The Australian music industry has always demanded a unique blend of creative understanding and financial precision. Artists, managers, record labels, and promoters operate in a world where a missed tax deadline can derail a world tour, and a poorly structured royalty deal can cost millions over a career. It takes a very specific kind of professional services firm to truly understand that world — one that speaks the language of both the boardroom and the backstage.
That firm just got significantly more powerful.
The Gild Group and Generate, two of Australia’s most respected accounting and professional services firms specializing in the music industry, have officially merged — combining decades of experience, an exceptional roster of clients, and a shared passion for the Australian music scene into a single, formidable entity.
For those familiar with the Australian music industry’s financial landscape, both names carry serious weight.
The Gild Group was founded in 2015 with a clear ambition: to build a fully integrated, multidisciplinary professional services firm that could serve the unique and complex needs of artists and entertainment businesses at the highest level. In less than a decade, that ambition became a reality. Today, The Gild Group counts some of Australia’s biggest international artists among its clients — including Dom Dolla, Tame Impala, and Tones & I — alongside an extensive portfolio of independent artists, record labels, and entertainment businesses.
Generate, formerly known as Moneypenny, brings something equally rare to the table: 25 years of dedicated music industry tax and advisory experience. For a quarter of a century, the Generate team has been navigating the specific and often complex tax landscapes that Australian music professionals face — from international touring income and withholding tax obligations to royalty structures and entity setup for emerging artists.
“We have been super excited about the prospect of Gild and Generate merging,” said Paul Luczak, Chief Executive Officer of The Gild Group. “Both businesses share a deep passion for the music industry and helping its clients navigate the global landscape.”
For clients of both firms, the merger represents something genuinely rare in professional services: the combination of deep specialist knowledge with a comprehensive, in-house suite of services that covers virtually every financial and business need an artist or music business could have.
Historically, artists and their management teams have had to coordinate between multiple firms — one for tax, another for legal, another for insurance, another for touring logistics — creating gaps, inefficiencies, and communication breakdowns that can have real financial consequences. The merged Gild Group addresses this fragmentation directly.
Under one roof, clients now have access to:
“On top of the tax and advisory services we already offer, joining The Gild Group now means our clients have access to a range of other services in-house to assist with their business needs,” said Ben Fletcher, Managing Director of Generate. “Finding a firm that offered opportunities for the team and our clients as well as being a good cultural fit was a tall order, but we believe that we found that in The Gild Group.”
One of the most technically demanding areas of music industry finance is domestic and international touring. Artists touring globally face a complex web of withholding tax obligations, double tax agreements, visa requirements, per diem structuring, and split-fee arrangements that require specialist knowledge most generalist accounting firms simply don’t possess.
The Gild Group has developed a deep and recognised specialty in this area. Whether an Australian artist is performing at a festival in the United States, a residency in Europe, or a regional run across Asia, the team understands how to structure touring income efficiently, minimise unnecessary tax leakage, and ensure full compliance in every jurisdiction.
This expertise, now combined with Generate’s 25 years of music-specific advisory experience, positions the merged firm as the go-to resource for any Australian artist with international ambitions.
Royalty income is one of the most complex and frequently misunderstood revenue streams in the music industry. Publishing royalties, master royalties, synchronisation fees, neighbouring rights, and performance income can flow from dozens of sources across multiple countries — each with different reporting timelines, currency considerations, and tax treatments.
The Gild Group’s royalty accounting practice provides artists, songwriters, and rights holders with clear, accurate visibility over their income — ensuring nothing falls through the cracks and that every dollar is accounted for and structured as tax-efficiently as possible.
For independent artists and labels in particular, having access to this level of specialist royalty accounting within the same firm handling their broader tax and business management needs creates a level of financial clarity that is genuinely transformative.
Mergers in professional services often fail not because of a lack of complementary expertise, but because of cultural misalignment. The Gild Group and Generate have avoided this pitfall entirely.
Both firms were built on the same foundational belief: that the music industry deserves professional services that understand it from the inside. Not firms that tolerate the quirks of the creative industries, but firms that genuinely embrace them — that understand why a tour settlement needs to be turned around in 24 hours, why an artist’s income is irregular by nature, and why the relationship between a business manager and an artist is built on trust as much as technical skill.
Ben Fletcher’s words reflect this alignment clearly: finding a firm that was not only a strong strategic fit but also a genuine cultural match was, in his words, “a tall order.” The fact that both firms arrived at this merger with enthusiasm rather than reluctance speaks volumes about the foundation on which it is built.
The Gild Group is one of Australia’s fastest growing fully integrated multidisciplinary professional services firms. Since its founding in 2015, the firm has grown from a small business venture into a comprehensive professional services organisation with a client roster that includes some of Australia’s most internationally recognised musical artists.
The firm’s expertise spans wealth, business management, tax, royalty accounting, finance, legal, insurance, venture capital, incentives and grants, logistics, and marketing — making it one of the only firms in Australia capable of servicing every financial and business need of a high-performing artist or entertainment business entirely in-house.
The team is committed to creating lasting positive impact for their employees, clients, and the broader Australian music industry.
What services does The Gild Group offer to music industry clients?
The Gild Group offers a comprehensive suite of services including tax advisory, royalty accounting, business management, legal services, wealth management, finance, insurance, incentives and grants, venture capital, logistics, and marketing — all under one roof and all tailored specifically to the needs of artists and entertainment businesses.
Who are some of The Gild Group’s notable clients?
The Gild Group works with internationally recognised Australian artists including Dom Dolla, Tame Impala, and Tones & I, as well as a broad range of independent artists, record labels, management companies, promoters, and other entertainment businesses.
How long has Generate (formerly Moneypenny) been operating in the music industry?
Generate has been providing specialist tax and advisory services to the Australian music industry for 25 years, formerly operating under the name Moneypenny.
Why did The Gild Group and Generate merge?
Both firms share a deep passion for the music industry and a commitment to helping clients navigate the global landscape. The merger allows clients of both firms to access a significantly expanded range of in-house professional services, while the strong cultural alignment between the two teams ensures a seamless transition.
Does The Gild Group specialize in international touring tax?
Yes. International and domestic touring tax is one of The Gild Group’s core specialisations. The firm has extensive experience helping Australian artists manage withholding tax obligations, double tax agreements, and touring income structuring across multiple international jurisdictions.
How can I get in touch with The Gild Group?
You can contact The Gild Group directly via their media contact Annika Morgan at annika.morgan@thegildgroup.com or 0451 152 953, or visit thegildgroup.com to learn more about their services.
