Music Australia Unveils Label Support System
The discoverability problem plaguing the Australian music community isn’t an easy fix. Music Australia has one solution.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Music Australia launched a new funding initiative, the Music Australia Record Label Development Scheme, which is designed to support homegrown labels that are “actively discovering, developing, and promoting local talent.”
Grants valued at $10,000 to $150,000 are available to local independents through to affiliates of major labels, with successful applicants operating for a minimum of three years, with at least three active artists on their label roster.
The initiative covers recordings, videos, marketing, artist development and more.
Also, a mandatory non-recoupable 10% artist creation fee will be added to the grant amount to be shared amongst the artists that are featured in the project activities.
“The role record labels play in developing our artists is significant and we need to safeguard them at a time when breaking Australian artists has never been harder,” comments Millie Millgate, director of Music Australia.
“This investment will ensure Australian labels of all sizes, and with different genre focusses, can continue to compete effectively, support their artists, and contribute intrinsic value to a vibrant music ecosystem in Australia.”
The pre-application eligibility is now open and will close on Tuesday Oct. 8, 2024.
It’s no secret: Australia’s music industry is doing it tough. Breaking an artist in a streaming landscape with 100 million competing songs, a figure that’s growing exponentially, has never been tougher — or riskier.
A tricky economy, rising production costs, the shift from physical sales to digital formats, and the need to invest heavily in artist promotion and development in a highly saturated market, “all pose significant challenges to a label’s ability to remain financially viable,” reads a statement issued by Music Australia, “and subsequently invest in and support Australian talent.”
This investment “will make sure Australian labels can continue to compete effectively,” reads a statement issued by Music Australia, “support their artists, and contribute to the vibrant music ecosystem in Australia.”
ARIA and PPCA welcomed the development. “This is a fantastic initiative from Music Australia that truly recognises the critical role of Australia’s independent and major labels in developing and exporting local artists to the world,” comments ARIA and PPCA CEO Annabelle Herd.
“Record labels play an important role investing in and growing local talent, who are more likely to succeed if the domestic industry is larger and more commercially viable.”
Music Australia was established under the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Revive, a dedicated new body within Creative Australia to support and invest in the Australian contemporary music industry.
Visit the Music Australia website for more on the labels initiative.