Major international tours visiting New South Wales will enjoy financial sweeteners by booking an Australian act to the lineup, following the Minns Labor Government’s adoption of “Michael’s Rule.”
Announced today, May 5, NSW becomes the first state to implement the support act initiative, first presented two years ago at the AAM Awards by the late, great artist manager Michael McMartin.
Under the new change, the NSW Government will reduce the venue hire fee by $20,000 for each eligible show across the Venues NSW Network, which include Accor Stadium, CommBank Stadium, McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Sydney Cricket Ground, WIN Stadium and Entertainment Centre, and a $5,000 reduction will be available at Sydney Opera House.
To be eligible, the shows must adhere to “Michael’s Rule” and include at least one Australian artist as a support act on an international artist’s headline tour.
Also, the Aussie act must appear on the same stage as the headliner, and must be announced at the same time as the tour.
“This is innovative leadership on a whole new level, and we cannot commend the Minns Government enough for developing this policy and turning Michael’s Rule into a reality in the state of NSW,” comments Maggie Collins, executive director of the Association of Artists Managers, the trade association which has lobbied for implementation of Michael’s Rule.
“By this incentive being implemented, international artists now have 20,000 more reasons to add a local act to their lineup, and the result for Australian artists will be 10 times that in the long run. This is a win for audiences too, as they get exposed to their next favourite local artist — if the headliner they came for has anything to do with it.”
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Two years ago, McMartin called for a reinstatement of an industry code that made it compulsory for at least one local artist to be included on international tours.
A year later, at the 2024 AAM Awards, the organisation and its members, representing essentially every major artist in the country, called on Australian concert promoters to reinstate a project that is now named in McMartin’s honour. The veteran Hoodoo Gurus manager, recipient of APRA’s Ted Albert Award (2007) and Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) honoree, had passed earlier in the year, after a battle with cancer.
“Michael’s Rule” has three main pillars: every international artist must include an Australian artist among their opening acts; the Australian artist must appear on the same stage at the international artist using reasonable sound and lighting; and the Australian artist must be announced at the same time as the tour so that they benefit from all the marketing and promotion.
“We want more Australian musicians to have that opportunity, performing on the biggest stages in NSW alongside the best international artists,” comments premier of NSW Chris Minns.
“This will help Aussie artists take an even bigger stage on international playlists, skewing the Spotify algorithm to mix in more Aussie tracks and put NSW up in lights as a home of great music.”
Announced in the wake of Labor’s sweeping federal election victory on Saturday, “Michael’s Rule” is one solution to the myriad problems crushing the local music industry — troubles that were impossible to miss when just three Australian albums appeared in ARIA Top 100 chart for 2024, and just one original Australian recording cracked the top 10 of triple j’s Hottest 100 in January.
“This represents a crisis for Australian music,” notes minister for music and the night-time economy John Graham.
“The rise of streaming is flooding our market with American music and creating a roadblock for NSW artists trying to break through. By adopting ‘Michael’s Rule,’ we will get more local acts on to the big stage.”
Graham continues, “While local shows are suffering, fans are still paying the big money for big international acts. ‘Michael’s’ Rule will help our local artists capture that attention.”
AAM Legacy Award winner John Watson, a close friend of McMartin, told guests last week at the artist management community’s 6th annual ceremony that some “big news” was coming up. “It’s not going to solve everything but it’s a step in the right direction,” he remarked.