Latest news with #PeteMurray
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Sticky, sweaty and heaving: rapper Illy kicks off tour in regional Australia
Homegrown rapper Illy is set to blow the roof off pubs, clubs and bars in regional Australia as he embarks on a massive tour for his chart-topping 2024 album, Good Life. The Papercuts rapper is known for his heaving, high-energy live shows, and even nabbed an ARIA award for the best Australian live act in 2017. "I want people to leave with hoarse voices and sweaty clothes," the rapper told this masthead. "I think people who come to the shows can attest that we don't mess around," he said. Starting at Canberra's UC Hub in August, the multi-platinum artist will tour through country towns and regional centres before closing the three-month run in Mildura in November. READ MORE: 'I was meant to do this': Aussie rocker Pete Murray in stripped-back country tour Illy, born Alasdair Murray, said he got his start in the music industry touring throughout regional Australia. "If it's got a low roof, a small little sweatbox, I'll never not feel at home in a room like that," he said. "With some of these small shows that we're playing, we'll almost be in the crowd, which is mad because that's how I started, and I know exactly what to do in that environment." The Aussie rapper and his band plan to perform new hits including Hopeless, Free Hand, Kids and Good Life, as well as songs spanning his 16-year career. Tickets for all 27 shows are available through Songkick. Homegrown rapper Illy is set to blow the roof off pubs, clubs and bars in regional Australia as he embarks on a massive tour for his chart-topping 2024 album, Good Life. The Papercuts rapper is known for his heaving, high-energy live shows, and even nabbed an ARIA award for the best Australian live act in 2017. "I want people to leave with hoarse voices and sweaty clothes," the rapper told this masthead. "I think people who come to the shows can attest that we don't mess around," he said. Starting at Canberra's UC Hub in August, the multi-platinum artist will tour through country towns and regional centres before closing the three-month run in Mildura in November. READ MORE: 'I was meant to do this': Aussie rocker Pete Murray in stripped-back country tour Illy, born Alasdair Murray, said he got his start in the music industry touring throughout regional Australia. "If it's got a low roof, a small little sweatbox, I'll never not feel at home in a room like that," he said. "With some of these small shows that we're playing, we'll almost be in the crowd, which is mad because that's how I started, and I know exactly what to do in that environment." The Aussie rapper and his band plan to perform new hits including Hopeless, Free Hand, Kids and Good Life, as well as songs spanning his 16-year career. Tickets for all 27 shows are available through Songkick. Homegrown rapper Illy is set to blow the roof off pubs, clubs and bars in regional Australia as he embarks on a massive tour for his chart-topping 2024 album, Good Life. The Papercuts rapper is known for his heaving, high-energy live shows, and even nabbed an ARIA award for the best Australian live act in 2017. "I want people to leave with hoarse voices and sweaty clothes," the rapper told this masthead. "I think people who come to the shows can attest that we don't mess around," he said. Starting at Canberra's UC Hub in August, the multi-platinum artist will tour through country towns and regional centres before closing the three-month run in Mildura in November. READ MORE: 'I was meant to do this': Aussie rocker Pete Murray in stripped-back country tour Illy, born Alasdair Murray, said he got his start in the music industry touring throughout regional Australia. "If it's got a low roof, a small little sweatbox, I'll never not feel at home in a room like that," he said. "With some of these small shows that we're playing, we'll almost be in the crowd, which is mad because that's how I started, and I know exactly what to do in that environment." The Aussie rapper and his band plan to perform new hits including Hopeless, Free Hand, Kids and Good Life, as well as songs spanning his 16-year career. Tickets for all 27 shows are available through Songkick.
