Australia News: More Funding For Live Sector, Melbourne & Brisbane Venues & More

Sixty six festivals, venues, events, productions and digital platforms shared in A$25 million ($19.6 million) of Australian government funding, in the third round of its A$200 million ($157 million) Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund. 

Arts minister Paul Fletcher, making the announcement at Brisbane’s Tivoli Theatre – one of the recipients – May 7 said funding would flow immediately to rejuvenate live performance venues and events, creating more than 25,000 employment opportunities across the country.

He said, “This funding is an important step in the rejuvenation of Australia’s arts sector from COVID-19, and will support our much-loved venues putting on activities such as festivals, concerts, tours, productions and events, particularly in regional and remote areas.”

Among the largest grants were A$1 million ($785, 065) to Splendour In The Grass to stage Nov. 19-21, A$1.1 million ($863, 595) for Global Creatures to create a stage musical from Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 Australian film “Moulin Rouge,” A$726,300 ($570,196) to Zaccaria Concerts & Touring for the national Summersalt tour, A$577,000 ($452.940) for the Tivoli to stage events over winter creating 460 employment opportunities and A$453,400 ($355,934) for TEG Dainty to create “Bat Out Of Hell – The Rock Musical” this year.

Over 20 corporate business and sports leaders and philanthropists came together under Arts Centre Melbourne, Aussie Pops Orchestra and jazz trumpeter James Morrison to set up the Music For Victoria Fund.

An initial pool of A$500,000 ($392,582) will provide A$2,000 grants ($1,570) to subsidize performance fees by small and middle capacity music venues – as well as cafes, bars, record shops, art galleries and musical theatres – to encourage more bookings. 

In 2020 around 100,000 shows were cancelled in the state, losing A$1.42 billion ($1.11 billion) of economic value. The sector was operating at 4% of pre-COVID levels in February 2021.

The Queensland government provided A$1.3 million ($1 million) to 21 live music venues across the state. Minister for the arts Leeanne Enoch said, “The arts are key to delivering our plan for economic recovery, each year contributing A$8.5 billion ($6.67 billion) into the state’s economy and supporting more than 92,000 jobs in Queensland.”

Receiving A$80,000 ($62,805) and A$60,000 ($47,103) each were the Tivoli, The Triffid, The Zoo, Fortitude Music Hall and Woolly Mammoth in Brisbane, NightQuarter on the Sunshine Coast and Tanks Arts Centre in Cairns.

After selling 175,000 tickets to seven shows on this year’s SIX60 Saturdays tour (and 130,000 last year), New Zealand rock band SIX60 is now causing waves in Australia. 

Six outdoor and theatre dates Nov. 3 to 13 via Live Nation ballooned with second shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. LN forecast other cities were also heading to full capacity.

Behind global attention for its drawing power, the act is also playing Europe and the UK. The trek begins Nov. 18 at Le Badaboum in Paris and winds up Dec. 3 at Dublin’s The Academy. In between are stops in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, London, Bristol, Manchester and Glasgow.

Sydney pop singer and YouTube star Mia Rodriguez, with Michael Chugg and Andrew Stone’s management and label Chugg Music, signed a world deal with Atlantic Records. 

Chugg said, “It has been a dream of mine for over 55 years to have a worldwide No. 1 artist and to work hand in hand with great international labels and innovative Australian talent to achieve hits in different countries and markets, especially in the last eight years with our Chugg Music label.”

Rebecca Barry returned to ASM Global’s Asia Pacific operations as director of people and culture, based at the company’s Sydney offices at Qudos Bank Arena. 

She established ASM Global’s HR operations at Stadium Australia (now ANZ Stadium) ahead of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and most recently as GM of organisational development at Venues Live for the opening of Optus Stadium in Perth. 

Barry spent ten years as GM-HR for the RAS Sydney covering all of activities at Sydney Showgrounds.

Sydney-based management, agency and touring company EC (Entertainment Consulting) added two country music acts for management.

Nashville-based O’Shea, husband and wife Mark and Jay, are signed with Sony Music. CEO Karen-lee Goody signed them up after hearing previews of their next album, due to drop as part of the 50th anniversary of the Tamworth country music festival in January. “There’ll be a mini-tour, and we’re also working on re-booting a new TV/podcast interview based series,” she said.

Queensland’s Hinterland were signed within a week of being alerted to new music by their producer. The trio of award-winning songwriters, which issued an EP last year, is singer and fiddle player Rachel Bostock, singer/ bassist and Jesse Emmanuel – daughter of late guitarist Phil Emmanuel – and guitarist Robbie Bostock.

Casino operator The Star Entertainment Group proposed a merger with James Packer’s Crown Resorts, it was reported May 10. 

The resultant seven properties in four states would be an A$12 billion ($9.4 billion) tourism and entertainment empire in the Asia-Pacific, Star chairman John O’Neill said. 

Star bids against U.S. companies Blackstone, which offered an initial A$8 billion ($6.28 billion) (since raised) and Oaktree Capital which offered A$3 billion ($2.35 billion) for Packer’s 37% stake in Crown.