The workshop has seen 298 managers and self-managed artists come through the program, while the Seed Fund overall has distributed over $1.2 million through grants and initiatives.
Created by artists for artists, The Seed Management Workshop was the brainchild of John Butler and Danielle Caruana (Mama Kin) in 2005 as a way for the community to share resources and impart wisdom to managers and self-managed artists beginning their often-challenging careers in the music industry. The pilot program was designed and delivered in 2006 with longstanding artists and artist advocates Stacia Goninon, Carlo Santone and Jacqui Geia.
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The first workshop was held in 2006, with annual cohorts of alumni coming together for an immersive retreat to hear from industry experts, learn from each others’ experiences and create lifelong camaraderie and professional connections.
The project has delivered twelve workshops across fifteen years to some of the biggest behind-the-scenes names in the Australian music industry including Van Picken, Andrew Stone, Jen Cloher, Jodie Regan, Luke Girgis, Maggie Collins, Fred Leone, Jake Mason, Melody Forghani, Anthony Zaccaria, Monique Rothstein, Scott Mesiti, Leah Flanagan, Jess Beston, Katie Besgrove, Nick Lynagh, Rick Chazan, Nicole BZ, Rowan Brand and many more.
With program funding from Create NSW, the workshop is back after its forced COVID hiatus following its successful 2020 event, under the guidance of Caruana and The Seed Fund Managing Director, Stacia Goninon.
“Attending The Seed was THE most important and formative week of my early career. I was able to ask all the questions I had about the business (but was too afraid to ask) and formed close
relationships with peers and experienced managers. It gave me the confidence to pursue management as a career and I retain lifelong friends, tools, and knowledge from that week.” – Andrew Stone, 2023 AAM Manager of the Year.
If you ask the managers of some of Australia’s biggest artists, they’ll tell you that few organisations have had a larger impact on the Australian music industry than The Seed Fund. After five years on the COVID-induced sidelines, their iconic Management Workshop is back to inspire and lift up a new generation of creatives and their managers.
Applications are now open for the next Seed Management Workshop, to be held in regional New South Wales in 2025.
