30th January 2025

Dear Peers,

I’d like to welcome you to a brand new look and a new monthly mailout for industry and media friends of the Association of Artist Managers! Up until now we have directed most of our communications directly to our membership, but after 13 years of advocating for Australian artist managers behind the scenes, we are now keen to open our doors to non-members and share exciting and important updates regularly with peers such as yourself. You have received this because we have engaged with you in the past, or we feel like you might be interested in updates from (in our opinion) the hardest working people in the industry.

If we haven’t met, I’m Maggie, the Executive Director of the AAM. I was an artist manager for 16 years until recently where, thanks to core funding from Music Australia, I am now here full time, alongside our small but powerful team. Our Board is made up of some of the country’s most experienced managers, and together we work hard to support the healthy sustainability of music managers – and in turn, their artists.

Here are some top-line activities our org is engaging with at the moment:

• Alongside the aforementioned core funding from Music Australia, we are also recent recipients of project funding from Sound NSW. Through this support we have had a fresh new rebrand, we’ve hired a full-time NSW-based Memberships and Administration Officer, and are running an unprecedented paid internship program called ‘Placements’.
  

• In this stage of growth, we have developed our 2025-2028 Strategic Plan which is due for launch in the coming months. It was developed in partnership with Vibe Lab after experiencing their interactive and collaborative process producing the ‘Vote Music’ campaign, which led to unprecedented results for the music industry at the NSW state election.
  

• We are getting ready for a big year ahead with the return of our Manager Awards, our flagship mentorship program in partnership with Spotify; ‘Co-Pilot’, and an exciting new partnership with ARIA on ‘ARIA Collab’.

In amongst this activity, one of our most impactful causes has centred around our advocacy of ‘Michael’s Rule’, which seeks the return of a policy that ensures every international tour to Australia features a local artist on the line-up. In the latest data report by Tixel, it was revealed that 1 out of 3 event goers aged 18-24 attend 3-5 stadium or arena concerts per year. With budgets tightening, it reported that they are “gravitating towards headline shows where they know and trust the artist”. Given these stats, coupled with the decline of traditional discoverability structures, it’s never been more important and influential, that the live setting of popular well-known artists is a priority focus for platforming Australian artists. It’s an IRL recommendation engine.

This all comes at a time where the industry is at its most challenging AND most prime for optimism – both at the same time, somehow. We at the AAM believe that a complex ecosystem like the Australian music industry needs a holistic approach to advocate for a strong and healthy future. So whether it’s Michael’s Rule, other local-focussed causes that we get behind, or simply an exciting activation we’re working on, we hope you are keen to join us for the ride by receiving these monthly updates from our team to yours. Naturally if you’d prefer not to be on this list, please follow the link at the bottom of this email to unsubscribe.

Regards,
Maggie

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27th February 2025

Dear peers,

There are many things that Australian artist managers excel at, but one of my favourite, is good chat.

Recently I have been lucky enough to witness and engage in some really important and deep conversations centred around problem-solving the bigger issues in our wider industry. Given how central problem-solving is to a managers’ life, I can’t think of a better cohort of people to get together and tackle issues these issues. These conversations have happened at our recent Executive Dinners which occur each year for our executive level members. In amongst the list of challenges, here were some takeaways that stuck with me:

+ Success stories blossom where artist-to-fan connection focuses on quality over quantity.
+ Stay focussed on solutions, no matter how despairing the problem.
+ Don’t be overwhelmed by the end-goal, just put one foot in front of another.

It was great to get this wisdom and inspiration from these senior managers. There sure are a lot of challenges for developing artists in this country at the moment, but the AAM exists to provide managers and our industry with whatever opportunities and support we can to move forward. Check everything out below, it’s a busy month as always!!

Maggie

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27th March 2025

Dear peers,

Another month, and another reminder of how fast this year is going. The AAM team has been working at full throttle, processing applications for our funding and professional development programs MAICC and Co-Pilot, our Award submissions, co-ordinating judges for each, speaking at a Parliamentary Hearing on the Inquiry into Cultural and Creative Industries in Victoria, co-hosting ARIA Talks, attending ARIA Innovator, and dealing with a literal tropical cyclone over here in SE Qld. And that’s not to mention things that are still in the pipeline to be announced. It is also a time of transition for our team as we announce that the UK is reclaiming our wonderful Membership and Administration Officer, Jacob Clements, and he will be returning there for some family commitments. Thankfully we will continue to work with Jacob remotely on some projects for the next few months, but I’d like to take this opportunity to formally thank Jacob for his incredible contribution to our team and wish him all the best in his transition back home!

