The Victorian Music Development Office is taking shape with the appointment of respected music industry manager Bonnie Dalton to the General Manager role.
Ms Dalton will oversee the office, established as part of the Victorian Government’s $22.2 million Music Works strategy. She will be responsible for working with artists to foster sustainable music industry careers, partnering with music organisations and businesses to take advantage of new growth opportunities and building Victoria’s global music brand.
“The Victorian Music Development Office will be an incredible resource for Victorian music and I’m thrilled to be heading it up,” said Ms Dalton. “I look forward to working with our industry to make the most of the wonderful opportunities this new office presents for artists and the music businesses that support them.”
Ms Dalton has been a dynamic force in the Australian music industry over the last 15 years, working in artist management, production, programming and export, which puts her in a prime position to drive new business opportunities for the Victorian music industry.
A recipient of the prestigious Lighthouse Award, she has worked as an artist manager with the likes of Little Red, The Vasco Era, Husky and more recently Ali Barter. As a producer, Ms Dalton helped develop St Jerome’s Laneway Festival and she worked in senior management at Falls Festival.
She has programmed line-ups at a range of festivals and events including the Lost Lands Festival, Queenscliff’s Low Light festival and House of Vans. She has a significant international profile having presented at conferences in Canada, Brazil, Chile and Argentina and she has brokered opportunities for artists to tour across the globe and be signed to international labels.
Earlier this year, Dalton was part of the team that hosted the Victorian Government’s music delegation from Latin America – which forged strong connections between artists and music leaders from Melbourne and across Latin America – and she played a key role in the Music Cities Convention.
The Victorian Music Development Office is managed by Music Victoria and guided by a steering committee of music industry experts. It will be based at Music Victoria’s South Melbourne headquarters before moving to the Music Market at Collingwood Arts Precinct in 2019.
“The Victorian Music Development Office is one of the cornerstone projects of our Music Works strategy – and it’s set to take our music industry to the next level,” said Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley. “With her industry knowledge, breadth of experience and strong local and global connections, Bonnie is well placed to lead the charge.”
The Victorian Music Development Office will open on 1 July 2018. For more information, visit: www.musicvictoria.com.au for details.
Image: Bonnie Dalton