The Power 50: #8 - Matt Gudinski

In 2003, Matt Gudinski launched his label Illusive Sounds and touring arm Illusive Presents alongside Adam Jankie. Given that his father is Power 50 mainstay Michael Gudinski, it seems pretty fitting that this happened straight out of high school. The younger Gudinski moved into the role of Mushroom Group Executive Director in 2013 and in 2015 launched the group’s first dedicated management arm, Role Model Artists.

Gudinski enjoyed an impressive 2019 by all extents. Tours overseen by Gudinski saw over 500,000 tickets sold across 50 different artists - including Khalid, Róisín Murphy, Channel Tres and more - in both Australia and New Zealand. RNB Fridays, the event that Gudinski developed and launched in 2016, celebrated its fourth year with Janet Jackson headlining what’s become Australia’s largest touring event.

The new partnership between Mushroom Group and Underground Cinema came to fruition in the form of Australia’s first large scale immersive theatre experience. 20,000 people took part in the Melbourne and Sydney events, which saw the set of Dirty Dancing recreated, complete with scene reenactments, workshops and a screening of the classic film, with live performances taking place concurrently. 2019 also saw the launch of the So Pop series, kicking off in late January with Aqua, Vengaboys, Blue, B*Witched and more taking part in the national tour.

Mushroom’s labels enjoyed another successful year, with I OH YOU launching albums from City Calm Down, Green Buzzard, Brightness and DZ Deathrays, while also signing The Jezabels’ Hayley Mary and Andy Golledge. The Soothsayer imprint saw a release from Love Deluxe (who made his BIGSOUND debut in September) as well as signing artists like KUČKA and Juno Mamba. The label collective’s growth in other territories continued too, with offices opened in both New York and London. 

Gudinski is set for a big 2020, with new label 100s + 1000s prepping to expand and Melbourne-based imprint Valve Sounds coming into the fold, while Mushroom’s management division is set to grow with the addition of Foreign Echo and a new partnership with LA-based management and publishing firm XXYV.

"The continued evolution, diversification and growth of the Mushroom Group of companies and our ever-increasing global presence."