Business name:

Location:

Lilydale, outer east Melbourne, Victoria

Business website:

http://www.australianentertainment.com.au

Short summary:

Australian Entertainment is a boutique music/artist management business who represents Australian and specializes in Australian Indigenous artists both here and across the globe.

What’s your history in the industry?

Our history comes from a collective variety of experiences both in other business in the past and from life itself. 

I was passionate about music from early child hood; my father never having had a lesson in his life could play almost any instrument he picked up, in particular the piano in the same caliber as a concert pianist. He amazed everyone that heard him play, he was a very gifted musician but unfortunately never fulfilled his musical passion in life and he taught me to play the piano etc…we father & I were not close but for music, it was the common denominator that we shared and loved. It allowed us to share something significant..my love of classical music in particular came from that sharing. I did a lot of singing in my younger days in local bands, back up vocals for lots of bands recordings etc though family commitment’s took precedence over my career choices. I spent many years nursing in between but decided after having raised my sons now mid life freedom allows me to so without constraint’s.

How long has Australian Entertinament been around?

Australian Entertainment is still young, about 18 months or so old..however we know that’s not a negative thing, we don’t represent artists based on how much money they make or how much we make from them, its music, passion & talent first, then money..its the way it should be..this ethos frees us up to really connect with our artists as ‘people’ who make music, rather than a ‘act’ who can make us money.. if the artist has talent and passion then we will all make money from it, that’s inevitable as long as they are true to themselves and their art and we are true to the artist that we represent..its a simple ethos and one that works. We specialize in ‘one to one’ representation. We aren’t interested in ‘the masses’ or having so many artists to represent that we cant tell you what their individual music is about or what it sounds like.

Do you have any interesting stories?

Well, the story that comes to mind is when I was singing a fairly large jazz ensemble many years ago, we had a large gig that was set for some weeks, however when I was given the running sheet for the days gigs someone had not corrected the typo on it and one of the words was rather generic..needless to say I ended up on the other side of town at a place where coincidently another band was playing..of course they had no idea who I was and were all wondering why I was there ready to sing with a band I had never met..they were great, they invited me to stay ..I thought why not, too far away to get back to the original gig..a good night was had by all ..lol Suffice to say, that only ever happened the once…☺

Why did you start Australian Entertainment?

After spending many years in another successful business in the Life Coaching industry, I retired from that 2 yrs ago. I have always believed in doing what brings passion and contentment and although I had that in my previous business, music had always been high on my personal passion list, so I decided that the time was right for me to re start my connection with music & I wanted to not only enjoy the music and singing itself, for myself but really wanted to combine my expertise in showing others how to really believe in themselves and what they desire but to also aid others in making their musical dreams a reality. It was an easy choice and one that utilizes all of my personal skills and passions. What more could I ask for.

How many hours per week do you spend on your business?

That varies, we don’t have huge corporate offices or huge overheads, Im a ‘green’ business person who knows that wherever I am is my office..lol Sometimes that is at a radio studio, a tv show set, or at a clients/artists home etc.. the vast majority of what I do is via the internet, so the old days of literally running around really are over.. my laptop and my gadgets are my office, they’re as mobile as I am, it frees me up to give more personal time to clients that we represent and to create real relationships with each artist. Time spent can be anything from 20 hours to 60 hours, depending on what’s happening for each client etc.
I don’t live to work, I work to live! If I can’t enjoy what I do, enjoy the relationships I build with clients/artists, enjoy their music, get involved in the projects then what the hec am I doing it for? I know what’s important in life, I won’t compromise that for anything..

What is it about your business that’s gotten you this far?

Always being upfront, in life & in my business we are successful because we don’t try to be anything other than what we say we are. Down to earth, upfront, genuine people. It works every time because we aren’t running around basing our connections on pretense and bull! I recall my dad saying that in order to operate on Bull*** you have to have a damn good memory..lol so why waste all that energy being something that doesn’t make you feel good .. Ive always been upfront and down to earth, not much phases me, but I pride myself and our business on a genuine “want what’s best for all’ motto.

What are your favourite parts of your business?

Oh, that’s easy, being privileged to know others who are musically passionate and gifted..such a joy to be a part of with each person we meet/represent. I am also lucky enough to be able to do this based on my own time, I have the flexibility in my life to do that. My clients don’t suffer because I’m not on everyone else’s agenda..

What are your future goals?

To be known as a business in this industry who genuinely cares about the people they represent, for us all to be financially prosperous along the way, for our clients to be financially and musically successful and to enjoy the music ☺

Do you have any tips for succeeding in the music industry?

Yes, be honest, be real, never let your ego dictate your actions or words and most of all enjoy the music and allow your passion to guide you to your own personal success. Stick with what makes you happy in what you do, realize that money is nice to have but it won’t buy you success. Don’t put money before your client’s needs else they become a number on your list and pretty soon they look for better representation. It happens every other day & there are lots of managment businesses out there but those who are successful are the ones who believe in their artists, are passionate about music and want the journey to be a win win for all.

Follow those steps and you can’t fail, no matter what role you’re in.

What’s the best way to contact you?

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0467536878