Control

This episode features Yamatji and Gumbaynggirr vocalist and songwriter, Emma Donovan. Growing up in a musical family, Emma first appeared on the stage with her renowned family band, the Donovans. She's since collaborated with artists such as Paul Kelly, the Black Arm Band, the Teskey Brothers, Paul Grabowsky, Spinifex Gum, the late Uncle Archie Roach and Aunty Ruby Hunter and The Putbacks. Recently, she was the executive producer for the award winning documentary, Wash My Soul in the Rivers Flow and appeared on PlaySchool, but in 2024, she's set to release her debut solo album 'Til My Song is Done'.

Zoe Hauptmann is one of Australia’s most in demand session musician’s who has recorded and performed with some of Australia’s most iconic artists including Paul Kelly, Neil Finn, Kate Ceberano and Peter Garrett. Zoe is also the Artistic Director of SIMA, Sydneys’ Improvised Music Association that presents a year round program of events as well as the Sydney International Women's Jazz Festival. In 2018 she won the Creative Leadership Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards. In this conversation, recorded shortly after the festival, I asked Zoe to tell us what she makes a great bandleader, how to negotiate performance fees, how she chooses what projects to work on and much more. https://sima.org.au/

Special Reminder: Always Live will present the Control podcast live at the Sound Box Monday 27 November. Hosted by artist/producer Chelsea Wilson, the session will feature two incredible Australian artists in conversation, Emma Donovan and Clare Bowditch. Housed in the Arts Centre Melbourne forecourt, the Soundbox Control session will comprise two back to back Control episodes recorded in front of a live audience. Soundbox Sessions are free, no booking required.

Cat Hope is an award winning composer, sound artist, writer, performer, songwriter, artistic director and noise artist. Her work explores low frequency sound, drone, noise, glissandi and the use of graphic scores and alternative music notation. She is the director of Decibel New Music Ensemble, founder of the Low Tone Orchestra and the Australian Bass Orchestra and is a performer in noise duos such as Super Luminum and Candied Limbs. Currently based in Melbourne Cat is a Professor of Music at Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University. In this conversation I ask Cat about graphic scores, her use of drones in composition, the role universities play in establishing the canon of popular music and much more.

Neighboring Rights expert Susan Cotchin, is the Managing Director of Good Neighbour. Originally working for PAMRA in the UK, she set up International Royalties rescue in London, collecting unpaid royalties from around the world for artists such as Rhianna, Beyonce, Crowded House and many more. In this conversation, we hear about Susan’s journey from a child entertainer, to an educator, to the foremost Australian expert in Neighboring rights, to establishing a new venture with the late Michael Gudinski at Mushroom Group. Susan’s reputation in neighboring rights precedes her. With over twenty years in the field, Susan is indisputably recognised as one of the world’s most experienced people in the sector. At the turn of the millennium, Susan was Royalty Accounts Manager at P@MRA/PPL in the United Kingdom, securing income for PJ Harvey, Muse & Belinda Carlisle before P@MRA was absorbed by PPL. Wanting to stay performer focused, Susan established her own neighbouring rights agency in 2003, International Royalties Rescue (IRR). IRR housed many acts including Jet, John Farnham & The Temper Trap, before adding another office in London in 2007 which went on to represent Beyoncé, Radiohead & Rihanna for global collection of their equitable remuneration. After running IRR for 16 years, Michael Gudinski sought to acquire Susan’s pioneering company to bring neighbourng rights into the Mushroom Group. Good Neighbour Rights was formed with Susan leading the joint venture company as Managing Director and co-owner. Good Neighbour now acts on behalf of the IRR clients in addition to many new signings including Crowded House, Zedd, Vance Joy, Gang of Youths and Amy Shark.

Powerhouse music executive Beth Appleton has unparalleled success as a leader and global music strategist. Named in the Top 100 Billboard Most Powerful Music Executives 2016 and recipient of Music Ally’s Outstanding Achievement Award, she is a 2023 nominee for the Australian Women in Music Leadership Award. Appleton’s previous roles include General Manager Australasia at Warner Music Australia (2018-2021), Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Warner Music Group in the UK (2014-2018); Director of Digital at Universal Music Group UK (2007-2010); and Head of Digital and Business Development at V2 Music in the UK (2003-2007). She’s worked with artists such as Kylie, Ed Sheeran, Michael Buble, Major Lazer and many more. Recently she was the CEO of Jaxta, Australian based music database company. In this conversation, we chat about the Fix the Mix report, Beth gives her advice on negotiating effective business deals plus we hear about her time as Director of Digital for Universal Music.

Mojo Ruiz de Luzuriaga, known professionally as Mo'Ju, is an ARIA nominated Australian musician and songwriter. Their thought-provoking lyrics have explored their Filipino and Wurrendjeri heritage, the glorification of wealth and fame, spirituality, political change, and the human condition. Since launching their solo career, they have released four albums, performed at SXSW, the SummerStage in Central Park New York and recently worked with the Sydmey and Melbourne symphony orchestras on a show of their original compositions. They have toured with artists such as Tony Joe White, Rufus Wainwright and Aloe Blacc and collaboretd with Joelistsic, AB Original, Emma Donovan and more. Recorded just as their new album Oro Plata Mata was about to land, we spoke about the concept behind the record, their thoughts on authenticity and how they feel about their award winning song ‘Native Tongue’.