As always there’s a lot to soak up below. You can also check out a chat I had with revered manager Michael Parisi for his podcast Vinyl Tap, where we talked about the state of play in artist management today, and some ideas on how we can move forward in such an unpredictable year ahead. I’d love to get any feedback on whether you agree / disagree with the points raised and if you have any other ideas you want to share with me!

Happy reading!
Maggie 

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23rd April 2025

Dear Peers,

Our big event is on next week as the AAM Awards are held in Melbourne on Wednesday. Can’t wait to see many of you IRL and celebrate the incredible dedication, creativity and care displayed through our inspiring nominees, not to mention getting to acknowledge one of the greatest artist managers of all time – John Watson. It’s been a busy month leading into this timeframe. With the election on the horizon, the AAM teamed up with other peak bodies and industry organisations to unify our voice for the Vote Music campaign. The aim is to raise awareness of the music sector’s contribution to Australian culture and economy, and to encourage voters and politicians alike to back policies that help it thrive.

We also saw massive news in the neighbouring rights world, with a huge development allowing performers to sign up directly to PPL to collect their recording royalties. This is available to both featured artists and session musicians, so spread the word! 

Aside from our Awards next week, the VMDO’s Music Data and Insights Summit is happening on the Monday and Tuesday. They recently released the schedule and it’s a tantalising smorgasbord of engaging conversations and topics (if you’re a data nerd like me). Specifically, keep an eye out for the launch of part one of Music Australia’s research series; a result of the economic impact outreach they did last year.  If you can’t make it in person, you can register for the online launch of the research here.

Maggie

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23rd May 2025

Dear peers,

It’s been a very eventful past few weeks for our team, as we knocked out another incredible AAM Awards for another year. Below is a cute behind-the-scenes moment of Missy Higgins hiding on the staircase at the Northcote Social Club, waiting to surprise John Watson with a speech and performance for his Legacy Award.

You can read more about the winners and check out the wrap-up below. A huge thank you to our wonderful and hard-working team for making yet another heart-warming day to remember.

This month we also had massive news with Michael’s Rule being adopted by the NSW Government. A huge thank you to Emily Collins and the team at Sound NSW for advocating for such an epic development to the discoverability and long-term careers of Australian artists. We now start the process of addressing how this might look in other States and Territories, and still at a Federal level.

In amongst all this, we had the Federal election, the Music Data and Insights Summit thanks to the VMDO, the launch of Music Australia’s ‘Listening In’ research series, our annual collaborative breakfast with MMF UK at The Great Escape in Brighton, and we made our voice heard to Commercial Radio Australia for their Code of Practice review by calling for more exposure for local artists.

It's been… a lot. And this month isn’t even over yet!

Here’s to a productive and healthy month to you all!

Maggie

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25 June 2025

Dear Peers,

 Merry EOFY to all, and to all a good tax return!  

Can’t believe we’re at the midway point of the year 2025, but here we are.

So far this year the AAM has:
·      Influenced state-policy, with the NSW Minns Government formally adopting Michael’s Rule.
·      Profiled and celebrated some of the country’s world’s most ground-breaking artist managers through our AAM Awards.
·      Delivered multiple professional development programs including Co-Pilot (in partnership with Spotify), the Placements paid internship program, and Manager Buddies – pairing international managers with our members for international conferences such as The Great Escape and SXSW Austin.
·      Administered funding for 47 managers to attend international conferences (in this calendar year alone).
·      Alongside the generous support from managers across the country, we contributed greatly to the Bass Line report on the economic impact of the music industry.
·      Held two Executive Dinners for our Executive members.
·      Had presence and a voice at various industry events such as ARIA Talks, ARIA Innovator, The Great Escape, SXSW Austin, the launch of the Bass Line report from Music Australia, VMDO Music Data & Insights Summit, the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Cultural and Creative Industries.
·      Contributed to the wider industry ‘Vote Music’ campaign in the lead up to the federal election.
·      Undertaken a massive rebrand to reflect the sophistication and modern strength of our member-base.

We’ve actually got so much more planned for the second half of 2025 as well that will all be revealed in due course.

For now I want to say a big mid-year THANK YOU to all of our funding bodies, supporters, peers, and members, for believing in this organisation and understanding how important it is in representing and amplifying artist managers' efforts to the wider public.

