John Watson (Silverchair, Missy Higgins, Little Birdy, Pete Murray) and former EMI CEO John O`Donnell have taken the reigns of the Cold Chisel management from Rod Willis who managed the band for 32 years.
Willis resigned from management of the band in September, marking one of the longest business relationships in Australian music history. . "When we joined up with Rod we were an unknown band," said Don Walker in a statement. "Rod has been like a brother to us for thirty two years".For both Watson and O’Donnell the chance to manage Cold Chisel is a once in a lifetime opportunity. "As a kid from the 'burbs, Cold Chisel were the authentic and dominant soundtrack of my youth," said John O'Donnell. "To be working with a band and a catalogue that is arguably the best in Australian music history and teaming up with Watson to help steer them into the future is a great honour."
"Cold Chisel loom incredibly large in the history of Australian music and in our lives," said John Watson. "Their songs and their collective legacy have only grown in stature over the years and to work with them now, at a time of so much change in the music industry, opens up an exciting new set of challenges and opportunities."
It will be interesting to see if the new management structure pursues a digital download deal for the iconic Australian band. Cold Chisel music is not available on iTunes.
The only immediate plans for Cold Chisel is the one-off performance on December 5 for the V8 Supercars. There are no other touring or recording plans scheduled.
However, never say never. In the announcement today, it ends ‘Cold Chisel ... Watch this space’.
