Industrial Strength: December 14

14 December 2011

by Christie Eliezer

APRA’s Brett Cottle to keynote at Fuse…

Brett Cottle, CEO of APRA/AMCOS, will make one of the keynote speeches at Adelaide’s Fuse Festival (Feb 22 to 24). Fuse also announced this week that its first round of international speakers are Jon McIldowie of the UK’s The Great Escape festival, Alicen Catron Schneider (head of TV Music at NBC Universal Television) and Ariel Hyatt, who founded social media PR firm Ariel Publicity and wrote the book Music Success In Nine Weeks.

Australian-based speakers and workshop participants announced are David Vodicka (Rubber Records, AIR), Philip Mortlock (Alberts), Jaddan Comerford (UNFD), Ashley Gay (Xelon Entertainment), Natalie Bell (Casa Del Disco Records, Twenty Two Publicity), Basil Cook (ABC Music), David Williams (Shock Entertainment), Andrew Walker (Jazzhead Records), Glenn Qright (Vitamin Records), Maria Amato (Media Arts Lawyers), Darren Sanicki (Sanicki Lawyers), Ben Strong (Sanicki Lawyers), Chris Johnson (AMRAP), Christie Eliezer (The Music Network, Pollstar), Michael Szumowski (Alberts),Vicki Gordon (VGMedia), Alec Doomadgee (Gadigal Music Label), Cath Haridy (Catherine Haridy Management), Tom Harris, Keith Welsh and Greg Carey. More info, http://www.fusefestival.com.

…Michael Chugg keynotes at Country Music Radio Seminar

Promoter Michael Chugg makes the keynote speech at the inaugural Country Music Radio Seminar Australia. Radio execs team up with the country music industry to address the way country music is played on radio. Organised by the Country Music Association (CMA) Australian Advisory Group and the Tamworth Country Music Festival 2012, it is held on January 26 in Tamworth. Rob Potts, chair of the CMA Australian Advisory Group and CEO of Entertainment Edge, said, “The growth of many new country radio stations in Australia, plus the advent of digital radio, is providing many more opportunities for Australian and international country music and the Australian radio industry. One aspect we are keen to develop is a hit-driven radio format similar to ones that already exist for most other music genres.” Chugg has co-promoted the sell-out visits of major international country acts as Taylor Swift, Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Dolly Parton, Keith Urban, and Brooks and Dunn.

Generate investing in Aussie music business enterprise

Generate is a new pilot program launched by the Federal government through the Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN) and in partnership with APRA. It is looking to invest in up to 15 best music-related businesses or business ideas, which are seeking to grow and attract investment. It is looking for applications from small to medium-sized music enterprises including songwriters, composers, bands, managers, publishers, promoters, producers and labels. To register your interest to attend a Generate 2012 workshop, go to www.amin.org.au.

Silence Gently Falls #1: Claremont mayor wants concerts banned

The mayor of Claremont, WA, Jock Barker wants to ban all concerts from the Showgrounds, former home of Big Day Out. The council wants a meeting with Royal Agricultural Society president Hugh Harding. Barker cited a newspaper report where a priest complained that some people on their way to Stereosonic urinated in his church’s memorial garden and harassed church-goers. RAS CEO Martin Molony sighed that the Showground only had two or three large concerts a year, and most of its attendees came and went by train with “minimal impact to the local community.”

Silence Gently Falls #2: Grinderman pulls the plug

Only six months after Nick Cave murmured that Grinderman could exist comfortably with his other band The Bad Seeds, he abruptly announced at the end of their Meredith Music Festival that the Grinders were being cottonballed. “That’s it for Grinderman,” he told the 12,000-strong crowd with little fanfare. “It’s over. See you in ten years when we’re older and uglier.” Maybe it was the red moon eclipse the night before?

Silence Gently Falls #3: zombie-themed New Beginnings scrapped

Another festival has been scrapped due to poor ticket sales. This was for the zombie-themed New Beginnings, which was to have taken place in Newcastle in the second week of January. Europe’s Vengaboys were to headline.

