‘It’s Another Step in the Right Direction’: John Watson Talks NSW Government’s Adoption of Michael’s Rule
Artist manager, label chief, advocate, educator. John Watson wears many hats, and on the rarest of occasions, entered the spotlight last week when he received the AAM Legacy Award.
Much has happened since Watson took the mic at the sixth annual AAM Awards last Wednesday in Melbourne.
After hinting at “big news” breaking on “Michael’s Rule,” we got just that on Monday, when the New South Wales government implemented the support act initiative, named after the late, great artist manager Michael McMartin.
Watson, who has guided the careers of Cold Chisel, Missy Higgins, Midnight Oil, Silverchair, and others, has advocated for “Michael’s Rule” for the two years since McMartin’s call-out to the music community, a campaign that ensures a local artist is always booked on a major tour of these parts, and always promoted on the bill.
NSW is the first state to action “Michael’s Rule.” Others are expected to follow.
Sahara Herald and John Watson
Read Watson’s speech in full at the AAM Awards.
Exactly two years ago I actually presented this award to someone who was a generous mentor to many of us – Michael McMartin. When I was just 20 years old and playing in a band I vividly remember Michael sitting me down and explaining a little indie record deal line by line – making notes with a red pen.
By last year’s AAM Awards he wasn’t alive anymore, but his legacy lived on in the “Michael’s Rule” campaign which Maggie launched on that day. Michael was a fierce advocate for Australian artists and one of the main reasons he and others founded the AAM was because they recognized the need for managers to sometimes work collectively to make things better for all of us.
It’s a competitive business and everyone’s always really busy so it’s easy to focus on our own inboxes and forget that every single one of us has benefited from the generosity of others. Many of the things that we take for granted were accomplished by previous generations of music industry workers so we all have a responsibility to pay that forward.
Clearly, it’s a great time for export but a really difficult time to get heard locally. Lots needs to change if Australian music is to overcome growing algorithmic handicaps and get on a level playing field with the Americans.
But too often it’s the same handful of artists and the same handful of managers who step up when asked to campaign for action on radio quotas or to lobby for more export grants. Similarly, it’s the same faces who turn up at workshops to help younger managers or lend their time to industry boards.
How many of us have been asked to help but left it to someone else because we were “just too busy”? Giving something back to our business is never easy but it shouldn’t be a chore – it should be a privilege. It’s a chance to help someone else in the way that we ourselves were helped somewhere back there.
I’m going to end this sermon with a cultural reference that isn’t very cool but – who cares? – I’m from Townsville so I’ve NEVER been cool! Here goes … our whole family loves the musical “Hamilton” and in it there’s a great line: “what is a legacy? It’s planting trees in a garden you never get to see.” Now, as Jess has already hinted, next week there will be some big news announced regarding “Michael’s Rule.”
It’s not going to solve every problem but it’s another step in the right direction – driven by the AAM plus few managers and their artists working together for the benefit of everyone. Michael never lived to see this particular tree blossoming in this particular garden but I reckon he’d be chuffed. That’s exactly what a legacy looks like.
We are all standing on the shoulders of giants so I’m grateful for this award because it gives us an excuse to pause and remember that fact. I accept it on behalf of my family and the people with whom I’ve worked closely as proof that we can all accomplish more when we work together.
We’re not here for long so what more can we do? How can we help make things better not just for ourselves and our artists but for the whole cultural ecosystem on which we depend?
Ultimately that work will endure long after everyone forgets who won what award so let’s all plant some more trees in gardens that we’ll never get to see.