 | |
| Industry | Music and entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Michael Gudinski |
| Headquarters | Melbourne, Victoria , Australia |
Key people | Matt Gudinski (CEO) |
| Website | mushroomgroup |
Mushroom Group is the largest independent music and entertainment company in Australia. [1] [2] [3] It comprises more than two dozen companies. [4] It has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland with over 200 employees.
The Mushroom Group was founded in 1972 in Melbourne by a 20-year-old Michael Gudinski with the formation of Mushroom Records, followed shortly afterwards with the addition of Mushroom Music Publishing and Premier Artists booking agency in 1973. [5]
In 1978, the Group expanded to include The Harbour Agency, a Sydney-based booking agency which was Mushroom's first foray into the city. As of 2013, Mushroom has an office in Sydney with over 100 employees across all subsidiaries. [6]
1979 saw the launch of Mushroom's flagship touring company, The Frontier Touring Company. Its inaugural tours were UK Squeeze and The Police in 1980. It has now grown to become Australasia's biggest tour promoter.[ citation needed ] Frontier celebrated their 500th tour in 2010 with Tom Jones. [7]
In 1983, Mushroom launched Australian Touring Merchandise (ATM) which went on to become the largest music merchandise producer and distributor in the country. It merged with Love Police in 2010 to create Love Police ATM, which remains part of the Mushroom Group. [8]
After a massively successful period in the mid-‘80s, especially through Mushroom Records act Kylie Minogue, Mushroom launched Mushroom Distribution Services which distributed their own product alongside a catalogue which included Flying Nun amongst others. In the same period, Michael Gudinski also created Michael Gudinski Management which signed Jimmy Barnes as its flagship artist.
1995 marked the beginning of Mushroom Records expansion into the UK with the opening of a London office. In the same year, Mushroom Pictures was introduced as the Group's film arm. Productions include Chopper , Wolf Creek and the highly acclaimed Great Australian Albums television series.
1998 was an especially significant year for the Group, when Mushroom Records celebrated its 25th anniversary with a record-breaking concert at Melbourne's MCG. In the same year, the catalogue was bought by Warner Music for an undisclosed sum.
A year afterwards, Mushroom launched its first post-Mushroom Records label, Liberation Music. Since the sale of Mushroom Records, Liberation has become the flagship Mushroom label and the one Michael Gudinski has worked most closely with. Artists signed to the label include The Temper Trap, Dan Sultan, Adalita and Vance Joy.
Also in 1999, Mushroom Marketing launched and has provided music services for the likes of Coca-Cola, Telstra and McDonald's.
In 2001, Roundhouse Entertainment launched with their inaugural A Day On The Green concert, which has become an iconic festival series in Australian wineries and has featured the likes of Hall & Oates, Tom Jones, Elvis Costello and Alicia Keys. [9]
Michael Gudinski's son Matt got his start in the family business in 2002 with the launch of his Illusive Sounds label imprint and touring company at the age of 18. Illusive's label has distributed Bliss N Eso, Owl Eyes, Clubfeet, Stonefield, Diafrix and Lowrider, while their touring division has brought out AlunaGeorge, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson to name just a few. The year afterwards, Ivy League Records (home to Cloud Control, The Rubens, Josh Pyke and Alpine) joined the fold.
2006 saw the opening of an international label arm, Liberator Music, with a roster that includes Phoenix, Bloc Party, Dizzee Rascal, Tiesto, Local Natives and Chvrches.
In 2010, party promoter I Oh You launched his I Oh You record label through Mushroom. Some of the inaugural label signees were Bleeding Knees Club, DZ Deathrays and Snakataktal. In the same year, Matt Gudinski and booking agent Brett Murrihy formed a third Group booking agency called Artist Voice. Shortly afterwards, Mushroom launched another merchandise arm named Drawing Board, which provided creative services for artists. [10]
In 2012, Michael Gudinski was honoured by his home city of Melbourne and named Melburnian of the Year for Mushroom's contribution to the local music scene. In the same year he was also listed in the #1 position in the AMID Power 50, a list of the top 50 most influential people in the Australian music industry. [11]
In 2013, Mushroom Group celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event at Thousand Pound Bend featuring performances by Alt-J, British India, City Calm Down, Clubfeet, Owl Eyes, Snakadaktal, The Rubens, Vance Joy, and World's End Press. At the party, Matt Gudinski was announced as the new Executive Director of the Group alongside his father and CEO Michael. [12]
In the same year, Mushroom acquired the Australian distribution rights for PIAS Entertainment Group and Intellitix technology. The year was capped off by the announcement that Future Entertainment joined Mushroom, which makes it currently the largest 100% Australian owned festival entity by virtue of ticket sales. [13]
In March 2017, Mushroom Group appointed Chris Maund as Chief Operating Officer for its labels and publishing divisions. [14] In July 2017, Mushroom Group launched Mushroom Creative House. [15] The 100s + 1000s label was launched in May 2020, followed by Reclusive Records the month after. [16] [17]
In March 2021, Michael Gudinski died at his home in Melbourne, at the age of 68. [18] The following month, Matt Gudinksi assumed the role of CEO of Mushroom Group. [19]
In July 2023, Mushroom Group launched Mushroom Booking Agency. [20] As part of a major restructure of Mushroom Group, the company's recording, publishing and neighbouring rights functions were merged into a new division called Mushroom Music in July 2024. The labels Liberation Records, Ivy League Records, Bloodlines, Liberator Music, Soothsayer and 100s + 1000s were consolidated into Mushroom Music. [21] [22] Mushroom Connect, a talent management and partnerships agency, was also launched that month. [23]
The company has a number of divisions and subsidiaries: [24]
Skyhooks were an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1973. Their classic lineup (1974–1977) comprised Graeme "Shirley" Strachan (vocals), Greg Macainsh, Red Symons, Bob "Bongo" Starkie, and Imants "Freddie" Strauks (drums).
