POWER 50 2025: John Zaccaria & Duane McDonald (Face To Face Touring)

BACKGROUND CHECK:

Directors of Face To Face Touring, John Zaccaria and Duane McDonald, have solidified themselves as key figures in the Australian touring scene, connecting not just with audiences nationwide but particularly in regional communities often overlooked by large-scale tours.

John Zaccaria cut his teeth working with musical instrument brands before working in media sales and founding a charity to bring music to underprivileged kids. For Duane McDonald, his road to concert promotion came as the proprietor of a regional pub who got a cold call from Premier Artists about hosting a show for Diesel. 

With each forming their own regional-based touring operations in 2006, the pair came together in 2023 to form Face To Face Touring shortly before its Live Nation acquisition. Thanks to their leadership, John and Duane have helped deliver live concert experiences to more than 40 regional locations across Australia, driving both cultural and economic impact, and bringing in over 400,000 attendees through flagship festivals such as SummerSalt, One Electric Day and Red Hot Summer.

THE YEAR IN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC:

While Face To Face’s regional focus has resulted in endless support for local economic activity by way of supporting hundreds of regional jobs at each show, from crew and bar staff to security and hospitality workers, they’re only just getting started.

Harnessing a solid focus on spotlighting and platforming Australian talent, Face To Face toured 19 Australian artists across 26 shows in just the first quarter of 2025 alone, with over 100 Australian artists being brought out to regional stages throughout 2024 and 2025.

Having witnessed an Australian music scene struggle through the negativity of COVID, and watching as the larger urban locales quickly recovered with greater live music activity, John and Duane and Face To Face are working hard to defy any sort of trends indicating festival decline, with a focus to sustain and grow audiences through community driven live experiences that celebrate the power of Australian music in every corner of the country.

THE MUSIC SPEAKS:

The key to Zaccaria and McDonald’s success is understanding punters. By putting regional touring at their heart, the two know what real Australians think, not just what we’re told they think. With ⅓ of Australia living outside the capital cities, these guys understand that no matter how homogenous tech companies would like us to be, state by state and region by region, local market opportunities abound. 

They have an innate understanding of demographics and market gaps, taking the opportunity to send Aussie heritage artists to regional Australia with Red Hot Summer or creating destination shows for Ocean Alley across metro and provincial areas.

We’re sure that this ain’t a charity. With the backing now of Live Nation, they aren’t waving the flag for Australian music for philanthropic reasons; they’re waving it because it’s good business and are getting on and proving the power of Australian music to build brands and make commercial returns.