Following on from the announcement of Mushroom’s rebranding and “repositioning”, including Executive Chairman Michael Gudinski promoting his son Matt to the role of Executive Director during an invite-only industry launch featuring live performances from Mushroom’s best and brightest, Gudinski will be representing Australian independent music on a new international board.
As The Music Network‘s Industrial Strength column reports, Michael Gudinski is representing Australia in the World Independent Music Network (WIN)’s new Global Council, which was endorsed at Marché International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale (MIDEM), the France-based annual event that is billed as the world’s largest trade fair for the music industry.
As Music Week reports, the Global Council has been established to give weight and authority to WIN’s position as a global representative for independent music, and also lays out their Independent Manifesto with a clear view of the council’s beliefs and values that bind the global independent music sector.
The manifesto recognises that independent music makes a crucial contribution to a country’s economy and culture, which should receive support from governments and authorities in gaining access to finance and tax deductions.
Gudinski and his constituents are also calling for action in areas significant for the development of the independent music sector. Including lobbying for the same terms and equal market access for independent music companies as those enjoyed by the record label majors such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group.
Gudinski and his constituents are also calling for action in areas significant for the development of the independent music sector.
The ever-growing digital market is also major concern for the new Global Council, calling for transparency and greater representation for indies and their associates. The Global Council is made up of some of the most influential and pioneering independent leaders in the music industry
Along with the Mushroom mogul representing Australia, the Council’s ranks include Martin Mills, Laurence Bell, Doug D’Arcy, and Daniel Miller, of UK indies Beggars, Domino, Songlines, and Mute respectively, Darius Van Arman of US label Jagjaguwar, Michel Lambot of Belgian label PIAS, and Jim Selby of classical label Naxos US.
Other Global Council members include Stephan Bourdoiseau of Wagram France, Emmanuel de Buretel of French indie Because, Germany’s Mark Chung of Freibank, Oke Gottlich of Finetunes/VUT Germany, Altafonte’s Spain representative Florian Von Hoye, Jonas Strostrom of Playground Sweden/Scandinavia, with representatives from other territories to be announced soon.
The news of Gudinski’s new appointment follows the 40th Anniversary of the Mushroom Group, which included a swish new logo to act as a ‘universal stamp’ for the company and its more than 20 subsidies, while also putting to rest rumours that its Executive Chairman would be retiring. “If anyone asks if I’m retiring tonight you can tell them to fuck off,” said Gudinski at the industry launch for the Mushroom re-brand on Tuesday night (Feb 5th).
He also announced the promotion of his son, Matt within the company. “After 40 years in the business I cannot express how proud I am of what the Mushroom group is today and that my son Matt has stepped up into the role of Executive Director,” said Gudinski at the event.
Hosted at Melbourne’s Thousand £ Bend, the Mushroom party also included live sets from some of the group’s finest associates, including The Rubens, British India, Snakadaktal, Club Feet, Owl Eyes, and newer signees to the Mushroom family such as City Calm Down and Vance Joy, as well as a closing slot from über-buzz band Alt-J.
Mushroom extended the 40th birthday festivities to the Melbourne public last night, with a free show at Thousand £ Bend, tilted the Mushroom Free For All, featuring live performances from Adalita, Bleeding Knees Club, DZ Deathrays, Stonefield, SURES and World’s End Press.
You can view Global Council’s 10-point Independent Manifesto below:
1. We, the independents, will work to grow the value of music and the music business. We want equal market access and parity of terms with Universal, Warner and Sony, and will work with them in areas where we have a common goal. We will work to ensure that all companies in our sector are best equipped to maximize the value of their rights.
2. We support creators’ freedom to decide how their music may be used commercially, and we will encourage individual artists and labels to speak out directly against unauthorized uses of music as well as commercial uses of music that stifle that freedom. We support creators’ right to earn a living from their work, which should be respected as a basic human right.
3. We support independent music labels that treat their artists as partners and who work with them on reasonable commercial terms, noting that labels are investors who deserve a fair return alongside their artists.
4. We promote transparency in the digital music market; artists and companies are entitled to clarity on commercial terms.
5. We oppose further consolidation in the recorded music, publishing and radio sectors since this is bad for independent music companies, their artists and fans, as it reduces market access and consumer choice.
6. We support initiatives which confront market abuse, and which aim to adapt competition laws to promote independent market access and foster collective responses by independents to potentially anti-competitive conduct by large operators.
7. We recognize that all independent music businesses contribute to local culture, diversity, jobs and export opportunities, and multiply the economic success of related industries. We will ask governments to promote and support the independent music sector in securing access to finance and tax credits, and to local and international markets.
8. We hold that collecting society revenues must be allocated and distributed accurately and transparently. This includes distribution of unclaimed money that logically belongs to the independents. We will push for the independent sector to be formally represented in the governance of collecting societies, with trade associations being eligible for board seats.
9. We support the creation of a worldwide track-level sound recording rights database, subject to neutral governance and ownership, to ensure accurate distribution of rights revenues to their rightful owners.
10. The independents will, as always, actively encourage and support new commercial opportunities for music, and will continue to support and develop new, legitimate business structures and partnerships.
