Industrial Strength: The biggest stories in the music biz this week
TMN‘s Christie Eliezer looks at some of the week’s other music industry news.
ADVERTISING $$ UP FOR COMMERCIAL RADIO
Boisterous debates take place at inner city dinner parties as to the relevance of traditional radio these days.
But in the end., the biggest statement comes from the folks who matter the most – those wielding cheque books.
According to Deloitte, metro, agency and direct ad spend on commercial radio in the five main metro markets jumped 3.4% in 2018 to $809.4 million.
Melbourne was the strongest market with ad revenue up 7.6% to $259.8 million, followed by Brisbane 2.4% to $125.3 million, Sydney 1.4% to $248.7 million, Adelaide 1.2% to $69.5 million and Perth 1.2% at $106.1 million.
NSW FESTIVALS STEEL FOR HEATWAVE WEEKEND
Heat + drugs + alcohol is not a great combination, which is why the NSW government is using tax payers money to ensure no overdoses at festivals this weekend at Olympic Park where the mercury is expected to rise to 37ºc.
Emergency doctors will be on hand, while an education campaign has begun on social media.
Pill testing advocate David Caldicott told Seven News, “It’s a good way to deal with overdoses after they’ve occurred but they’ll have no effect on preventing overdoses.”
One of the festivals, Hardcore Til I Die, has after conferring with authorities cutting the number of tickets and length of the event.
AN OLD MAC WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN
In the wake of Fleetwood Mac announcing their dates for Australia in spring the band comes off its northern winter break and returns to the road for 31 North American shows, from January 31 to April.
Pollstar revealed that their first US leg (29 cities October 3—December 15) grossed $48 million from selling 362,614 tickets.
That’s an average gross of $1.8 million per concert.
DO YOU WANT TO CO-OWN CANBERRA’S DOLCE BAR?
Canberra’s 250-capacity R&B venue Dolce Bar iin Civic is up for sale as its owners reckon it’s “time for a change.”
It comes with a “top of the range sound and lighting equipment for DJ and live music, you’ll be blown away. “
Two local brothers, Rohan and Dallas Proctor, want the venue to stay in the community and are have a plan for a co-op where 200 people can own it for $300 each.
Once the funds are confirmed, The Dance Co-op will be incorporated.
RAINBOW SERPRENT: FIRST THE FIRE, THEN THE TRUCK
First someone lit a fire outside the Lexton, Victoria, site of the Rainbow Serpent festival as organisers were preparing for its opening today.
Yesterday a truck thundering along on the road outside crashed through the site, crashing into patrons – sending a 30 year man, a 20-year old woman and 30-year old woman to hospital, leading to police and Worksafe folks turning up.
JOSHUA REDBEARD LAUNCHES PODCAST
Joshua Redbeard, host of triple j’s Wednesday night punk & hardcore show short.fast.loud and Greyscale Records founder has launched a new podcast podcast, My Mixtape With Joshua Redbeard.
Every fortnight, he’ll shoot the breeze with guests from across the creative spectrum (musicians, actors, comedians, artists, writers, personalities) to create a Mixtape of their lives, songs that shaped the people they are today.
The first episode of My Mixtape features Illy’s drummer Ben Ellingworth whose taste runs the gamut of everything from Bjork to Napalm Death to DJ Shadow to Death Grips.
TRAVIS COLLINS INDUCTED INTO GALAXY OF STARS
As part of the Tamworth country music, Travis Collins was inducted into the Galaxy of Stars – set up to formally recognise the achievements of outstanding country music stars
He began busking at the festival as a 11-year old, and went on to win six Golden Guitars (and up for four gongs at tomorrow’s event) and back-to-back CMC Male Artist of the Year.
A REPRIEVE FOR NIGHTQUARTER?
Popular Gold Coast live music and foodie venue NightQuarter shocked patrons when its owners announced they were closing on February 1 as the landlord hiked the rent to such an extent it was no longer viable to continue.
However, assistant tourism industry development minister Meaghan Scanlon is looking at the possibility of securing a new site while a Change.org campaign drew 16,000 signatures in four days, well exceeding its original 10,000 target.
AIR GUITARIST AT TROPFEST
Among the 16 finalists for Tropfest (Feb 9, Parramatta Park, Sydney) is the true tale of Alex Roberts – an air guitar world champion by night, and Perth high school drama teacher by day.
MUSHROOM BRINGS BACK SHOWCASE SERIES
Mushroom is bringing back the next leg of its showcase series, Mushroom After Hours.
It takes place at Colonial Brewing Co.’s brewery in Port Melbourne on Wednesday Feb 13 –featuring Grammy-nominated trio, Mansionair and electronic newcomer, musician-producer, upsidedownhead.
NSW LABOR PLEDGES ON MUSIC VENUES
NSW Labor has pledged $1.2 million to assist live music venues if it comes to power this year.
At a launch at Oxford Arts Factory in Sydney, NSW Opposition Leader Michael Daley outlined initiatives as help with soundproofing, and amend the Liquor Act to create a new class of licence for venues dedicated to live music to cut down on complaints.
The process for obtaining planning and liquor approvals will be streamlined, with a one-stop move for venues and residents to sort out issues.
Other promises included doubling arts funding to regional NSW to $200 million, keep Powerhouse Museum in Ultimo and work with Sydney’s West communities to build a new
$500 million cultural institution in Sydney’s West
QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC’S WAR ON WASTE
Queenscliff Music Festival I Victoria reported it diverted 90.07% of waste from landfill during the 2018 event.
Out of 20,000 attendees over three days (Nov 23—25), QMF sent just 32 wheelie bins of waste to landfill.
QMF have also recycled all plastics into picnic tables and benches that will be used at future events.
