Industrial Strength: June 20
ONLINE APPLICATIONS OPENING FOR SXSW
Online applications for band showcases, film screenings and interactive panels & topics for South By Southwest 2018 are open on June 26. The 31st instalment is held in Austin, Texas, March 9—18.
Application is via Sonicbids.com. It also includes proposals for PanelPickers to suggest ideas for panels, presentations and workshops.
Over the years, over 100 Australians have scored deals from playing there. These have included John Butler, Courtney Barnett, Missy Higgins and Wolfmother.
This year, 40 acts played there, out of 240 who applied and 70 were chosen. Over 750 Australian delegates who joined 30,000 from around the world, reported positive outcomes.
They were aided by Austrade’s huge stand for start-ups, an Investors Lounge was sponsored by Melbourne-based venture capitalist GoodShift, and Sounds Australia’s array of networking and showcase events.
“Australia is well known as a brand for great live performances,” its Coffs Harbour-based Australian, NZ and Hawaiian rep Phil Tripp tells TMN.
“In 2002 when I took on the role, five Australian bands played a show each. This year’s 40 played up to ten shows at a number of venues.”
Tripp suggests Australian bands should apply early for two reasons. The committee which picks them will more likely have fresher ears. It also means early invitations from SXSW, which gives the acts more time to get funding.
Details can be found here, or request further info from [email protected]. Tripp will later in the year hold networking meet and greet sessions (or “grip’n’grins” in Tripp parlance) in a number of cities for delegates to meet each other before they go, and where first-timers get advice from the well-travelled on how to get the best out of SXSW.
NIALL HORAN ON PROMO VISIT
EMI Music has One Direction’s Niall Horan in Sydney from June 29 on a promo tour. Media duties include a performance on the final of The Voice Australia.
Meantime, his Top 3 single Slow Hands has been certified platinum in Australia.
GREENS CALL FOR PILL-TESTING AT VIC FESTIVALS…
The Greens have repeated their calls for pill-testing at festivals, this time in Victoria.
They is in the wake of reports that the Victorian Government is discussing giving police more powers to search people for drugs outside and inside sites.
This would be done by placing festivals with a history of drug overdoses under the Major Sporting Events Act.
Drug and safety issues at ill-managed bush doofs, many kilometres away from the nearest medical aid, are also under the spotlight of authorities.
The call for pill-testing also came from Tim Harvey, Director of the Victorian regional EDM festival Rainbow Serpent, who said that expanding police powers would not lead to a “better outcome for attendees”.
…WHILE RAIDS IN PERTH VENUES LEAD TO ARRESTS
40 raids by WA Police in Perth metro licensed venues lead to 65 people charged with allegedly selling ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis inside these establishments.
The WA Nightclubs Association, which represents 55 nightclub operators and has been actively working at making these safe spaces, took the stand that if any operators were involved, they “did not deserve to continue to hold their liquor licence.”
ACTS ANNOUNCED FOR ‘MEET ME IN THE CROSS’
Keep Sydney Open’s Meet Me In The Cross festival to spotlight the vibrancy of Sydney’s Kings Cross precinct on Saturday July 1 has had the support of 30 DJs and bands.
They include DJs sets from Hermitude, Thundamentals and Nina Las Vegas and live action from Dappled Cities, Mezko and World Champion.
“We’re absolutely pumped about the talent coming out to support Kings Cross and Keep Sydney Open,” said KSO’s Campaign Director Tyson Koh.
“Aside from the big names there are a bunch of talented and hungry bands and DJs who are depending on the strength of this city’s cultural climate to take them to the next level.
“Yes, our government has taken a wrecking ball to Sydney’s vibrancy, but we cannot wait for them to come to Jesus. We need to make the city we want to live in and make it now.”
For Meet Me In The Cross, KSO partnered with Eastside Sydney, a local collective supporting creative and economic pursuits in Sydney’s inner east.
The venues taking part in the one-night extravaganza are Kings Cross Hotel, The World Bar, Candys Apartment, Potts Point Hotel (formerly Kit & Kaboodle), Crane Bar, Jangling Jack’s and Sweethearts Rooftop, with The Old Growler the latest addition.
