Bonnie Dalton awarded the 2010 Lighthouse Award
Friday, 25 February 2011
The 2010 Lighthouse Award has been awarded to Bonnie Dalton, the Melbourne-based manager of Little Red and The Vasco Era.
Presented annually, the Lighthouse Award grants $5000 to a Victoria-based music manager who passionately supports Australian music, exhibits creativity and integrity, and is forward-thinking and willing to mentor and embrace their music community. It was established in 2009 in memory of Linda Gebar, a passionate manager, booker, mentor and supporter of the Victorian music community who died tragically in October 2008.
The award is proudly sponsored by APRA|AMCOS and supported by the Association of Artist Managers (AAM) as well as Media Arts Lawyers, d.tail and AIR.
Bonnie first entered management while working as artist and logistics manager for Falls Festival, at the same time also working as assistant manager for The Vasco Era. In 2007 she begun managing her first band Little Red, and worked with Laneway Festival and Lunatic Entertainment, where she was assistant manager for Gotye and Clare Bowditch. She formed her own management company Minnow & Co in 2009, and once again took on The Vasco Era, this time as manager.
“I'm really thrilled because Linda Gebar is such an inspiration and the fact that this award exists is such a fantastic thing for music management and particularly - obviously - for women in the industry”, she said. “To be recognised for this award is really wonderful and I'm so grateful for the opportunities that this will bring.”
Bonnie sees the award as an opportunity to travel abroad and develop her personal skills as a manager at conferences, festivals and meetings. “[It’s] a rare luxury that I had not expected to ever get but that I really feel will make me much better at my job”.
Panel judge Bernard Galbally (MD Mana Music) said: “Bonnie's work over the years and in particular with her artists Little Red and The Vasco Era, has demonstrated her passion, dedication and integrity to artists. These qualities reflect those of Linda Gebar whom the award is in honour of. Bonnie's commitment to her artists and in also building her own knowledge base and network globally makes her a worthy recipient.”
The 2010 Lighthouse Award panel were:
- Linda Bosidis (Director A & R Mushroom Publishing)
- Bernadette Ryan (Manager, Luluc, Dan Kelly, Charlie Parr and The Eagle and The Worm - 2009 Lighthouse Award recipient)
- Patrick Donovan (CEO Music Victoria)
- Joanne Roberts (Musician, Editor of EG The Age)
- Nick O'Byrne (GM, AIR)
- Bernard Galbally (Manager, Robert Forster. MD Mana Music)
- Kirsty Rivers (APRA|AMCOS National Manager - Writer Services)
The winner was carefully selected by the panel based on the following values:
- A person who exhibits integrity and passion in their work
- Who has shown that they are in the music community for the long haul
- Who is a passionate supporter of Australian Music
- Who would benefit from this support to further their career aspirations
- Who looks to the future and is willing to mentor and embrace their music community
Background:
The Lighthouse award is in memoriam of Victorian music manager Linda Gebar. The award was created to continue Linda’s work as a supporter and lover of good Australian music and designed to give the recipient an opportunity to facilitate an educational or professional aspiration to further their understanding of the music business.
It is called the Lighthouse Award because Linda loved lighthouses and they are a fitting symbol of the spirit of this grant. We are looking for someone who will lead the next generation of managers and provide a beacon of integrity and professionalism in our industry.
Linda Gebar died tragically in October 2008. Linda had been a booker, a manager and a co-worker to many within the music industry. She was a mentor to many, a colleague and a truly passionate believer in local music and all the people around it.
Linda worked at 3PBS, booked the Punter’s Club, managed The Killjoys, Frente and The Blackeyed Susans, had a record label on MDS and worked at APRA. She was one of the few female managers in the 1990’s and mentored many women and female musicians along the way.
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