Everyone is entitled to my opinion...

Our “Esteemed Music Industry Publication” went all Gudinski this week.

And why not?

Celebrating 30 years of Frontier Touring is an enormous achievement. Considering how hard it is to be a concert promoter in the first place, it is absolutely astounding that Michael Gudinski has survived in the Australian music industry this long as a the owner of a record label, a publishing company, the largest booking agency in the country and goodness knows what else.

Whilst I was reading all the nice comments from everyone in the industry, I was surprised that I wasn’t asked for a comment. Considering I have never worked with or for him, that really shouldn’t come as any surprise…so I will regale you with my own Gudinski story…

Years ago, I was at the Tote in Collingwood on a Sunday night to see a local Melbourne band that everyone was raving about called Killing Time. There wasn’t a massive crowd there, but the word on the street was that they were being chased by every label under the sun.

Anyone who knows the Tote as it was back then (early 90’s kids) will remember that you had to load your gear directly off the front of the stage during changeovers. So I was surprised to see MG helping the guys from Killing Time load their instruments on to the stage. Seriously, he looked like a roadie...beard, dodgy t-shirt, sweat stains…(apologies to all the well dressed clean shaven roadies out there...both of you).

Here was the managing director of the record company who was so keen to sign the band that he was helping them lug gear. On a rainy Sunday night in Melbourne. That sums up the passion that got MG to where he is and goes a long way to explain what is lacking in the current music industry.

 

 

You Can’t Spell Star Without A&R

…or can you…

 

I might have to come up with a new name for this section.

 

Who would have guessed that with the decline of music sales, the once important role of A&R manager would be on the way out?

Well, pretty much everyone really…

 

I will agree, it is a much maligned role and it certainly attracts its fair share of sharks and cloth-eared dolts, but there have been some real successful A&R people who have had a huge influence on popular music… and conversely there have been a huge amount of hangers-on who have no idea of the recording process and spend most of their time drinking the band’s rider.

 

Will we miss them? Probably not.