Mushroom Records
Encyclopedia
Mushroom Records is an Australia
n recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski
and Ray Evans in Melbourne
in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros. Records
.
and MacKenzie Theory. Mushroom struggled to survive for its first two years and 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, Living in the 70's, became the biggest-selling Australian LP ever released up to that time. 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
.
In 1981 Gudinski started White Label Records, an alternative Mushroom label, to release innovative music, with signings such as Hunters & Collectors
, Machinations
, Painters and Dockers
, Kids in the Kitchen
and The Stems
.
Mushroom entered the international scene by setting up an International division in London headed by
Gary Ashley. The Australian label had some international success before then by signing The Saints
, Kylie Minogue
, Dannii Minogue
and Jason Donovan
in the eighties. However the last two were released internationally through PWL
. In the 1990s, Mushroom missed out on what could have been one of its biggest signings, and although the label was reportedly in the front-running to sign rising new Australian band Silverchair
; the group opted to sign with the Sony
label instead.
After selling 49% of the company to News Corporation
in 1993, Garbage
signed to the label via Marshall's UK operation, followed by Pop Will Eat Itself
, Ash
, The Paradise Motel
and Peter André
.
Gudinski sold the remaining 51% share of the label to News Corporation in 1998 for a sum reported to have been around A$40 million. However, the sale of Australia's last major independent label to a multinational engendered some adverse publicity, with Gudinski controversially claiming that he had sold the label as a protest at the federal government's changes to the regulations governing the parallel importation of recordings.
Gudinski maintained control of most other Mushroom Group companies (including interests in music publishing, film production, band booking, national touring and venue management) and the name Mushroom Records. When Mushroom was merged with News Corporations's record label Festival Records
to form Festival Mushroom Records in 1998, Gudinksi relaunched Liberation Music
.
In October 2005 Festival Mushroom Records was wound up and its trademarks and assets (including its large archive of master recordings) were sold to the Australian division of the Warner Music Group
in a deal reported to be worth around A$10 million.
The company's other major asset, Festival Music Publishing, was sold to Gudinksi's Mushroom Music a month later for an undisclosed sum.
In December 2009, Gudinski announced that he bought the remaining 50% he did not own from Warner Bros.. In 2010, it became fully independent again.
and Perfecto Records
) was reorganised as A&E Records
and sold on to the Warner Music Group
when Korda Marshall took a position within that company.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski
Michael Gudinski
Michael Solomon Gudinski, AM is an Australian entrepreneur and businessman currently based in Melbourne who is a leading figure in the Australian music industry...
and Ray Evans in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
.
History
The label's inaugural release was an ambitious triple LP recording of the 1973 Sunbury Pop Festival, and over the next few years they signed a number of important Australian acts of the period including Madder LakeMadder Lake (band)
Madder Lake is an Australian progressive rock band formed in Melbourne in 1971. They were one of the first band's signed to the Michael Gudinski co-owned Mushroom Records which released their debut single, "Goodbye Lollipop" in February 1973, followed by the album Stillpoint in August. This...
and MacKenzie Theory. Mushroom struggled to survive for its first two years and 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, Living in the 70's, became the biggest-selling Australian LP ever released up to that time. Around the same time, Gudinksi was convinced to sign expatriate New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
band Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
, 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
I Got You (Split Enz song)
"I Got You" is a 1980 song by New Zealand rock group Split Enz from their studio album True Colours. Split Enz's most commercially successful single, "I Got You" was written by Neil Finn and released in January 1980.-Music video:...
", which marked the emergence of Neil Finn
Neil Finn
Neil Mullane Finn, OBE is a New Zealand Pop recording artist. Along with his brother Tim Finn, he was the co-frontman for Split Enz and is now frontman for Crowded House...
.
In 1981 Gudinski started White Label Records, an alternative Mushroom label, to release innovative music, with signings such as Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors
Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...
, Machinations
Machinations (band)
Machinations was a popular Sydney-based outfit working the mid-1980s independent Australian music scene. Notable national hits included "Pressure Sway", "My Heart's On Fire" and "No Say In It". They also achieved indie prominence with the two versions of their first single, "Average Inadequacy"...
