Vale Michael Gudinski

Like so many Australians, I’m reeling at the news that Michael Gudinski has passed away. He died peacefully in his sleep overnight at 68. What he crammed into those 68 years forever changed the Australian music landscape.

He founded Mushroom Records when he was just 20, providing a platform for artists we now call household names including Jimmy Barnes, Kylie Minogue, Archie Roach, Paul Kelly, The Choirboys, The Saints, and loads more. It became the country’s largest independent entertainment group.
At age 26 he launched Frontier Touring. It became Australia’s leading tour promotion company, helping local artists zigzag the country and bringing leading international acts to our shores. Right now Frontier Touring is behind some of the biggest upcoming shows, including concerts by Midnight Oil, Eskimo Joe, and the legends on the APIA Good Times bill.

When COVID ground the music industry to a standstill, he rose to the challenge again. He was behind platforms including Music From the Home Front, The Sound, and The State of Music which put local artists in loungerooms across the country. He made sure the show really did go on, against all odds.
Michael Gudinski championed our artists like no other, and he will be greatly missed.

Image source: Eva Rinaldi Celebrity Photographer @ Flickr

Michael Gudinski to Receive Top Live Entertainment Award

Music promoter, producer, publisher, and label head Michael Gudinski is set to receive the JC Williamson Award for excellence and achievement in live performance at this year’s 2009 Helpmann Awards.

The honour is the country’s highest for the live entertainment industry. It’s named after James Cassius Williamson, Australia’s most successful theatrical entrepreneur.

The award will be presented at the Helpmann Awards ceremony at Sydney Opera House on July 27. Congratulations to Michael Gudinski for the well-deserved nod!

Frontier Touring Company is Australia’s Best

Frontier Touring Company has been named the number one local promoter of 2008 by Pollstar. Michael Gudinski’s baby also fared well in the world market, taking out number 15.

And it’s not hard to see why. Last year Frontier Touring brought us tours from The Police, Kylie Minogue, Billy Joel, and Snow Patrol. Even with the economic downturn, they’ve managed to firm up 2009 tours from Leonard Cohen, Ryan Adams, Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon, and The Veronicas.

“It may be doom and gloom at the moment with the global economy but up until September 2008 Frontier was having a pretty amazing run. We ended 2008 well, but it could have been phenomenal before the economy went toe up,” Mr Gudinski said in a statement.

“The industry is inevitably set to go through some tough times, but I still believe that people are prepared to pay the money to go and see top quality entertainment. They may not go to as many shows as they used to, but with the right artist, and the right ticket price, there will always be a place for quality live entertainment in people’s budgets.”

I completely agree with him! The economy may have gone belly up but I’ve still got tickets for six shows so far this year! What about you? Has the financial crisis forced you to scale back, or are you still seeing as many concerts as ever before?