Australia: TEG, Kylie, Fleetwood Mac

A restructure at Sydney-based Asia Pacific ticketing, live entertainment and data analytics company TEG results in a promotion for Cameron Hoy, managing director of its Ticketek division for the past eleven years. 

Hoy becomes TEG’s chief operating officer and head of ticketing, overseeing the unified ticketing, technology, client services, e-commerce, marketing and product innovation teams.

TEG CEO Geoff Jones said the reorganisation will “ensure TEG becomes even more dynamic in an environment where the live economy is experiencing rapid changes in the way customers want to search for, buy and redeem tickets.”  Hoy commented,  “There has never been a more exciting time to be in ticketing and technology. 

We have seen more change in the past three years than the previous 30 and ticketing has expanded its importance in the value chain of the live economy. TEG is leading that change.” The company is in the process of hiring a chief technology officer of TEG and general manager for Ticketek Australia.

Artists including Olivia Newton-John, Kylie Minogue and Human Nature and live music executives and were among 1,000 Aussies honored with a second Order of Australia medal on Jan. 26’s Australia Day. 

Newton-John, already an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) is now also a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for her work for cancer research and well-being, including setting up a research hospital in Melbourne.

Minogue is now an Officer, of the Order of Australia for her work with cancer. The four members of US-based Human Nature were gonged with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for their support with well-being, cancer, children’s hospitals and disadvantaged youth in Australia and AIDS and cancer research in the US.

The list included promoters and studio owners Quincy McLean and Helen Marcou whose Save Live Australian Music association initiated reforms to protect venues; Robert O’Keefe, inaugural GM of Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre; festival artistic directors Ignatius Jones and Adrian Jackson; John Barrington, chair of the Perth International Arts Festival; Thomas MacGuire, president of the Australian Hotels Association Queensland; country music producer Garth Porter; Jon Nicholls, executive producer of the live music Helpmann Awards; musicals publicist Ellen O’Shea; and Universal Music Australia’s GM of Classics and Jazz, Cyrus Meher-Homji. 

Hip-hop artist and youth mentor Baker Boy was crowned Young Australian of the Year.

25 patrons of three festivals held in Sydney over the January 26 and 27 Australia Day weekend ended in hospital. With temperatures expected to hit 40ºc, the government had arranged for extra critical care staff and heavy police security. 

Over half were treated on-site at the Hardcore Til I Die, Rolling Loud and Electric Gardens festivals. NSW health minister Brad Hazzard told reporters Jan. 28, “I believe six of those … had tubes down their throat to assist their breathing.” Almost all were expected to recover. One remained on life support after a suspected drug overdose. Seventy six from all three events face charges for supplying, including a 17-year-old allegedly found with 579 capsules.

At the four-day Rainbow Serpent festival in Victoria  six were hospitalized with suspected drug overdoses. A 19-year old woman died en route in a car accident while four were injured when a truck rolled 20 meters down an embankment.

Live Nation added four additional shows for Fleetwood Mac’s August visit, citing “exceptional demand”. This brings the total to 10 shows in Australia. In New Zealand, a third Auckland date was added for mid-September at Spark Arena. The act also plays Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium to round off the visit.

The New South Wales (NSW) government unveiled a A$3 million (US$2.15 million) government package aimed at stimulating the night-time economy. Its two main elements are to increase live music events and new trading arrangements to enable businesses to thrive. A one-off $500,000 ($359, 927) grants program for seven Sydney-based precincts aims to help individuals and organisations run street festivals, events, arts and entertainment. 

A new type of pop-up liquor licence will be trialed in the precincts in March to diversify night-time offerings. An expert advisory panel will be established will look at ways to snip red tape and stimulate ways to begin businesses.  A one-off $1 million ($719, 739) Music Now funding package will support the staging of contemporary acts and increase participation in live music events across the state.

Perth’s RAC Arena and Hyundai Motor Company Australia struck a multi-year partnership, making Hyundai the venue’s first official motor vehicle partner. 

The South Korean’s firm first entered the Australian market in 1986 and now its third highest selling auto brand. RAC Arena general manager Michael Scott said  ts range of models “perfectly matched to the huge diversity of events at RAC Arena.” 

Having just launched an electric car model in the local market, Hyundai will install electric car charging stations in the venue’s carpark as part of the partnership.