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News October 27, 2015

Industrial Strength: ACT arts sector worth $974m; Songwriters conference returning; CBAA offers scholarships; QMusic announces Industry Night; Screen Australia hands back rights to Strictly Ballroom

Industrial Strength: ACT arts sector worth $974m; Songwriters conference returning; CBAA offers scholarships; QMusic announces Industry Night; Screen Australia hands back rights to Strictly Ballroom

Report: ACT arts and cultural sector worth $974m

When ACT Minister for the Arts Joy Burch announced the 2015 arts policy after a consultation process with 300 arts individuals and groups (www.arts.act.gov.au) she also unveiled the latest economic impact figures. Covering 2012–13, the direct output of the arts and cultural sector in the ACT was estimated to be $974 million of which the arts were responsible for $361 million. The arts and culture sector directly added $426 million (or 1.3%) of value to the ACT’s economy. Of this, $162 million was associated with the arts.

The two sectors employed 6,456 people (3.1% of ACT employment). As of June 2014, the ACT had nearly 1,200 active businesses in the creative industries. More than 3,000 higher education students are studying the creative arts.

Canberrans spend approximately $211 million per year, the highest per capita level for capital cities. In 2013–14 nearly 350,000 people attended events at venues such as the Canberra Theatre Centre or Canberra Museum and Gallery. In 2013, more than 412,000 attended events hosted by arts organisations supported by artsACT.

Close to 729,000 domestic and 128,000 international cultural tourists visited the ACT in the year to September 2014. Their total spend was $855 million.

Study: pubs with music make more

A recent study by pub-data specialists CGA found that pubs which put on music take on an average 44% more than those who don’t – the figure rising to 60% on weekends. Live music is the biggest draw, with one in four report increased takings by 25%-50% and seven out of ten had 10-25%. Jukeboxes are also making a comeback in some venues.

Songwriters conference returning

The 4th Australian Songwriters Conference (ASC) has opened registrations for 2016. The four-day event (June 10 to 13) includes networking, publisher pitching sessions, seminars, workshops, on-site recording and performance nights. Organiser Lisa Butler says the speakers list is being collated but confirmed are America’s Alan Roy Scott, Beccy Cole, CBD’s Gary Pinto and publishing A&R vet Diana Torossian. Details at australiansongwritersconference.com.

CBAA offers scholarships for conference, unveils first themes

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) is this year offering 15 scholarships valued near $1,000 for staffers from under-resourced stations and under-represented sectors to attend its annual conference. These replace the travel subsidy scheme. Applications close on July 12.

The conference is in Terrigal, on the NSW Central Coast, November 12 –15. Panel themes announced so far include the social impact of community media, “small stations, big ideas”, digital content strategies for radio and TV programs and the role of community radio in political engagement and advocacy.

AMP’s new judging panel

The judging panel for next year’s $30,000 AMP (Australian Music Prize) is chaired by Dave Faulkner. The Hoodoo Gurus frontman is one of three artists on the 16-person jury along with Al Grigg and Phil Jamieson. Those from the media are Mikey Cahill, Bryget Chrisfield, Sosefina Fuamoli, Kate Hennessey, Caitlin Nienaber, Sarah Smith, Myf Warhurst and Bernard Zuel. From the retail sector are Chris Berkley, Mike Glynn, Shannon Logan, Nate Nott and Christopher Powell. The AMP winner is announced in March. See www.facebook.com/australianmusicprize.

Music Victoria hosts grants seminar

Music Victoria is today (July 7) holding a seminar in Melbourne on the latest grants available from Creative Victoria, the Australia Council and City of Yarra to artists, venues, managers, small businesses that support original music.

Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Foley will introduce the event. The panel is Kirsty Rivers – Manager, Contemporary Music (Creative Victoria), Dean Linguey – Grants Officer, Music (Creative Victoria), musician Antonia Sellbach (love of diagrams/BEACHES), Siu Chan – Senior Coordinator Arts, Culture and Venues (City of Yarra) Kevin Shap – Clifton Hill / North Fitzroy Community Bank Branch and Matt Cox – Program Manager (Creative Partnerships Australia).

New Zealand doco looks at underground sub-culture

Land Of the Long White Stain is a new 30-minute doco about underground New Zealand names. Director Claire Duncan aka i.e. crazy followed three acts, Seth Frightening, Girls Pissing On Girls Pissing and Shab Orkestra, around the country on tour. She explains, "While the songs themselves are the heroes of the story, behind-the-scenes footage permits a glimpse into the processes and world-views of a group of fiercely creative individuals whose work falls outside the ever-constrictive paradigms of popular music in New Zealand.”

