I OH YOU
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Mushroom Group is the largest independent music and entertainment company in Australia. It comprises more than two dozen companies. It has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland with over 200 employees.


History

The Mushroom Group was founded in 1972 in Melbourne by a 20-year-old
Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Austr ...
with the formation of
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...
, followed shortly afterwards with the addition of Mushroom Music Publishing and Premier Artists booking agency in 1973. In 1978, the Group expanded to include The Harbour Agency, a Sydney-based booking agency which was Mushroom's first foray into the city. As of 2013, Mushroom has an office in Sydney with over 100 employees across all subsidiaries. 1979 saw the launch of Mushroom's flagship touring company, The Frontier Touring Company. Its inaugural tours were UK Squeeze and The Police in 1980. It has now grown to become Australasia's biggest tour promoter. Frontier celebrated their 500th tour in 2010 with
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
. In 1983, Mushroom launched Australian Touring Merchandise (ATM) which went on to become the largest music merchandise producer and distributor in the country. It merged with Love Police in 2010 to create Love Police ATM, which remains part of the Mushroom Group. After a massively successful period in the mid-‘80s, especially through Mushroom Records act
Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
, Mushroom launched Mushroom Distribution Services which distributed their own product alongside a catalogue which included Flying Nun amongst others. In the same period, Michael Gudinski also created Michael Gudinski Management which signed
Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...
as its flagship artist. 1995 marked the beginning of Mushroom Records expansion into the UK with the opening of a London office. In the same year,
Mushroom Pictures Mushroom Pictures is an Australian film production and distribution company that is part of the Mushroom Records group. It was formed in 1993 in association with Regular Records to produce music-related documentaries. In 1995 they announced they w ...
was introduced as the Group's film arm. Productions include '' Chopper'', '' Wolf Creek'' and the highly acclaimed ''Great Australian Albums'' television series. 1998 was an especially significant year for the Group, when Mushroom Records celebrated its 25th anniversary with a record-breaking concert at Melbourne's MCG. In the same year, the catalogue was bought by Warner Music for an undisclosed sum. A year afterwards, Mushroom launched its first post-Mushroom Records label,
Liberation Music Liberation Records, formerly Liberation Music, was an Australian record company and label, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello, based in Melbourne. Its stated business aim is to "find, nurture and then to develop new tal ...
. Since the sale of Mushroom Records, Liberation has become the flagship Mushroom label and the one Michael Gudinski has worked most closely with. Artists signed to the label include
The Temper Trap The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by , Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album ''Conditions (album), Conditions'' in June 2009 to ...
,
Dan Sultan Daniel Leo Sultan is an Australian alternative rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, actor and author. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010 he won Best Male Artist and Best Blues & Roots Album for his second album, '' Get Out While You Can'' (N ...
, Adalita and
Vance Joy James Gabriel Keogh (born 1 December 1987), known professionally as Vance Joy, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and former Australian rules footballer. He is best known for his 2013 hit song " Riptide". Joy signed a five-album de ...
. Also in 1999, Mushroom Marketing launched and has provided music services for the likes of
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
,
Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets related products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 stock index, and is Australia's largest telecomm ...
and
McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...
. In 2001, Roundhouse Entertainment launched with their inaugural A Day On The Green concert, which has become an iconic festival series in Australian wineries and has featured the likes of
Hall & Oates Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and ba ...
, Tom Jones,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...
and
Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...
. Michael Gudinski's son Matt got his start in the family business in 2002 with the launch of his
Illusive Sounds Illusive Group is an Australian independent record label and management and touring company that represents acts including Bliss n Eso, Lowrider (Australian band), Lowrider, Stonefield (band), Stonefield, Owl Eyes, Clubfeet, Diafrix, Lurch & Chi ...
label imprint and touring company at the age of 18. Illusive's label has distributed
Bliss N Eso Bliss n Eso (formerly known as Bliss n' Esoterikizm) are an Australian hip hop trio based in Sydney. The group consists of emcees Bliss and Eso, and DJ Izm, and they are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are manag ...
,
Owl Eyes Brooke Addamo (born 2 January 1991), better known by her stage name Owl Eyes, is an Australian recording artist from Melbourne signed to the Illusive / Wunderkind Label with distribution through Universal Music Group. She released her debut stu ...
,
Clubfeet Clubfoot is a congenital or acquired defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of ca ...
, Stonefield, Diafrix and Lowrider, while their touring division has brought out
AlunaGeorge AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. Since 2020, the duo has been on indefinite hiatus, allowing both members to pursue solo projects. Career 2009 ...
,
Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...
and
Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...
to name just a few. The year afterwards, Ivy League Records (home to Cloud Control, The Rubens, Josh Pyke and Alpine) joined the fold. 2006 saw the opening of an international label arm, Liberator Music, with a roster that includes Phoenix, Bloc Party, Dizzee Rascal, Tiesto, Local Natives and
Chvrches Chvrches (stylised CHVRCHΞS and pronounced "Churches") are a Scottish synth-pop band from Glasgow, formed in September 2011. The band consists of Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, Martin Doherty and, unofficially since 2018, Jonny Scott. Mostly deriv ...
. In 2010, party promoter I Oh You launched his I Oh You record label through Mushroom. Some of the inaugural label signees were Bleeding Knees Club, DZ Deathrays and Snakataktal. In the same year, Matt Gudinski and booking agent Brett Murrihy formed a third Group booking agency called Artist Voice. Shortly afterwards, Mushroom launched another merchandise arm named Drawing Board, which provided creative services for artists. In 2012, Michael Gudinski was honoured by his home city of Melbourne and named Melburnian of the Year for Mushroom's contribution to the local music scene. In the same year he was also listed in the #1 position in the AMID Power 50, a list of the top 50 most influential people in the Australian music industry. In 2013, Mushroom Group celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event at Thousand Pound Bend featuring performances by
Alt-J Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury ...
,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
, City Calm Down,
Clubfeet Clubfoot is a congenital or acquired defect where one or both feet are rotated inward and downward. Congenital clubfoot is the most common congenital malformation of the foot with an incidence of 1 per 1000 births. In approximately 50% of ca ...
,
Owl Eyes Brooke Addamo (born 2 January 1991), better known by her stage name Owl Eyes, is an Australian recording artist from Melbourne signed to the Illusive / Wunderkind Label with distribution through Universal Music Group. She released her debut stu ...
, Snakadaktal,
The Rubens The Rubens are an Australian alternative rock band from Menangle, New South Wales. The band comprises the three Margin brothers, Izaac, Sam and Elliott, Scott Baldwin and William Zeglis. Their debut self-titled album ''The Rubens (album), The ...
,
Vance Joy James Gabriel Keogh (born 1 December 1987), known professionally as Vance Joy, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and former Australian rules footballer. He is best known for his 2013 hit song " Riptide". Joy signed a five-album de ...
, and World's End Press. At the party, Matt Gudinski was announced as the new Executive Director of the Group alongside his father and CEO Michael. In the same year, Mushroom acquired the Australian distribution rights for
PIAS Entertainment Group PIAS is a Belgian corporation that specialises in independent music recording, licensing, distribution, sales, and marketing. The company was founded in 1982 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot in Brussels, Belgium,. Website] Play It Again, SamDiffe ...
and Intellitix technology. The year was capped off by the announcement that
Future Entertainment Future Entertainment is a Melbourne based, youth-focused electronic music entertainment company created by dance-music event organiser Mark James in 1993. Its objective was to present annual music festivals at Australian venues and landmarks. ...
joined Mushroom, which makes it currently the largest 100% Australian owned festival entity by virtue of ticket sales. In March 2017, Mushroom Group appointed Chris Maund as Chief Operating Officer for its labels and publishing divisions. In July 2017, Mushroom Group launched Mushroom Creative House. The 100s + 1000s label was launched in May 2020, followed by Reclusive Records the month after. In March 2021, Michael Gudinski died at his home in Melbourne, at the age of 68. The following month, Matt Gudinksi assumed the role of CEO of Mushroom Group. In July 2023, Mushroom Group launched Mushroom Booking Agency. As part of a major restructure of Mushroom Group, the company's recording, publishing and neighbouring rights functions were merged into a new division called Mushroom Music in July 2024. The labels Liberation Records, Ivy League Records, Bloodlines, Liberator Music, Soothsayer and 100s + 1000s were consolidated into Mushroom Music. Mushroom Connect, a talent management and partnerships agency, was also launched that month.


