Moments in August 1975. During this period Pierson had a regular showbiz column in the Sunday Mirror called "As It Is". The most important rock festivals in Australia during the 1970s were the four Sunbury Festivals held in a natural amphitheater outside Melbourne. The organizer, Odessa Promotions, hired Gene Pierson to co-compare the 1974 Sunbury Festival. This was the year that Pierson introduced Britain's up-and-coming group Queen to a hostile audience who were chanting for Australian artists. Queen finished their set despite being booed. Record labels Pierson established his own agency called Blue Heaven, booking top Australian bands around Sydney pubs and clubs. He then merged this with a new publishing operation run out of Kerry Packer's Nine Network in Sydney. It was here that the Living Sound and Laser Records labels handled artists including Dark Tan, Geeza, Squeeze, Bobby Thomas, Trevor Knight, Julie Bower, Frankie Davidson, Australia and Southern Cross. In the late-1970s he arranged a contract with established singer Judy Stone for concerts in Beijing resulting in strong record sales throughout mainland China. He also brokered a deal between INXS band manager Chris Murphy and Morrie Smith of RCA for international distribution. Pierson produced and recorded all-girl group Peaches single, "Substitute", which peaked at number 15 on the Kent Music Report in 1978 on the Laser Records label. Pierson purchased the rights for the Laser label and struck a distribution deal with Eldred Stebbing and Polygram Records. Pierson released the music of Th' Dudes and Hello Sailor in Australia through the Big Mouth label and launched their careers in Australia with an appearance at the opening of Sydney radio station 2WS. Pierson produced two hit singles for singer Melissa Tkautz from the TV series E Street, released on his Laser Music label through Polygram. He had the single "Read My Lips" written for her by Roy Nicholson which became an Australian Recording Industry Association's dance hit, reaching No. 1 on the ARIA singles charts, selling 800,000 copies. The follow-up single, "Sexy (Is The Word)", also written by Nicholson reached No. 3 on the Australian charts. Pierson was also behind the group Rhapsody, whose song, "Cowboy Lover", reached No. 95 on the ARIA singles charts in January 1993. In 1995 Ladysmith Black Mambazo released their album Homeless in Australia on Pierson's Laser Music label in conjunction with distributor Dino Entertainment. The South African choral group rose to prominence after