, Painters and Dockers
Painters and Dockers
Painters and Dockers are a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1982. Their best performed album, Kiss My Art, peaked in the top 30 of the Australian Recording Industry Association albums charts in 1988. The album included two top 50 singles, "Nude School" and "Die Yuppie Die"...
, Kids in the Kitchen
Kids in the Kitchen
Kids in the Kitchen was a band from Melbourne, Australia that enjoyed considerable local success during the 1980s. The band stood squarely within the New Romantic movement that dominated mid-1980s pop, showing influences of "New-Rom" groups such as Ultravox in its use of synthesisers, its...
and The Stems
The Stems
The Stems were an alternative rock band formed in Perth, Western Australia in 1983 and were heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. They broke up in 1987, reformed in 2003 and released a new album in 2007.-Formation:...
.
Mushroom entered the international scene by setting up an International division in London headed by
Gary Ashley. The Australian label had some international success before then by signing The Saints
The Saints (band)
The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
and Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
in the eighties. However the last two were released internationally through PWL
PWL
Pete Waterman Entertainment is the production company one-time pop and dance record label owned by pop mogul Pete Waterman. The label, originally PWL, is most famous for being the home of hit record producers Stock Aitken Waterman....
. In the 1990s, Mushroom missed out on what could have been one of its biggest signings, and although the label was reportedly in the front-running to sign rising new Australian band Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
; the group opted to sign with the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
label instead.
After selling 49% of the company to News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
in 1993, Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
signed to the label via Marshall's UK operation, followed by Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself
Pop Will Eat Itself are an English alternative rock band, originally formed in Stourbridge in 1986, with members from Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. Initially known as a Grebo act, their style changed to incorporate sample driven indie and industrial rock...
, Ash
Ash (band)
Ash are an alternative rock band that formed in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland in 1992. The band has sold 8 million albums worldwide.-Band beginning, Trailer and 1977 :...
, The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel
The Paradise Motel are a critically and commercially successful independent Australian band from Hobart, Tasmania, first active from 1995–2000, who reformed in 2008.-Formation and early releases 1994–1998:...
and Peter André
Peter André
Peter James Andrea , better known by the stage name as Peter Andre, is an English-born Australian musician, singer-songwriter, television personality and businessman. As a recording artist, he has achieving four top 10 UK albums and ten top 10 singles.-Early life:Andre was born at Northwick Park...
.
Gudinski sold the remaining 51% share of the label to News Corporation in 1998 for a sum reported to have been around A$40 million. However, the sale of Australia's last major independent label to a multinational engendered some adverse publicity, with Gudinski controversially claiming that he had sold the label as a protest at the federal government's changes to the regulations governing the parallel importation of recordings.
Gudinski maintained control of most other Mushroom Group companies (including interests in music publishing, film production, band booking, national touring and venue management) and the name Mushroom Records. When Mushroom was merged with News Corporations's record label Festival Records
Festival Records (Australia)
Festival Records was an Australian music recording and publishing company which was founded in Sydney in 1952 and operated until 2005....
to form Festival Mushroom Records in 1998, Gudinksi relaunched Liberation Music
Liberation Music
Liberation Music is a boutique, independent Australasian record company, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello. Its stated aim is to find, nurture and then to develop new talent for a world market while remaining independent in the process...
.
In October 2005 Festival Mushroom Records was wound up and its trademarks and assets (including its large archive of master recordings) were sold to the Australian division of the Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
in a deal reported to be worth around A$10 million.
The company's other major asset, Festival Music Publishing, was sold to Gudinksi's Mushroom Music a month later for an undisclosed sum.
In December 2009, Gudinski announced that he bought the remaining 50% he did not own from Warner Bros.. In 2010, it became fully independent again.
A&E Records
With the reorganisation into Festival Mushroom Records, a number of international operations and joint ventures were either shut down or sold. In the United Kingdom, the British arm of the company (including InfectiousInfectious Records
Infectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
and Perfecto Records
Perfecto Records
Perfecto Records is a United Kingdom based Trance record label founded by Paul Oakenfold in 1989.-History:Perfecto was founded by electronic music record producer and DJ Paul Oakenfold in 1989...
