Sounds Australia lands Aus Council funding, still in the red without Ministry backing

Image: Gooch Palmsat Sounds Australia’s Aussie BBQ at SXSW.
Photo Credit: Bianca O’Neill & Cian Davis

Export development body Sounds Australia will be given $300,000 in funding from the Australia Council for the Arts each year, from 2017-2020.

The announcement of Australia Council’s Four Year Funding program was set for Monday, but the good news for 128 arts organisations was delivered early this morning.

As pointed out by APRA AMCOS – Sounds Australia’s primary co-sponsors with Australia Council – the funding injection does not change the export body’s current predicamentfollowing lack of Federal Government Catalyst funding.

“The lion’s share of Sounds Australia funding comes from the Ministry for the Arts,” APRA AMCOS stated. “Without a funding solution it will still be left with a considerable shortfall going in to 2017 and will not be able to maintain the international program at its current level.”

Sounds Australia has urged its supporters to continue to sign thepetitionrequesting a solution. The Change.org petition was created by Laura Wallbridge of talent management company Walls and Bridges and has at time of publishing accrued over 4,900 signatures.

As reported by TMNyesterday,Minister for the Arts Mitch Fifield hassaid 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 TMNyesterday. “Some elements of Sounds Australia may be eligible for Catalyst funding, however, the current funding for Sounds Australia is program funding.

Australia Council’s financial support of Sounds Australia was brought into question this week; the Council itself is enduring a funding setback after it lost tens of millions of dollars in Government backing since last year.

However today it announced 128 small to medium arts organisations will receive a total of $28 million a year from 2017. They include 43 new organisations who take grants of between $75,000 per year and $300,000 per year.

The Australian Copyright Council was given $261,628, QMusic was given $280,000 for BIGSOUND, Sound Alliance was given $150,000 for the Electronic Music Conference and Darwin Symphony Orchestra was given $208,350. For the full list of recipients for the Four Year Funding program, click here.

According to ArtsHub, more than half the applicants failed to receive support from the funding round. They include: Music Australia, PACT Centre for Contemporary Artists, theatre companies Slingsby (Adelaide), Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre (Melbourne) and Legs on the Wall (Sydney), and literary youth arts organisation Express Media.

Music Australia Chair Michael Smelliesaid in a statement:“It is ironic that this comes at a time when the Government appears, at last, to have recognised that innovation will underpin Australia’s future. A sustainable music sector is at the very heart of this innovation.”

Australia Council CEOTony Grybowski said: “While celebrating the success of the companies forming the new cohort, the Council acknowledges that the outcomes of this highly competitive process will be difficult for some companies and is committed to supporting the sector through this period of change. This support will take various forms, responding to the different needs of both individual organisations and practice areas.”

Applications are now open for the next project grants round, which closes on June 7 2016.

For more information go to:www.australiacouncil.gov.au