About The Backing Group
Keith Welsh
Keith began his career in the music industry as a founding member of Australian international success story ICEHOUSE.
He has a Master of Dispute Resolution degree from the Law School of UTS in Sydney and is a fully qualified, certified and practicing Mediator and Facilitator.
His background in creating, running and selling SME businesses gives him insight into issues in the workplace including inter-personal relationships and disputes, corporate structure and training, intellectual property issues and succession planning.
He served as Chair of AMPAL (Australasian Music Publishers Association Limited) and on the Board of AMCOS (Australasian Music Copyright Owners Society) plus is a former Deputy Chair on the Board of MusicNSW.
His career has led him to work extensively in the US, Canadian and UK markets as well as throughout Australia and New Zealand. He has manages the activities of ICEHOUSE and its co-founder, Iva Davies, since 2010.
Michael McMartin OAM
Michael McMartin was one of the founding partners of The Backing Group.
He sadly passed away in March 2024 but will always be remembered as a true believer in the Australian music and dispute resolution industries as well as great and trusted friend and colleague.
Michael was born on Vancouver Island in Canada and gained his BA (Political Science) at Loyola College in Montreal. He moved to Australia in 1971 and within a few years Michael and producer Charles Fisher started Trafalgar Records, an iconic independent recording and publishing entity.
Michael was a founding member of the Music Managers’ Forum in Australia, he also served as Chairman and then Executive Director of the International Music Managers’ Forum (IMMF), the umbrella organisation for managers from some 24 countries which has NGO status at WIPO, the United Nations agency dealing with worldwide copyright issues.
Over the years he has been invited to work with the music industries in China and Egypt, has spoken at many international events and forums in Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, Tunisia and Brazil plus at countless local forums in Australia. For 19 years he was a board member of Support Act, a music industry benevolent organisation.
Michael received the 2007 APRA Ted Albert Award for his lifetime contribution to Australian Music and was elected to the ARIA Hall of Fame as part of the induction of the Hoodoo Gurus in 2009. In 2015 he was awarded the Medal of the Order Of Australia (OAM) for ‘services to the performing arts, especially music.’
He became an accredited mediator in the early 2000s and through his work ethic, compassion, enthusiasm and empathy helped many people in all walks of life resolve difficult issues and move on with their lives.
He is missed.
Keith Welsh
Keith began his career in the music industry as a founding member of Australian international success story ICEHOUSE.
He has a Master of Dispute Resolution degree from the Law School of UTS in Sydney and is a fully qualified, certified and practicing Mediator and Facilitator.
His background in creating, running and selling SME businesses gives him insight into issues in the workplace including inter-personal relationships and disputes, corporate structure and training, intellectual property issues and succession planning.
He served as Chair of AMPAL (Australasian Music Publishers Association Limited) and on the Board of AMCOS (Australasian Music Copyright Owners Society) plus is a former Deputy Chair on the Board of MusicNSW.
His career has led him to work extensively in the US, Canadian and UK markets as well as throughout Australia and New Zealand. He has manages the activities of ICEHOUSE and its co-founder, Iva Davies, since 2010.
Michael McMartin OAM
Michael McMartin was one of the founding partners of The Backing Group.
He sadly passed away in March 2024 but will always be remembered as a true believer in the Australian music and dispute resolution industries as well as great and trusted friend and colleague.
Michael was born on Vancouver Island in Canada and gained his BA (Political Science) at Loyola College in Montreal. He moved to Australia in 1971 and within a few years Michael and producer Charles Fisher started Trafalgar Records, an iconic independent recording and publishing entity.
Michael was a founding member of the Music Managers’ Forum in Australia, he also served as Chairman and then Executive Director of the International Music Managers’ Forum (IMMF), the umbrella organisation for managers from some 24 countries which has NGO status at WIPO, the United Nations agency dealing with worldwide copyright issues.
Over the years he has been invited to work with the music industries in China and Egypt, has spoken at many international events and forums in Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, Tunisia and Brazil plus at countless local forums in Australia. For 19 years he was a board member of Support Act, a music industry benevolent organisation.
Michael received the 2007 APRA Ted Albert Award for his lifetime contribution to Australian Music and was elected to the ARIA Hall of Fame as part of the induction of the Hoodoo Gurus in 2009. In 2015 he was awarded the Medal of the Order Of Australia (OAM) for ‘services to the performing arts, especially music.’
He became an accredited mediator in the early 2000s and through his work ethic, compassion, enthusiasm and empathy helped many people in all walks of life resolve difficult issues and move on with their lives.
He is missed.