Music Australia

By delivering a dedicated funding scheme for Australian music export, Music Australia will play an important role in expediting the profile and success stories of Australia’s future A-list artists and musicians, Grammy winners, festival headliners and celebrated music professionals.

Australian artists and music businesses can rarely be sustained by a domestic market alone. Committing funds for export will crucially assist with long term career sustainability and enable music businesses access to varied additional revenue streams across multiple territories, bolstering the overall economic performance of the sector.

There are three areas of export support for artists. For more detail on each category please use the links below.

Category 1: International Performance and Touring Activity

Category 2: International Professional and Artistic Development

Category 3: International Market and Audience Development

Watch our information and question and answer session here.

The establishment of the Music Australia Export Development Fund forms a bold partnership between the Australian Government and the Australian music industry – a matched funding initiative, designed to provide financial support to a diverse range of Australian artists at distinct phases of their international careers.

The Music Australia Export Development Fund offers targeted support for Australian artists at different career junctures by providing a bespoke grant program that targets three specific areas of export activity including; International Performance and Touring, International Professional and Artistic Development, and International Audience and Market Development.

The program has been developed to support emerging, breakthrough and established acts and is made available to Australian citizens or permanent residents who are current practicing music professionals. This includes solo artists, instrumentalists, bands, ensembles, DJ/producers and electronic artists, producers, songwriters and composers.

The objectives of the Music Australia Export Development Fund are to:

• Relieve pressure of the substantial costs associated with international activity
• Reduce risks associated with exporting
• Provide access to global insights, cutting edge technologies and market development opportunities
• Expedite international success for Australian artists
• Strengthen the nation’s brand and trade relations. Exporting artists share Australian stories, culture, and perspectives with the world, helping to build national identity and contribute to cultural diplomacy and Australia’s reputation.

The intended outcomes of the Music Australia Export Development fund are to:

• Increase Australian acts appearing at international festivals
• Increase ticketed headline tours undertaken by Australian artists
• Increase Australian acts chosen for international support tours
• More Australian composers creating new works with international collaborators
• More Australians featured on international “Best of Year”, “Ones to Watch” and “Breakthrough” lists
• More Australian acts nominated for global music awards (Grammys, Brits, MTV)
• Increased overseas radio airplay of Australian writers
• Increased number of Australians featured on global streaming service playlists
• More Australians featured as the music guest on international television shows
• Overall increase in foreign revenue earnings by Australian artists and songwriters.

In applying the above definition of contemporary music to the Arts Projects categories, applications that were considered and prioritised that were considered strategically important or supported the creation and sharing of new Australian work across all music genres. These applications were assessed by the Music panel only and were ranked in unfunded excellence.

The following 32 contemporary music projects that applied to the September 2023 round of Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups, and Arts Projects for Organisations, have been funded as a direct result of Music Australia investment.

