Features
Australia: Sheeran’s Million Fans, G’Day SXSW, The Late Rob Potts Honored
Can 1 Million Ed Sheeran Fans Be Wrong?
On the eve of Ed Sheeran’s first of three shows at Perth’s new Optus Stadium March 2, Frontier Touring announced that the 18-stadium trek through seven cities in Australia and New Zealand sold 1 million tickets, making it the largest ever in one tour. It broke the previous record set in 1986 by Dire Straits with 950,000.
John Salangsang / Invision / AP – Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran makes a stop at KIIS FM Jingle Ball at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Dec. 1.
Promoter Michael Gudinski said, “Frontier has toured some of the biggest names in music, including Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Paul McCartney, and The Rolling Stones, but I’ve never seen a tour like Ed’s. To sell one million tickets is simply phenomenal.”
Frontier began building Sheeran up from theatre dates as a relative unknown. Gudinski added, “Since I’ve gotten to know Ed I’ve discovered his fondness for breaking records and I can absolutely say he’s smashed this one out of the park. I’m very proud Frontier Touring has been a big part of it.”
Sheeran, at a media call, said it was “odd that one in 23 (Australians) were coming” to the tour. In Dunedin, New Zealand, three shows at Forsyth Barr Stadium sold the equivalent of the city’s population. During his first show, he told the crowd of 60,000, “Regardless of what you might think, this is the first full stadium tour I have ever been on.”
The tour also set a new record in four venues for most amount of shows in a single tour, and another one for cumulative attendance on one tour at five venues.
The Australian government has extended its long time G’Day USA trade and culture initiative to SXSW this year.
– SXSW 2017
The live music component is curated by export body Sounds Australia, which this year is holding three of its signature Aussie BBQ covering 24 acts such as Gangs of Youth, Ruby Boots,
Sounds Australia also tapped Queensland digital company Nightlife Music to play 600 tracks and videos by 350 acts through its crowdDJ app. Invented in Australia, it allows venue patrons to choose the music they want to hear and adds to the ambience of the business. Since it launched March 2016 it has been licensed by 1200 venues, just entered the U.K. market and will be showcased in Australia House in the wake of interest in the U.S. and globally.
Late Country Promoter Rob Potts Honoured
The late country music promoter Rob Potts, who died in a motorcycle accident last year, has been honoured permanently by the CMC (Country Music Channel) awards. The March 15 event in Sydney has renamed its New Artist of the Year category The Rob Potts Tribute/CMC New Artist of Year. The channel said, “Alongside CMC and Chugg Entertainment, Potts co-founded CMC Rocks Festival and ran Rob Potts Entertainment Edge, which continues to tour some of the world’s biggest country artists.”
– Rob Potts
Alongside major Australian names as Lee Kernaghan, The McClymonts. Travis Collins, and Amber Lawrence, acts from the U.S. appearing on the awards are Darius Rucker, Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion, and Brothers Osborne.