ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 i We acknowledge the traditional Aboriginal owners of country throughout Victoria and pay our respects to them, their culture and their Elders past, present and future. Contents

3 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT

4 GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT

6 ABOUT THE VMDO

8 STRATEGIC PLAN 2018 – 2021

15 THE YEAR IN REVIEW

16 THE FUTURE

22 MARKET DEVELOPMENT

28 MUSIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

34 MUSIC BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT – FIRST PEOPLES

38 SUPPORT ACTS FOR THE BIG NAMES

40 CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

40 ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

41 MUSIC VICTORIA BOARD

45 VMDO STEERING COMMITTEE

47 VMDO STAFF

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 1 “I think what I was struck by is that, very much like Nashville, there is such a deep music community here and there’s so much support that is really lovely and wonderful. You don’t get that in a lot of places. I feel that kinship in Melbourne the way we have it in Nashville” – Cameo Carlson, mtheory

2 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER’S REPORT Patrick Donovan, Music Victoria

Music Victoria was contracted by Creative Victoria in 2018 to manage the Victorian Music Development Office as a major two year project.

It was part of the State Government’s unprecedented 2014 Music Works commitment, which at the time was the largest contemporary music funding commitment made by a state or federal government in Australia, and will fund the Music Market development at the Collingwood Arts Precinct which will house the VMDO in 2020.

Music Victoria hired general manager Bonnie Dalton, set up the office, and recruited consultants to develop the strategic and business plans, which included the vision:

The VMDO will grow the prosperity of Victorian music businesses.

By supporting small to medium sized businesses capacity and developing pathways into new markets with a focus on First Nations and under-represented artists, the VMDO provides a business-focused lens to Music Victoria’s support for the industry.

Music Victoria receives a management and administration fee to manage the VMDO, and Music Victoria board member Chris O’Neill chairs the industry Steering Committee to offer support and advice. Major strategic and financial decisions are approved by the Music Victoria board.

While the office has been fully operational for less than 12 months, it has provided much needed support and pathways to the industry.

Those outcomes are currently being evaluated and will be submitted to Creative Victoria as part of the lapsed funding program process.

We look forward to hearing from the industry about the key outcomes which will enable us to focus on key gaps and opportunities moving forward.

The music industry has undergone major disruptions in the last 20 years, and the VMDO is well placed to help the Victorian music industry capitalise on future opportunities, and prepare themselves for the inevitable next wave of change.

Well done to the VMDO team on a great first year, and thanks to the State Government for continuing to invest in the contemporary music industry.

Patrick Donovan CEO Music Victoria VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 3 GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT Bonnie Dalton, Victorian Music Development Office

I’m pleased to present the 2018/2019 Annual Report for the Victorian Music Development Office.

The VMDO is an ambitious new project, and the local industry’s warm reception to its announcement in April last year by the Minister for Creative Industries, The Hon Martin Foley MP, and engagement with it since, speaks volumes to its need.

It’s been a big 12-months, setting up and establishing the VMDO and delivering on the election commitments of the Victorian State Government within Music Works, a four-year, $22.2 million contemporary music funding and support program.

One of the strengths of the VMDO is the way it consciously and comfortably occupies the space between State Government’s priorities and the commercial forces of the local industry. The fact that the whole VMDO team have come directly from the industry has given the VMDO the best chance to deliver meaningful outcomes for the industry.

Now, as we move into the VMDO’s second year, the VMDO team has clarity and confidence in delivering goals for both government and industry on VMDO programs, within the structure of Music Victoria. This is evident at events like the monthly Networking Breakfasts where attendances and engagement is consistently high, and the enthusiasm and commitment of the presenters and participants in the Experts in Residence and Blak Sound programs.

As General Manager, I’ve represented the VMDO at a number of international events over this first year of operations. I’ve learned a great deal and made many new connections, which have now been shared with the local industry. Some of these introductions are now international partnerships for local businesses and there are many others that have become key contacts in new networks, creating opportunities for Victorian music businesses, particularly in developing markets such as China. In addition to this, the important take away messages have consistently been around the need to be ready for the ongoing disruption that is inevitable given the indelible role that technology plays in our music business’ supply chain. In fact, moving away from a model where music business is regularly ‘disrupted’ and into an ongoing development and transition approach is one that many music businesses are already embracing and that the VMDO very much supports. It’s the scale of the change that I’ve been impressed with and the VMDO’s ongoing focus on innovation will continue to provide research, training and Critical Thinkers to help Victorian small music businesses prepare for and benefit from that change.

4 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Continuing the theme of ongoing development, the VMDO’s partnerships with the Association GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT of Artist Managers (AAM) and the Australian Independent Records Association (AIR) to deliver Creative Victoria’s Fast Track Fellowship has significantly impacted the professional development of two of Victoria’s rising stars in the industry, Rhianon Damas and Danae Effern. In addition to Bonnie Dalton, their personal development, I’ve been impressed by what they’ve each learned from their respective host companies and the business innovation these experiences have sparked for both of them. Victorian Music In the coming months the local industry will hear more from Rhianon and Danae as we launch the second round of Fellowships with the AAM and AIR partners.

Development Office The development of First Peoples’ music businesses is of critical importance to this office and the work of our First People’s Music Business Manager over this first twelve months has been very much focussed on consultation and engagement, the results of which will be consolidated to inform all of the VMDO’s work going forward. In addition to this, the creation of the Blak Sound program to support emerging First Peoples’ music businesses is currently being delivered as a pilot, in partnership with the City of Melbourne and Spotify, and we look forward to leveraging the results and learnings from the program overall and for each of the wonderful participants.

Many of the connections that we’ve made over the past twelve months need time to develop and the true value of that work is expected to be returned in the coming months and years. However, there are innumerable examples of the immediacy of the VMDO’s work too. Maintaining the reputation of the VMDO to deliver mutual benefits to everyone we work with is a priority for the whole team to ensure the office can continue to connect the Victorian music industry with those opportunities for growth.

This report includes details of the plans, programs and outcomes of the past 12 months and speaks to the preparation and support of the VMDO by Creative Victoria, the governance and oversight by Music Victoria and the VMDO Steering Committee and staff in realising the vision so far. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this exciting and important project and look forward to the year ahead.

Bonnie Dalton General Manager Victorian Music Development Office

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 5 L-R: Neil Morris, Chris Carey, Cameo Carlson, Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt, Sianne van Abkoude, Katie Stewart, Bonnie Dalton.

