Canadian Music Week was proud to present two major International Awards during the CMW Music Summit at the Westin Harbour Castle during the 41st Annual Festival. On Thursday June 8, CMW presented Executive Vice President and Managing Executive of Wasserman Music, Marty Diamond, with International Agent of the Year. On Friday June 9, CMW presented Michael Chugg, Founder/ CEO of Chugg Entertainment, with the International Promoter of the Year.
Both award winners took part in keynote interviews with LiveNation’s Joey Scoleri to look back at their celebrated careers, reflect on major successes, and look forward to the future of their industries. Marty Diamond founded his celebrated boutique agency Little Big Man Booking in 1994, following stints at booking agency International Talent Group, record labels Arista and PolyGram, Bill Graham Management, and as talent buyer at Manhattan music venue The Ritz (now known as Webster Hall). Little Big Man won the Pollstar Award for Boutique Booking Agency of the Year 10 times in 11 years before being acquired by Paradigm in 2006. Diamond became Paradigm’s Head of Global Music, and is a 15-time nominee and three-time winner of Pollstar’s Agent of the Year award. Diamond takes pride in being an architect of artist development. He represents many of music’s most creatively and commercially successful artists, including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Janelle Monáe, Sigur Rós, Sara Bareilles, Liam Gallagher, Sia, Lorde, Alessia Cara, Bastille, Snow Patrol, Jess Glynne,and Vance Joy, among others. Diamond is a Samburu Trust board member, serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the University of Delaware’s College of Arts & Sciences, and is actively involved with Global Citizen and the Surfrider Foundation in an advisory capacity. Diamond and his family were honored at the T.J. Martell Foundation’s 2013 Family Day. In September 2019 he received the City Parks Foundation’s SummerStage Icon Award in New York.
Michael Chugg, or Chuggi as he is affectionately known, is a pioneer of the Australian music industry and has garnered a reputation both locally and internationally as one of the country’s most prominent music promoters. His name is synonymous with some of biggest tours to have come through Australia and New Zealand over the past 50 years.
In 1979 together with Michael Gudinski, Chugg co-founded the Frontier Touring Company, which went on to become the biggest promoter in Australia at the time, touring the likes of Frank Sinatra, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and more.
In 2000, Chugg went out on his own to launch Chugg Entertainment. Over the past twenty years, the company has toured over 800 Australian and international artists, making Chugg one of the most prominent and respected promoters not only in Australia, but also around the world.
The numerous industry accolades that Michael Chugg has picked up over the years are testament to his incredible impact on the Australian music industry; he has been named as Pollstar’s International Promoter of the Year four times, has twice picked up the Best Promoter gong at the International Live Music Conference, received the prestigious ARIA Icon Award in 2019, and has a multitude of Billboard Awards, Helpmann Awards, Country Music Awards, Musexpo Awards and many more under his belt. In June 1998, Michael was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia on the Queen’s birthday, in recognition of his contribution to the Australian music industry and his philanthropic involvement with various charities.
Chugg’s philanthropic undertakings are extensive; he has been heavily involved in developing and co-promoting some of the country’s biggest charity events to date, launching Wave Aid (2005), Live Earth (2007) and Sound Relief (2009), which raised millions of dollars toward respective charities. He was a Board Member of the Prince of Wales Children’s Hospital Foundation and Support Act Ltd. Additionally, Chugg is a trustee of the Golden Stave.
ABOUT CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK:
Now in its 41st year, Canadian Music Week is Canada's leading annual entertainment event dedicated to the expression and growth of the country's music, media and entertainment industries. Combining multifaceted information-intensive conferences; a trade exposition; awards shows and the nation's largest new music festival. All conference functions occur at The Westin Harbour Castle at 1 Harbour Square in Toronto.
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