Down Under: Fortitude Music Hall, Live Nation & NAB, Executive Changes & More

One of the most anticipated club openings in Brisbane, the 3,300-capacity Fortitude Music Hall, is set for July 26. 

The club, in the entertainment precinct of Fortitude Valley, has Live Nation as a minor partner. 

The venue’s A-team is festival promoter Secret Sounds, former Powderfinger bassist John Collins and multi-millionaire builder Scott Hutchinson of Hutchinson Builders, which opened the Triffid club 2014. 

Hutchinson mooted the Fortitude Music Hall when the iconic 4,000-seat Festival Hall was turned into an apartment block and stumped up much of the $43 million (US$29.7 million) costs.

The opening night will feature Ball Park Music, DZ Deathrays and Tia Gostelow, with guest appearances from the city’s luminaries as former Powderfinger members Bernard Fanning and Ian Haug, Patience Hodgson of The Grates, Dave McCormack of Custard and modern day drawcards Thelma Plum, Busby Marou, Sahara Beck and Jeremy Neale. 

Collins tells Pollstar the Music Hall will also host comedy, awards and gala dinners. The main room can be configured from 1,200 to 2,000, with an upstairs bar for 300. 

“We can build up an act from the start, also factoring in the Triffid which holds 800. Developing acts is one priority, ” Head booker Mark Gibbon, he adds, was chosen for his skill in booking different sized spaces simultaneously, Century Venues’ Sydney-based Enmore, Metro and Factory Theatres.

Live Nation extended its deal with NAB (National Australia Bank) to provide fan experience for customers. 

The deal, first struck 2015, included tour sponsorships with Pop-up Globe and Mister Maker. 

Roger Field, LN Australia’s CEO said: “We have been able to help them deliver a program that recognises customers for their loyalty by giving them exclusive access to live experiences not just in music, but also across our growing family entertainment and comedy segments.”

Paul Sergeant has returned to venue operator AEG Ogden for a third stint, as director of special projects. His first turn was as GM of Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane and later CEO of Sydney’s Allphones Arena (now Qudos Bank Arena). 

After a time as CEO of Melbourne’s Etihad Stadium (now Marvel Stadium) Sergeant set up his own Paul Sergeant Events to tour niche events. 

The company wound up March 2019, after he was unable to raise further funding the Melbourne Age reported. Sergeant’s early executive roles at London’s Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena and Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales saw him awarded the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2007

Promoter Andrew Perumalla has joined independent Australian and New Zealand tour company Destroy All Lines on a full-time basis. He had earlier brought out acts as Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Bill Murray, Jan Vogler and Friends, At The Drive In, Thievery Corporation, Orbital and Kesha. 

Wollongong, NSW’s Yours & Owls, which stages the 20,000-drawing Yours and Owls and boutique Farmer and The Owl festivals, tapped head of partnerships Scarlett Black to head its new sponsorship division Pop. 

Black told Pollstar the potential for growth was huge: “Australian festivals really are leading the pack in the sponsorship world and I am a big fan of what is happening here.”

Ticketmaster is making the 2,000-seat Marriner Group-owned The Forum in Melbourne into Australia’s first venue to adopt a fully mobile ticketing service.

The first events will be shows for Maribou State, James Blake and Tycho, promoted by Secret Sounds.  

It follows a rollout of digital tickets for the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child theatre shows at Marriner Group’s Princess Theatre in Melbourne. 

Maria O’Connor, managing director of Ticketmaster Australia and New Zealand, said: “Digital ticketing is the future and our partnership with Marriner Group is another step in our mission to put mobile first… (and) making fans lives easier.” 

As part of the 15th anniversary celebration of MMF NZ’s Music Managers Awards, peak association Recorded Music NZ has added a manager of the year category. 

The winner will be presented at the artisan awards held in Wellington in November, alongside the best producer, engineer, music video, album cover and music teacher wins. 

MMF NZ chair Teresa Patterson said it added to the 15th celebrations “in such a significant way.” 

Meantime, the MMF awards are going through a significant change, including a return to Auckland 2020.

Billie Eilish’s April/May return to Australia has been a clear triumph. 

Aside from her festival appearances on Cattleyard Promotions’ six-city Groovin’ The Moo festival, which put her in front of an estimated 120,000 people, the 17 year old’s five sold out arena dates April 24 to May 10 through Laneway Presents and Chugg Entertainment drew 30,000. 

Laneway and Chugg first brought Eilish out in 2017 playing 300-capacity clubs and brought her back for the travelling Laneway Festival 2018 and larger headliner clubs. 

“Eilish’s trajectory has been a sight to behold; the artist selling out arenas in record time just 18 months later,” the promoters said in a statement.