About the VMDO The Victorian music industry is a vast and complex network of people, ideas and experiences. We’ve opened up a dialogue with our peers who work within it and identified the places where we can contribute to making the most significant change for them.

We enable Victoria’s music professionals to broaden their networks overseas and learn from the trends that are driving international markets; undertake business development and training; access resources and services; and learn from ‘experts in residence’ whose experience and points of view are invaluable for our industry. If they require fellowships or funding, we can also link them with opportunities to apply for those resources to help grow their businesses and expand their view of what’s possible. We’re the Victorian music industry’s professional support system.

6 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 What we do The VMDO provides support directly to the Victorian music industry’s many businesses. We are highly aware of the significant economic and cultural value to be found in supporting the music industry, and the businesses within it, and we’re here to make sure that is not taken for granted. We assist Victoria’s small and micro music businesses in reaching their full potential through research, professional development and capacity building – ensuring a vibrant, thriving music industry. The VMDO is focussing on five core business priorities:

A. The Future B. Market Development C. Music Business Development D. Music Business Development - First Peoples E. The Support Acts for the Big Names Program

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 7 L-R: Katie Stewart, Zaran Vachha, Sarah Guppy, Rahul Kukreja, Priya Dewan, Bonnie Dalton, Sophie Wee, John Uy. Strategic Plan 2018 – 2021 VISION The VMDO will grow the prosperity of Victorian Music Businesses

To achieve this the Victorian Music Development Office will work with and for Victorian Music Businesses to 1. Develop Capacity 2. Increase Revenue 3. Seed Innovation 4. Reflect Victorian Communities 5. Be Relevant and Trusted

The focus of the VMDO is micro to medium Victorian Music Businesses. The pillars that the VMDO will work towards are •• Smart •• Creative •• Representative •• Sustainable •• Profitable

8 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Victorian music businesses meeting with International Delegates during China Music Now.

GOAL 1 To achieve this the Victorian Music Development Office will work with and for Victorian Music Businesses to Develop Capacity

In the future Victorian Music The Victorian Music Development Office will Industry Businesses are: achieve this through:

1.1 Outward and connected •• Networking skills sharing events and exchange •• Programs that enhance music professionals’ understanding of markets, including international and cross-sector markets •• Strong relationships with key stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally including in trade, small business and innovation •• Understanding and disseminating relevant news, information and trends from around the world

1.2 Powered by innovative, business •• Encouraging and developing new talent, and identifying focussed and skilled people industry pathways •• Professional development programs •• Strategic events and opportunities for industry development that lead new thinking •• Supporting greater diversity and representation in Victorian Music Businesses •• An Expert in Residence program •• Practical tools and projects focused on business capacity •• Initiatives to retain skilled and experienced professionals within Victorian Music Businesses

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 9 Victorian delegates Mojo Juju & Mo Komba at SXSW 2019, with Mojo’s band and crew.

GOAL 2 The Victorian Music Development Office will work with and for Victorian Music Businesses to Increase Revenue

In the future Victorian Music The Victorian Music Development Office Industry Businesses are: will achieve this through:

2.1 Accessing relevant markets •• Inbound programs for international industry exchange •• Developing an export ready tool kit •• Analysing and sharing data to make informed, evidence based and focused decisions •• Facilitating peer knowledge sharing •• Engaging with other Industries to broker better outcomes and to establish new collaborations for Victorian Music Businesses •• Exploring the untapped capacity and unmet demand for Victorian music industry businesses and their clients

2.2 Seeking new investment •• Brokering relationships •• Identifying existing and emerging new revenue sources for businesses

10 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Victorian delegates Mojo Juju & Mo Komba at SXSW 2019, with Mojo’s band and crew. Rahul Kukreja & Priya Dewan at VMDO Networking Breakfast.

GOAL 3 The Victorian Music Development Office will work with and for Victorian Music Businesses to Seed Innovation

In the future Victorian Music The Victorian Music Development Office Industry Businesses are: will achieve this through:

3.1 Participating in and accessing •• Bench marking of sector impact, reach and relevant research and information indicators, with follow-up annual comparisons •• Evaluating and analysing the current consumer landscape •• Commissioning and partnering with relevant research projects •• Identifying trends in market opportunities within the music business sector •• Sharing research and findings

3.2 Learning from other industries •• Providing timely information, inspiration and provocation from news and sources around the world •• Collaborative events and resources

3.3 Market leaders in new thinking •• Researching and celebrating the economic and social value of the Victorian Music Industry Businesses •• Playing a pivotal role in Victorian Music Industry advocacy •• Promoting and showcasing music business leaders in wider public forums and external industry events

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 11 Victorian music businesses meeting with International Delegates during China Music Now.

GOAL 4 The Victorian Music Development Office will work with and for Victorian Music Businesses to Reflect Victorian Communities

In the future Victorian Music The Victorian Music Development Office Industry Businesses are: will achieve this through:

4.1 Embodying the diversity of the •• Partnering with First Nations organisations to Victorian Community deliver relevant management and skills programs •• Facilitating a mentorship program for First Peoples’ artists •• Delivering the Support Acts for the Big Names program •• Adhering to the Victorian Government’s Charter of Human Rights •• Fostering inclusive practise frameworks and delivering professional development •• Leading a public commitment to be inclusive and representative

12 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Victorian music businesses meeting with International Delegates during China Music Now. Kate Stewart (VMDO) and Dom Alessio (Sounds Australia).

