Industrial Strength: HMV back in Australia?; Victoria gets new Music Works grants; Two new Aus festivals; SXSW meet’n’greet expands to Adelaide

HMV back in Australia?

After closing its last Australian store in 2010, the word is that HMV is planning a return to this country. After the British music retailer’s collapse in 2013, new owner Hilco Capital has brought most of its UK stores out of administration. It’s announced plans to open 15 stores in the Middle East, and mooting a return to Australia and a move into China and India.

Victoria gets new Music Works grants

The Victorian government’s support of the state’s contemporary music sector continues with the new Music Works Grants. Aimed at musicians, music managers and industry organisations, it includes creating and recording music, initiatives that build up the industry (workshops, masterclasses, conferences, professional development opportunities) and activities that help the industry win new audiences, including support for regional, national and international touring.  It provide funding up to $75,000 for projects and programs and is part of the Labor Government’s $12.2 million contemporary music package delivered in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget. Full details at www.creative.vic.gov.au/musicgrants

Research on Australian music impact, exports

Researchers at the University of Newcastle are undertaking a study on the cultural and economic impact of Australian music and the value of Australian music exports. It will cost $227,000 and is part of a three-part $900,000 broader study in the relationship between tertiary education and industry.

Out here in the fields: two more new festivals

Two more new music festival makes their appearance in spring in two regional centres.

Mothership Events holds Live On The Foreshore on Sunday November 1. It will feature six classic rock acts Moving Pictures, Choirboys, Shannon Noll, Mark Seymour and the Undertow, Baby Animals and James Reyne with Monsters Of Rock (with members of Rose Tattoo and Screaming Jets) kicking off proceedings.

After three years of planning. the inaugural Aus Music Festival debuts in Warrnambool in Victoria on October 31 and November 1. The line-up is announced late July. One of the events is Back To The Bay, which promoter Russ Goodear says is a tribute to the city’s biggest music venue between the 1970s and 1990s with local acts from that era and a headliner from Melbourne. Ten acts will also reinterpret their own versions of this year’s festival theme song, The Church’s Under The Milky Way.

CBAA puts listener research out to tender

After ten years of working with McNair Ingenuity for its national community radio listener survey, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) has put it out to tender. Its CEO Jon Bisset said that as the sector “continues to grow and evolve, it is timely to review opportunities” to provide the data that is vital for stations, funding bodies and sponsors. Peter Cornelius of Kinesis Media will assist in the tender process, and Bisset says he hopes that McNair Ingenuity will also put its hand up for it.

Australian Music Week announces speakers

The new four-day Australia Music Week festival announced the speakers for its industry conference component. Announced by TMN earlier this month to stage in Cronulla, Sydney as a showcase and platform to debate ideas, the music summit is held November 18 to 22.

The first round of speakers are announced. The 28 so far include artist managers, record label A&Rs, festival programmers, bookers, consultants, venue operators, publicity spruikers, recording studio operators, crowd-funding site founders and media. Their bios are at http://australianmusicweek.com.

SA Government to snip live music red tape with survey

The South Australian Government is doing a survey of the state’s venue operators to determine what obstacles and red tape they are facing – as well as the benefits and experiences. The survey, with the Music Development Office and Australian Hotel Association SA. It is at http://tinyurl.com/livemusicsurveySA. A discussion paper is expected in September of the first review in 20 years.

Obviously SA will combat the endless red tape that is stifling live music. Deputy Premier John Rau in the weekend’s Sunday Mail called the current licensing system “antiquated and unhelpful”. Although the Government shook up the small bar scene two years allowing those with less than 120-capacity to open until midnight and not have to get separate approval to showcase live entertainment, the AHA SA accused the Adelaide City Council of using its powers under the planning laws to stop small bars hosting live music.

Garrett will present Paul Kelly at Helpmanns

As part of Paul Kelly’s JC Williamson Award at the Helpmann Awards for contribution to the live music industry, Peter Garrett will present the honour, and Clare Bowditch and the Paul Kelly Band will perform his 1995 song Deeper Water. Among the latest presenters announced yesterday was Live Nation Australasia CEO Michael Coppel. It all happens at the Capitol in Sydney on Monday July 27.

ACT-cess set for October launch

Upcoming Australian online music community database ACT-cess is getting set for an October launch, one of its founders Andrew Cooper told Industrial Strength. Based in Adelaide, it will “benefit communication, connectivity, awareness, accessibility, networking and in some cases, act autonomy within the music community and to its reach.” A Pozible campaign is launched through this month at www.pozible.com/project/193598 offering early bird offers including a lifetime of half price memberships while they last.