Sound Alliance rebrands as Junkee Media

Australian youth publisher and lifestyle media company Sound Alliance – behind music sites as inthemix and Faster Louder among others – changed its name to Junkee Media. Explaining more than half its revenue is from native advertising, it says the rebrand is to reflects its focus as a new media player innovating in mobile, video, social and native content. 70% of its audience comes via mobile.

More venues plug in

* Taps Mooloolaba, which showcases live music on weekends, will also have bands on at its second venue in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, owner and founder Steve Barber said. The self-service Valley bar had a soft opening last Friday.

* Dubbo venues Macquarie Inn, the Pastoral Hotel and the Amaroo Hotel, along with the Old Bank Music Shop, have pledged support for a new monthly initiative to showcase local talent. Lust For Live (www.lustforlive.com.au) is the idea of local musicians Tom Hosking and Dave Petty of OneProudMonkey and Fred Randell of Civil Hands. The first L4L is on August 14 at Macquarie Inn.

* The new rooftop of Taylor’s Social (on Republic Hotel, Bridge St) will from July 18 host EDM label etcetc’s new weekly Saturday night house party DANCEetc.

* The Richmond Theatrette in Melbourne has hosted the occasional music gig. Now it’s been trialled as a regular venue during the Leaps and Bounds festival between July 11 to 19. Booker Justin Naylor says that the 100-capacity room has great acoustics and a place where acts can road-test ideas before hardcore audiences. The Theatrette booked Ash Naylor, Perry Keyes, EVEN, The Grapes, Emily Ulman, The Fauves, Ross McLennan, Ben Mason, Jack Howard & Nicky Del Rey and The Jangle Band during the festival.

* Queensland could get two stadiums. With plans in motion for a 30,000-stadium in Ipswich, Townsville also announced intention for the Integrated Stadium and Entertainment Centre in a waterfront precinct on the banks of Ross Creek.

More venues update: closures, test runs, thefts

* The Courthouse Hotel in Southport, Queensland, has sacked staff and decided to remain shut until September. Meantime it will negotiate with other prospective buyers after a deal with Brisbane property and funds manager Anthony Moreton Group fell over at the last minute last month, as Industrial Strength reported.

* Sydney’s Nag’s Head in Glebe changed hands for $5 million, with the new owner being former Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon.

* Live music supporting The Royal Hotel, in Warrnambool, Victoria is up for sale.

* Lounge Melbourne is asking for the return of a mixer nicked from its DJ booth.

* Parklands Tavern on the Sunshine Coast has got on well with neighbours since it opened in January. But eyebrows have raised since owner Sunshine Coast Hotels applied to have patrons in outdoor areas until midnight instead of the current 10pm. The owners say there’ll be no live music in the extended time, and that an acoustic survey is being done to determine an appropriate volume level.

* Dance venue The Imperial Hotel in Sydney’s Erskineville – recently closed for 72 hours after authorities alleged bar staff were taking E in between serving customers – informed patrons it adopted the 1am lockout and no entry after 3.

* With Hobart’s City Hall turning 100, Lord Mayor Sue Hickey wants to upgrade facilities to revive it as a 1,240-capacity music venue. In the past it was also used for exhibitions, boxing bouts, sporting events and beauty pageants.

* Canberra’s Magpies City Club in Civic could face the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal after authorities allege liquor act breaches at an all-ages event. The venue is only allowed to have minors if accompanied by an adult. Police threw out eleven patrons who were under 18s and contacted their parents.

Question over Tasmanian festival name

The Northern Midlands Council will this month debate who should own the rights to the name, the annual retro music, cars, movies and food Longford Revival Festival. It was registered by a councillor last year but its promoter, Clint Pease’s Opcon, has asked for it to be transferred over to it.

Cairns venues express fear on proposed lockout plans

Cairns is the latest city to be up in arms over the Queensland’s Government’s plans to introduce a 1am lockout laws and no alcohol after 3am. Member for Cairns Rob Pyne announced he will not oppose the plans. Gilligans executive Ross McFarlane (also head of Cairns City Licensees Safety Association) and The Jack's GM John Lynch (and head of Safe Night Precinct Cairns) warned in an interview with the Cairns Post that the “draconian” move would decimate tourism and the music scene, and worsen youth unemployment. Industry group Our Nightlife Queensland predicts a loss of $25.5 million in revenue a year and cost 240 jobs. Cairns has 24 licensed venues which trade after midnight.

