The biggest problem with Australian music is that its own government will not financially support it, so says one of Australia’s biggest and most influential music industry figures.
In the 40 years since he first founded Mushroom, Michael Gudinski has become of Australian music’s biggest movers and shakers, in the last 12 months the 2012 Melburnian of the Year has celebrated his company’s 40th anniversary and rebranding back in February, brokered an exclusive deal in his role as boss of Frontier Touring for more Hanging Rock concerts, and become the co-presenter of one of Australia’s biggest festivals: Future Music.
But the music industry veteran says the biggest thing holding Australia music back is “the fucking government, straight up” in a scathing attack on Australian politics – of both major parties – for the lack of funding support they provide contemporary Aussie bands and artists, as The Music reports.
The biting comments came during a panel at Melbourne’s Face The Music conference today in which Gudinski, speaking alongside his son and Mushroom Group Executive Director Matt Gudinski, told the audience and moderator, Billboard/The Music Network journalist Lars Brandle, that the Government wasn’t doing enough to support its music scene, as The Music reports.
“If you want to support artists, you need money… Australia needs to support it’s own,” says the Mushroom mogul, a self-proclaimed Labor supporter. “The Liberal Party are in, and they’re in. if they want to make a big statement [they should look to music].” “What the hell did Peter Garrett do by going to politics? He fucked up a good band!” – Michael Gudinski
Comparing Australia’s music scene to that of Canada’s, Gudinski illustrated how Ontario had recently announced a spend of $45 million fund over three years, compared to the Australia Council for the Arts, who have a budget of $5 million.
In the last six months, the federal arts funding body has handed out many music-based grants to various organisations. Back in August the Australia Council, then under a Kevin Rudd-led Federal Government, handed out $1.4 million in grants to around 39 organisations and earlier this month, bands such as The Preatures, Northlane, Dead Letter Circus, and Ball Park Music were among several artists that shared in over $150,000 in Government spending towards international tours.
But Gudinski believes that the Government can be doing more. “Our artists need government support and there should be the Australian invasion, please give me that before I die,” opined the Mushroom founder in his passionate Face The Music speech, which facilitator Brandle described as a “get out of the way moment.”
“I think it is a disgrace that there’s not a fucking Australian artist playing a 15 minute performance before every international,” added Gudinski, hinting at the option of government regulations to enforce the use of local talent for international touring bands.
The promoter’s attack also took aim at Peter Garrett, criticising his time in Parliament. “What the hell did Peter Garrett do by going to politics? He fucked up a good band,” said Gudinski of the former Midnight Oil frontman-turned-Labor MP, who resigned from politics earlier this year following the very public Labor leadership spill that saw Prime Minister Julia Gillard ousted by Kevin Rudd.
A move that sparked rumours of a Midnight Oil reunion with huge money offers from international music festivals reportedly thrown the band’s way, until their long-term manager of nearly 40 years, Gary Morris, quashed the rumours of the band getting back together by announcing he was quitting.
Michael Gudinski’s appearance at Face The Music precedes the opening of the free Melbourne, Music + Me exhibition, which celebrates 40 years of Australian music with an exclusive collection of historic memorabilia, archival material, and interactive displays, with Gudinski’s own personal collection forming the backbone of the public rock museum; including vintage promotional material, tickets, merch, posters, awards, and even a full blown replica of his Mushroom office.
The Mushroom boss is hoping the exhibition will draw in a large cross-section of music fans, from young to old.
“Retro music is really popular at the moment, vinyl has just had the most sales it’s had in over a decade, people are interested in the history of music,” said Gudinski of the exhibition. ”And if anyone gets inspired and ends up getting any form of job that they love to do with music because they’ve come to this exhibition, that’d be more than enough for me.”
