Please check the following before contacting us to ensure you are eligible:  

□ you are a current practising solo artist, instrumentalist, band, ensemble, DJ/producer and electronic artist, producer, songwriter and/or composer

□ you must be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident

□ the activity meets the following definition of contemporary music: “Australian contemporary music is any genre or subgenre of music currently composed, written, produced by Australians and licensed, recorded, presented, and distributed through commercial and non-commercial activity. For the purposes of Music Australia’s investments, the focus is on musical works that are new, original and relevant to contemporary Australia”

□ this is a career milestone opportunity (please see FAQs for examples)

□ the opportunity is 100% confirmed with supporting documentation available

□ the offer has been made at short notice (within 3 weeks)

□ the activity starts within 2 and 8 weeks from now

□ you have not already received OMG funding in this financial year (1 July – 30 June)

□ you have not applied for a Music Australia grant (such as the Export Development Fund) for the same activity

□ other avenues of funding support have been exhausted (such as state-based quick response funding).

Your activity must meet the following definition of contemporary music to be eligible:   

“Australian contemporary music is any genre or subgenre of music currently composed, written, produced by Australians and licensed, recorded, presented, and distributed through commercial and non-commercial activity. For the purposes of Music Australia’s investments, the focus is on musical works that are new, original and relevant to contemporary Australia”. 

• the offer has come at short notice (within 3 weeks)
• the activity must start between 2 and 8 weeks from the date you make the submission
• the offer / opportunity must be 100% confirmed and guaranteed with supporting documentation provided
• the opportunity must be new and have arisen unexpectedly
• all other avenues of funding support must have been exhausted or not open or accessible at the time of making the OMG application. This includes grant programs managed by Music Australia, Creative Australia, or any State or Territory arts funding body
• you cannot apply for activity that has been unsuccessful in a previous funding round managed by Music Australia or Creative Australia.
• the opportunity must be significant for the artist with undeniable career impact. This may include a tour or other opportunity with a major Australian or international artist, a last-minute offer to perform at a major international festival or other significant event. It is acknowledged that 'career milestone' opportunities are relative to each individual applicant and will be taken into account. 

Who can apply 

• current practising solo artists, instrumentalists, bands, ensembles, DJ/producers and electronic artists, producers, songwriters and/or composers individually or in groups
• organisations and music businesses on behalf of their artists
• for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants, opportunities must be clearly professional/export‑oriented rather than primarily cultural exchange or cultural diplomacy. Activities that are primarily for cultural exchange/diplomacy should apply through other Creative Australia grant opportunities, and through agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Please see this document for further information.  

Who can't apply 

You cannot apply for this grant if:   

• you have already received OMG funding in this financial year
• you have already submitted an application to the OMG fund that is currently being reviewed
• you are a Music Australia Council member
• you have an overdue grant report
• you owe money to Creative Australia.

What you can apply for 

A minimum of $3,000, up to a maximum of $20,000. 

The OMG Contemporary Music Opportunity is designed to support activity that includes: 

• international support tour slot
• international festival (excluding showcase events)
• national support with international artist
• national support with major Australian headline act
• confirmed writing session with a well-known established songwriter
• opportunity to appear on an international television show
• opportunity to appear on a global online platform (i.e. Tiny Desk, Colors)
• placement offer for an international residency or fellowship.

As well as costs directly associated with the activity listed above, you may apply for all costs associated with completing your activity up to a limit of $20,000. Eligible costs include but are not limited to: 

• artist and creative worker fees (musicians and crew)
• artist management costs directly related to the proposed activity. This expense cannot be the main activity applied for and must be no more than 50% of the total budget request.
• flights, accommodation, per diems, ground transport costs
• travel insurance
• freight or baggage costs
• childcare, carer and access costs.

Access costs are legitimate expenses and may be included in your application. We encourage applicants to ensure that their work is accessible to everyone. Budgets may include costs associated with making activities accessible to a wide range of people (e.g. performances using Auslan, translation to other languages, captioning, audio description, temporary building adjustments, and materials in other formats). 

