INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH
MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS & GOSSIP
With Christie Eliezer * Stuff for this column to be emailed to <celiezer@netspace.net.au> by Friday 5pm
GLOBAL CONCERTS WORTH $2.43B
THINGS WE HEAR
The global concert industry had a record year in 2013 with the top 20 tours combining for US$2.43 billion in primary ticket sales. This marked a huge $470.6 million or 24% increase over the $1.96 billion generated in 2012. Pollstar magazine reported Bon Jovi grossed the most with $259.5 million and shifting 2.6 million tickets. Then came Beyonce ($188.6m), Pink ($70.6m), Justin Bieber ($169m) and Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band ($145.4m).
• Falls Festival drew 15,000 in Byron Bay in its first year, 16,000 in Lorne, Vic, while Marion Bay, Tas was 12,000 (down by 3,000). Co-director Paul Pittico told the Launceston Examiner that Falls could eventually spread out to Qld and even WA. “I think there is room for a Falls in a few locations because of its community nature, the fact that it is not too big, because the crowd size is sustainable and aspects of the local market can support it long-term,’’ he said. • A Las Vegas police captain who helped Guns N’ Roses guitarist Daren Jay “DJ” Ashba pull off an elaborate wedding proposal has opted to retire rather than get demoted. Capt. David O’Leary arranged for a police helicopter to give DJ and Colombian actress Nathalia Henao a flight over Vegas, after which he proposed with roses and champagne. The guitarist couldn’t resist posting pix of the ride online, which got the captain in trouble. The helicopter pilot was transferred out of the department and cannot fly for the police again. • Even celebrate their 20th year with two sets and a BBQ on the Evelyn rooftop in Fitzroy on Sunday January 12. After a quiet year in 2013 (not even their annual Christmas show) Even are back this year with a new album. • Bluesman supremo Chris Wilson launches his Live At Cherry album appropriately at Cherry Bar in the city on Sunday January 19 from 2pm. • When Melbourne hip hopper Illy was in Cairns for a NYE gig, he celebrated his first visit to the Great Barrier Reef by going off on a yacht for a day of snorkelling and underwater exploring. Alas, he wasn’t able to go scuba diving as he had to fly to Mexico the next day for a holiday. • The Boy Who Spoke Clouds aka Adam Casey struck gold with his Pozible campaign, gaining 169% of the $1500 target. It allowed him to press his third album Salvation (out this week) as well as a Netherlands tour in January/February. • The Warrnambool music community has raised $22,000 for Philippines typhoon victims with two fundraisers last month. The Stand Together As One concert on December 21 raised over $19,000 and Second Wave with ten bands on Boxing Day made over $2500. The monies go to five Rotary clubs in Tacloban, one of the cities most affected by the typhoon. • Steve Lucas is putting together a huge bill for Childwise, to be held at the Thornbury Theatre on Sunday March 23. The Thornbury is also hosting the Victorian launch on Friday February 21 of Save The Tarkine, a beautiful wilderness region in NW Tasmania. See tarkine.org • Grand WaZoo are rejoined by drummer Roby Corelli as a guest on shows this month, the Flying Saucer Club ( January 18) and Royal Hotel, Mornington ( January 26). • Magic 1278’s digital station The Buckle is shut down. The contemporary country music station launched in Melbourne on December 22, 2009 and was programmed by Magic’s Gary Hoffman. • A petition has begun for the corner of Ludlow and Rivington Streets in Manhattan, depicted on the cover of The Beastie Boys’ 1989 album Paul’s Boutique, to be renamed Beastie Boys Square. • Rumours that George Michael is about to retire are denied.
NYE RAVES STILL AROUSE ANGER Two raves have had authorities spitting about the behaviour of attendees and the volume of rubbish they left behind. As already covered in the mainstream media, Yarra Council is chasing up promoters of a rave held on NYE at Fitzroy’s Edinburgh Gardens. 15,000 turned up after it was promoted on social media, defying council rules banning amplified music, capping gatherings at 40 people, and no alcohol after 9pm. Twenty were injured, 14 were arrested, and the Council was left with a $30,000 clean-up bill. Nightclub promoter Jon Perring, who runs The Tote, Bar Open and Yah Yah’s, fired off a letter to the Council saying its refusal to allow bars to operate past 1am on NYE (because it was a Tuesday, not a weekend) had led to punters looking elsewhere, and that the Council needed to “partner with experienced licensed venues to provide the necessary cultural infrastructure.” In the meantime, 800 attended an illegal rave on the Murray River in Torrumbarry, in country Victoria. Campers complained that music boomed for three days, while ravers walked around in the nude and left syringes behind. Parks Victoria ranger Brooke Ryan told the Bendigo Advertiser, “I have never seen environmental vandalism like it. The lack of respect for other campers is very disappointing.” This was denied by festival organiser Christian Schumann who said none of these happened, and they left the site clean, and that ravers were made to feel unwelcome by other drunken campers. In Sydney, 8700 people to attend a rave at Wet and Wild water theme park were told six hours before its scheduled start time that it had to be moved to a club due to technical difficulties, according to promoter One Cube Entertainment. Turned out local council was concerned about security and traffic management. One Cube, which runs small club nights, is refunding $1 million.