• A month-long residency to develop a new electro-acoustic work for solo saxophone for Josten Myburgh
• Across Silence – Auslan in an Orchestral Landscape
• Australian Folk Festival Organisers National Conference 2024
• Avant Nava : Avant Alta – the development, production and release of twin collaborative albums.
• Axe & the Ivory Recording and Touring Project
• Cut Paste Play – festival of exploratory music by The Music Box Project
• Lucas Abela’s: Aural Frankenstein.
• Many Voices, One Community – Music in Exile LTD
• March of the Women 2024: Connecting Australia
• Mark Isaacs conducts a recording of his Symphony No. 2 with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra
• Natasha Anderson – Night Analysis: swarms and shadow pixels
• New Music & Nature Places – Jabra Latham
• POSTCARDS, a new Australian song-cycle by Connor D’Netto: Commission, Premieres and Studio Recording
• Recording contemporary classical Australian music for solo cello for album – ‘Being’ by Daniel Pini
• Recording four new singles with Grammy-award winning producer Cameron Craig in London.
• Recording, mixing, mastering and vinyl pressing of Gut Health’s new album
• Recording and production of Sui Zhen’s new album with Phil Stroud’s band and engineer Nao Anzai.
• Recording, release and promotion of Anna Smyrk’s debut album
• Recording and releasing Charles Maimarosia’s second album
• Red Desert Dream + Beyond – Alethea Beetson
• Riff: a solo guitar/electric guitar piece for Ken Murray
• Satu In The Beyond (Satu Vanska Debut Album)
• Sophie Hutchings 2024 Live International – European and UK Tour
• Sonic Hugs: An album created by Australia’s leading artists, exploring connectedness and community.
• SoundOut Festival of Free Improvisation, Free Jazz and Experimental Music + Arts
• The Dunera Mass – Nicole Forsyth
• The Inaugural Music Producers and Engineers’ Guild (MPEG) Awards night in February 2024
• The Girl Who Glows – Presentation and Tour Ready
• The Gong Crawl 2024, A Celebration of Wollongong Live Music
• The Pleasures return to the USA to tour and officially showcase at Folk Alliance International.
• Tropical Fuck Storm will record their fourth studio album and create visual assets for the release.
• We Mavericks UK/Europe Tour

Music Australia will be providing an uplift towards contemporary music projects in the upcoming March 2024 round, which is now open.  Apply here.

Music Australia investment was also able to ensure 33 additional projects were supported for international activity across three rounds of Creative Australia’s international fund. These included:

International Engagement Fund

• Ai Remote Pty Ltd
• Australian Art Orchestra Ltd
• Bonnie Knight
• Electronic Music Conference Pty Ltd
• Gail Priest
• Jessie Lloyd
• Laura Jane Lowther
• Liquid Architecture Sound Inc
• Mindy Meng Wang
• Music in Exile LTD
• Philip Samartzis

International Touring and Presentation Fund

• Aristea Mellos
• Connecting the Dots in Music
• Daniel Wilfred
• Good Morning PTY LTD
• Gondwana Choirs
• Kaninna Langford
• Lucas Abel
• Maddy Smith
• Melbourne Jazz Limited
• Patrick Pierce
• Phoebe Cockburn
• Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt

International Travel Fund

• Allysha Pinches
• Candice Lloyd
• Chitra Ridwan
• Domini Forster
• Girl and Girl Pty Ltd
• Kristi Monfries
• Martel Ollerenshaw
• Music Production For Women
• Speak Percussion
• Tracy McNeil

Music Australia has also provided funding to ensure the continuation of the Contemporary Music Touring Program. The CMTP supports national touring activity undertaken by Australian musicians performing original Australian contemporary music.

The tour must comprise of performances in at least three venues or locations outside of the performer’s hometown. Tours that include regional and remote destinations, or which assist performers residing in regional and remote areas to tour, are a priority for funding.

Grants are available from $5,000 to $50,000, depending on the number of tour venues or locations in regional or remote areas.

Click here to apply.

Adrian Collette AM became CEO of the Australia Council (now Creative Australia) in January 2019. Adrian’s leadership has brought us through the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2023, the successful transfer of the people and functions of Creative Partnerships Australia into the Australia Council, and our transformation to Creative Australia. He served on the National Cultural Policy Advisory Group, which was appointed to provide overarching strategic advice to inform the development of the 2023 Policy.

Previously, he held the position of Chief Executive of Opera Australia (Australia’s largest performing arts company) for 16 years, and has also worked in book publishing for a decade – including as Managing Director, Reed Books, a division of Reed Elsevier. As Vice-Principal (Engagement) at the University of Melbourne his responsibilities included managing the University’s museums and galleries and its many arts sector partnerships.

Adrian also served as a member of the Australia Council Board between July 2013 and December 2018 and chaired the Major Performing Arts Panel.

Adrian was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2008 for service to the performing arts, particularly through executive roles with Opera Australia, as a mentor to young artists, to publishing, and to the community.

