Turn Up Music Conference continues to develop its reputation as the hardest hitting – pound for pound – music conference in Australia.
Its fifth year delivered yet more close-quarters, high octane, high value, rolled gold nuggets from Australian music industry identities – all doing it for themselves.
Maggie Collins (BIGSOUND, DZ Deathrayz, triple j) in conversation with Tyler McLoughlin offered myriad insights spanning self-help, courage, investing, identity, relationships and more which held a keen audience captivated. Collins' breadth of experience is hard to replicate: management, programming and broadcasting is a wide net.
One of the many format advantages Turn Up has enjoyed over its big city (any city) counterparts since inception is the immediacy and engagement between panelists and audience. And that's a big deal if the stage is occupied by engaging and knowledgeable talent. This year The Playhouse at Solbar continued the Turn Up tradition of presenting a pro staging environment with intimacy that permits the audience to be so present in the conversation.
While last year’s sold-out event boasted super-heavyweights including Glenn Wheatley, Ted Gardner, Bill Hauritz and event mentors Barry Bull and Dennis Dunstan (yep, mark that down as a bad miss) 2018’s incarnation was no less engaging or valuable.
Matty Woo (Macro Music), Emily Holler (Mojo Bullet) and Jeff Chandler (Gympie Music Muster) kicked the door down of music ‘Management In The New World’ and proceeded to unravel and simplify many industry chestnuts with real-world anecdotes and tips that kept delegates busy at their pads.
Stuart Coupe in conversation with Leanne de Souza: The celebrated writer whose body of work boasts his recent opus ’Roadies: The Secret History Of Australian Rock n Roll' will have to come back - soon. One can’t uncork a lifetime’s experience around music – roadies, mental health, equality, lifestyle in 45 minutes. More please.
And to close, a vibrant change of pace from a fabulous panel which gelled beautifully on the night – with each other and with audience – comprising Brett Gadenne, Paulie B, Sahara Beck and Francesca de Valence to canvass ‘Writing A Killer Song’. The 90 minutes from four talented and active songwriters included personal and captivating live performances from Paulie and Francesca, ably facilitated by Turn Up regular Andrew Tuttle.
The thing with Turn Up (the author is a veteran of all five events to date) is that no one leaves. No one ducks out. FOMO. Seven hours of four to the floor music industry sagacity and entertaiment. Mad if you don't. And poorer for it, too. Bravo Turn Up! Here's to the next five.
