Michael Solomon Gudinski
Born	22 August 1952 (1952-08-22) (age 55) Australia
Occupation	A&R executive, film producer

Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (born August 22, 1950) is a Melbourne-based entrepreneur and businessman who is a leading figure in the Australian music industry, mostly known for forming the highly successful Australian record company Mushroom Records in 1972 through whom Gudinski signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging from Mackenzie Theory, The Skyhooks, New Zealand's Split Enz, The Choirboys to newer artists such as Eskimo Joe, Evermore and others forging a string of successful releases by local talent. is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the Australian city; the name may also refer to City of Melbourne or Melbourne city centre. ... The earliest music of Australia was the folk music of the Australian Aborigines. ... For the Mushroom Records company from Canada, see Mushroom Records (Canada), for the company that used to be Mushrooms operations in the United Kingdom see A&E Records Mushroom Records was an Australian record company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in 1972. ... Skyhooks was an Australian rock band of the 1970s, sometimes classified as a glam rock band, although this is mainly the result of the bands flamboyant costumes and makeup. ... Split Enz was a successful New Zealand band during the late 1970s and the early 1980s featuring brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. ... For the Australian rock band The Choirboys, see The Choirboys (band). ... For the restaurant, see Eskimo Joes. ... Evermore are a rock band from New Zealand. ...

Biography

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Gudinski was born to Russian immigrants who had arrived in Australia in 1948^[1]. Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CU Marking articles for cleanup This page is undergoing a transition to an easier-to-maintain format. ... Shortcut: WP:NPOV Wikipedia policy is that all articles should be written from a neutral point of view. ... This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ...

He was educated at Melbourne High School and Mount Scopus, and was a school friend of several young musicians who later became prominent on the Australian music scene. “Melbourne High School” redirects here. ... // Mount Scopus (or MSMC) was opened on St Kilda Road in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia for its first school year in 1949, taking its name from Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, which remained in Israeli control during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. ...

Gudinski began promoting rock dances around Melbourne while still in his teens and moved into music agency work in the late 1960s. This led to the establishment of the Consolidated Rock artist agency in around 1970.

In the early 1970s Gudinski founded a short-lived music magazine, Daily Planet, but the publication failed to reach a wide audience and consistently lost money.

Gudinski and fellow music agent Ray Evans formed Mushroom Records in late 1972. The company's first album was an ambitious triple-LP live recording of the 1973 Sunbury Festival. In its first few years Mushroom released albums and singles by some of the most significant Australian rock acts of the period, including Madder Lake, Mackenzie Theory and The Dingoes. For the Mushroom Records company from Canada, see Mushroom Records (Canada), for the company that used to be Mushrooms operations in the United Kingdom see A&E Records Mushroom Records was an Australian record company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in 1972. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The crowd watches a band at the 1972 festival. ... The Dingoes were an Australian rock band from 1973 to 1979. ...

Mushroom struggled to survive for its first two years, hampered by lack of airplay on commercial radio, and the company reportedly came close to folding on several occasions. But the label was dramatically pushed to the forefront of the Australian music scene in early 1975 following the massive success of Skyhooks, whose debut album became the biggest-selling Australian LP ever released up to that time. Skyhooks was an Australian rock band of the 1970s, sometimes classified as a glam rock band, although this is mainly the result of the bands flamboyant costumes and makeup. ...

Around the same time, Gudinksi was convinced to sign expatriate New Zealand band Split Enz, who had recently relocated to Australia. Although they had only moderate success for the first few years, Split Enz scored huge success in 1980 with the release of their album True Colours and the hit single "I Got You", which marked the emergence of Neil Finn. Split Enz was a successful New Zealand band during the late 1970s and the early 1980s featuring brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. ... Neil Mullane Finn OBE (born May 27, 1958 in Te Awamutu, New Zealand) is a singer and songwriter and one of New Zealands foremost musicians. ...

Through his ownership of Consolidated Rock, which later evolved into the Premier Artists /Harbour Agency group, Gudinksi became the major player on the Australian east coast booking circuit, and enjoyed a virtual monopoly on rock music bookings in Melbourne for much of the 1970s. In partnership with others (including Frank Stivala, Philip Jacobsen and Ian James) he has diversified his business interests to include most sections of the music industry including venues, concert promoting, merchandise, publishing and recording.

Gudinski is often referred to as the "father of the Australian music industry" -- a title he clearly enjoys -- but it is inaccurate and would be more fairly applied to long-serving Festival Records head Alan Hely. The garrulous and media-savvy Gudinski has been a highly visible public figure throughout his career, and he is probably the only Australian record company executive whose name is known by the general public. Although he is typically portrayed as an energetic and outgoing character, those who have worked with him can also attest to his volcanic temper and his combative management style.

In the early 1990s Gudinski sold 49% of Mushroom to News Ltd, who had owned Australia's largest record label, Festival Records since 1961. He controversially sold his remaining 51% share to News in 1999 for a reported AU$60 million, claiming that the sale was a protest against the changes to Australia's parallel record importation regulations, a stance many saw as disingenuous and hypocritical. News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) is a media conglomerate that operates world-wide. ... In 1958, Herb Abramson leaves Atlantic Records. ...

In November 2005, shortly after the sale of Festival Mushroom's recording division to Warner Music Australia, Gudinksi purchased Festival's publishing division for an undisclosed sum. Warner Music Australasia was a division of the Warner Music Group which produced CDs for Australian distribution. ...

As of 2006, Gudinksi's current business interests include: 2006 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Liberation Records
• Mushroom Music Publishing
• Mushroom Pictures
• The Harbour Agency/Premier Artists - booking agents
• Frontier Touring Company
• Agent Mad - event promoters
• ATM Australian Tour Merchandise
• Music venues: Ding Dong Lounge, Locker Room
• MCM Entertainment

On 12 June 2006, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, he was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia. Insignia of a Companion of the Order of Australia. ...

Notes

External links

• Michael Gudinski at the Internet Movie Database
• The Mushroom Group
• Liberation Music
• Mushroom Music Publishing
• The Harbour Agency
• Premier Artists
• The Mercury Lounge
• The Frontier Touring Company Official Website
• The Frontier Touring Company on Myspace