GOAL 5 The Victorian Music Development Office will work with and for Victorian Music Businesses to Be Relevant and Trusted

In the future Victorian Music The Victorian Music Development Office Industry Businesses are: will achieve this through:

5.1 Advocates of the VMDO •• Connectivity with industry and facilitating relevant industry-led engagement •• Actively respond to industry needs

5.2 Represented in the governance of •• Ensuring best practice in our governance and the VMDO industry consultation •• Maintaining a relevant industry based steering committee •• Ensuring a sustainable organisation •• Actively considering new opportunities for expansion and development

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 13 14 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 THE YEAR IN REVIEW

EVENTS

Twenty-two public facing events and in-person training opportunities were delivered to the Victorian music industry. This included the Networking Breakfast series, Experts in Residence, CHINA & ASEAN events, SXSW party, Blak Sound showcase, Public Speaking & 22 Unconscious Bias training and the VMDO presented CHANGES talks. EVENTS

INDUSTRY ENGAGED Across our in-person events, over 2,000 industry engage with the 2000 VMDO. This includes the various events mentioned above, including hundreds of key industry coming through our SXSW party in Austin, INDUSTRY Texas. ENGAGED

INTERNATIONAL VIPs HOSTED

We hosted 13 influential business contacts in Melbourne, specifically to network, connect and form business relationships with the Victorian music industry. This included representatives from China, Singapore, 13 INTERNATIONAL Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, USA and the UK. VIPs HOSTED

EXPORTING VICTORIANS 9 export ready Victorians were supported on strategic outbound missions, with a view to increase business activity, network with international contacts and build long term networks in order to maximise opportunities for the Victorian music industry on a global 9 VICTORIANS scale. This included Fast Track Fellowship, LATAM trade mission, Folk EXPORTED Alliance, SXSW and Music Cities Convention Chengdu.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 15 L-R: Martin Foley MP, Bonnie Dalton, Uncle Ron Jones, Lord Mayor Sally Capp

The Future At the VMDO, we are committed to not only keeping up with innovation within the rapidly changing music industry, but leading the charge. With our eyes fixed firmly ahead, we are working to build a bright future for Victorian music businesses, and for the VMDO itself.

16 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 VMDO PUBLIC LAUNCH

The inaugural VMDO program was publicly launched on Friday 19th October 2018 and the occasion was celebrated with an industry event at ACMI lounge, Federation Square. Wurundjeri Elder Ron Jones delivered a Welcome to Country ceremony and the Minister for Creative Industries, Martin Foley MP marked the occasion with a speech to introduce the office and its staff members: General Manager – Bonnie Dalton, Music Business Manager – Katie Stewart, Music Business Manager First Peoples – Neil Morris and Communications Coordinator – Sianne van Abkoude. The event showcased upcoming Victorian talent, with live performances from Bumpy, Riverboy, The Merindas and Kee’ahn. Support for the VMDO from the industry has been incredibly strong since the program launch, with 110 Victorian music industry professionals in attendance that day.

“The VMDO team are now seriously fired up on how the wide range of different areas of music activities and opportunities can be delivered in partnership with the sector. New professional development programs, the global market development opportunities, audience and sector development and the new partnerships that we particularly need are based on our First Peoples Action Plan to have the opportunities to develop careers and businesses in the music industry that reflect contemporary, vibrant, indigenous music and broader culture” – Martin Foley, MP.

VMDO COMMUNICATIONS A strong online presence and meaningful engagement with the local and global industry is essential in order for the VMDO to develop into an established industry body. Now that the foundations and standards have been set, we feel confident we can continue to deliver above and beyond industry standards in future years.

MAILING LIST AVERAGE AVERAGE SUBSCRIBERS OPEN RATE CLICK RATE 1,049 50.75% 10.42%

FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS FOLLOWERS FOLLOWERS 703 124 456

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 17 RESEARCH PROJECTS

Music Consumer Insights In early June 2019, the VMDO Music Consumer Insights research surveyed 2,025 Australians through an online survey with 30 questions focused on how the general public – not just music fans – access and engage with music.

Chris Carey (CEO, Media Insight Consulting) announced some of the key findings at the CHANGES music conference in July 2019.

Album listening isn’t dead and CDs are still in demand

YouTube is the biggest music streaming service in Australia YouTube performs strongly (21%) ahead of other specialist streaming services (11%)

Live music has a mass appeal and Australian music matters most Victorians are the highest of any state with a strong appetite for local music – in Victoria 55% preferred to see Australian music artists live than other international talent (compared to 49% nationally)

Music discovery is driven through traditional media and streaming Radio is the biggest way of listening to music (48%), followed closely by CDs (44%) and free video streaming (44%)

Radio still really matters for listening, gigs and discovery Radio is ranked highest with 44% of people discovering live music that way compared to YouTube (22% – ranked as second highest)

“We found that one in three people (32%) said that music was their life – it’s their number one passion. On average, Australians are listening to music three to four hours a day.”

“The survey findings help us explain the attitudes that underpin consumer behaviours – they join the dots so we can understand how Australians connect with music through different access points from streaming services to purchasing tickets to a live performances,” said Carey.

The full findings and a copy of Chris’s CHANGES presentation can be found at vmdo.com.au

18 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Chris Carey presenting at CHANGES 2019

Career Life Cycle Study

We are currently collaborating with RMIT to conduct research aimed to deliver information on the career life cycle in Victorian music businesses, with an emphasis on uncovering areas where support is required and ways to prevent loss of experience from the sector. The study is close to completion and results will be made public by November 2019.

Victorian Music Industry Ecosystem Study

We’ve partnered with Monash University to undertake research into the Victorian music industry and the businesses that contribute to the sector. The study will map current industry supply and value chains, focusing on the micro and small-scale subsector to create a better understanding of the current landscape, to inform plans to support future growth and development. The study is currently underway, with 57 music businesses expressing interest to contribute by way of in- person interview. The results are to be published and publicised by early 2020.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 19 L-R: Chris Carey, Cameo Carlson, Jake-Beaumont-Nesbitt, Bonnie Dalton

Chris Carey & Bonnie Dalton at VMDO Networking Breakfast

20 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 CRITICAL THINKER EVENTS

The VMDO is committed to building relationships with global innovators, disrupters and innovative thinkers, with a view to connect them to the Victorian music industry. This year, we collaborated with a number of international experts across numerous VMDO programs, including Experts in Residence, Networking Breakfasts, Blak Sound, Market Development programs and more. Two key Critical Thinkers we connected to the Victorian Music Industry were:

Jake Beaumont-Nesbitt (UK)

Advisor to the International Music Managers Forum (IMMF) on new digital business models. Music rights and technology consultant with clients including Radiohead, The Eagles, Beyonce, Rihanna, Nelly Furtado, Fatboy Slim and The Clash.

Jake shared his knowledge with businesses connected through the VMDO and the audience at CHANGES 2019. Jake moderated a data-centric panel, as well as sharing his predictions for the future on the VMDO presented panel – 2020 Vision: The Future of Global Music Business.