HIATUS KAIYOTE NAMED AMONG BEST CONCERTS IN USA Melbourne’s Grammy nominated Hiatus Kaiyote had another honor bestowed upon them in America. The Wall Street Journal reckons that their Sunday August 11 show in New York’s Central Park (opening for José James and Shuggie Otis) was one of the ten best concerts in that country in 2013. It marvelled at how their set spanned neo-soul, electric jazz, flamenco and electronica (opera singer Ashley Grier joined them for a tune) and gave “a startling performance”. The Melbourne outfit was in good company: also in the list of great concerts were those by Paul McCartney, John Cale, Salif Keita, Neutral Milk Hotel, Darwin Deez, John Fullbright and Casual Sex.
WAGONS TO HOST COOKING SHOW Singer songwriter Henry Wagons and Melbourne TV chef Colin Magee of Everyday Gourmet fame are jointly hosting a new Ten Network cooking show. Keepers Of The Flame – The Ultimate BBQ will screen this month. “It could not have been more fun!” Wagons said of the taping. “I got to hang around BBQs, eat and talk about food, all the while being able to swan around in front of multiple cameras!”
BRUNO, RIHANNA, MOST PIRATED IN 2013 Bruno Mars and Rihanna were 2013’s most-pirated artists according to a new study. Their music was illegally downloaded five million times over 12 months. They beat Daft Punk and Justin Timberlake who were downloaded illegally four million times. The figures are from industry analysts Musicmetric who used data from pirating method Bit Torrent. The survey found that the 20 most-pirated artists were downloaded 64.5m times via BitTorrent throughout 2013. Beyonce made a landmark decision when she unexpectedly released an album without any fanfare and sold 900,000 in its first week. But she lost almost US$4 million worth of sales when 240,000 copies of the album were pirated in the first ten days. Other albums have been pirated faster. Last year Taylor Swift’s Red got downloaded 270,000 times in its first ten days, while Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 was pirated 336,000 times.
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REDFOO SUED OVER “SHUFFLIN’” PHRASE Redfoo and his LMFAO colleague Sky Blu are being sued by hip hop superstar Rick Ross and Jermaine Jackson. Ross reckons that the line “Everyday I’m shufflin’” from their 2010 hit Party Rock Anthem was nicked from his own “Everyday I’m hustlin’” from his 2006 hit Hustlin’. He contends the phrase was performed to sound like Ross, and cashing in on his success. Party Rock Anthem sold 7.5 million copies, and was used in films, TV, games and airline ads and the phrase was used to market their clothing line of that name.
NEW SIGNINGS #1: BIRD’S ROBE PACT WITH A LONELY CROWD Mike Solo's Sydney-based label Bird’s Robe Records signed Melbourne progressive rock band A Lonely Crowd. Its second album Transients, two-and-a-half years in the making, is out early 2014. Bird’s Robe roster includes sleepmakeswaves, The Red Paintings, Tangled Thoughts of Leaving, Toehider, Pirate, Dumbsaint, Solkyri, Anubis, Unitopia, The Nerve, 65daysofstatic (UK), Rosetta (US), Atlantis (NED) and Vampillia ( JPN)
NEW SIGNINGS #2: SCNDL GETS O/S RELEASE Leading purveyors of the Melbourne sound, SCNDL, aka Tom Grant & Adam Amuso, are to release their single 40 Thieves in America. The track, which drops in Australia this month, gets its US release through Miami-based Juicy Music. Set up by Robbie Rivera and Monica Olabarrieta, it focuses on Latin-influenced electro and progressive house music. Its roster includes David Guetta, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Stonebridge and Superchumbo. SCNDL’s earlier single Gypsy is dominating the Beatport chart and earning support from the likes of Porter Robinson and Dada Life.
NEW SIGNINGS #3: MY ECHO JOIN 123 Melbourne four-piece My Echo have joined 123 Agency. The act, which formed in 2011, joined Kingswood and Calling All Cars for some of their Life’s A Beach tour, and will release new music this year. Meantime, fellow 123 newbie, Stella Angelico sold out a four-week residency at The Toff In Town.
PETE TONG AWARDED MBE Club DJ and radio presenter Pete Tong was awarded an MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the UK’s 2014 New Year’s Honours. He was the first DJ to be lauded, and the only contemporary name on this year’s list. Said Tong: “I’m proud that it acknowledges a profession that I care about a great deal, and one that’s made a huge impact around the world.” Last June, Adele, Mike Batt, Janie Orr and PJ Harvey made the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
NEW SYDNEY VENUE The Roller Den opens on Friday March 7 as Sydney’s inner west’s latest music venue. With a 550-capacity and licensed till 8am it will showcase original live music and the alternative club scene. It includes a hip hop club Knowledge and indie night Common People. Booking agent for the venue is Laurie Mahon at laurie@kingdomsounds.com.au See therollerden.com.au.
