Wikimedia launches initiative to boost Wikipedia coverage of Aussie acts

Wikimedia Australia is launching a new initiative to help give Australian musicians, organisations and publications more coverage on Wikipedia.

Created in partnership with the Australian Council for the Arts, ‘The Record – Australian Music on Wikipedia’ looks to boost coverage of the Australian music industry over the next six months.

To kickstart the initiative, Wikimedia and the Australian Music Vault are hosting an ‘edit-a-thon’ as part of Melbourne Music Week.

Taking place at Collingwood Yards on December 11, people are encouraged to come down with their laptop or device, as well as a Wikipedia account, and help to edit articles on local musicians.

Melbourne Music Week began on December 3 and will last until December 12, with events, concerts and more taking place across the city.

Organisers of the edit-a-thon noted how Wikipedia’s visibility across the globe would benefit Australian musicians, with only a “low number” of them being represented on the website.

“Wikipedia is one of the most popular websites in the world written by an international community of volunteer editors,” the statement reads.

“When you search something online, Wikipedia is often the top result, with information boxes on Google sourced from its pages. Let’s work together to improve the visibility of Australian Music.”

Those wishing to participate in the edit-a-thon can register interest here.