Collarts provides high-quality professional Arts Degrees specialising in music, audio production, and creative industries management and has served as an educational platform for those wanting to break into the music industry for years. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sitting down with some of the lecturers an educators at Collarts, all of whom have varied and impressive professional experience, and talking to them about how they got their start in music, what some key moments have been, and asking them for some tips of the trade.
Abby Gee has an extensive event management and music industry experience spanning some 20 years. She is the principal of music and events company One Little Indian Enterprises and has worked on tours with artists including Katy Perry, Lana Del Ray, U2, Wolfmother, Bjork, Madonna, Garbage and Portishead amongst other and lectures in the Creative Industries Management degree at Collarts,
Her previous and current client roster includes Future Entertainment, Fuzzy, the Australian Independent Record Labels Association Awards, Sound Campaign, Secret Sounds, Rubber Records, Universal Music, and the Honorable Al Gore’s Climate Project and His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s national tour as national events manager.
In 2011 Abby’s first book, Event Management Theory & Practice was published by US publisher McGraw Hill and received wide industry praise for its relevance and detailed and practical industry focused content.
Abby’s academic record evidences her solid foundation in events and music management theory: Abby has a Music Business Diploma from Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA; an Advanced Diploma in Events from Swinburne University; a Bachelor of Business (Music Industry) from Victoria University, and Abby is currently in her final year of her Bachelor of Laws at Victoria University, lecturing at Collarts and preparing for the epic Safari edition of Future Music Festival this coming March.
What was the first event that you ever covered, and how was that experience?
My first major festival was Womadelaide. I was a rookie and stage managing. I loved every minute, though I remember being overly nervous and one of the female African headliners (must have noticed my blind terror).
She made me stop what I was doing (despite being incredibly busy) and silently sit with her and a large tree (we were in the botanical gardens after all). I had a very spiritual moment for a couple of minutes there… with her, the tree and the production manager begging for me to get my arse backstage over my headset.
Were you always primarily focused on working with music management or events in general?
I’ve been defiantly a jack-of-all-trades. Often when I was working for record labels, I was also moonlighting as an events company owner working on festivals such as Future Music or Summadayze.
The list of artists that you’ve worked with is incredible. Can you name any highlights that really stood out for you? Bjork, and Portishead. U2 was an adrenalin inducing experience; I had been a mechanist during bump in but had a show call as a follow spot operator… to this day I have never been positioned higher in the rig.
Any horrid encounters you want to share?
Yes, but none that I can prove happened (I study law you know).
Any artist you’d love to work with?
Radiohead. Closely followed by P!nk for entirely different reasons, that said I do have an affinity with any artists who care about more than just themselves (and their music). Advocacy for animals and the environment is my weakness.
How different is touring an artist to someone like Al Gore or the Dalai Lama?
It’s very much the same; all the production and management elements are essentially identical. That said I did have to be a quick study on Tibetan and Buddhist culture and protocols. The major difference was probably how profoundly impacted I was. They were both such incredibly charming, intelligent and sensitive men.
Have you worked abroad within the industry?
I detest staying in hotels, so I’m not the best traveller, but I have tolerated it long enough to tour the US.
Has your focus always been to remain within Australia?
Yes, I’m a homebody by nature and I love Australia, but I was nearly stolen by New York a few years back. My best friend who worked at Universal Music at the time managed to lure me back.
How long have you been lecturing in Creative Industries Management?
10 years.
From teacher to student, what has lead you take on a Bachelor Of Law?
I have wanted to study law since I was about 7 years old. Music and law are perfect bedfellows. The music business is built upon the exploitation of copyrights.
As one of Australia’s great leaders within events and music management – is there any message you want to provide those trying to make their way into the tough industry?
Dedicate yourself; be prepared to do “whatever” is needed (especially the jobs that aren’t fun or convenient). Make yourself indispensible. Quiet achievers run this industry, not loud mouths, do the work.
Stay tuned for the future instalments of our chats with the experts from Collarts.
