We're proud to announce that artist manager and event programmer Maggie Collins is the 2020 recipient of The Lighthouse Award, an honour established in memory of pioneering artist manager Linda Gebar. This year the cash prize doubled to $10,000 and marked the first time it was open to applicants nationally beyond Linda's home state of Victoria.
Awarded to a woman in artist management who exhibits passion, creativity and integrity, Brisbane-based Maggie joins the list of highly accomplished previous honourees Charlotte Abroms, Jen Cloher, Bonnie Dalton, Bernadette Ryan, Sabrina Robertson and 2019's recipient Lorrae McKenna.
As the owner of music services company Morning Belle, Maggie is a programmer of BIGSOUND and manages multi-ARIA Award winning party-thrash band DZ Deathrays and crowd favourite, Donny Benét. She was a presenter and producer at the triple j network for ten years. Collins recently co-founded Sound of Silence, the music industry's unified response to COVID-19, a public-facing campaign aimed at educating and encouraging music fans on how they can help support the music industry.
"Heading into this year, I was apprehensive about what was to come next for my career. I had so many ideas that I couldn't sleep at night, but the fear of being bold and taking action - like for many women - was holding me back. Then COVID-19 hit. I've had so much time to think about the future of our industry and I've been yearning for the prospect that our industry doesn't go back to how it was; that it in fact becomes so much better.
"My dream is to lead that change. To receive The Lighthouse Award at such a time, is so beyond exciting and humbling for me, as it will give me the resources to audit, expand and solidify my leadership skills, and then give it all back to my beloved music community.
"This privilege is something I don't take for granted, and I acknowledge the privileges I've benefited from to get to this point, as a white person on Indigenous land. I acknowledge and thank the family of Linda Gebar, and hope I can do her name justice through this Award," said Maggie upon receiving the honour.
"Maggie is a passionate and well-respected member of the Australian and International music community who couldn’t be more deserving of this year’s Lighthouse Award. She is a natural leader who is always willing to share her knowledge and expertise with others, whilst also pushing herself to continue to learn and grow professionally. Congratulations Maggie!" said Collective Artists' Rebecca Young, a Lighthouse Award judge.
Linda Gebar died tragically in October 2008 soon after the birth of her second child. She was one of the few female managers in the 90s, and worked with The Killjoys, Frente and The Blackeyed Susans. She also booked the Punters Club, worked at PBS FM, had a record label and worked at APRA AMCOS.
Linda was a truly passionate believer in local music and the community that surrounded it, and was a mentor and colleague to many. This memorial award exists to continue Linda’s work, and support a forward-thinking manager who is dedicated to Australian music.
The Lighthouse Award represents APRA AMCOS’ commitment to addressing the gender imbalance within the music industry and encouraging women to pursue a career in music.