Industrial Strength: July 3
DEAN LEWIS HITS 200M STREAMS
As Dean Lewis releases Be Alright, his first single from his debut album, Island Records Australia has released some statistics of his achievements to date.
His music has now been streamed 200+ million times and his videos viewed 42+ million times.
The Same Kind of Different EP yielded the triple Platinum Waves (which also got sync heat on Suits, Riverdale and Grey’s Anatomy) as well as Need You Now and Lose My Mind which are certified gold.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Dean Ormston: Pic via APRA AMCOS
Dean Ormston is now officially the CEO of APRA AMCOS after Brett Cottle was given a gala farewell in Sydney by the music industry.
This columnist has written at length a Cottle’s contribution to the industry (both here and overseas) and the culture he created at APRA AMCOS.
But his departure does bear a recounting of the tale at an APRA AMCOS forum.
An individual got up and lamented that he was finding it difficult to write songs because he’d gone through a crappy period in his life including his missus had bolted, some fascist had run over his dog and he’d totalled his ute.
“Well,” Cottle said with great practicality and not without sympathy, “There you’ve got the making of a great country song!”
Australia Council’s new chair, Sam Walsh AO, commenced his role on July 1.
Its CEO Tony Grybowski paid tribute to his predecessor Rupert Myer AO whose six years saw “the most significant transformation of the Council in 50 years.”
It included the introduction of the Australia Council Act in 2013, the launch a year later of the A Culturally Ambitious Nation strategy, and a greater amount of corporate and private sponsorship.
KMART DROPS CDS, DVDS
Kmart Australia has decided to stop stocking DVDs, CDs and Blu-rays, “to allow space within the store for our new creative and activity-based kids products.”
However, Target and Big W have no plans to go skipping down that path yet.
ADALITA, TKAY TO HOST [V] INTERVIEWS AT SPLENDOUR
Channel [V] has tapped Magic Dirt singer Adalita and Tkay Maidza to host the [V] interviews at Splendour In The Grass (July 20—22).
Fraser Stark, general manager of Foxtel’s Arts & Music channels said: “ [V] has proudly been a part of Splendour since the beginning in 2001, and can’t wait to bring this year’s party to fans of the channel, both on-air and via its socials.
“With the amazing Tkay and Adalita locked in as hosts, we’re well on the way to delivering an awesome Splendour experience.”
P!NK, LEADS STARS ON HOLLYWOOD WALK
P!nk, the honorary Aussie who’s back in the country, leads the 2019 class of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Other music types to be honoured are Michael Buble, Dolly Parton, Teddy Riley, Emmylou Harris, Cypress Hill, Faith Hill (no relation, apparently), The Lettermen, Tommy Mottola and Linda Ronstadt along with Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Idina Menzel, Tyler Perry, Mandy Moore and Guy Fieri.
Each of the stars cost $30,000 to make and install.
PANIC AT DISCO LAUNCHES HUMAN RIGHT ORGANISATION
Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie is launching a human rights organization called Highest Hopes Foundation.
It will support “communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity.”
$1 from each ticket of their upcoming US tour this month will go to the non-profit organisation.
DENI UTE MUSTER DROPS FIRST ARTIST ROUND
This year’s Deni Ute Muster marks its 20th anniversary with US act Carrie Underwood headlining a bill including Kasey Chambers, Busby Marou, Troy Cassar-Daley, Thirsty Merc, Gord Bamford, Travis Collins, Fanny Lumsden, The Pigs and Amber Lawrence.
Held September 28 and 29, its Muster Adorer and Early Bird ticket allocations have sold out and General Admission tickets are on sale now.
The Muster draws 20,000 a year and donates close to $100,000 back to community groups.
GUITARS STOLEN FROM MATON MUSEUM
Thieves broke a window to access Melbourne-based Australian guitar maker Maton’s museum in its Box Hill South headquarters and factory and made off with two guitars worth $10,000 each.
The red Maton Wild Cat was one of a hundred made in the ‘70s, and a white electric had been signed by 38 performers from the ‘60s and ‘70s including Billy Thorpe and Normie Rowe.
HIT NETWORK LAUNCHES URBAN HITS
With the success of its RNB Fridays brand including club nights and tours, Southern Cross Austereo’s Hit Network has launched a new hip hop and R&B digital station Urban Hits.
It can be accessed by listeners in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth via online and the Hit Network app.
To read more, click here.
KIRA PURU HITS OUT AT WRONG SPELLING
Newcastle based Kira Puru has lashed out at the way her name keeps being misspelled by the industry.
In May Listen Out called her “Piru”, and later apologised.
Now Canberra’s Spilt Music has done the same when announcing the first line-up of its November 17 show.
