IMPACT INTERNATIONAL: Australia/New Zealand Impact Honorees

G’DAY & WELCOME!
TO POLLSTAR & VENUESNOW’S INAUGURAL IMPACT INTERNATIONAL
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND SPECIAL ISSUE

This is our way of shining a light on one of the healthiest live sectors in the world—in addition to our weekly coverage on this thriving and dynamic market.

The choice of 10 outstanding individuals (as well as five Aus/NZ NextGen honorees and five Venue honorees in VenuesNow) is not only based on Pollstar Boxoffice data. It is about those who led with innovation and technology towards heightening excellence and fan engagement and experiences.

These honorees have a shared commitment of uplifting an entire sector and tirelessly work worth trade associations and lobbying groups to give it a voice especially with government and corporate influencers. They also have a strong sense of social justice to make the industry a fairer and better place to work in.

In the 2024 list we also acknowledge the strength and perseverance of some who are celebrating various anniversaries of their input. Congratulations to all!

Pollstar X VenuesNow 2024 Australia/New Zealand Impact Honorees

DION BRANT
CEO | FRONTIER TOURING

Having played an instrumental role in negotiating Frontier’s strategic joint ventures with AEG Presents and Chugg Entertainment, and steering the business through COVID, Dion Brant easily took the helm of the concert division after founder Michael Gudinski’s passing in March 2021.

In the last financial year, Frontier did 112 shows, the most notable being Taylor Swift, who played among her biggest crowds on the “Eras Tour,” while acts like Paramore, Gracie Abrams and Teddy Swims built up their audiences.

For Brant, a personal thrill was combining with long-time friend Barrie Marshall of Marshall Arts to tour Paul McCartney.

“In the last 12 months, the Frontier team is really stable, deeply passionate, all on the same page now, delivering the best outcome. As the leader of this business, the thing that excites me is the development of our people and they’re getting better and better. We’re in a great place as a team.”

MICHAEL COPPEL
PRESIDENT / LIVE NATION AUSTRALASIA

Since Live Nation acquired Michael Coppel Presents in 2012, under Coppel’s headship LN’s acquired eight promoters, six venues and four festivals.

“Staying the course after four decades in this business,” he says of his personal contribution, “all I’m trying to do is to enhance the business that we’re in. I’m on the Live Performance Australia executive council, I’ve tried to foster close ties with my competitors.”

Creating the most high quality productions will “put Australia firmly in the major Top 3 markets in the world for live performers to come and visit.”

P!NK’s April 2024 take of 975,000 tickets over 20 stadiums on her “Summer Carnival Tour” became the second biggest tour of all time Down Under after Ed Sheeran’s 1.35 million tickets on his 2018 “Divide Tour.”

Strong sales also registered for blink-182, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and K-pop acts with impressive showings for Coldplay, Pearl Jam, Travis Scott, Crowded House, The Amity Affliction and Amy Shark.

BRENT ECCLES
CO-FOUNDER | ECCLES ENTERTAINMENT

Brent Eccles, Pollstar’s No. 1 global promoter for Q1 2021 in pandemic-free Aotearoa (New Zealand), celebrated his 50th anniversary in the biz in 2024 with one of his strongest touring years.

Onetime Pollstar cover artist SIX60, one of 30 acts Eccles Entertainment represents, saw a 24-date run in Aotearoa snapped up in minutes, and took highest-selling artist honors at the May 30 Aotearoa Music Awards.

There were strong numbers for country singer-songwriter Kaylee Bell and rock band Dragon’s 50th anniversary, and forthcoming spring dates for Troy Kingi and Shihad singer Jon Toogood’s 20 solo shows.

“I like to see my major contribution is encouraging NZ acts to tour,” he explained. “I like putting revenues through the venues, money in bands’ pockets, and people realizing that local music really has value.”

After a five-year stint as president of the NZ Promoters Association, Eccles stepped down this year.

JEREMY FURZE
FOUNDER | APPLEJACK MUSIC

The Association of Artist Managers 2024 award for manager of the year went to Jeremy Furze, acknowledging how his life-family-health approach to touring helped blues-roots band The Teskey Brothers be named top songwriters of the year, their album The Winding Way debut at the top spot, and tick over 1 million Instagram fans.

Eight visits to North America and seven to Europe/UK triggered strong sales, including 6,000 tickets in Los Angeles, with an upcoming run already selling out 15,000 in London and 12,000 in Amsterdam.

Furze mentors young managers, too, and is known to open his office door to artists for career advice.

He says, “The Teskeys’ success story is an inspiration for other Australian artists, because it’s a slightly different pathway. We run shows at my Bridge Hotel for new acts, and my Town Folk festival, which in its fourth year is expected to reach 4,000, presents folk, blues and soul presented in a cool way for young audiences.”