“I spoke on the 2020 Vision panel with Bonnie, Cameo and Chris where we had a discussion on the future of the industry, the near-term future. What’s happening in the next 18 months or so. It’s really hard to explain to artists what a huge opportunity they have right now, they see a lot of the media coverage about revenues from streaming are quite low, there’s growth happening but it’s spread unevenly, a lot of opportunity for big blockbuster artists but how does that work if you’re a small artist with a small amount of streams and streams are worth a small amount of money? So we really got stuck into the changes that need to happen in the business model, which is an interesting discussion that you can bring together in communities like the VMDO at an event like CHANGES and we talked about real applications of the future for artists” – Jake Beaumont Nesbitt, International Music Managers Forum (IMMF)

Jake met with a number of industry professionals 1-on-1 during his time in Melbourne, offering specialist advice related to music tech, international contacts, music rights and more.

“Meeting Jake was incredibly valuable for me. Being able to speak with him face-to-face meant we were quickly able to establish rapport and a lot of common ground, and in just a short meeting he was able to give me extremely valuable advice on upcoming projects to do with both my record label and my own career as a self-managed artist. He has offered to connect me to more potential allies in Europe via introductions, which will prove incredibly valuable ahead of future networking trips I may make overseas. If he offered the same generosity in other meetings while in Melbourne - and I’m sure he did - then the overall impact on that on the local industry is incredibly valuable and will absolutely lead even if indirectly to great outcomes for artists and their teams in the short to medium term” - Tim Shiel, Spirit Level.

Chris Carey

A founder of FastForward Music Conference and music industry entrepreneur, strategist and data expert with clients including Spotify, Sony Music, The O2 and BMG Music.

Chris joined VMDO General Manager, Bonnie Dalton at the April edition of Networking Breakfasts to discuss data and the music industry, technological disruptions and global trends. The event was incredibly well attended with a total of 57 industry representatives present.

Chris has had multiple touchpoints with the Victorian music industry, after two successful trips to Melbourne in April and July. The VMDO have built an ongoing relationship with Chris and he plans to return to Victoria in early 2020 to build on future business opportunities.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 21 L-R: Michael LoJudice, Alessandro Pavanello, Mathew Daniel, Ryan Wilson, Lolly Fan Market Development

The VMDO works to open up pathways into new markets for Victorian music professionals and increase business activity within new territories. We have aligned with three key trade areas identified by state key markets with significant potential, that being China, Latin America, and ASEAN, with scope for more key markets in the future.

22 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 CHINA

The VMDO’s very first inbound mission,China Music Now, took place 1 month after the public launch and saw 5 international delegates flying into Melbourne and sharing their insights into opportunities that exist within China’s contemporary music market.

CHINA MUSIC NOW

• Melbourne Music Week feature panel at the prestigious Yarra Room within Melbourne Town Hall • RSVP’s sold out in advance, with 112 industry professionals expressing interest • International delegates undertook 6+ hours of 1-on-1 meetings with over 20 key Victorian industry representatives. The delegates also attended Boardroom roundtables with Mushroom Group and Unified key staff members • 40+ representatives from local Chinese community organisations, corporates and governments attended a Networking Morning Tea, hosted by City of Melbourne • An additional 20+ introductions made over email between local industry and Chinese music company representatives • The delegates attended the 2018 Music Victoria awards and saw a variety of Victorian acts over the week, including Angie McMahon, Ainslie Wills, Gretta Ray, GL, Harvey Sutherland, The Teskey Brothers and more

International Delegates

• Mathew Daniel, NetEase Cloud Music, Vice President – International (China) • Michael LoJudice, Modern SkyInternational, President – Global Business Development (USA) • Lolly Fan, Maybe Mars, Artist Manager (China) • Alessandro Pavanello, Kanjian, Global Business Manager (China) • Ryan Wilson, Listen Up, Partner and Director of Asia (Australia)

Outcomes

6 CORE BUSINESS TOPICS COVERED The Victorian and Chinese business connections covered key industry business streams in their meetings, including Publishing, Recorded Industry, Marketing & PR, Social Media, Live Touring & Festivals and Artist Management

FUTURE BUSINESS: 25 VIC COMPANIES & ARTISTS All delegates intend to do business with Victorian organisations/artists following the trip, estimating future business with up to 25 companies & artists

20 VIC MUSIC COMPANIES EXPECT TO DO NEW BUSINESS IN CHINA Victorian businesses expressed they expect to do new business in China, within 24 months

$810K REVENUE Respondents estimated up to $810k in revenue will be brought to Victorian businesses/ associated projects, through new business in China

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 23 “Before this trip, I knew very little about Victorian music scene. This great trip gave me comprehensive knowledge of the scene, and awareness of how big and mature the Victorian music market is, and how diversified Victorian artists are. Also, the government is really supportive for developing local music. Combining these factors, I see big potential for Victorian artists in the Chinese market. Maybe Mars and other Chinese booking agents should pay more attention to Victorian artists. With the strong will to enter Chinese market and big support from the government, I believe Victorian artists have a bright future in Chinese market” – Lolly Fan, Maybe Mars

“I did some 1-on-1 meetings around Melbourne Music Week last year with Chinese music businesses, which I thought was really beneficial. One of those meetings was really important to me, I work very closely with Modern Sky (Michael Lojudice from Modern Sky is now with The Anniversary Group) on two of my artists: Jade Imagine and Good Morning. The Anniversary Group have just booked a tour for Good Morning all through China, Singapore and Japan for December this year” – Lorrae McKenna, Our Golden Friend

MUSIC CITIES CONVENTION - CHENGDU

The VMDO undertook an outbound mission to Music Cities Convention in Chengdu, as part of our targeted focus to open up more business opportunities within the region. The Victorian delegation included representatives from VMDO, Creative Victoria and Arts Centre Melbourne, along with two successful applicants: Chelsea Gough (Native Tongue Music Publishing) and Siobhan Kranz (Mushroom Group). This trip coincided with the professional development program CLOCK (see more detail under the Music Business Development section).

“The Music Cities Conference enabled me to engage with the Chinese music industry and gain an understanding of the Chinese music landscape which is fast becoming a real opportunity for our growing business” – Chelsea Gough, Native Tongue Music Publishing.

LIVE POWER AWARDS - SHANGHAI

VMDO’s General Manager, Bonnie Dalton went to Shanghai in March 2019 and attended the Live Power Conference & Awards. She presented a keynote speech on the culture of live music in Melbourne and formed relationships with key Chinese and other international delegates. This included senior staff from The Great Escape, Eurosonic, Fuji Rock, ByteDance and Clockenflap.