ADELAIDE MUSO TO BE DEPORTED
David Han Wern Lee of Adelaide band The Craic might be deported back to Malaysia as early as today after a three-year battle to be granted permanent residence.
Ten thousand signatures are on a petition arguing that the 34-year-old blind musician has lived in Adelaide for ten years (he arrived in Adelaide to study music) and done a lot of fundraising for Australian Disability Sport.
He’s been on a bridging visa for three months, which expires today, while he appealed the Government’s decision on his residency status.
IHEARTRADIO LIVE WITH NOAH CYRUS
iHeartRadio Australia’s next event in its2017 iHeartRadio LIVE series features Noah Cyrus, on Thursday, June 29. It’s Cyrus’ first visit to Australia and allows fans to hear songs from her NC-17 album set for release later this year.
New single I’m Stuck follows her chart-topping ARIA Gold-certified debut Make Me (Cry), featuring Labrinth, which has surpassed 250 million global audio and video streams and remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for months.
MORE VOLUME FOR LITTLE BIGSOUND
Up and coming acts Airling and The Kite String Tangle are the latest additions to Little BIGSOUND on Saturday July 29.
It is presented by QMusic and Brisbane City Council to provide 15–25-year-olds with basic skills on entering the music industry.
These will be provided by four artists and producers, eight artist managers and A&R execs, eight venue and festival bookers and eight publicists. See www.littlebigsound.org.au for the full list of presenters and topics.
In a first for Little BIGSOUND, attendees can use SLQ’s state of the art facilities.
EON GOES INTO VOLUNTARY ADMINISTRATION
The Glenn Wheatley-co-founded digital 24-hour EON Sports Radio has gone into voluntary administration 12 months after it switched on.
Barry Wight and Daniel Juratowitch of restructuring advisory firm Cor Cordis are appointed to see if anyone wants to put money into it or buy its assets.
Wheatley resigned as Director last October and John Wall followed this March.
“Certain funding commitments from the previous owners had recently ceased,” said Wight.
Recently it stopped all Australian content as it couldn’t pay for presenters, one said on-air. The first meeting of creditors is slated for June 23 in Melbourne.
RECLINK CUP GOES CARBON NEUTRAL
This Sunday’s 24th Melbourne Reclink Community Cup charity football game at Victoria Park has become carbon neutral thanks to a team-up with 100% renewable generator and green power company Powershop.
Powershop spokesperson Paul Loftus said, “We’re stoked to support Reclink Australia and make this year’s Reclink Community Cup, Australia’s first carbon neutral grassroots community event.
“We will do this by purchasing Certified Emission Reduction certificates from sustainability projects equivalent to the estimated carbon emissions associated with the event.
As Australia’s first and only 100% certified carbon neutral electricity retailer we’re committed to reducing ours and our customers’ carbon footprint and offsetting the Reclink Community Cup just makes sense.”
Another new team-up for the Cup is Uber, which will give first-time riders in the crowd a free ride to their destination up to $20. Of every first trip taken, $10 will be donated to Reclink.
Crowd members have to download the Uber app and create an account enter the promo code RECLINK and request when they need a car.
DATES SET FOR 2018 RADIO CONFERENCE
The Southern Community Media Association revealed that its 2018 National Regional Rural and Sub Metro Broadcasters Conference will be held Friday April 20 to Sunday 22 at the Wagga Wagga RSL Club.
Nomination dates for the X Awards, to be held as part of the conference to highlight excellence in the community stations, will be announced shortly.
MUSIC CHANNELS IN ASTRA AWARDS NOMS
A number of music channels were included in the list of the 40 nominations for the July 27 ASTRA subscription TV industry awards in Sydney.
MTV Australia’s MTV Fit Sessions and [V] Hits ’[V] Hits Island Parties presented by Little Green Cider are both up for Most Outstanding Advertising Campaign.
The Most Outstanding Campaign under $50k category includes MAX’s 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time.
MTV Beats & Eats is one of the four finalists in Most Outstanding PR Campaign while the channel’s Are Millenials F*cked? Is up for Most Outstanding Social Media Campaign.
