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Mushroom Group’s Roundhouse Entertainment is partnering with the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne on a new 5,000-cap live music series.
The lawns of the Observatory Precinct will be utilised as an outdoor concert space for the launch of Live At The Gardens over two weekends this November, with another series of shows to follow in March 2025. Artists will be announced shortly.
“We are thrilled to launch Live At The Gardens, a one-of-a-kind music festival, creating an experience that celebrates music, nature and community,” says Roundhouse Entertainment director Michael Newton. “The team at Roundhouse are honoured to have the opportunity to work with the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne to stage this new event allowing people to enjoy live music under the stars, in a beautiful garden setting. We look forward to announcing an eclectic mix of performers in the coming weeks.”
Organisers are planning to make Live At The Gardens an annual event.
“We look forward to delivering an amazing series of shows with some very special talent in this stunning location”
“Mushroom Group is focused on bringing unforgettable live music experiences to music fans and there is no better place to do that than in one of Melbourne’s most iconic locations, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne,” says Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski. “We look forward to delivering an amazing series of shows with some very special talent in this stunning location.”
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria acting director and chief executive Chris Russell adds: “We are delighted to partner with industry experts, Roundhouse Entertainment to bring Live At The Gardens to life. This exciting collaboration seamlessly blends the stunning natural beauty of Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne with world-class entertainment, to create an unforgettable concert experience that celebrates music, nature, and the vibrant culture of Melbourne.
“We look forward to welcoming nature and music lovers to what will undoubtedly be one of the year’s most memorable events.”
The Roundhouse team is also behind long-running Australian concerts brand A Day On The Green, which has confirmed gigs with Take That and Roxette for 2024/25.
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Australia’s Mushroom Events has revealed it posted its biggest-ever year in 2023 as its parent company celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Melbourne-based event and booking specialist, which is part of the Mushroom Group, was established in 2010 and services major sports and corporate events.
It delivered more than 110 events across the country last year, booking over 190 artists such as Kiss, Tones And I, G Flip, The Veronicas, Amy Shark, Dan Sultan and Client Liaison. Clients include the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, the Australian Football League and the Melbourne Cup Carnival, as well as a number of charity fundraisers.
“There’s nothing Australians like more than sport and live music,” Mushroom Events project director Anna Toman tells The Music Network. “Live music builds on the fan experience by adding excitement and energy to an event. The right artist at the right event can create a truly unforgettable experience.
“There is a huge appetite to incorporate live music at events, which is fantastic because it gives emerging talent an opportunity to showcase their music. On top of that, a lot of these opportunities also include a broadcast moment, which has incredible promotional value for new artists.”
Mushroom Group’s 50th anniversary celebrations included the Mushroom 50 Live concert, held at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena last November. The night brought together dozens of domestic artists, including DMA’s, The Temper Trap, Amy Shark, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Birds of Tokyo and The Teskey Brothers, to perform 50 songs for 50 years.
Other highlights included a documentary on the life and career of legendary Frontier Touring/Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, who died in 2021, as well as the release of limited edition merchandise and new recordings of iconic Mushroom Records singles, culminating in a Mushroom 50 album.
“The core of Mushroom is to invest in supporting Australian talent and to take it to the world”
“To survive 50 years as an independent music entertainment company is something we’re extremely proud of,” Mushroom Records CEO Matt Gudinski, son of Michael, told Billboard last month. “We’ve tried to celebrate not only the history of the company, but the future.”
Michael Gudinski’s formed Mushroom Records and Mushroom Music Publishing in Melbourne in 1972, while Frontier Touring, founded in 1979, has worked with artists including Ed Sheeran, Kylie Minogue, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters. It merged with AEG Presents in 2019.
“The core of Mushroom is to invest in supporting Australian talent and to take it to the world,” added Matt. “My dad was big on the saying of being a leader, not a follower. We’ve continued to evolve and adapt; it’s why we sit here with so many different business arms to the Mushroom Group, because we’re not reliant on one.
“[We’ve been] able to continually evolve and ensure that we’re looking for the next thing, not the current thing. And investing in great people and other great entrepreneurs has really allowed us to stay successful over such a long period of time.”
Matt Gudinski, who joined the firm aged 17 in 2003 and took over as CEO following his father’s sudden passing, also discussed how Michael had prepared him for the role.
