We are proud to announce that artist manager Simone Ubaldi is the 2023 recipient of The Lighthouse Award. The honour was presented at today's Association of Artist Managers Awards in Sydney and was established in memory of pioneering artist manager Linda Gebar. Ubaldi receives a $5,000 cash prize to support her business and professional pursuits.
The award goes to an artist manager who identifies as a woman or non-binary person who exhibits passion, creativity and integrity. Melbourne-based Ubaldi joins the list of highly accomplished previous honourees Kristy Gostelow, Maggie Collins, Lorrae McKenna, Charlotte Abroms, Jen Cloher, Bonnie Dalton, Bernadette Ryan, and Sabrina Robertson.
Ubaldi's many accomplishments include managing internationally-acclaimed, 3x ARIA Award winners Amyl and The Sniffers. She developed and managed The Sniffers’ partnerships with Rough Trade/Beggars, Universal Music Publishing, ATC Live and Virgin Music Australia, amongst many others. The band's 2021 LP Comfort To Me debuted at #2 on the ARIA Charts, and debuted inside the Top 25 in the UK, Germany and Spain, and Top 20 on Billboard's US physical charts.
Along with The Sniffers, Ubaldi guides the careers of up-and-coming artists Grace Cummings, Girl and Girl, Baby Cool and Nice Biscuit -- who all have international deals and touring activity on their CVs. She was named Australian Association of Artist Managers’ inaugural ‘Manager of the Year’ in 2022, which she shared with co-manager, Andrew Parisi.
Upon winning The Lighthouse Award, Ubaldi acknowledged Linda Gebar, thanking her for "living a life worthy of this legacy."
Ubaldi also cited the importance of her recent advocacy work in support of the contemporary music industry.
"I'm incredibly proud of the work I've done for my artists in the last couple of years. I'm particularly proud of the advocacy work that I've done for the music industry through Save Our Scene in Victoria and last year's lobbying mission to Canberra to advocate for contemporary music and the National Cultural Policy," she said in a video acceptance speech.
"The incredible success of these campaigns really taught me that small voices in this sector can be heard if they speak in unison.
"Thank you to all the women who have supported my career but particularly Bonnie Dalton, Kirsty Rivers, Helen Marcou and Charlene Harris," she said.
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.
Gebar 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 and non-binary people to pursue a career in music.