Mushroom Group Restructures Recording, Publishing and Neighboring Rights, Forms Mushroom Music

In a restructuring that’s touted as one of the most significant changes to Mushroom Group in more than two decades, the Australian independent music powerhouse unveils Mushroom Music, a new division that incorporates its recording, publishing and neighbouring rights activities.

Unveiled Thursday, July 25 with a new website and social accounts, Mushroom Music is said to be the largest music collective of its kind in the region, representing the likes of Vance Joy, Kylie Minogue, The Teskey Brothers, Jimmy Barnes, Childish Gambino, Kehlani, Julia Jacklin, Archie Roach, Wolf Alice, Amy Shark, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Missy Higgins, Confidence Man and many others.

Mushroom Music has been several years in the making, explains Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski. “This transformation,” he says, “is about harnessing the collective strengths and experience of our individual recording, publishing and neighbouring rights companies.

Leading Mushroom Music as co-CEOs is Chris Maund (formerly COO Mushroom Labels & Publishing) and Linda Bosidis (formerly managing director Mushroom Music Publishing), reporting to Gudinski.

Within the new structure, Bosidis will remain primarily focused on the publishing division and Maund on recordings, neighbouring rights and new opportunities, while neighbouring rights specialist Susan Cotchin continues to lead the Good Neighbour as managing director.

With the changes, Mushroom’s record labels Liberation Records, Ivy League Records, Bloodlines, Liberator Music, Soothsayer and 100s + 1000s are part of the Mushroom Music pot, and will not longer “outwardly” exist, Maund explains. “We had expanded to eight separate record labels, which doesn’t make sense strategically or efficiently for a single independent music company.” I OH YOU and Valve Sounds will remain standalone label partners of Mushroom Music.

Mushroom Music’s restructured executive team includes Damian Slevison (managing director, A&R and commercial), Dan Baker (managing director, strategy & audience), Julia Hill (director, media & artist relations), Dean McLachlan (senior director, iconic artists and catalogue), Korda Marshall (managing director, world ex-ANZ), Erol Yurdagul (senior director, A&R and creative), Layne Buckley (manager, A&R), Johann Ponniah (founder, I OH YOU Group), Nick Dunshea (senior director, international & operations) and Madeleine O’Gorman (general manager, UK/Europe).

By consolidating the labels, it’s enabled the new division to bring A&R into a single team led by Slevison; its media, streaming, marketing, and audience functions are merged into a single, fully aligned department led by Baker; and the social media and audience team is expanding with new hires, and a streamlined global marketing team is being created across Mushroom’s Australian, U.K., and U.S. offices. “It’s going to make a big difference,” says Maund.

Adds Bosidis, “the new setup aims to streamline our operations and broaden idea-sharing within the company. As co-CEOs, Chris and I will have distinct roles: I will focus on publishing, Chris on recordings, neighboring rights, and other strategic areas.” And despite their separate responsibilities, “we will collaborate closely on vision, strategy, and company culture for Mushroom Music.”

The launch of Mushroom Music follows the group’s 50th birthday celebrations in 2023, which, along the way, included a raft of releases, both musical, visual and branded merchandise, and culminated in an all-star concert at Rod Laver Arena. Fittingly, a life-size statute of Michael Gudinski, the legendary late entrepreneur who formed Mushroom Group all those years ago, stands facing the arena.

“It’s been a long journey to really get to this point,” Matt Gudinski says of Mushroom Music. “A big part of it was really bringing everyone together, aligning everyone’s priorities and strengths, and also creating a greater pathway for people and a greater set up to attract the best people to be part of Mushroom’s infrastructure.”

This new setup is the “most significant change to how Mushroom supports Australian artists since the sale of Mushroom Records in 1998.”