“It’s all about reputation in our business,” he said. “He just instilled into me those key fundamentals: how to ensure that the business moves forward and all the foundations that he’d laid go on for a long time. Mushroom’s success is really down to amazing people, great artists, loyalty and strong overall values.”
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An Australian initiative envisioned by the late Frontier Touring/Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski to revitalise Victoria’s live music scene has returned for a second year.
The Always Live scheme launched in March 2022 at the GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria, with a concert by the Foo Fighters, who became the first major international music act to travel to Australia since the pandemic began.
The 2023 series, which features more than 60 free and ticketed events of all sizes, will run over 17 days from 24 November to 10 December. Opening weekend highlights include a show by Christina Aguilera at Flemington Racecourse (25 November) and Mushroom 50 Live (26 November) – an anniversary concert at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena celebrating 50 years of Mushroom Records.
“An event like Always Live is what makes our great city what it is,” says Always Live director and Mushroom Records CEO Matt Gudinski, son of Michael. “The Always Live programme ensures Victoria remains the music capital of Australia and will deliver a host of unique and exclusive experiences across 17 days.”
Mushroom 50 will bring together dozens of domestic artists, including DMA’s, The Temper Trap, Amy Shark, Jimmy Barnes, Kate Ceberano, Birds of Tokyo and The Teskey Brothers, who will perform 50 songs for 50 years.
“It’s set to fill venues across Victoria, attract visitors and boost business while celebrating our state’s outstanding music and events industry”
Other Always Live-associated events will include three nights by Eric Prydz at Rod Laver Arena, Amyl and the Sniffers in Meeniyan, Ballarat, Frankston, Warrnambool, Torquay, Wodonga and Thornbury, and Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett and his band The Alter Egos at Wangaratta Arts Centre. Elsewhere, Cosmic Psychos will celebrate their 40th anniversary over three nights at Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal.
In addition, Jessie Ware will headline outdoor music festival Summer Camp at St Kilda Marina on 2 December, while the Tones and I-curated Music In the Park will feature the likes of The Cat Empire, The Veronicas, Budjerah, KAIIT, The Pierce Brothers at Mornington Park on 9 December.
Last year’s inaugural Always Live programme delivered more than A$80 million (€48m) to the Victorian economy, attracting thousands of visitors to the state.
It is backed by $20m in the Victorian Budget 2023/24, which also included $7.5m for the Live Music Performers Fund, which backs thousands of Victorian musicians and artists to perform 10,000 gigs at venues across the state over the next four years.
“Always Live’s 2023 programme offers something for everyone – it’s set to fill venues across Victoria, attract visitors and boost business while celebrating our state’s outstanding music and events industry,” adds Victoria premier Daniel Andrews.
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Australia’s Mushroom Group is consolidating a number of its leading events and touring businesses under one banner, MG Live.
MG Live will combine specialist promoter brands such as Illusive Presents (hip-hop, rap and R&B), I OH YOU Touring (indie) and Arena Touring (80s heritage acts).
Also included is Roundhouse Entertainment (promoter of A Day on the Green winery events), Good Life Presents (leading under-18 events company), Fridayz Live (a partnership with electronic juggernaut Boiler Room) and more.
The division’s primary focus will be on developing branded events and experiences alongside its domestic and international headline touring, according to a release.
Now deemed Australia’s largest independent touring and events collective, MG Live will deliver a wide range of tours hand in hand with sister company Frontier Touring.
During the last twelve months, the two companies have been responsible for tours including Tyler, The Creator, Fatboy Slim, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel, Richard Marx, Pavement, Ashnikko, Abbie Chatfield, Joey Bada$$, Vengaboys, J Balvin, Clinton Kane, Channel Tres and Dry Cleaning, selling more than 1.3 million tickets.
MG Live’s primary focus will be on developing branded events and experiences
“Throughout the last eighteen months, we have worked to consolidate a number of Mushroom’s live interests outside of our leading touring business Frontier Touring, which is operated in partnership with global powerhouse AEG Presents,” says Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski. “We looked at how to best move forward with our other specialist touring and leading event companies and decided the time was right to combine their strengths and bring them under one banner.”
MG Live’s upcoming events include Robbie Williams and The Chicks performing at A Day on the Green, as well as tours by 070 Shake, The Teskey Brothers, DMA’S, Valley and Earl Sweatshirt.
News of the new live entertainment company comes a week after Mushroom Group launched new booking agency, MBA.