SA Hall of Fame announces next inductees

The next inductions at the South Australian Hall of Fame will be Mick Pealing and Mal Eastick (The Stars) and 1960s blues rock band The Others. It is on August 21 at the Goodwood Institute in Adelaide as part of the Australian Music Collective Sessions.

Last Friday saw the inductions of drummer turned music retailer John Reynolds, country music performer Trev Warner, children’s entertainer Patsy Biscoe (who unexpectedly received her award from Humphrey B Bear) and singer songwriter Eric Bogle. The latter received a rock star’s welcome, spoke about his passion for the Diggers and wondered why indigenous Diggers were not given their due acknowledgement, and proved his inspiration by Elvis Presley with a few pelvic Elvis thrusts.

Deadline for Senate funding inquiry submissions

The deadline for submissions to the Senate inquiry into the impact of arts funding cuts in May’s Federal Budget is Friday July 17. They need to be sent to legcon.sen@aph.gov.au. The Terms of Reference will see the inquiry cover the impact of the cuts on small and medium arts organisations and young and emerging artists, how the loss of $110 million will affect the Australia Council, and if the new National Program for Excellence in the Arts (NPEA) will be open to political interference and loss of diversity.

Video streaming study: 2 million Aussies switch on

A study by Telsyte found that SVOD subscriptions in Australia surged six-fold in the last six months. By June 2015, the number was at 2 million, from 315,000 in December 2014. Most (1.5 million) are paid up, and gone for multiple services rather than just choose one.

Songhubs gets EDM focus

APRA AMCOS SongHubs gets an EDM focus for the first time when it is held in LA August 3-7. It is the 19th episode of the songwriters collaboration and mentoring program, previously held in Sydney, Stockholm, London, Mumbai, Bali, Toronto, Adelaide and LA. Simon Lewicki (Groove Terminator/Tonite Only) is curating the Aussie collaborators who are APRA AMCOS members.

Five are based in Australia (Aston Shuffle, Kilter, Deutsch Duke, Nicky Night Time, Styalz Fuego) and nine in America (Hook N Sling, Vassy, Yolanda Be Cool, Alexander Burnett, Anna Lunoe, Georgi Kay, Nicole Millar, Paul Brandoli, Penelope Austin). International collaborators include Daniel Bedingfield (whose album sold over 4 million copies), Cory Enemy (Lady Gaga, will.i.am, Katy Perry), Dennis White (Static Revenger), Luciana (5 #1 billboard dance singles) and Dan Farber (Dim Mak Records).

SXSW meet’n’greet expands to Adelaide

The SXSW traditional “meet’n’greet” which is held from this week in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, has been expanded at the last minute to Adelaide. The free events give delegates to the 2016 confab the chance to network beforehand, and get tips from SXSW veterans on how to get the best out of the music, film and interactive meet. The Austin-Texas based event’s Australian, New Zealand and Hawaiian rep Phil Tripp added Adelaide to the itinerary after being approached by members of its film and technology sectors.

It is held Monday August 3 at New Venture Institute in the Flinders building at Tonsley (1284 South Road, Clovelly Park from 6 pm). Speakers are Wendy Perry (Workplace Blueprint), David Grice (Musitec), Sosefina Fuamoli (Au Review), Kirsty Stark (Epic Films) and a “mystery” music manager who’s to impart his US visa woes. A daytime meeting is being arranged with SA “governmental, institutional and peak bodies to bring a strategy to this export drive for SA,” says Tripp. “Austin is sister city to Adelaide." In 2015, 16 delegates from SA (six last year) joined 750 Aussie delegates and 47 acts in Austin.

Festivals update: sell-outs, doubled impacts, recovery

* In its third year, One Electric Day in Melbourne’s Werribee Park in November sold out in under three weeks.

* Final figures for Tasmania’s Festival of Voices are not compiled yet. But 5000 people turned out for its Bonfire and Big Sing event led by US a cappella stars The Exchange and with German metal act Van Canto, the Australian Voices choir and Melbourne Celtic folk ensemble Co-cheol.

* Fringe World pumped nearly $71 million into the WA economy this year. It doubled its audience numbers from last year to 660,000 people and generated $45 in value for every dollar of State Government investment.

* After its site was badly damaged in the NSW storms this year, Dugong Festival returns for a second year in late October with an expanded program.