If you are a d/Deaf applicant, an applicant with disability, or are working with d/Deaf artists or artists with disability, you may apply for access costs associated with the use of an interpreter, translation services, specific technical equipment, carer or support worker assistance. Please contact Music Australia to discuss your specific needs. 

What cannot be applied for 

• international or domestic showcase conference events
• costs relating to international artists, producers and other creatives
• the manufacture of albums and merchandise
• passport application costs
• international relocation expenses
• capital expenditure (such as studio infrastructure and instrument purchases).

You must complete the budget in the application form.

Your application must comply with the following protocols. We may contact you to ask for further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding. 

Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts 

If your application involves First Nations artists, communities or subject matter, you must: 

• follow these Protocols, and
• provide evidence of this in your application and support material. 

More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here. 

Commonwealth Child Safe Framework 

All successful applicants must comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children. This includes working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will also be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.  

Applications to the OMG Contemporary Music Opportunity will be assessed through Industry Advice. Creative Australia and Music Australia staff may also assess your application.

Learn more about how we assess your application.  

As well as meeting the eligibility requirements, you must address two assessment criteria in this opportunity. Industry advisors will review your application and determine whether it will be funded using the criteria below.   

Impact  

Assessors will consider the impact of the activity. This includes: 

• the extent to which this activity advances the artist's career trajectory and future opportunities
• the unique and/or significant nature of the opportunity (relative to the artist’s career)
• the extent to which the activity develops a new market or relationship, strengthens networks, grows audiences, and increases the artist profiles
• the significance of the work within the music industry and/or community
• whether the activity will grow the market and increase visibility of contemporary Australian music
• whether the opportunity includes the development of original music.

Viability  

Assessors will consider whether your activity is viable. This includes:  

• evidence of confirmed invitations to the event or opportunity
• if the activity has realistic budgeting and logistics
• the relevance and timeliness of the proposed activity in relation to the significance of the opportunity for the artist/s
• the skills and abilities of the team involved, and their relevance to the activity
• the quality of previous work
• responses to previous work from artistic or cultural peers, or the public
• measures being applied to ensure the safety and wellbeing of people involved in the project
• where relevant to the project, evidence that the protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts have been adhered to, or the relevant cultural protocols for the international jurisdiction in which you are working. 

You must submit support material with your application. The industry advisors will review your support material, as it can also be used to gain a better understanding of your activity and arts practice.  

You must include a letter or email confirming and outlining the details of the offer.  

The following support material may also be included with your application:    

• how cultural protocols have been or will be observed and permissions obtained (if relevant to your activity)
• current samples of your music such as a website link, audio and/or video links (maximum duration 10 minutes in total), images and/or written material
• biographies and CVs for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in the activity (no longer than 2 A4 pages in total)
• letters of support (up to 2 letters of support, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page), these should not be from individuals or organisations financially involved in the activity
• risk management: for international travel, you may submit a one-page risk management plan (in any format). If you require a template, you can download a template here.    

We prefer to receive information via web links (URLs).   

You may submit up to three URLs per application. For example, you could include a link to documents including your letter of confirmation and risk management plan, your website, and a link to a video or audio file.    

If you are not able to provide URLs, you may upload support material as attachments. You may collate documents to include multiple pages. We recommend that each attachment is clearly and accurately labelled. 

We do not accept support material submitted by post.  If you need help submitting material online, or you are not sure what support material to submit, please contact us.   

Examples include a short-notice invitation to play Tiny Desk or Colours, a last-minute support opportunity for a touring international artist, or a major international festival slot.  

No – the offer must be a short notice opportunity received in the last three weeks.  

A key element of showcasing at international events is time spent in advance setting up key meetings, soliciting additional plays and tapping into all possible networking and business to business opportunities. The time frame of the OMG fund does not allow for this advance preparation. We encourage applicants to look at our other Investments & Opportunities for international showcase opportunities.