PEARL JAM ACCOUNTANT STOLE $380,000 A former exec with Pearl Jam’s company, 55-year old Rickey Charles Goodrich, admitted he stole $380,000 from the band over four years. He was employed in 2005 as their accountant, and the following year became part of the management team, which gave him access to their tour and fan club funds. He’ll be sentenced on February 21. He faces six months in jail, having paid back $125,000. But the sentence could be extended to 14 months if he doesn’t pay back the rest of his ill-gotten gains.
CONSUME, NGV, CURATE FRIDAY NIGHTS Consume and Melbourne’s NGV are curating Friday Nights at Melbourne Now, beginning February 28. The free series sees sets by World’s End Press, Big Scary, Brighter Later and Hiatus Kaiyote. See ngv.vic.gov.au for full details. NVG director Tony Ellwood said, “Following 2013’s sell-out Friday Night sessions, the series will return to the NGV with a home-grown focus to celebrate Melbourne Now.” The exhibition, which celebrates the latest art, architecture and design will also be complemented with pop-up’ talks.
BANKRUPT PUB OWNER INVESTIGATED Bankrupt pub owner and accountant Michael Reardon is being investigated by the Fraud Squad over allegations he stole $3.5 million from his clients to prop up his hotel portfolio, The Sunday Age reported. His business collapsed owing $11.2 million. At his peak, Reardon owned live music venues as the Rising Sun in South Melbourne, Swallows in Port Melbourne, All Nations in Richmond and Carringbush Hotel in Abbotsford.
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LIFELINES LIFELINES Engaged: James Blunt, 36, and long-term galpal Sofia Wellesley, 29, granddaughter of the Duke of Wellington. Married: two revelers at Falls Lorne, Gig Mobianis and Styx Brathwate, were so excited at meeting that they held a mock wedding onsite a day later. Married: Editors singer Tom Smith and radio presenter and film critic Edith Bowman, in a secret ceremony, after an eight year courtship and two kids. Split: Ricky Martin and boyfriend of five years, Carlos Gonzalez, after drifting apart. Martin has five-year-old surrogate twins, Matteo and Valentino. Injured: a man at Origin Festival in Perth sneaked past security during A$AP Rocky’s set and climbed up the lighting rig and dangled off it before falling off. He had “serious but not life threatening” injuries. Injured: months after a knee transplant, Queen guitarist Brian May learned two torn discs were pressing on a nerve in his back, causing huge pain. Died: Northern Territory rock, country and gospel multi-instrumentalist and singer Kwementyaye Johnson, 50s, was killed by a road train near Tennant Creek. He was walking 30km back to town after his car hit a cow late at night. Died: Benjamin Curtis, 35, guitarist for US band School of Seven Bells, after a battle with Lymphoblastic Lymphona, a cancer of the blood. Died: Ricky “Lord Infamous” Dunigan, 40, founder of Three 6 Mafia, was found dead in his mother’s home in Memphis, of a heart attack. They were the first rap band to win an Oscar in 2006 for It’s Hard Out Here For A Pimp. Died: Phil Everly of The Every Brothers (Wake Up Little Susie, All I Have To Do Is Dream, Bye Bye Love), 74, from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease due to heavy smoking. Their blend of country, rock and folk forged a new sound which hit worldwide. Such was their influence that The Beatles called themselves “the English Everlys”, and Bob Dylan said, “We owe these guys everything. They started it all.” Died: Brit producer David Richards, 57. He ran Mountain Studios, Montreux, Switzerland, and worked with Queen, Bowie, Iggy and The Cribs. Died: US drummer Ricky Lawson, from a brain aneurysm suffered after a nightclub gig. A founding member of The Yellowjackets and co-writer of their Grammy Award-winning And You Know That, he also worked with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton and Lionel Richie. Died: Mazaradi Fox (born Jamal Green), 42, one time member of 50 Cent’s G-Unit, shot in the chest by masked gunman on streets of Queens, New York, who opened fire on his SUV. Three others in the vehicle also wounded. Died: Nicholas Sofer-Schreiber, 27, a member of Canberra’s punk music fraternity, was found dead at his home with multiple stabbing wounds. He contributed news reports to triple j’s punk show short. fast.loud, appeared in a video by Canberra band Revellers and turned up to every punk gig.
AIM OPEN DAY The Australian Institute of Music’s new campus in Melbourne (120 King St) opens its doors to the public for the first time, with its inaugural Melbourne Open Day on Saturday January 18. Potential students find out about the courses and degrees on offer, which are broken intro three departments: Composition & Music Production (Diploma and Bachelor), Entertainment Management (Bachelor) and Contemporary Performance (Diploma and Bachelor). Sydney AIM alumni as guitarist Sam Westphalen are among performers while Josh Kyle is the coordinator for Contemporary Performance. Darren Percival will lead a vocal workshop. Free workshops and masterclasses provide insights in A Day in the Life of a music producer and how to become a tour manager. Full details, aim.edu.au/events/2014/melbourne-open-day-2014. BEAT MAGAZINE PAGE 50