) was reorganised as A&E Records
A&E Records
A&E Records is an United Kingdom-based record label imprint, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under the WEA International group of labels at WMG....
and sold on to the Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
when Korda Marshall took a position within that company.
Selective list of Mushroom Records signings
An asterisk (*) denotes an artist/company who no longer records for the label.- Risk of Electric Shock
- ShihadShihadShihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
- O-ZoneO-ZoneO-Zone was a Romania/Moldovan pop music trio that was active from 1998 to 2005 and consisted of Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu, and Arsenie Todiraş. The group gained global popularity with their song "Dragostea din tei" and their subsequent album DiscO-Zone....
* - Renée GeyerRenée GeyerRenée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
- Gabriella CilmiGabriella CilmiGabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....
- Katie NoonanKatie NoonanKatie Anne Noonan is an Australian singer-songwriter. In addition to a successful solo career encompassing opera, jazz, pop, rock and dance, she sings in the groups george and Elixir, duets with her mother, Maggie Noonan and is currently playing with support from the group The...
- GyroscopeGyroscope (band)Gyroscope is an Australian rock band from Perth, Western Australia, formed in 1997. The band comprises vocalist and guitarist Daniel Sanders, guitarist and back up vocalist Zoran Trivic, bassist and back up vocalist Brad Campbell and drummer Rob Nassif....
- Madder LakeMadder Lake (band)Madder Lake is an Australian progressive rock band formed in Melbourne in 1971. They were one of the first band's signed to the Michael Gudinski co-owned Mushroom Records which released their debut single, "Goodbye Lollipop" in February 1973, followed by the album Stillpoint in August. This...
- MacKenzie Theory
- Skyhooks
- The DingoesThe DingoesThe Dingoes are an Australian country rock band initially active from 1973 to 1979, formed in Melbourne they relocated to the United States from 1976. Most stable line-up was John Bois on bass guitar, John Lee on drums, Broderick Smith on vocals and harmonica, Chris Stockley on guitar and Kerryn...
- The SwingersThe SwingersThe Swingers were a New Zealand rock band. Formed out of the remnants of The Suburban Reptiles, the founding members were Phil Judd , Wayne Stevens , and Mark Hough . Formed in 1979, the band released the single "One Good Reason" which was a top 20 hit in New Zealand...
- Split EnzSplit EnzSplit Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...
- ChantooziesChantooziesChantoozies were an Australian pop group active from 1986 to 1991. The band featured four female singers: Eve von Bibra, Angie La Bozzetta, Ally Fowler and Tottie Goldsmith; and four male musicians: Brett Goldsmith , Scott Griffiths , Frank McKoy and David Reyne...
* - Jason DonovanJason DonovanJason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
* - Scandal'usScandal'usScandal'us were the winners of the Australian Popstars 2 in 2001 . They won an ARIA Award for the No. 1 debut single "Me Myself & I". Their second and final single, "Make Me Crazy", only reached No. 30. Their debut album, Startin' Somethin, debuted and peaked at No...
* - Paul KellyPaul Kelly (musician)Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...
- ModelsModels (band)Models were an alternative rock group formed in Melbourne, Australia, in August 1978 and went into hiatus in 1988. They are often incorrectly referred to as The Models. They re-formed in 2000, 2006 and 2008 to perform reunion concerts. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight", their only No. 1 hit,...
- The SaintsThe Saints (band)The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...
- Jenn ForbesJenn forbesJennifer "Jenni" Forbes is an Australian singer-songwriter based in Sydney, New South Wales; her song, "I Want You" was performed by fellow Mushroom Records artist, Toni Pearen and peaked in the top 10 on the ARIA Singles Chart in .-Biography:...
- Kylie MinogueKylie MinogueKylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
- Dannii MinogueDannii MinogueDanielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
*(1990–2000) - Indecent ObsessionIndecent ObsessionIndecent Obsession was an Australian pop band. They formed in 1987 in Brisbane.Australian music guru Molly Meldrum signed the band to his record label Melodian. The band tasted success with the single "Say Goodbye" hitting the Australian Top 10 in August 1989...
