Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mushroom Records was later acquired by Warner Bros. Records, which operated the label from 2005 to 2010 until it folded to Warner Bros. Records. Founder Michael Gudinski went on to become the leader of the Mushroom Group, the largest independent music and entertainment company in Australia, with divisions such as Frontier Touring.
Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music that is no longer restricted to the creative underground, with artists such as The Kid LAROI, Manu Crooks, ONEFOUR, Iggy Azalea, Hilltop Hoods, Bliss n Eso and Youngn Lipz, having achieved notable fame. Australian hip-hop is still primarily released through independent record labels, which are often owned and operated by the artists themselves. Despite its genesis as an offshoot of American hip hop, Australian hip hop has developed a distinct personality that reflects its evolution as an Australian musical style.
Michael Solomon Gudinski AM was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne to Jewish Russian immigrants, Gudinski formed the highly successful Australian record company Mushroom Records in 1972 through which he signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging from MacKenzie Theory, the Skyhooks, The Choirboys, Kylie Minogue, and New Zealand's Split Enz to newer artists such as Eskimo Joe, Evermore and others.
Bliss n Eso are an Australian hip hop trio based in Sydney, New South Wales. They are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are managed and booked by label co-founders Adam Jankie and Matt Gudinski. Bliss n Eso have released six studio albums which include three number 1 debuts on the ARIA Charts. They have also won two ARIA Awards for Best Urban Release for their 2008 album Flying Colours and for Best Music Video for their 2017 single "Moments". Eso, under his alias Esoterik, released an album entitled "My Astral Plane" in May 2018.
Obese Records was a record label that released music from the Australian hip hop genre. It was the largest Australian independent hip hop label, including performers Pegz, Thundamentals and Dialectrix. Obese Records also operated two retail stores in Melbourne, a record distribution company, a soul imprint named Plethora Records, and operates the artists' management and touring company Obese Records Artist Management.
True Live is an Australian band formed in Melbourne, Australia. They had chart success with "TV" reaching #76 on the ARIA Single Chart and The Shape of It reaching #85 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The group received regular play on radio and television and were chosen to perform at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The group's early recordings contained strong ties to hip hop but in 2011 have made a significant turn toward rock and classical leanings.
Liberation Music is an Australian record company and label, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello, based in Melbourne. Its stated aim is to find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining independent in the process.
Fullsteam Records is an independent group of music companies whose activities include a record label, promotion and booking agency, festivals, a distribution company, rehearsal rooms, merchandising, publishing and management.
X & Hell or Weapon X & Ken Hell are an Australian electro-rap group, consisting of producer and vocalist, Weapon X, vocalist, Ken Hell and DJ and turntablist, A-Style. They issued two albums, Sneakerpimpin Aint Easy (2005) and Million Dollar Sex Party (2008). They were nominated for Best Urban Release in 2005 for "Otherman" and in 2006 for Sneakerpimpin Aint Easy. "Otherman", their debut single, reached No. 46 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
Paris Wells is an Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. She has released two albums and one EP. Wells has played at festivals such as Falls Festival, Big Day Out, Meredith and Sydney Music Festival. She has supported Justin Timberlake, Rod Stewart, Plan B, Robyn and Jamie Lidell on tour.
Paul James Shull is a rock music promoter and television host who has worked in music, film and television. He is the host of the television show The Weapon Hunter.
Lowrider is an Australian Soul, Indie band, formed in 2003 when brothers John and Paul Bartlett (drums) joined with bassist Scott Duncan and singer Joseph Braithwaite. Lowrider draw influences including Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, The Roots, Mos Def and Erykah Badu. After 10 years of performing, they called it quits in August of 2014 and would perform their last show in November of that year.
Ministry of Sound Australia is the Australian subsidiary label of Ministry of Sound Recordings Ltd, currently operating out of the offices of Sony Music Entertainment Australia.
The Frontier Touring Company is one of Australia and New Zealand's largest concert promoters. The company was formed in November 1979 by Michael Gudinski as one of the first Mushroom Group ventures, with eight music industry partners; Gudinski has stayed at the helm since. The company's first tour was in 1980 and in the decades since has toured over five hundred acts. In 2013 according to Pollstar, the industry's trade publication, the company was listed as No. 1 Australasian Concert Promoter and at No. 20, internationally.
Circus In The Sky is the fifth studio album by the Australian hip hop trio Bliss n Eso, following 2010's Running On Air. It was released on 28 June 2013 through Illusive Sounds. Bliss N Eso began recording the album in late 2012. The album revolves around themes such as optimism, freedom, and peace. The album instantly reached No. 1 on the iTunes albums chart upon release, and debuted at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album was positively received and was accredited gold. Bliss N Eso toured in support for the album on the House Of Dreams Tour in 2013 and the Circus Under The Stars Tour in 2014. Circus In The Sky was nominated for an ARIA Music Award for Best Urban Album.
Mushroom Group is the largest independent music and entertainment company in Australia. It comprises more than two dozen companies. It has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland with over 200 employees.
Michael Glenn Chugg is an Australian entrepreneur, businessman and concert tour promoter. As a promoter and manager he was a founder of Frontier Touring Company (1979–99) and Michael Chugg Entertainment (2000–present). On 8 June 1998, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia with the citation "for service to music and the performing arts, particularly in relation to the promotion of Australian artists and to fundraising for youth and children's charities". In 2010, he co-authored his autobiography, Hey, You in the Black T-Shirt: The Real Story of Touring the World's Biggest Acts, with journalist, Iain Shedden. In March 2014 on the 50th anniversary of his start as a promoter, Denis Handlin opined "Chuggy is noisy, wild, cantankerous, the oldest teenager I know and very often a nightmare to deal with. But somehow we all love him because he lives and sweats the business with 100 per cent persistence and passion". At the ARIA Music Awards of 2019 Chugg received the ARIA Industry Icon Award.
Diafrix are an Australian hip hop duo, Azmarino and Momo, which formed in 2001. Their music mixes funk, soul, reggae and dancehall.
UNIFIED Music Group is an Australian-based music company that provides a varied range of services to the music industry. Founded by Jaddan Comerford in 2011, the company now has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, London and Los Angeles. UNIFIED Music Group runs a number of prominent music businesses and events, including record label UNFD, merchandise store 24Hundred, and music festivals UNIFY - A Heavy Music Festival and The Hills Are Alive. The artist management division also includes a high-profile roster of artists including Vance Joy, Violent Soho, The Amity Affliction and more.
Yours and Owls is a brand and annual music festival that is held in Wollongong, Australia. It originally started as a coffee shop, then a gallery and restaurant space, then a music venue, then pop-up gigs, a record label, and now holds an annual music festival. in addition to events throughout the year in local venues.
