He founded Mushroom Records in 1972 before expanding his business into the sprawling Mushroom Group. Michael Gudinski, the Australian music pioneer whose Mushroom Group would become the template for independent music companies and who, with his rambunctious, exuberant personality, became the face of his country’s music scene, has died. He was 68. Gudinski died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Melbourne on Monday night, his passing a shock to everyone connected with Australia’s music industry. Speaking with Billboard just last week, Gudinski was his typical, enthusiastic self, looking ahead to new TV projects, the vaccine rollout and the return of full-scale touring in these parts. No other figure has done more to shape the Australian music industry than Gudinski. In a keynote interview at the 2010 Bigsound conference in Brisbane with this reporter, Gudinski recounted how, at the age of just seven, Michael flexed his growing entrepreneurial muscles on Caulfield Cup day … [Read more...] about Michael Gudinski, Legendary Australian Independent Music Entrepreneur, Dies at 68