Industrial Strength: January 30

G’DAY AUSTRALIA PUSHES AUSSIE MUSIC IN LA

The 15th G’Day Australia in Los Angeles (January 26-29) was helping to showcase Australian music as well as films, technology, businesses, investment opportunities, television and tourism

G’Day USA partner Westfield held an Australia Day concert with Alli Simpson, Nat Conway and Isaiah Firebrace.

Conway also premiered her new single ‘So Loud’ (written with US writer Mozella, who wrote for Madonna, Dua Lipa, Kelly Clarkson and co-penned ‘Wrecking Ball’ with Miley Cyrus). 

She later DJ’d at the after-party at the LA InterContinental. 

As part of a push to have films made in Australia, they also included a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Grease, roping in Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta to turn up for the red carpet and pose for pics. 

It included LA-based Australian songwriter and producer John Farrar honoured for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts. Farrar wrote two of the Grease soundtrack’s biggest hits, ‘You’re The One That I Want’ and ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’. 

After his start in Melbourne in the ‘60s playing in various bands, Farrar found fame and fortune in L.A. writing hits as ONJ’s ‘Magic’ and ‘Physical’ as well as for Cher, Irene Cara and The Moirs.

DRAKE BEATS SPOTIFY, APPLE MUSIC, FIRST DAY STREAMS 

As the great bard Bob Dylan once observed, it’s always good to have God on your side.

Drake’s latest track ‘God’s Plan’ has set new one-day streaming records for both Spotify and Apple Music.

It amassed 43 million streams on the first day on Spotify - the biggest ever on the platform - which toppled the record held by Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do’.

Over at Apple Music, ‘God’s Plan’ set two new milestones –  the first-day record (14 million streams) as well as the first-week record with 60 million, which more than doubled the 25 million that Post Malone set with ‘Rockstar’ last September.

NINE HOSPITALISED AT MELBOURNE RAVE

The inaugural Melbourne staging of the hardcore, hardstyle and Frenchcore state-of-the-art event I Am Hardstyle at Festival Hall was marred with the hospitalisation of nine patrons.

Ambulance Victoria attributed it to a poisonous mix of PMA, a cheap version of ecstasy.

Ambulance Victoria State Health Commander Paul Holman called it “a mass overdose”. Two patrons stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated with hoses down their throats.

The event was staged by HSU Events and Hard Kandy.

INQUEST: YOUNG MUSICIAN STRANGLED BEFORE FIRE 

An inquest into the death of 21-year-old Connor Tolson two years ago in a fire has suggested that he might have been strangled first and the blaze deliberately lit after. 

Tolson, who released records under the stage name Riders of Sin, lived in a bungalow in the back of the family home in Malvern East in Melbourne. 

He was the son of music executive Bill Tolson who founded Rampart Records which released music by Stephen Cummings, Not Drowning Waving, Wreckery, Hugo Race and Blue Ruin. 

It was initially thought that the fire, which broke out in the bungalow, was caused by an electrical fault in the gear he used in his recording studio.

However, coroner Audrey Jamieson said his death occurred in "unexplained and suspicious circumstances". She said there were three marks on his neck that could have come from his being strangled.

Police suspected Tolson’s older brother James, but there was not enough evidence to charge anyone over the death, police said.

A WIN FOR JB HI-FI

A new report has indicated that much of JB Hi-Fi’s success as a consumer electronics and music retail chain comes from the attitude of its staff.

A Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Survey found that customers gave its stores a 90.9% satisfaction with service.

41 NEW DISRUPTING NAMES ADDED TO BILLBOARD POWER 100

Billboard’s Power 100 showed the extent to which digital disrupters have become major players, with 41 new faces appearing alongside long-time leaders of live and recorded music, as well as tech and management.

