Australia: Titus Day Faces Fraud Charges, Melbourne Venues Get Lifeline

NSW Police – Artist manager Titus Day arrested

Artist Manager Titus Day Facing Fraud Charges

Artist manager Titus Day faces court in Sydney mid-July on 61 charges of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.

NSW police alleged he defrauded chart topping singer and The Voice Australia coach Guy Sebastian of more than A$1.15 million ($798, 675) over a seven-year period. According to Waverley Local Court magistrate Ross Hudson he withheld international royalties on 19 occasions and paid five times.

Day and Sebastian terminated their 12 year relationship November 2017. They counter-sued in Federal Court after. Sebastian claimed $200,000 ($138, 899) in unpaid royalties while Day insisted he was owed $800,000 ($599, 599) in fees.

“Inconsistencies in financial documentation and bank account records” were reported to South Sydney detectives June 3, and Day was arrested at his Bondi home July 1.

– Melbourne’s 170 Russell club

Melbourne Venues Get A$15m Lifeline

Live music venues in Melbourne and throughout the state of Victoria with a capacity of between 50 and 1,200 will get help to pay wages and basic business expenses.

The state government announced July 4 the A$15 million ($10.4 million) Victorian Live Music Venues Program to save grassroots clubs, which minister for creative industries Martin Foley called “the heart and soul” of Victoria’s A$1.7 billion live music industry.

In June a study by Music Victoria found that of the 55 small to medium venues that participated, 42% believe they will have to permanently close without government support or are not able to trade at full capacity by end of year.

The new funding came as an unexpected second surge of the virus in Victoria delayed the increase of attendance caps at music venues. The government’s tough move to close down 12 COVID hotspot suburbs forced the new drive-in concert venue, The Drive-In, to axe its inaugural July sessions. Two of ten shows, to 500 cars each, were sold out.

Arts Minister Harwin Gets Job Back

Don Harwin was reinstated as New South Wales (NSW) arts minister after his COVID-19 fine was overturned.

In April he quit Cabinet after being photographed at his holiday home on the state’s central coast. His main residence is in Sydney an hour away.

This contravened the state’s shut-down at the time when non-essential travel was banned and he was fined $1,000 ($694, 499).

But in a spectacular move July 3, the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions asked for the breach to be overturned arguing the orders did not specify staying in one residence.

The NSW police commissioner responded the original fine was justified but took no further action. In the last 12 months, Harwin pushed for more music festivals in regional areas, cut red tape to trigger more Sydney nighttime activity and shook up arts funding to benefit artists.