Mushroom Records was founded by the late Michael Gudinski in 1972, with his group of companies firmly establishing itself as one of the foremost music and entertainment specialists across both Australia and New Zealand.
Matt Gudinski was named Mushroom CEO in April 2021 in the wake of his father’s sudden passing the previous month.
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Australia’s Mushroom Group has launched a new booking agency, MBA, in partnership with Guven Yilmaz, formerly of Vita Music Group.
Melbourne and Sydney-based MBA (Mushroom Booking Agency), which will specialise in live bookings and strategy, touring and partnerships, will be led by Yilmaz, whose team includes Shelley Liu, Sam Rogers and ex-Niche agent Matt Thomson, who will head up the Sydney office.
Mushroom Records was founded by the late Michael Gudinski in 1972, with his group of companies firmly establishing itself as one of the foremost music and entertainment specialists across both Australia and New Zealand.
“Mushroom has been esteemed as the independent leader in the Australian music and entertainment industry,” says Yilmaz, who founded Vita in 2015. “Partnering with a company that not only emphasises but promotes an independent entrepreneurial culture was essential to me.”
Matt Gudinski was named Mushroom CEO in April 2021 in the wake of his father’s sudden passing the previous month.
“Matt Gudinski has long been successful in the touring realm, and he’s continued to foster a culture that empowers those he works with,” adds Yilmaz. “There was room for a new and dynamic offering within Mushroom, so partnering with Matt on MBA was incredibly appealing and a natural progression.
“We’re proud to offer the culture and approachability of a more agile business, while providing the resources of a larger one”
“We’re proud to offer the culture and approachability of a more agile business, while providing the resources of a larger one. We’re about ensuring personalised attention from our team, who will work closely with clients to ensure we amplify our artist and manager’s touring strategies.”
The MBA roster includes artists such as 3%, Benson, Conrad Sewell, Hellcat Speedracer, Keli Holiday, Johnny Hunter, Nyxen, Pretty Girl, Kaylee Bell and Skin on Skin.
“We’re delighted to have Guven join the Mushroom family,” adds Matt Gudinski. “He’s a very well respected agent and operator, with an incredible track record to boot. Supported by a first-class team including Shelley Liu, Sam Rogers and Matt Thomson, I am excited about the offering we are going to create for the talent we represent. I look forward to establishing this new agency together with Guven and the team.”
Mushroom Group split from booking firm The Harbour Agency in late 2021 following complaints about management behaviour and workplace culture.
Meanwhile, a new documentary detailing the extraordinary life and career of Michael Gudinski will make its premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on 10 August, three weeks before its theatrical release across Australia on 31 August.
Entitled Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story the film will feature archive footage and interviews with Gudinski, while artists such as Kylie Minogue, Dave Grohl, Ed Sheeran, Sting, Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Barnes will talk about the late music mogul’s impact on their careers, as well as on the wider music industry in Australia and internationally.
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Australia’s Mushroom Group is to stage a star-studded 50th anniversary concert in November this year.
The Herald Sun reports the “once in a lifetime event” will be held in Melbourne and will feature a “huge line-up of artists”, to be announced in the coming months.
In addition to touring, Mushroom includes record labels and artist services, publishing, merchandising, booking agencies, film and television production, talent management, venues, creative services and a brand agency.
Its anniversary celebrations will also include a documentary on the life and career of legendary Frontier Touring/Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, who died in 2021, as well as new recordings of iconic Mushroom Records singles, culminating in a Mushroom 50 album. Limited edition merchandise will also be released.
“Mushroom Group’s legacy is something we’re extremely proud of and we have big plans to commemorate it”
“Mushroom Group’s legacy is something we’re extremely proud of and we have big plans to commemorate it,” says CEO Matt Gudinski. “So many amazing people and artists have formed part of our story and this anniversary is about celebrating our history and future.”
Gudinski’s late father formed Mushroom Records and Mushroom Music Publishing in Melbourne in 1972, going on to release its first album in April 1973.
Frontier Touring, founded in 1979, has worked with artists including Ed Sheeran, Kylie Minogue, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters. It merged with AEG Presents in 2019.
The Music Network notes that when Mushroom celebrated its 25th anniversary with a concert at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in November 1998, it was up until that point the most attended ticketed concert in Australian history, attracting 73,000 people. The show featured a host of domestic stars including Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Peter Andre and Jimmy Barnes with INXS in the band’s first public performance since the death of frontman Michael Hutchence the previous year.