BusinessToday
25-06-2025
- Business
- BusinessToday
Exabytes Backs Cloud Talent Boom with New Regional Centre
A major push for digital growth is underway in Southeast Asia. Exabytes, in collaboration with AWS and Forward College, has launched a Cloud Centre of Excellence in Penang. The goal is to help businesses adopt cloud technology faster—while preparing the next generation of digital professionals. Situated in Penang—often dubbed the 'Silicon Valley' of Malaysia—the CCoE is set to become a regional innovation hub. It will focus on helping companies scale with AWS technologies while developing a strong pipeline of cloud professionals in partnership with educational institutions. With 64% of Malaysian organisations reporting moderate to severe talent shortages, particularly in mid-level roles, the centre arrives at a critical time. Chan Kee Siak, Founder and CEO of Exabytes, highlighted the dual focus of the new centre: 'By working closely with AWS and Forward College, we are addressing two pressing needs: accelerating cloud adoption and enabling more young people—particularly those from underserved communities—to access high-value digital careers.' As part of this commitment, Exabytes is sponsoring tertiary education for 20 B40 students in partnership with Forward College. The sponsorship will offer three years of employment within the Exabytes Group upon graduation, creating a direct pathway from education to economic opportunity. The launch has also drawn praise from AWS. Pete Murray, Country General Manager for AWS Malaysia, described the CCoE as a 'huge step forward', applauding Exabytes' leadership and vision. He emphasised the centre's role in supporting Malaysia's ambition to become a regional hub for digital excellence, while also contributing to job creation and innovation in the digital economy. Beyond education and training, the CCoE is designed as a collaborative space where AWS experts, startups, educators, and businesses can exchange ideas and co-create solutions. Through hands-on training, community events, and cloud showcases, the centre aims to foster a culture of shared innovation and experimentation. Looking ahead, Exabytes plans to host industry events under the CCoE banner in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, and Indonesia. These gatherings will connect solution providers and experts to showcase cloud innovation and strengthen the ASEAN cloud community. The CCoE will also deliver Agentic AI solutions, designed to boost productivity in key industries throughout the region. For businesses already leveraging Exabytes' AWS services, the launch signals a promising development. Jimmy Boey, Head of Information Systems and DPO at Senheng noted: 'As we continue to scale digitally, the support and guidance from Exabytes—powered by AWS—has been instrumental. We're excited to see how the CCoE will accelerate innovation and knowledge-sharing across the region.' Similarly, Hasnol Hashim, CTO of Bizapp Ventures Sdn Bhd, praised the centre for making cloud adoption more efficient and affordable and looked forward to increased innovation and knowledge-sharing. The collaboration also marks a formal partnership with Forward College, reinforcing a joint commitment to accessible, skills-based education. Howie Chang, Co-Founder and CEO of Forward College, said: 'Through the Cloud Centre of Excellence, we are creating meaningful access to cloud education and hands-on learning experiences that will equip our students—and the broader B40 community—with real-world capabilities to succeed in the digital economy.' The AWS x Exabytes CCoE is one of several forward-thinking initiatives planned for 2025 and beyond, as Exabytes continues to champion SME digitalisation, AI adoption, and regional cloud readiness. By integrating innovation and talent development, the CCoE aims to close skill gaps, build pipelines, and future-proof the workforce, reaffirming Exabytes' commitment to creating an inclusive digital future for Southeast Asia. Related
ABC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Taylor Swift reclaims music, buying back first six albums
Taylor Swift has bought back the master recordings of her first six albums, regaining control of all her music after a dispute with her former record label. In a post on her website on Friday, Swift announced: "All of the music I've ever made now belongs to me." The pop star said she purchased her catalogue of recordings — originally released through Big Machine Records — from their most recent owner, the private equity firm Shamrock Capital. She did not disclose the amount. The singer's master recordings had been sold in 2019 by Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun, and the pop star said she was not given the opportunity to buy them at the time. She rerecorded four of the albums with the subtitle "Taylor's Version". Swift's rerecordings represent her effort to control her own songs and how they are used, a trend many musicians have been emboldened to follow. In April, Australian musician Pete Murray announced on social media that he was releasing a new version of Better Days (Pete's Version), and that he was now an independent artist, rather than signed to a label. "Taylor did it and I was thinking, 'Wow, that's how you do it,'" Murray said. Swift's purchase includes videos, concert films, art, photography and unreleased materials, which are now under her control. "I can't thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now," Swift addressed fans in the post. Fans have theorised that Reputation (Taylor's Version) would be the next album the singer will rerecord. But according to the note shared on Friday, Swift said she had not "even rerecorded a quarter of it". The singer announced that she had completely rerecorded her self-titled debut album, "and I really love how it sounds now". Swift wrote that both her self-titled debut and Reputation (Taylor's Version), "can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right". Representatives for Swift and HYBE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. AP/Reuters
