Australia’s Village Sounds agents go independent

Village Sounds veterans Evan Davis and Andy Gumley are going independent with a new agency called Cornershop Agency.

The domestic booking agency for Australasian artists was launched by Jessica Ducrou in 1999. In 2016, it was brought under the umbrella of Secret Sounds, a company launched by Ducrou and Paul Piticco and now majority-owned by Live Nation.

Davis and Gumley, who respectively notched 17 and 15 years at Village Sounds, will continue to represent talent in the Australasian live touring market at Cornershop.

“What an incredible journey,” comment Davis and Gumley in a joint statement to The Music Network. “Thank you to Paul and Jessica and the Live Nation team that we had the privilege to work with during our time at Village Sounds.”

“We are deeply grateful for the life-changing experiences, memories and the incredible staff and artists we’ve collaborated with. We are excited to launch our new business, Cornershop Agency, and continuing to work with our artists, Live Nation and the wider Australasian music community.”

With the launch of Cornershop Agency, the Village Sounds brand will cease to exist within Live Nation, which acquired a controlling stake in the Secret Sounds Group in December 2016.

The group is also home to Secret Sounds Touring, Secret Sounds Connect commercial rights and creative agency, Secret Service PR agency, North Byron Parklands, and The Triffid venue in Brisbane.

“We are excited to launch our new business, Cornershop Agency, and continuing to work with our artists”

This shift away from the Village Sounds brand “aligns with Live Nation’s strategic decision to amplify its focus on concert and festival promotions, further solidifying its commitment to bringing the best in live entertainment to Australian fans, including a growing roster of Australian artists,” a statement reads.

LN says it is working with Village Sounds to ensure a smooth transition for its staff and roster, which includes Bernard Fanning, Chris Cheney, DMA’S, Fazerdaze, G Flip, Sycco and Dune Rats.

Secret Sounds produces some of Australia’s biggest festivals, including Splendour in the Grass (STIG), Spilt Milk, the Falls Festival and Harvest Rock – none of which went ahead in 2024. Last year also saw the departure of the group’s co-CEO and co-founder Jessica Ducrou.

Earlier this year, STIG was cancelled once again and the festival’s site in North Byron Parklands was put up for sale.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that the group’s commercial rights and creative agency, Secret Sounds Connect, will start a new chapter as Connect by Live Nation.

The international agency provides end-to-end brand experiences, including talent partnerships, sponsorship, creative services, experiential marketing, insights and research, and strategic planning.

Kristy Rosser, senior vice president, marketing solutions and client services at Live Nation Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), founded Secret Sounds Connect in 2009.

She comments: “Our evolution to Connect by Live Nation represents our ongoing commitment to amplifying brand and fan experiences in the incredible world of music. Our ability to tap into Live Nation’s global network gives brands unprecedented access to artists, real-time audience insights, trends and an experienced team who are deep-rooted in the industry. It’s an exciting time to be rebranding our agency after a record year at Live Nation globally and an exciting year ahead.”

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