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Ed Sheeran has broken his own attendance record at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) by playing to more than 100,000 fans on consecutive nights.
The superstar singer-songwriter performed to a 107,000-strong crowd last Thursday (2 March), topping that 24 hours later when he attracted a 109,500-strong crowd to Friday’s Frontier Touring-presented show. Eminem previously pulled in more than 80,000 punters at the venue in 2019.
“Ed loves to break a record and he’s smashed this one,” says Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski, who describes the feat as “phenomenal”.
Earlier in the week, Sheeran paid tribute to his former Australian promoter, Gudinski’s father, Michael Gudinski, after visiting the statue of the late Mushroom Group founder outside Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
The largest concert ever held in Australia was a free admission show by The Seekers in 1967, which had an estimated 200,000 in attendance
“Toasting a 707 to the big man ahead of playing the biggest ticketed shows ever in Australian history this weekend,” wrote Sheeran on Instagram. “We miss you, you finally got me playing MCG in the round.”
According to Noise11, the largest concert ever held in Australia was a free admission show by The Seekers at Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne in 1967, which had an estimated 200,000 in attendance.
Sheeran’s opening night at MCG suffered a technical hitch, however, with some fans initially unable to access their tickets after buying them through Ticketek.
“Ticketek apologises to those fans who experienced a delay in entering the MCG for Ed Sheeran’s concert,” a spokesperson tells the Daily Mail. “A small number of Ticketek App users, who had valid tickets, were unable to retrieve their entry barcode until the issue was resolved.
“We thank fans for their patience whilst Ticketek enabled a solution, which saw all fans admitted prior to the start of the concert.”
Last month, Sheeran also smashed the attendance record at New Zealand’s Sky Stadium, with 48,000 fans flocking to the singer’s sold-out concert, again outselling the previous record-holder Eminem, who attracted 46,474 fans to his March 2019 date.
The Australia/New Zealand leg of the 32-year-old’s +–=÷× Tour (AKA the Mathematics Tour) wraps up this month with nights at Adelaide Oval (7 March) and Perth’s Optus Stadium (12 March).
Last week, Sheeran – who is represented by Marty Diamond of Wasserman Music in North America and Jon Ollier of One Fiinix Live for the rest of the world – announced a slate of European indoor shows in support of his upcoming fifth studio album, − (Subtract), out 5 May. He will visit Manchester’s AO Arena (23 March), The O2 in London (24-25 March), Glasgow’s OVO Hydro (28 March), 3Arena Dublin (30 March) and Accor Arena, Paris (2 April).
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A statue of the late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski has been unveiled outside Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, part of the Melbourne & Olympic Park precinct.
The life-size statue is in honour of the promoting legend’s contribution to Australia’s music, arts and entertainment industries, Melbourne & Olympic Park venues, and the state of Victoria.
The unveiling, which included speeches from Gudinski’s son, Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski, Australian singer-songwriter Jimmy Barnes and Dan Andrews MP, premier of Victoria, formed part of the music company’s MG Day – a day-long celebration of Gudinski’s life and legacy.
“My family and I are humbled by this great tribute and recognition of my late father that acknowledges his contribution to the Australian music scene and the city of Melbourne and will stand as a permanent tribute to his legacy and importance to making the Australian music and entertainment landscape what it is today,” says Matt Gudinski.
The sculpture was created by Darien Pullen from local company Meridian Sculptures.
“To have a statue of Michael up here surrounded by the very venues that made Melbourne the home of everything to him seems perfect”
One of the best-known and most-loved figures in the concert business down under for five decades, Michael Gudinski died in his sleep at home in Melbourne last March aged 68.
The long-time ILMC member founded record label and music publisher Mushroom Group at the age of 20 in 1972. Mushroom went on to become Australia’s largest homegrown entertainment company, adding booking agency, merchandise, film/TV production and concert promotion services.
Frontier Touring, founded in 1979, remains Australia’s largest tour promoter, having worked with artists including Ed Sheeran, Kylie Minogue, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Paul McCartney and Foo Fighters. It merged with AEG Presents in 2019.
“To have a statue of Michael up here surrounded by the very venues that made Melbourne the home of everything to him seems perfect. From here he can hear the roar of the crowds from the MCG,” adds Barnes. “He can see and hear the punters leaving the Rod Laver Arena, or AAMI Park shouting about being at the best show they’ve ever seen. I think that would put a smile on his face. Especially if it was a Frontier show.”