MUSICAL CHAIRS

Jo Walker comes on board Parker & Mr French; more additions

Jo Walker this week joined Sydney based management company Parker + Mr French as a director, alongside founding director Todd Wagstaff. Walker was national tour and promotions manager at Austereo, and helped set up its Radar Radio. She was also managing partner at Peer Group Media, publisher of The Music Network. Also joining Parker and Mr French are Mel Nahas as talent manger on all day to day duties, Shawn Hillier as online and social media coordinator and Jacinta O’Connell taking up all administration duties.

Parker and Mr French also this week announced Channel [V] vj Danny Clayton joined to its roster, which includes Bluejuice, Evermore, Gypsy and the Cat and The Vines. Clayton’s media and commercial interests are currently co-managed by Jo Walker and Lauren Miller from Harry M Miller Group.

Gavin Ward steps down at Leading Edge

Gavin Ward has stepped down as CEO of Buying Groups at Leading Edge. Twenty one years ago, he and Joe Langley identified that small music retailers needed to form themselves to get major purchasing clout. “It has been gratifying to see the mature business which has developed across the 10 buying Groups, NZ and the UK,” he says.

ARN puts Duckworth, Miller, in drive seat…

The Australian Radio Network appointed radio veteran Rob Duckworth to host the drive shift on its Sydney Classic Hits station WSFM101.7, and Gavin Miller to helm the same 1 — 4 pm shift at GOLD104.3 in Melbourne. They begin next month. Duckworth, long time top rating drive announcer at Triple M, last year hosted a breakfast show in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Miller, who began on radio at 15, hosted drive on Perth 96FM for seven years.

… re-sign Jonesy & Amanda…

The Classic Hits Network include Sydney breakfast hosts Jonesy & Amanda signing for a further three years with the Network. Classic Hits GOLD104.3 Melbourne will announce a new breakfast team for 2012 soon.

…and expands On Air with Ryan Seacrest to Brisbane and Adelaide

On Air with Ryan Seacrest, which focuses on Hollywood gossip and news and airs weeknights, 7-9pm, will extend to Adelaide’s MIX102.3 and Brisbane’s 97.3 from January 16.

Duthie leaves ABC for Adelaide Film Festival

ABC TV’s head of arts and entertainment, Amanda Duthie resigned to become CEO and director of the Adelaide Film Festival. Under her watch, we saw Spicks & Specks, Gruen Transfer, Gruen Planet, The Chaser’s The Hamster Wheel, ABC Live concerts and landmark Indigenous series Art & Soul. She set up a major arts on-line gateway, and worked closely with the Australia Council for the Arts and regional arts bodies.

Underworld duo appointed as Olympic music directors

Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of British electronic group Underworld music are appointed directors of the London Olympics. They will create music for the opening ceremony, working with its artistic director, film producer Danny Boyle. Underworld’s hit Born Slippy featured in Boyle’s Trainspotting.

Carter exits MCM for Crocmedia

Dave Carter, Manager – Radio Services and Development at MCM Media, leaves on December 23 to become program director at Crocmedia, a content and news business which specializes in sport and lifestyle programming. It was Carter’s second seventh-year stint at MCM.

Dangar joins MIX Melbourne

Brendon Dangar takes over as Mix 101.1 Melbourne’s new content director on January 23. He replaces Owen Ryan who is returning to the UK to take up the role of program director at Hallam FM and Magic AM. Dangar who started in radio while at school in Newcastle, was one of the original team that launched Nova Melbourne, and is AMD and APD at Nova 106.9 Brisbane.

Rooney switches to Sonos

Trevor Rooney is national sales manager of the Australian operations of wireless music systems Sonos. He was previously with Sydney-based Len Wallis Audio. He reports to head of Sonos Australia, Niv Novak.

Anokute lands Senior VP of A&R role at Island Def Jam

Chris Anokute becomes Senior Vice President, A&R, Island Def Jam Music Group. He actually began there as a teen intern, managed Alisha 'Mjestie' Brooks and instrumental in her writing Rhianna’s worldwide debut hit Pon de Replay, worked with Joss Stone and co-signed Katy Perry while at Virgin/EMI and A&R’d Kelly Rowland's Here I Am when at Universal Motown.

Wightman returns to Nova Brisbane

Kip Wightman who left Nova Brisbane two years ago for America, rejoins the station and his old time slot. He joins its three-person team, now known as the Ash (Bradnam), Camilla (Severi) & Kip with Luttsy (David Lutteral) Show.

