Musical Chairs: Eventbrite, NOVA, CODA & more

Aussie expatriate UK-based booking agent Tom Taafe has left United Talent Agency and joined CODA.

Its roster includes Liam Gallagher, The xx, Imagine Dragons, Sia, Chvrches and Shawn Mendes.

Taafe served as an agent and promoter in Australia until he moved to the UK in 2008.

Rising through the ranks at ITB (2008-2010), and The Agency Group, which became United Talent Agency in 2015, he became regarded as one of the best in the businesses, looking after acts as Good Charlotte, Asking Alexandria and Hot Water Music.

Ticketing and event platform Eventbrite has announced Stefanos Fernandez as strategic account manager, Asia Pacific.

He was most recently Victorian sales director at VICE Media, and a similar role at Pandora.

Nova’s mobile-first youth website Goat hired Melissa Matheson (ex- mX Sydney editor, ARN digital content director) as its editor.

Former TMN editor Caitlin Welsh is named deputy editor at Goat.

Pandora named Lindsay Bowen its VP of podcasts and entertainment content partnerships. Among his duties is to work closely with Pandora’s creation and programming teams to define offerings for podcasts.

Ahead of its next staging in May 2019, City of Melbourne replaced Jacob Boehme as creative director of its First Nations arts festival YIRRAMBOI, with Caroline Martin.

Nova, 93.7 Perth morning announcer Dave McLung is leaving after eleven years, and heading to sister station 96.9. Sydney

New Zealand’s Flying Nun Records has moved label manager Matthew Davis to general manager, while former GM Ben Howe becomes company director and strategic advisor for the entire operations.

Nile Rodgers has replaced Robbie Williams as judge on The X Factor UK for a few weeks due to his tour commitments in South America.

In fact, after Williams taped his last session last Saturday, he headed immediately for dates in Chile.

The Australian Film Television and Radio School made appointments to its council and academic board.

Tanya Hosch, a long time figure in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy, advocacy and governance, currently general manager of inclusion and social policy at the Australian Football League (AFL), is joining the council.

Prof Mark Rose, of the Gunditjmara Nation of western Victoria and based at RMIT Melbourne, is new chair of the academic board.

Also joining the academic board are Vaughan Dai Rees, associate dean international & engagement at UNSW Art & Design, and Christine Burton, associate dean education at the UTS Business School.

They join Rachael Weiss, who is currently university quality manager at University of Sydney.

Photographer Kitty Taylor and writer Nathan Tucker’s RANT Arts Ltd – a not-for-profit arts organisation focused upon the needs of Tasmanian artists and arts workers across the state – is appointed as the new regional program administrator of the Regional Arts Fund in Tasmania.

Live virtual reality UK company MelodyVR, which recently announced it is launching in Australia appointed music executive Iain Funnell as SVP creative, content and editorial.

Award-winning Funnell previously created Globe Productions, Universal Music’s creative arm where he created and exec produced Queen Day’s of Our Lives and Paul McCartney/Wings Band on the Run.

TMN’s sister site Radio Today reported that the launch of Southern Cross Austereo’s SCA Music Hub to consolidate its music specialists across the company, has seen multiple staffing changes.

Triple M head of music Rex Morris leaves his current role of two years and will now focus on Triple M Brisbane.

Jacqui Kassulke takes on the role of music director for Triple M Sydney and Melbourne, while Vinnie Shannon is now in charge of music for Triple M Adelaide and Mix 94.5 Perth.

Ben Wood has been moved to the operations manager role of Triple M Melbourne.

Within the Hit Network, Kiri Martin has moved to become MD of 2DayFM and Hit107 Adelaide.

Hit Brisbane MD Jack Ball will also now look after Hit Perth, and Troy Nelson has become national music assistant.

Lindsay Harapa will also take on a new role, leaving 2DayFM to become content director for Hit Digital radio.

The reshuffle sees Toni Tenaglia, Michael McPhee and Aiden Grant depart the business.

After 15 years working in the Canadian music industry, Linda Bull returns to her hometown of Brisbane to take on the role of executive producer of Topology.

A creative force know for genre-leaping collaborations, Topology are resident artists at Brisbane Powerhouse.

Screen Australia extended chief executive officer Graeme Mason’s contract by a further five years.

Screen Australia is the federal government agency which develops, produces and promotes local television, film, documentary and digital originals.

Sony Music recruited Sol Rashidi from Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines for the newly created New York-based role of vice president and chief data officer.

Bruno Bouchet, executive producer of Kiis FM breakfast show The Kyle & Jackie O Show will depart the radio sector at the end of the year.

Longtime New York-based marketing and business development music executive Theda Sandiford was promoted to senior vice president of international commerce & digital marketing at Universal Music Group’s Republic Records, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings.

Southern Cross Austereo’s Sam Cavanagh is now head of production at Thinkerbell, the creative agency backed by PwC.

It said that Cavanagh’s skills across ads, crazy events, long form content, and social media would “shake up traditional production.”

Sydney’s Carriageworks director, Lisa Havilah is the new CEO effective January 7 of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS) – which includes the Sydney Observatory, Museum Discovery Centre and the Powerhouse Museum.