Other key connections made at the conference included Chinese companies Taihe Music Group, Showstart, Splitworks and Modern Sky. All four of these companies will be visiting Melbourne in November 2019 for the VMDO hosted China Music Now inbound mission and Melbourne Music Week.

24 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 ASEAN

We partnered with Gig Life Pro to bring an ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) inbound mission to Melbourne, which included a curated VIC/ASEAN music industry mixer, a Networking Breakfast and 1-on-1 industry meetings.

Priya Dewan from Gig Life Pro and the VMDO engaged 4 x buyers from ASEAN/ASIA to visit Melbourne: Summary Latrobe City Council (LCC) identified local community groups as a key setting for family Zaran Vachha - Collective Minds (Singapore) violence prevention activities. LCC sought to support these activities through providing Rahul Kukreja - Frission 369/RKforYou (Malaysia) funding and sharing its expertise in family violence prevention. This report explores the John Uy - Karposaction Media research (Philippines) approach used for the delivery of information sessions to community groups Violet Her - Fakeseeking Virgin to (South apply Korea)for funding to undertake family violence prevention initiatives. The research showed that these information sessions were an effective way of providing information to The buyers metcommunity with a carefully groups selected to assist guestlist them in at delivering the Mixer, preventionwith 50 x VIC activities. industry representing labels, management, CHANGES conference, agencies and more.

Priya Dewan and Rahul Kukreja featured as speakers at our February Networking Breakfast and discussed socialLessons media, PR learned and streaming in ASEAN, as well as touring and conferences in the region. FollowingThe the key breakfast, lessons learnt Priya fromundertook this project 6 x 20 were:minute meetings, 1-on-1 with export ready music businesses. •• Providing family violence information and specific examples of primary prevention ASEAN live music activitiesbuyers attended is beneficial Laneway for communityFestival Melbourne groups looking on Saturday to undertake 9th February, prevention where activities. they saw various•• VICUnderstanding artists live including the participants’ Baker Boy, motivation Courtney forBarnett, attending Camp information Cope, GFlip, sessions Kian is an and Rat!Hammock.important part of the session planning process. •• Asking respondents to identify specific items of knowledge about family violence and primary prevention activities would be more relevant for program planning and evaluation than asking participants to self-rate their knowledge. •• There would be value in broadening understanding of the difference in community interest in gender equality initiatives as opposed to family violence prevention initiatives.

Introduction The Latrobe City local government area has the highest per capita rates of police attendance at family violence incidents in Victoria, three times the state average (Victorian Crime Statistics Agency [VCSA], 2019). Since the mid-1990s, Latrobe City has undergone a shift in its social and economic make up, largely driven by the privatisation of electricity power generation, a decline in traditional manufacturing jobs, cheap housing and recent moves to a lower carbon intensity economy. While there has been long-standing work for the prevention of violence against women undertaken by a number of local agencies, there has historically been a lack of coordination and broad partnerships for its delivery within the municipality. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge across the municipality of prevention of violence against women frameworks.

LCC has undertaken a variety of initiatives to respond to and prevent violence against women since 2015. LCC provides paid family violence leave and trains staff to provide referrals for other staff experiencing family violence. LCC’s Preventing Family Violence Plan 2016 – 2020 has a range of actions that the organisation has committed to implementing both internally and with the community (Latrobe City Council, 2016). The plan has four key priorities: work towards a more gender equitable community; develop the workforce; educate the community; and strengthen partnerships. L-R: Jason Mayall (Fuji Rock), Ruud Berends (Eurosonic), Ayo Ohi (Victor Entertainment), Bonnie Dalton (VMDO), Adam Ryan (The Great Escape), Shanghai, March 2019.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 25 ••

INSIGHTS | JUNE 2019

2. Community3. LATAMPartnering partnerships with an external as atraining organisation to deliver domestic and family vehicleNathan for Birdraising (Birdz) attended awareness the most recent of Soundsfamily Australia LATAM trade mission, in violenceviolenceDecember prevention 2018.awareness A First Peoples and self-managed bystander artist, Birdz training received an invitation directly from forLATAM managers contacts, via and Sounds executives Australia. The trade mission covered 4 countries and included Liam Bantock,conferences Project Officersuch as Fluvial – Family (Chile), Violence Pulsar Prevention(Chile) and SimToolkit São Paulo (Brazil). Whilst there, he LATROBEDayna CITYmet Linsley,COUNCILkey programming Domestic contacts Violence at ProjectDeezer andOfficer, Spotify andMackay had Regionalhis new single Council added to playlists Celestethrough Koens, LATAM. Project He Officeralso met with(Evaluation), programmers ANROWS and is in ongoing discussions about future Dr Peteropportunities. Ninnes, TheProject VMDO Manager, provided ANROWS a level of financial assistance to Birdz, who went on to share MACKAYhis learnings REGIONAL about COUNCIL the region with industry peers at the December Networking Breakfast.