ABS REPORTS ON FILM, TV, GAMING
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)’s 7th Film, Television and Digital Games Survey found that overall income rose from $11.9 billion in 2011/12) to $12.1 billion in 2015/16.
Part of the rise is that SVODs (subscription video on demand) were covered for the first time.
Income of subscription broadcasters eclipsed that of free to air broadcasters but their operating profit margins were similar: 9.2% to 10%.
Employment across the sector is up 5%, but that of digital game developers was up 26% since 2011/12.
SPOTIFY TOPS MILLENNIALS’ TICK FOR GOOD OF PLANET
The new World Value Index found that US millennials rate Spotify as the brand they regard as doing good for the planet, rather than existing just to make money.
Enso brand consultancy spoke to 3000 Americans, giving them a choice of 150 brands. They were asked to rate what they knew of the brand’s mission beyond making money, if they would support that mission, and if the brand’s purpose motivated them to buy products and services from them.
After Spotify were listed Snapchat, crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, pad and tampon brand Always, online marketplace Etsy, Twitter, Starbucks, Uber and fitness tech company Fitbit.
ANIMAL ACTIVISTS AT DARK MOFO BLOOD SHOW
Police and Dark Mofo organisers were expecting violent protests from animal rights activists over Hermann Nitsch’s 150.Action performance ritual which included a dead bull, 500 litres of blood and religious imagery.
Full security and ID checks were initiated. Up to 2400 people registered for the show, which had a capacity of 1000.
But the protest was peaceful, with 60 activists there to “represent the bull” holding placards and flashing mirrors at attendees, estimated to be between 700 and 1000. Many people had bought tickets in protest, without intending to show up.
The three-hour show itself drew a mixed response, from “fascinating” to “boring”. Some left after 30 minutes saying the set-up of the room meant they couldn’t see properly.
Protesters then made their presence felt at the popular Winter Feast later in the day, to reiterate their stance on the morality of killing animals for food.
FUNDING FOR LIVE DARWIN ARTS
Live Darwin Arts supports music, arts and cultural initiatives to stage in the Darwin CBD between July 2017 and June 2018 through two funding rounds. Grants of up to $50,000 is available. Go to www.nt.gov.au/livedarwinfor more info.
VALE CRAIG CARTER
Craig Carter was an accomplished sound editor and designer who worked on movies as Romeo + Juliet, Snow Falling on Cedars, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Cloudstreet Malcolm, Kenny, The Slap and Barracuda.
Film Victoria bid farewell to Carter, saying: “The high standard of Craig’s work was recognised through the many awards and nominations he received, while his professionalism and good humour will be remembered by those in the industry who were fortunate enough to work with him.”
Craig Carter died in Melbourne of a heart attack, aged 60, earlier this month.
MORE NAMES FOR MELBOURNE GUITAR SHOW
Guitarist standouts Geoff Achison (with Matty T Wall), Fiona Boyes and Phil Manning have been added to the lineup of the Melbourne Guitar Show on August 5 & 6 at Caulfield Racecourse.
They join already announced names as the UK’s Steve Hackett (the original Genesis guitarist is playing his only trio performance during his tour) and Alex Hutchings, Canada’s Nick Johnston, Lloyd Spiegel, Bob Spencer, Nick Charles, Shannon Bourne, Matthew Fagan (Gypsy Fire) and James Ryan. More names are to be announced.
EVENTS ACT’S FESTIVALS SPONSORSHIP WORKSHOP
Events ACT is presenting what is anticipated to be the first in a series of free development workshops for the Canberra region’s festivals and events sector.
Industry identity Kim Skildum-Reid will cover sponsorship, its working, its importance, trends and creating a hit list.
It’s held at Exhibition Park in Canberra, and you can catch it on Monday June 26 between 1:30 pm – 5:00 pm or on Tuesday June 27 between
It’s held on Monday June 26 at Canberra’s Exhibition Park, at 9:00 am – 12:30 pm.
NEW CREATIVE INCUBATOR THE STUDIO FOR SYDNEY
A new media tech incubator The Studiois set for Sydney with a $500,000 co-investment from the Australian Government as part of the Incubator Support Initiative.
