TMN 30 Under 30: Meet your Touring & Live Performance winners

With the finalists, 30 victors and Reader’s Choice champ revealed, it’s time to meet the winners.

After getting to know the Publicity & Promotions and the Sales & Marketing winners on Thursday, it’s time to take a look at the three TMN 30 Under 30 heroes from the Touring & Live Performance category.

Congratulations to Guven Yilmaz from Vita Music Group, Harry Moore from Lonely Lands Agency and Rachel Mason from TEG Dainty.

We asked each applicant to outline the biggest challenges facing the music industry and all 30 entries were unique and worth sharing. Responses were given prior to the outbreak of COVID-19.

This year’s TMN 30 Under 30 Awards are made possible thanks to six incredible sponsors, including APRA AMCOS, Eventbrite, MTV, Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music.

Guven Yilmaz, Vita Music Group

Like many industries, challenges are always present. There are several challenges that I’ve decided to note, and by no means are they more important than those not listed, however, they are three that I face or see on a regular basis.

Digital Wellbeing: Living in the age where communication has limitless avenues and technology is integral to the performance of our organisations, it also has the ability to completely consume and impact our general wellbeing.

Having limited boundaries and feeling as though you have to constantly be on-call or open for communication can severely impact your mental health. Especially when there may/may not be an expectation that someone is after an instant response.

Diversity: Not only in the performer realm but also in the professional realm of the music business. I’m proud to be a first-generation Australian, and privileged to work at the level that I am today. It’s not every day you’ll meet some guy named Guven. Diversity brings greater creativity, innovation and different skill sets to organisations.

Lack of Accreditation (in regards to Artist Representation): I recall speaking on a panel last year and under the spotlight, I mentioned that I think there needs to be more regulation in the music industry, in hindsight, regulation was the wrong word to use as I didn’t mean red tape, and corrected myself that there needs to be a higher level of ‘accreditation’.

The barriers to entry into the music business are quite low, you don’t need a degree or soft business skills to say you work in music, however, when you’re representing artists, you’re also representing their livelihoods, which includes being entrusted to hold their income in trust. Not having the right guidance or business savvy, could lead to unideal situations, especially for younger and less experienced individuals.

Harry Moore, Lonely Lands Agency

I believe mental health is a serious issue within this industry. This industry is very unstable and demanding. A massive high can turn into an incredible low in a very quick amount of time. I have seen this happen multiple times and I have seen victims fall into a rabbit hole of substance abuse.

It is always important to check on your artists and peers around you. That one phone call, catch up or a simple check in can go a very long way.

Also, I feel it is important for every artist that tours to tour as environmentally friendly as possible and work towards a zero carbon footprint. That is working with promoters/venues direct to ensure there are no plastic straw or stirrers, plastic cups, no plastic water bottles to be sold, no single-use plastic food packaging and service ware as well as a having a correct waste disposal/management. The time is now to action this.

Rachel Mason, TEG Dainty

Ticketing, in general, is a major challenge for the music industry.

These challenges include, ticket prices being pushed higher and higher due to greater touring costs, educating consumers with regards to dynamic pricing models and of course ticket resale and 3rd party sellers.

Ticketing is getting more and more complex and for a first time or rare ticket buyer, simply purchasing a ticket can be a minefield. It’s not always clear and transparent to the consumer who the authorised sellers of an event are and there is nothing worse than seeing fans getting turned away from gates at a show because they have inadvertently purchased fake tickets generally at inflated prices.