Fifield: Sounds Australia eligible for Catalyst funding

After the local and international music industry slammed the Federal Government’s lack of Catalyst funding for Sounds Australia, and a petition requesting a solution accrued over 4,000 signatures, Minister for the Arts Mitch Fifield has responded.

In a statement sent to TMN today Senator Fifield said the Government’s investment in Sounds Australia is being evaluated and that the export development body may receive Catalyst funding in the future.

“The Catalyst fund supports arts and culture projects,” Fifield told TMN. “Some elements of Sounds Australia may be eligible for Catalyst funding, however, the current funding for Sounds Australia is program funding. As with all Government investments in fixed period programs, the outcomes from Sounds Australia funding will be evaluated and inform any future funding decisions.”

In a statement sent to the ABC yesterday Senator Fifield said: “The funding for Sounds Australia covers work until January 2017.”

Sounds Australia was notified that it failed to acquire continuing funding through the Federal Government’sCatalyst program last week. It hopes to work with Government find a mechanism to support an export investment strategy.

Sounds Australia is Australia’s export music market development initiativeco-funded by APRA AMCOS and the Australia Council for the Arts, with the lion-share of investment coming from Ministry for the Arts.They report at least 1,593 business outcomes for Australian artists including signing record deals, synch opportunities and international booking agents off theback of their unique showcase opportunities.

Top tier artists including Courtney Barnett, Chet Faker and Vance Joy all played Sounds Australia showcases in their first year of export. As included in TMN’s report yesterday, Barnett’s manager and ex-GM of AIR Nick O’Byrne took to Facebook on Tuesday to call the Government’s move “short sighted”.

“Sounds Australia is a program which taught us “how to fish” – they’ve provided support and relationships all over the world so we can keep investing in Australian music,” he wrote.” […] Meanwhile – The Turnbull Government has promised millions to major performing arts companies without increasing the capacity orself sufficiencyof the arts-sector at all. It’s really stupid and short-sighted but frankly not surprising.”

Set up in 2009, Sounds Australia has helped 619 acts at 48 trade events in 52 cities in 19 countries that it identified as gateways to the international marketplace.

Speaking to TMN, Millie Millgate, Export Music Producer and Sounds Australia, said many Australian artists have achieved measured success as a direct result of the body’s work.

“There’s no doubt that many of the Australian artists that have showcased through Sounds Australia wouldn’t have achieved the current level of success they are experiencing. However the speed and capacity in which this was expedited is absolutely a result of the platforms and infrastructure that has been created, developed and established through Sounds Australia and the investment made to date in to Fast-Tracking Australian Music Success Globally.”

The ABC has reported funding for Sounds Australia from its other primary sponsor the Australia Council for the Arts “is now also up in the air”.

Australia Council announces its next round of grants on Monday, but the Council itself is enduring a funding setback after it lost tens of millions of dollars in Government backing since last year.

TMN has reached out to the Australia Council for comment.