The VMDO will continue to develop existing and forge new relationships with LATAM industry representatives.Summary Most recently, the VMDO liaised closely with the Brazilian delegates at CHANGES 2019This and paper created documents opportunities the process for industry of working to meet with with an them external at various training networking organisation to and showcase deliverevents throughoutdomestic and the family conference. violence (DFV) awareness and bystander training. It describes the process of identifying a suitable organisation and preparing, delivering and evaluating the training. The analysis draws on data from questionnaires completed by participants as “Participatingwell asin recordsthe 2018 from LATAM the project trade officer’smission journalwas an about incredible the processes experience. involved. As an independent artist, it provided an exciting platform to form relationships with international producers and artists that I believe has taken my creativity to the next level. These relationships have continued to grow and I am excited about what’s to come in the near Mackay Regional future.Council I wasLessons also fortunate learned enough to establish industry connections that continue to support myThe career key lessons growth learned as an artist, from thisboth project here inwere: Australia and abroad. Thanks to the ongoing support from Sounds Australia, VMDO and Bad Apples Music, the LATAM trade mission was•• oneSuccessful of the best implementation experiences I’veof training had and for I wouldall staff highly on DFV recommend prevention it requiresto any and particular all artists thinkingeffort of to exploring engage maleInternational managers markets” and increase Nathan male Bird staff (Birdz) participation. •• Scheduling sessions at various times of the day provides attendance opportunities for a wide range of staff, including those who work outdoors. USA •• While there are numerous questionnaires available to test knowledge of, and attitudes towards, bystander action, the most useful results can be achieved by tailoring the SXSW Trade Missionquestionnaires 2019 to the specific context. •• Evaluation of training should cover learning outcomes as well as the quality and focus • 6 VICTORIAN DELEGATES of the training sessions. Six delegates from Melbourne flew to Austin, TX for SXSW 2019. This included Mojo Ruiz De Luzuriaga (Mojo Juju), Steven Ruiz De Luzuriaga (Mojo Juju), Mo Komba (Alt Music), ClaudiaIntroduction Sangiorgi Dalimore (Her Sound Her Story) plus two VMDO staff members: Katie Stewart and Neil Morris. Mackay Regional Council (MRC) is located in North Queensland and comprises the city of • Co-hosted anMackay event and at AUSTRALIA a number of House towns with and Globallocalities Victoria, along withthe coast the assistance and in the hinterland. MRC of Sounds Australiahas an estimated on Tuesday population 12th March of 117,064 2019. Theand eventan area was of 7,622titled squareMelbourne kilometers (MRC, 2018). Hub and combinedApproximately music, 5.1 tech percent and film of the to populationshowcase the identifies best of asMelbourne/Victoria Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island creative communities.(Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2018), while a similar proportion are of South Sea Islander descent (MRC, 2012, p. 10). The main economic activities in Mackay are agriculture and • The eveningmining, commenced with the with latter a Land subject Acknowledgement to fluctuations from in activity local Nativelevels. American group Great Promise, in the form of traditional dance, spoken word and musical performance.In 2017–18,This was 753coordinated domestic byviolence VMDO’s orders First (DVOs) People’s were Music lodged Business with the Mackay Magistrates Manager, NeilCourt, Morris. and 497 incidences of breaches of a DVO recorded. In addition, charges were lodged for 139 DFV offences and 20 strangulation offences (Queensland Courts, 2019).1 • 6 AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS The eveningPrior featured to the live trial performances of the Local councilfrom Oh domestic Pep!, Two and People, family Angie violence McMahon prevention toolkit (the and Mojo Juju,toolkit) along (DSS, with 2018), DJ sets MRC from had Amyl been and active the Sniffers in addressing and DRMNGNOW. and raising awareness of DFV. In particular, the mayor had established a DFV taskforce in 2017 to talk about DFV issues • 900+ RSVPsin the community and identify how to tackle those problems. The taskforce comprises A total of 900 RSVP’s prior to the event through Eventbrite, which meant the

venue was at1 Thecapacity DVOs lodged throughout at the Mackay the nightand Sarina (total Magistrates capacity Courts of 200represent people, 2.50 percent with new of all such lodgements audience membersin Queensland circulated in 2017–18 in throughout (Queensland Courts,the night). 2018, p. 51), while the MRC’s population is about 2.30 percent of the Queensland total population.

26 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 • Her Sound Her Story had its first international screening at the event, filmmaker Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore was also the official on ground videographer for the VMDO, capturing Mojo Juju’s Journey to SXSW and the overall celebratory vibe.

• The VMDO engaged US publicist, Grace Hones of Grandstand Media. Grace provided a guest list with 35+ media representatives, including I Heart Radio, Metro UK, Glide Magazine, Paste Magazine and more.

• Key press pieces in The Music, The Music Network, Au Review, Chicago Tribute, Sydney Morning Herald and NME.

“Prior to working with VMDO, the thought of SXSW was so overwhelming. Having their guidance enabled us to take that step confidently. Through this trip we have made invaluable connections and formed professional relationships that are set to take our music to an international stage. Overall SXSW was incredibly rewarding, we achieved everything we set out to do and more. Having the support of VMDO allowed us to make the most of the experience. I’m incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity.” – Mojo Ruiz De Luzuriaga

REST OF WORLD

India: The VMDO in partnership with Creative Victoria’s International Trade team, facilitated the inclusion of local artist Kaiit in the GOA Jazz Festival as part of Australia Fest in India. Kaiit is a First Peoples’ artist.

UK: GM Bonnie Dalton travelled to London for the NY:LON and AIM Synch conferences in January 2019. Bonnie built relationships with international companies including MTheory, The Rattle, Music Ally, Media Insight Consulting, IMMF, MMF, FAC, NT Creative Arts, Live Nation, CLOCK and the PGM Club. The VMDO went onto develop various new programs (including CLOCK, CHANGES 2019 speakers) as result of this trip.

L-R: Mo Komba, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore, Mojo Juju, Neil Morris, Katie Stewart

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 27 Summary The City of Mandurah has not previously undertaken domestic and family violence (DFV) prevention or response work prior to its involvement in the Local council domestic and family violence prevention toolkit trial. Therefore, it undertook a gender attitudes survey to obtain baseline data on employees’ awareness of gender equality over three categories: the self, colleagues and the organisation. Partnerships with two other organisational units, Corporate Communications and Human Resources, ensured the survey was delivered effectively and sensitively. A comprehensive communication plan was developed to achieve buy-in from leaders and to ensure employees took the time to fill out the survey. The response rate of 336 employees out of 692 (48.6%) provided a large amount of data to interpret and Fast Track Fellowship recipient, Rhianon Damas with The Cat Empire analyse. This process was time-consuming as the software used did not include analysis tools. Instead, all analysis needed to be done manually. The high response rate ensured the next steps in the project were tailored to the needs of the City of Mandurah’s employees.

MusicLessons learned Business The key lessons learned from this project were: Development•• Cross-organisational partnerships can ensure the development and implementation of high-quality and effective communication plans when addressing gender equality and DFV issues. The VMDO•• A carefully developedare andconstantly systematically implemented investigating communications plan can the way achievemusic a high degree industry of buy-in from managersprofessionals, and a substantial response and rate to a gender attitudes survey. professionals in other industries, work across the globe,Introduction adopting the best and most successfulMandurah practices is Western Australia’s for largest the regional development city and has experienced substantialof the Victorianpopulation growth industry. over the past half century. It has about 84,000 people with a growth rate of 1.85 percent per year. The City of Mandurah is part of one of five local governments that makes up the Peel Region. It currently suffers from high unemployment (10.9% in 2018) We takecompared a proactive, to the WA average but (7.8%) (Nationalnever Growth interventionist, Areas Alliance, 2019). approach to supporting businesses to develop WA Police data from 2016 show that of 21,162 instances of DFV in Western Australia, 12.7 and flourish.percent were within the Peel Region. The rates of DFV are increasing (Peel Says No to Violence, 2017). In recent years, DFV prevention in Mandurah has mainly been driven by Throughthe Peelregular Says No to Violence professional community alliance. This development network comprises a local youth organisation, a women’s refuge, a counselling service and a legal service. The Department programs,of Social Servicesnetworking (DSS) selected the Cityevents, of Mandurah as andone of five onlinenational trial sites to resources, we share information on best practices andSuggested development citation: strategies, allowing RESEARCHbusinesses Bantock,access L. (2019). toCommunity the partnerships best as a vehicleand for raisingmost awareness AFFILIATION LOGO of family violence prevention. In Ninnes, P. & Koens, C. (Eds). Preventing relevant information.domestic and family violence: Action research reports from five Australian local government councils (pp. 14-21). Sydney, NSW: ANROWS.

