Industrial Strength: Sia on Australian TV; AC/DC’s Phil Rudd pleads guilty; Live biz loses four more venues; NZ ISPs dismiss legal threats

Sia on Australian TV: “fame is ugly”

Back on a low-key visit to Australia Sia this morning did her first Australian TV appearance in five years on Seven’s Sunrise doing two songs. For Chandelier she sported a Romance Was Born-designed technicolour get-up whose purple headpiece tassels covered her face, while for Big Girls Cry, for which she switched to a Josh Goot and Carla Zampatti all-black jeans and jacket affair, the same effect was maintained with the inevitable platinum wig.

Asked on the show about why she covered her face, she called fame, “Ugly, it makes me feel hunted. You feel like prey and they’re the predator and you’re being hunted …” Talking about being disturbed by the paparazzi on her trip back, she asked, “Would you like to spend your life feeling like prey? Probably not.” In Adelaide, she was snapped lunching vegetarian at Central Market and happily posing for snaps with the owner of a fruit and vegetable stand while buying figs.

AC/DC's Phil Rudd pleads guilty

Also making a fashion statement this morning, but somewhat differently, was AC/DC’s Phil Rudd, who was in a nifty black suit and red tie with beard trimmed when he faced Tauranga District Court in New Zealand. On a previous court appearance he was barefoot, unshaven and in a T-shirt. Rudd changed his plea to guilty to threatening to kill and possessing methamphetamine and marijuana. The hill threat charge could see him seeing striped sunlight for seven years but his lawyer Craig Tuck is trying to get around it by requesting for a discharge without conviction, which is allowable in NZ law Rudd returns on June 26 for sentencing.

Live biz loses four more venues

Four venues which supported live music have gone dark. In Sydney, the Bourbon in Kings Cross was sold to a developer for a reported $25 million. C.inc’s Christopher Cheung got out after the lockouts affected business.

Adelaide’s The Stag went into administration last month (blaming competition from “pop ups”) and a buyer was found. But the landlord refused to extend the lease claiming he’s owed over $20,000 in rent, and the club closed its doors.

Also in Adelaide, the tax office applied to wind up 2 North Terrace Pty Ltd, which runs the Royal in Kent Town. This follows the closures of The Dog and Duck and the Colonel Light, while the Duke of York is in receivership. The Stag revealed on Facebook that another venue close by would also shutter.

In Townsville, owners of the iconic Commonwealth Hotel decided to sell up after a decade for lifestyle reasons.

Meantime, the Wallacia Hotel in Sydney is up for sale, although it’s not known if the new owner will turn off its live music.

Antony and the Johnsons sell out

When Tasmania’s Dark Mofo winter festival organisers in Hobart booked Antony and the Johnsons exclusively for Australia, they expected a huge demand and scheduled two shows. But to their astonishment, all pre-sale tickets disappeared in three hours.These pre-sales represented 70% of all tix for the band. Dark Mofo Creative Director Leigh Carmichael said, “We haven’t experienced a ticketing rush like this before,” adding he was pleased that 55% of the sales were by Tasmanians. Taswegians are the bane of promoters as they tend to wait until the last minute before shelling out.

Music NT starts donation drive

Northern Territory’s peak music association Music NT has begun a donation drive on its website to raise $50,000. It has been accepted in the latest round of Creative Partnerships Australia's Plus1 program. Every dollar raised by Music NT in donations by May 28 will be matched by Creative Partnerships.

Other music events which also in Match campaigns are Melbourne roots and indie festival Love Street so it can keep ticket prices down to $30, and the Northern NSW music, art and nature Tyalgum Music Festival which this year expands to more pop up concerts in local shop fronts, late night music, more events and a mini-festival within for chamber music groups.

Music biz friends keep pledge to late Ash Hansen

A number of music industry executives spearheaded by Millie Millgate of Sounds Australia and Mel Lake of Bird Music are keeping a personal pledge to the late Ash Hansen. The former frontman of Sydney’s Rumanastone died of virulent melanoma last October, aged 39, five weeks after diagnosis. At the time he was working on a record Transmission under the moniker Like Wires with producer Tim Whitten which was partially mixed. Tomorrow (April 22), a PledgeMusic campaign is launched to manufacture and ship the record. Pries include a digital download of the record, past releases, merch, handwritten lyrics and his collection of guitars, pedals and amps.

Any monies left over go to Support Act Ltd at the request of Hansen’s mum, Karin Lines. Millgate and Lake are keen to highlight during the campaign the essential work that Support Act does, and its importance to Hansen’s family.

Venues update: fines, delayed re-openings, building issues

* The Down Under Night Club in Port Macquarie, NSW, was fined $4000 plus 2750 in costs after serving two patrons who were drunk. Last August, liquor licensing officials spotted two drunks, one sliding down a pillar and the other putting another punter in a headlock. Licensee Maxim Gunsberger, 64, didn’t attend court: his lawyer explained he was a "reasonably nocturnal fellow”.

* The opening of Subiaco Hotel’s roof deck music stage is delayed until August. Due to what owners call “an inadvertent mistake” in the paperwork, the deck wasn’t approved. It being rectified but no live music until then.

