With Eye On Growth, ORiGiN Group Unveils Three-Year Australian Music Strategy

Now in its third decade and this year enjoying a healthy strike rate with its signings and catalogues, Sydney-based ORiGiN Music Group is setting up for a strong future.

This includes a new CEO who joined in late 2023, a three-year plan, a reboot of one of its divisions, and a slate of new signings.

“Running an independent music company through all the chops and turns hasn’t been easy,” co-founder and Creative Director Phillip Mortlock reveals. “But we’ve also been extremely fortunate in a number of business decisions that we made.”

In late 1992, Mortlock had finished 17 years at Warner Music. Initially in A&R and marketing, he became Managing Director of WEA International, which changed its name to East West Records. He played a major role in breaking INXS, Cold Chisel, Jenny Morris, Boom Crash Opera and 1927. 

He was approached by publisher and accountant Philip Walker to set up ORiGiN Music Group a year later. It consists of ORiGiN Music Publishing, ORiGiN Recordings, and ORiGiN Theatricals,  which make up over 50 per cent of the company’s revenues.

Its signings were generally left of-centre, short term and artist-friendly. Mortlock and Walker are regarded within the industry as unbeatable when it comes to understanding and exploiting rights. 

The roster included Melbourne acts Wally De Backer/Gotye and Cookin’ On 3 Burners, both of which had global breakthrough hits that generated 1 billion streams each. 

Others included Megan Washington, Lior, James Morrison, with releases by Air Land Sea, comedian Bob Downe, Australian Art Orchestra, composer Peter Dasent and jazz names Paul Grabowsky Trio, Shelley Scown (with the PG Trio), Scott Tinkler and Kerrie Biddell.

Megan Washington, whom Mortlock first signed to Alberts when she was 21, tells Themusic.com.au, “He has been a wonderful mentor to me, and I know to a lot of other artists, too.”

She says about the culture at ORiGiN: “People in the music business will use the term ‘family’ quite freely, but ORiGiN really does feel like an actual family… 

“Philip has an attitude that if artists are adequately supported to be able to follow whatever is inspiring them, good things come artistically. It’s like the total opposite of algorithmic thinking. 

“I think it’s because Philip himself has such a vast range of interests and passions besides music. He’s a visual artist too, and he loves nature, people, and cooking - he understands the swirl of everything that makes up a balanced, creative person.” 

Current Successes

Current successes for the self-funded independent company include Washington’s songs on Warner’s new Australian movie How To Make Gravy (she also co-wrote the film). 

She’s already working on her next projects. “We have a musical feature film that we are working on next… I’ve gotten a taste for writing musicals after finishing The Deb. 

“I also have a studio album that I’ve been putting together with Ben Edgar, my friend, who is an amazing musician, producer, composer, and Origin artist!” 

Beachware firm Speedos is extending the use of Perth punk band The Beefs’ cheeky Full Speed on a global campaign which upped sales by 200 per cent in the northern summer.

This Girl, the 2009 song by Cookin’ On 3 Burners (which Origin has two-thirds of), which became a massive global hit following French DJ Kungs’ remix in 2016, continues to make coin for its writers with uses on Netflix shows and by Air New Zealand for its safety video. 

Earlier sync uses of the song were by British online department store Littlewoods, Cricket Wireless, the U.S. version of the British game show Big Star's Little Star, and numerous sporting clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Philadelphia Flyers, and Ireland at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Yve Blake’s subversive stage musical Fangirls, which toured Australia numerous times, was staged in the UK in 2024. 

Electronic composer Yunyu, nominated for the Art Music awards and playing festivals around the world, was commissioned to do a dance piece for the Sydney NYE fireworks.

Strategy To Move

But behind the scenes, Origin has been working on a strategy to move further forward.

A few years ago, the two Phillips reviewed the business. The publishing and theatrical divisions were on a bull run, successful enough for people to offer to buy them out.

They thought the 12-person team was strong. It included, at that time, in the publishing division, Megan Turner as Copyright & Royalties Manager and Dannielle Callaghan as Copyright Assistant. Kim Ransley was Managing Director of ORiGiN Theatrical, which also featured Nick Young as Sales & Marketing Manager, Amber Quinn and Ashlei Carroll.

Mortlock recalls, “We decided, Let’s reinvest in the business, and see what we can do in this climate of, one might say scepticism, in this business.”

It meant bringing in two younger executives to the fore. Arriving as Chief Operating Officer in late 2023 was Craig Redfearn, most recently BMG, heading label services for seven years. Before that, he was at Universal Music and Shock Records and was in the UK for three years in artist management.

Mortlock: “He was perfect. His background is mostly record labels and artist services. He’s been learning about publishing in the last year, and he’s got a whole different network of people locally and internationally that has really expanded our reach.

