Industrial Strength: Musical Chairs – Sept 13, 2013

123 Agency unveils team

Booking agent Damon Costin unveiled the team of 123 Agency. Based initially in Melbourne, Costin tells us that the plan is to expand to other cities. Costin, the one time drummer with Motor Ace is the major agent and director. His co-director is one time Wall Street investor Chris Robinson (whose Melbourne-based label Wah Wah Music had huge success with Killing Heidi), general manager Michael Wassertheil (also a football department assistant with the Sydney Swans), agent Regan Lethbridge who is a member and manager of Bonjah, and digital marketing coordinator Madeleine O’Gorman. 123 Agency represents 26 acts including Stonefield, Calling All Cars, Ngaiire, Michael Paynter, Bonjah, Cabins, Cairo Knife Fight and Ella Hooper.

Sam Oliver exits Cherry Red Music 

Queensland event and tour management company Cherry Red Music has farewelled booker Sam Oliver after five years. Cherry Red Music founder B-J Hemmling told us, “He’s going to be hard to replace, he was too good at his job.” Oliver was apparently made an an offer for “a too-good-to-refuse senior position outside industry”. Aside from booking The Vernons, My Fiction and The Strums and touring acts as Paul Kelly and Archie Roach, Cherry Red also produced festivals as Stylin’ Up and Zillmere.

Dave Hughes, Kate Langbroek quit Nova 100 Melbourne 

High-rating Nova 100 Melbourne’s breakfast team Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek announced on air this week that 2013 will be their last together after 12 years together. Langbroek said the two had been discussing it for some time. “We have loved it and still love it … but let’s face it, we’ve had big lives, we’re tired – not of each other, actually.” The last show is on November 29. The duo were the first voices to be heard when Nova 100 launched.

Andrew Daw to oversee Universal’s worldwide strategic marketing

Andrew Daw becomes senior vice president of Universal Strategic Marketing (USM) at Universal Music Group International in London. He will manage all of Universal Music’s global non-classical catalogue and audiovisual releases as well as catalogue licensing on a worldwide basis. This includes all global releases from EMI and Virgin’s catalogues which became part of Universal Music last year and includes The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys. Daw continues to report to Andrew Kronfeld, president of global marketing.

The Butterfly Effect appoint manager, agent 

Brisbane rock band The Butterfly Effect appointed a new manager in Tom Larkin from Homesurgery (Calling All Cars, Strangers, Cairo Knife Fight) and a new agent in Wildfire Agency’s Mark Lackey. The band’s gone under the radar after its parting of ways with singer Clint Boge, and still has not announced a replacement although it’s announced a brief national run between October 10 to 19. Last month, The Butterfly Effect’s documentary of their first 12 years, Effected, went to #1 on the ARIA Music DVD charts.

New names for American Idol judging table 

American Idol announced that Jennifer Lopez and Harry Connick, Jr. will join Keith Urban at the judge’s table for season 13. Urban stays on from the last season. Lopez appeared on two seasons before bowing out last year to work on records and touring. Connick, Jr. served as a mentor and said, “I am honored that they’ve asked me to be a judge this season.”

Venue management changes 

Step-Panther drummer Daniel Radburn is the new owner of Wollongong’s Yours And Owls, changing its name to Rad. The previous owners continue as bookers and in promotions and told their patrons that the new team were “dope” and urged them to support them. “If they didn’t stick they’re hand up, you’d be stuck with another crappy bar playing bad dance music to plebs…”

Ballarat nightclub JD’s has been sold, after co-owner Jason Yean admitted he lost the vibe and wanted to spend more time with his family. The new owners will revamp the place while keeping the name.

Kim Dotcom steps down from Mega, launches Baboom 

Digital entrepreneur and maverick Kim Dotcom stepped down as director of the new ’Mega’ cloud hosting service he launched in January, and is replaced by Hong Kong-based Bonnie Lam. He wants to concentrate on his legal extradition hassles and wants to start a new political party in New Zealand to contest at the next elections end of 2014. His new music service Baboom (the new name for Megabox) which will give the public access to free music while paying artists from ad revenue. Baboom is also expected to have a subscription service for music fans who want their music to be ad-free. Mega replaced Megaupload which was closed down in 2012 by US authorities who alleged it had committed mass copyright infringement and money laundering of more than US$500 million. While based in New Zealand, Kim Dotcom came up with Mega, which claimed 1 million subscribers within days of its launch.

Spotify names Jorge Espinel head of Global Business Development 

Jorge Espinel, who spent four years working on News Corp.’s digital strategy, is the new head of global business development for Spotify. His predecessor Gerrit Meier quit last October. Colombian-born Espinel is in charge of expanding its subscriber count in the US (currently 1.5 million) and Europe and break into Latin America and Asia.