OUR SOUNDTRACK, OUR STORIES INITIATIVE TO HELP LOCAL ARTISTS

Greg Phillips Aug 05, 2021 Blog

JOIN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY’S CALL TO ARMS

Australian music’s artists, leading businesses and industry bodies are sending out a different kind of S.O.S. to the nation’s corporations, media and anyone willing to listen: it’s time to add our soundtrack to our stories.

What is ‘Our Soundtrack Our Stories’?

Our Soundtrack Our Stories is an open invitation from our country’s music community to the rest of Australia to discover, champion, share, and consume more local music. It exists to promote our artists, promote the enormous economic and cultural contribution of local music, and to ensure a bright, bold, diverse and exciting future for the next generation of musicians and music lovers alike. The initiative arrives exactly one week after Jack River, real name Holly Rankin, posted the now viral call-to-arms for Australian media and business to get behind homegrown music as it struggles under the pressure of a new wave of lockdowns, all but eliminating prospects for live touring for the foreseeable future. The initiative calls for a public commitment from media and business to increase the inclusion of diverse Australian artists in the commercial and mainstream landscape.

How will ‘Our Soundtrack Our Stories’ help home grown artists?

Greater support from corporate Australia means greater reach for our artists, which translates to everything from higher streams and new fans to increased royalty revenue. That support could not come at a more important time, with over $64 million in revenue lost since 1 July 2021 among just 2,000 respondents to the I Lost My Gig survey. With 99% of that revenue revealed to be uninsurable, the real figure is significantly higher.  This push will invite everyday people to view Australian music in a new light. 

BUSINESS OWNERS

I am a local business owner, how can I support ‘Our Soundtrack Our Stories’?

1. Make sure you are playing homegrown music in your store or business and obtaining the right licence, so that these artists can get properly reimbursed for their music, you can find out what licence is best applicable to your business by visiting OneMusic.
2. Play a radio station that champions local artists.
3. Seek out the services of a Background Music Supplier to help curate the sound of your business.
4. Share any of the Our Soundtrack Our Stories social assets on your business and personal channels and encourage your followers to do the same.
5. Set yourself a goal and share your commitment to using more local music and keep your followers up to date on your progress. Share your own personal wins, that is how we keep momentum and positive change!

    

What do you mean by local/homegrown/Australian Artists?

While we appreciate the cultural impact of music released in the past few decades of Australian music this initiative puts particular emphasis on championing artists from a diverse range of genres and backgrounds, with a push towards music released in the past decade. 

What is a Background Music Supplier?

There are a number of different Background Music Suppliers in Australia who are able to create playlists that are best suited to your customers and update these playlists so that the music they supply you with is kept fresh. Some of these suppliers will have existing licences with organisations such as One Music so that the fees can be accurately distributed to the creators of the music. 

Costs range between around $35 and $200 a month, excluding music licensing fees, depending on the supplier and what other services and hardware are included. If you are a retailer, service provider or dining establishment, your OneMusic Australia music licence fees can also be bundled into the overall fees charged by the supplier.

For more information visit OneMusic Australia. 

Why do I need a licence to play music in my shop or business?

Firstly, it shows that your organisation respects and supports songwriters and recording artists – creators of Australian culture. Secondly, if you use music that is protected by copyright within your business, Commonwealth legislation requires permission (a licence) from the creators of that music. And last but not least – you benefit by using music: keeping your patrons and staff entertained, engaged and creating a better atmosphere.

By obtaining the correct music licence or enlisting the help of background music suppliers you can make sure that the artists you are playing are getting paid correctly.

Why can’t these businesses just change the music they play?

While we would love for these businesses to start playing local music overnight, in some cases, in particular with larger businesses, there are existing licensing deals in place that directly relate to the music they play in store, or in their hold music. That is why it is important to approach this initiative on every level so that we can preserve these existing relationships while making local music more accessible and these businesses accountable.

MUSICIANS

How can I get involved in ‘Our Soundtrack Our Stories’?

1. Share the artist assets.
2. Tag businesses that you would like to play more local music.
3. Use your music to re-soundtrack iconic Australian events.
4. Create your own themed playlists and share with your fans that is music you would like to hear at your local supermarket.

I am an Aussie musician; how do I make sure that I am getting paid if my music is played?

If you release recorded music in Australia, there are two copyrights attached to those recordings: one for the composition and one for the recording. The composition’s rights are overseen by APRA AMCOS, while the recording’s rights are handled by PPCA. It is free to register with both organisations and only takes a few minutes.

Find out more from APRA AMCOS and PPCA.

CONSUMERS

How do I get involved?

1. Share the Our Soundtrack Our Stories social assets across all the channels that you use and share with friends and your favourite artists you are fans of to show your support. If you see a local business getting behind the initiative then like their posts as well!
2. Get creative, as there are no limits to how you can get involved. Here are a few ideas that some of our team are doing:
   • Create themed playlists with all homegrown artists to share with your friends that soundtrack your everyday moments. 
   • Tag five brands or businesses that you support and challenge them to play more local music.
   • Re-soundtrack iconic moments with local artists and their songs that you think would be great.
   • Set yourself a challenge to discover, play and share one or more Aussie artists every day for a week.

PARTNERS (Alphabetical order):

AAM, AMPAL, APRA AMCOS, ARIA, Australian Festival Association, BMG, Bolster, Chugg Music, CMAA, Disco, Eleven, EMC, EMI, Habit Music, Hutch Collective, Inertia, John Watson Management, Kobalt Music, Lemontree Music, Level Two, Linktree, Live Music Office, Live Nation, Made In Katana MEAA, Mirror Music Group, Mushroom Labels and Mushroom Group, Music ACT, Music NSW, Music NT, Music SA, Music Victoria, Nightlife, PPCA, Q Music, Sony Music, Sony Music Publishing, Sounds Australia, Support Act, The Annex, The Process, TMWR, UNIFIED, Universal Music Group Australia, Universal Music Publishing Australia, Warner Music Australia, Warner Chappell Australia.

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