Mushroom Group
Warren ‘Waz’ Costello, Mushroom Group Label Veteran, Dies After Battle With Illness
Warren “Waz” Costello, a kingpin of Australia’s independent label industry, died Sunday (May 29) after a battle with cancer. He was 64. Costello co-founded Liberation Records with the late Mushroom Group founder Michael Gudinski, and remained one of Gudinski’s closest and most trusted allies until his own passing in March 2021. The Mushroom family is “deeply saddened by the passing of Warren Costello after a long battle with illness,” reads a statement from the indie music company. Since joining the label division “he has been an essential fabric of life at Mushroom. He was a true music man, a beloved friend to our artists and integral to the success of our business over the past three decades,” the message continues. “Warren was renowned for his positive energy, integrity and family value...
Michael Gudinski, Late Mushroom Group Founder, Honored With Life-Size Statue In Melbourne
Michael Gudinski, the larger-than-life founder of Mushroom Group, is immortalized with a statue in his hometown, Melbourne. The late independent music great is honored with a life-sized sculpture, presented Thursday morning (March 24) as part of the group’s “MG Day,” a celebration of Gudinski’s life and legacy. Dan Andrews, premier of Victoria; rocker Jimmy Barnes; family members and Mushroom staff were on hand for the unveiling of the Michael Gudinski AM Statue, which captures MG with his familiar “No. 1” salute. Created by local artist Darien Pullen, of Meridian Sculpture, the statue stands outside of Rod Laver Arena, a spot where Gudinski produced countless concerts during his lifetime. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Indeed, Gudinski was remembered last March with a state me...
Mushroom Group Aims for ‘New Heights’ Through Partnership With UMG’s Virgin Music
Mushroom Group, the independent music juggernaut, partners up with Universal Music Group’s indie label and artist services division on a multi-tiered arrangement that promises to lift the Australia company to “new heights” and secure global opportunities for its artists. The alliance, announced Thursday (March 17), is a two-way street, pumping fresh content into the Virgin Music Label & Artist Services (VLMAS) pipeline, and providing support and distribution services for Mushroom artists’ releases, for the world outside of Australia and New Zealand. Under the terms of the new deal, VLMAS will activate its global promotion, marketing and audience label services for Mushroom’s existing U.S. and U.K. activities, and, in situations where both parties agree on a project, certain Mushroom ar...
Australia’s Mushroom Group Launches Talent Management Division
BRISBANE, Australia — Mushroom Group is expanding, with the formal launch of a talent management division. Led by director Sarah Donelly, Mushroom Management opens for business with a roster of nearly 50 artists, producers, musicians, songwriters and content creators, including Tkay Maidza, Bliss n Eso, Rolling Blackouts C.F., merci, mercy and The Living End. Celebrated producers Konstantin Kersting and Scott Horscroft are also on board. Mushroom Group has a long and successful history in artist management, with its late founder and chairman Michael Gudinski guiding the careers of ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted acts Skyhooks, Jimmy Barnes and others. The new enterprise, unveiled Monday (Feb. 28), is a “natural evolution” for the business, explains group CEO Matt Gudinski, one that cements the ...
Mushroom Group Parts With Harbour Agency Following Investigation
Mushroom Group, the Australian independent music powerhouse, has ended its decades-long association with The Harbour Agency. The split, confirmed in a statement from Melbourne-based Mushroom Group, was triggered by an investigation into claims from former Harbour Agency staff on past management behavior and workplace culture. “Mushroom Group can confirm that The Harbour Agency is no longer part of the Mushroom Group of Companies,” reads the message, seen by Billboard. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “For many years now Harbour has operated independently of the Mushroom Group,” the statement continues. “Unlike all other Mushroom Group companies it has not shared HR, legal, finance or other group corporate services.” Mushroom has distanced itself...
Bruce Springsteen Remembers Michael Gudinski: ‘Never Met a Better Promoter’
Indeed, Springsteen would tour many times with Gudinski, including two separate treks within a 12-month span in 2013 and 2014. On learning the sad new of Gudinski’s passing, Springsteen was effusive in his praise of Gudinski. From one Boss to another. “My friend Michael Gudinski was first, last, and always a music man. I’ve toured the world for the last fifty years and never met a better promoter,” Springsteen wrote on social media. Gudinski always had his back, and always kept Bruce entertained. “He was loud, always in motion, intentionally (and unintentionally hilarious), and deeply soulful,” Springsteen recounts. “He will be remembered by artists, including this one, from all over the world every time they step foot on Australian soil.” Read Springsteen’s tribute in full below. My frien...
How Mushroom Group’s Michael Gudinski Pivoted and Built New Channels During the Pandemic
Michael Gudinski always has something extra up his sleeve. When the 360-degree company became a fashionable term, Gudinski had his own spin. Mushroom Group, his independent music empire, was a “365” company, reflecting the number of days it operated in a regular year. Launched in 1973, Mushroom Group today spans more than two-dozen companies and brands from Frontier Touring, one of the world’s leading independent promoters, to The Harbour Agency, labels I Oh You, Liberation and Bloodlines, Mushroom Music Publishing, neighboring rights operation Good Neighbour, and the new addition, Reclusive Records. The pandemic has caused income to dry up for so many entertainment companies, particularly those exposed to concerts and touring. Mushroom Group is built on a bedrock of live music. Gudi...