Puru launched into the festival via social media: “Spelling my name wrong and not caring enough to triple check that shit in the PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL OF YOUR FESTIVAL is sad, disrespectful and rude….and a little embarrassing. I consider it a racist micro-aggression.”
Spilt Music also profusely apologised, and everything was smoothened out.
FWIW – the director of Spilt Milk called me on announce morning to apologise on behalf of themselves & their team for the oversight. We had a gr8 convo about where I stand and why I feel so strongly about it. We’re all square & understood & everything is going ahead as planned.
— Kira Puru (@kirapuru) June 26, 2018
BROOK ANDREW NAMED AD FOR BIENNALE OF SYDNEY
Brook Andrew takes over as artistic director of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, held in 2020 – the first time the post has been offered to someone in the indigenous community.
Andrew, currently based in Melbourne, wears his growing up in Sydney’s west as a badge of honour.
HABIT RELAUNCHES AS FULL SERVICE MARKETING AGENCY
After launching in 2014, Habit Music Company has expanded from being a traditional and radio plugging business into a full service music marketing agency.
Founder Nick Lynagh says, “We have decided to extend our client offering to include all facets of any modern music marketing campaign.
“This includes publicity and radio plugging, but now incorporating digital strategy, social advertising, domestic and international tour marketing, streaming plugging, remarketing, email marketing and content creation.”
NEWCASTLE HEADING FOR BIGSOUND
Newcastle has been offered its own showcase party at BIGSOUND in Brisbane in September.
The “Big Newy Sound” will be a two-hour show featuring three Novocastrian acts and also serve to promote with promoters, artists and artist managers the city as a touring destination.
BUSH BANDS BASH SELECTS ACTS
MusicNT selected the six acts from remote indigenous communities to take part in its annual Bush Bands Program.
The six participants in the BBBiz camp and then performing at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station at the concert.
Joining the Sand Tracks emerging act, Black Rock Band, are South East Desert Metal (from Santa Teresa) who have a second album out soon, all-female Ripple Effect (Maningrida in Arnhem Land) who sing in their languages of Ndjébbana, Na-kara, Burarra and Kune, the country, blues and rock Barkly Drifters (Barkly Tablelands), Simpson Desert Band (Titjikala) who started writing songs with charcoal on a piece of cardboard at school), slow-jam reggae inspired Coloured Rainbow (Yuendumu), and musician and songwriter collective Mimili Yanku (Mimili Community).
VALE
Jan Dooley
Jan Dooley and her husband Tom played a major role in Queensland hospitality sector, including running Dooley’s in Brisbane’s entertainment precinct Fortitude Valley (where a young Powderfinger began, and where Bob Geldof and Bono dropped in for a drink) and bringing back the St Patrick’s Day parade in 1989 after it stopped during World War II.
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS …
The saga of Kevin Parker’s sample on Kanye West’s new album ye continues. The Tame Impala frontman told the Evening Standard that he thought he was featured on the track Ghost Town but ended up credited for Violent Crimes.
A working manuscript of Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run sold for $250,000 at Sotheby’s.
ABC-TV’s Home Delivery episode on Hoodoo Gurus leader Dave Faulkner drew 490,000 overnight metro viewers. The show took him back to Fremantle and he recounted how he began playing keyboards in a blues band, once played at the toga-themed 21st birthday party of Alan Bond’s son and made peace with his ex-sailor father over his music career when the Gurus’ ‘1000 Miles’ was adopted as the theme song of the warship Canberra.
Sydney-based author Stuart Coupe’s next book Roadies – a look at 20 years of Australian road crews – is set for a September 25 release through Hachette Books.
Casey Donovan has cancelled a holiday in Europe in August, a 30th birthday present to herself, to instead go into the studios to cut a country music record.
The Herald Sun speculates that strong ratings for the footy show Front Bar might see Seven Network use the format for a late night entertainment show.
James Arthur plans to quit music after his next album.
Florence Welch reveals she started a coven when at school.
Dallas Crane is joining Cheap Trick on their October tour.
Barely Dressed Records showcases some Melbourne artists – Jess Ribeiro, Ryan Downey, Jim Lawrie, Jarrow, Hollie Joyce – at Old Bar tomorrow as part of the Changes festival
After her Australian dates in July and August, Sydney singer songwriter Melanie Horsnell is off for ten shows in Europe. They take in Germany, France, Netherlands and Czech Republic.
Bree Maddox, owner of Perth’s Court Hotel is engaged to retired businessman Nick Hayler.
Despite warnings, 12 patrons of Mackay’s River Sessions festival were charged for drugs.
MTV’s Cafish has resumed production after sexual misconduct allegations by a former participant against the show’s host and executive producer Nev Schulman “not credible and without merit.”