Cash injection hits the right note

A recently announced $2-million cash injection into the nation's music industry is designed to support the unsung heroes behind the scenes who are vital to making the scene rock.

Music Australia’s inaugural Core Contribution Fund will support 17 peak organisations that provide services to the contemporary music industry.

The money will be used to strengthen each body’s core operations, help with staffing, administrative and running costs, and provide for professional skills development for artists and music industry workers.

It will also help organisations to expand their impact by facilitating sector development and marketing.

Music Australia director Millie Millgate said the two-year investment would have a significant impact on the organisations supported and the broader music sector.

“It is imperative that Music Australia invests in the entire contemporary music ecosystem, which requires a strategic balance of support for individual artists, commercial companies and not-for-profit organisations,” she said.

The federal government created Music Australia last year, backed by $69 million in new funding to support and promote the Australian music industry in recognition of its status as a vibrant part of the nation’s arts and cultural landscape.

Beneficiaries of the Core Contribution Fund grants include festivals, grass roots live music businesses, producers and engineers, music products, publishers and crew.

They cover a wide range of music genres from electronic music to country, folk, jazz, musical theatre, children's music and screen composers.

Millgate said the funding would increase music sector organisations’ capacity to advocate and provide targeted services and activities for their members.

“To date, Music Australia funding has been awarded to more than 400 artist projects (including bands, solo artists, producers and songwriters) and it's great to be able to kick off 2025 with core funding being allocated for the first time, to a range of nationally representative organisations that collectively provide enormous support to Australian artists and industry professionals alike."

The funding injection comes as the music industry continues to face pressure on several fronts.

Many live music venues struggled to recover after being forced to shut down amid covid lockdown restrictions.

Pubs and other premises renowned for hosting live music acts have also been forced to fight a rear-guard action against neighbourhood gentrification and noise complaints lodged by neighbours.

Then there's the burden of soaring insurance costs, which have prompted some live venues to ban patrons from dancing to reduce the risk of injury and keep premiums down.

Music festivals have faced significant challenges too, with as many as 10 axed in the past year and iconic events such as Byron Bay’s Splendour in the Grass cancelled for the second year in a row.

The Victorian government this week announced new measures designed to support the music industry in the state, including the establishment of the 14-member Victorian Music Industry Advisory Council.

Comprising artists, venue operators, promoters, publishers, managers and other industry leaders, the Council will provide expert advice on the challenges and opportunities facing the industry.

Spring Street also announced the latest funding rounds under its Music Works and Victorian Gig Fund grants programs.

Open now to applications, Music Works provides grants to artists and music workers for career-building projects ranging from writing and recording new music to professional development, touring and marketing.

The government said Music Works had invested more than $13 million in 850 projects since 2015 and helped launch the careers of local artists such as Amyl and the Sniffers and Alice Ivy.

Delivered by Music Victoria, the 10,000 Gigs: Victorian Gig Fund provides grants of up to $11,000 for eligible venues across the state to stage paid gigs by Victorian artists.

In September 2024 the Victorian government announced the Live Music Festivals Fund to distribute grants of up to $50,000 to help 22 existing music festivals in the state to stage new or existing events.

The Victorian Minister for Creative Industries, Colin Brooks, said the initiatives were designed to strengthen the state’s music industry by helping artists and venues to thrive, creating more opportunities for creative projects, live gigs and local jobs.

"As well as backing local artists, venues and events, I look forward to working with the new Victorian Music Industry Advisory Council to ensure that Victoria remains the beating heart of Australian music."

The federal government’s Revive Live program, launched last year, provided $7.7 million in grants to 110 organisations, festivals and live music venues across the nation.

The federal Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the program was designed to provide critical support during a tough time for the music sector, with grants helping recipients to adapt to market pressures and improve the sustainability of their operations.

He said the funding was strongly focused on activities that improved accessibility at venues or festivals so that more people with disability could participate as performers, arts workers or audience members.