The CBAA and FNMA have teamed up to create First Sounds, a unique initiative to get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists heard across Australian radio.
If you’ve ever found yourself tuning into the airwaves over the years, then you might have realised there’s a comparative lack of music by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists on offer.
Now, Australian community radio is set to receive a bit of a shake-up, with The Community Broadcasting Association of Australia (CBAA) and First Nations Media Australia (FNMA) teaming up to create First Sounds, a series of compilations curated by FNMA’s indigiTUBE with a select panel of First Nations individuals.
First Sounds operates with the intention of developing more awareness of regional, remote and city-living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and the songs and stories they have to share, while ensuring new and emerging First Nations artists have a clear pathway to develop an audience through community radio.
By doing so, this helps develop a momentum for artists to continue writing, recording and performing in their early stages, and helping them gain the traction they need to go on to become household names.
Using the CBAA’s Australian Music Airplay Project (Amrap), these compilations are set to be distributed Australia-wide to the community radio network, which boasts over 450 stations and 6 million listeners each week.
“This is such a great initiative,” explained Groote Eylandt singer-songwriter Emily Wurramara.
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“There is so much deadly talent in this country and having a dedicated strategy to share their music across the country through AMRAP and community radio will not only benefit the artists, but also expose and educate Australian listeners.”
If you’re an unsigned First Nations artist, you can submit your music for the debut compilation via indigiTUBE until November 30th. Once submitted, your tunes will go through the selection panel, which features leading First Nations artists Leah Flanagan, and Warren H Williams.
The selection panel also features Gavin Ivey, Program Manager at Sydney’s Koori Radio, who notes that First Sounds is set to be a crucial initiative for stations around the country.
“The CBAA/Indigitube Initiaitive is vital to the Australian Musical landscape and I look forward to being involved,” Ivey explained.
“As Program Manager at Koori Radio 93.7 FM, a project like this, with music being distributed via Amrap and Indigitube, is instrumental in supporting and promoting First Nations Artists, nationally and globally.”
The best news to come from all this is that even if you don’t make the cut for the debut compilation, your music will still be included on the Amrap and indigiTUBE online platforms, meaning that your music will be made available to community radio playlists all over the country.
First Sounds 1 is set to be delivered via Amrap to community radio stations and broadcasters all over Australia in February of 2020, so keep your eyes – and ears – peeled because this is going to be a stunning release.
Check out ‘Lady Blue’ by Emily Wurramara:
