The Muso Podcast

Nikki began working for APRA more than a decade ago, starting out in the General Licensing Department before moving into her current, much more enjoyable role in Writer Services.Her first contact with APRA goes back much earlier than that though, to her time as a teenage, fledgling singer-songwriter and hearing a presentation from an APRA Representative. Little did she know then it was this type of APRA Representative she was destined to become! Nikki’s interest in music copyright and the role that APRA AMCOS performs was compounded further while studying music performance at JMC Academy.It was a friend from JMC who worked at APRA AMCOS, that encouraged Nikki to apply for a role herself. Having accepted the fact that she was not going to be the Lorde of her time, it seemed a great fit to instead be working to support those who might be (or actually are!).An average day for Nikki could include everything from responding to writer member queries (which will vary from how to join APRA AMCOS, to obtaining payments from both here and overseas, to demystifying copyright). Nikki can be found visiting students at Universities, TAFEs, specialist music courses; or helping manage estates of deceased writer’s such as Michael Hutchence or Chrissy Amphlett; performing checks and balances so the APRA royalties can be paid out, creating new memberships, and interviewing artists like Alex Lahey during an in-house performance. No two days are exactly alike but there are always opportunities to help musicians and that’s what makes Nikki’s day – every day. 

Mike Christidis and Fil Palermo, two co founders from the UNTITLED Group, have flexed some major live music feats in their young but large careers. They’ve brought us the likes of  Beyond The Valley (BTV), Pitch Music & Arts Festival, Grapevine Gathering, Wildlands, and Ability fest, plus hundreds of landmark dance music events over the past seven years with still forever to go. You might remember them from their Anyway Nights series at the Palace Theatre, or not realised these guys were responsible if you were vibing to Solomon at The Wool Store, thinking “am I seriously doing this in a warehouse in Footscray right now?!”Part 1 recap Last episode we relived the whirlwind journey which took them from their first ever DJ and promo gigs (charmingly attained with fake I.Ds) to owning a club, turning to major festivals after the success of BTV, and then starting UNTITLED Group. We got a glimpse into their entrepreneurial style, how they met challenges along the way, and best of all, how they saw an opportunity to bring house music to Australia in a big way. Part 2 Episode SummaryThis episode we get a little deeper into the do’s and don’ts of running a festival, including all the learning curves which came with BTV. We get into why Pitch festival has such a perfect lineup (spoiler alert; it’s the date), and how the boys brought a European style dance festival - from it’s unique, left of field brand and programming, to life. The merging of underground artists like Maceo Plex, Sven Vath and Kiasmos amongst the likes of Floating Points and Mount Kimbie. We hear some stories about touring with the Wu-Tang Clan, and being dubbed honorary Wu members, the infamous Solomon ironing board set at the after party that would never end, and Ability Fest, a collaborative passion project with the Dylan Alcott Foundation.Key takeaways The only way to end a never ending Solomon afterparty is to turn the power off. The pure joy of pulling off a festival regardless of the economic value, and getting to dance in a crowd to your favourite artists, once it’s all come together. For musicians, take the pressure off attempting to impress your peers around you. Do your best and do it uniquely, and the right promoters, peers, labels, etc. will notice, because they’re all on the lookout. The Benefits of embracing extra costs and complications, like pursuing big ideas and festival excellence by bringing stage design to the next level. Anything is possible, if you create a road for it, you’re guaranteed to find a way, like delving into your touring dreams by bringing hip hop legacy like the Wu-Tang Clan to Australian shores.

