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ARIA withdraws Icon Award given to Denis Handlin

ARIA board takes action following recent expose on Four Corners.

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The ARIA Awards Board is revoking its Icon Award given to former Sony Music boss Denis Handlin.

In a single sentence statement the music body announced, “The Board of ARIA has today resolved to withdraw the ARIA award made to Denis Handlin in 2014.”

The news follows the recent dismissal of the longtime music boss, who was the subject of a Four Corners report this week.

Handlin has held various industry positions including Chairman of the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia, Vice Chairman of the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and Chairman of the ARIA Industry Chart Committee and has been a member of the ARIA Board from 1984 until 5 June 2021.

He was also awarded the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music by APRA in 2009, was made a Member Order of Australia in 2005 and Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017.

On Tuesday the Queensland Music Awards also revoked an honour bestowed in 2020.

Responding to bullying and harassment allegations Handlin said that while in charge of the company he “would never tolerate treating women in an inappropriate or discriminatory manner” and when informed of incidents, he “took action to ensure that it was stopped and didn’t occur again.”