Subsidiaries

The company has a number of divisions and subsidiaries: *Mushroom Music – Established in 2024 *I Oh You *
Illusive Illusive is the adjective form of illusory. Illusive may also refer to: * Illusive Islands, Nunavut, Canada * Illusive Sounds, an independent Australian hip hop record label * Illusive Tracks, a Swedish dark comedy thriller film * Snowflake/Illus ...
*Reclusive Records – Established in June 2020 * Frontier Touring *Love Police ATM *Premier Artists *Roundhouse *Mushroom Marketing *Mushroom Connect – Talent management and partnerships agency established in 2024 *Mushroom Creative House *Mushroom Music Publishing *Mushroom Booking Agency *Mushroom Events *
Mushroom Pictures Mushroom Pictures is an Australian film production and distribution company that is part of the Mushroom Records group. It was formed in 1993 in association with Regular Records to produce music-related documentaries. In 1995 they announced they w ...
*Good Neighbour – Rights operation


Former

*
Liberation Records Liberation Records is an American record company based in the Los Angeles area known for do it yourself ethos and pioneering guerrilla marketing strategies. It was formed by then 16-year-old underground rock music fanzine publisher David Taba in ...
– Consolidated into Mushroom Music in 2024 *
Ivy League Records Ivy League Records was an Australian record label based in Sydney. It was founded in 1997 by Pete Lusty, Andy Cassell and Andy Kelly. In 2024, the label was merged into Mushroom Music. In the past, the label released music from the likes of ...
– Established in 1997, consolidated into Mushroom Music in 2024 * Liberator Music – Consolidated into Mushroom Music in 2024 *Bloodlines – Consolidated into Mushroom Music in 2024 *Soothsayer – Consolidated into Mushroom Music in 2024 *100s + 1000s – Established in 2020 and consolidated into Mushroom Music in 2024 *
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival ...
– a former Mushroom Group subsidiary, now
Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
label with a joint venture with
Festival Records Festival Records, later known as Festival Mushroom Records, was an Australian recording and publishing company founded in Sydney, Australia, in 1952 and operated until 2005. Festival was a subsidiary of News Limited from 1961 to 2005. The com ...
as Festival Mushroom Records.


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1972 establishments in Australia Companies based in Melbourne Music companies of Australia