Industrial Strength: Optus closing Zoo site; New cultural fund; Furore over killer on X Factor NZ; New live venue for Sydney; Radio conference heading to Wagga

Optus closing Zoo site, app

Four months after Telstra closed its BigPond Music service, Optus is shuttering its Zoo site, mobile site and Optus Now app, its Online Community Manager posted.

These go dark at midday on March 27.  “We're currently working on a new content store for purchases and downloads for music, games, apps and Ebooks” on the same day, the telco said.

Meanwhile, customers can continue to access content downloaded on their device after Optus Zoo closes. Those wanting to re-download deleted content or download to new devices can do it for free but before the deadline.

New cultural fund for increased donations, funding

Creative Partnerships Australia (CPA) has relaunched the Australian Cultural Fund (ACF) on a new online platform (creativepartnershipsaustralia.org.au.) It plans to make it easier for arts/music lovers to donate. A staggering $12 million was raised for around 2,000 ACF projects in the past 11 years including Kate Miller-Heidke, Katie Noonan and Liquid Architecture.

ACF-registered talents can also apply to be part of CPA’s MATCH program where they receive dollar for dollar matched funding of up to $10,000 per project from the private sector.

Minister for the Arts, George Brandis, said, “By facilitating donations, the Australian Cultural Fund will help artists and arts organisations to produce high-quality, original work in a wide range of artforms. It will also help Australian artists to develop their fundraising skills.”

Furore over killer on X Factor NZ

Some heated “please explain” exchanges went between Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment in London (which created the global X Factor format) and the show’s New Zealand producer MediaWorks. It was to do with how 29-year-old convicted killer Shae Brider featured on the show. In 2004, he was sentenced to eight years’ jail for his role, alongside three others, in the death of a 16-year-old boy.

X Factor NZ screened Brider’s audition with a back-story where he spun a different version of how the 16-year-old met his end. The boy’s family, which were not expecting to see the man on the show, were understandably furious.

Two Bright Lakes dries up

After eight years Melbourne label Two Bright Lakes announced it will no longer be releasing new music.

“We will continue to support all current releases and back catalogue digitally and physically where available via Remote Control and Inertia,” went the statement.

It released acts as Banoffee, Oscar Key Sung, Collarbones, The Harpoons, Kid Sam and Nick Huggins. The label’s spirit carries on in new venture Little Lake Records, the first release being Decaying Bell from one of Two Bright Lakes' founders, Nick Huggins.

Two Bright Lakes says farewell with a show on April 10 at Schoolhouse Studios featuring past and present acts.

New Aboriginal record label Therrka steps on the grassroots

Northern Territory’s CAAMA Music is this week launching a new subsidiary label to provide support for grass-roots recordings by Aboriginal bands living in remote locations. The new imprint, called Therrka (grass’ in the Arrernte language) will get the tracks out to the public within a month of recording.

“There are so many amazing bands here in Central Australia that deserve to be heard, so we want to make their music accessible to fans as soon as possible, as well as pricing them to suit the current market demand” said Micheal ‘Miko’ Smith, Manager of CAAMA Music.

Therrka launches with two albums. Desert reggae outfit Desert Mulga’s debut Tangapa Yanu bows with a concert at the Memo Club in Alice Springs on March 12, broadcast live across the CAAMA Radio network from 1-3pm. Running Water launch their album on March 13 with a concert 530km west of Alice Springs, in the remote community of Kintore. Other releases on the new label are coming from Eastern Reggae, North Tanami Band, Black Shadows, Utju Band and Imanpa Band – featuring the languages of Pitjantjatjara, Luritja, Eastern Arrernte and Warlpiri.

New live music venue for Sydney

The City of Sydney announced a new music venue as part of its Live Music and Performance Action Plan to rejuvenate the live music scene. The historic Glebe Town Hall will hold nine monthly concerts this year. These start on March 22 (with The Hinterlandt Ensemble) and wraps up in November. More community spaces and other city buildings will open up to contemporary music for rehearsals and performances.

Brisbane, Adelaide, venues widen their reach

After three years of delivering heavy music in Brisbane, the Fortitude Valley-based Crowbar has set up an upstairs bar called Crowbar Black. It has large booth seating, wide cocktail selection and vinyl-nights with metal tracks for those moments in between the frantic headbanging downstairs. "We're staying true to our roots, paying homage to a tonne of great bands we've had shred Crowbar over the last three years,” the club said.

Adelaide venue Jive plans to expand trade by operating an in-store bar and vinyl record store during the day. Owner Tam Boakes told the Adelaide Advertiser, “I was looking for something else to add to be open more because I hate that it’s such a big venue and we can only open when we have enough punters to justify it.”

More venue updates

* Another Perth venue has drawn the curtains. The Causeway in Victoria Park, wound up after four years after the building changed ownership.

* Melbourne’s 250-capacity Cellar Bar in St Kilda is introducing regular live music.

* The parent company of Canberra live music showcase, O'Neill's Irish Pub in Dickson, has gone into liquidation. The Supreme Court of Queensland ordered on February 20 that RB Hospitality Holdings Pty Ltd be wound up following an application by Australian Liquor Marketers over an alleged debt of $3700. The venue continues to trade to pay back creditors.

* Pitted is a new monthly heavy music night at Captains @ Mariners, in Batemans Bay, aimed at the NSW Coast surfing and music communities. The first is held on Saturday April 25 with Segression taking to the stage.

* While the long term future of the 45,000 Subiaco Oval stadium is in doubt with the $1.2 billion stadium being built in Burswood and set to open by 2018, there is a heritage push to have its playing surface registered with the State Heritage Office to protect it from developers in the future.