Here’s how the Top 20 shaped up:

1. Michael Rapino, CEO, Live Nation Entertainment

2. Lucian Grainge, Chairman/CEO, Universal Music Group

3. Daniel Ek, Founder/CEO, Spotify

4. Irving Azoff, Chairman/CEO, Azoff MSG Entertainment; chairman, Full Stop Management

5. Rob Stringer, CEO, Sony Music Entertainment

6. Stephen Cooper, CEO, Warner Music Group; and Max Lousada, CEO of Recorded Music, Warner Music Group

7. Eddy Cue, Senior VP, Internet and Software Services, Apple; David Dorn, Senior Director, Apple; Jimmy Iovine, Executive, Apple; Larry Jackson, Head of Content, iTunes/Apple Music; Robert Kondrk, Vice President, Apple

8. Jody Gerson, Chairman/CEO, Universal Music Publishing Group

9. Coran Capshaw, Founder, Red Light Management

10. Boyd Muir, CFO/Executive VP/President of Operations, Universal Music Group; Michele Anthony, Executive VP, Universal Music Group

11. Jon Platt, Chairman/CEO, Warner/Chappell Music

12. Martin Bandier, Chairman/CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing 

13. Craig Kallman, Chairman/CEO, Atlantic Records; Julie Greenwald, Chairman/COO, Atlantic Records

14. Monte Lipman, Founder/Chairman, Republic Records; Avery Lipman, Founder/President, Republic Records

15. Marc Geiger, Partner/Head of Music, WME; Sara Newkirk Simon, Partner/Co-Head of Music, WME; Kirk Sommer, Partner/Co-Head of Music, WME; Brent Smith, Partner, WME

16. Rob Light, Partner/Managing Director/Head of Music, Creative Artists Agency; Darryl Eaton, Co-Head of Contemporary Music North America, Creative Artists Agency; Mitch Rose, Co-Head of Contemporary Music North America, Creative Artists Agency; Rick Roskin, Co-Head of Contemporary Music North America, Creative Artists Agency

17. Scooter Braun, Founder, SB Projects

18. Steve Boom, Vice President, Amazon Music 

19. Guy Oseary, Co-Founder/Principal, Maverick Management 

20. Jay Marciano, COO, AEG; Chairman/CEO, AEG Presents

QLD YOUTH JAZZ NETWORK GETS FUNDING 

The Queensland Youth Jazz Network has been given $20,000 to deliver a jazz music education program for high school students in Brisbane. 

It is one of 200 projects from an investment of $6 million by the Queensland Arts Showcase Program (QASP) set up by the current Palaszczuk Government to help artists and arts organisations across the state deliver audience experiences and create arts-related jobs and cultural tourism opportunities, across the state, as well as showcase works interstate and overseas.

Some of the other funding was $60,000 to present a local cultural program at Brisbane-based global event Women of the World Festival 2018, and  $60,000 for Arts Nexus to deliver arts business skills events across Far North Qld. 

The full list of recipients can be found on the website.

VICTORIAN ALBUMS LEADS AMP SHORTLIST 

Artists from Victoria dominated the Australian Music Prize (AMP) nine-strong Short List, with five. They are:

Beaches – Second of Spring

Darcy Baylis – Intimacy & Isolation

HTML Flowers – Chrome Halo

Jen Cloher – Jen Cloher 

Paul Kelly – Life is Fine

Sydney provided:

Liars – “TFCF

Sampa The Great – Birds and the BEE9 

The Vampires –The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke

The final entrant, Wallflower, was by Jordan Rakei who was born in New Zealand, grew up in Brisbane and then moved to London.

“Please, discover and enjoy these albums,” said AMP founder Scott B Murphy.

The $30,000 winner is announced on March 9 in Melbourne. As part of a new partnership with the Victorian Government through the Music Works initiative, the Prize will call Melbourne home for the next two years. 

Eight of the previous twelve AMP winners hailed from Victoria. They included The Drones who were formed in Perth and moved to Melbourne (2005), Augie March (2006), Eddy Current Suppression Ring (2008), Lisa Mitchell (2009), Big Scary (2013), REMI (2014), Courtney Barnett (2015) while Victoria has to share A.B. Original (2016) with South Australia.

NSW winners were The Mess Hall (2007), Cloud Control (2010), The Jezabels (2011) and Hermitude (2012).

GRAMMYS GUESTS GOT COUNTER-TERRORISM BRIEFING

Before the Grammys, names such as Pink, Chris Stapleton, Run The Jewels and Young Thug were given a day-long briefing from US and European counter-terrorism experts, Rolling Stone reported.

The big names and their peeps were given guidance on “creating situational awareness, identifying vulnerable points and times of increased risk, avoiding time and place predictability and crafting a contingency plan”.

TAMWORTH SONGWRITERS WINNERS 

The winners of the Tamworth Songwriters’ Association’s annual National Country Songwriting Contest have been announced. The full list is below.

