Mushroom Group launches live entertainment company, MG Live

Photo credit: Brian Purnell
Matt Gudinski

Australian music and entertainment company Mushroom Group is launching a new live entertainment unit called MG Live.

The new entity will serve as a touring and events collective, consolidating Mushroom’s events and touring businesses including Illusive Presents, Roundhouse Entertainment, Good Life, I OH YOU Touring, and Arena Touring.

MG Live will be led by Mushroom Group Chairman and CEO Matt Gudinski, who will be working with an executive team.

With a focus on crafting branded events and experiences alongside its domestic and international headline touring, MG Live will work with sister company Frontier Touring.

“Throughout the last eighteen months we have worked to consolidate a number of Mushroom’s live interests outside of our leading touring business Frontier Touring, which is operated in partnership with global powerhouse AEG Presents,” said Gudinski.

“We looked at how to best move forward with our other specialist touring and leading event companies and decided the time was right to combine their strengths and bring them under one banner.”

“Throughout the last eighteen months we have worked to consolidate a number of Mushroom’s live interests outside of our leading touring business Frontier Touring, which is operated in partnership with global powerhouse AEG Presents.”

Matt Gudinski, Mushroom Group

Frontier Touring in March 2022 unveiled a new leadership structure following the passing of its founder Michael Gudinski, father of Matt Gundinski, in March 2021.

Under the MG Live banner, Mushroom’s promoter brands such as Illusive Presents, I OH YOU Touring, and Arena Touring, alongside their tour agents, will continue to operate as experts in their respective genres.

In addition to unifying the touring businesses, MG Live will also integrate Mushroom’s various event companies and brands, including Roundhouse Entertainment, the popular winery events a day on the green, the Good Life Presents event for under 18 audiences, the Fridayz Live in Australia and New Zealand, the partnership with electronic juggernaut Boiler Room, and iconic Melbourne names like Sugar Mountain and Wine Island.

To mark the beginning of the partnership with Frontier Touring, MG Live spearheaded several tours over the last 12 months for artists like Tyler, The Creator, Fatboy Slim, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel, Richard Marx, Pavement, Ashnikko, Abbie Chatfield, Joey Bada$$, Vengaboys, J Balvin, Clinton Kane, Channel Tres and Dry Cleaning, collectively selling more than 1.3 million tickets.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2023, MG Live will manage Robbie Williams and The Chicks performing at a day on the green, upcoming line-up announcements for Fridayz Live and Boiler Room, and tours by 070 Shake, The Teskey Brothers, DMA’S, Valley and Earl Sweatshirt.

The launch of MG Live follows Mushroom Group’s introduction of other units including a new booking agency called MBA last week, a talent management division called Mushroom Management in February 2022, and the launch of a neighbouring rights firm, Good Neighbour, in partnership with neighbouring rights specialist Susan Cotchin in 2019.

Music Business Worldwide

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