BIG SOUND: Music Business Summit and Showcase
9-11 September 2009, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, QLD
SPEAKERS BIO
John Watson
Organisation: John Watson Management & Eleven: a music company
Position: CEO
Country: AUS
John Watson is the owner and President of both John Watson Management and the successful indie label, Eleven: a
music company. Over the last six years JWM and Eleven have helped deliver either gold or multi-platinum albums for
every artist on their rosters.
As a teenager in Townsville, John worked in record stores while playing in and managing indie bands. Then, while at
university in Sydney, he worked as a freelance music journalist for magazines including “Rolling Stone” among other
music related jobs.
In 1991 he joined Sony Music as A&R Manager and later assumed responsibility for the international marketing of the
label’s Australian artists including Midnight Oil. John then helped to establish Sony’s murmur label and was jointly
responsible for signing Silverchair to that imprint before leaving to establish John Watson Management in 1995.
Silverchair have gone on to receive more ARIA Awards than any other artist in history. They have had five consecutive
#1 albums in Australia – more than any other Australian band including AC/DC and INXS - and they have sold over six
million albums globally. They remain JWM clients and Eleven released their last two landmark albums.
John Watson Management also represented Wolfmother on their debut album. They sold over 1,400,000 copies globally
and made history in 2007 when they became the first Aussie group to win a Grammy Award since Men At Work back in
1981.
JWM co-manages acclaimed singer/songwriter Pete Murray who has enjoyed three consecutive number 1 albums
yielding over a million sales in this country alone. Pete’s new album “Summer At Eureka” is the most acclaimed of his
career.
Other JWM clients, Paul Mac and The Dissociatives, have both released award winning, gold selling, albums on Eleven.
The label has also scored two gold certified albums each with, Little Birdy and Kisschasy. Both recently also became
management clients and have new albums being released this year.
John’s biggest local success over recent years is singer/songwriter Missy Higgins. Her acclaimed releases, “The Sound Of
White” and “On A Clear Night” were the highest selling Australian albums of 2005 and 2007 respectively and have made
Missy one of the country’s most popular and highly regarded live performers. Missy is currently making waves across
North America where she is now selling out 2,000+ capacity venues from coast to coast after a year of almost non-stop
touring.
Late last year Eleven: a music company announced a new joint venture arrangement with Universal Music Australia
under which that company will provide finance and distribution services. Eleven will do all A&R and marketing and
outsource all promotion and publicity services thereby allowing it the control, focus and flexibility of an independent
label but with the ‘clout’ of a major.
For further information about the BIG SOUND 2009 Music Industry Summit and Showcase Speakers please contact:
BRISBANE MEDIA CONTACTS
NATIONAL PUBLICIST
Craig Spann
0423 416 964
[email protected]
Natalie Mason - Oh Traveller Publicity
03 9481 4155
[email protected]
Jim Budd
0402 371 693
[email protected]
Presented by Q Music
BIG SOUND is proudly
Presented by Q Music
Queensland Music Network Inc.
www.qmusic.com.au
BIG SOUND is proudly
supported by the
Queensland Government
www.export.qld.gov.au