Novice: ’Follow The Wind’ by Ray Rusty Strings Smith 

Open Traditional: ’That Old Bloke’ by Colin Buchanan 

Open Contemporary: ’Just Not Today’ by Becci Nethery 

Alt and Blues and Bluegrass: ’Best Friend Is Whisky’ by Ian Burns.

John P Toomey commemorative award for youth songwriting: ’Million Ways’ by Sam Dyball 

Lyrics only: ’Eureka’ by Lloyd Clarke

APRA/TSA New Songwriter: ’The Bottle’ by Noeleen Smith 

Bev Daniel Commemorative Award for traditional bush ballad of the year: ’A Thousand Different Pictures’ by Sharon Heaslip

Contemporary song of the year: ’Control’ by Chloe Styler

Contemporary country ballad of the year: ’Life’s About The Little Things’ by David & Merelyn Carter, Samantha Bellamy, John Collins, Mary V I Harrison, Robyn Hull & Shirley Lynn 

Geoff Mack Commemorative Award for Comedy/Novelty song of the year: ’New Age Computer Man’ by Ian Quinn & Roger Corbett

Anzac song of the year: ’Through The Eyes of a Boy’ by Wendy Wood

Gospel song of the year: ’Little Old Church On The Hill’ by Dale Duncan & Lola Brinton

Alt Country/Blues/Bluegrass: ’Highway 39’ by Wendy Phypers

Country song of the year: ’Life’s About The Little Things’ by David & Merelyn Carter, Samantha Bellamy, John Collins, Mary V I Harrison, Robyn Hull & Shirley Lynn.

Tex Morton Award: Amber Lawrence 

The Songmaker Award: Greg Champion

RITA ORA JOINS BRIT AWARDS 

Rita Ora is the latest performer announced for the BRIT Awards 2018 on Wednesday February 21 at London’s O2, saying “It’s always been a dream of mine.”

The event is expected to be screened in Australia.

Ora joins the previously announced Ed Sheeran, Rag’n’Bone Man, Jorja Smith, Stormzy, Dua Lipa, Sam Smith and Foo Fighters. 

Two winners are already confirmed: Jorja Smith as the Critics’ Choice Award and Steve Mac for British Producer.

Dua Lipa has the leading 5 nominations, with Sheeran for four, and J Hus and Rag’N’Bone Man with three each.

SYDNEY’S IVY TO EVENTUALLY BECOME HOTEL …

Merivale head Justin Hemmes told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that he eventually plans to knock down the high profile eight-storey nightclub The Ivy and put up a 55-storey international hotel further down the track. 

He said that this was his original plan when he bought the 3000 sqm site for $22 million back in 2004.

The original plan was for the Ivy to run for ten years only.

“But (Ivy) proved to be more successful than I thought so this has come later than I expected,” he revealed to the paper.

“That was the reason I kept Ivy as a low-rise development... so it could be knocked down eventually.”

The site is now estimated by property analysts to be worth $65 million.

…WHILE MUSIC VICTORIA RELEASES STATEMENT ON DEMOLITION OF FESTIVAL HALL

Words from the state’s contemporary music industry peak body are bleak to say the least.

"Festival Hall is such an iconic and important venue to Melbourne and Victoria. It is versatile, and provides a unique offering of world-class local and international live music, and other entertainment. 

“The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Patti Smith, and Kanye, and local heroes AC/DC, Courtney Barnett, and Angus and Julia Stone have all performed there.

“Music Victoria urges the owners, and local and state government, to retain and protect this iconic live music venue.

“The proposal comes at a time when all eyes are on Melbourne and Victoria as a world leader in live music.

“Melbourne has been recognised as a global music city, hosting the international Music Cities Convention – Melbourne in April.

“This is the first time this global music conference will be in the Southern Hemisphere. 

“Some of the many reasons Melbourne was selected to host the Convention include: 1. that we have more live music venues per capita than anywhere in the world, 2. as a result of culturally sensitive planning regulations, and 3. the great relationship between State Government and the live music sector.

“Victorians really love live music, with recent figures showing more people attending live music than the AFL. 

“The Victorian Government has just, for the first time, made live music one of the 5 pillars of tourism (Visit Victoria).