Fred Alale AM is a senior public service professional with over two decades of experience in policy, project management, system-wide improvement, and financial systems and processes. A Chartered Accountant, he has worked in both the public and private sectors in Australia and the UK, including with the Big 4 management consultancies – EY, KPMG, and Deloitte.

Beyond his profession, Fred is a cornerstone of the African Australian community, exemplifying engagement and advocacy. As the Co-Founder and Chair of the African Music and Cultural Festival, now in its 10th year, he oversees an event drawing 55,000 to Melbourne’s Federation Square. He holds pivotal roles on boards like Africa Day Australia Inc. and the Victorian African Communities Action Plan (VACAP) committee.

In 2023, Fred’s dedicated service to the African communities earned him the prestigious Member (AM) of the Order of Australia title and a place on the COVID-19 Honour Roll in the Australia Day Honours. Fred remains fervently dedicated to amplifying the presence of African Australians and empowering the next generation to soar to unprecedented heights. His lifelong commitment to nurturing potential underscores his status as an agent of change, heralding a brighter future for both individuals and communities alike.

Danielle Caruana (aka Mama Kin) is a storyteller and writer who explores the human condition with ferocity and vulnerability. An award-winning singer-songwriter and touring artist, Caruana co-founded The Seed Fund, a philanthropic foundation supporting artists. She is a workshop facilitator and a keynote speaker with a focus on community connection and creative reinvention.

For over 15 years, she has been the architect of The Seed Fund’s Future Makers Management Workshop, an annual event with a particular focus on developing new pathways to creative independence and challenging the status quo. This highly impactful project has fostered an environment where its alumni form long bonded connections, spanning the country, supporting each other, and populating many positions within the Australian music community.

Danielle is a published author and has devoted time to working with incarcerated women, performance studies students, and emerging artists, demonstrating her capacity to establish instant and intimate connections and the ability to inspire and tailor her outreach to a broad range of communities.

A pioneer of the Australian music industry, Michael Chugg has garnered a reputation locally and internationally as one of the country’s most prominent music promoters and is a name synonymous with some of biggest tours to have come through Australia and New Zealand over the past 60 years.

Forming the Frontier touring Company with Michael Gudinski in 1979, Chugg went on to launch Chugg Entertainment in 2000 and has since toured over 700 Australian and international artists including The Police, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Elton John and more.

In 2019 Chugg re-joined Frontier touring in a joint venture. Since Covid, Chugg/Frontier has successfully delivered over 20 tours including artists such as Robbie Williams, Billie Eilish, Florence & The Machine, Tame Impala and Luke Combs.

Chugg has been involved in the inception and success of some of Australia’s most prolific music festivals including St Jerome’s Laneway Festival and CMC Rocks with the late Rob Potts, now the biggest country music festival in the Southern Festival celebrating its 16th year.

He has countless accolades to his name, including multiple Pollstar International Promoter of the Year Awards, ARIA’s Icon Award, Billboard Awards, Helpmann Awards and more. In June 1998, Michael was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on the Queen’s birthday, in recognition of his contribution to the Australian music industry and his philanthropic involvement with various charities. Michael was a founding board member of Support Act and has raised millions of dollars with charity concerts such as Wave Aid, Live Earth, Crowded House’s ‘Farewell to the World’ and Sound Relief.

Petrina Convey runs UNITY. Mgmt Group, an Australian based music management and consultancy business specialising in global strategy, artist development, cultural marketing and preparing artists for export.

She consults for labels including Warner Music, and works on Australian artists including Ruel, PANIA, SAHXL and Shanae. Petrina has also consulted on The Kid LAROI and worked on the marketing for OneFour’s groundbreaking EP “Against All Odds”.

In her previous role as Vice President of Cultural Marketing and Artist Development across the Asia Pacific region at Sony Music, she was responsible for overseeing the marketing, PR and promo of superstars including SZA, Khalid, Travis Scott, Future and Diplo, implemented the first Asia Pacific cultural marketing initiative, and was involved in the signing and development of global breakout artists The Kid LAROI and Ruel.

