Published 18 February, 2020

The Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO), in partnership with the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) and Association of Artist Managers (AAM) are thrilled to announce the two Fast Track Fellowship recipients for 2020. 

·      Lorrae McKenna – Our Golden Friend (AAM Recipient)

·      Tom Larnach-Jones – Milk! Records (AIR Recipient)

Lorrae and Tom will each spend two months between February and May 2020 connecting with key industry in international markets, with Lorrae heading to Los Angeles and Tom heading to London.

The program will establish strong links to global markets, build effective ongoing relationships that can be developed into sustainable economic partnerships as well as provide unique professional development opportunities. This is an exclusive and exciting opportunity made possible thanks to a key initiative of the Victorian Government's Music Passport program, part of the Labor Government’s landmark Music Works strategy designed to strengthen the global reach, profile and capability of Victoria's music industry. 

Lorrae is the owner/director of Melbourne-based management collective and record label Our Golden Friend, whose current management roster includes RVG, Good Morning, Elizabeth, Jade Imagine, Chitra & Poppongene; while Tom is the Label Manager at much-loved Melbourne label Milk! and artist manager for Art of Fighting and June Jones.

"I’m so happy right now! I feel so honoured and excited to have been selected to undertake the Fast Track Fellowship program in LA this year. I’m so grateful to the VMDO for offering me this incredible opportunity. For me it’s  chance to build on the relationships I already have in the US, forge new ones, to grow and learn, and most importantly assist all of the incredible artists I manage, and Our Golden Friend as a whole." Lorrae McKenna

“The experience will strengthen relations with our existing partners and forge new relationships, opportunities & gain local expertise for Milk! Records. The Fellowship will facilitate the next crucial step in growing our Victorian artists internationally and personally bestow me immeasurable professional development.” Tom Larnach-Jones

See below for full participant bios. For full program details, head to the Fast Track Fellowship page. 

Participant Bios:

Lorrae McKenna
Lorrae McKenna is the owner/director of Melbourne based management collective and record label Our Golden Friend, established in December 2015. Lorrae has been an active part of the Australian music industry for over 14 years working in a variety of roles including Allan’s/Billy Hyde Music (as Marketing and Publicity Coordinator), Crucial Music (working for Rae Harvey as her Publicity & Marketing manager with artists like The Living End, Gyroscope, and Children Collide) and 774 ABC Melbourne (as the local radio PR & Marketing Coordinator). More recently, Lorrae was the Promotions and Marketing Manager at Remote Control Records, joining Remote Control in 2013 and reinvigorating the label’s Australian roster by signing and developing acts like Courtney Barnett, Methyl Ethel, Gabriella Cohen, Sui Zhen friendships & many more. As well as undertaking this A&R function, Lorrae planned and implemented PR & Marketing strategies for international artists including Adele, Radiohead, The National, Kim Gordon, Sigur Ros, FKA Twigs, Mac Demarco and Parquet Courts (among many others). In late 2016, Lorrae resigned from her full-time role with Remote Control Records to run Our Golden Friend, whose current management roster includes RVG, Good Morning, Elizabeth, Jade Imagine, Chitra & Poppongene.  

Tom Larnach-Jones
Tom Larnach-Jones has had a varied career in music; initially working at Shock Records in 1993 as an International Buyer, then in International Licensing before becoming Australian Label Manager. In 1997 Tom founded ARIA award winning independent label Trifekta Records. Releasing 60 titles over the course of 10 years, Trifekta was at times the home to Architecture in Helsinki, The Avalanches, The Go-Betweens, Art of Fighting and many more local and overseas favourites. Tom's contribution to live music has been substantial. Initially working as the Melbourne side-show coordinator for the Big Day Out, he went on to book at venues Revolver Upstairs, The Toff in Town, The Gasometer and The Croxton Bandroom. Tom has taught music business at AIM, Collarts and Melbourne Polytechnic as well as working in Writer Services at APRA AMCOS. In early 2019 Tom took over the role Label Manager from Jen Cloher at much loved Melbourne label Milk! Records overseeing nine album releases last year by artists including Dyson Stringer Cloher, Tiny Ruins, Jade Imagine, Courtney Barnett, Sleater-Kinney and more. He also manages Melbourne artists Art of Fighting and June Jones.