Power 50 - #11: Michael Chugg AM

BACKGROUND CHECK

From humble beginnings running dances and managing bands in his hometown of Launceston at the age of 15, Michael Chugg relocated to Melbourne in 1969 before co-founding Frontier Touring Company in 1978 with Michael Gudinski and Phil Jacobsen. In 2000, Chugg went out on his own, launching Michael Chugg Entertainment. Chugg Music, an independent label and management company handling Australian artists, was also launched in 2012.

THE YEAR THAT WAS

Chugg Entertainment dominated the first quarter of 2018, selling the most concert tickets in Australia (according to Pollstar magazine), which was largely thanks to Alanis Morissette returning to our shores for the first time in almost 20 years (Jan) and Robbie Williams, who played to almost 60,000 people in Victoria alone (Feb/Mar). Proudly partnering with a number of independent promoters including Destroy All Lines, Lunatic Entertainment (co-promoters of the Laneway Presents touring arm), Penny Drop and Rob Potts Entertainment Edge also allows Chugg Entertainment to infiltrate niche touring markets. Chugg Entertainment co-promotes major music festivals such as St Jerome’s Laneway and CMC Rocks QLD, which sold out in a matter of hours in 2018. On the management and label front, Sheppard's star continued to rise in 2018 with the band's Watching The Sky album topping the ARIA Albums Chart while singles Coming Home and Keep Me Crazy achieved two times Platinum and Gold status respectively. Last year also marked the 19th consecutive year that Chugg was nominated for Pollstar's International Promoter Of The Year (an award he's won four times over the years). At 71 years old and with almost 60 years of industry experience under his belt, Chugg is an esteemed member of the music community with a wealth of knowledge to share.

2018'S CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT?

"Watching my team grow and achieve in an independent company fighting international companies who don't care about the music, just the share price."