A public campaign has begun to rescue one of Australia’s favourite venues the debt-ridden Annandale Hotel.

Full Story >

Posted Wed 14th Dec, 2011 by scarlett.

Do you have a new music business concept that you are trying to get off the ground?
Are you a pioneering small music business which needs investment to get to the next stage of profitability?
Do you have a great idea for an innovative and enterprising project involving Australian music and games, film, or social media?

If the answer to any of the above is YES, then you should apply to participate in GENERATE – a new pilot program which is looking to invest in up to 15 of the best music-related businesses or business ideas across Australia!

WHAT IS GENERATE?

GENERATE is a pilot program to support enterprises in the Australian music industry which are seeking to grow and attract investment.
GENERATE is intended to support and develop good music-related business plans and industry concepts. Participants must be able to commit to the program timeline and requirements.
GENERATE will particularly focus on proposals that facilitate new collaborations or business models involving music and other creative professions such as film, online games and publishing.
GENERATE is looking for applications from small to medium-sized music enterprises including songwriters, composers, bands, managers, publishers, promoters, producers and labels.

WHAT ISN’T GENERATE?

GENERATE is NOT a grant program for music production or touring

Full Story >

Posted Tue 13th Dec, 2011 by kirsty.

On February 23, 2010 the SLAM rally saw 20, 000 people march through Melbourne in protest against the Victorian Government’s misguided policy link between live music and violence. The SLAM protest was the largest cultural protest in Australia’s history.

The protest was initiated by Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM), a collective of non-politically aligned, independent local music loving citizens. SLAM representatives, the lobby group Fair Go 4 Live Music (FG4LM) and the then newly established Music Victoria, all co-signed the Live Music Accord on the eve of the rally and then spent a further seven months negotiating the Live Music Agreement, where it was officially announced that live music does not cause violence.  

Now ALL of Australia has the opportunity to participate in a national event that celebrates our local musicians in our small venues.

Music communities around Australia are now invited to unite in support of our thriving live culture by hosting their own National SLAM Day gigs, February 23^rd 2012 will be a national day to celebrate live music in Australia!

Support a National SLAM Day event in your town – any style, any genre.  It’s easy to get involved:

• Venues can register their gigs on the SLAM website at slamrally.org.  It’s free to sign up.
• Musicians can join with their local venues to curate a National SLAM Day gig.
• Gig-goers can celebrate live music and local musicians in their own neighbourhood.
• Community groups can host their own National SLAM Day gig.
• “Like” SLAM on Facebook and keep up with news on live music: www.facebook.com/SLAMrally

Supporters and spokespeople for SLAM have included Paul Kelly, Dan Sultan, Megan Washington, Nick Cave, The Dirty Three, Tina Arena, Clare Bowditch, Paul Dempsey, Kram, Tim Rogers, Nic Cester, Cut Copy, The Living End, Missy Higgins, Ross Wilson, Evelyn Morris (Pikelet), Brian Nankervis, The Rockwiz Orkestra, Slash, Myf Warhurst, Augie March and Mick Harvey, among many others.

For more information head here. 

Posted Wed 30th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

triple j’s host Rosie Beaton has announced that 2011 will be her last year on the js as she plans to pursue other opportunities.

Full Story >

Posted Wed 30th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

The Australian Council for the Arts have just opened applications for the 21st Century Stories ‘Tell It Like It Is” grant, funding 10 projects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, arts organisations or community organisations to tell new stories.

Full Story >

Posted Wed 30th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

FBi Radio’s annual SMAC Awards (Sydney Music Art and Culture Awards) announced their nominees this morning, once again celebrating some of the best local talent Sydney has to offer. The SMAC’s are awarded each year to the artists, musos, venues, promoters, creators and culture makers who keep Sydney’s creative heart beating.

Have your say! Vote here for the bands, curators, directors, producers, collectives or artists you believe to have enriched our city’s music, art and culture in 2011.

The SMAC nominees are:

BEST COLLECTIVE

Dirty Shirlows
Ampersand Magazine
Applespiel Colllective
Big Village
Makeshift
Dorkbot

BEST MUSIC EVENT

Wormwood
Goodgod Long Birthday Nights
Void
Radiant Live
Hoops
Rabbit Hole
Mad Racket

BEST LIVE MUSIC ACT

Kirin J Callinan
Step Panther
The Snowdroppers
The Laurels
Jinja Safari
The Jezabels
Thundamentals

Full Story >

Posted Wed 30th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

Drum Media Column – November –2011

Let’s Discuss Radio Content Quotas

By Kirsty Brown

Recently in the press, there has been a lot of discussion around radio content quotas and Commercial Radio Australia attempting to abolish the guidelines that dictate the level of Australian music that needs to be programmed.

For many reasons, this is something that Australians need to challenge, as the ramifications of deregulating radio will be long lasting and wide reaching.

Here, we take a look at some of the key issues.

Free Trade Agreement

The Free Trade agreement means that Australian content quotas can never be increased beyond 25% of marketshare. The reality is, that if content quotas go down, they will never be able to go back up.

Do we really want to support an industry that is prepared to marginalize its own artists and musicians to give preference to music from outside our own country?

Full Story >

Posted Thu 24th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

If you are a professional musician creating original and contemporary Australian music and looking to tour,  The Contemporary Music Touring Program might be the program for you.

Full Story >

Posted Thu 24th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

Big Day Out have just announced their sideshows for 2012 and it’s looking pretty impressive besides the absence of Kanye West and Soundgarden.

Full Story >

Posted Tue 22nd Nov, 2011 by scarlett.

The J Awards have been running for seven consecutive years now, and have gained a reputation for discovering and exposing the best Australian talent this country has to offer. Each year the J Awards acknowledge the outstanding creative output by some of our homegrown artists. Past J Award winners include Tame Impala, Wolfmother, The Presets, Hilltop Hoods and Sarah Blasko. 

In early November, the entire judging committee will convene to decide all 3 of the final J Award winners. This meeting will be chaired by the triple j Music Director. In this meeting, all three of the award winners will be decided. J Award winners will be announced in the final week of this month.

The 2011 J Award Nominees are:

Album of the Year

The Middle East
Ball Park Music
Big Scary
The Jezabels
Papa vs Pretty
Kimbra
Gotye
Drapht
Architecture in Helsinki
Art vs Science

Unearthed

San Cisco
Lanie Lane
Husky
Emma Louise
Ball Park Music
 

For more information, head here.

Posted Wed 16th Nov, 2011 by scarlett.