GEOFF JONES
GROUP CEO | TEG

Topping Pollstar’s Australia/New Zealand Promoters chart with a $151.8 million gross and 1.77 million tickets sold, TEG continued to generate more sports and family events in the United States, arena runs in the United Kingdom including a 30-date tour with Girls Aloud, and more opportunities in Asia.

Geoff Jones cites TEG’s biggest highs in 2024 as British producer Fred again.. ’s guerrilla run of 224,091 tickets (with Handsome Tours and Astral People), a six-city run of the Laneway festival that exceeded a 130,000 draw, and DJ Fisher’s inaugural Out2Lunch on the iconic Coolangatta Beach which drew 30,000 and generated A$50 million ($32.8 million) for the local economy.

As group CEO, Jones saw his role as keeping his team focused on the plan without being distracted by consumer anxiety and cost of business up 30% to 40% post-COVID, “but above all, we give our promoters the confidence and the backing they need to be innovators in a highly competitive field.”

PETER NOBLE
CHAIRMAN | BLUESFEST ENTERPRISES

Peter Noble doesn’t shy away from using Bluesfest Byron Bay’s multi-tourism award wins and multi-million dollar boosts to economies to fight for a better deal for independent festivals.

“This year marks my 60th year in the business,” Noble imparts. “I feel a great responsibility and love for the industry that’s given me my life.”

With 2,600 workers and artists paid on-site this year, Noble’s argument is that big-employer firms get government funding, especially with cost of living seeing attendance figures down. In 2024, Bluesfest had 70,000 attendees instead of its long-time 100,000.

“We need to find ways to get through these times, change and stay commercially relevant.”
Noble’s current discussions with government reveals that their initiatives from two years ago to kick-start the sector need review “as they’re outdated because the industry has changed.

Unfortunately, at press time, Noble had announced 2025’s Byron Bay Bluesfest would be its last, without citing specific reasons.

MICHAEL TUCKER
CEO | LOOP

Michael Tucker gets kudos for how Loop Music Group runs as a record label, publisher, promoter and booking agency – with options for artists to choose full service or a la carte.

Also inspiring is how reggae-electro outfit L.A.B, which he manages, can instantly sell 45,000 tickets for a handful of dates in January 2025 (40% through Afterpay), have regular multi-wins at awards, and one of the most streamed NZ acts with 600 million globally.

“We set legitimate goals to new acts,” Tucker says, “about finding their own path, playing arenas and being successful enough to do it full-time, and feed off publishing and merchandising income.”

L.A.B sold 300,000 tickets domestically and worldwide, with five U.S. trips and one to Europe. A 20-stop tour of the U.S. in March 2025 ends with two shows in Hawaii, their biggest American market.

Tucker is also vice president of the NZ Promoters Association and on the board of Independent Music NZ.

STEPHEN WADE
CO-FOUNDER| SELECT MUSIC AGENCY

Sydney-based Select Music, which Stephen Wade co-founded 2005, is strong on artist development. Examples from his 250-strong roster are the globally recogniszd RÜFÜS DU SOL, The Teskey Brothers, Lime Cordiale, Ball Park Music and Amity Affliction.

New names The Ryans, Teenage Dads, Pacific Avenue, Old Mervs and Kelly Holiday recently hit sellout status and/or climbed to bigger venues.

“It’s never been more difficult in developing acts than in the last 12 months, but Select Music has been bucking the trend,” Wade said.

Determined to change live sector culture, 13 of his 17 staff are women, he works to ensure mental health, donated $1 from each ticket to address “most pressing social and environmental issues” through social impact platform PLUS1, and used his previous position as founding chair of the Australian Live Music Business Council to lobby governments about post-COVID solutions and to prioritize the survival of grassroots music venues.

ANDREW WHITE
GENERAL MANAGER | UNTITLED GROUP

Andrew White’s arrival at Untitled Group in April 2023, after stints at Live Nation and LA-based Three Six Zero management, gave Australia’s biggest independent promoter a greater boost to its 597.4% growth average over three years.

It sold nearly 500,000 tickets in the last summer season with a $49.9 million turnover, with new attendance peaks for its brands including flagship Beyond The Valley.

White expands, “But also in our focus towards consolidated and consistent goals, I’ve witnessed incredible camaraderie among our (70-strong) team during particularly challenging periods.”

Citing U.S. business motivator Simon Sinek’s creed, “Great companies don’t hire skilled people and motivate them; they hire already motivated people and inspire them,” White explains his main goal is to create the most inspirational work culture.

“I’ve focused on defining and clearly articulating our company purpose, vision,
values and strategic objectives. These elements define who we are, what we do, and why we do it.”