* Melbourne’s Old Bar holds an exhibition and sale of 40 years of music posters from Tuesday April 28 to Saturday May 9. Opening night features live sets from Swamplands, Fingerbone Bill and Damon Smith.

* Two years after losing its Peel Street venue and gallery space, Adelaide’s Formal Collective found a new home for its experimental and art projects at 60 Hindley Street. Made up of artists, writers, musicians and party technicians with a recording studio, media shop and, soon, a record label, the seven year old not for profit collective also runs the annual Format Festival.

* Empire Club of Melbourne outer suburb Narre Warren will showcase bands on a regular basis in its 850-capacity room. Empire Live starts Sunday May 3.

* The seven Townsville venues in the Townsville Liquor Accord wrote to the Queensland Government protesting plans for a 3 am close and 1 am lockout. They said it made no sense, is not backed by evidence, won’t stop alcohol-fuelled violence, and will hit tourism, business and employment. In fact they proposed that al clubs should be allowed to open until 4 am with no lock-out.

* Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre opened last Friday unveiling a 953-seat auditorium, with a 14.5-metre proscenium arch stage, orchestra pit and fly tower. Its first performance, from May 22, is a Ned Kelly musical – apt, since the theatre is built on the site of the old Sandhurst Gaol which operated from 1963 to 2004. Bendigo Tourism wants to develop it as an off-Broadway type place where stage productions have a try-out before heading to Melbourne.

* A club staffer was bound, gagged and assaulted during a robbery at the live music showcasing Belmore Hotel in Sydney’s south-west.

* Weeks after buying the Newport Arms in Manly for a rumoured $43 million, Justin Hemmes and his Sydney-based company Merivale takes over the Queen Victoria Hotel in Enmore this week after acquiring it for a reported $11 million. Both venues showcased live music under their previous operators. Hemmes likes the inner west area because it is increasingly getting populated with young cashed-up professionals and has a thriving night scene.

* Plans to renovate the Forum Theatre may be kaput. Planning Minister at the time, Matthew Guy, approved for the Marriner Group to include a $70 million 107-metre high hotel and retail site behind the theatre on Flinders St. But Melbourne City Council took it to Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) which agreed only Council could have approved.

* Sydney’s Newtown Hotel is the home of hip hop label Big Village’s new Home Bass event, held every third Thursday from this week. Each event will showcase a live act from the label or its extended family for no entry fee.

Another arts festival for Tasmania?

Another arts festival is being planned for Tasmania. This one will be held in the remote cool climate rain forests of Tarkine. Hobart filmmaker Dan Broun, who works closely with the Bob Brown Foundation and Save the Tarkine, says a festival would help more positive vibes about the wilderness.

New Zealand ISPs stand firm against Global Mode legal threat

New Zealand ISPs dismissed legal threats from TV companies demanding they stop offering their subscribers backdoor access to region-blocked American and UK pay TV services via Global Mode. A host of media companies including Sky TV, Television New Zealand, MediaWorks and Spark Lightbox gave the ISPs a deadline of April 15, saying they have paid good money to have these programs exclusively in New Zealand.

Slingshot and Orcon will continue to offer the service, insisting it i not copyright infringement. Their owner, CallPlus, has asked for clarification of the media companies’ “vague assertions”, chief executive Mark Callander told the New Zealand Herald. But some smaller ISPs like PrimoWireless, fearful of high legal costs, have disabled the feature.

Rhythm Section offering internship

Rhythm Section is offering an internship to someone interested in publicity, marketing and promotion of music artists. It will suit someone studying or recently graduated from courses such as music business, marketing, communications or journalism. It is in Warrimoo in the Lower Blue Mountains, NSW for three months. You have to be available for two 6-hour days a week. You need a laptop but all other tools are provided. Incidental expenses are reimbursed but not to and from work. Rhythm Section developed online music business course for TAFE NSW and can work with you and your university / college to ensure you get the most out of your internship while meeting the needs of your assessors. Send your CV with a cover letter addressing the criteria listed above to Ryan Van Gennip at Ryan@rhythmsection.com.au.

Original Gympie Muster site for sale

The original home of Queensland’s Gympie Muster is for sale. In 1982 country musicians The Webb Bros (Who Put The 'Roo In The Stew) wanted to celebrate 100 years of country music with a bash at their 275ha historic Thornside property. 6,000 turned up. It became such a major attraction that in 1985 it had to move to Amamoor State Forest where it draws 60,000 a year.

Reclink Community Cup back

The Reclink Community Cup clash in Melbourne between the music industry’/s Rockdogs and the community radio Triple R / PBS’s Megahertz will is at Elsternwick Park on Sunday June 21. The event, which began in 1994, draws 10,000 and raises over $100,000 a year for Reclink’s sport and arts programs for disadvantaged Aussies.

Jakob wins sixth NZ Taite Music Prize

The 2015 winner of New Zealand’s Taite Music Prize – for more creative NZ album in the last 12 months – were Napier “post-rock” trio Jakob for Sines. The winner was announced at an invite-only event in Auckland. The prize, named after the late music journo Dylan Taite, is organized by Independent Music New Zealand with a $10,000 cash prize from the Recorded Music NZ association. Previous winners were Lorde (2014), SJD (2013), Unknown Mortal Orchestra (2012) Ladi6 (2011) and Lawrence Arabia (2010).

