The program was tight, tapped smart speakers, and covered everything from touring hassles, grants and educational and sync opportunities (how getting their song onto a Heineken ad overseas saw Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes score record deals) to marketing one’s self (how Kate Miller-Heidke’s work on social media led to her exceeding her crowd-funding target), making stand-out videos, the changing role of the manager to touring without having to starve and insights to how triple j and Sounds Australia operate.
“The reaction to today proves why events like this are so important,” said Mushroom Group’s Michael Gudinski. “Melbourne is renowned as the music capital and we’ve got to keep leading the way. It’s a vital time. At the moment my biggest push, pardon the pun, is to see that things like this expand and that some new exciting young people get a chance to work in the business.”
Gudinski and executive director son Matt had earlier done a Q&A with Billboard/The Music Network’s Lars Brandle, and Gudinski had, in inimitable style, fired off a series of manic quotable quotes. Asked about the biggest thing holding back Australian music, he snarled, “The fucking government, straight out,” pointing out that while the Australia Council had a $5 million budget, the Canadian city of Ontario is spending $45 million over three years. Other gems included “I think it is a disgrace that there’s not a fucking Australian artist playing a 15 minute performance before every international” and on Peter Garrett’s achievements for the music industry when in power, What the hell did (he) do by going to politics? He fucked up a good band and fucked up his life.” The quieter Matt showed the extent to which he’d taken over the reins of the company, discussing its future move into Asia and why it got involved in Future Music.
The ‘What The Festival!’ panel featured New Zealand DIY touring expert Ian ‘Blink’ Jorgensen (his book was how to tour the world on $10 a day, not always through legal ways!), Big Day Out co-founder Ken West, booking agent and festival promoter Paul Sloan, and Groovin’ The Moo’s Steve Halpin, discuss the current issues facing music festivals within Australia. West reckoned, “I don’t believe there’s a crisis (with festivals) … the Big Day Out is a gathering of tribes and always has been…the challenge is to not get loved to death.” Sloan and Halpin disagreed on whether multi-genre festivals had a future (“No one wants to see their favourite act on a multi-genre festival,” Sloan insisted).
The optimistic view of live music and festivals in Australia was reiterated in the panel that predicted 2014. Festivals will be sell-outs by then, said promoter Richard Moffat. Speaking later to Beat, music fans of all ages are listening to a wider array of music than before, and discovering them quicker via social media. He predicts that about half a dozen acts playing to 200 this week will this time next year be playing to 2,000, citing acts as Fractures, Wave Racer and Sisia who’re still at the “first single” stage. As a result, festivals won’t be reliant on huge bands.
On the same panel, Michael Parisi pointed out that the fans’ live experience would be intensified by the Australian-made global platform Soundhalo where fans can download gigs minutes after they finish. Parisi also outlined how managers’ roles have changed dramatically in the last year, taking over so many roles for his/her act that “record companies now take their lead”. Parisi emphasised that despite new technology, you still needed to write a great song and put on a good show.
This year a newly created music-makers workshop program saw demand for one-on-one meetings and master-class opportunities to find out the trade secrets of artists as Illy, Courtney Barnett, Oval, Mantra, Suzanne Espie and M-Phazes. M-Phazes explained, “I wanted to be involved with FTM this year because I’m a big believer in giving back. I feel like the best thing you can do with any given talent is pass it onto the next generation. FTM is an amazing event, it’s a great opportunity for anyone that’s interested in the business to come in and get hands on and practical advice from people that are already doing it.”
Wanna be a global artist? Vice Music’s Jamie Farkas reckoned “technology, content and partnerships are the pillars of artist development.” Think NZ’s an easy market? Blink (in a later DIY Touring panel) told Aussie acts, “Don’t think anyone in New Zealand has heard of you…we couldn’t give a fuck about you.”