Introducing Fil Palermo and Mike Christidis - Untitled Group For Episode 5 of the Muso Podcast, we bring you part 1 of a tale of two lads and an Australian empire they’ve built on this thing we call house music! Mike Christidis and Fil Palermo, two of the co founders of UNTITLED Group, have been responsible for Ability Festival, Beyond The Valley (BTV), Pitch Music & Arts Festival, Grapevine Gathering, plus hundreds of landmark dance music events over the past seven years. You might remember them from their Anyway Nights series at the Palace Theatre, or not realised these guys were responsible if you were vibing to Solomon at The Wool Store, thinking am I seriously doing this in a warehouse in Footscray listening to deep house right now?!Episode SummaryIt’s been 7 years, and they’ve achieved a lot, from charming stories of fake IDs so they could DJ and promote at a club, to teaming up with said club owner Nick Greco and then coming clean when he asked if they’d like to go into business with him, a match was made in club heaven. Together, they embarked on an adventure which started with a successful and disastrous pool party night which ended in slashed inflatable pools on a club rooftop to become the inspiration for UNTITLED group inflatable stage designs. This bestfriend/business partner duo were made for this life, where some find it daunting to get numbers through the door, fill floors and build a legacy from nothing, these guys thrived on the fast-paced competition. After killing it in the promotions game and pioneering analytics way before Facebook could do it for us, they turned their sights to pastures worthy of festival stadiums. Unbeknownst to them, they would become leaders in the Australian electronic house movement, bridging the gap between commercially successful Australian acts like Rüfüs Du Sol, and The Presets, to underground legends like Nina Kraviz and Green Velvet. A genius revelation at Falls Festival had them thinking, what about house music though? And just like that they were off, the festival circuit was theirs for the conquering, real underground electronic music fans rejoiced, and a community of DJs and producers will forever be thankful for the privilege of finding festivals to aspire to which rival those we admire across the large pond, in Europe. Key takeawaysJoin us for part 1 of a 2 episode journey, to see how these two lads invented a signature entrepreneurial style out of true passion and hardwork and built a solid team around them in an ‘all in together’ business model. We see the humble beginnings of BTV, all the learning curves along the way, to the surreal moment their festival sold out its second year in 1 minute and they realised they could do this forever!Mike and Fil give artists some advice on how to get noticed, by working on your craft and being the very best that you can be. They liken it to their equivalent of knocking on doors, handing out flyers, studying their analytics and individually following up hundreds of complaints to figure out how they could make their event the best it could be.

Introducing Pixie WeyandFor episode 4 of the Muso Podcast series, we chatted to Pixie Weyand, owner and prime booker of the beloved 25 year old Brisbane live music institution, the Zoo.If you’ve ever had the pleasure of stepping into The Lost Boys or Tree House cubby for a vegan meal or a cheeky and delightful beverage you’ll know that Pixie’s whimsy, one of a kind and larger than life visions set her apart. Whether that’s bringing Peter Pan's treehouse to Fortitude Valley, or founding the Music Feed initiative, to aid touring musicians by offering them a free feed as they tour from city to city.As the past recipient Queensland's Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year, and Commonwealth Bank Australian of the Day as well as past nominee for Brisbane Young Entrepreneur, she’s got a knack for venue management and her vast accumulation of knowledge in promotions and booking management has her sights set on a bright future in A&R which we have no doubt she will exceed in! Summary Pixie took us through her journey from acquiring an iconic venue, revamping it while maintaining it’s rich music legacy, and trying to earn her place in the live music industry.In a time of massive uncertainty and no past structure to follow in a pandemic, we got her firsthand account of how the COVID live music crash literally rocked her venue. The daunting task of navigating the Zoo through lockdowns and how she put her best foot forward in the daunting post-covid live entertainment structure with the highly successful Anti-Social Series, which really showed the nation how we can get back out there and open our doors if we just shake up our music model a bit. “Live music is a commodity and a privilege, COVID made us reevaluate life and what’s important and made us appreciate music again. - Pixie Weyand. Key takeawaysThe mentality you need to lead your venue into the new phase of live music by being vigilant, innovative, having flexibility and adapting your business model to fit the situation, instead of waiting for things to return to normal.The importance of having a community of venues to lean on during this pandemic, and appreciating your network because we are all going through the same thing.Truly appreciating past owner Joc Curren’s words that ‘in hard times I’ve leaned on local artists’ who have saved the Zoo venue, when touring artists couldn’t travel due to border restrictions. Venues will have a newfound appreciation for local talent, and provide a spotlight for them, instead of a supporting role for international artists. Proving yourself in the industry as a venue is just as hard as it is for aspiring musicians trying to get a gig, and even with the name of The Zoo behind her, Pixie still did the hard yards, going door to door, in Sydney and Melbourne, when no one would get back to her.