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. 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.
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.
A&E Records is a United Kingdom-based record label imprint, owned by Warner Music Group (WMG). It operates under the WEA International group of labels at WMG.
Festival Records, later known as Festival Mushroom Records, was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005.
Infectious Music is an independent record label owned by BMG, whose bands have included Alt-J, Ash and the Subways.
Ivy League Records was an Australian record label based in Sydney. It was founded in 1997 by Pete Lusty, Andy Cassell and Andy Kelly. In 2024, the label was merged into Mushroom Music.
Liberation Music is an Australian record company and label, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello, based in Melbourne. Its stated business aim is to "find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining independent in the process".
Ted Gardner was an Australian artist manager, entrepreneur and company owner. Gardner began his career in Melbourne in 1977, then relocated to Sydney in 1980 and on to United States from 1982. There he managed Jane's Addiction from 1989 and was co-founder of the original Lollapalooza festival in 1991 alongside Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell.
Illusive Group is an Australian independent record label and management and touring company that represents acts including Bliss n Eso, Lowrider, Stonefield, Owl Eyes, Clubfeet, Diafrix, Lurch & Chief and Lila Gold.
Roger Grierson is a New Zealand born musician and music industry executive.
Chain are an Australian blues band formed as The Chain in late 1968 with a line-up including guitarist and vocalist Phil Manning and lead vocalist Wendy Saddington. Saddington left in May 1969 and in September 1970 Matt Taylor joined on lead vocals and harmonica. During the 1990s they were referred to as Matt Taylor's Chain. Their single, "Black and Blue", is their only top twenty hit. It was written and recorded by the line-up of Manning, Taylor, Barry Harvey on drums and Barry Sullivan on bass guitar. The related album, Toward the Blues, followed in September and peaked in the top ten. Manfred Mann's Earth Band covered "Black and Blue" on their 1973 album Messin'.
Madder Lake are an Australian progressive rock band formed in Melbourne in 1968 as San Sebastian. They were one of the first bands signed to the Michael Gudinski co-owned Mushroom Records which released their debut single, "Goodbye Lollypop" in February 1973, followed by the album Stillpoint in August. This contained their most recognisable single, "12lb Toothbrush". Their second album Butterfly Farm was released in April 1974, they left Mushroom after their last single, "I Get High" appeared in July 1976. A compilation album The Best of Madder Lake was released by Mushroom Records in 1978.
Matthew Taylor is an Australian blues musician. He is best known for his work with long-lasting blues band Chain and for the hit song "I Remember When I Was Young".
Christopher Mark Murphy was an Australian music and multimedia entrepreneur. He was the band manager for INXS and Models. He died on 16 January 2021, aged 66, following a battle with Mantle Cell Lymphoma.
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.
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.
Liberator Music is a record label owned by the Mushroom Group. It was founded in 2006 by Nick Dunshea and Michael Gudinski in Melbourne. The label is the international recording division of the company and is home to artists such as Childish Gambino, CHVRCHES, alt-J, Andy Grammer, FIDLAR, Steve Aoki, Garbage, AJR, We The Kings, Wolf Alice, Kylie Minogue, Gengahr, Faith No More, Day Wave, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Fontaines D.C., and IDLES.
The Music Victoria Awards of 2013 are the eighth Annual Music Victoria Awards and consist of a series of awards, culminating on 20 November 2013. Previously known as The Age EG Awards, 2013 was the first year under the title Music Victoria Awards.
Mushroom: Fifty Years of Making Noise is a yearlong event celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Mushroom Records. The event was launched with an advertisement and release of special merchandise in March 2023, release of several reimagined singles and concluded with a live concert on 26 November 2023 at Rod Laver Arena. The release of the Michael Gudinski documentary Ego: The Michael Gudinski Story in August 2023, coincided with the event.
