VINYL TAP - Inside the Music Industry

Paris born, US based music entrepreneur Emmanuel Zunz has always been fiercely independent. His music roots are steeped in philanthropy. He started his very first music venture 'Verge Records' back in 2007. It was an innovative record label predicated on releasing music from artists who lived in impoverished neighbourhoods in the US to yield profits to put back into those communities. While it was a relatively short-lived exercise, the seeds of enabling and empowering young musicians had been sown.Today, Emmanuel is the Head of ONErpm, a data driven global aggregator label that prides itself on representing DIY creators and established independent artists and labels from all around the world. The operation has now spread to 43 offices in 26 countries, including an Australian office run by respected music executive Rick Butterworth.In this new episode of Vinyl Tap, Emmanuel talks about what ONErpm is, what it has become and what his plans are for doubling his global market share inside the next few years.

Mardi Caught is a 'stayer' and a master at propelling artist careers. These are not mutually exclusive concepts! She cut her teeth in various major label roles both in Australia and in the UK & also at MTV in London. At the very heart and core of what she does is pure Artist Development. She thrives on it and this is beautifully demonstrated by he work with ground breaking acts like Royel Otis, Lime Cordiale and Genesis Owusu and successful Music Labels like UNIFIED, Ninja Tunes and Sweat It Out. She describes her new company, The Annex, as a 'swiss army knife'. The Annex is a multi-layered marketing services business that partners with talent, management and labels to create bespoke campaigns for it's clients. The success with and the importance of the aforementioned artists and labels speaks for itself. So what sets The Annex apart from similar company's and where does Mardi fit inside the local and global music eco-system? What else is there left to do for one of this country's best ever music executives? We discuss this and a whole lot more in this inspiring new episode of Vinyl Tap.

Who said Busking doesn't pay or, in fact, lead to global success? Starting his music career as a busker himself has held Regan Lethbridge in solid stead. Regan is best known as the co-manager of Tones and I and the manager of Tash Sultana, both of whom have forged strong international careers. And both of whom, like Regan, honed their craft as street performers. Today Regan is the proud and successful Co-Founder of Lemon Tree Music, his artist management business, and Lonely Lands Agency which he set up alongside UNIFIED's Jaddan Commerford and Tash Sultana herself. So what makes Regan one of the most successful young entrepreneur's in the global music scene today? What's the secret to his success and how does he view the future of Artist Development in these challenging times? We unpack this and more in this enlightening new episode of Vinyl Tap.

Recently, Vinyl Tap ventured out to the St Kilda Town Hall in Melbourne for a special live panel taping. Joining me on the night to discuss the LIVE Music scene were;PATRICK DONOVAN; Live Music Strategy and Development lead for the Port Phillip City Council, esteemed and widely acclaimed artist and proud local identity CASH SAVAGE, SUNSHINE TROTT; one of Melbourne's most celebrated local DJ's and Producers and ISABEL BEARLIN; National Bookings & Events manager for Live Nation. We discussed everything from the need to beef up our grass roots music strategy in schools, DIY Touring, the ever growing rise of EDM as our most popular music genre to how the multi-national Touring Company's are giving back to the local music community. Thanks to those who turned up on a cold Melbourne night to help us engage in a fun and robust conversation about what more we can do to keep our live scene buoyant and thriving in this post-Covid world.

David Vodicka has paid his dues in every way. First as an independent label owner and now as, arguably, one of the most successful and influential music lawyers in Australia. His 'Rubber Records' imprint, always cutting edge with its output, certainly delivered some of the best new artists in years gone by. Cordrazine, Even and 1200 Techniques are amongst some of my favourite Aussie acts of all time! David, however always had a Plan B in his back pocket. And that's where Media Arts comes in. Boasting a clientele that reads like a big summer festival lineup- Hilltop Hoods, Tame Impala, Tash Sultana, Teskey Bros, Matt Corby, Briggs et al- Media Arts represents some of the biggest artists and labels here and worldwide. In this weeks episode we get a proper glimpse into world of music law as seen through the eyes of one its best ever protagonists. Meet the best dressed lawyer in town Mr David Vodicka!

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.