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Megan Macdonald
When pop star Taylor Swift announced in 2019 that she was re-recording her previous works, musician Pete Murray was shown a way forward to reclaim his legacy. 2h ago 2 hours ago Sat 24 May 2025 at 9:00pm Curry is a dish that has become symbolic of Indian cuisine, but the word itself doesn't originate from India, and many Indian people bristle at its association with their culture. Tue 20 May Tue 20 May Tue 20 May 2025 at 5:57am Over time, women have shared stories of feeling dismissed and ignored by healthcare professionals. Now the results of a national survey hint at just how serious the problem is. Fri 26 Jul Fri 26 Jul Fri 26 Jul 2024 at 7:00pm When a popular Australian podcast recently got into hot water over an episode about toxic shock syndrome (TSS), the incident reflected the consequences of medical misinformation and TSS confusion. So what exactly is TSS, and how worried should women be? 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Thu 2 Nov Thu 2 Nov Thu 2 Nov 2023 at 10:07pm The WAGatha Christie scandal rocked the UK, and some would say the world. Now, a year since the trial ended in Coleen Rooney's favour, the woman who sparked a scandal with a single social media post tells her story in a three-part documentary series. Tue 31 Oct Tue 31 Oct Tue 31 Oct 2023 at 8:28am Australian media personality Abbie Chatfield announces she will not be co-hosting the Fridayz Live 2023 Australia and New Zealand concert tour next month, citing sexual harassment allegations against the tour's headline act, US pop star Jason Derulo. Fri 27 Oct Fri 27 Oct Fri 27 Oct 2023 at 3:35am Swedish influencer Matilda Djerf and her clothing line, Djerf Avenue, are facing backlash from content creators with smaller audiences who claim her company is unfairly issuing copyright strikes against them. Fri 20 Oct Fri 20 Oct Fri 20 Oct 2023 at 6:25am In a digitally connected world, one in three Australians still report feeling lonely. From dinner parties with strangers to pledging to have a blind "friendship date" every week for a year, these women are finding creative solutions when it comes to making new friends as an adult. Sat 14 Oct Sat 14 Oct Sat 14 Oct 2023 at 7:31pm The "silent walking" trend on TikTok has highlighted how much we rely on audio distractions to get us through the day. But is it a problem? Sun 8 Oct Sun 8 Oct Sun 8 Oct 2023 at 12:03am Just over six months since MasterChef judge and celebrity chef Jock Zonfrillo's sudden death, his wife Lauren shares that their family has celebrated their daughter Isla's birthday — the first without him. Wed 4 Oct Wed 4 Oct Wed 4 Oct 2023 at 3:44am Being busy has become the symbol of modern life. And for many, living a fast-paced lifestyle is aspirational. Sat 30 Sep Sat 30 Sep Sat 30 Sep 2023 at 7:17pm It was time to leave the boots at home and add a touch of glamour as the NRL and NRLW's biggest names attended the red carpet at this year's Dally M Awards. Wed 27 Sep Wed 27 Sep Wed 27 Sep 2023 at 10:51am A few weeks ago Sabrina Bahsoon could travel on London's public transport system without being noticed, but in just a few short weeks she's become "Tube Girl", whose self-shot dancing videos on her commute have sparked a viral social media trend. Thu 21 Sep Thu 21 Sep Thu 21 Sep 2023 at 8:05am Trisha Stratford, a relationship expert on the first seven seasons of the popular reality series Married at First Sight Australia, has died aged 72. Tue 19 Sep Tue 19 Sep Tue 19 Sep 2023 at 1:34pm
ABC News
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Following Taylor Swift's re-recording project, musicians are reclaiming their work
Pete Murray would prefer it if you didn't stream one of his biggest hits. The Australian musician has been in the industry for more than 20 years, and his hit single Better Days is one of his most recognisable songs. But recently, he announced that he'd prefer fans not to play the original song, because he has a new version available. In April, Murray announced on social media that he was releasing a new version of Better Days (Pete's Version), and that he was now an independent artist, rather than signed to a label. "You might not be aware that I don't actually own a lot of my older, classic songs," he wrote. "I believe it's important for all artists to own their own recordings, and so this is the first of a series of 'Pete's Versions' of some of my biggest songs that I'll be releasing in the coming years." Sound familiar? Musicians re-recording and releasing new versions of their work isn't new. Taylor Swift's re-recording project is one of the most well-known examples of this. And many musicians have been emboldened to follow her lead. "Taylor did it and I was thinking, 'Wow, that's how you do it,'" Murray says. In 2019, Swift's former label, Big Machine Records, announced that the company had been acquired by businessman Scooter Braun's Ithica Holdings. This deal sparked years of discourse about the rights of musicians when it comes to owning their work. Swift, one of the world's biggest pop stars, was quick to express her anger over the move as it meant her original masters were sold to Braun. "Scooter has stripped me of my life's work, that I wasn't given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it," she wrote in a lengthy statement on Tumblr. Swift left Big Machine Records in 2018 and signed to Republic Records, owned by Universal Music, in a joint