Revealed: Billboard's 2021 International Power Players msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Michael Gudinski
He founded Mushroom Records in 1972 before expanding his business into the sprawling Mushroom Group.
Michael Gudinski, the Australian music pioneer whose Mushroom Group would become the template for independent music companies and who, with his rambunctious, exuberant personality, became the face of his country’s music scene, has died. He was 68.
Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne on Monday night, his passing a shock to everyone connected with Australia’s music industry.
Speaking with
Billboard just last week, Gudinski was his typical, enthusiastic self, looking ahead to new TV projects, the vaccine rollout and the return of full-scale touring in these parts.
Pioneering music entrepreneur and Mushroom Records founder Michael Gudinski has died, aged 68.
A family statement confirmed he died peacefully in his sleep.
“Michael Gudinski was a key figure in shaping the Australian music industry,” the statement from Mushroom read.
“A larger-than-life figure, Michael was widely respected for his unwavering passion for all music in particular Australian music.
“His ability to achieve the unachievable against unsurmountable odds was proven time and again and spoke to his absolute passion for his career and life.”
Gudinski formed Mushroom Records in 1972 with fellow music agent Ray Evans through whom he signed several generations of Australian musicians and performers ranging Madder Lake, MacKenzie Theory, Matt Taylor,The Dingoes, Skyhooks, The Choirboys, Kylie Minogue, and Split Enz to newer artists such as Eskimo Joe, Evermore and others forging a string of successful releases by local talent.