The Lighthouse Award returns in 2017 with $5K on offer

PRESS RELEASE:

Established in memory of Linda Gebar, The Lighthouse Award returns in 2017 with a $5000 grant on offer from APRA AMCOS.

Announced today at the One of One Bakehouse Breakfast for International Women’s Day, the award is intended to support the professional development of a female manager or self-managed artist based in Victoria. Previous recipients include Jen Cloher, Bonnie Dalton and Bernadette Ryan.

Jen Cloher, 2013 winner of The Lighthouse Award:

“Winning The Lighthouse Award publicly validated the nine years I had spent managing my own career as an artist. Learning about the business of making music has been hugely empowering and the perfect training ground for establishing Milk! Records, the label I run today with my partner Courtney Barnett.

“Linda Gebar embodied the spirit of community and independent music, it was an honour to be associated with her legacy in this way.”

The Lighthouse Award represents APRA AMCOS’ commitment to addressing the gender imbalance within the music industry. Over the past 12 months, programs have been implemented to help develop and advance women within the organisation, and a research project with RMIT University is currently underway to examine the gender gap among screen composers.

Jana Gibson, APRA AMCOS Director, Writer Services:

“We’re working hard to increase participation of women in music. Although only 21.7 per cent of our 90,000 songwriter members identify as female, we are seeing growth in the number of women joining, with women making up almost 25 per cent of new APRA members in 2016.

“Initiatives like The Lighthouse Award bring visibility to the women working tirelessly behind the scenes to strengthen the music community, like Linda Gebar, and encourage women to pursue a career in music.”

Linda Gebar died tragically in October 2008 soon after the birth of her second child. She was one of the few female managers in the 90s, and worked with The Killjoys, Frente and The Blackeyed Susans. She also booked the Punters Club, worked at PBS FM, had a record label and worked at APRA AMCOS.

Linda was a passionate believer in local music and the community that surrounded it, and was a mentor and colleague to many.

The Lighthouse Award exists to continue Linda’s work, and support a forward-thinking female manager who is dedicated to Australian music.

To be eligible, applicants must be 18 or over and committed to a career in the music industry. They must demonstrate honesty, creativity and professionalism in their work, and a willingness to act as a mentor within the music community.

For more details and to apply: apraamcos.com.au/lighthouse-award