Aussie News 5/22

Budget Boost For Touring

In the May 11 budget, the Australian government increased its funding of the Contemporary Music Touring Program, providing A$400,000 to continue for another year.

It allows emerging acts to play regional areas that normally get few live shows.

Arts Minister Peter Garrett also provided $260,000 over three years for CONTROL: The Business of Music Management. That is an intensive training program to improve the business skills of music industry managers.

Some music sectors were annoyed that film companies continue to get a rebate of 15 percent of their costs.

It is something that the music biz has been lobbying for to attract more private investment.
 

Higher fees for gyms

Gyms now have to pay more so that their members can work out to original music.

The Copyright Tribunal announced May 17 that it agreed with record companies that their artists were not paid enough.
Gyms now have pay $1 per attendee or $15 per class.

Previously they were charged 96.8 cents a class, with a cap of $2654 a year.
Fitness Australia said this represented a 1,500 percent rise, and other gyms suggested they’d consider using other kinds of music.

Short Notes

While the Splendour In The Grass festival celebrated 30,000 tickets disappearing in five hours, promoter Jessica Ducrou was insistent that the festival would return to Byron Bay from its temporary home of Woodfordia.

The festival is awaiting council approval to stage it at its new 250 hectare Parklands site in 2011. But local environmental and residential group Conservation of North Ocean Shores has released a report that the move would see the loss of native animals, the arrival of pests including rats and cane toads, and the introduction of chemicals in the water supply.

Metallica’s tour through Michael Coppel Presents has now shifted 215,000 tickets in Australia. Meanwhile, Air New Zealand will fly 120 fans from Christchurch to the sold-out date in Auckland for the cost of NZ$1 each.

Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson’s latest addition to the Vivid festival they are curating in Sydney is a “high-frequency concert” designed for dogs. The June 5 show is near the Opera House.

LG Electronics signed on to become sponsor of Roundhouse Entertainment’s A Day On The Green winery concert series for the next three years.

Music venues should hand out ear plugs and put up warning signs where music is loud enough to cause hearing loss, recommends a Senate committee to the Health Department.

The Seven Network fired off an angry letter to the NSW Police Commissioner that media be allowed to practise their trade in public places.

Two TV cameramen were arrested at the canceled Justin Bieber Sydney show when 4,000 little kids threatened to riot.
The two were arrested for not “moving on” when told to by police, and then released.