Music industry responds to Senate inquiry into Australian media quotas

Yesterday, TMN reported how a joint submission by APRA AMCOS to a Senate inquiry into Australian content on broadcast, radio and streaming services, stressed the importance of quotas for streaming services (music and video) and a commitment for a percentage of their Australian revenues to be used to create Australian content.

TMN today looked through the near 40 applications and specifically at two others from the music industry.

AIR, representing the independent sector, emphasised that quotas “need to be effectively supervised and enforced,” wrote general manager Maria Amato.

“Individual stations should not be able to self-select their genre category.”

AIR says that quotas should be extended to DAB+ stations.

As for streaming, AIR contends, “quotas should not be applied to streaming services for practical and legal reasons, there should be some responsibility on these services to support local content in areas of their service that they do control.”

These include having local employees dedicated to curating and supporting Australian content, investing in locally produced and curated playlists, ensuring a proportion of Australian content is represented in locally curated playlists, and ensuring that Australian artists be used in marketing.

The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA)’s submission pointed out that community radio contributes $880 million a year, not only through specialised programs but also serving as employment and training ground for future on-air and behind-the-scenes personnel.

It also reminded the inquiry that 72% of community radio content is locally produced, and that 48% of listeners turn to it because of its local content (up to 89% in regional areas).

Therefore, submitted chief executive Jon Bisset said, our funding needs to be on-going.

“Much has been achieved and great confidence gained  n the last year as a result of the (Federal) government’s commitment to community broadcasting,” he stated.

“Even so, the year by year budget allocations continue to be a significant source of challenge and uncertainty for community radio in Australia.”

Mark Brownlee of Brisbane-based Nightlife Music, which provides music streams to 7,000 commercial locations reaching over 6 million people a week, has since stated that the APRA AMCOS/ SPA submission did not expand to the public performance sector.

“We need companies, which create and curate services locally to suit the music needs of the discerning Aussie music fan,” he noted.