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Suzie Howie and Mandy Russo Publicist Suzie Howie was at the top of the theatre PR game. CX enormously respected her, and the industry is the poorer for her passing. Mandy Russo left Tony (TAG) and his daughter Alice, also well before time, and also from cancer. We wish everyone peace and calmness, for as…

25 OCT 2012 Last month a CX subscriber who operates a business called to say he had a remarkable experience relating to his tax account with the Australian Tax Office. He says he was behind to the tune of around $150,000, and knew this. Over the past year he had several family disasters, the likes…

23 October 2012 The CUA Live Performance Training Package has been approved by industry, and will now go to Government for formal endorsement by mid 2013. Ten years since the current package CUE03 replaced CUE98, the new training package has been designed for better industry acceptance, with qualifications streamlined and more rigorous. IBSA (Innovation and…

OCT 24 2012 By Julius Grafton Last year I joined the NPRG (National Project Reference Group) organised by IBSA (Innovation and Business Skills Australia) to deliver the CUA training package for entertainment and events. In October a group of industry practitioners, educators and government signed off on the package in Adelaide. Earlier I’d dished it…

17 OCTOBER: ADELAIDE A glimmer of good news after today’s depressing note from corporate undertakers Ferrier Hodgson that they will shut all the Allens Billy Hyde stores (except for the franchise stores). Plus throw 500+ staff into the dole queue, albeit quickly so they ‘can access the Government Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme (GEERS)’. In Adelaide…

MON 15 OCT 2012 Ferrier Hodgson released a statement (below) which means Guitar Centre are out and Con Gallin is back in. Mr Gallin is the Managing Director of Australian Musical Imports (AMI) and Gallin’s Musician’s Pro Shop retail stores. This story has moved fast: on Wednesday last week (10 Oct) Con Gallin told CX…

Something is not right with the Allans Billy Hyde (Australian Music Group) liquidation, according to the next largest retailer Con Gallin. Mr Gallin is the Managing Director of Australian Musical Imports (AMI) and Gallin’s Musician’s Pro Shop retail stores. He made his fondest dollar importing Gibson guitars. Mr Gallin asserts that he has twice placed…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKpB1l4ZWgM&

MONDAY OCT 1, 2013 Last week a group of Vice Chancellors debated the threat from Masssive Open Online Courses offered by edX, Coursera, Udacity and our favorite, the Khan Academy. The Vice Chancellors say their profession may be at the tipping point, and noted how the internet has upended Newspapers, Music, Book stores, travel agents…

Friday 28 September 2012. (Picture above from Allans Billy Hyde website) Woolworths has just sold the 325 store Dick Smith chain for just $20 million. The Dick Smith chain was ‘divested’ because it was a management distraction. After closing unprofitable stores, Woolworths wrote down the value of the chain to just $20 million, despite the…

Chris Puplick lashed NIDA in an essay where he accused the head as being ‘Thatcherite’. This was to compare Lynn Willians with Tory leader Margaret Thatcher who was once described as adopting male aggression to rule the UK. The NIDA debate caused media to cost the outcomes, with 40 student graduates against the $12 million…

We’re joined at the expanding CX by Andy Stewart, former editor of Audio Technology Magazine. Also new this month is Clinton Hughey-Trueman who writes on lighting matters. Sad news this month as Australian Musican mag was binned after 18 years. CX will be the last magazine standing after the media Armageddon is all over! Speaking…