CREDENTIALS!
DICKO'S TALES OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY...
Many Australians will know me as the straight talking (okay, okay!...nasty!) judge from Australian Idol, the prime time reality TV juggernaut that launched back in 2003. We discovered brilliant Australian acts including Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, Jessica Mauboy, Ricki Lee, Matt Corby, Lisa Mitchell, Rob Mills and Paulini, to name just a few!
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I have been so bloody lucky to have enjoyed a thrilling two-decade career in broadcast media, and am incredibly grateful for my adventures in TV and radio, but the fact is,
it's music that has always been the big love of my life.
Music has been an ever present and truly joyous element in my life.
I started out as a music-crazy lad in 1970s Birmingham, England, spending my time devouring the UK's weekly music papers, ‘borrowing’ my older sister’s records and memorising the Sunday Top 40 countdown in preparation for heated school playground discussions on Monday morning.
That kid was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work with some of the biggest stars of the music industry, in a career spanning 5 decades (...so far!)
me hanging with some drummer...
MY BIG BREAK IN THE MUSIC BIZ...
Once upon a time there were actual newspapers just for pop music! No…Really!
...was working as a music journalist for the Record Mirror. I wrote the first ever UK front cover feature for INXS, which required travelling around northern England with the band on their tour bus and hanging out in their dressing room! Very Almost Famous!
I spent some time in a publicity role at a cool independent record label in London before ambition took hold of me and I joined Sony Music UK, where I was eventually appointed Director of International. ​
I moved to a Director role at Universal UK before making the switch to BMG UK as their Vice President of International. It was at BMG UK where I worked closely with Simon Cowell (yes, he’s actually a very nice man!) on his internationally successful pop projects such as Westlife and Five. In 2001 I moved with my family to Australia to work as GM for BMG Australia, where I ended up on Australian Idol and the rest is history!
Most recently I have been working as a Music Manager and Music Biz Coach. I really love working on artist development and get a whole lot of joy out of coaching talented and ambitious independent musicians.
Often, they just need an experienced set of ears to hear their music, their ideas and their dreams and offer them encouragement and a no bullshit game plan for improving their approach! That's where I can help you too!
British PM Tony Blair in photo Op with very hungover boyband Westlife
(minus Brian McFadden…now there's a story!)
