Owen Orford is a live music agent, concert promoter and Executive Director of New World Artists. And he's coming to Australian Music Week (AMW) as part of the industry workshop programme.
Across AMW, Owen will be sharing his knowledge and wisdom about the world of touring and the steps artists should be taking in order to secure live gigs.
Before that, we try to learn all we can from Owen about what he's bringing to AMW as well as what he hopes to take away from it for himself.
Tell us about yourself and what you do?
I'm an Australian-based live music agent and concert promoter for New World Artists. My key role is to mentor, develop and establish talented, original music artists, adding value to their live performance future.
What will you be presenting as a speaker at Australian Music Week?
My focus is on moderating a midday panel called 'Hypothetically Live'.
The panellists will be various music industry agents, venue bookers, festival promoters, managers and artists – who will role play their way through mock negotiations and cover various scenarios that often occur ‘behind closed doors’. Decisions that influence and impact (positively or negatively) an artist’s live career plan.
In other words, AMW delegates will be invited to hear (and interact with) what goes on in typical conversations between the various live performance stakeholders to gain insight and strategies via time-lapse view of potential career paths from emerging artist struggles, through to breakthrough artists with high-demand issues, to the problems that confront 'supernova' artists.
It will be fun and entertaining. The panel guests are all high quality, experienced humans at the top of their game. I have been invited onto a few other panels as well during the week (with Bob Lefsetz and Peter Noble).
Similarly, what do you hope to take away from Australian Music Week to enhance your own career?
It’s a great opportunity to visit my home town of Cronulla – at four, we lived near Dunningham Park on the beach; [I] grew up in the Shire, played half-back for Cronulla-Caringbah RSL and Sharks and rented my first flat in Nicholson Parade when I was studying at UNSW. My old band, Finch, used to promote under 18s gigs at the Masonic Hall.
It will be fulfilling to contribute to a meaningful AMW conference meeting new artists, potential managers and music business professionals in that context. I love this business, which has been so good to me for the best years of my adult life and am more than grateful to be actively involved for its own sake.
I have never consciously done anything to enhance my career per se – my motivation has always been to do whatever it takes to make a positive difference for my client’s career and fortunately for me that worked out pretty well.
In your opinion, how strongly are Australian independent musicians/ labels competing on the global stage?
There is incredibly strong recognition for our quality artists worldwide. It is common knowledge just how good successful Australian touring artists are live and in our agency we usually have half a dozen bands touring internationally, year in year out.
Within your own field of expertise in the music industry, what issues and challenges are you currently facing?
Ticket company add-on charges to the customer and booking fees that force agents to increase tour ticket prices often above what is the ‘sweet spot’ for the artist’s fan base. Wages are not going up for the public, but artist’s out-of-pocket costs to mount a show or tour successfully ARE and touring profit margins are being squeezed as a result.
Challenges: Encouraging more well run live music environments particularly in Sydney. What is going on? SE Qld is spoiled for choice and booming as is Melbourne while the biggest city in the country is a live music wasteland where it was once the hub city of the biggest pub rock scenes in the world, spawning LRB, Masters Apprentices, Easybeats, Midnight Oil, Chisel, INXS, Divinyls, The Saints, Icehouse, Radio Birdman, Men At Work, Models, AC/DC, Hunters & Collectors, Moving Pictures, Hoodoo Gurus and many, many more.
We need to invest time in responsive regional communities to nurture start-up venues and increase tour routing options.
Your favourite band/ artist at the moment?
That question is too politically charged for me to name one Australian band – so I’ll use an adapted George Orwell/ 'Animal Farm' quote instead: “I love all my children equally, some more than others!” Ha Ha.
Internationally I’d have to say Greta Van Fleet. They bring a fresh excitement while unashamedly reworking older themes. Like all the greats have done. Watching GVF’s world-wide career blossom has been textbook stuff and when they all sauntered into a restaurant I was at in Brisbane during BIGSOUND – I was too happy.
An emerging or unsigned act you think people should be listening to?
Emerging/ signed:
• Rini – breaking now in Australasia. Tom @ NWA has him working festival circuit all over Asia.
• Kota Banks – young, sassy dance-pop Sydney-based artist – her new single 'Big Bucks' is def on the money.
Unsigned:
• Briskey – Brisbane guy who writes and performs under the name Briskey. First single, 'Nothing To Lose' is a sleeper imo.
• First Beige – great six-piece band; young, competent musos with a laid-back signature dance-groove. Watch a brilliant bass player as she lays it down. Too good.
• Wombat – off-the-hook grime rapper from Tasmania; his first ever tour sold out two x300 cap rooms in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne in hours. One to watch.
While you're at the conference, where would we find you when you're not presenting?
Checking the other sessions and panels, networking with managers, venue and festival contacts. It’s a great opportunity to see so many in the one place where the emphasis is on growing each other’s business; catching as many artist showcases as possible; early mornings – join me at 6am for a beach walk and talk.