- GarbageGarbage (band)Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
- Yothu YindiYothu YindiYothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
- The Paradise MotelThe Paradise MotelThe Paradise Motel are a critically and commercially successful independent Australian band from Hobart, Tasmania, first active from 1995–2000, who reformed in 2008.-Formation and early releases 1994–1998:...
- Jimmy BarnesJimmy BarnesJames Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
- Jimmy Christo*
- MuseMuse (band)Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
- MEO 245MEO 245MEO 245 were an Australian new wave band from the 1980s, formed in Melbourne, Australia by 3 Tasmanians and 1 Victorian. They had an album, Screen Memory, and singles "Lady Love" and "Other Places", all of which made the mainstream charts in Australia. They recorded their final product in 1983...
- Chain
- Peter AndréPeter AndréPeter James Andrea , better known by the stage name as Peter Andre, is an English-born Australian musician, singer-songwriter, television personality and businessman. As a recording artist, he has achieving four top 10 UK albums and ten top 10 singles.-Early life:Andre was born at Northwick Park...
* - Frente
- Toni PearenToni PearenToni Pearen is an Australian actress, singer, songwriter and TV presenter born in Cronulla, Sydney on 5 June 1972. She initially became recognisable through her role on soap opera E Street from 1989 until 1992. She had a pop music career in the early 1990s which included the release of an album and...
* - Nelly FurtadoNelly FurtadoNelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
* (1999-2005/06) - Jo Beth TaylorJo Beth TaylorJo Beth Taylor is an Australian television personality most well known for hosting three weekly programs on the Nine Network at the same time between 1993 and 1997: Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, What's Up Doc? and Hey Hey It's Saturday, before taking a hiatus from television for more than...
* - Kate CeberanoKate CeberanoKate Ceberano is an Australian singer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film...
* (1991–2000) - NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
* (1985-2000/01) - Home & Away* (1988-2004/05)
- Ayers RockAyers Rock (band)Ayers Rock was a jazz fusion/progressive rock band from Melbourne, Australia. The group formed in 1973, and included many well-travelled rock performers; drummer Mark Kennedy had previously played in Spectrum, and played on sessions for King Harvest and Friends...
- Christie AllenChristie AllenChristie Allen was an English-born pop singer who had a successful career as a recording artist in her adopted homeland Australia.-Biography:...
(deceased) - Billy ThorpeBilly ThorpeWilliam Richard "Billy" Thorpe, AM was a renowned English-born Australian pop / rock singer-songwriter and musician...
(deceased) & The Aztecs
See also
- List of record labels
- Festival Mushroom Records
- List of Festival Mushroom Records artists
- Festival RecordsFestival Records (Australia)Festival Records was an Australian music recording and publishing company which was founded in Sydney in 1952 and operated until 2005....
- Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
- Liberation Records
- Festival Records
- A&E RecordsA&E RecordsA&E Records is an United Kingdom-based record label imprint, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under the WEA International group of labels at WMG....
/Warner Music GroupWarner Music GroupWarner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
- Infectious RecordsInfectious RecordsInfectious Records is a record label whose bands have included Ash, Local Natives, Symposium, My Vitriol, Seafood, The Paradise Motel, General Fiasco and The Subways. Infectious was established by Korda Marshall after leaving RCA, and became part of Marshall's Mushroom Records UK operation in the...
- Perfecto RecordsPerfecto RecordsPerfecto Records is a United Kingdom based Trance record label founded by Paul Oakenfold in 1989.-History:Perfecto was founded by electronic music record producer and DJ Paul Oakenfold in 1989...
- Taste MediaTaste MediaTaste Media is a record label and production company that has released records for bands such as Muse and Shed Seven. The company was formed by Safta Jaffery and Dennis Smith, who owned the Sawmills recording studio in Cornwall.-History:Taste Media recorded three of Muse's albums, Showbiz, Origin...
- Infectious Records