This Month
This Christmas concert is a (mostly) Mariah-free zone
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s gorgeous Noël! Noël! program offers a welcome return to when Christmas music was actually about Christmas.
- Michael Bailey
It’s the end of Eras: How Taylor Swift changed pop forever
After 149 shows over almost two years, the singer’s blockbuster, career-defining show has come to an end. She could be music’s last truly monocultural figure.
- Alim Kheraj
November
Music industry brass throw weight behind talent booking platform
An online platform that fashions itself as the future marketplace and booking platform for top Aussie talent is rounding the final week of its $2 million raise.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
October
$330 Oasis tickets fair, dynamic pricing a good thing: Live Nation chair
After selling 270,000 Oasis tickets in less than 36 hours, thousands of which cost over $800, Michael Coppel says it’s clear people value live experiences.
- Michael Bailey
This CEO gave up drinking 10 years ago, and never looked back
Why Australian Chamber Orchestra boss Richard Evans swapped alcohol for walking and a cup of tea.
- Sally Patten and Lap Phan
September
People don’t want ‘challenging’ music, says Peaceful Piano king
Chad Lawson writes music to improve your mental health – which has meant this stalwart of Spotify’s Peaceful Piano playlist repressing some of his own creative impulses.
- Michael Bailey
How this former accountant became a top music exec
Sean Warner, the CEO of Universal Music in Australia, thought he wanted to be an accountant, until he realised he didn’t.
- Sally Patten and Lap Phan
Nearly $700 to see Oasis! Outrage in UK over ‘dynamic’ ticket pricing
Fans had expected to pay around half that, and global giant Ticketmaster was the only one of three platforms to have engaged in the practice.
- Daniel Woolfson
August
- Opinion
- Perspective
The Oasis reunion is all about the vibe
In that sense, Oasis Live ’25 will be no different from a Taylor Swift gig - another major moment but with more bad hair and beery tears.
- Jo Ellison
Opera Australia artistic director gone amid rift with boss
Australia’s largest performing arts company is in turmoil, with Jo Davies resigning after just nine months in the role amid a split with CEO Fiona Allan.
- Michael Bailey
Victoria’s budget woes put ABBA plans on ice
However, despite the state’s debt pressures, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce says ABBA Voyage would generate hundreds of millions in revenue for Melbourne.
- Gus McCubbing and Alexander Gow
This is why a ‘Frankenstein’ violin can still be worth millions
The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Satu Vanska is in a dream collaboration with the Sydney Dance Company, but has nightmares about losing her violin.
- Matt Teffer
How Taylor Swift got very, very rich
The tale of the singing star being exploited by a ruthless, male dominated music industry isn’t the full story.
- Alice Fulwood
July
The kids of this famous choir prove busy people will make time
Forget social media. The pre-teen choristers of The Choir Of King’s College, Cambridge, are just as happy to read and sing the sheet music of Stravinsky and Tallis.
- Michael Bailey
June
Seven shows you must see in July
From Dracula to Hamilton, to a gallery tour led by a cat – yes, a cat – here is Life & Leisure’s monthly selection of unmissable shows around the country.
- Michael Bailey
A cello or a house? The answer was easy for this virtuoso
Two airfares to get anywhere. A mortgage-sized outlay on a new instrument. The cello is an expensive addiction for Nicolas Altstaedt, who is touring with the ACO.
- Michael Bailey
May
Could US Ticketmaster case spell the end of extra fees?
A Biden administration effort to rein in entertainment giant Live Nation might encourage ticketing competition in Australia.
- Michael Bailey
Audra McDonald brings Broadway brilliance to Sydney
Her voice a marvel of power, control and emotional connection, the musical theatre queen deserved the two standing ovations she got at the Opera House.
- Michael Bailey
What Shane MacGowan told this rebellious folk band
Like a more political Pogues, Dundalk’s The Mary Wallopers have won acclaim for a rousing live show they bring to Australia this month.
- Michael Bailey
April
Forget sex, drugs and rock’n’roll: kale and kombucha take over touring
Frontier Touring has a new-look team, but it’s not the only thing in the music biz that has changed.
- Samantha Hutchinson