Two festivals cop low turn-outs

There were more problems for the Marmalade Skies festival in regional Goulburn, NSW. Last year the crowd-funded event was axed due to fire risk. This year, the Goulburn Post reported, only 250 people attended when 1000 to 1500 were expected. Even worse, of this number, 13 got busted for drugs.

After drawing up to 1,000 punters at three similar events in Moranbah, Queensland promoter Peter O'Toole discovered it didn’t translate in Rockhampton, where he took over the Cambridge Hotel last December. Only 100 turned up for the End of Summer Days Music Festival.

Creative Videos sets up offshoot Moda

Damian Blumenkranc‘s web video production company, Creative Videos set up a new offshoot Moda, a director’s collective of eight to target agencies for TV ads and branded content work. Its executive producer is Thomas Elliott.

Cast finalized for Baz Luhrmann hip-hop drama

The Get Down, the hip-hop period drama co-helmed by Baz Luhrmann for Netflix has finalized its cast. They are Shameik Moore, Paper Towns' Justice Smith, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete's Skylan Brooks and newcomer TJ Brown. They portray a rag-tag of graff artists and beat makers trying to survive in a run-down New York in the 1970s.

Vale

Lyndon Sayer-Jones, who provided legal guidance for the entertainment industry, passed away, aged 62. He authored the best book on media law for the entertainment industry in 1993. The one-time in-house lawyer for the NSW Film Corporation also served as CEO of the NSW Film And Television Office.

Melbourne club DJ and model Sharky Jama, 25, died fighting alongside ISIS forces in Syria.

Murray Peters of Radio 2ST Nowra on the NSW South Coast passed after being diagnosed with cancer six months ago. After a stint as a taxi driver in Sydney, he started in radio in Griffith and Inverell before joining 2ST.

And a few other things …

Although 5 Seconds of Summer were imposed a no-girlfriends rule to avoid distractions while finishing off their next album, no less than the Venture Capital Post revealed that drummer Ashton Irwin was spotted with young blonde Bryana Holly riding bicycles in Venice Beach and touring Disneyland, and Calum Hood is squiring Aussie 22-year old Jennifer Phipps.

Frontier Touring has Emma Louise opening for Sam Smith’s tour, which kicks off this week.

After hitting the $4,000 mark in her crowdfunding campaign for new Marty Brown-produced album Wear It Well, Melbourne singer-songwriter Emily Ulman made good her promise to #underwearitwell. She stripped down and completed a lap of The Toff In Town’s carriage bar in nothing but her undergarments – achieving a personal best time of 8.6 seconds.

A teen who turned up to a Queensland court in a Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt was called a “grub” by the judge and told to go home and change.

Music ACT is working with the Government for a one-stop agency so festival and event promoters don’t have to go through numerous departments.

Boisterous teens turning up to Clarence Valley library in Grafton (NSW) for free use of its wi-fi, has seen local council set up a sound system to blare classical music, to get rid of the pests.

The Alhambra Lounge in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley has banned Leonard Graves Phillips from The Dickies after an incident last week. When a punter grabbed a sex doll prop on the stage, he pulled her by her hair and threw some punches at her head. She accepted his apologies, on the proviso he donate some money to a women’s refuge.

Pulling out from Brisbane’s Total Attack festival, were Melbourne punk band Scab Eater who are accused of desecrating a war memorial in Wollongong en route The band insists it had nothing to do with it and blamed “a single individual”. Graffiti scrawled included the words “Scab Eater – no tears for dead soldiers.”

The End As We Know It: The last major Australian game developer 2K closed operations in Canberra with 40 staffers losing their jobs. It cited “operating costs” which put a pall on the future of the development of major video games in Australia … Four year old marketing agency 30thirty went into administration with debts of $670,000, due to cash-flow problems … Tech, entertainment and design event TEDx Canberra is scrapped due to lack of volunteers but founder Stephen Collins insists it’ll be back next year.

Gurrumul Yunupingu’s producer/ manager Michael Hohnen told NT News that he had problems getting a taxi for two of Gurrumul’s team after a funeral in Darwin. He said three cars had been sent out by the Blue Taxi company to get Jonathan Yunupingu and Djunga Djunga Yunupingu home. But each time the drivers saw them in traditional costumes, they drove off.

At the announcement of the Taite Music Prize in Auckland, Lorde gleefully recounted how a huge fight with her older sister in a Las Vegas hotel room left her with a scar down her left arm. Already stressed from being cooped up in the room, and tired and ill, the two besties took it out on each other.

After News Corp used Freedom of Information to discover that the previous Queensland government contemplated selling Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reiterated it will “stay in the people's hands” under her watch.

Sunshine Coast-based events firm Fretfest founder Al Buchan ticked off a bucket list, joining the 70-member vocal chorus The Blenders onstage at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Buchan, who registered the name Fretfesr in the US, met with the head of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians and expat Mark Moffatt, President of Nashville-based Americana Music Association.