Musical Chairs w/e March 21

Shaun James heads Presto

Shaun James, General Manager of music channels and Head of Digital for Foxtel Networks Australia, is overseeing its new online movie service Presto. James bowed out as President of Warner Music Australia to move into television. He was GM of music at XYZ, then joined Foxtel in 2012 as GM of music channels, adding the digital portfolio last February.

New WAM CEO takes over

Mike Harris, the new CEO of Perth based peak music association WAM, has officially taken over the reins. He returned to West Australia after 15 years. He was most recently Head of Programming at Melbourne Festival for three years, and managed the Victorian Arts Centre’s venues and spaces (including the Myer Music Bowl) for three years.

Ron Tait retires

ABC South West WA announcer Ron Tait has retired from radio after a 32 year career. He told listeners on his final show, “I gave up work 32 years ago because radio is not work. It’s a wonderful privilege.”

New booker for Sydney’s Lansdowne

Josef Muller of Nathan Farrell Entertainment (NFE) takes over as booker of Sydney’s The Lansdowne Hotel from April 1. NFE also books The Basement, The Jam Gallery in Bondi Junction, and the Newtown Festival. The Lansdowne’s new owners Oscars Group want to recapture its heyday, with renovations including a larger stage and a band room to hold 300.

Arts-friendly SBS chair stepping down

Arts and culture friendly SBS Chair Joseph Skrzynski AO steps down when his term ends on March 26, and will be replaced in the interim by Deputy Chair Hass Dellal. Skrzynski served on the board for five years.

Celeb-themed writer gets Mail

One of the Sydney Sunday Telegraph’s celebrity writers, Taylor Auerbach, has joined new publication Mail Online.

New appointments at Telstra

Following the unexpected departure of Telstra’s media group executive, Rick Ellis, the firm named Mark Buckman as Group Managing Director, Media and Marketing, and Mike Wright as Group Managing Director, Networks.

Graham Kennedy, Katie Minchin, join expanding Live Nation

Live Nation Australia and New Zealand launched a Family Entertainment division, with 30-year entertainment biz Graham Kennedy heading it. Kennedy was most recently Senior Manager of Global Touring for The Wiggles, overseeing touring and live events across 10 countries. He also spent eight years as Label and Marketing Manager with Festival Mushroom and then Warner Music, heading up their Children’s division and overseeing all Disney music activities within Australia. Kennedy told The Music Network two tours will be announced within weeks.

The division will also handle merchandising and tour Australian acts abroad through the global Live Nation network which annually produces 22,000 shows for 2,300 artists and has 800 advertisers and 200 million consumers through its live event and digital platforms

The Australian company’s Comedy division, launched in 2012, will also expand with the arrival of Katie Minchin as a promoter. She has worked in Australia and the UK on comedy festivals.