Always Live, an initiative envisioned by the late Michael Gudinski to revitalise Victoria’s live music scene following the Covid shutdown, launched earlier this month.
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Australia and New Zealand’s leading concert promoter, Frontier Touring, has unveiled a new leadership structure for the company.
Frontier says that the new structure has been created to “ensure the legacy, mission, and culture of [the company] is preserved and nurtured” following the passing of its founder Michael Gudinski in March 2021.
The company’s new executive team will comprise four members of the current leadership team, all of whom are elevated to new roles within the company: Dion Brant as CEO, COO Susan Heymann, CMCO Reegan Stark, and CCO Andrew Spencer.
The executive team will report to the Frontier Touring Board, comprised of Jay Marciano (chairman and CEO, AEG Presents and COO, office of the chairman, AEG), Matt Gudinski (chairman and CEO, Mushroom Group) and Dion Brant (CEO, Frontier Touring).
In addition, Adam Wilkes moves to the role of chairman of the Frontier Board in conjunction with his position as president and CEO, AEG Presents Asia Pacific, which he has held since 2016.
“I know Dad’s legacy and the future of Frontier is in safe hands”
In 2019, Frontier (a subsidiary of Mushroom Group) entered into a strategic joint venture with AEG Presents.
Matt Gudinski says: “I couldn’t be happier announcing our new Frontier executive team. Mushroom Group is built on our great people, which is something we’ve always valued first and foremost.
“I’m thrilled that moving forward Frontier will be led by four incredibly dedicated, experienced, and strong leaders in Dion, Reegan, Susan, and Spence, working closely with myself, Adam, and the AEG Presents team.
“Frontier was founded on strong relationships, an artist-first approach and a never-ending passion for music and I know Dad’s legacy and the future of Frontier is in safe hands. There are exciting times ahead for the company.”
Marciano adds: “Michael Gudinski was a man of endless passion, energy, and creativity, with an innate sense for the business, and it was clear no one person could replace him. All of us who worked together on this new structure were bound by the same sense of duty: we’re committed to properly and thoroughly stewarding Michael’s vision for the future of Frontier.”
In the next 12 months, Frontier has shows planned with Ed Sheeran, Foo Fighters, Billie Eilish, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Justin Bieber, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly, Tame Impala, Wallows, Courtney Barnett, Leon Bridges, Tyler, The Creator, The Killers, Robbie Williams, Lorde and more.
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Foo Fighters have confirmed a 2022 stadium tour of Australia and New Zealand after kicking off Always Live, an initiative envisioned by the late Michael Gudinski to revitalise Victoria’s live music scene.
Last Friday (4 March), the US band become the first international act to play a stadium show in Australia since the pandemic began, performing a sold-out, one-off concert to 30,000 fans at the GMHBA Stadium in Geelong, Victoria.
They have now announced their first headline tour of the region since 2018. Promoted by Frontier Touring, the rockers will visit Perth’s HBF Park (30 November), Aami Park, Melbourne (4 December), Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (10 December), Accor Stadium, Sydney (12 December) in Australia.
They will then head to New Zealand for shows at Sky Stadium, Wellington (15 December) and Auckland’s Western Springs Stadium (17 December).
More events will be announced shortly for Always Live, a series of shows intended to bring music fans into Melbourne and regional Victoria and help to support local jobs and tourism businesses.
“Always Live was a passion project for my dad to ensure Victoria continued to be recognised as the music capital of Australia”
Gudinski, one of the best-known and most-loved figures in the concert business down under, passed away unexpectedly last year.
“Always Live was a passion project for my dad to ensure Victoria continued to be recognised as the music capital of Australia, and Melbourne as one of the leading music cities in the world,” said Gudinski’s son, Always Live chair Matt Gudinski.
“Dad worked tirelessly over many years to bring his vision and concept to life and to obtain the support of the Victorian government. The initiative has been in the works for a long time and has been impacted by Covid-19 leading to several postponements of its launch and delivery.
“I’m honoured to be part of now making it a reality at a time when the live music scene needs all the support it can get. The focus of this year’s instalment of Always Live is reinvigorating and reconnecting the state through the power of live music.”
Australia recently reopened its international border for the first time in nearly two years. The country imposed some of the world’s strictest travel bans after shutting itself off in March 2020 due to Covid.
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