The Australian music industry has gained a significant boost in funding dole out to artists, industry organisations, managers, tours, and much more in millions of dollars worth of arts grants from both the Federal Government and the philanthropic body established by John Butler.
Government arts funding body, the Australia Council, has handed out over $1.4 million in grants to wide variety of musical causes and initiatives across 39 organisations, as The Music Network reports.
State based music organisations including Music Victoria, QMusic, WAM, and Music NT have been granted up to $50,000 to help support operational costs as part of the Australia Council’s latest round of Annual Program grants, while organisations such as Victoria’s Songlines, tour support body Artback NT, tour promotion for Kulcha (WA), The Boite (VIC), and BEMAC (QLD), jazz bodies in QLD, SA, Melbourne and NSW’s SIMA & Jazzgroove, all received addition funding from the Australia Council.
Government funding was also approved for music festivals – such as the Canberra International Music Festival, WA’s Fairbridge Folk Festival, and national sound art festival Liquid Architecture – and to support international tours through the latest round of International Pathways grants. Including Cosmic Psychos tour of the US, Glass Towers to play the UK and Japan, and Baker Suite and Zulya & the Children of the Underground for respective tours in Europe. “It’s great to be able to support organisations working across such a wide range of music practices and delivering outcomes around the country.”
International Markets and Showcase grants went to Dereb the Ambassador to perform at jazz festivals in Tokyo, Shanghai, and Iwate, Lior to play Edinburgh Festival, The Preatures for a CMJ New York showcase, and Nick Wales and his ensemble to play the Hague’s Holland Dance Festival. Jordie Lane’s manager Alastair Burns, and The Black Arm Band’s manager Lou Bennett also received Australia Council grants.
“It’s great to be able to support organisations working across such a wide range of music practices and delivering outcomes around the country” said the Australia Council’s Director of Music Paul Mason. “In response to the demand for Australian musicians internationally, we also not only fund the significant Sounds Australia program, but also provide grants to support touring and showcasing.”
Meanwhile The Seed Fund, the not for profit Australian organisation first founded by John Butler in 2005, has announced the successful grant applications for its 2013 round of funding.
Indigenous music group Skinnyfish Music, home to Gurrumul, Dewayne Everettsmith, and Saltwater Band, has received up to $12,000 to pay Indigenous artists to travel to and play three music festivals in remote parts of Australia. The Bush Bands Business project has granted up to $5,000 to Music NT to help mentors travel to Alice Springs’ iNTune Music Conference.
A total of $20,000 went to music managers such as Anthony Zaccaria (Loon Lake, Fractures), Laura Wallbridge (Gossling, Guineafowl), Charles Wall (Bobby Alu), and Mike Solo (The Red Paintings, Dumbsaint) to help with supporting their artists. The Seed Fund’s other grants categories include Professional Development grants worth over $8,000, Publicity grants of $10,000 to Remote Controls’ Jesse Barbera and Positive Feedback’s Meesha Astill, while Adelaide arts group b.o.m.b. received $5,000 through the Art On The Street grant, and the continued support of the Song Cycles INBOUND Project, which brings urban music industry professionals to Aboriginal communities.
You can view the detailed list of The Seed Fund’s 2013 Funding here and read about the Australia Council’s $1.4 million in 2013 funding grants here.
