Down Under: Australian Election, UNIFIED Management, Eminem Vs. NZ National Party & More

Australia’s live music sector is, in the wake of the May 18 federal election, looking ahead at more live music initiatives. The incumbent Liberal Nations coalition which returned to power with a wider majority, had been toting a A$30.9 million (US$21.2 million) Australian Music Industry Package.

The four-year funding includes $22 million ($15 million) for venues to increase gigs by helping with artist fees and building upgrades, $2.1 million ($1.4 million) to mentor female artists, $2.7 million ($1.8 million) for a tour and recording program for First Nations musicians, $2 million ($1.3 million) to increase performance opportunities, over $100 million ($68.6 million) for music associations and projects, and $1.6 million ($1 million) for export body Sounds Australia to capitalise on emerging markets in Asia.

Major opposition party Labor had presented a far more expansive music program that included a national strategy to attack online ticket scalping, more hubs, greater financial support for festivals and funding the Association of Artist Managers to increase the skills of emerging talent managers.

Evelyn Richardson, head of Live Performance Australia, acknowledged the government’s package helped contemporary music but not other live performance sectors. 

Dean Ormston, chief executive of music rights association APRA AMCOS said the package “recognises the importance of live music” and that the funding of Sounds Australia was a nod to “the enormous potential of Australian music exports and music is used by leading nations to project their image to the world.”

UNIFIED Music Group’s founder and CEO Jaddan Comerford made changes to its artist management division. Its 28 clients include Vance Joy, Tash Sultana (for the Americas), The Amity Affliction, Violent Soho and Ocean Alley, Nina Las Vegas, Illy and REMI, and The Kite String Tangle.

Comerford promoted his assistant of two years, Ashleigh Hills, to co-run the division with him. He also hired two additional managers.  

Sarah McMillan spent ten years at Michael Gudinski’s Mushroom Group, starting at it’s Day On The Green winery shows and then at its Premier Artists agency. 

McMillan brought punk outfit Slowly Slowly and power trio Batpiss to UNIFIED. Lauren Poulter, who ran her own management firm, brought across garage punk Bloods and also takes on day-to-day duties for globally recognized Joy who is managed by Jaddan and Rachel Comerford. 

The division also signed Melbourne pop act Essie Holt, to be repped by Eddie Deal, who also handles the careers of punk band Trophy Eyes and its singer John Floreani, and sibling duo CLEWS.

New Zealand’s Supreme Court rejected a bid by Eminem’s music publishers Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated to increase payment from the National Party.

In a long-running court case, the companies successfully established a copyright breach when the party used a “Lose Yourself” soundalike track for its 2014 election campaign. In 2017 a court awarded the publishers NZ$600,000 (US$391,197) in damages.

The Court of Appeal reduced the amount to $225,000, ($146,699) at which the companies made its unsuccessful bid for the Supreme Court to reinstate the original figure. 

But the court ruled it was “not persuaded that they are matters of public importance or general commercial significance that would justify a further appeal,” and further ordered them to pay the National Party’s court costs of $4,500 ($2933).

Eventbrite Asia Pacific, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, entered a multi-year ticketing deal with Andrew McManus’ One World Entertainment covering Australia and New Zealand. One World has eleven shows with KISS Nov. 19 to Dec. 3 and a 20-date Kris Kristofferson run Sept. 10 to Oct. 10. 

The deal also includes One World’s two festival brands, the 10-date Under The Southern Stars for next April and a soon-to-be-announced Love Songs In The Park to stage six shows over November. McManus commented on the partnership: “In our search for a ticketing partner that would help us re-evolve whilst remaining independent, Eventbrite quickly emerged as the obvious choice.”

Under GM Phil Silverstone, Eventbrite Asia Pacific has this year signed Origin Fields festival and renewed deals with Novel and 100% Entertainment, and opened localized platforms in Hong Kong and Singapore, bringing its staff level to 40. 

“Eventbrite has processed more than 64 million tickets and powered more than 1.1 million events in the Asia Pacific region since 2012,” Silverstone told Pollstar.

In its first year since opening January 2018, the 60,000 seat Optus Stadium in Perth announced it drew a total attendance of 2 million for sports and entertainment events (among them Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift), of which 120,000 were from outside the city.

However The West Australian reported May 13 that budget figures showed a A$16.8 million (US$11.5 million) blowout over three years to be picked up by the state’s taxpayers. 

The stadium will make additional revenue of $37.7 million ($25.8 million) over three years but with an increased expenditure of $54.5 million ($37.4 million).

A spokesperson for operator VenuesWest told the paper the budget had been compiled before the stadium became operational, and “the increased costs reflect increased commercial and marketing activities, additional staffing, events and operations expenses, utilities and transport costs.”