Music Mogul Michael Gudinski Endorses ALP For Backing Community Radio & Sounds Australia

Celebrated Australian music industry figure and Mushroom Group founder and chairman Michael Gudinski has lent his support and thanks to the Australian Labor Party ahead of the federal election on 2 July.

In a statement posted to Mushroom's social media this afternoon, Gudinski commended the ALP for its perceived commitment to the local music industry, citing "recent announcements of their intention to support Community Radio and boost funds to help in the export of Australian contemporary music to a global market".

"Community radio is not just a vital forum for the discovery and development of new Australian music but is also an important place to foster the talents of DJs, technicians, and producers," Gudinski said. "Keeping community radio alive, and nurturing these people and their jobs, is fundamentally important for the future creative development of Australia."

Gudinski went on to reference Labor's plans for the sector, including their promise to not only restore funding to but expand the operations of key export organisation Sounds Australia — which had its support pulled under the government's disastrous Catalyst arts funding release — as well as expanding the remit of the Australian Live Music Office. He also raised issues regarding Australian content ratio requirements for emergent technologies such as streaming services.

"Likewise the support of live music to a global audience through Sounds Australia is significant," Gudinski wrote. "It is an unfortunate reality that the majority of local artists need to be deemed an overseas success before they will receive mainstream recognition within Australia. Ironically promoting Australian artists to the world will be significant in helping to develop them locally.

"Ensuring Australian content is supported across mainstream media continues to be relevant and I consider it a tragedy that streaming services such as Foxtel, Netflix, Stan remain exempt from this requirement and is something still to be addressed."

One issue not given airtime by Gudinski, however, is the matter of venue lockouts; although the party has demonstrably expressed wide support for the music industry at the federal level, it's a different story in some states — namely in Queensland, where the state Labor government has been the driving force behind revisions to lockout and liquor licencing laws due to take effect on 1 July, which have been widely criticised by the industry.