Matt Gudinski Promoted As Mushroom Group Rebrands

Michael Gudinski's Mushroom Group has tonight announced a rebranding and restructuring which most notably includes the promotion of son and heir to the throne Matt Gudinski.

The company indicated a “repositioning” for many of the 20 companies that come under the Mushroom umbrella will see them present a united front under a newly-unveiled logo.

Matt Gudinski, who co-founded powerhouse agency Artist Voice and label Illusive Sounds, has been promoted to Executive Director and is expected to take an increasingly important role in company management. He was adjudged the 32nd most powerful person in the Australian music industry in the inaugural AMID Power 50 last year.

Tonight his father and the company's Executive Chairman Michael Gudinski – who was voted number one – said, “After 40 years in the business I cannot express how proud I am of what the Mushroom Group is today and that my son Matt has stepped up into the role of Executive Director.

"Times have been tough for the music industry in general but the diversity of Mushroom and the quality of the artists we work with has ensured our position as Australia and New Zealand's leading independent entertainment group. I can't wait to see where the next decade takes us.”

Michael has often claimed that the Mushroom Group's diverse companies defined the '360 degree deal' model before it became the industry norm, and that was reiterated again in tonight's announcement.

Matt said of the rebrand, “The sale of our perhaps most publicly known company, Mushroom Records, back in the late '90s led to some confusion around the Mushroom brand, despite the fact that the Mushroom Group and its subsidiaries and is now in a better position than ever before. Today's announcement is about reconnecting the power of the Mushroom brand and its many associated companies with both the public and the industry.”

Mushrooms subsidiaries include the labels Illusive, I Oh You, Ivy League, Liberation, Liberator and Wunderkind, booking agencies Artist Voice, Premier Artists and Harbour Agency, merchandise companies Drawing Board and Love Police ATM, venues Pretty Please and Trak Live as well as Mushroom Music Publishing, Mushroom Creative, Mushroom Marketing, Mushroom Pictures, Frontier Events and Frontier Touring.

The new logo itself was designed by Melbourne-based Studio Round and the 'mushroom' image will be carried on all brands across the group.

Yesterday Mushroom announced the first of the Free For All shows and they've now indicated that there will be more similar 'giving back to fans' events to mark the company's 40th anniversary year.

A new website is to launch here.