Kingi exits Prince Bandroom

After seven years as its booker, Steve Kingi left Melbourne live music venue Prince Bandroom — but not the world of promoting. “My future is committed to maintaining live music south of the river,” he says. The Prince’s new owners have not announced plans for live music.

The Normanby’s Lassman takes over The Orient

Mark 'Trunk' Lassman of Brisbane live music venue Normanby Hotel (he’s the one who invited Prince William to hold his buck’s turn there) took over the lease of the Orient Hotel on Queens Street and turned the music back on. The Orient shut its doors for a few days after a dispute between owner Vicki Ulrick and lessee Simon Cross, the Brisbane Times reported.

NEW SIGNINGS

Spotify taps Brisbane’s We Are Hunted

Music streaming service 15-million-track Spotify tapped Brisbane-based music discovery service We Are Hunted as part of an expansion. Spotify subscribers (10 million in America alone) can access live and on demand to WAH’s charts which scouts blogs, social media and message boards to chart the 99 hottest new tracks and acts online. WAH had 1.1 million unique visitors in November, 75% from America. This rise in international profile could see WAH relocate from Brisbane where it set up in 2008. Spotify also partnered with 16 other outlets, to get news and reviews on its site through magazines Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, recommendations engines as last.fm, lyric finders like TuneWicki and concert ticket suggestions from SongKick.

Ralph Carr expands roster

Melbourne-based artist manager Ralph Carr added 17-year old rap group Big Words and teen soul singer Bonnie Anderson to his management stable. His sporting division, set up a year ago under Robbie D'Orazio, is also expanding. Carr recently appointed Sam Sheedy as its A&R scout, with RCM Sport now looking after over a dozen names including Brodie Holland, Luke McGuane, Daniel Jackson, Peter Daicos and Jason Akkermanis along with up and comers like Nick Haynes and Tom Curran.

Psycroptic at Riot

Hobart death metal outfit, Psycroptic struck a deal with Riot Entertainment to release its fifth studio album The Inherited Repression in this market. Its guitarist, Joe Haley calls it “far and away my favorite Psycroptic album thus far — all of us in the band think this. We wouldn’t think there is a point of going on if we couldn’t outdo each album prior. We are certainly not playing music for anything else than the love of creating it and performing it.”

Valleyarm adds three more

Valleyarm Digital, the largest digital content provider in the Asia Pacific, finishes off the year with some new partnerships. Hardcore and metal label Earache, long established in the US and Europe, will share its expertise in representation, distribution and merchandising with Valleyarm as it breaks into the Asia Pacific region. Another new signing is the UK’s Snapper label which was set up in 1996 and includes tracks from Cradles of Filth and Fleetwood Mac. The third signing is Melbourne’s 18 year old Newmarket, which covers jazz, blues and world. These collaborations are “expected to secure a large chunk of the Asia Pacific market,” says Valleyarm CEO Gary Mackenzie.

UNFD helps relaunch Avalanche Studios

UNFD has teamed with Callan and Kevin Orr to relaunch their Avalanche Studios in Melbourne’s southern suburbs. Both have long ties with UNFD owner Jaddan Comerford. Callan plays with Dream On Dreamer (signed to UNFD) and Kevin was with Behind Crimson Eyes who were with Boomtown Records (UNFD’s predecessor) before moving on to Roadrunner and is currently with The Getaway Plan. Email avalance@weareunified.com.

Virgin takes Prydz of place

Virgin Records’ new VP A&R Nick Burgess signed leading dj and producer Eric Prydz. The signing took place at Prydz’s London show before 11,000 fans. His signing builds on EMI’s dance roster, which includes David Guetta, deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk and The Japanese Popstars. In the 12 months to the end of Nov, 23.2% of all dance tracks and 21.4% of all dance albums released in the UK were on EMI.

Fuse Music to distribute Goner

Fuse Music takes on distribution of Memphis-based garage label, Goner Records. Set up in 1993 by Eric Oblivion of The Oblivions to release a Guitar Wolf CD, it signed The Reigning Sound, King Khan, The Reatards and Ty Segall. The label and store also run the annual garage/punk love-in Gonerfest at which Sydney's Royal Headache played this year.

