There’s never been a better time to be a part of the Victorian music community. Across some of the best venues in the country, to the amazing musicians developing both within Melbourne and in regional areas, to promoters and bookers and astronauts (probably), the support and opportunities within the Garden State has established a cultural reputation known across the world. Despite this, finding success in the industry is no guarantee, which is why having the good folk at Music Victoria at your back is a no-brainer. Project/Marketing Manager Laura Imbruglia leads us through the 2018 Music Victoria Membership Drive.
“It’s pretty common when I talk to people and tell them I work at Music Vic, they don’t know what it is,” Imbruglia admits. “That’s part of the [new] membership video. We’re the voice for the music industry in Victoria. That’s venues, artists, managers, people who go to live music gigs, music industry professionals. We advocate on behalf of them, and hold workshops that teach people how to pitch their music to radio, or how to release an album on a shoestring budget or balance your books. All that stuff.
“In addition to that, we seek out discounts that will benefit our members. You get a card and get discounts on a lot of different things, ranging from printing posters, to merchandise, to gyms, to discounted luggage when you’re travelling.”
There are indeed some pretty amazing incentives to sign up for here. Not only are the Music Victoria crew advocating for your rights from a strong and organised front – which is already pretty damned awesome – there’s also a slew of prizes on offer. Legal consultancy? Advertising opportunities? Yep. Mentorship with journo Mikey Cahill and Dallas Frasca? Record and edit your gig videos? All you gotta do is sign on up for as low as $22 (for individuals with a concession), and you’re in to win.
“I’d say going on our benefits page should be a one-stop shop for anyone before they’re about to release an album or go on tour, or if they’re not a musician but run a small music business and are about to promote themselves. You can get discounts on basically anything you’re going to need for those projects,” Imbruglia explains.
“There are rehearsal discounts, and there’s two new discounts we have. Rhea Caldwell Photography, where you’ll get 10% off photoshoots. She’s done shoots for some pretty high-profile artists. And Sam Orchard is offering 10% off music videos. He’s done shitloads of music videos, and also did our campaign video. I’d be hitting all of this up before a release.”
Over the last few years, Music Victoria’s membership has grown at a steady rate (by 30% across 2016 and 2017 respectively), and this year Imbruglia and the crew are hoping for an even stronger response. Part of this optimism stems from the work they’ve been doing across regional Victoria.
“There are a lot of things working in our favour at the moment, and the music scene is really strong. We’ve done a lot of regional work in the past year, [taking] Melbourne music industry professionals through various regional venues, making connections between booking agents, festival organisers and artists. We’re hoping to tap into that more. We’re also part of the Music Cities Convention in April. We’ve had a lot of successful acts like Courtney Barnett and King Gizz doing really well overseas, so we really hope people want to be a part of that community and join the fold.”
Imbruglia is also one to put her money where her mouth is. Having relocated from the Central Coast to Sydney, the strength of Victoria’s artistic community compelled her to keep travelling south. Since then, thanks in no small part to Music Victoria, she’s seen the music industry go from strength to strength.
“I’ve always admired Melbourne’s music scene from afar. Victorians clearly support the arts, and it seemed like a stronger infrastructure in place. Sydney has a lot of venues closing down. They’re in dire straits with their music scene, and part of the strength of our scene now is that community, how everyone is so passionate and vocal and active, and we have engaged members. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
