Australasia News: Managers Honored; Call For Aussie Opening Acts; ASM Global Extends Deal; NZ: MusicHelps Success

AUSTRALIA

Tame Impala, Teskey Brothers Managers Honored

Managers of global success stories Tame Impala and Teskey Brothers were among those honored at the Association Of Artist Managers awards in Sydney.

Jeremy Furze of Applejack Music took manager of the year for his work with blues-rock outfit Teskey Brothers whose last album debuted at No. 1 in Australia.

In the last 12 months, the band increased its Instagram following by 1 million, and sold 12,000 tickets in Amsterdam, 6,000 in Los Angeles and 5,000 in London.

Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker hailed Jodie Regan of Spinning Top Music as “a person of unparalleled passion and guts (which) makes me feel ready and excited to take on the world as we regularly do,” when she took the legacy award.

Other honorees were Megan Rasmussen and Harry White of Future Classic (breakthrough), consultant and strategist Kerry Kennell (community engagement), Lorrae McKenna of Our Golden Friend (patron’s gift) and Hayley-Jane Ayres of 360 Artist Logistics (lighthouse award).

Call For Compulsory Aussie Opening Acts

In the wake of SZA, Taylor Swift and Niall Horan tours which included no Australian opening acts, the Association Of Artist Managers called for the reintroduction of the 2000s voluntary code which makes it compulsory for local acts to open.

The 300-member body named it Michael’s Rule, after the late Michael McMartin pressed for its return during his acceptance speech when given the legacy gong during the 2023 AAM awards.

He helped draw up the code. Michael’s Rule also wants Aussie acts put on the same stage as headliners “using reasonable sound and lighting” and announced at the same time as the tour to benefit from marketing and promotion.

ASM Global Extends ICC Sydney Deal

ASM Global extended its contract to operate International Convention Centre Sydney for another 10 years of its 25-year Public Private Partnership with the Darling Harbour Live consortium and NSW government.

It beat its target to deliver A$5 billion ($3.3 billion) in the 25 years by reaching A$3.9 billion ($2.5 billion) in seven years, with 3,665 events to 6.4 million attendees (including for concerts at its theatre) since opening in December 2016.

ASM Global APAC chairman and CEO Harvey Lister said, “The bold aspiration was for ICC Sydney to be one of our signature convention, exhibition and entertainment centers” while ICC Sydney CEO Geoff Donaghy noted it contributed to 7.22 million hotel room nights, created 21,395 jobs and spent $370 million ($244.6 million) with suppliers, with $65 million ($42.9 million) with food and beverage suppliers.

Brisbane’s Zoo Unplugs After 32 Years

One of Brisbane’s best music venues, The Zoo, is shuttering July 8 after 32 years. Owner Shane Chidgzey posted that while ticket sales hit a record high in 2023, it wasn’t enough to counter “rising operational costs and decreasing returns.”

Its closure turned the spotlight on the struggles of other Queensland venues.
At Mo’s Desert Clubhouse, pre-sales were down 75% with a 20% no-show rate, and operational costs up 150% to 200% the last year.

Sol Bar had weekly revenue down 20%, sometimes 40%, with public liability premium now A$211,000 ($139,525) from A$35,000 ($23,143) in 2019.

Elixir Music House’s attendance dipped 30% to 40% over 18 months.

NEW ZEALAND

Another Successful Music T-Shirt Day

In its sixth year, the New Zealand Music T-Shirt Day on May 3 proved to be successful as a fundraiser for the MusicHelps charity.

The initiative, as part of New Zealand Music Month, gets the music industry and fans to donate while marking the day by wearing a NZ music T-shirt.

This year more than 100 fundraisers booked in, raising NZ$24,141 ($14,499) in the first two days.

MusicHelps, with Lorde and Crowded House’s Neil Finn as patrons, supports hundreds of projects as music therapy, music programs in respite and palliative care, music education programs, programs in prisons and aged care, and financial support for music workers in strife.