Background: The City of Adelaide has a diverse and rich music heritage which was internationally recognised in December 2015 when Adelaide was designated a City of Music by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Adelaide is the first, and only, designated UNESCO City of Music in Australia, an acknowledgment of the breadth, depth and vibrancy of the city's music culture, its international reach, its history and its aspirations. This recognition highlights Adelaide as a city of excellence for music making, education, community involvement and events. Music is one of humanity’s most powerful forms of expression, and creative industries are an important part of our cultural identity as well as our economy. Adelaide boasts a world class Adelaide Symphony Orchestra who deliver a high-class annual program. Adelaide hosts a series of world-class music and arts festivals ranging from internationally acclaimed WOMADelaide and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, to the cosy Umbrella: Winter City Sounds festival.
When Music SA conducted their annual Live Music Census in May 2018, they discovered that across metropolitan Adelaide there were 1,227 gigs across 201 venues over the course of the month. This works out to around 300 gigs per week. Fellow UNESCO City of Music Glasgow hosted 150+ live music gigs a week.
Home to a diverse range of independent musicians, a developing and entrepreneurial music industry, and prior to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, a plethora of live music venues of varying sizes. The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the music industry, with lockdowns, the cessation of Jobkeeper, support packages that many were ineligible to receive, border closures, ongoing capacity restrictions, mandatory masks, bans on singing & dancing, and cancellation of events and tours all causing artists to lose gigs, and venues and promoters to trade unsustainably.
When Stephen Marshall became Premier in 2018 his Liberal Government made significant change to Arts South Australia, including the abolishment of the position of Executive Director of Arts South Australia and removal of a range of organisations to other Departments. Contemporary music was moved to The Department of Industry and Skills Minister David Pisoni. Their first budget delivered major cuts to the arts, despite Marshall being the Minister of the Arts! Prior to the pandemic, The City of Adelaide was committed to keeping Adelaide buzzing with live music, developing a three-year Live Music Action Plan. The second Live Music Action Plan ended in 2020, and a third has not been released.
The Music Industry Council for South Australia (MIC), established in response to a recommendation made by Live Music Thinker in Residence, Martin Elbourne, through his REVERB report which outlined the need for a South Australian Contemporary Music Advisory Council, to bring the sector together and in doing so establish a shared vision to work better with Government. The purpose of the MIC is to present a unified vision and voice for the South Australian Music Industry to other groups and stakeholders including local and state Government agencies. Sadly this voice led by Music SA's Kim Roberts (Chair), and supported by government representatives from the Adelaide City Council and the Music Development Office silence has been deafening.
"BAND IT ABOUT" theme song written and recorded by Catherine Lambert Michael Bryant. BAND IT ABOUT LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries
Contact Paul Sharman: [email protected] Thanks for Listening!
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By Di Spillane
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Background: The City of Adelaide has a diverse and rich music heritage which was internationally recognised in December 2015 when Adelaide was designated a City of Music by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Adelaide is the first, and only, designated UNESCO City of Music in Australia, an acknowledgment of the breadth, depth and vibrancy of the city's music culture, its international reach, its history and its aspirations. This recognition highlights Adelaide as a city of excellence for music making, education, community involvement and events. Music is one of humanity’s most powerful forms of expression, and creative industries are an important part of our cultural identity as well as our economy. Adelaide boasts a world class Adelaide Symphony Orchestra who deliver a high-class annual program. Adelaide hosts a series of world-class music and arts festivals ranging from internationally acclaimed WOMADelaide and Adelaide Cabaret Festival, to the cosy Umbrella: Winter City Sounds festival.
When Music SA conducted their annual Live Music Census in May 2018, they discovered that across metropolitan Adelaide there were 1,227 gigs across 201 venues over the course of the month. This works out to around 300 gigs per week. Fellow UNESCO City of Music Glasgow hosted 150+ live music gigs a week.
Home to a diverse range of independent musicians, a developing and entrepreneurial music industry, and prior to the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic, a plethora of live music venues of varying sizes. The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the music industry, with lockdowns, the cessation of Jobkeeper, support packages that many were ineligible to receive, border closures, ongoing capacity restrictions, mandatory masks, bans on singing & dancing, and cancellation of events and tours all causing artists to lose gigs, and venues and promoters to trade unsustainably.
When Stephen Marshall became Premier in 2018 his Liberal Government made significant change to Arts South Australia, including the abolishment of the position of Executive Director of Arts South Australia and removal of a range of organisations to other Departments. Contemporary music was moved to The Department of Industry and Skills Minister David Pisoni. Their first budget delivered major cuts to the arts, despite Marshall being the Minister of the Arts! Prior to the pandemic, The City of Adelaide was committed to keeping Adelaide buzzing with live music, developing a three-year Live Music Action Plan. The second Live Music Action Plan ended in 2020, and a third has not been released.
The Music Industry Council for South Australia (MIC), established in response to a recommendation made by Live Music Thinker in Residence, Martin Elbourne, through his REVERB report which outlined the need for a South Australian Contemporary Music Advisory Council, to bring the sector together and in doing so establish a shared vision to work better with Government. The purpose of the MIC is to present a unified vision and voice for the South Australian Music Industry to other groups and stakeholders including local and state Government agencies. Sadly this voice led by Music SA's Kim Roberts (Chair), and supported by government representatives from the Adelaide City Council and the Music Development Office silence has been deafening.
"BAND IT ABOUT" theme song written and recorded by Catherine Lambert Michael Bryant. BAND IT ABOUT LINKTREE: https://linktr.ee/banditaboutpodcastseries
Contact Paul Sharman: [email protected] Thanks for Listening!