42% organics – this will all be turned into compost
7% glass – turned into new bottles
13% cardboard – turned into new boxes and packaging
23% aluminium cans – turned into new cans
5% co-mingled recyclables
Re-usable and fully compostable coffee cups (including lids) removed over 2,500 single-use plastic coated cups from landfill
To keep the momentum going, QMF is also presenting at an environmental/sustainability conference in May as a case study on how events can be sustainable, with ABC TV’s War on Waste crusader Craig Reucassel as the keynote speaker.
ROC NATION SUES INSURER
Roc Nation is suing insurer HCCI International Company for lagging along when it come to paying out a $12.5 million “key man” policy it took out on Maroon 5 manager Jordan Feldstein’s Career Artist Management when it bought over.
Feldstein died in 2017 of cardiac arrest but the court case contends that the insurer has “unreasonably delayed, stalled and engaged in coverage gamesmanship,” ultimately denying a claim based on interpretations of a “shoddily drafted” policy containing “multiple ambiguities.”
BRAVADO BUYS EPIC RIGHTS
Universal Music Group’s merchandising and brand management division Bravado has acquired its rival Epic Rights.
Los Angeles-based Epic Rights represents retail branding, merchandising and more for artists, including Madonna, AC/DC, Celine Dion, 21 Savage, Def Leppard, KISS, David Bowie, Britney Spears, *NSYNC and John Lennon.
FALLS TESTS STI
WA’s Health Department is “very happy with” with its first test at a festival for sexually transmitted infections, conducted at Falls festival in Fremantle.
460 patrons took part in the first week of January, drawn to the offer of refreshments, free condoms and an upgrade to VIP toilets.
MUSICAL CHAIRS
* SoundCloud co-founder Eric Wahlforss is stepping down as chief product officer and transition into an advisory role for the streaming service from March 1.
He said he wanted to take a break and work out the next reel in his life.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved. From our humble beginnings in 2007, to where we are today with more than 20 million creators around the world and millions and millions of people listening every month… who would have thought!”
* Creative Partnerships appointed a new head of marketing at operations, Jayne Lovelock, previously head of sponsorship at Melbourne Theatre Company.
* Mathew Kesting, program manager of Adelaide Film Festival since 2015, is its new artistic director.
* Yoof culture publisher Pedestrian, which a month ago merged with Allure Media, promoted Group commercial director, Brian Florido to its first managing director while its former head of editorial, Vanessa Lawrence, will return in the newly created role as publisher.
$200,000 FOR SALAMANCA CENTRE
Hobart’s Salamanca Arts Centre has got $200,000 worth of federal funding enhance and beautify the courtyard to attract more people, provide more space for workshops and upgrade sound and light infrastructure for performance and video art.
JOHN POWER MEMORIAL
A memorial is held in Melbourne to celebrate the life of John Powers, of Jo Jo Zep & The Falcons and The Rock Doctors, who passed last year.
It is on Sunday March 17 at MEMO Music Hall in St. Kilda with Joe Camilleri, Jeff Burstin, Chris Stockley, Wayne Burt, Wilbur Wilde, Gary Young, Tony Faehse, Steve Williams, Pete Muhleisen, Haden Meggity and Travis Clarke.
CHANGE OF VENUE FOR FOLK FEST?
The Illawarra Folk Festival, which staged for the 34th time this month to 10,000 patrons, could well be leaving its long time home at Bulli Showground.
The Illawarra Folk Club’s festival site manager Rod Cork told the Illawarra Mercury that it needed to meet with Wollongong City Council to “clarify and streamline the conditions under which it is allowed to use” the grounds.
According to Cork there were last minute changes and expenses imposed six weeks out on the festival committee to make grounds compliant although all approvals and documents had been as usual finished by June.
AUSSIES ABROAD #1: MELINDA SCHNEIDER
Country music singer songwriter Melinda Schneider is among those perform at G’Day USA Gala event in Los Angeles tomorrow.
She is performing “Delta Dawn” as a tribute to Helen Reddy who is getting a lifetime achievement gong..
The US production team saw her last month at the Sydney Opera House performing as part of Hear Me Roar, a celebration of the women whose music changed the world.
AUSSIES ABROAD #2: FESTIVAL BILLS
Alison Wonderland is playing Lollapalooza Paris (July) alongside The Strokes, Twenty One Pilots and Martin Garrix.
DMAs join the Isle of Wight in England in mid-June with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, George Ezra and Biffy Clyro.
AUSSIES ABROAD #3: JOE MATERA
Melbourne guitarist/ songwriter Joe Matera, whose sixth solo CD, Waiting For The Sun got him the best reviews yet, and a Top 30 hit with the title track in the Netherlands.
Matera heads for his sixth European tour in April/May.
He’s also become a member of Stockholm-based hard rock band Rough Rockers who’ve just finished an EP with Swedish producer Tomas Skogsberg on which he co-wrote and played guitar, and sang on one track with Rainbow singer Graham Bonnet guesting on another.
REMEMBERING MALCOLM YOUNG
Toronto postman Steve McNeil will listen to AC/DC non-stop for 19 hours and 25 minutes while skating to raise money for an Alzheimer’s charity in memory of his mother and guitarist Malcolm Young.
In the meantime, the second ‘Malcolm Young Tribute night is held in Melbourne (Corner Hotel, Feb 2) to raise money for the Dementia Foundation’s Spark of Life well-being and research program. It raised $15,000 last year.
Performing are past and present members of Rose Tattoo, Screaming Jets, Baby Animals and The Angels.
CITY OF SOULS AT WILD THING
New Zealand band City Of Souls, currently touring Australia, have signed with Wild Thing Records with their debut album due this year.
The act also firmed up a booking deal with Artery Global for European and UK gigs.