The Studio CEO Chantal Abouchar, a cinematographer and director, said the incubator will “foster and support new media and creative technology startups through its incubator, accelerator programs, networks and mentoring, workshops and masterclasses, links to private equity and capital, and access to studio facilities and other technology.”
The intersection between media, entertainment, music, games industries and technology is booming
According to the Greater Sydney Commission, it is projected that high-growth technology companies could contribute 4% of the Australian Gross Domestic Product ($109 billion) and add 540,000 jobs to the Australian economy by 2033.
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…
If two tweets this week from Frontier Touring are being read correctly, Paul McCartney’s late spring tour will be announced tomorrow. One is a photo of a left-handed guitarist with emblems of Australian and New Zealand on his guitar; the second flashes the date June 21.
Tickets for six out of seven Lorde shows in New Zealand sold out within ten minutes when they went on sale yesterday.
Sony Music Australia is about to announce a millennial-aimed local talent discovery initiative set to start in August.
In an interview this week with Billboard about his coming out in the early 2000s, former Savage Garden co-founder Darren Hayes recalled that executives from his US label Columbia made him reshoot the video for his first solo single Insatiable because he was dancing in it and label executives “freaked out because they felt I looked obviously gay in it” and also made him straighten his curly hair. And, oh, given the push to get Savage Garden to reunite for an Australia festival, Hayes puts the chances as “zero”.
The special audio / visual electronic setup that Kimbra’s been trying out overseas (including Moscow where she learned a bit of Russian) will be first seen in Australia in Melbourne at the Supersense Festival of the Ecstatic at the Arts Centre on August 19. It will include previews of brand new material created in New York where she’s been living of late (and collaborating with Questlove, Bilal and David Byrne) and re-imaginations of older songs.
Husky had to reschedule their Australian tour after leader Husky Gawenda came down with glandular fever. He’s been confined to bed for a few more weeks but tells fans,” I’ve got my guitar, a pile of books and a plethora of herbs to beat this thing and to help pass the time.”
Delta Goodrem has given the thumbs up to actress Rebel Wilson who’ll be getting at least a million dollars from Bauer Media for telling porkies about her. “Faceless cowards” scowled Goodrem about the publisher. No wonder – she’s been given a similar tweak by Woman’s Day. It cited an “unnamed insider” that on The Voice set, she demands hard to get speciality food because she won’t eat red meat, is spoon-fed by an assistant in between breaks, and is apparently pissed with Nine Network because it hasn’t promoted her new fragrance.
On the eve of a national tour to begin late July with US band ’68, Adelaide band The Grenadiers had $5000 worth of gear stolen from bassist Phil Meakin’s car. It was in the gated car park of his apartment block in Glenelg South. Meakin’s particularly upset about the theft of a Fender Telecaster Custom 72 which he’s had for eight years, written many of the band’s songs on and reckons is “irreplaceable”.
After her current European tour, NSW-based singer-songwriter Gordi (Sophie Payten) heads back to Australia for five Australian shows (July 6 to 24) and then to North America for 10 stops August 5 to 17. Her debut album Reservoir hits in August.
A new studio at 2BS and B-Rock in Bathurst is dedicated in memory of its late engineer Bob Upfold. A dedication was made by local MP Paul Toole on the seventh anniversary of Upfold’s passing. He started at the company at the age of 15 and stayed there until he retired in 2001 after 50 years of service.
New Zealand radio presenter Jay-Jay Harvey has apologised for a Tom Cruise prank played on a colleague who is a long time Cruise fan. The sofa jumper is in NZ filming Mission: Impossible 6, and More FM breakfast host Simon Barnett campaigned for weeks for a chance to meet him. Harvey got an actor to get on the phone for an interview with Barnett for 15 minutes before Harvey stepped in and came clean – leading one of the show’s staffers to be heard crying.
The Veronicas revealed to the Sydney Telegraph they’re working on a vegan cookbook with their fave recipes.
David Campbell reprises the lead role of Dream Lover – The Bobby Darin Musical when it hits Melbourne’s Arts Centre from December 29. He had the role when it ran at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre. Hannah Fredericksen again takes on actress Sandra Dee, Darin’s wife. Marina Prior plays both Darin and Dee’s mothers.
Top image:via AdRants