Blink, who also wrote the indispensable handbook DIY Touring the World last year, returns as part of Melbourne Music Week to advice on how Australian musicians can undertake a no-budget world tour, break even and have fun. It was written as a guide for others when he arrived in America in 2008 with NZ band Across The Atlantic and discovered to his horror the booking agent had only booked eight gigs – which he had to hastily bump up to 50.
Farkas, on her first visit to Australia, will deliver a keynote on the steps to take to become a global artist. She will also be joined by Richard Moffat (Way Over There) and Nick O’Byrne (AIR) for a look into the future in ‘2014 – The Year That Was’, delivering a hypothetical review of the music industry‘s 2014 game changers, failures and opportunities.
Other speakers just announced are Bill Cullen (One Louder), Blake Rayner (Dew Process, Create/Control), Ashley Sambrooks (Show Off Services), Meg Williams (AAM), Tim Shiel (Faux Pas/RRR), Jacqui Wilson (Shock, Permanent Records), Ashley Gay (Xelon Entertainment), Patrick Donovan (Music Victoria), Shane Wickens (The Push), Craig Mathieson (journalist), Stephen Green (SGC New Media Marketing) and Lauren Taylor (3RRR).
Among the sessions is The Sounding Board, a face to face with label A&R and radio tastemakers featuring Simon Winkler (RRR), Adam Christou (Recon Music/Remote Control), Chelsea Wilson (PBS), Jamie Farkas (VICE), Stu Harvey (triple j), Maya Janeska (Shock Records) and Dan Zilber (FBi Radio).
How to turn a small gig into a career launching pad? Small Rooms, Big Dreams features Tim Scott (Gasometer Hotel), Joel Morrison (Old Bar, Public Bar), Emily Ulman (Boney, The Toff), Samuel Wald (Artist Voice), Anastasia Casagrande (Reverence Hotel), Sean Simmons (Premier Artists) and Matt Leost (Artery Foundation).
In Music = Arts, multimedia artist Sonny Smith of Sonny and the Sunsets takes a look at artists who create music and musicians who create art. He is joined by local artist/musicians Darren Sylvester and Caroline Kennedy.
