Music Australia is a dedicated new body within Creative Australia, which exists to support and invest in the Australian contemporary music industry. We empower artists, foster industry growth and enhance cultural impact through strategic investment programs and advocacy. Music Australia has been deliberately designed to reach into the commercial sectors, where traditional grants funding models have been limited. 
 
Music Australia is responsible for supporting and promoting Australian contemporary music practice; and supporting and promoting the development of markets and audiences for Australian contemporary music practice. 

As per Revive (the National Cultural Policy), Music Australia has been established to:  

• grow the market for contemporary Australian music     
• increase development of original music through investment in artistic creation     
• deliver song writing and recording initiatives in schools     
• develop new strategic partnerships within and beyond the music sector, including to undertake research and data collection around key issues, including festivals and venues     
• provide ongoing support for Sounds Australia – Australia’s export music market development initiative     
• support industry professionals to learn business and management skills     
• provide central coordination around access to live music venues for bands and solo artists     
• develop new co-investment agreements with states, territories and industry to deliver national sector-wide priorities, and     
• create Community Music Hubs in high density living areas. 

Music Australia’s remit includes the broad ecosystem of contemporary Australian music, from creation and recording to live performance and market development, increasing the discoverability of Australian contemporary music and developing audiences. 

In line with the aims of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Revive, Music Australia provides support through a range of initiatives, including investment in projects, professional development, and strategic investment and partnerships.  
 

We surely do. View Music Australia’s current grants and opportunities.  

You can also view grants and opportunities for all types of music. 

On 22 November 2023, the Music Australia Council endorsed the following working definition of Australian 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 initial investments, the focus will be on musical works that are new, original and relevant to contemporary Australia.’ 

In other words, any Australian citizen or permanent resident currently composing, writing or producing music of any genre (this could be baroque-style balalaika music, as long as you are writing it now!) would fall under the scope of Australian contemporary music.  

We are taking a targeted investment approach (adaptive strategy), which will scale overtime in line with the budget for Music Australia.  

We are ensuring that we do this in an informed and evidence-based way by taking the best advice we can from the Music Australia Council, reviewing and commissioning the latest research and data on the music industry, and through our many and diverse industry convenings. 

Guided by our key areas of focus, the advice of the Music Australia Council, the five pillars of the National Cultural Policy: Revive, and Creative Australia’s establishing legislation, our strategic aim is clear – to support and promote Australian contemporary music and the development of markets and audiences. 
 
Five Pillars of Revive 

• First Nations First – recognising and respecting the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of Australia's arts and culture.​
• A Place for Every Story – reflecting the breadth of our stories and the contribution of all Australians as the creators of culture.​
• Centrality of the Artist – supporting the artist as worker and celebrating artists as creators.​
• Strong Cultural Infrastructure – providing support across the spectrum of institutions which sustain our arts, culture and heritage.​
• Engaging the Audience – making sure our stories connect with people at home and abroad.​ 

Creative Australia’s Strategic Goals 

• First Nations creativity is central to Australian arts and culture, supported by self-determined decision-making​.
• A dynamic creative sector tells the many stories of contemporary Australia​.
• Our creative workforce have sustainable careers and control of their creative assets​.
• Arts and culture are valued and of value to all Australians​.
• Local and global audiences can engage in meaningful Australian creative experiences.​ 

Yes! Music Australia was established in August 2023, within Creative Australia, as a new dedicated body to support and invest in Australian contemporary music. Whilst we have our own grant programs and investment initiatives, we also regularly uplift funding towards Creative Australia’s existing music programs, such as Arts Projects for Individuals and groups and the Contemporary Music Touring Program. 
 
Who we are not part of: Sounds Australia, MusicNSW, Office for the Arts, APRA AMCOS, or any of the other wonderful arts and music bodies spread across this country. You can, however, find links to these good people in our music industry directory.  

Music Australia’s key tactics to export Australian music are: 

• Support and investment – continue to support and invest in Australian artists and the creation of worldclass quality sound recordings. Breaking Australian acts in developed countries with established music markets (United Kingdom, European Union and North America), will also optimise their success in the growing emerging markets of Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and North Africa. 
• Songwriting – invest in songwriting development and strategic initiatives that focus on co-writing and collaborations with artists from both established and emerging markets. 
• Partnerships – develop tailored partnerships to co-design programs for the export of diaspora, migrant and first-generation Australian artists. 
• International markets – maintain adequate levels of funding in the national export program – Sounds Australia – to ensure premier on-ground in-market support for Australian artists and industry at international showcase conference events. 
• Global industry events – invest in educational trade missions and provide opportunities for industry professionals to participate at global industry events.  
• Inbound export development – support domestic activity that provides inbound export development for Australian artists and industry by delivering targeted buyers programs. 
• Export Development Fund – create and manage an Export Development Fund to provide direct funding to artists. 
   

We believe credible research is a powerful tool to listen, understand and pro-actively respond to the issues facing the Australian contemporary music industry.  

Music Australia has commissioned and is involved in research to survey the views of the Australian public on the music industry (perceptions, belief, values, importance), that also includes targeted questions on their participation and consumption habits, to develop evidence-based investment strategies. 

Keep up to date with our most current research projects. 

The work of Music Australia is guided by the expertise of the Music Australia Council.  

Unfortunately due to limited resourcing we are unable to offer individual feedback on grant applications.  

However, we note that grants are highly competitive, and we encourage those who have applied and been unsuccessful to use the summarised feedback we have collated on the Export Development Fund – International Market and Audience Development to strengthen their application and re-apply for future rounds where possible. 

Although we love to hear Australian music, we aren’t able to support individual artists outside of our grant programs. Please take a look at our current grants and opportunities to see what you might be eligible for!