Australasia News: Paul Dainty Honored By Order Of Australia; Festival Act Under Scrutiny

ALL HAIL: Veteran promoter Paul Dainty, president of TEG Dainty, collected his Officer of the Order of Australia medal with his wife Donna at Governor House in Melbourne, presented in part for his organising the 10-hour Fire Fight benefit concert in Sydney in February, 2022. It raised nearly A$10 million for bushfire relief. (Photo courtesy of TEG Dainty)

AUSTRALIA

Paul Dainty Named Officer Of Order Of Australia

TEG Dainty President Paul Dainty was made an Officer (AO) of the Order of Australia medal, six years after he was appointed a Member (AM).

The latest honor was for ticket sales of 50 million over concerts, theatre and wrestling, and for producing Fire Fight at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium in February 2020. The 10-hour event before 75,000 included Queen, kd lang, John Farnham, Alice Cooper, Olivia Newton-John, Tina Arena, Delta Goodrem, Jessica Mauboy and Icehouse, raising near A$10 million (US$6.43 million) for bushfire victims, and drew 4.7 million TV viewers.

TEG Dainty’s international productions included “The Hugh Jackman Show,” five Rolling Stones 50th anniversary concerts, and “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical,” which is currently playing Australia and headlining the Oct. 1 National Rugby League grand final entertainment. She was the face of the code and her “Simply The Best” 1980s hit its theme song.

NSW To Review Unpopular 2019 Festivals Act

The New South Wales (NSW) Labor government plans to review the unpopular Music Festivals Act 2019, introduced by the previous regime after six patrons died of overdoses at various festivals during what was dubbed “a black summer.”

Arts minister John Graham said at the two-day Australian Festival Industry Conference in Sydney, “We’ll engage with the festival sector soon, but we’ll take our time, to do it properly.”

The Act had demanded stringent safety management for festivals arbitrarily deemed “high risk.” The sector held protest rallies, criticizing lack of consultation and protesting how the new rules escalated costs and had an adverse impact on financing, insurance and sponsorship.

Graham admitted, “The balance was wrong. That government led a direct attack on the sector, it was as much about punishing festivals.

“Of course we have to keep people safe. But we also have to ask the question, what more can we do to support music festivals in NSW?”

That support, he expanded, would be financial, and with NSW festivals playing a greater role in the state’s tourism and economic benefits.

Oztix Honored At BIGSOUND

Queensland-based ticketing agency Oztix was honored with the outstanding contribution to the music industry gong at Brisbane’s BIGSOUND conference/ showcase early September.

Event organizer QMusic’s president Natalie Strijland acknowledged “the incredible contribution of our two Queensland ticketing pioneers,” Brian “Smash” Chladil and Stuart Field, who set up operations in a suburban home 20 years ago.
By 2019, it was Australia’s largest independent ticketer, clicking over 3 million tickets a year.

This year it acquired rival Local Tickets, which had its base in regional areas. Oztix, now staffed by 50 located in a purpose-built headquarters, is working on 4,000 events at any one time, and expects to inject A$350 million ($225.1 million) into the Australian economy, said commercial director Seth Clancy.

More than 1,500 delegates met at BIGSOUND to hear 190 speakers and check out 150 showcasing export-ready acts.

NEW ZEALAND

Wellington Town Hall Getting Global Recording Studio

When the Wellington Town Hall re-opens 2025-26 after earthquake-strengthening renovations, it will be with a state-of-the-art recording studio in its basement as part of a national music centre.

Focusing globally on classical music and Hollywood film soundtracks, it will be the only dedicated studio in the country large enough to record the entire New Zealand Symphony Orchestra (NZSO).

The Victorian-era Town Hall already has a reputation for superb sound quality.

Filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson, who donated NZ$2 million ($1.18 million) towards the studio’s estimated NZ$30 million ($17.7 million) cost, revealed that when engineers of Abbey Road Studios came out from London 12 years ago to work with the NZSO on “The Hobbit” soundtrack, they declared it one of the best acoustic spaces they had ever encountered.

“The (pre-mic) Town Hall was built as a live performance venue with the sound of every voice and instrument bouncing perfectly from wall to wall.”

The studio is part of a strategy to make New Zealand a one-stop destination for global filmmaking talent, whether it’s acting and directing, visual effects or film scoring.