Perth’s Kosmic Sound up for international award

Perth’s Kosmic Sounds the only non-US company to be named by America’s National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) as among this year’s Top 100 Dealers. The winner is announced on Friday at the summer NAMM. The business turns over $16 million a year. It started 40 years ago by 1960s drummer John Goldsmith in his garage, first repairing and then building sound systems for bands and appointed the local dealer for international audio brands.

QMusic announces Industry Night

QMusic holds a music industry networking night on August 5 at the Triffid in Brisbane from 7pm to 10pm. QMusic President Michael Crutcher and Executive Officer Joel Edmondson will talk briefly about the future of Queensland music and the range of benefits available to QMusic members.

Screen Australia hands back rights to 1,200 projects to producers

Successful musicals Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Muriel’s Wedding and Strictly Ballroom are among 1,200 projects whose rights have been returned from Screen Australia to producers. In January 2009, the agency marked January 1, 2016 as the hand-over date for projects it funded. But it moved it to July 1, 2015, with Head of Business and Audience, Richard Harris, explaining, “It seemed like the right thing to do. Screen Australia is constantly asking how it can empower the industry, and we felt that there was little reason for the agency to be holding on to rights on projects that were not maximising their potential for exploitation.”

Screen Australia’s intention was to share up to 50% of its income with the producer on those titles. It will now forego all rights and revenue from reverted titles in favour of the producer except for a 1% copyright interest.

Quickflix restructuring studio deals, moves to SVOD format

Quickflix is restructuring its content licensing arrangements with major studios as it moves to an SVOD reseller model. The in-principle agreement with studios will allow over $5 million in debt to be repaid over three years. "The restructure of licensing commitments and adoption of the SVOD reseller model will significantly improve the company's future operating margins and cash flow," it stated.

Vale

Bill Marsden, Wagga Wagga, NSW, media identity, was Station Manager of 2LF Young and instrumental in setting up RVN 2. He died at 90 after an illness and according to the RVN2 site, is remembered “as a compassionate, understanding man who treated his staff as ‘real people not just names on the payroll’.”

And a few other things …

The Voice continues to build on the 1.557 million metro viewers who tuned in for its return. Sunday’s figures saw it draw 1.608 million, the most watched show of the night in the key advertising demographics 16-39, 18-49 and 25-54.

Vance Joy reports that playing to up to 50,000 opening on Taylor Swift’s world tour, is bringing out the best in himself as a performer. “The crowds are so supportive, they really listen,” he says.

Peter Bayliss, Managing Director of Canberra music accounting firm Into Tomorrow, and his wife Brianna are expecting their 4th child. “We couldn't stop at three because 3 pieces are so early 90's but four will be enough as 4 pieces stand the test of time,” he quipped.

Promoters of Yours & Owls Music & Arts Festival are expecting a sell out. Three months out, half the tickets are gone.

Back in Darwin to play the Territory Day Concert, Jessica Mauboy went instantly back into NT mode. She was spotted fishing with her besties, checking out the mangroves, and running along Casuarina Beach.

Christians appreciate their radio stations. Hope 103.2 Sydney’s end of financial year fundraiser had a tally of $1,039,545 (they reckon that’s a record for a community station), Melbourne's Light FM hit $1,000,266 and Vision Radio Network $749,544.

Sydney singer songwriter Miriam Liebermann is off for four months chasing adventure through India, Turkey, Gambia and Hungary.

Having mastered the guitar and banjo, Brisbane country music singer songwriter Hayley Marsten is learning the banjo – a present she got for her 21st.

Destination NSW secured the world premiere of Dream Lover, The Bobby Darin Musical (about the late US singer behind Splish Splash, Mack The Knife and Dream Lover) for Sydney’s Lyric Theatre next September. It is expected to 29,000 visitors to Sydney and inject around $7.1 million in visitor expenditure during a 10-week run.

Rapper Adam Briggs’ NAIDOC Week theme song, The Children Came Back, was written as a sequel to Archie Roach’s Took The Children Away. In his song, Roach, Jimmy Little, Adam Goodes and Lionel Rose came back to achieve.

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Oz tour is minus Flesh-n-Bone. He decided to stay in the US after being denied a visa into New Zealand due to his past jail term.

The fund raiser for ailing legendary Ross Hannaford sold out in 24 hours. Concert For Ross Hannaford: Dance If You Want To is on July 18 at Memo Music Hall. The splendid lineup includes Ross Wilson and Wayne Duncan of Daddy Cool, The Black Sorrows, Mike Rudd, Bart Willoughby, Kerryn Tolhurst, Steve Hoy, Bruce Haynes, Margo Barrett, Ray Pereira and The Rockwiz Orchestra. Online donations at www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=145569.

Image: Bangarra Dance Theatre atCanberra Theatre Centre

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