Nat Bartsch is a Melbourne based pianist and composer. Internationally renowned, Nat’s compositions explore the spaces between neoclassical, chamber music and jazz. She has released records on both ABC Jazz and ABC Classic labels, and is one of a small handful of artists to be ARIA nominated in both jazz and classical categories. Nat has become most well known for her lullabies, which, during early motherhood, saw her create a new suite of work designed to soothe babies to sleep, but also be meaningfully enjoyable for adults. The resulting album, Forever, and No Time At All was released in 2018 on ABC Classic. As a chamber music composer, Nat has been commissioned to write pieces for Inventi Ensemble, Plexus Collective, Solstice Trio, The Muses Trio, Matt Withers & Sally Whitwell. She is currently studying a Masters of Composition at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. Nat has been awarded the 2021 Merlyn Myer Commission, the 2020 Catherine Mary Sullivan scholarship, 2020 Classical:NEXT Artistic Associate fellowship, 2019 Johnny Dennis Music Award, and the Melbourne Prize for Music Development Award to name a few. As a mental health advocate, Nat has undertaken research exploring the two-way link between mental health and creativity which has been presented at a variety of conferences. https://www.natbartsch.com/

Jacinta Parsons is a broadcaster, writer, speaker and author based in Melbourne. Jacinta currently hosts Afternoons on ABC 774, delivering a mix of art, culture and ideas. Prior to afternoons Jacinta presented Melbourne 774 Breakfast and the Friday Revue and also worked behind the scenes as Music Director for Double j and the ABC Local radio network. She has released two books, her memoir Unseen: The secret life of chronic illness and her new book ‘A Question Of Age’. Jacinta is an ambassador for the Crohn’s and Colitis Association of Australia and is also a board director of Melbourne disability theatre company, Rollercoaster. In this conversation I ask Jacinta about ageism in the music industry, her career in broadcasting, her writing process, and the time that Kylie Minogue called her on live radio, and much much more. https://jacintaparsons.com/

This episode features award winning Yorta Yorta soprano, artistic director, broadcaster, composer and educator Deborah Cheetham. For more than 25 years Deborah Cheetham has been a leader and pioneer in the Australian arts sector, creating change in the music industry landscape and advocating for First Nations representation. A graduate of the NSW Conservatorium of Music with an international career as a soprano vocalist, she established her own organization Short Black Opera in 2009, a national not-for-profit opera company devoted to the development of Indigenous singers. The following year she produced the premiere of her first opera Pecan Summer. This landmark work was Australia’s first Indigenous opera and has been a vehicle for the development of a new generation of Indigenous opera singers. In 2019 Deborah Cheetham established the One Day in January project designed to develop and nurture Indigenous orchestral musicians. As a composer she has been commissioned to write for major Australian ensembles including the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Australia String Quartet, West Australian Symphony Orchestra and Flinders Quartet. Appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia, for “distinguished service to the performing arts” she was also inducted to the Honour Roll of Women in Victoria and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of South Australia. She has also received the Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award for service to music in Australia, the Merlyn Myer Prize for Composition, was inducted to the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll and more recently was presented with the Lifetime achievement award at the Women in Music Awards. . In 2020 she was Composer-in-residence for the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and commenced her appointment at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University as Professor of Music practice. In this conversation we ask Deborah about establishing her own organization, her journey from classica flautist to lead vocalist, the one day in january project and her composition series ‘woven song’ which will be performed on November 2nd at Melbourne Recital Centre. https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/ https://www.melbournerecital.com.au/events/2022/woven-song/ https://www.shortblackopera.org.au/

In this episode we go behind the scenes at Melbourne Recital Centre to speak to Program Manager El Chantry. Originally from Perth, El has worked in the arts for more than 15 years, across music programming, event management and arts policy. She has worked for organizations such as City of Melbourne, Creative Partnerships Australia, Gertrude Street Projection Festival and the West Australian Department of Culture and the Arts. In this conversation we ask El how she approaches creating the Melbourne Recital Centre program; how she navigates presenting contemporary music in a room originally designed for classical music, her time working in Norway and much more.

In this episode Chelsea catches up with Associate Director of WOMADelaide, Annette Tripodi to chat about sustainability, programming, festival delivery during the pandemic and much more. Produced by Chelsea Wilson Transcript by Natalie Burne

This episode features leading music industry practitioner, author and academic Sally-Anne Gross. An artist manager, record label director and international business affairs consultant Sally Anne has over three decades experience working in music. An industry pioneer she became the first woman to be an A&R Manager at Mercury Records UK in the early 90s, and chaired the first ever panel on gender in the music industries at ‘In The City’ music conference in Manchester. In 2016, she founded ‘Let’s Change the Record’ a project that focuses on bridging the gender divide in music production. In her current role at the University of Westminster, she is the program director of the Master of Music Business Management degree. In 2020 she released “Can Music Make You Sick” a ground breaking book investigating mental health issues in the music industry. In this chat Sally talks about the challenges of writing the book, the state of play in the UK and her thoughts on the artists dream.