^{Photo: Tajette O’Halloran}

Catherine Haridy has been an artist manager and advocate for over 17 years. Founding Catherine Haridy Management (CHM) in 2006, she currently represents renowned Australian artists and producers.

Prior to this, at Warner Music Australia to Festival Mushroom Records, Cath worked in A&R signing, and project managing some of Australia’s most successful artists over the years including George, Gyroscope and Eskimo Joe.

In 2021, Cath was appointed to the role of CEO of the Australian Music Centre (AMC), which is the national service organisation dedicated to the promotion and support of art music in Australia.

Previously, Cath was the Executive Director at the Association of Artist Managers (AAM): a peak body that represents, promotes and protects Artist Managers and their artists. In that role, she actively contributed to designing and implementing a dynamic strategic direction, as well as being a former Chairperson.

Catherine has been a board member of Music Victoria, the Community Broadcasting Foundation where she Chaired the Australian Music Airplay Grants Committee as well as participated in the Online Grants Committee and was a contributor to the Foundations’ Strategic and Governance Review. She has also been a member of the board of Support Act: a registered charity established by the music industry to provide a safety net for artists and music workers in crisis and founding Director of the Music Producers and Engineers Guild (MPEG).

She’s an APRA Ambassador, as well as a respected advocate for Australian music and its creators.

Fred Leone is a cultural leader and one of the Butchulla Songmen with Aboriginal, Tongan and South-Sea Islander roots. One of very few Initiated Aboriginal men in the arts industry, Fred comes from the Garrwa and Butchulla tribes.

Fred’s role as a Songman sees him as one of the custodians of traditional songs and one of a handful of keepers and custodians of their language. Fred is active in his role as a Songman, ensuring that contemporary Butchulla stories are embedded into the collective memory of the tribes oral histories and ceremonies going forward.

As a Songman, his primary instrument is his voice, yet he uses Didgeridoo (Kuluru in Garrwa language), boomerangs (Bargan in Butchulla language), Emu egg (Ngurunj in Butchulla language), tree branches, sand and other objects from K’gari to form his traditional sound pallet.

Nathan McLay cut his teeth in the music industry in the early 2000s setting up the digital department for Inertia (now PIAS), the Australian home to many of his beloved record labels including XL, Warp and Ninja Tune. Inertia was the first to partner with Apple’s fledgling iTunes service.

Over the course of his 20 year career Nathan has developed a knowledge of the industry across management, touring, recording and publishing. He is the co-founder (with life partner Jay Ryves) of independent music company Future Classic, working with artists past and present including G Flip, Flume, Flight Facilities, SOPHIE, Sycco, Hayden James, Chet Faker, Seekae and Dean Brady and with offices in Sydney and LA.

Artist development and building international careers are Nathan’s passion, and in October 2023 he was appointed Managing Director of Virgin Music Group ANZ where he will focus on export for Virgin’s local artist’s and labels.

Gordi is the musical moniker of Canowindra-born singer-songwriter-producer, Sophie Payten.

Since her globally acclaimed debut album Reservoir in 2017 and her ARIA nominated 2020 follow-up, Our Two Skins, Gordi has become a cherished indie/folk songwriter. She has performed with international Grammy-nominated artists Bon Iver, The National and Sam Smith, and collaborated with the likes of Troye Sivan and Julien Baker.

Payten’s work has featured in various television series including The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead, she co-wrote the original song for the Academy Award nominated feature film Mitchells Vs the Machines, and her composition for the film ‘RIDE’ was nominated for an ARIA in 2023.

Payten has served as an APRA AMCOS Ambassador since 2020, and participates as a mentor in the AIR Women in Music Program. Sophie is also a medical doctor, and throughout the pandemic was part of the Surge Response Workforce in Victoria.