Industrial Strength: July 18
AMY SHARK HITS 20M STREAMS
The video for Amy Shark’s’Adore’ has officially surpassed 20 million streams, while the track has been certified double platinum.
Shark’s just returned from an extensive tour of North America, during which she got the chance to hang out with one of her musical heroes, Tom Delonge (formerly of Blink-182).
The Gold Coast troubadour is currently living in Byron Bay for five weeks to make new music and direct the video for new single ’Drive You Mad’. “The second I wrote this song I could see the whole video in my head from start to finish,” she reveals.
After playing Splendour in the Grass this weekend, she heads off on her Night Thinker tour between August 17 to September 9. Nine of the 13 shows were sold out at the time of writing.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST SEX ASSAULTS IN NEWCASTLE VENUES
A new Facebook page End Assault and Harassment in Newcastle’s Nightlifehas received a strong response. In its first few days,100 women mostly aged 18—24 posted their experiences.
These have included being groped, pulled onto laps of strangers, having their nipples tweaked, and pushed against walls and kissed without their consent. When told to stop, their tormenters responded by spitting, pulling their hair or throwing drinks over them.
The Facebook page was set up by music fans Georgia Mueck, 23, and Luci Regan, 21. They say being sexually hassled is inevitable when women go out to venues.
The campaign was initiated after a July 6 incident at The Argyle House when a man grabbed Mueck’s rear. She reported it to a RSA marshal who took no action because she could not identify the man.
The venue’s Operations Manager Angus Harper told the Newcastle Herald the response was “incorrect” because it did have protocols when such incidents happened, and that it would be brought up with staff and security.
Mueck, who revealed she’d put up with inappropriate behaviour in other places including supermarkets, pools and on the street, said, “This has been my lived experience for the last 23 years, and I will be damned if I put up with it for a single second longer.
“There is a an endemic of rape culture in Newcastle nightlife, and it is perpetuated by both the patrons and staff of these venues.
“Everyone keeps saying that when assault happens to tell security or staff, but 90% of the time they DON’T do anything, so we have nowhere to turn to.
“I want that to change, and I will go as far as I have to make sure that it does. It is goddamn time for this bullshit to stop and it will happen if we all stand together against it.”
Today is also the day of awareness for Your Choice, the new industry-wide initiative aimingto combat harassment, anti-social behaviour and other related issues at live music events.
NEW SPLENDOUR SECURITY MEASURES
With 30,000 heading to Splendour in the Grass this weekend, the Byron Bay-based festival has announced that “in light of recent events around the world”, new security measures in consultation with police and security.
The festival said, “We’ve made some changes that will assist with event safety and simultaneously open up some new fashion options for you.
“These new security measures are no more invasive than you’ll experience at any airport around the world.”
There’ll be heightened police presence; All backpacks and any bags over 30cm x 20cm x 5cm are forbidden. Personal and car searches will be intensified.
As always, the festival also warned of the consequences of sneaking drugs in, camping illegally or excessivelydrinking.
Triple j will be broadcasting nearly 40 artists sets live from midday to late on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
INFO SESSION FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GRANTS
South Australia’s government-run Music Development Office is holding a free info session on the contemporary music grant program before its August 11 deadline. It is held at St Paul’s Creative Centre in Adelaide this Thursday (July 20) at 5:30pm.
Grant categories for this round include Recording, Touring (national & international), Marketing, Music & Skills, Development, Festival & Venues and Strategic Partnerships.
AND, ER, ROB WHO?
The Australian music industry got someattention from the world’s media (music and otherwise) last week, but for the wrong reasons.
It was all about Rob Goldstone, who was involved in the latest Russian scandal. Goldstone put together the now-infamous May 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr and Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, with the promise that it would include dirt on Hillary Clinton and the support of Russia’s government.
The British-born Goldstone spent a considerable time in Australia in the ‘90s as a music publicist. He set up Crawford Goldstone Publicity with NSW-based Gaynor Crawford and repped for major touring artists includingCyndi Lauper, Julio Iglesias, James Taylor, U2 and Tracy Chapman.
Now head of New York-based Oui 2 Entertainment, Goldstone’s involvement with the Russians began through Russian pop star Emin Agalarov whom he was either managing or repping.
Her father Aras Agalarov is a billionaire Moscow-based real estate developer and business partner of Donald Trump Sr who worked to bring Trump’s Miss Universe competition to Moscow in 2013. Goldstone happened to be a judge for the competition in 2016 and was a pro-Trump supporter during last year’s US elections.
FACEBOOK SETTING UP MUSIC PLATFORM?
Indications are are that Facebook is setting up a stand-alone music platform, reports Music Business Weekly.
After the appointment some months ago of former Youtube and WMG exec Tamara Hrivnak to lead its global music strategy, Facebook (which has 2 billion active users) has been advertising positions for four senior positions.
Two were related to music publishing in North America and internationally, and the third was on the recorded side of things, tasked with “leading Facebook’s strategy and negotiations” with music labels throughout the world.
The most recent was for a Music Business Development Manager to “lead Facebook’s strategy and negotiations with digital music services, as well as collaborate with our product, media partnerships and platform partnerships teams to ensure a coordinated and best-in-class approach.”
MBW’s guesstimate: that Facebook striking a revenue-share-esque deals with the likes of Spotify, Shazam, YouTube etc. so that they can be more integrated on the Facebook platform.
MUSIC PREMIERES FROM FOXTEL ARTS
The August slate from Foxtel Arts shows a number of premieres of music series.
Season One of Great Songwriters is on Thursdays from August 3 at 7.30pm. The seven episodes cover Chuck D, Norah Jones, Bill Withers, Carly Simon, Barry Gibb, Jimmy Webb and Ryan Adams.
Soundstage (Thursdays, 9.30pm) highlights Jewel (3), Tori Amos (10), Billy Idol (17) Norah Jones (24) and Sheryl Crow (31).
Live from Abbey Road Classics Season 1 looks back at the best of the live performances from the series, screening Thursdays from August 3 at 10.30pm.
Rock Legends – Season 6 is on Saturdays from August 5 at 7.30pm. The series highlights Jethro Tull, The Who, Steve Wonder and Janis Joplin.
Season Two of Sunday Night At The Palladium is on every Sunday at 7.30pm from August 6.
The UK hit show covered all kinds of entertainment. The series includes rock names as Neil Diamond, Paloma Faith, Olly Mur, Meghan Trainor, Andre Rieu, Texas, Sol3 Mio, Art Garfunkel and Josh Groban.
For the first time on Australian screens there’s alsoAustin City Limits on Thursdays from August 17 at 10.30pm. Through the series, the Texas festival features live sets from Dave Matthews Band (17), Ben Harper and Relentless7 (24) and Them Crooked Vultures (31).
On 20 Feet From Stardom (Thursday August 24 at 7.30pm) Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville casts a spotlight on backup singers as Darlene Love and Merry Clayton.
On Saturday August 26 from 8.30pm is The Rolling Stones’ Havana Moon, their ground breaking concert in Cuba last March, followed by their Olé Olé Olé! A Trip Across Latin America at 10.30pm.
WA SENDS TWO YOUNG TALENTS TO THE WORLD
Two young Western Australian musicians were awarded $30,000 scholarships to study in the United States of America
The Young People and the Arts International Scholarships sees Perth percussionist Euphina Yap going to the Boston Conservatory in Massachusetts to study for a Master of Music in percussion performance.
Fremantle viola player Kathryn McKay undertakes a one-year, post-graduate performance course at the Manhattan School of Music under viola player Daniel Avshalomov of the American String Quartet.
BRUNO MARS TIES RECORD ON R&B CHARTS
Bruno Mars’ That’s What I Like has topped America’s Hot R&B Songs Chart for 20 weeks – tying Drake’s One Dance and The Weeknd’s Starboy.
BRISBANE’S HIT105 BRINGS AUDIENCE INTO STUDIO
In what Southern Cross Austereo is claiming as a first in Australia and the future of radio, Hit105 Brisbane is testing a scheme where online listeners can feel more of part of the studio experience.
The Abby, Stav, Matt and Osher Show is being filmed by a number of cameras which go online, with listeners able to chat to the presenters via Skype or send posts via social media onto the screen alongside traditional telephone calls.
Each program will later be edited and posted online and on social media.
MUSEXPO SETS DATE
The 20th global edition of the music, media, sync & technology business conference Musexpo, which in the past has drawn Australian panellists, attendees and showcase acts, will be held April 29 – May 2 at Hollywood’s W Hotel.
