Flume and Key Industry players offer tips at VIVID talk

Flume, Future Classic Founder Nathan McLay, US producer Eric J Dubowsky and artist manager David Champion gave advice to up-and-coming artists and those who work behind the scenes on the ARIA presented discussion How To Get To Number One at VIVID festival last night.

Part of the festival’s Vivid Ideas ’In Conversation’ series at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the discussion lead by ARIA CEO Dan Rosen touched on strategies and tips to gain a place on the average Australian’s radar and what the Australian sound currently is.

Sydney artist Flume aka Harley Streten, who was beamed in live via Skype from a recording studio in New York, recalled on his early days as a DIY bedroom producer. He took the 200-capacity forum through how his self-titled LP won four ARIA Awards and lead to his present recording sessions with topline writers in the US, who yesterday worked with him on hooks and melodies for a sophomore release.

He also spoke about the importance of social media and how he does 99.9% of it himself. Nathan McLay signed Streten after he entered a remix competition that Future Classic ran in conjunction with the now defunct Spank Records store – which he didn’t win by the way. While McLay agreed social media is key, he said slowly building an audience as part of a marketing stratagem can be advantageous, especially if the artist prefers to stay out of the limelight.

“A lot of artists are scared of having their music in a mainstream space, commercial is a dirty word to some people,” he said.

He added that timing a record release can be integral too: “Maybe don’t release your debut album around the same time as Michael Buble’s Christmas album.”

Meanwhile, Jess Mauboy and Justice Crew’s manager David Champion advised the attending industry hopefuls to apply a heavy focus on the marketing campaign of an album cycle, pointing out “great records require 1% inspiration 99% perspiration.”

“What you have to decide is how far you want to take that record,” said Champion. “How big can it be?”

Champion added that synchronisation deals are a huge tipping point and one particular deal was integral in the ubiquity of Scottish/Irish band Snow Patrol. The alt-rockers were selling thousands of their fourth LP Eyes Open in the UK but had only sold 300 in Australia prior to the band’s sync deal with TV drama Grey’s Anatomy. Eyes Open is now certified 4x Platinum here after sales in excess of 280,000.

ARIA’s Dan Rosen contributed an interesting fact during a discussion about the large, passive music-loving community we have in Australia. He said in 2012, one in every 12 records that were bought was Adele’s album 21.

US born, Sydney-based producer Eric J Dubowsky has worked with Weezer, Joss Stone, Bluejuice and more recently on the ARIA #1 albums by Flume and Chet Faker. He spoke of Australia’s quintessential sound, mentioning that our acts look outward in ways he’s never seen before and giving McLay a nod for the Future Classic artists who draw from differing cultures and genres.

“US people want to be big in their suburb […] You can drink for free but it doesn’t pay your rent,” he said.

Streten said he’s been asked to speak on ‘the Australian sound’ during interviews while in the US; “I feel like ‘Australian sound’ is a really bad name I almost want to coin some other term.” Streten described the local sound as “heavy music with musical drops.”

“I think it’s refreshing,” he said. “You can listen to it on a bus as well, not just in a club.”

David Champion had the most candid response however, indicating that Australia’s copy-cat attitude toward music has changed with a growing support for the domestic scene. “For the first time we’re not trying to make bad American records.”