News April 30, 2019

Mushroom launches neighbouring rights company Good Neighbour

Head of Content

Mushroom Group is growing. Michael Gudinski‘s independent music juggernaut is launching a neighbouring rights company, Good Neighbour, through an alliance with Susan Cotchin, a royalties collection expert with experience on both sides of the globe.

Cotchin, a pioneer in neighbouring rights, the performance right in sound recordings which are paid out to performers and master owners, in May 2003 launched her own specialist company, International Royalties Rescue (IRR).

Through this new partnership, Mushroom Group acquires IRR, whose clients include homegrown acts Gang of Youths, Empire of the Sun, Jet, The Avalanches, Middle Kids, The Temper Trap, Paul Kelly, John Farnham, all of whom will continue to be serviced by Cotchin under Good Neighbour.

Middle Kids

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Cotchin leads in the role of Managing Director, and she’s joined at Good Neighbour by Zoe Coverdale, a Mushroom Music Publishing veteran who for the past 12 years served as Business Development Manager, working closely with the company’s respected former managing director Ian James.

Coverdale, a driving force behind the formation of this new venture, will remain in her role overseeing Mushroom Music’s international department while also working alongside Cotchin.

The new company was unveiled Tuesday, just minutes out from the start of the annual APRA Music Awards, held this year at Melbourne’s Town Hall.

“We are always looking for new opportunities to grow and develop the Mushroom Group’s network of companies,” comments Gudinski, chairman and founder of Mushroom Group.

Neighbouring rights is “an intricate area of royalty collection that we’ve wanted to move into and naturally complements our other businesses. However, we recognised it was important to have the specialist knowledge and experience required to service our clients properly,” he says.

The addition of Good Neighbour comes amidst a flurry of activity at Mushroom Group, which assembles 26 companies, and counting. In recent weeks, Mushroom’s live arm Frontier Touring unveiled separate strategic ventures with Chugg Entertainment and AEG Presents.

“We launch Good Neighbour not as a start-up but as a leader in neighbouring rights from day one,” says Cotchin. “The result of our combined interests and connections will enable us to extend our reach to more performers, without diluting the personal service we are famous for. We make a formidable team.”

Cotchin earned her stripes in the U.K. with the not-for-profit Performing Artists Media Rights Association (PAMRA), now part of PPL, the equivalent of Australia’s PPCA, In nearly 20 years in the field, Cotchin has represented the likes of Beyonce, Radiohead, Tom Jones, Fat Boy Slim, Nelly Furtado, Rihanna and many more.

“Susan’s expertise and understanding of neighbouring rights is second to none and partnering with her made so much sense,” adds Gudinski. “I am excited to see what the company can achieve both within Australia and internationally.”

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.