Live Music Debate At Big Sound

The health of the live music scene was a topic debated at the Big Sound summit, held in Brisbane Sept 9-11.

Panel members discussing whether the festival bubble had burst were emphatic that festivals sell out quicker than ever before and are increasingly seen as places where managers and agents can break new acts.

In his keynote, Gold Village Entertainment’s Danny Goldberg admitted that his star-studded career was based on “bumping into geniuses” and never accepting they had any flaws.

TalentWorks’ Glenn Wheatley challenged the 460 attendees to take risks, embrace technology and be wary of all financial advice – a blunder that saw him serve a 15-month jail stretch last year for tax evasion.

The International Music Managers Forum also delivered an anecdote-packed, often hilarious panel of do’s and don’ts after its board meeting in Brisbane.

Andy Kelly and Andy Cassell of Sydney-based Winterman & Goldstein admitted that past and present clients including Jet, The Vines and Empire of the Sun “had great songs but there was always an element of luck that helped them break globally.”