VINYL TAP - Inside the Music Industry

Running a music industry organisation and representative body like ARIA is by no means a walk in the park in the current music climate, but this weeks guest is more than ready for the task.Annabelle Herd has the right temperament and 'can-do' mentality for navigating the domestic music industry through these challenging, but exciting times. A career in politics as an advisor in the Communications and Arts sector and then in TV as the Chief Operating Officer at Channel 10 has held Annabelle in good stead as the Head of ARIA. And she means business! In this week's episode we discuss not only the many challenges that we all face as an industry, but also the reasons we need to stay focused and excited for the future growth of Australian music and the many artists that are flying the flag.

Karl Richter is somewhat of a chameleon in the Music Industry. Not only has he been able to successfully pivot from A&R to Music Supervision, but he now is also a major player in the Music Tech space. In this enlightening new episode of Vinyl Tap, we go back to Karl's early community radio days and his entry into the music industry per se. Starting as an A&R manager at MDS, Mushroom's Indie distribution arm in the early 90's, we chart Karl's professional evolution from music executive to becoming one of the most important, if not disruptive forces in the Music Licensing world with the 'happy accident' we now know as Level Two Music. And now as the Founder of the highly impressive DISCO platform, a B2B file sharing technology, that has taken the industry by storm there is no stopping Karl as he continues to pave his own path to the intersection of music, technology and the screen. Underpinning all of this is Karl's ultimate A&R philosophy - building creative business' and people that can and that are challenging the norm on a global level.

Mitch Clark is a true survivor in the music business! She started her professional career learning from the likes of pioneer promoters Michael Coppel and Zev Eizek before taking the plunge and moving to the UK in the late 80's in search of her own journey and path. Whilst there she worked her way up the ranks at the legendary Chrysalis Records label and at EMI UK where she ended up as a VP of International. Her roster was the stuff of legends; Prince, Queen, Sinead O'Connor, Tina Turner. Stevie Nicks, Pink Floyd and Pet Shop Boys, the latter of whom she went on to manage. In this week's fun new episode of Vinyl Tap. we get a taste of the incredulous and the downright crazy world of Mitch Clark who has now reinvigorated her career as an artist manager again with her aptly titled company 'Mitch Clark Artist Management'. Buckle up for an hour of the funniest and most poignant anecdotes of a long and illustrious life and career.

Simon Moor has been in the business of Artist Discovery for all of his professional career, first as an A&R manager via his stints at Sony Music & EMI and then as a creative inside SonyATV Publishing. We sure as hell had some great A&R stouch's in the 90's fighting for the same bands but Simon always had a great ear for finding new music. In 2010, his professional trajectory took a major upturn when he helped launch and run Kobalt Music Publishing, which he still successfully presides over today. Kobalt are considered a 'disruptor' in the Music Publishing world. They are super transparent, pay their artists in real time and they are able to do the kinds of deals that their competitors simply can't match at times. In this week's episode of Vinyl Tap, we get Simon's take on the ever changing nature of Music Publishing and what role he and Kobalt play in its evolution.

Richard 'Rash' Hussein has spent the better part of the last 20 years in Dubai helping to establish a real music industry over in the Wild East! Through his A&R stints at both EMI and Warner Middle East, not only did he amass a staggering 50 #1 records but he also helped define a blueprint for merging Arab Pop with the Western music industry. In this week's episode, we learn a lot more about the gradual rise of the Middle Eastern Music business and what role Rash played and still plays inside it and whether there is a place for Australian artists in the region. This is a fascinating insight into a world that we, as Australians, know little about.

Maggie Collins is one of the most dynamic executives in the music business today. She cut her teeth at community radio and at Triple J before venturing into artist management, working with the likes of DZ Deathrays, Donny Benet and Odette. She also managed to programme Big Sound between 2016-2019, become a mum and now heads up the Association of Artists Managers in Australia. She is definitely up for the fight and the challenge of representing and advising the domestic artist management community..and that's no easy task in this current climate. That said he has idea's, plans and a real tenacity that makes me believe she is the right person for the role. In this new episode of Vinyl Tap, we find out what makes Maggie tick and what drives her to do what she does every day.

Harris Meitanis has been around the block and played the game for near on 30 years. He has worn many hats- Solicitor, Label owner, Studio owner, music publisher, music agent, A&R and management. Most recently, he has guided the rise and rise of one of this country's biggest and most successful comedy acts, the fabulous SOOSHI MANGO boys. These guys aren't just performing at small comedy clubs, they're playing arena's both here and OS. How on earth did that happen? And now Harris has gone somewhat rogue and, dare I say it, completely disruptive with the launch of his new artist booking platform ACTA. What is ACTA? Who is Harris Meitanis? And what does 2025 have in store for him?

I don't use the words 'one-of-a-kind' very often, but my first guest of 2025 - Scott Horscroft - is certainly worth of the mantle I've bestowed upon him. He's one of the best producers in this country, if not the world. Doesn't do things by halves and certainly doesn't professionally either. I liken him to a a method actor, only in a parallel world of music production. He has been involved in some of the most seminal albums from the early 2000's and you only have to look at his sparkling CV to appreciate it- The Pre Sets, Silverchair, T-Kay Maidza, The DMA's, Empire Of the Sun et al. Emanating from a 'Fine Arts' background at University clearly impacted his approach to making music, but even more he has been able to master the art of having one foot in art and one foot in commerce. He has worked in all facets of the music business- producer, A&R executive, writer, educator, mentor, entreprenuer, et al. He's not short of a word and he's not gun shy. He's one of the Mohican's who has helped shaped a big part of our culture and our music history.

Welcome to this week's special presentation of VINYL TAP. We recently held a live panel night at Collarts College in Melbourne where I assembled an esteemed array of some of the biggest thinkers in the local music scene. Please give a nod to Adam Booth (Weez) from Calibe Management and EMI A&R, Sarah Hamilton ex MD of DITTO now and Golden Hour Consultancy, Gabby Colombi Co Founder of Global PR Pool and Frank Cotela MD of One Love Entertainment. Our general topic was 'Discovery-- How do artists get discovered these days and, by extension, noticed? Has technology improved an artists chance of being discovered or is it simply suffocating the artist funnel with transient, here today-gone tomorrow type acts. We discussed this and more with a live audience who also got to ask their own questions at the end of the session. Enjoy!