“To be a successful artist these days you have to really understand the business of what we do.”

“Accidentally.” This is Joel Edmondson’s honest answer to how he found his calling as an expert in change management, flipping arts organisations and the music industry as a whole.

Coming from a background in film and moving from education and research management projects to running gigs in a DIY venue under a sex shop, Joel has melded these experiences to “luck” his way into a successful arts career.

“Bad art makes for good water cooler fodder. People love to talk about what they didn’t like about something, which is I guess a form of entertainment.”

The driving force behind QMusic and BIGSOUND, Joel was appointed Queensland Music Festival’s (QMF) Executive Director in November 2018.

In this podcast, Joel looks back on his career trajectory, giving thoughtful insight into the uneasy alliance between creative and commercial interests within the arts sector, the hurdles facing the industry and what it takes to make a good leader.

“We’re not just competing with other live experiences, we’re competing with screens, we’re competing with the amount of hours people have to work, distractions on emails, social media, time with family…”

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GUEST: Joel Edmondson, Executive Director of Queensland Music Festival

HOST: Adam Brunes