“Music Victoria last year published a Live Music 10 Point Plan, providing insight into Melbourne’s success as a great live music city, and recognising the great work and advocacy of other organisations such as SLAM, Fair Go 4 Live Music, and Music Victoria – the state’s peak body for contemporary music.

“Music Victoria will continue to support live music venues, and work with local and State Government, and the music community, to protect the health and longevity of Victoria’s live music scene."

PEERS NEEDED TO ADVISE NT GOVT ON ARTS ISSUES

The Northern Territory Government is calling out for NT-based arts folks who can advise it about arts or arts issues.

They do this by sitting on arts grant assessment panels or arts community consultation groups.

The list of arts peers is called the Arts NT Register of Peers, and will be reviewed every year by Arts NT.

More info at the Arts NT website or call (08) 8999 8981.

QUEENSLAND SETS UP REGIONAL ARTS SERVICES 

The Queensland Government has set up the Regional Arts Services Network allowing more people in the regional areas to have greater input into the arts and culture investment made in their local communities.

The idea behind the new approach to statewide arts delivery is for Arts Queensland to identify and carry out regional and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultural initiatives.

With a funding commitment of $6.5 million over four years as part of the 2017-18 State Budget, it will also increase jobs, and tourism opportunities, as well as corporate partnerships with the arts sector. 

Expressions of interest (EOIs) for the Regional Arts Services Network close April 4, with more info available on the website. 

AND A FEW OTHER THINGS…

It seems Neil Diamond’s cancellation of his Australian visit as part of his exit from all touring has been a boon to local Diamond tribute acts. There’s been a demand for their shows by miserable fans, apparently.

Meanwhile Icelandic fans of Ed Sheeran got a shock when his photo popped up in the obituary section of a newspaper. The obit was actually for 82-year-old Volvo mechanic, Svavari Gunnari Sigurðsson who did a Sheeran tribute show on the weekends.

LCD Soundsystem’s Aussie tour with Nick Murphy to start late February has been axed “due to unforeseen conflicts” said promoter Frontier Touring.

An Instagram post of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and singer Stan Walker sparked concern as the musician looked gaunt. His mother and personal manager April revealed he’d had “a number of health scares” What specifically they are she didn’t say. But both mother and son share the same rare cancer-causing gene mutation, which has killed 25 members of their wider clan, according to Fairfax. But he has a new record out in March and will be playing shows then. The photo with the PM was taken at an event for 100 inspirational young leaders, which the PM hosted and Walker spoke at. 

Former Savage Garden guitarist Daniel Jones has shelled out $3.6 million on the penthouse and an apartment in the Broadbeach resort Freshwater Point.

Among the 10,000-strong crowd attending Rainbow Serpent in country Victoria was ALP politician Geoff Howard who, as chairman of a state inquiry into drug law reform, was there to speak to patrons and promoters about the merits of pill-testing.

Facing Blacktown Court in Sydney on February 7 is a 33-year-old man on charges he sent Casey Donovan a threatening text and was allegedly blackmailing her.

The team at the Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre are mourning the death of Anne Laws. She was part of the volunteer group The Friends of the Theatre for 30 years, and worked in the box office from 1992 to 2017 when she retired. 

For the second year running, 15 heavy metal bands from Melbourne and Ballarat will come together for the Beyond Black 2 concerts. Held on February 16 and 17 at the Eastern Hotel in Ballarat, the initiative looks to raise money for beyondblue and to make anxiety and depression part of the dialogue.

Lorde’s cancellation of her show in Tel Aviv continues to haunt her. During a charity show in New York when she was performing with her producer (and rumoured new boyfriend) Jack Antonoff, she cooed to the crowd, "You guys are so nice". A heckler yelled back: "In Israel, they’re nice also." Antonoff stopped the show, put his arm around the singer and shouted back, "Oh come on. No, hold on. We’ve raised a shit-ton of money tonight. Fuck that negativity. That motherfucker better donate a couple ten thousand dollars more to this shit.”

The Chainsmokers’ Alex Pall is now single… after his girlfriend saw him on CCTV footage kissing a woman who was not her. Just to get her revenge, she posted the footage online, and captioned it, "Men are trash. Don’t ever forget it."

Country singer-songwriter Catherine Britt told Woman’s Day that she delivered her son Hank James Beverley herself on Christmas Eve. She had gone to her family’s home to play them her new album which she’d finished a few days before, when her water broke. “I wanted to be the first one to hold him, to touch him.”