Regional/rural radio conference heading to Wagga Wagga …

The Southern Cross Media Association will hold the 10th National Regional Rural and Sub Metro Broadcasters Conference at the Wagga RSL in Wagga Wagga between Friday June 12 and Sunday June 14. This year’s theme is to re-establish fellowship and expand networking between the stations who already share information. Planned topics include book keeping, surveys, sales and marketing and promoting through social media.

…and opens entries for the X Awards

Entries for the conference’s X Awards opened this week and close end of May. They are at the Wagga RSL on Saturday June 13. Categories cover best sports program, outside broadcast, interview, music program, non-music program and news. The in-house production awards focus on a sponsorship announcement, sweeper or station ID, a CSA and a show promotion.

Global recognition for Morgan Evans

Australian country music performer and Country Music Channel (CMC) host Morgan Evans got this year’s American Country Music Association (CMA) Global Country Artist award. It is given to those who increase the profile of country music in their countries outside the US. Evans won three CMC awards last year, is CMC’s ambassador, toured with Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift, released a self-titled album which yielded a #1 single, and co-hosted this year’s Golden Guitars awards in Tamworth.

Music got helping hand in WA Government grants

Contemporary music received a helping hand in the WA Department of Culture and the Arts 2014 grants, the Dept. announced this week. The grants also covered dance, theatre, writing, visual arts and craft and multi-arts.

Jazz saxophonist Jamie Oehlers received a $60,000 Creative Development Fellowship to study and develop skills, and make a record in New York with Australian jazz pianist Paul Grabowsky and American drummer Eric Harland and bassist Reuben Roge.

Perth radio RTR FM’s Arts Radio Ltd got $23,640 to produce 12 in-studio video performances of local bands for promoting themselves. Leederville Connect used its $7,720 to run a music stage during the Leederville Carnival.

Receiving funding for albums and/or Australian and international tours, were Daniel Cribb ($7,755), Brazilian born vocalist and songwriter Juliana Areias ($10,000), Ayasha Amani Butcher ($12,970), Pat Chow ($8,779), Amber Flynn ($11,480), Simone and Girfunkel ($9,994), Ruby Boots ($15,231), The Love Junkies ($14,616), Kucka ($13,789), Voyager ($16,556), The Dianas ($9,345), Shameem Taheri-Lee ($10,894), Tara Tiba ($16,003),The Decline ($15,995) and Hailmary ($17, 982).

Nightclub owner loses appeal

Subiaco nightclub owner Adam Tony Forsyth lost his appeal against a two-year jail sentence for lying to the Australian Crime Commission. In 2011 he denied any knowledge of money being paid to one time Club Red Sea owner Jon Sainken by Winter Holdings (controlled by Forsyth’s wife) after he sold his share of the club for $950,000. His lawyer had claimed Forsyth had been “brain injured and in a state of delirium” when he told the ACC the money had been a loan from former champion boxer Jeff Fenech.

Vale

One time Dubbo radio 2DU presenter Pat “PJ” Saunders passed at 84. A memorial service was held yesterday at Narromine Aero Club.

New Zealand one of 24 for [PIAS] streaming revenues

Belgian-based record label group [PIAS] Recordings cited New Zealand as one of 24 territories where its streaming service is greater than downloads in the last two years. [PIAS] Commercial Operations Manager James Howdle revealed that the other countries were France, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan and Malaysia. Streaming overtook download income in 11 markets in 2013, and 13 more in 2014.

And a couple more things….

Last year WA’s Fringe World Festival CEO Marcus Rothwell Beker Canning lost his driver’s licence for six months for speeding. Last week he pleaded guilty in the Perth Magistrates’ Court for swearing at cops when he was stopped in Northbridge on his pushbike for not wearing a helmet and not having lights. He copped a $300 fine for his effort.

A move by Australian music streaming service Guvera into India was a huge success. CEO and co-founder Darren Herft told BRW. 2 ½ million signed up in India in a few months, bringing the service’s global number to 5.5 million.

40 tech companies are being investigated by the Australian Tax Office.

Just before One Direction took to the stage at Subiaco Oval, security found a man hiding under the stage. He claimed he was with the pyrotechnics crew but got turfed out when he couldn’t produce any ID.

Blur’s next album will have a song called There are Too Many of Us about the siege at Sydney’s Lindt Cafe in Martin Place. It was written by Damon Albarn, whose solo gig that night at the Opera House was cancelled as a result.

Courtney Barnett’s new album has a track called Depreston, which is about the Melbourne suburb of Preston.

2CC Canberra raised $52,120 in a day-long radiothon for the city’s Ronald McDonald House, which housed 500 families with sick kids over two years.

San Cisco bassist Nick Gardner who’s been languishing in hospital since accidentally shooting himself in the foot while on a friend’s farm in WA, is expected to rejoin the band from March 28 when they play Europe.

Easybeats guitarist, songwriter and producer Harry Vanda sold his house in Rose Bay in Sydney for $15 million. He bought it in 1983 for $667,500.

The Adelaide Festival will introduce Pay What You Can tickets for low income earners, including pensioners and the unemployed, for selected shows.

As part of the Greens’ arts and music policy – including more funding, quicker grants and implementing recommendations by the Wollongong Live Music Task Force – Wollongong candidate Mitchell Bresser held a one-day music and arts festival on the weekend called Live On The Green with local acts.

A 38-year old man was arrested at WOMADelaide for allegedly trying to steal a backpack from another attendee. He was banned from the rest of the event.

At the finale of the Perth International Arts Festival, Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi unexpectedly bestowed honorary citizenship on outgoing (UK) Artistic Director Jonathan Holloway as a thank you for his great work. Holloway, who starts next month as Melbourne Festival Artistic Director, is replaced by Wendy Martin.