Have you ever been at Rod Laver Arena, or The Hordern Pavilion, or The Fortitude Music Hall, watching one of your favourite global artists, and found yourself wondering: “why is the support act not from Australia?”
You’re not alone if that’s the case, but something is being done to help local Aussie artists get better opportunities.
As per The Music Network, a new initiative titled “Michael’s Rule” has been formally announced today after being presented by the Association of Artist Managers at the 2024 AAM Awards on Wednesday.
“Michael’s Rule” has three main pillars: every international artist must include an Australian artist among their opening acts; the Australian artist must appear on the same stage as the international artist using reasonable sound and lighting; and the Australian artist must be announced at the same time as the tour so that they benefit from all the marketing and promotion.
Ensuring at least one local artist is among the support acts on every international tour could be a game-changing initiative for Australia’s hard-working musicians.
“Michael’s Rule” takes its name from the late, great Michael McMartin, the Australian artist manager renowned for his work with the Hoodoo Gurus for over four decades. McMartin tirelessly advocated for the policy before his death and used the platform of last year’s AAM Awards to drum up support.
So, the next time Taylor Swift tours Australia, “Michael’s Rule” could see Peach PRC, G Flip, or any number of excellent Aussie pop stars support her rather than the US singer-s0ngwriter Sabrina Carpenter.
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“Everybody knows that there are less Australian songs on the charts right now that at any time since the early 1960s,” says Maggie Collins, executive director of the AAM.
“Local artists and their managers are also facing other historic challenges including a slew of recent festival cancellations. These challenges have been recognized by governments across Australia in recent years. Promoters received significant public funding during the pandemic and they understandably continue to receive public support for some of their major events.”
Following the initiative’s announcement ARIA and PPCA have already supported “Michael’s Rule”.
“Tours play massive roles in discovery and provide important support slots for Aussie artists to connect with new fans. Taylor Swift, the 1975, Harry Styles and Ed Sheehan all rocketed up the charts with multiple albums the weeks they were in the country recently,” says ARIA and PPCA CEO Annabelle Herd.
As TMN notes, Australian artists massively struggled in the year-end charts in 2023.
“Doing whatever we can to get our local artists in front of new audiences is the most important issue facing our local industry,” adds Herd, “and as such the ‘Michael’s Rule’ is a fantastic initiative, which we are confident can be implemented in a way that doesn’t impact the viability of international touring.”