deal with Taylor Swift Productions. Following the public battle with Braun, Swift began releasing re-recorded versions of her six previous albums. These new albums were identified as 'Taylor's Version', so fans could support Swift and the purpose of her re-recording project. It's a move that music journalist Nic Kelly says empowered Swift's fans to protest on her behalf. Musicians re-recording their work in a bid to claim ownership back feels modern, but Swift wasn't the first. The Everly Brothers were superstars in the 1950s, and the duo had two studio albums with Cadence Records. But when their contract expired in 1960, they left and were signed to Warner Brothers Records. The deal, worth US$1 million, was the biggest record deal in music history at the time. Under Warner, the Everly Brothers released a studio album in 1964, The Very Best of The Everly Brothers, which included not only their hits recorded under Warner, but re-recorded versions of their earlier hits originally released with Cadence. Legally, there was no restriction on them re-recording. And it meant the re-recorded versions of their hit songs were competing with their first two records owned by Cadence. The label struggled to compete and eventually closed in 1964. Thanks to this, the risk of artists re-recording their old songs was identified, and soon clauses were added to contracts to avoid this happening in the future. So how can musicians today, like Swift and Murray, re-record their previous work if they don't own the masters? Joshua Yuvaraj, a senior law lecturer at the University of Auckland, says it's complicated. For artists like Swift and Murray, who write their own music, it can come down to who owns the master recording of the original work, and who owns the copyright to the song. "There are two different copyrights … One is when the artist writes the song, there is a copyright applied to that. "But there's also a copyright in the recording when the song is made in the studio with the artist, the producers and so on," Yuvaraj says. The master is often owned by the recording label, while the composition (melody and lyrics) is copyrighted separately. Murray knows this law all too well, and he was forced to wait five years after his contract ended before he could start re-recording and re-releasing his earlier songs. The deal Murray signed nearly 20 years ago meant his record label owns his masters. It meant the masters recording was paid for by the label, and it put Murray into debt with the record company that took his entire contract to pay back. He realised that in order to earn enough money to cover those costs, he would need to keep touring. "I was at a point where I'd have to call my agent and say 'I need more money, book me more shows'. "I thought, 'If I don't change this soon, I'm going to be doing this for the rest of my life'," he says. He does receive small royalties from those masters today, but he still doesn't own them. "That was the hard thing to accept … I just thought 'It's not really a fair deal'." Journalist Nick Kelly says the publicity around artists taking a stand has prompted change. "We are seeing a massive shift towards artists retaining their independence, retaining ownership of an autonomy over the way they're perceived, and the way that they are marketed. He says that historically many recording contracts included large profit cuts for the label and not the musician. "A lot of it [the cut] can be 85 per cent … and it doesn't feel like the record label does 85 per cent of the work. "The cut these record labels take from some of these deals is enormous and doesn't feel justifiable," he says. In recent years, more well-known musicians have come forward with their record label horror stories. When Chappell Roan won her first-ever Grammy award for best new artist earlier this year, she took the opportunity to campaign for better working conditions for emerging musicians. "I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and health care, especially to developing artists," she said. Joshua Yuvaraj says while there are clearly systemic issues within the industry, he believes healthy dialogue is crucial. "Without demonising these record companies and streaming companies that do play vital roles in the creative ecosystem, we also need to acknowledge that artists need to be taken care of," he says. With more high-profile cases of re-recording occurring in recent years, some record companies have responded. It was reported in 2023 that major labels such as Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group were overhauling their contracts for new artists. These updates to contracts allegedly included longer periods before re-recording would be allowed, with some timeframes reportedly up to 30 years. Kelly isn't surprised. "It shows that they're definitely feeling the impacts of these re-recordings and loss of income." He says it reflects the deeper wounds between some artists and record labels. "It raises the bigger question for me of, 'Why do artists want to re-record in the first place?' and that onus comes down to the communication between artist teams and record labels. "The label does need to make money, so they can re-invest into developing new talent. "I think that's a good ecosystem, but it should be fair for everyone." Murray believes there's room for improvement across the music industry. "How many artists have tried to sue the record label over years of trying to get out of deals because the deals have been terrible?" he says. He wishes he could have given his younger self some advice. "I believe that you should own your master … because you control it and you own it. "No one can take it from you." He says if labels prioritise fairer deals, the long-term results will be beneficial.
