to expand his career.

One time Adelaide radio station 5AD staffer Trevor Cowling is still trying to sell his collection of 100,000 vinyl records. The 74-year-old was hoping a fellow collector would scoop them up together (maybe it had something to do with the $1.5 million price tag) but now contending with selling the collection in blocks.

JB Hi-Fi’s next new store will be in North Launceston. Work began this week on renovations but there’s no news of an opening date.

Real estate: the East Hawthorn, Melbourne, pad that Silverchair’s Ben Gillies and his wife Jackie stayed in while she was filming Real Housewives of Melbourne three years ago, goes to auction this weekend with a $3.5m price tag … New Zealand video producer Joel Kefali (Lorde, Katy Perry, The Naked and Famous, David Dallas) has to sell his home in Hobsonville Point seven months after buying it because overseas commitments sees him relocate to Los Angeles.

Perth Formula 1 champion driver Daniel Ricciardo joined Parkway Drive at their headlining show on Friday night at London’s O2 Academy Brixton before 5000 fans and declared it was one of his long time dreams come true.

Matt Tilly of KIIS 101.1’s breakfast show is recovering after being hit by a car while he was out cycling. It was his second cycling accident in five years.

Canberra has unearthed another early teen beatboxer: 12-year-old Renagzy (aka Satvik Sharma) already scored 215,000 followers after the EDM site Swissbeatbox showcased on its YouTube channel. On the weekend, he was the star at the National Multicultural Festival with a 20-minute set.