* The Queensland Government has begun a search for a director of a cultural festival (to include music acts) to be held alongside the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Justice for Arts NSW

Arts NSW moved from the Department of Trade and Investment to the Department of Justice along with Screen NSW, Sydney Opera House Trust, the Library Council of NSW, Art Gallery of NSW, Trustees of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences and the Australian Museum Trust.

The statement went: “The transition enhances the position of Arts NSW to leverage key assets and relationships within the Justice Cluster to create opportunities for the arts and culture sector. In 2015-16, the Government has allocated $316 million to its Arts and Culture Cluster, and recently released its Arts and Cultural Policy Framework, Create in NSW.”

Venues Update: closures, burglaries, fire

* Sydney’s The Exchange has gone through an ownership change and reportedly closing its doors to music at the end of July. It hosts six venues including Q-Bar, Phoenix, Spectrum, Nevada Lounge and Vegas.

* Melbourne’s Howler is transferring its stage and band room  into a pop-up mini golf course between Sunday July 26 - Monday August 3.

* The Tamworth Hotel was one of a number of establishments hit by buglars. Masked offenders in two stolen cars hit the music showcasing pub as part of a smash and grab which included two sports clubs and a servive station

* The Oriental Hotel in Mudgee was damaged by a fire in the roof of the hotel, with smoke and water damage elsewhere.

* A new bar and dance music venue Middlebar opens late July above Kinselas in Sydney. The Havana-inspired venue, evolved from Lo-Fi, will host touring international DJ sideshows and local residents. Music booking is handled by new venue manager David “Rizza” Rozario.

* Arcade Nightclub in Joondalup, WA, will host the Defeat The Beat competition on October 7. The comp, opened to all bands, beatboxers, DJs and hip hop acts, is organised by the City Of Joondalup.

Vale

Kylie Greenlees co-founded influential independent network MGM Distribution with husband Sebastian Chase, and was an avid financial contributor to music industry initiatives as The Seed. She passed on Saturday after a battle with cancer.

Rodney Trigger, 64, was a member of The Angels’ road crew for eight years and in recent years became a youth worker holding bible lessons at his unit in Hamilton South in Newcastle. Fire crews found his body at his home after smoke was found billowing from inside.

Geoff Brown was CEO of the Screen Producers' Association of Australia. He joined in 2002 after a seven year stint at the ABC as its Commercial Affairs Manager, and was instrumental in its many industrial relations wins. He died at 66 from illness.

Bernie Hart, the one time RAAF radio operator, set up Radio 2KM in Kempsey and soon grew it to one of NSW country’s biggest stations, extending to Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. He died at 96 in Queensland.

And a few other things

In this week’s Ouch! Section, The Grates’ guitarist John Patterson busted his wrist after his motorbike slid in bad weather conditions.

Frenzal Rhomb had to cancel dates in two states after drummer Gordy Forman broke his arm during a gig on the weekend at Perth’s Amplifier Bar. He was instructing the crowd on the fine art of stage diving when he took a nasty spill.

Sunday night’s The Voice had its best figures for the year, with 1.824 million viewers. Last night’s episode drew 1.671 million.

Dr George Barker, Director of the Centre for Law and Economics at the Australian National University, told New Zealand that if it had tougher intellectual property laws, its creative industries would not just contribute NZ$3.6 billion to GDP as a 2014 PWC report said. Instead it could have been $10 billion or higher.

The Veronicas are back in Australia after their US tour was cancelled due to visa hassles for some of their band.

In a move to consolidate Melbourne as a cultural capital, the Victorian state government secured the Broadway smash Kinky Boots (music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper) for Her Majesty’s Theatre in October 2016.  Premier Daniel Andrews reckons it’ll bring thousands of people from around, and outside Australia, and inject $40 million into the economy.

Natalia Kills, the Brit performer dumped as a judge from The X-Factor New Zealand after bullying a contestant, has changed her name to Teddy Sinclair.

Out From Under is a night at Melbourne’s Her Majesty on Monday September 21 where entertainers will perform and psychologists and mental health experts will address the stigma of mental health. Research by Entertainment Assist found that more than a third of performers and 25% of industry workers report mental health problems, and 25% of performers have attempted or considered suicide.

Currently on a US tour, Sydney’s Thy Art Is Murder entered the US charts with their Australian crossover album Holy War – #3 in Hard Music, #6 in Independent and #82 on the Top 100.

While holidaying in the US, Nova’s Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald discovered someone skimmed $21,000 off his cards back home, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Queensland’s Zane Francis will celebrate his winning the triple j Unearthed competition to perform at the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) with the live debut performance of the electro-pop Acclimate which won it for him.