Australia: Michael Gudinski Denies AEG Takeover, RHCP Grosses $30M

Veteran Australian concert promoter and Mushroom Group of Companies CEO Michael Gudinski denied media speculation that AEG Presents made a US$75 million bid for his company. 

The two companies have a touring partnership in Australia. 

“Be assured that rumors that I’m selling Mushroom Group are absolutely incorrect,” Gudinski says. “And the fact that anyone thinks I would sell Mushroom Group has me thinking I should book the rumor-mongers for a Frontier Comedy tour because it’s so laughable.” 

Mushroom Group’s 20 companies includes record labels, publishing, merchandising and artist management. The live component includes Frontier Touring (which ranked No. 7 globally on Pollstar’s 2018 year end top promoters chart based on reported ticket sales), Frontier Comedy, Good Life Presents, booking agencies Premier Artists and Harbour Agency, I OH YOU Illusive Presents, Mushroom Events, Roundhouse (which runs the A Day On The Green winery shows) and the Sugar Mountain festival. 

AEG also has a joint venture with Australian venue operator Ogden, which includes Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, the Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Perth Arena, Brisbane Entertainment Centre and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

The New Zealand government is cracking down on ticket scalping, prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced. 

“Measures planned include a price cap on resale tickets, enforcing rules around information that needs to be disclosed to better inform consumers, and banning ticket-buying ‘bots’,” she revealed at a media conference March 4.

Government figures show ticket resale mark-ups on music and sporting events as high as 205% and the Commerce Commission received over 400 complaints since 2017 about Viagogo alone. Under current law, tickets can be resold for a higher price except for an event designated a major event by the government.  These have never applied to concerts, only sporting events. Public feedback is open to April 18.

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ first headline tour in 12 years grossed nearly A$30 million (US$21.2 million) after selling over 200,000 tix, Live Nation Australia revealed. The final date of the 10-show run February 17—March 5, at Perth’s HBF Park Stadium set a new attendance record of 32,932. It eclipsed the 32,000 ticket sales previously held by Ed Sheeran and prior to that the 31,997 sales for Foo Fighters in 2015.

Eminem’s legal dispute with New Zealand’s National Party over its use of a “Lose Yourself” soundalike for its 2014 election campaign, is heading back to court. His publisher Eight Mile Style filed an appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn a December decision to reduce the compensation amount. A judge drove down the figure to NZ $225,000 ($153,015) from the original $600,000 ($408,041).

Australian actor-singer Hugh Jackman’s The Man. The Music. The Show. in August proves strong business for TEG Dainty. Initial 13 shows ballooned to 27 with Jackson and an orchestra performing songs from The Greatest Showman, Les Misérables and more Broadway and film selections. 

He does six dates each at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and Brisbane Entertainment Centre, five each at Adelaide Entertainment Centre and Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, and three at Perth’s RAC Arena.

Metallica’s Worldwired Tour extends to six shows Down Under, with Slipknot opening. Live Nation has them at five stadiums Oct. 17-29, their first Aussie dates since 2013. The trek wraps in Auckland’s Mt. Smart Stadium (31), their first in New Zealand since 2010. 

The NZ tour announcement saw prime minister Jacinda Ardern surprise 12-year old Metallica fan William Bush who last year generated near 7,000 signatures on a Change.org page urging the band to visit. Arden, a Metallica fan, told Bush, “I am reliably told that your petition actually made a real difference to Metallica and the promoters. I think it shows the power of a petition, so thank you for what you’ve done!”

French-born Melbourne-based live music activist and globally renowned photographer Serge Thomann received the Chevalier (Knight) de l’Ordre national du Mérite for distinguished services to the city’s French community. 

Thomann also worked effectively for live music fans. As deputy mayor of City of Port Phillip, he spearheaded the push to raise A$30 million (US$21.2 million) to restore and reopen the Palais Theatre in bayside St. Kilda (now operated by Live Nation) and worked at reducing red tape affecting live music venues.