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Key Australian music industry bodies including APRA AMCOS, ARIA, Live Performance Australia and Support Act have today released a three-point plan for the next Federal Government to revitalise live music.

Released in advance of next weekend’s Federal election. the three-point plan calls on political leaders to invest in the creation of new Australian music, skills development and global exports, events insurance to provide certainty for local audiences and programs to build industry sustainability through strong intellectual property and national mentorship programs.

With an industry that is worth $16 billion a year to the digital, entertainment, hospitality and tourism economies, the plan argues “just before COVID-19, Australian music was on a trajectory of extraordinary growth as one of the country’s great success stories … (now) the 2022 Federal Election provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Australian music to pick up from where it left off.

“It is an opportunity to learn from the pandemic and build a better, more sustainable, innovative, and successful cultural asset at the forefront of community building and the next digital revolution, supporting the artists of today while fostering new waves of talent and driving the changes to global music consumption.”

Launching the plan, the music industry bodies continue “we urge the Federal Government and Federal Opposition to partner with the Australian music industry on the next chapter of our national story … a partnership approach with the Australian music industry will foster the future of jobs and build the skills in one of the fastest growing global industries at the forefront of community, innovation and economic growth.

“Australia has the potential to go from a music nation to a music powerhouse. A powerhouse that can fully realise the cultural, economic, and social benefits of an even healthier music industry accessible to all Australians.”

Individual representatives also lend their voice to the cause to urge a whole-of-government approach to bring Australia’s music industry to the next level.

Details of the three-point plan:

1. Support rebuild - skills, music creation and export

• Provide traineeships and skills retraining programs to address critical skills shortages in metro and regional areas
• Wage support and additional funding to Support Act for ongoing crisis relief and to help the industry create sustainable cultural and behavioural change around mental health and wellbeing for artists and industry workers
• Expand the Australian Music Industry program to foster the growth of First Nations led music, Sounds Australia and music export, women in music mentors, touring and new programs for young people and diversity initiatives
• Invest in new Australian music through an annual Commonwealth Fellowship Program through living wage support of artists, songwriters & composers
• Establish a national mentorship and industry development program to help develop the skills of artists, songwriters, producers, managers, sound engineers and music industry workers

2. Drive investment - local content and certainty for local audiences

• Incentivise the visibility, use and discoverability of local content across all screen and audio digital platforms as well as commercial and community broadcasters
• Provide a tax offset for live music to encourage new investment in activity across the country
• Establish a Commonwealth-backed insurance scheme to increase industry confidence to invest in the creation and presentation of music across the nation

3. Ensure sustainability - strengthen intellectual property and policy review

• Enhance tech innovation by strengthening intellectual property protection for music in the digital economy to ensure artists get a return on their creations
• Partner with industry to support the recommendations of the Music Industry Review into sexual harm, sexual harassment and systemic discrimination
• Undertake a ‘Green Paper’ Review of the policy settings supporting the creation, investment and pathways to market for Australian music

Commenting on the plan, APRA AMCOS Chief Executive, Dean Ormston commented “the challenge for government is to develop a smart whole-of-government approach across cultural diplomacy, trade, tourism, small business, education, health and arts to take full advantage of the music industry’s impact.

“The opportunity for government is to see dividends in employment opportunities throughout the industries that rely heavily on music, whether it be hospitality or the visitor economy, and delivering on the huge appetite for Australian music around the world.”

Annabelle Herd, Chief Executive of ARIA and PPCA added “whichever party forms government, it is critical that these priorities are addressed, and the real value of music is acknowledged and supported in the same way that the government supports film, TV, and sport.”

Image: Sydney Recital Hall.

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