28 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Fast Track Fellowship The VMDO in partnership with the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) and Association of Artist Managers (AAM) facilitated the Fast Track Fellowship program in 2019. A professional development program which relocates 2 selected participants overseas and immerses them within music companies over a 2-month period.

AIR Recipient, Rhianon Damas undertook her Fast Track Fellowship at Nettwerk, split across Vancouver, Canada and Hamburg, Germany:

The program was a truly exceptional way to quickly build knowledge and new strategy, develop new networks, and create international business opportunities. On a personal level it was a truly life changing chapter in my career, with open access to global ideas and strategy, and creation of new skills that are harder to learn from a traditional education model. I would like to sincerely thank the Victorian Government and AIR for selecting me to participate, and supporting me through the process of the program, I am wholeheartedly appreciative for the experience. – Rhianon Damas, Two Shoes Records

AAM Recipient, Danae Effern undertook her Fast Track Fellowship at ATC Management in London, UK:

“Spending two months in the UK and Europe allowed me the opportunity to connect with multitudes of new contacts both within ATC but also other music industry representatives based in London, as well as around the UK and throughout Europe. I am very appreciative of this amazing opportunity that has helped me develop into a better manager. It was an experience I worked hard to make the most of, to further both my career and the careers of the artists I work with now and in the future” – Danae Effern, Little Giant Agency

FastForward Delegation As a way to identify who is working in the music tech space in Victoria, we partnered with FastForward conference and offered access to the Sydney-based event with one-on-one meetings with three speakers in an exclusive offer available only to Victorian music tech people via the VMDO. The recipients were Rezza Moeini (Digital Projects Director, Cultural Infusion) and Maize Wallin (freelance composer, sound designer, and audio programmer) and the process has highlighted a number of exciting projects that we can now work with to develop our understanding of the opportunities in this space.

“I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity you provided. We received a lot of positive feedback and met with very nice people there. The scope of the conference was very broad and inclusive of many topics and I personally enjoyed many of the panels” - Rezza Moeini (Digital Projects Director, Cultural Infusion)

Public Speaking Workshop The VMDO collaborated with Live Nation, UNIFIED and FastForward to deliver a unique opportunity for Victorians to develop their public speaking skills, with an international presenter. Experienced public speaker Chris Carey (Media Insight Consulting/FastForward) shared his learnings over the years, including key do’s and don’ts, in a relaxed environment.

25 INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS were in attendance, including speakers going onto present at CHANGES 2019.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 29 “The VMDO public speaking workshop by Chris Carey was incredibly valuable. The session had plenty of tips that attendees of any public speaking level would find useful. Top takeaways for me were adopting a confident posture, slowing down (including a cool hack of counting pauses with your feet if you’re nervous), PowerPoint image prompts and how to deal with tricky audience questions. The timing of the workshop was great because I was able to road test these takeaways IRL during my talk at CHANGES Festival a few days later” – Paige X. Cho (Bolster)

Clock Your Skills

The VMDO presented a unique professional development opportunity in April 2019 – CLOCK.

CLOCK is a ground breaking international development and accreditation program that enables freelancers, employees and small business owners to gain higher level awards while doing their everyday projects and work. CLOCK run short induction sessions, two-three day qualifying bootcamps and individual programs for professional creatives and business owners who want to validate their skills at a master’s level, irrespective of any previous formal qualifications.

The program is technology-based with professional sector experts who internationally benchmark skills and expertise for mobility. The current outcome is certification from the Scottish Qualifications Authority at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Level 11 or European Qualifications Framework (EQF) Level 7, which are equivalent to master’s level.

The VMDO identifies there are highly skilled people working in the Victorian contemporary music community who may not recognise the significance of their experience already achieved through the incredible work they do, so they’ve partnered with CLOCK to help music business professionals to identify and consolidate their strengths and transferable skills as well as contributing to formalised qualification.

The VMDO/CLOCK bootcamp took place in April in Chengdu, China, immediately following the Music Cities Convention Chengdu. Participants included Chelsea Gough (Native Tongue Music Publishing), Siobhan Kranz (Mushroom Group) and Bonnie Dalton (VMDO). A full program evaluation will be delivered in December 2019.

“The CLOCK program offered me the opportunity to reflect on my professional practice in the most enriching way. I have come through the experience with a much clearer understanding of my strengths and weaknesses and a renewed confidence in how I work, what I can achieve and what I have to offer. It has changed the way I think and work” – Chelsea Gough, Native Tongue Music Publishing

“I am so thankful to the VMDO for the opportunity to attend Music Cities Convention and participate in the CLOCK program in China earlier this year. It was an incredible experience to learn about such an important and burgeoning music market, and also make contacts that are already impacting on the way we export music to the region. The CLOCK program was a fantastic way to retrospectively assess and recognise the skills gained in a creative environment, and be able to apply those to a new framework of post-graduate education. I found it extremely valuable!” – Siobhan Kranz, Mushroom Group

30 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 VMDO ONLINE RESOURCES

Though a number of business resources for Victorian small and micro businesses already exist, we have discovered they are not readily used by music businesses.

In early 2019, the VMDO launched a suite of easily accessible online resources at vmdo.com. au, curated for music businesses. The interface directs the reader to explore templates, skills, exporting, connections, ideas, support and giving back sections.

The VMDO Resources page champions a number of key small business resources that exist within Victoria. These resources include:

• Various business templates relating to business plan writing, finance set up and writing a marketing plan (Business Victoria and Global Victoria).

* Course recommendations from providers such as Arts Access, The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Business Victoria.

* Online resources such as Diversity Your Arts from Multicultural Arts Victoria.

