Michael Arthur McMartinOAM (12 March 1945 – 31 March 2024) was a Canadian-Australian music manager and businessman.
Early life and education
Michael Arthur McMartin[1] was born on Vancouver Island on 12 March 1945. McMartin graduated from Loyola College in Montreal, majoring in political science. He relocated to Australia in 1971.[2]
In 1985, McMartin founded Melody Management, whose first client was the Hoodoo Gurus. McMartin was the manager of the band until stepping down in February 2024 due to health issues.[2]
McMartin was a founding member of the Australian Music Managers Forum. He served as chairman and then executive director of the International Music Managers Forum. McMartin was a board member of the Support Act, a music industry charity, for 19 years,[2] from 1997 to 2016.[3] McMartin was a lifetime member of Australian Music Managers Forum and a patron of the Association of Australian Artist Managers. He was a member of LEADR, a mediation association.[4]
McMartin resided in Cambewarra, New South Wales as of 2015.[7] He was married to Saskia and had a son, along with two grandchildren. McMartin died at a hospital in Berry, New South Wales on 31 March 2024, at the age of 79, after a long-term cancer diagnosis.[2][8]
^ ab"The Backing Group | » About The Backing Group". www.thebackinggroup.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024. n.b. Hoodoo Gurus were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007 not 2009 and does not include their talent manager per criterion 3: "Membership into the ARIA Hall of Fame is reserved exclusively for the creators of recorded music - the writers, the recording artists, and in some cases, the producers;"
