Australia: Festival X, SandTunes, Guy Sebastian, Fortitude Music Hall, Astral People

This Australian summer gets its kick-off with two inaugural mega-festivals, the electronic dance music Festival X and SandTunes, inspired by Alabama’s beachside HangOut.

Live Nation, Hardware and Onelove are behind Festival X. Hardware presents Piknic Electronik, PURE, Babylon, Transmission, A State of Trance, elrow and Tell No Tales. It previously teamed with Onelove for Two Tribes and the national Stereosonic. 

Onelove founder Frank Cotela notes, “Australia’s most successful electronic music promoters teaming up with the world’s largest touring company can only mean a great day for everyone.  Festival X is looking ‘Xtra-Large’ and we can’t wait!

An initial bill of 30 includes major drawcards Calvin Harris, Armin Van Buuren, Lil Pump, Alison Wonderland, Steve Aoki, Generik, Godlands, Anna Lunoe, Kaz James, Badrapper, MaRLo and Thandi Phoenix. Locally based names will be added. 

In its first year, Festival X hits three cities:  Brisbane Showgrounds (November 29), Sydney Showgrounds (November 30) and Melbourne Showgrounds (December 1).

After a year’s delay, TEG Dainty’s SandTunes is confirmed for Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 on spectacular Coolangatta Beach on the Gold Coast. The first 16 names unveiled included an Australian exclusive by Travis Scott and Down Under debuts by Carly Rae Jepsen and Logic.  Others listed were Juice Wrld and CHVRCHES, and locals Dean Lewis, Tkay Maidza, WAAX, Cub Sport, Kwame and Sampa The Great. 

Dainty last year talked of an expected draw of 35,000 with the acts on two stages. “This is a mega event,” he said. “Once the Commonwealth Games are over, it will build on the city’s strong profile for staging international events.” The Gold Coast Council forecasts A$14 million ($9.67 million) to be generated for the local economy.

Pittsburg-based software and technical support provider Patron Technology bought Sydney-based Asia Pacific tech start-up Ticketbooth, its ninth acquisition in two years in the ticketing space. The deal included Ticketbooth divisions, advanced cashless RFID platform Token Systems and event marketing software Audiencetools. Simon Guerrero continues as head of the companies and also now leads Patron Technology’s Australia and New Zealand operation. 

Marc Jenkins, Patron Technology CEO, said: “The innovative solutions these companies offer compliments and enhances our ever growing suite of event technology tools, and we are looking forward exhilarating our growth both in the APAC region and worldwide.”

R&B singer Guy Sebastian and his former agent Titus Day head back to Federal Court in August after mediation failed, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Sebastian, a multi-chart topping Sony act– a 2012 collaboration with Lupe Fiasco, “Battlescar,” sold a million Stateside – is suing Day for hundreds of thousands of dollars. His legal term reported that Day, who sold his family home last year, liquidated his company 6 Degrees Management, which is party to proceedings.  Australian Securities and Investments Commission records showed it wound up early July after the mediation and the loss of major client, TV game show host Grant Denyer. Day has been an agent for 28 years.

Brisbane’s long-awaited A$40 million ($27.6 million) live music venue Fortitude Music Hall opened its doors to the public July 26 after a sellout in minutes.  Performers represented the city and Queensland state, were headed by former Powderfinger’s singer Bernard Fanning and guitarist Ian Haug backed by DZ Deathrays, and Ball Park Music.

The club is a joint venture by Live Nation, former Powderfinger manager Paul Pittico and bassist John Collins and builder Scott Hutchinson. Collins told Pollstar that the new addition’s 3,000-capacity was important to Brisbane, which has 800-caoaciy rooms like the Triffid (which most of this group also owns), and the 9,000 spaces as Riverstage and the Convention Centre. “You can imagine that promoters and agents have been crying out for a room like this.”  

The Music Hall incorporates the 250-350 seat The Outpost for new acts. Collins says the rooms are set up to build an act from the ground up.

Sydney-based management and touring company Astral People has set up Astral People Recordings as a joint venture with global label PIAS’ Coop label. Vichara Edirisinghe and Tom Huggett who founded the company eight years ago said, “The label will represent artists that we truly feel will last the test of time in this forever changing business, and we are incredibly proud to align ourselves with such a leading voice in independent music, along some of our favourite labels (Phantasy, DFA, Mute and Transgressive Records) in the Co-op model.” First signing is producer and multi-instrumentalist Wave Racer.