“At the same time, we moved Nick Young, who’d been in our theatrical division for 14 years. We put him full-time on the label and publishing side (as Licensing and Marketing Manager). Nick previously also worked at Warner and MDS (Mushroom Distribution Services).

“It was about strengthening our team to make sure we have more people handling the requirements and expectations our roster has.”

A new distribution deal was struck with Warner’s independent distribution arm, ADA. A production music library, POST, was launched and helmed by Jennifer Kenyon, previously Music Supervisor at BMG Production Music (Australia).

Redfearn’s immediate strategy covers the publishing, label and music library.

He explains, “With publishing, we’re going through the existing roster and identifying gaps and diversifying it with artists of new genres. It’s about adding new interesting things that we found, which we loved or added value.”

New Signings

Aside from The Beefs and Yunyu, new signings for the publishing division are alt-pop Sparkadia brainchild Alex Burnett turned songwriter and producer (his productions have reached a total of 1.4 billion streams), pioneering female electronic artist Ninajirachi, jazz and pop singer Katie Noonan, and writer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and skateboarder Dingo Spender.

Alt-country’s Andy Golledge starred in the Stan show Thou Shall Not Steal. One time Winterbourne member James Draper launches a solo career with a folk-orientated album in 2025. Blues performer Danielle Caruana/Mama Kin will also drop a new record next year.

Eric McCusker, who penned Come Said The Boy, No Time and State Of The Heart during his Mondo Rock days, is working on a musical Ava (At The End Of The World) while dropping collabs with Angus Gill and Gerry's Well Oiled Machine.

Electropop writer and producer Phebe Starr’s debut single, Alone With You, was placed in a Samsung ad, the 2015 film A Million Happy Nows, and TV’s Dance Academy and Offspring. 

Apart from his own music, young Sydney-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, and writer Thomas Porter found success with The Kid LAROI, Peach PRC, grantperez, Pacific Avenue, Surely Shirely, Hannah Brewer, HANNI and Illy. These have, in total, generated 1 billion streams and are used by brands such as McDonalds, Cadbury and FIFA.

Carlos Lara & Jimmy Young, aka Gold Coast-based party band Bootleg Rascal, are musicians, writers, and comedians and are launching their own Block Party festival next year.

Record Label

ORiGiN Recordings is given a rebirth as a stand-alone after going dormant in recent years. This was due to the company's focus on its publishing and theatrical assets while Mortlock served as a consultant at Alberts.

Redfearn’s vision for the label is “to find artists for whom we see a long-term future. Artists that we want to develop and grow with. We’re not following trends, we’re finding artists we truly believe in, for whom we want to show some patience and show some old school artist development.”

Releases so far have been a Tim Finn EP, remixes from Deep Sea Arcade with a new album in 2025 produced by Jay Watson, and the debut album from Mullumbimby-based party boys Versace Boys called Get Rich Or Cry Trying.

There’s a single from new Melbourne psych-rockers Milou Moon, which is currently streaming 2,000 times a day on Spotify and sets up an EP for early 2025. The label serves as the ANZ home for the latest Moby album, Always Centered At Night.

Mortlock: “There’s definitely more in the pipeline for the new year.”

Redfearn: “There’s no shortage of talent in Australia and New Zealand; it’s incredible. We just feel there is a lack of opportunity and a lack of investment for these creators.”

The company’s cornerstones – talent, tenacity and timing – are still as relevant, emphasises Mortlock.

“Talent is what you have, or you recognise. Tenacity is sticking at it and not giving up. Timing is the unpredictable factor, but the three click together very nicely. 

“The irony is we have more data than ever before to give you insights to help with the timing, more than sales through retail outlets, charts and radio station playlists.

“But it is still unpredictable. The data is helpful, but it’s still important to use your instincts. That is, after all, one of our roles. To encourage the people we work with to keep going and keep trying.

“It’s daunting. You put out records, you go out and tour, and you go through a lot of effort to be seen and heard. But there are no guarantees it will be successful. You have to be tenacious and keep working until the timing kicks in.”

Theatrical

ORiGiN Theatrical was set up in 2004 to represent the ANZ rights to the legendary Rodgers & Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group catalogues.

Its Managing Director, Kim Ransley, had run the Warner/Chappell theatrical division for 13 years. When it was closed down, Mortlock and Walker swooped, hiring her on the same day.

Catalogues and individual musicals widened. Some like South Pacific, Phantom Of The Opera, Grease, The War Of The Worlds, Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Priscilla Queen of The Desert, Dusty – The Original Pop Diva and Agatha Christie’s plays, to name a few, are perennials.

ORiGiN Theatrical is a market leader in Australia and New Zealand for secondary market theatrical exploitation into amateur, community, schools, pro-am, small professional, fringe, regional, stock and repertory productions.

Mortlock reveals, “The Addams Family wasn’t big on Broadway but it's hugely popular with amateur theatre groups, they just love doing it.”