Maggie

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24 July 2025

Dear peers,

I hope you're well and this July period hasn't been too cold for you (for our peers doing business in the Northern Hemisphere, I don't have as much sympathy!). 

I was lucky enough to be in Gimuy/Cairns recently as part of the SEC Newgate Mentoring and Stakeholder Engagement Program facilitated by Creative Australia. This workshop was part of the Executive Management Mentorship program, where I'll be mentored by Agribusiness expert, Tim Powell. I'm really excited to get insights from an expert in a completely different industry and improve upon my leadership skills for the AAM.

One of the main focuses of the AAM for this month is a long-term advocacy item that we've been trying to fix for a while. It's to do with the NSW Entertainment Industry Act, which the NSW Government is currently accepting feedback on via some surveys. I've included more info on that below, as this is a very important topic that specifically affects Australian music artist managers (and therefore how you engage with all of our members). It would be great if you could have a read, and maybe even participate if you feel so inclined.

I'll also be at IndieCon in Adelaide next week, moderating a panel on how artist managers have inadvertently taken on the role of label manager due to the rise in self-releasing artists. Come along and say hi. 

Sing out if you ever want to connect!
Maggie

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20 August 2025

Dear peers,

It’s been an interesting month to be in the creative industries, to say the least!

You may have seen our recent statement in response to the Productivity Commission’s proposal for legalising text and data mining as “fair use”. You can read that statement in full from the link below. It’s been heartening to see our industry (and fellow creative industries) band together in opposition of such an idea, but it looks like we have a big mountain to climb ahead of us.

I’d like to thank Digital Rights Watch (DRW) for hosting a critical discussion on this topic (linked below as well), and the invaluable minds who contributed to the conversation including Peter Garrett, Claire Pullen, Professor Toby Walsh and the DRW Chair herself, Lizzie O’Shea. It was an eye-opening discussion and highly recommended viewing.

On a more optimistic note, I want to make a special shout-out to Sound NSW as we launch the second edition of our Placements program, this time providing spots for FOUR interns at FOUR host companies. The AAM has always asserted that the training required to advance in the field of artist management is acquired primarily through on-the-job training and professional development. We tested this program in a pilot earlier this year, to outstanding results, and with Sound NSW’s continued investment, we’re able to expand it even further. Can’t wait for this program to feed the ecosystem by helping established management companies scale, training the managers of tomorrow, and letting the artists benefit from the whole thing as a result.

Lastly, soon we’ll be doing our member-wide survey, and we’re curious – what’s something you want to know about Australian artist managers today? Let me know, and your question might make the cut!

Take care,

Maggie

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24 September 2025

Dear peers,

The AAM has had a super social month this September, kicking off with our brekky at BIGSOUND, a manager mixer at WAMCon, and this week you can catch me at the Art of Tax Reform Summit in Sydney. I can’t wait to talk all things tax reform (exciting!!) especially after making our submissionhighlighting the key ways in which reform could benefit managers, and in turn the entire industry.

This month we also made a formal submissionto the Productivity Commission’s interim report on harnessing data and digital technology, which you can read more about below. As desperately frustrating as the PC’s recommendation in their interim report was, it’s been heartening to see the entire creative industries band together to stand for the importance of protecting IP.

We’re in September now which means that the end of the year is just over the horizon, but we’ve got so much more to deliver between now and then. We’re a small organisation but a mighty one, because we love our industry, and are determined to create pathways for more sustainable careers.

Here’s to prosperous tax reform and healthy Copyright Law!

Maggie

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22 October 2025

Dear peers,

At the end of last month I went to the Art of Tax Reform Summit in Sydney, and it was surprisingly one of the most inspiring and motivating days I’ve ever experienced. Go figure! It’s because it was all about finding long-lasting, structural and effective solutions to sustainability in the creative industries, rather than relying on unpredictable and varied government funding, or a market that increasingly supports a winner-takes-all model. Someone from a different field mentioned how much they admire those who work in the contemporary music industry, noting how much we operate under constant risk, and that simply getting out of bed in this business is something to be proud of. This is a huge reflection on those that operate solely at the mercy of the market and survive daily on fumes and pure passion. Artist managers embody this entrepreneurial spirit, as they’re hustling not just for the viability of their own businesses, but for those of their artists. It’s a huge responsibility and a lot of pressure to carry, which is why the health of the AAM and support of our peers such as yourself, is so important.

We’re excited to highlight that earlier this month we launched an unprecedented partnership with Virgin Australia Business Flyer, whereby all AAM members who are ABN holders can receive 2 x Gold Pilot memberships without having to spend the usual $2k minimum spend (plus other benefits). We’re so excited about this partnership, especially given how valuable face-to-face connection is for managers when building careers, and how much more valuable it will be now that they can be better prepared and looked after in the process!

I was lucky enough to see many of you at SXSW last week, when I did a presentation for Sound NSW on our Placements Program. It was also heartening to hear that the NSW Parliament will be conducting an inquiry into the state of the live music industry in NSW. With CreateSA gearing up for their next Music Development Strategy in South Australia, it’s an opportune time to share our stories and get our voices heard.

Maggie

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26 November 2025

Dear peers,

The end of the year is in sight! I’m sending you all of the productivity well-wishes for this last leg of the year.

This month, one of the most significant and important wins was achieved after the Federal Government officially ruled out a Text and Data Mining exception in the Copyright Act. A huge congratulations to our peak body peers, including ARIA and the team at Sentimental, for their monumental work and strategy that contributed to this world-first achievement. This was some Matrix-level bullet dodging.

The silly season is here and we’ve had a busy month of activities. Earlier this year we changed up our IRL hangs and introduced “Boardroom Brain Dumps” which is sort of like the manager version of a jam. Great ideas come out of these sessions. A big thanks to Exec member Paul Piticco (Dew Process Management) for hosting a small gathering in Brisbane earlier this month. We also had our Executive Dinner in Sydney last week, sponsored by KOSIGN. A big thank you to our partners for supporting us in so many ways!

A huge congrats to all of our members whose artists were nominated or won this month including the ARIAs, J Awards, AMP, the NSW Music Prize and others. These are a significant achievement and recognition of the amazing work that you’ve all done. Also, a huge shout out to those managers whose artists weren’t nominated, but still had an epic year in their own right. Artist managers work so hard, in the background, under a lot of pressure and risk. These managers simply showing up, is a huge win for our industry.  

Maggie

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15 December 2025

Dear peers,

Our hearts are with the Jewish community this morning, as we start this week dealing with the most abhorrent of circumstances following the tragedies at Bondi Beach over the weekend. It goes without saying, yet it needs to be said again, that all people deserve to live in peace, and practice their faith without fear. Antisemitism has no place in our society, and this is a critical reminder that communities like ours need to remain united against hate, bigotry, prejudice and dehumanisation in all of its forms. Everyone in the AAM team sends their biggest support to our members and friends affected by these events, and we hope that despite this usually-busy festival planning and end-of-year period, that our peers practice patience and kindness to those that may not be able to respond or work as quickly.

Below is our last monthly update for the year. I had planned a different introduction, reviewing everything we worked on this year, but for now all that matters is this message: let’s bring kindness and empathy to everything we do in these upcoming holidays. Please stay safe, and get rest when you can.

Support Act Wellbeing Hotline = 1800 959 500
Lifeline 24 Hour Crisis Support = 13 11 14

And, if you don’t like talking on the phone, there are texting options:
Lifeline Text = 0477 13 11 14
Lifeline Online Chat = link here

With strength and unity,

Maggie

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Dear peers,

Happy new year, and welcome to 2026! I hope you were able to squeeze in some much deserved rest over the holiday period. Starting the year is always a good reminder to be kind on ourselves as we wake up our brains to the work ahead of us, and a very exciting year of opportunity. Sometimes it takes a while to warm up, and that’s just fine.

We’re hitting the ground running as you can see from all of our member activity below. We’re hosting an YouTube workshop in Melbourne next week, and the next few months are jam packed with Zoom drop-ins or chances to mix IRL. Also, we’re lucky enough to be administering funding for MAICC for another round.

Lastly a huge congrats to our peers at PPCA for their Copyright Tribunal win, as discussed below, but the fight to Scrap The Caps continues. More info below.

Here’s to a clear head and a positive outlook for the start of the year!

Maggie

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Dear Peers,

So much to get through below this month, so I’ll try not to drag it on. One big update that you may have seen is the disappointing lack of changes to music quotas in the Commercial Radio Code. We’ve provided more info on that below. Some relief in domestic music discoverability would have been essential at this point, but given the result, it’s a good thing we’re a community of managers; where resilience and ingenuity is in our DNA. We’ll continue to advocate in this space and find resources to help managers and their artists navigate this space.

