Peter Rix is a pioneering Australian artist manager and acclaimed event producer.
He commenced Peter Rix Management (‘PRM’) in 1972 and over the ensuing 15 years managed the careers of Marcia Hines, Jon English, Richard Clapton, Mark Holden, the rock band ‘Hush’, Billy Field, Sharon O’Neill, Anne Kirkpatrick and many others.
A total of 48 platinum and 53 gold albums and 35 gold singles were awarded to artists managed by PRM in those days.
By the early 1980s, Peter had become the producer of a number of iconic Australia music events, commencing with the Variety Club’s annual ‘Carols by Candlelight’ concert at Parramatta stadium, Hoadley’s ‘Battle of the Sounds’, the ‘Rock Eisteddfod’ series, the 1979 ‘Concert of the Decade’ on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to an audience of 250,000 people, then onto the legendary ‘Narara Music Festivals’ at Old Sydney Town in 1983 and 1984 along with Rugby League grand final entertainment and State of Origin matches and the early day of Friday Night Football.
There were bicentennial activities in 1988 and the Sydney Olympic Games live sites in 2000, all of this in parallel with a growing client base of Australian corporations and their live corporate activations. They included Toyota Australia, the St George Bank, PwC, Lexus Australia and Coca-Cola.
However, it is Peter Rix’s initiation, creation and chairing of the ARIA Music Awards, in collaboration with his music industry colleagues, from its inception in 1986 and for the following 14 years, that is his most lasting legacy.
The George P. Johnson company of Detroit, Michigan, purchased Peter Rix Management in 2004. With Peter at the helm, first as Managing Director then as Chairman, the business created a proud tradition of delivering unique marketing experiences for some of the globe’s most enduring brands including a 30 year history with Toyota Australia, IBM, Amazon Web Services, SalesForce, Oracle, Optus and Woodside.
Additionally, the company embraced such diverse offerings as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the APRA Music Awards, Sydney Opera House NYE celebrations and the Housing Industry Awards.
After a 14 year career with George P. Johnson, Peter Rix re-established Rix Management on 1 January 2018 and continues the tradition of providing interesting, creative live experiences delivered with his unique personal touch and commercial acumen. His helming of the APRA Music Awards continues.
In 2011, Peter was recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Australian Event Awards, and in 2019 was awarded an AM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to music, events and philanthropy. He continues, after 52 years, to manage Marcia Hines, and is the creator/producer of the globally successful and critically acclaimed burlesque, circus/disco show Velvet. This production is currently on stage in Europe and continues to attract sell-out audiences on its Australian tours.
Every new day is an adventure and every new opportunity an iron in the fire!