Did you catch Australia’s annual television awards event The Logies last night? You’re not the only one.
Apparently a little over 1 million other Australians tuned in to watch the television industry pat itself on the back and celebrate great Australian content. That is if you’re talking about the television industry. But when it comes to other types of local entertainment, such as music, the Logies have remained a cultural wasteland.
And after last night’s disgrace of a ceremony, I think I probably owe the ARIAs a huge apology.
Back in 2011, I pleaded with ARIA to stop broadcasting the ARIA Awards after years of ratings failures, format changes, and a lack of any real direction or purpose.
In 2005, over 2 million Australians tuned in to see some of Australia’s greatest and most successful musicians converge in Sydney for the ARIAs. Just half a decade later, that number had fallen below half a million viewers, after viewers left in droves following years of irrelevant programming on behalf of organisers.
We’ve all tried to forget how, in 2006, host Axle Whitehead exposed himself on stage whilst presenting one of the awards.
But as much as the ARIA Awards is an imperfect representation of the Australia music industry, it does at least try to involve local artists, which is more than we can see for its television counterpart The Logies.
Last night’s ceremony, held at the Crown Towers’ Palladium Ballroom, was an embarrassment to all those who have championed vigorously on behalf of local music and musicians.
You would think that if there was any industry that would understand the importance of supporting the local arts and creative community, it would be television; an industry that relies upon Government support and regulation to keep local production alive.
So it’s frustrating that The Logies yet again overlooked the plethora of great local music produced in Australia, and instead decided to book overseas acts in a move that smacks of betrayal.
In a quest for ratings, it is understandable that some international star power can help the numbers, and say what you will – Bruno Mars is an international star – but other performers who performed at the ceremony, such as British pop acts Birdy and Olly Murs, are rivalled, equalled, and bettered by a number of artists here in this country.
UK songstress Birdy, the stage name for 16-year-old Jasmine van den Bogaerde, has built her career on cover versions; last night she chose to perform her rendition of Bon Iver’s ‘Skinny Love’, a tribute that has been largely responsible for the buzz that surrounds her. Birdy is undoubtedly talented, but is she more talented than any number of local sirens who could have used the opportunity to perform one of their original songs in front of a million Australians?
The other performer Olly Murs, fellow Brit pop singer and former contestant on UK’s version of The X Factor, is looked after by Syco, the company that manages the vast empire built by music reality television kingpin Simon Cowell.
Although Murs did manage to chart with a top 10 single here in Australia, thanks to a collaboration with Flo Rida, we can’t help but assume he got the gig thanks to Cowell, who’s probably owed a favour since organisers booked another Cowell act, One Direction, for last year’s ceremony.
But the stink of manufactured music reality television doesn’t stop there. To add insult to injury, Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden was awarded Best Male New Talent for his work on further polluting our airwaves with the drivel that is produced as part of the music ‘talent’ contest show The Voice.
So why were local artists overlooked? And why do we feel the need to validate ourselves by partaking in such a public display of cultural cringe?
Ratings would be the simple answer, and the television industry would have you believe that last night’s ratings of an audience sitting at over 1 million is a great showing for television’s night of nights.
But you’d have to have a pretty short memory to believe that spin.
In 2006, The Logies attracted over 2 million viewers, and has been on a steady decline ever since. But you can’t just remove the television industry’s annual awards ceremony off television, can you? Not with a straight face.
Which makes last night’s situation distressing to anyone who has any faith in our local industry. Some of our artists have made huge in roads overseas this past year – Gotye, Kimbra, and Tame Impala spring to mind – some in ways we haven’t seen for decades. But can they get a gig on local television? Don’t bet on it.
The Logies ambivalence to local musicians is symptomatic to the entire local television industry’s disregard for Australian music.
While it seems music quiz shows like SBS’s RockWiz are forever dependable, while ABC’s Spicks & Specks has again been slated for a return, outside of talking politics on Q&A there appears to be very little opportunity for local musicians to have their voices and music heard.
It was this exact reason that singer Kate Miller-Heidke cited in her defence for what was perceived as an apathetic appearance on the ABC current affairs show, noting that: “Opportunities to play songs on TV in Australia are scarce. It’s pretty much morning television or Gordon St Tonight (which has finished for the year). Or Q and A.”
But it doesn’t – and it shouldn’t – have to be that way.
We’re constantly linked to great videos of huge performances from acts who perform on the variety show/late night circuit in America, with shows such as Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, just to name a few, helping Aussie artists get critical exposure overseas. While across the pond, England has the institution that is Later With Jools Holland to regularly flaunt its own music scene, established and emerging alike.
Meanwhile, Australia has no such notoriety for quality live music performances on the fabled box, and if The Logies are anything to go by, there’s still a ton of work needed. With such great Australian music being produced every day, it’s a disgrace that we’re left drowned out by cover artists and talent shows.
So while the television industry nurses their heads from a night of boozing and partying, it’s time the rest of us get to work to sell the message that local doesn’t mean inferior.
And if there’s anyone that should understand that message, it should be the Australian television industry.
