The announcement was made early Wednesday, just hours before Australia’s music community was due to gather with Gudinski’s friends and family for a state memorial at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. The late entrepreneur was a giant of Australia’s music industry who launched the Mushroom Records brand at the age of 20, and turned his Mushroom Group of Companies into a sprawling, independent empire with more than two-dozen businesses reaching into every conceivable area of music and beyond. He passed away unexpectedly on March 2, aged 68. “In the past few weeks,” notes ARIA chairman Denis Handlin, “we have seen an outpouring of love, respect and admiration from so many around the world for the late Michael Gudinski who was a pioneer and true legend that changed the...
Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia on Tuesday expressed the readiness of his administration to facilitate the delivery of more road projects in Aba and the state. Ikpeazu said this while inspecting the ongoing reconstruction of Port Harcourt Road, as part of the resumption of a statewide-project-inspection programme, tagged “Kinetic Abia Project Tour” in Aba. He said that the government would deliver high quality roads as part of its efforts to rebuild Aba and improve the wellbeing of its residents. He appealed to the residents to support the government to achieve its goal of transforming Aba by assisting the contractors handling the projects and protecting the infrastructure. The governor said that he would remain irrevocably committed to changing the narratives of Aba in the area of infrastruct...
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says the state is ready to domesticate the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement. Sanwo-Olu said this on Tuesday when he received the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Niyi Adebayo, on a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja. The minister led members of the National Action Committee on nationwide sensitisation on African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which the nation entered into to deepen economic integration among African countries. He said that Lagos had observed the processes leading to the adoption of the continental trade agreement and positioned itself for market expansion across areas of collaboration. The governor said the state was ready to take advantage of the AfCFTA for growth, as a local ac...
Dr Obafemi Hamzat, Lagos State Deputy Governor on Tuesday urged religious leaders to propagate peace and morals so as to avoid disintegration but engender unity among Nigerians. Hamzat made the appeal during the 40-day Fidau prayer for late Alhaji Lateef Jakande, former governor of the state. He said that religion, being the strongest pillar in Nigeria, had the people’s heart and respect. He charged the clerics to help the citizens to act in accordance with the norms of the society and shun all anti-social vices. The deputy-governor also implored the clergymen to propagate the gospel of a better use of Lagos roads by urging motorist to avoid driving against traffic. “People respect their religious leaders and they do listen to them. “So, please do not leave the preaching of moral values to...
The Senate has commenced moves to unbundle the Nigerian Postal Service with the consideration of a bill to repeal and re-enact the Nigerian Postal Service Act 2004. The bill which scaled second reading on Tuesday was sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC, Lagos Central). Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Tinubu said the piece of legislation seeks a reform of the Postal Industry and to make Comprehensive Provisions for the Development and Regulation of Postal Services in Nigeria. According to the lawmaker, the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) which dates as far back as 1852, evolved from an exigency of the colonial administration to a Collection Office of the United Kingdom and eventually, to the NIPOST. She recalled that as at 1st of October, 1960, when Nigeria g...
The data has fueled fears that the nascent recovery will not be evenly shared, a dynamic that would exacerbate income and wealth inequality while prolonging the return to full employment. The trend is reminiscent of the Great Recession, when Black workers saw a worse downturn and slower rate of return to normal. And this time, it has caught the attention of top policymakers across the Biden administration and in Congress. “We’re trying to make sure that it is not like so many other recoveries,” said House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the most senior Black lawmaker in Congress and chair of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. “Slow for everybody, and a snail’s pace for Black and brown communities.” The headwinds that Black workers face are plenty, some unique to the cor...
In recent years, WMG has opened affiliates in India, Turkey and the Middle East, and has inked a string of strategic deals with key labels and distributors, including Doğan Music (Turkey), Ziiki Media (Punjabi music), Africori (Africa), Sky Digital (Punjabi music) and Tips Music (Bollywood). “I want to unlock huge opportunities for artists from the diverse tapestry of countries that we classify as emerging markets,” said Perez-Soto. “I’ll work round the clock to build a global stage for them to stand on, connecting them with fans in their home countries and far beyond.” Robson added: “The increasing connectivity of music fans in emerging markets is opening doors for artists worldwide, but the huge volume of music on streaming services means that, mo...
The campaigns will additionally entail introductory profiles by SoundCloud guest editor and music journalist Kiana Fitzgerald; original content such as artist interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes peeks at their first photoshoots; features on the new “First on SoundCloud” playlist on the SoundCloud homepage; career development from SoundCloud’s music industry veterans and experts; and a live event that will bring together the selected artists with the SoundCloud community. Each of the artists will receive a further lift by having their participation in the accelerator announced by artists and tastemakers including D Smoke, Rico Nasty, creative photographer and designer Ciesay of Places + Faces and NBA star De’Aaron Fox. Since its inaugural edition in 2018, First on SoundClou...