Musical Chairs: September 21

MICHELLE BROWN EXITS 4ZZZ

After eight years as Station Manager of influential Brisbane community radio station 4ZZZ, Michelle Brown left the station last Friday. She said, “It has been an amazing and fulfilling eight years, helping to steer the iconic ship that is 4ZZZ and working with so many wonderful volunteers and people in our communities.” Innez Tulloch is Acting Station Manager.

SINGER AKON JOINS TECH CO. AS CREATIVE HEAD

American R&B singer and futurist Akon(pictured) has joined tech start-up Royole as Chief Creative Officer. The company is described as “a global pioneer and innovator of flexible displays, flexible sensors, and smart device technologies.” Saying, “The future should be your only focus”, Akon has worked on its newest project, Moon, a foldable, portable, and compact 3D virtual mobile theater complete with noise-cancelling headphones.

ERIC MACKAY MARKS NEW DIGITAL ERA FOR WARNER/CHAPPELL

Warner Music Group’s publishing arm Warner/Chappell named Eric Mackay VP of Digital, covering Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand. He joined the firm last year handling digital for Europe.

Remaining based in London, he will oversee the publisher’s negotiations and relationships with both established and emerging digital partners in those regions, serving as the main point of contact for digital services on all commercial and contractual issues.

NEW EXECS FOR CHRYSALIS RECORDS

Blue Raincoat Music’s Jeremy Lascelles and Robin Millar, who bought iconic Chrysalis Records from Warner Music this year, are building it up with two new senior executive hires. John Dyer (Domino, PIAS, Mute) is Managing Director. Dermot James (ex-Warner, Virgin) is new General Manager.

UMPG’SDAVID KOKAKIS TAKES ON EXPANDED ROLE

Previously Senior Vice President / Head of Business & Legal Affairs and Business Development atUniversal Music Publishing Group, Kokakis is nowExecutive Vice President/Head of Business & Legal Affairs, Business Development and Digital.

Reporting toMarc Cimino, Chief Operating Officer of UMPG, Kokakis will contribute toUMPG’s international digital strategies, handling government relations and public policy matters, and overseeing the company’s legal affairs, litigation matters and negotiation of digital and core publishing deals.

Following 20 years experience in the entertainment industry, Kokakiswas recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Music Publishers Association and to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency.

BOB MAUMILL QUITS 6PR FOR GOOD

6PR’s Bob Maumill announced on air that he is leaving radio for good on September 25. The 78-year-old has dominated Perth’s afternoon slots for 40 years. “I won’t be working in radio again, ever,” he told listeners. “If I’m on any other radio station it will be only as a guest just to say hello to someone.”

Maumill took a break from radio in 2010, citing ongoing pain after a hip operation. But he was soon coaxed back to 6PR, which offered him its Sunday morning show. Maumill entered radio in his early 30s, after leaving school at 15 and working as a messenger, newspaper boy, labourer, abattoir worker, shearing shed hand, drover, horse trainer and Norwegian cargo ship crew member. He continued to remain a significant member of the state’s horse racing industry.

DANNII MINOGUE JOINS UK SHOW AS JUDGE

After leaving Seven’s X Factor Australia last season to spend more time with her young son (“I’ve put a hold on TV”), Dannii Minogue is back on TV in the UK. She will be a mentor on Gary Barlow’s 2017 BBC show Let It Shine during which they will find the cast for the Take That musical.

AUSSIE TRAINED SINGER HEADS MUSIC COURSE AT NZ UNI

Classically trained jazz and musical theatre singer Stephanie Acraman, who was based in Australia for 16 years, has returned to New Zealand. She is the new Head of Voice at Waikato University. The Waikato Conservatorium of Music is developing a new stream for Music Theatre as part of its Bachelor of Music degree. Acraman studied in the Canberra School of Music at the Australian National University.

ANGRY DAD PRANKSTERS AT KIIS

Brothers Mitchell & Dylan Orval, who’re behind the Angry Dad wind-up pranks, have extended their guest slots on the KIIS network to joining as digital content producers. One of their recent videos gathered 4 million social media views.

TIMBALAND EXITS EMPIRE

Successful US songwriter and producer Timbaland has left Fox’s hit television series Empire, Billboard reported. He was in charge of the songwriting team for the show for its first two seasons. But it was decided that the third season, which begins in America tomorrow (Sept 21), will take a different approach.

Joining the show for the music are four-time Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Rodney Jerkins (Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga) as supervising music producer and chart-topping songwriter Ester Dean, who is also a co-star in Perfect Pitch. Music plays a major role in Empire, whose soundtracks are issued through Columbia/Sony and top the US charts.

NEW GM FOR PALACE HAYMARKET

Paul Walker is the new GM of Palace Hotel Haymarket in Sydney. His 17-year career in hospitality included running the Cleveland Inn in Surry Hills, and as licensee of the Harlequin Inn in Pyrmont. Walker emphasises that live music on the weekends remains a strong component for the venue.

RADIO EXEC NICK RANDALL JOINS WHOOSHKAA

Senior radio executive Nick Randall has been tapped for his experience and contacts by Australian podcast platform Whooshkaa. He will be its first Commercial Director, to acquire more content partners for the platform founded by Robert Loewenthal.

Randall was National Sales Director at Macquarie Media, and before that Sydney Sales Director and National Sales Operations Manager at Southern Cross Austereo.

SUSIE ELELMAN QUITS MID-DAWN RADIO

Susie Elelman leaves her 2GB-based syndicated Saturday Overnight program, which she presented and produced on October 1. She says working midnight to dawn since 1994 was affecting her health and told Macquarie Media she is available for any other time slots.

KRIS CHEN T0 HEAD NONESUCH A&R

Kris Chen, who headed the US operations of XL Recordings, is now Senior Vice President of A&R at Warner imprint Nonesuch Records. He established his A&R credentials with eleven years at XL where he signed or worked with acts as Vampire Weekend, The xx, Sigur Ros and Tyler the Creator. Chen was brought in by Nonesuch co-President David Bither. Bither moves up to sole President in January after Bob Hurwitz decided to opt for an emeritus role after 32 years.

BURNS, SHERIDAN, STEP IN AT NOVA

While Fitzy & Wippa take a break this week from Nova 96.9’s Sydney breakfast show, stepping in for five days have been Morning show host Greg Burns with radio and TV identity Zoe Sheridan.

IMAGINATION APPOINTS HEAD OF BRAND AUST.

Experience design agency Imagination has brought on Lee Liversedge to the newly created post of Head of Brand Australia.

EMOTIVE HIRES CSO

Simon Joyce’s 18-month-old specialist social video content marketing agency Emotive has hired Lucielle Vardy for the newly created Sydney-based role of Chief Strategy Officer.