MMAD partners with McDonald

Musicians Making A Difference (MMAD) teamed with McDonalds to release the Lovin’ Christmas CD. It includes tracks by Gina Jeffreys, Barry Southgate and Hi Five, and released through McDonald outlets on the NSW Central Coast, local retailers and MMAD’s website. Proceeds go towards both organisations’ work with children and young people. MMAD encourages young people suffering from traumatic childhood experiences to empower their lives through music.

Lovers Electric strike note with Casio

Adelaide expats Lovers Electric aka husband and wife David Turley and Eden Boucher are the faces of electronic musical brand Casio’s new range of keyboards and digital pianos in Australia. Love Electric are back in Australia from their base in Germany to promote new single Love Can Save Us— used as theme for the German broadcast of the Royal Wedding

Subsea joins Paper Street for management

Australian electronica identity Jim Grundy aka Subsea signed with Paper Street Records for management. Manchester-born Grundy’s output since 2002 includes playing bass with Brisbane’s Re:Enactment, making sound collages with Ektoise and an album En la Lejanía on 777 Operations.

Sydney Easter show selects Foxtix

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) selected Foxtix as its official ticketing provider for the Sydney Royal Easter Show, which draws close to 1 million visitors each year. “Foxtix’s proposal showed an understanding of our unique requirements and ability to convert this into a package that was simple, flexible, transparent and demonstrated a desire to help grow our event,” said RAS CEO Peter King. Since its inception a year go, Foxtix has secured the Formula One Australian Grand Prix and Motorcycle Grand Prix, Swimming NSW, The WOMADelaide Foundation incorporating WOMADelaide and Earth Station, Perth Racing and the 2011 Brisbane Festival.

TRIPPING

Are Miss Connie and Black Angus of Sneaky Sound System writing a feature film?

Which music store evoked a consumer backlash for its supposed “sale”?

Which radio exec’s ruffling feathers boasting about his pay when the station just made a round of redundancies?

Producer Audius Mtawarira is relocating back to Zimbabwe and is opening a recording studio at Lake Chivero this month.

At a jam session at the end of talent manager Ralph Carr’s Christmas party with Jon Stevens, Kate Ceberano, Daryl Braithwaite and Brian Cadd, who should be playing drums but new best selling author Richard Wilkins.

Kimbra and boyfriend Josh Moriarty of Miami Horror are holidaying in her homeland NZ before she returns for Big Day Out.

Ruby Rose has parted with manager Titus Day.

US hip hop mogul Russell Simmons was in Sydney to speak at a $1100 a head business conference. The Sydney Morning Herald reported he and TV host Martha Stewart pocketed $100,000 — but George Clooney got six times more!

Which Brisbane radio station sent a Christmas parcel to Queensland's Crime and Misconduct Commission — and caused a panic because its staffers are prohibited from accepting any kind of gifts?

LIFELINES

Born: daughter Jenny to Melbourne radio exec Jakob Pavlovic and wife Maria.

Born: daughter Molly to Katrina Roe, of Sydney’s Hope 103.2.

Engaged: Brian McFadden and model Vogue Williams after a six month romance.

Ill: Anthony Toohey, one half of syndicated radio team Ants and Becks, is recovering from a breakdown, which is why he’s been off air for two months. The Australian Radio Network confirmed he’d return to the airwaves in 2012.

Arrested: five teenagers who attempted to rob a club in Canberra, armed with knives and a hatchet, were nicked as they tried to break in.

Arrested: comedian and radio broadcaster Mick Molloy spent a night in the clink this week after a drunken night out at Melbourne’s A Bar Called Barry.

In Court: Christopher Angelo Filippou will be sentenced Dec 22 in the Newcastle Supreme Court over the deaths of local songwriter Luke Willis, 28, and his brother Sam, 22, after a neighbourhood spat in June last year. It started, the court heard, when Filippou threw phone books through Sam’s window.

Died: the body of Philippines-born singer and actor RJ Rosales, 37, was found in a Sydney apartment. He was best known for his Helmanns-nominated portrayal of Thuy in the Australian production of Miss Saigon.

Died: Ray Gamble, 83, founder of the national BMG radio network. He started out with one station in Griffith NSW, 2RG, and build a network that ran from North Queensland through to Tasmania.

NUMBER CRUNCHING

$6 million was offered to Eminem to headline Big Day Out 2012, its promoter Ken West revealed.

£70 million banked by Lady Gaga. But she admits she still gets drunk before she has to write out a cheque to tax authorities.