It recognise the achievements of pioneering executives and companies from A&R, publishing, management, live, radio, music supervision, digital and brand.
Musexpo was held in Australia in 2010, in Perth under the name One Movement.
SIX CHOSEN FOR BUSH BANDS
Bush Bands, a celebration of Aboriginal desert music, drew a record amount of entries from 20 acts from remote communities, reports organiser Music NT.
The list is now whittled down to six, who participate in an intensive skills development camp, Bush Bands Business (September 6—10), and show off these skills before thousands at the 14th Bush Bands Bash in Alice Springs on September 10.
They are desert reggae outfit Tjupi Band (Papunya community | Luritja language), Red Sand Beat Band (Warburton community | Ngaanyatjarra & English languages), female-fronted newly formed Desert Rain Band (Pipalyatjara community | Pitjantjatjara & English languages) and the Desmond Woodforde-fronted Moon Band (Mimili community | Yankunytjatjara & English languages),
Also on the list are, following a recording session in Los Angeles, Black Rock Band (Manaburduma, Kapalga & Madjinbadi communities | Kunwinjku & English languages) and triple j-listed Wampana Band (Yuendumu & Lajamanu communities | Warlpiri, Yolngu, Matha & Gurindji languages).
MTV UNPLUGGED IN NZ
MTV Australia is launching a localised version of the iconic Unplugged series in New Zealand.
The first of the series was filmed in the Auckland Town Hall last week with Maala (Evan Sinton) who emerged in the second series of New Zealand’s Got Talent and won Best Male Solo Artist at last year’s NZ Music Awards following the release of his debut album Composure.
The episode airs in NZ on the evening of Sunday August 6.
CHANGES AT WA DEPT
TMN previously reported that of July 1, WA’s Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) amalgamated with the Dept. of Sport and Recreation, Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor, and the local government and office of multicultural interests functions of the Dept. of Local Government and Communities to establish the Dept. of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs’ Aboriginal History Research Unit has also joined the new Department.
The DCA is now a division under the new Department as Culture and the Arts (WA).
WARP CO-FOUNDER TO GET PIONEER AWARD
Steve Beckett, co-founder of Warp Records, will receive the AIM (Association of Independent Music) 2017 Pioneer Award next month.
Starting out life in a run-down shared house in Sheffield 30 years ago, Warp went on to sign Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Danny Brown and Brian Eno.
It’s also expanded to publishing, films and digital, with six offices around the world including one in Australia.
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…
Roger Waters is touring Australia and New Zealand in early 2018, according to a source in his touring entourage.
Bookings for Neil Diamond have already started, according to a council executive.
Over half a million IDs have been scanned in Queensland’s 15 Safe Night Precincts in the first two weeks of ID scanners becoming mandatory for venues that operate after midnight, less than one in 20,000 (or 0.0048%), raised any red flags. According to the Sunday Mail, they included a 22-year-old excluded from Brisbane’s nightclub precincts with a rap sheet of 22 offences (including breaking and entering, and wilful damage) and a 32-year-old from the Sunshine Coast (15 offences including assaulting police and drug possession).
Singer-songwriter Brooke Fraser and husband Scott Ligertwood welcomed their second daughter, Rooney, a sister for 22-month-old Dylan.
Jazz pianist Jan Preston has recovered from two broken wrists to headline NSW’s Folk By The Sea festival in September. She had to install metal plates after the accident and learn to play piano again.
Radio broadcaster and one-time Skyhooks guitarist Red Symons is recovering from hospital after a fall near his home. He was walking home from the supermarket when he had a blackout and fell on the pavement, hitting his head.
The three original members of TMG with celebrate the 70th birthday of their late leader Ted Mulry with a gig at Revesby Workers Club in Sydney on September 2. They will be joined by Mulry’s brother Steve on vocals and former AC/DC member Mark Evans on bass duties.
Queens of the Stone Age lived up to their promise earlier in the year when they announced their Aussie tour, to meet up with some crocodiles when they hit Darwin. Singer Josh Homme didn’t blink an eye when it happened backstage before their sell-out show at the Darwin Convention Centre. He handled two young 60cm salties, and admitted he had a great respect for them.
As the Newcastle Council elections loom in September, the NSW chapter of the Australian Hotels Association did a phone poll asking, among other things, what voters thought of restrictions on the city’s venues, including the 1.30am lockout laws and if they should be reviewed.
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