Going to music events second highest post-lockdown priority for Gen Z + all the biggest industry headlines from the week
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01.11.2021

Going to music events second highest post-lockdown priority for Gen Z + all the biggest industry headlines from the week

band performing live music
Words by Christie Eliezer

Plus OZtix and Tixel team up to combat ticket scalping, Music Victoria nominated for two industry awards + more!

Been out of the loop with everything that’s been going on in the music industry recently? We don’t blame you. Here’s a wrap-up of all the biggest Aussie music industry news stories from the past fortnight.

The top headlines:

  • Gen Z extremely keen to get out and see live music post COVID, study shows.
  • Victoria and South Australia have pledged funding to reviving live music scenes.
  • New Zealand rapper Sense Offence aims to break longest freestyle rap record.

Keep your eyes peeled on our Industry News page to stay updated on all the latest headlines.

Concerts, Festivals, High On Gen Z and Millennials Post-Lockdown List

A study from Afterpay reveals how going to concerts and festivals is second highest on the list of Australian Gen Z and Millennials as they Press Play on their post-lockdown lives.

The live music experience was ticked by 47% in the Lockdown Liberation study, following dining and guzzling at a restaurant and café (49%).

Among those on the list were travelling overseas and holidaying (45%), in-store shopping (42%), hitting the pub (36%), sporting events (35%), personal care appointments (34%), big cultural events like Mardi Gras (33%), the theatre (32%) prioritising dating more (26%) and entering a pub quiz (15%).

Mental health has become a priority for the majority (82%) with 45% believe placing more importance on their own mental health been their biggest lesson over the last 20 months.

82% became conscious of their finances, 18% started to budget for the first time, 55% want to change careers and 32% twigged on the importance of the work-life balance.

Victoria, South Australia, Boost Up Their Music Scenes

As the weather warms up, Victoria and South Australia are bolstering funding to recharge their music sectors.

A new round of grants through the Music Works program, offers between $4,000 and $40,000 for presenting music events.

The grants also cover recording and releasing new music, marketing and business development.

Applications for the new round close at 3:00pm on Thursday, November 25. See here for more deets.

This is the second Music Works grant round for 2021.

Earlier this year $850,000 was awarded to 44 music projects involving 1,000 music industry professionals across the state.

These included allowing management company Look Out Kid (Courtney Barnett, Briggs) to engage a US publicist, Melbourne-based artist-run initiative Spirit Level to engage a publicist in Europe and the UK, the Archie Roach Foundation’s Singing Our Futures mentoring program, marketing Flow festival and developing a new edition of ebook Welcome To The Jungle – Navigating The Music Business In Australia.

The South Australian Government announced a $3 million Live Music Support Package for live live music venues, event promoters, and professional touring artists and crew.

The package, through its Music Development Office is to assist them with the costs associated with preparing to host and deliver live music once borders reopen and restrictions are eased.

Businesses must be able to demonstrate a decline in income of more than 60% compared to pre COVID-19, and that more than 65% of their income is derived from live music.

Funding will be available through two categories.

Category 1: Live music venues and event promoters – up to $300,000.

Category 2: Professional Touring Artists and Crew – up to $50,000.

Applications close Friday November 19, check out http://mdo.sa.gov.au/.

Oztix, Tixel, Team To Combat Ticketing Rorts

Primary ticketing firm, Oztix and secondary ticketing platform Tixel–https://tixel.com/au/both founded in Australia–joined forces to protect fans from ticketing fraud and price gouging.

All events listed on Oztix–which include independent promoters, venues and festivals–now link to Tixel as the preferred resale marketplace. Tixel automatically verifies each ticket before being listed and caps the resale price at a maximum of 10% over the face value.

The timing of the deal is impeccable: “The sheer quantity of new event builds on our platform is something I’ve never seen before and it’s all in response to a huge demand from fans wanting to get back out there,” said Seth Clancy, commercial director at Oztix.

Course Hits With Lockdown Livestream

Australian DJ John Course has released figures for his Saturday night Lockdown livestream. The Classic House & Future Disco tunes on Facebook, Youtube & Twitch gets 779 average viewers a show.

Since March 2020, he notched up 562 hours of streams, 8,605,095 minutes watched and total views of 531,389. Total chat messages are over 251,863 and total Mixcloud restreams 130, 925.

Station Fills In 18-24 Demo Group

Radio and podcasting students of AFTRS researching the commercial radio market, identified a perceived lack of programming specifically targeting 18-24-year-olds and in Western Sydney.

NEXT is a youth, music and talk station that broadcasts between October 25 and November 5 nationally on ARN’s iHeartRadio app and via the AFTRS FM website, focus on rap, hip-hop and urban music and discussions on issues affecting their region, celebrating culture and identity.

NZ Rapper Aims For World Record For Longest Freestyle Rap

Australians with a spare 40 hours can watch New Zealand rapper Sense Offence try to break the Guinness World Record for Longest Rap Marathon by freestyle rapping continuously.

It will be live streamed on Twitch from Saturday November 27 at 8 am (NZ time). The 25-year old wants to break the 33 ½ hour record set in 2020 by US rapper Watsky. “I actually like Watsky’s music quite a lot, so it’s nothing personal, but records were made to be broken!”

He wants to raise $40,000 for Oxfam, HUHA (a NZ ‘no-kill’ animal shelter), the Mental Health Foundation of NZ and the Electronic Frontier Foundation which is dedicated to protecting free speech and digital privacy.

Vevo Joins Fletch Platform

Music video network Vevo has joined Fetch TV. “With Fetch, Vevo is further expanding its Australian footprint, while ensuring a first-rate viewing experience on TV, the music video’s original and most impactful screen,” said Vevo’s Australia & NZ managing director Steve Sos.

Two Industry Nominations For Music Victoria

Music Victoria has been nominated for two industry awards.

It’s up for Best Global Music Office in the Music Cities Awards which thumbs-ups those which apply music for economic, social, environmental and cultural development in cities.

Music Victoria’s initiatives as Regional Music Development Program, the “No QR, no entry” campaign with Save Our Scene, and the Victoria Together Commissioning Program.

The association is up against Auckland UNESCO City of Music and the Tulsa Office of Film, Music, Arts, and Culture. Winner is unveiled on November 10.

Additionally, the 2020 Music Victoria Awards are a finalist in the Arts and Events category of the Melbourne Awards. These are unveiled at 2pm on Saturday November 13 on Channel 9.

Musicians In Court

Returning to Blacktown Court in Sydney this month is rapper Hooligan Skinny, charged with an alleged involvement in an armed and violent robbery at a home on February 28, 2018.

When he appeared in court in September, the rapper (real name: Engu ‘Justice’ Tavai) he was described as a member of the Hooligans and 67 groups from Doonside.

WA musician Jarrod Nicholas Henry, 47, escaped with a suspended jail sentence after facing 46 charges he stole $44,000 of guitars and accessories from Myaree store Mega Music where he worked at the time.

He nicked the stuff from the storeroom and gave them to friends and family or pawned them. He told Fremantle Magistrates Court, he had been going through his mother’s death, the break down of a relationship and needing to sell his house due to debts.

Mackay (North Queensland) musician Michael John Palmer faces court again this week. He was charged with stalking his former band mate and girlfriend by allegedly tracking her every move via a GPS he installed in her car, and entering her house and waking her to ask for sex and show her a clip he made of her.