The Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) distributes new Australian music to community radio stations nationwide & empowers broadcasters to promote new Australian music on air & online.

You can distribute your music to community radio stations around the country through Amrap's AirIt (for free) or their Monthly CD Mailout. More info here.

You can also send music directly to radio stations. Generally, it's best to send a streaming link (such as a private Soundcloud link), a download link to a 320kbps MP3 file or higher, and an artist bio. See their websites for details as each station has their own requirements.

• FBi Radio
• Koori Radio
• 2SER
• triple j unearthed

Check out the full list of radio stations at our music industry directory.

If you’re an unsigned artist, you can use a service called an aggregator to submit music to digital streaming services, such as CD Baby, TuneCore, Ditto Music and GYROStream (Australian owned). Make sure you know what rights and fees are involved when signing up to these services.

Music publishers work with artists to find opportunities to use their songs in order to generate royalties. Find out more about music publishing at APRA AMCOS.

Background music suppliers provide businesses and organizations with music and music playlists for use in commercial environments. Click here for a list of background music suppliers.

Check out our DIY PR Guide for info on how to do your own music publicity.

When finding the right publicist, it’s important to consider who has experience with your style of music, what stage you’re at in your music career and your budget. A great way to start is to check out other artists that are similar to you and asking for feedback on any publicists they’ve worked with.

Some PR companies in NSW include:

• The PR Files
• Bossy Music
• Positive Feedback
• Morse Code PR
• twnty three

See our music industry directory for more!

Check out our free resources Industry Resources: From Load In to Load Out & Sample Production Specs on our resources page for information on what you need to do before, during and after your first live show, as well as sample stage plots, input lists and backline.

Many music festivals accept applications to perform on their lineups. See our list of NSW-based music events and festivals here.

You can set up a profile for online booking systems such as Parlour or apps such as Six8.

There are many ways to secure a music act for your event. Here are some options.

1. Contact booking agents with a brief and budget and they will get back to you with a selection that suits your criteria. Just go to their website for contact details.

Some booking agents:

• Village Sounds
• Select Music
• Handsome Tours
• 123 Agency
• Collective Artists
• New World Artists

2. Contact artists directly. Most artists have their contact details listed on their Facebook page in the about section with either the band, their managers or booking agents email address.
3. Use an app or online booking service. There are several online booking systems or apps that you can book artists such as Parlour or apps such as Six8.

There are a range of organisations and initiatives dedicated to making live music and venues more safe and inclusive in Australia:

• LISTEN are a Victoria-based organisation. They have posters for events, a database of female sound technicians and engineers, and other resources available on their website.
  
  
• We Have Voice is a collective of 14 musicians, performers, scholars, and thinkers from different generations, races, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, gender identities, economic backgrounds, religious beliefs and affiliations. Together, they are determined to engage in transformative ways of thinking and being in their creative professional world, while being ingrained in an inclusive and intersectional analysis.
  They have a code of conduct available on their website to promote safe(r) workplaces in the performing arts, as well as resources on consent, assault, mental health and more.
  
  
• Psych Fest have a great example of an event poster promoting safer spaces.
  
  
• Ask For Angela is a campaign by the NSW Government designed to combat violence and sexual assault in Sydney venues.

Sign up as a member of APRA AMCOS to collect royalties for any use of your music, including performing your own original music live.

MusicNSW offers a number of funding opportunities for NSW-based artists. Check out information on our grant rounds as well as opportunities from other organizations on our funding page.

Whether you're considering a performance or recording opportunity, or you're writing a budget for a grant application, it's important to consider whether minimum entitlements are being met and what safeguards can be implemented to ensure fair and prompt payment for work performed. 

Fair Work Australia have set legally required minimum wages for anyone employed as a musicians. The Live Performance Award 2010 covers musicians performing live, whilst the Broadcasting and Recorded Entertainment Award 2010 covers musicians who are being recorded and/or filmed.

In the case of musicians hired as independent contractors, the Musician's Union of Australia recommends that they are paid at least the minimum entitlements they would receive as an employee in order to avoid possible legal action and uncertainty.

See here for more details.

See Music In Australia's Guide to Commissioning New Music In Australia here.