Bakehouse Studios Announces 2023 Bursaries:” It’s Supporting Women to Get Gig Ready’

After a cruel, world-beating lockdown, Melbourne is re-opening for live business.

A new round of Bakehouse Studios bursaries launches to ensure women and gender-diverse artists aren’t left behind.

From today (Oct. 26), Bakehouse is rolling out 25 bursaries to encourage those musicians back to the studio.

Each package covers fully-supported studio rehearsal time, consisting of two off-peak rehearsal sessions and one on-peak rehearsal session, with full backline included in the best available room at Bakehouse Studios, situated between North Richmond Train Station and Hoddle Street.

“One of the things we noticed at Bakehouse when we returned from the first lockdown is, the women were missing, they weren’t coming back to their practice,” Helen Marcou, Bakehouse co-owner and Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM) co-founder tells TMN.

“They were also missing off line-ups.”

The 2022 bursaries follow a successful round in 2021, launched to combat the ongoing underrepresentation of women and gender-diverse throughout the music industry.

The pandemic was particularly crippling for women in the music space. 

“Amongst our own clientele,” notes Marcou, “many of them had lost their jobs, had to home-school, look after elderly parents. And all the post pandemic research came out, that reinforced that was the case. Women were statistically worse off than men, and particularly because to the precarious nature of the work that they do, whether it’s in care of any type of work. They were primarily the main care givers at home, when it came to home schooling. The first thing that went was their art, their music.”

The bursary was created in 2021 “just off our own backs,” notes Marou, and 15 places were offered.

“It’s supporting women to get gig ready. “We have looked at the data and heard the feedback; they’d lost momentum with their practice. They had gigs booked before lockdowns, had their band up and ready to go in a record or content creating,” Marcou explains.

For so many musicians, momentum was lost. “They lost their connections, a lot of them were also grieving the loss of everything that defined them as artists, and where they sat in their community and went through horrible creative dark periods,” she continues, “where they weren’t in a position to pivot and create and write and jump back into the studio when things opened. There’s also that emotional stability you need to do that. The financial support is paramount, it’s number one.”

The 2022 relaunch is possible due to co-funding support from the Punter’s Club Reunion, Playking Foundation and the Myer Foundation and others. Marcou also thanks the “dad dollar,” and to several philanthropists who each chipped in several thousand dollars.

The packages are designed to be used immediately after applications have been accepted, and are valid for six months from the endowment.

According to a statement, the 2022 bursaries will consider merit, but will predominantly be hardship-based.

Melbourne set an unwanted record when, in October 2021, residents of the city and throughout Victoria were finally released from a lockdown spanning 111 days.

“We endured so much, but we stuck together,” recounts Marcou. “The consequences were that the artistic community suffered the worst, women suffered the worst. We’re trying real hard to pick up the pieces.”

Part of that work is in giving musicians “tangible support, studio time, supporting the studio gear, backline, storage, rather than esoteric things, which are important as well. The fact you can just jump into a studio and do what you need to do, it’s immediate,” she continues.

“We’ve got the resources and support for women to make that happen, now. We don’t have to wait.”

Bakehouse Studios 2022

Bakehouse is no ordinary space.

In the early years, the facility helped incubate such artists as The Avalanches, The Dirty Three, Chain, Grant McLennan, David McComb, Cosmic Psychos, and Spiderbait. Over time, the likes of the Saints, Courtney Barnett, Paul Kelly, Kate Miller-Heidke, Tina Arena, Underground Lovers, and Powderfinger have passed through.

Established and emerging musicians are encouraged to apply for the bursaries, with priority given to First Nations artists, CALD artists and artists living with disabilities. Solo artists, women-led or GD-led bands may apply.

Applications for this round close Feb. 28, 2023 at 5pm EST. Visit bakehousestudios.com.au.