One of Australia’s most highly respected and successful concert promoters and entrepreneurs, Michael Gudiniski has died.

Chairman of independent music and entertainment company The Mushroom Group and co-founder of Frontier Touring, Gudinski died on 2 March in his sleep at his home in Melbourne, Australia.

Gudinski founded his Mushroom Group in 1972, aged just 20, when he promoted his first international tour – John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Seven years later he launched Frontier Touring as part of the group. Among the very many acts it has worked with are Frank Sinatra, the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, The Chemical Brothers, Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes and Ed Sheeran.

Sheeran’s association with Gudinski started in November 2011, when the then 19-year-old singer-songwriter performed his first shows in Australia; two showcases in Sydney and Melbourne in front of invitation only audiences of approximately 40 media and industry personnel sat around tables. Frontier has promoted every Sheeran tour of Australia since, six in total.

In March 2019 Gudinski and Chugg Entertainment boss Michael Chugg reunited to form a joint venture some 40 years after they co-founded Frontier Touring, they split in 1999. A month later AEG purchased a 50 per cent stake in Frontier Touring.

Frontier Touring’s joint venture with Chugg Entertainment means the two operations now co-promote all Chugg Entertainment tours, while Frontier has also joined Chugg Entertainment and Potts Entertainment as a partner in country music festival CMC Rocks (24,000).

Most recently, with the music industry severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Gudinski conceptualised and developed Music From The Home Front and The Sound and The State Of Music, platforms designed to showcase and support contemporary Australian music in an incredibly difficult time.

Michael Gudinski is survived by his wife Sue, and children Kate and Matt.