A Reflection on Australia’s Music Industry

If you’re a music fan in Australia, you’ve heard about the ABC’s Four Corners story on Live Nation and their influence on Australia’s music scene.

We’re sure this is going to continue to be a hot topic, with calls for the ACCC to conduct a full-scale investigation into ticketing, venues, overseas companies and whether there’s enough regulation covering these areas in Australia’s music industry.

Here are some links to key reporting on this situation:

• Live Nation’s industry takeover tearing the Australian music scene apart – ABC News
• Four Corners: ABC iview
• Global music giant Live Nation given tens of millions of dollars in grants by Australian governments – ABC News
• Live Nation Responds to ‘Inaccurate and Unbalanced’ Documentary

What we know for sure is that our local talent is struggling to make a living from their music, often needing to sell merch to even make ends meet, and that things need to change.

This is where you come in, as a music consumer. Reckon you’re a music lover???

How do you contribute to Australia’s music industry?

Do you pay for Spotify [Swedish & Multinational Investment Company owned] Premium at $14/month [$168 a year]?  For music you don’t own and where the musician, who’s music you’re listening to, needs to generate 300 streams worldwide to generate $1.00 in royalty payments [if they own 100% of the licence] BUT, they need to reach a minimum payout threshold of US$1000 in a year to be paid anything!  If Spotify closed tomorrow, you would have absolutely no music to show for your money.

Do you pay for Apple Music [USA & Multinational Investment Company owned] Premium at $13/month [$156 a year]?  For music you don’t own and where the musician, who’s music you’re listening to, needs to generate 100 streams worldwide to generate $1.00 in royalty payments [if they own 100% of the licence] BUT, they need to reach a minimum payout threshold of US$40 / month first.  If Apple Music closed tomorrow, you would have absolutely no music to show for your money.

Do you pay hundreds of dollars per ticket to see marquee international acts in massive stadiums where, let’s be real, you’re actually watching a set of huge screens [and probably hundreds of tiny screens coz, you know, we all watch those videos back] and can barely access a bar or bathroom?  Speaking of access, these venues are rarely accessible for all and the stats tell us they’re quite unsafe. The majority of this money is not going into our local music economy or benefitting our local musicians.

OR

Do you purchase your music; digital, CD, vinyl, cassette [whatever takes your fancy], and therefore own it… You know, like forever? Directly putting money in the bank account of your favourite artist and food on their table.

Do you pay reasonable amounts for tickets at a range of small to medium sized local venues, where access and safety are priorities, and are, therefore, putting your hard earned back into the local music economy? Where it will be used to pay the musicians and staff and for things like rent and bar stock for the venue.

Do you participate in Aus Music T-shirt Day and celebrate, and raise funds for, the Australian music scene? Actively showing your love for, and commitment to, your fave local musicians?

Why do we care so little about the musicians who make the music we love, who soundtrack our lives and bring memories to life…  Who connect us to others in a way not possible via any other means… Who dig us out of the blackest of holes and celebrate our biggest highs??

Could you sit opposite a musician and justify why you stream their music, instead of purchasing it… That you’re ok with the fact that they probably won’t get paid much [if at all] for allowing you to stream their craft, coz it’s just so easy for you to do [like it’s right there, on your phone]??

This article didn’t start out as a test, but we’re here now… So how did you ‘score’?