24 hour interview by 702 ABC’s digital channel Richard Glover and Peter FitzSimons, breaking the world record of 12 hours and 30 minutes achieved by Spain’s Pedro Ruiz in Madrid in July 2009.

82 tonnes of waste recycled by visitors to the Tamworth country music festival over a decade.

$205 million Warner Music Group’s loss widens from $143 million from the last fiscal year.

27^th Australian chart hit for Pink with Bridge Of Light from Happy Feet Two entering the ARIA chart this week at #26.

£1 million paid to Sting by Czech tycoon Petr Kellner to play at the office Christmas party of his finance firm PPF at Prague Castle this week.

4300 km journey undertaken by Jessica Mauboy on her Indian Pacific Outback Christmas Train tour, stopping to perform at the stations of remote communities and raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

$20,000 spent by Geelong artist Wayne Harrison on creating a mural of the Lady Gaga story on his Holden Commodore ute.

 

INSIDE TRACK

Behind Coldplay’s ‘Paradise’

Coldplay’s Paradise entered the ARIA singles chart at #10 and was certified platinum first week in, while its Fedde Le Grand mix topped the ARIA club chart. It’s #6 on the national airplay chart and #9 on The Music Network Hot 100, and featured on Channel 7’s promo for the Revenge series. The video, with elephants and unicycles, is also a hit. Director Mat Whitecross says he was working in London at midnight when he got a call from Chris Martin who was touring in South Africa, asking him to fly over that morning. The video was already two weeks late, Martin explained, and they had to shoot it during their two days off. And, oh, he added, bring four elephant suits and a unicycle with him. Whitecross — “I knew he was jetlagged” — texted him, “Are you serious”. Martin wanted the video to be about an elephant that escaped from the zoo to track down its mates. Whitecross called a special effects friend about the elephant suits. The dude told him it’d take two months. “I need it in three hours, I’m on the way to the airport,” Whitecross told him.

Whitecross confirms it is Martin in the elephant suit, and that he had to beg the singer to take off the head for at least one shot so fans would know it was him. Martin also rode the unicycle himself. “He’d ridden one as a kid but hadn’t done so for 20 years.” The director and band drove four and a half hours out of Cape Town to film. The bike owner in the shot was only asked five minutes before. He was shy about it, but relented when he saw Martin: he’d attended the Coldplay show the night before. The rest of the shoot took outside London in, eerily, a place called Paradise Wildlife Park. Whitecross says that in the scene where Martin is in the elephant costume on the train, no one took a second glance. The zoo keepers by the way, were Coldplay touring member Phil Harvey and Tim Crompton of High Wire. They were chosen because they (a) did great Elvis moves and (b) worked for free.

Hey Geronimo get a viral hit

Until a few weeks ago, Brisbane band Hey Geronimo — made up of members of Blame Ringo, Montpelier and The Boat People — only had 27 followers on Twitter. But the video for the title track of their February-due debut album Why Don't We Do Something? has clocked up 620,000 views in YouTube in its first week, and drawn label interest from abroad. The clip brings their favourite iPhone games as Angry Birds, Plants vs Zombies, Flight Control and Fruit Ninja to life. Animated graphics are recognizable from these games. It’s got them written up not just in music blogs and sites but also tech and games media — not to mention The Wall Street Journal.

Singer-guitarist Pete Kilroy, who directed the clip with filmmaker Luke Constable, admits, “I was obsessed with Angry Birds, I used to play it all the time. In the same way, technology has allowed anyone to make a film or an album, indie game developers can show their talent through making iPhone games. There’s a real revolution taking place.”

The clip was to emerge in July. But with the budget at a low $600, the routine of getting polystyrene boxes and painting them in someone’s backyard took a long time. “The more we worked on it, the more we realized we’d do it a disservice if we cut corners, so we kept plugging away.” During one sequence shot during a 35-degree day, one of the “sunflowers” fainted. For Kilroy — a graduate in film and TV from Queensland College of Art and who did his Masters in advertising — the video’s viral success redeemed what he had learned. Mind you, Why Don't We Do Something? is not the first viral hit for him. A few years ago, with his last band Blame Ringo, a clip of tourists crossing the famous Abbey Road crossing to go with their track Garble Arch also caused a minor sensation online.