Supporting Revival 2023-2025

The MDO’s overarching mission for 2023-2025 is to cultivate a globally competitive, inclusive and sustainable ecosystem to underpin growth for the contemporary original music industry.

It will achieve this through strong partnerships, targeted investments and the delivery of strategic initiatives that are guided by three pillars:

  1. Sustainability – building long term sustainable foundations for the South Australian music industry so it may grow through current challenges. This includes support for grass roots venues, right through to supporting green practices, mentally healthy workplaces and educational pathways.
  2. Globally local – enabling local and diverse storytelling on a global scale.
  3. Future readiness – building a smart, innovative, and future-facing industry equipped to leverage growth and manage challenges.

The Music Development Office’s strategic objectives have been informed by consultation with the local sector in 2021 and 2022 through roundtable discussions with 33 music businesses from across the music industry ecosystem, together with insights provided by a live music venues audit undertaken by the University of South Australia.

It is designed to complement Revive, the National Cultural Policy and in particular Music Australia, aiming to leverage partnership opportunities to benefit South Australia’s musicians and music businesses.

A new era of momentum and growth

  • Global predicted live music industry revenue by 2030
    $131b
  • Value of the Australian live music and entertainment industry
    $16b
  • FTE workers throughout Australia
    90,000

A new era of momentum and growth is predicted for the recorded and live music industry with multiple reports predicting revenues expected to more than double globally to$131 billion by 2030[1].

In Australia, the live music and entertainment industry is already worth $16 billion to the national economy[2]. Operating nationally and internationally, the sector includes sole traders, small businesses, and large organisations, and employs more than 90,000 FTE workers.

For the first time in our nation’s history, the music sector has been recognised by the Australian Government as an artform and an industry, with holistic benefits that drive economic, social, and cultural impacts. These impacts generate vibrancy and position a city’s cultural brand, which in turn attracts tourism and business outcomes while retaining young professionals.

The introduction of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy, Revive, and the investment of $69.8 million into the establishment of Music Australia, has demonstrated this recognition and is set to provide a national overview to the development of contemporary music across the country.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music, Adelaide has had a long history producing global talent including artists Tkay Maidza and Sia, and industry heavyweights such as sound engineer Jon Lemon, music entrepreneur (BeeGees Manager) Robert Stigwood, and Wonderlick Entertainment’s Stu MacQueen.

The South Australian Government also recognises the value of the music industry, which is why in 2014 the state established Australia’s first Music Development Office (MDO). Led by industry specialists, the MDO has been supporting the contemporary music ecosystem in South Australia for almost 10 years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the MDO led one of the first response packages in the country, administering more than $9 million dollars in support funding to 185 music businesses across the South Australian music industry.

This funding contributed to ensuring South Australian music businesses were able to continue to operate while they pivoted and implemented diversification tactics to build resilience. South Australia is one of the only states in the country which did not experience closure of multiple live music venues throughout the pandemic.

[1] 2022 Goldman Sachs Music in the Air report

[2] 2022 APRA AMCOS National Cultural Policy Submission

The Plan

Supporting Revival 2023-2025 contributes to the vision outlined in the South Australian Economic Statement of ‘an economy that is smart, sustainable and inclusive’.

Initiatives developed under this plan will be designed with a holistic ecosystem view (artistic and business), aiming to foster industry development through creative, business, export and skills development. Support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and diverse communities across metropolitan, regional and remote South Australia is a key priority embedded within the plan.

The MDO acknowledges that while there is a growth trajectory predicted, it is acutely aware of the challenges that continue to exist for the music industry. These are recognised nationally and include:

  • skills shortages,
  • increased public liability insurance,
  • changed consumer behaviour
  • decreases in consumer spending due to inflation,
  • issues with inclusivity and respectful working conditions,
  • challenges in the transition to a green economy,
  • increased production costs, extreme weather events and slow ticket sales,
  • and visibility and discoverability of Australian artists including barriers to export.

Through this plan, the MDO aims to support the South Australian music industry as it continues to navigate these challenges. Additionally, the MDO recognises the ‘centrality of the artist’ as the creators and generators of Intellectual Property (IP). This creative IP is the central point of music industry supply chains, which include businesses across the areas of production, distribution, touring and promotion.

Therefore, the MDO’s plan targets professional touring artists, songwriters/music creators, dedicated live music venues, festival and event promoters, tour and artist managers, and other music businesses and entrepreneurs within the South Australian contemporary original music sector.

The Pillars

The plan is guided by three pillars:

The MDO is focused on building long term sustainable foundations for the South Australian music industry so it may grow alongside the predicted global trajectory.

Areas of priority for the MDO that are guided by this pillar include activities and policy that support long term viability, such as:

  • developing workforce and skills capabilities;
  • rebuilding national touring circuits;
  • removal of barriers for live music activity within the night time economy;
  • environmental sustainability initiatives;
  • building educational pathways;
  • increasing connectivity with national industry;
  • support for mentally healthy workplaces and
  • projects that support positive social and community outcomes.

Measurable outcomes will be achieved through:

  • The MDO’s core funding programs which include Contemporary Music Organisations Funding, Live Music Events Fund, the Robert Stigwood Fellowship Program and Project Support Grants
  • Strategic initiatives developed in partnership with:
    • local organisations such as Adelaide UNESCO City of Music, key funded organisations (Music SA, Nexus, NSS), Festival City Adelaide, and local government agencies
    • national peak bodies such as Green Music Australia, The Push, APRA AMCOS, ARIA, Australian Festivals Association, AIR, Live Music Office and Live Performance Australia, for activities such as IndieCon, Live and Local and Music Careers Expo.

Building a globally competitive, holistic music industry ecosystem starts with the artist. The MDO recognises the importance of supporting storytelling from our uniquely local perspective with the inclusion of diverse groups and First Nations communities.

It also prioritises the production of a continued pipeline of creative IP to generate work for the music businesses in the ecosystem. Therefore, applications to competitive grant programs that seek support for songwriting (storytelling) and which engage South Australia music businesses will be highly regarded in competitive funding rounds.

Identifying opportunities to increase visibility, discoverability, and consumption of South Australian music in national and international markets is also a key area of focus for the MDO under this pillar, along with supporting export-ready music businesses by removing barriers to market.

Measurable outcomes will be achieved through:

  • MDO’s core funding programs which include Contemporary Music Organisations Funding, Live Music Events Fund, the Robert Stigwood Fellowship Program and Project Support Grants
  • partnerships with local and national industry organisations such as Nexus, Adelaide UNESCO City of Music, BLKMPIRE, Sounds Australia, APRA AMCOS, ARIA and government agencies, through initiatives such as the Export Contribution Fund, Songhubs, Scouted and SA Music Awards.

The MDO will focus on increasing activity that drives innovation in the music sector. This will ensure South Australian music creators and businesses have the capability to leverage global growth opportunities and are equipped to face the challenges of the future.

Measurable outcomes will be achieved through:

  • MDO’s core funding programs which include Contemporary Music Organisations Funding, Live Music Events Fund, the Robert Stigwood Fellowship Program and Project Support Grants
  • supporting professional development opportunities and upskilling within local music businesses to support the future proofing of the industry.
  • increased collaboration with technology sector to support advancements in the music industry
  • partnerships with key industry organisations (Music SA, Nexus, NSS), Universities, tech-based businesses and government agencies in the development of strategic initiatives such as SoundOn Songhubs powered by Tik Tok.

Further to this, the MDO will continue to track and analyse insights and data to understand predicted trends and challenges that will inform policy and funding decisions into the future.