For 30 years, AIR has been representing Australian-owned record labels and Australia-based independent artists.
AIR – the Australian independent record labels association – is a non-government, not for profit trade association. It’s funded by its membership, which is a collection of independent labels.
Music and entertainment lawyer, David Vodicka, is the chair of the AIR board. Vodicka is also the founder of Rubber Records, which has put out records by Even, Ice Cream Hands, the Casanovas and 1200 Techniques.
Indie-Con Australia
- Wednesday 29 July to Friday 31 July
- Mercury Cinema & Nexus Arts, Adelaide
- Tickets here
AIR Awards
- Thursday 30 July
- Adelaide Town Hall
- Tickets here
Running an indie label requires “a lot of passion and a lot of doing things on the smell of an oily rag,” Vodicka says.
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Independent labels are operating in the same marketplace as the majors, which are multinational corporations. AIR’s objective is to provide advocacy and services for independent labels “to try and further, however it can, those businesses collectively by acting together,” says Vodicka.
Victoria Sweetie Zamora, the head of labels and promotions at Remote Control Records, also sits on the AIR board. Zamora sees AIR as essential for building community in Australia’s independent label sector.
“AIR gives indie labels a shared space to connect and learn from and with each other, and hopefully feel part of something bigger than our own day to day release schedule,” she says.
The classic image of an independent label is a tiny operation with an unyielding DIY work ethic. But not all independent labels are homespun operations. “If you’re successful, then you can make that into a far bigger operation,” Vodicka says.
Mushroom Music, home to Kylie Minogue, Jimmy Barnes and Vance Joy, is a prime example. Future Classic, which has released music by Flume, Flight Facilities and Chet Faker, is another.
“A label like Future Classic, which maybe came out of Nathan [McLay] and Chad [Gillard]’s particular vision for the things that they wanted to do, really sort of flipped over when you ended up with acts like Flume, who set them on a different path and led them to become a far bigger label with more than just a couple of people,” Vodicka says.
Remote Control collaborates with many small local labels, like Beloved Records and Pointer Recordings, and many larger international labels, like 4AD and XL Recordings. Zamora says that what unite indie labels across the spectrum is “genuine independence of decision-making and a dedicated long-term investment in artist development over quick wins.”
“We discuss this a lot, but trying to reinvest in music that’s meaningful to us has always mattered more than chasing something that seems or feels like the safe bet,” Zamora says.
AIR runs various programs to improve the business outcomes for its members. One example is the AIR x Sounds Australia MAICC funding, which has just been renewed for another three rounds.
“It’s been helping members with financial contributions toward international conference travel,” Zamora says.
AIR also provides broader advocacy for the sector. “So, when government calls out for papers on certain things, like AI, copyright, all these sorts of things, then obviously the objective is for Australian independents to be in the conversation,” Vodicka says.
“Ultimately, for the independents, if you’re acting by yourself as a tiny business, it’s very hard to get attention when the other big businesses, like Universal and Warner and Sony, are all in that sector and they have significant market share just on their own.”
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AIR also hosts the annual Indie-Con Australia Conference and AIR Awards, which are held in Adelaide during the final week of July.
“Indie-Con has gone from strength to strength,” Vodicka says. “We now have this partnership with Indie Week in New York, where A2IM, the American Association of Independent Music, curates a full day and sends out a bunch of members.
“And so, you get access to high-level international connections and your peers all in one spot with topics that are of interest to you as an independent label at the conference, and then obviously a bit of celebration at the awards.”
Zamora underlines the significance of the AIR Awards, which are happening at Adelaide Town Hall on Thursday 30 July.
“The AIR Awards gives our Australian independent label landscape a moment to celebrate and recognise the insane contribution independent music makes,” she says.
“I think it’s a good way for the independent industry to come together and recognise their successes and also share knowledge,” Vodicka says.
Vodicka has been the AIR board chairperson for a number of years. And while he acknowledges the serious challenges currently being posed by AI, he is optimistic about the potential for indie labels and artists to establish sustainable careers in music.
“You ultimately need to have some level of commercial success to sustain a business,” he says. “But if you have the idea and the will and the interest, and you have acts that you work with that you believe in and that are talented, then there’s a lot of different niches you can find.
“You don’t have to be a world leader and be the biggest act in the world, provided that you can sustain yourself and you can continue to release music you like with artists you like.”
Learn more about AIR here.
This article was made in partnership with AIR.