One important area of this month’s mailer is the Creative Workplaces survey. This survey is a long one but it focuses on It focuses on key workplace issues including, pay and working conditions, safety at work, bullying, discrimination and harassment. Given the B2B nature of the contemporary music industry, it would be great for data to be captured from our community that reflects the non-traditional working landscape. Please complete if you have time!

Finally, if you know of a manager who has had a killer past 12 months, please nominate them for one of our 2026 AAM Award below! All details below.

Happy February!

Maggie

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18th March 2026

Dear peers,

What a time to be alive 🙃.

Since our last monthly mailer, we’ve seen explosive commentary of the effects of AI in music discovery; outbreak of war that has thrown international travel into mayhem for a lot of our members and their artists; and most recently, the cancellation of Byron Bay Blues Festival which has devastated the entire music eco-system, obliterating relied-upon revenue for some, and tarnishing consumer confidence for all.

If you’re feeling a little bit stressed right now, you better believe that it is more than fair enough.

I have been having discussions with multiple industry leaders and operators who all echo the same sentiment, that the Australian music industry has never faced such challenges before, even through the pandemic years. As a result, there’s never been a more important time to strengthen our community, join forces with others where we can, and - as one leader described to me – “keep pushing on that rock”.  In the coming months everyone in our industry must activate our teams and artists to help with advocacy (particularly in regards to AI, more on that below). I know we are all busy, but I cannot stress enough how important it is for the sustainability of the music industry (nay, all creative industries) that we go the extra mile to protect it.

On a more joyous note, a massive congratulations to our Legacy Award recipient Melita Hodge! I cannot wait to celebrate her, and all the other Award nominees and winners at our event next month.

Keep well.

Maggie  

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22nd April 2026

Dear peers,

April brings a full agenda — and a moment to pause.

We're excited to share the 2026 AAM Awards nominees this month, ahead of our ceremony next week. We couldn't be more proud of the managers in contention, and can’t wait to hear more about and celebrate their achievements. In fact, you can learn a little bit about that via The Music Network who have captured some of the highs and lows of our Manager of the Year nominees.

We're also taking a moment to acknowledge the passing of a beloved member of our community, Doron Losky, a Sydney-based manager and friend to many.  Doron passed away on 20 March after a courageous battle with cancer. Doron championed emerging and marginalised artists with conviction, and contributed widely to the industry through FBi Radio, Music NSW and beyond. He will be sorely missed.

Elsewhere this month, the Australian Government has opened consultation on the next National Cultural Policy — an important moment for the industry to be heard. We encourage anyone with a stake in Australia's cultural future to engage with the process before 24 May.

Maggie

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20th May 2026

Dear peers,

I can't believe we're on the other side of another AAM Awards! At the end of last month we gathered on Gadigal Country to celebrate Australian managers who have kicked incredible goals and contributed to their community in such valuable ways. Thank you to everyone who came along to show support for all the nominees and winners. The amount of times people tell me that these are one of the best Award ceremonies on the calendar, is so heartening. And they're right. Check out the results here, and find out why we don't do this for any competitive motivations, but to platform those that have given it all, and to hear their inspiring stories. 

I'm rushing the introduction month as I've had my head down preparing the AAM's submission to the National Cultural Policy. This is such an important one, and I encourage everyone engage. Details below. 

Cheers,

Maggie

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22 June 2026

Dear peers,

Happy EOFY to one and all. I hope all your tax planning is going well.

This month we were busy producing our 28-page submission to the National Cultural Policy review (linked below). It was a monster effort but extremely comprehensive and helpfully lays out somewhat of a strategic plan of our advocacy focus-points over the short term.

A key part of our submission focussed on the importance of backing Music Australia, as this body has been one of the single most important developments of our industry in modern times. Increasing its funding and resources would cement its future across any and all types of governments.

But we also did a deep-dive into specific policies that we feel need further exploration, including a better understanding of algorithmic treatment for the genuine improvement of Australian music discoverability on DSPs; copyright protection as a priority in AI regulation; enhancing government “standard signalling” through equitable deal terms for government-funded events and venues; and a wish-list of many other things.

We highly encourage giving it a read if you’re interested in the various advocacy positions the AAM will be focussed on in the next few months.

There’s always more cooking the AAM kitchen. Read on for what’s out there for now!

Maggie

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