Australian music’s artists, leading businesses and industry bodies are sending out a different kind of S.O.S. to the nation’s corporations, media and anyone willing to listen: it’s time to add our soundtrack to our stories.
Our Soundtrack Our Stories, launched today, is an initiative to soundtrack Australian lives with Australian music. It’s that simple. But one simple move will have a monumental impact on the lives of our homegrown, globally-loved, local artists whose livelihoods have been rocked by the ongoing pandemic. This campaign is about celebrating Australian music and the people making it.
Greater support from corporate Australia means greater reach for our artists, which translates to everything from higher streams, new fans and increased royalty revenue. That support could not come at a more important time, with over $64,000,000 in revenue lost since 1 July 2021 among just 2,000 respondents to the I Lost My Gig survey. With 99% of that revenue revealed to be uninsurable, the real figure is significantly higher. This push will invite everyday people to view this country's music in a new light.
The initiative arrives exactly one week after Jack River, real name Holly Rankin, posted the now viral call-to-arms for Australian media and business to get behind homegrown music as it struggles under the pressure of a new wave of lockdowns – all but eliminating prospects for live touring for the foreseeable future – the initiative calls for public commitment to increase the inclusion of diverse Australian artists in the commercial and mainstream landscape.
The post has already led to action from Channel 7, Channel 9, Coles, 7-Eleven and Bank Australia; with the likes of Baker Boy, Lime Cordiale, Vera Blue, Alex The Astronaut, Sarah Wilson, Turia Pitt, Chantelle Otten adding their support to the original post.
Our Soundtrack Our Stories is an open invitation from our country's music community to the rest of Australia to discover, champion, share, and consume more local music. It exists to promote our artists, promote the enormous economic and cultural contribution of local music, and to ensure a bright, bold, diverse and exciting future for the next generation of musicians and music lovers alike.
Join the movement. Get involved today by clicking the links below:
Show your support by sharing these social assets.
Check out the factsheet here to learn more about how to support.
Follow @OurSoundtrackOurStories on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter for more and use #OurSoundtrackOurStories.
Together we acknowledge First Nations peoples’ unbroken connection to country, and the experience that they bring to the music landscape. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and future, as we continue our journey of listening, and work towards true kinship and equality.
Our Soundtrack Our Stories is created by ARIA in collaboration partners - full list here.