* Music Ally free subscription offer to Victorian music businesses connected to the VMDO. 16 music businesses have taken up this offer to date.

Total views of homepage and individual pages: 1673

Page Views of

Resource Home Page: 540

Templates: 290

Support: 184

Ideas: 154

Skills: 149

Export: 152

Connect: 136

Give Back: 68

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 31 EXPERTS IN RESIDENCE

Our Experts in Residence Program has connected 5 business experts with over 90 Victorian music professionals during the first half of 2019. Expert advice has been shared from business streams including: legal, HR, finance, artist management and digital marketing. Our resident experts included:

LEGAL: Andrew Fuller from FINANCE: Paul Luczak HR: Sally Christou from Clearview Legal Counsel from The Gild Group the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

DIGITAL MARKETING: ARTIST MANAGEMENT: Paige X. Cho from Bolster Cameo Carlson from mtheory

The Experts in Residence Program will continue into the 2019/2020 Financial Year, focusing on connecting VIC music businesses with professional services and upskilling their knowledge in these areas.

“I wanted to let you know we’ve finalized a deal with YoYo Management as a direct result of the manager meetings you guys set up. Thank you so much! Hopefully we can help Christine & Ben push Isaiah wide!” - Cameo Carlson

“Cameo was already briefed on my artist and had scoped them out online prior to our meeting. This was a big time saver and allowed us to get straight into nitty-gritty” – Alyse Newman, Aanthologies

“The chance to get some legal advice on a range of issues has been incredibly beneficial for my business moving forward. I am now equipped with greater knowledge on the legal issues affecting my business and am better prepared to have legal conversations with others”. – Anonymous music industry professional, via survey

32 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 NETWORKING BREAKFASTS

Networking is an underlying theme for the VMDO and our events. We’ve identified that people work well when they work together and having a peer group to call on is important when building a healthy, well-functioning business.

Our Networking Breakfasts have attracted an enthusiastic audience and the event has developed a brand of its own, happening once a month at the White Sky Music Hub in Collingwood. 3 of the 6 events mentioned below featured international speakers.

December 2018: Maria Amato & Amy Wantok (AIR Fast Track Fellowship)

January 2019: Sounds Australia South America Panel

February 2019: Priya Dewan & Rahul Kukreja (ASEAN music industry)

April 2019: Chris Carey & Bonnie Dalton (Data & Tech discussion)

May 2019: Emily Ulman, Matt Bird & Bonnie Dalton (o/s conferences + CHANGES)

July 2019: Cameo Carlson & Dave Batty (mtheory artist services)

Consequently, we’re growing a community of music business professionals that can learn and grow not just from our programs, but from one another.

AN AVERAGE OF RSVPS ACROSS 6 NETWORKING RSVPS 340 EVENTS 56 PER EVENT

ALL ATTENDEES WITH ATTENDEES FIND NETWORKING BENEFITING BREAKFASTS ‘A LOT’ OR ‘A BENEFICIAL 75% GREAT DEAL’

“The Networking Breakfasts are great because as a label, we get to meet other Victorian managers and musicians that we might not have already met, we get to catch up with people that we already know and it’s great to be able to listen and absorb some knowledge from other people in different sectors of the industry and hear from the amazing international guests the VMDO has been able to convince to come and share their knowledge” – Sweetie Zamora, Remote Control Records

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 33 MUSIC BUSINESS MANAGER – FIRST PEOPLES REPORT Neil Morris, Victorian Music Development Office

Since the inception of VMDO First Peoples in November 2018, The VMDO First Peoples program has worked closely with priorities set out in the First Peoples Action Plan for the Creative Industries.

A very specific focus of the VMDO First Peoples outputs has been given to the following actions:

• Backing creative talent/Self Determination

• Strengthening the Creative Industries ecosystem

• Delivering wider economic and social impact

• Increasing participation and access

• Building international engagement

One of the key considerations from the outset of the VMDO office launching in late 2018 in a First Peoples context is the clear disadvantage existing in terms of First Peoples Music Businesses. This considered, an approach to working within the First Peoples focus area inevitably would require a very unique approach to working with community. For example, the majority of the First Peoples Music sector in Victoria is artists whom are primarily self-managed. What has been found is that this is often by result of having quite strong cultural values and a self-determination based approach to having those values supported. This has also been an impediment at times due to lack of sufficient processes to support artists and First Peoples working in this manner without broader industry support. It is acknowledged that VMDO First Peoples has an ability to play a brokering role in this space, which has led to the development of programs such as Blak Sound.

Increasing participation and access would also need to consider that given that realistic opportunities for First Peoples within music industry-based careers has been limited, the recruitment of First Peoples peoples to the music industry will also be gradual. Thus, a priority action has been to ensure the First Peoples community are aware of and able to access music industry opportunities that could lead to careers in music, such as attending workshops and other similar arrangements.

34 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 BACKING CREATIVE TALENT / SELF DETERMINATION

From a talent basis, there is a plethora, but as has been found in this program thus far, the talent does in many instances need an extra level of support, be that business skills development, or adequate platforms to participate. VMDO First Peoples has approached all of these issues with a holistic approach that considers the unique needs of First Peoples and how that impacts their participation and growth within the music industry sector in a way which is both culturally suitable/safe and economically viable and sustainable.

A long-term vision and strategy is required. Thus, as part of the first year of the VMDO First Peoples operation, consultation has been made with various First Peoples stakeholders to investigate some options for organising as a community to speak to needs and aspirations. A number of different frameworks have been suggested and will be explored further, such as First Nations Advisory Committees to industry, and First Peoples Strategies for community to work towards for their own growth purposes. It must be considered however, that these are community led approaches and are not pre-determined by VMDO and other bodies. There is meticulous development and relationship management that must be considered as crucial to successfully putting together these structures. This is something VMDO First Peoples has been very cognizant of and has been mindful to firstly put in culturally appropriate ways of community engagement to begin the processes that may lead to assembling such initiatives as determined and led by community needs and self-determined decision making.

STRENGTHENING THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES ECOSYSTEM/ DELIVERING WIDER ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT

With a focus of expanding and strengthening the First Peoples ecosystem within music and delivering a wider economic and social impact, a large focus for the VMDO First Peoples has revolved around undertaking consultation with First Peoples to determine where these small business owners are currently at within their operation. Taking an approach of consulting with artists to evaluate what their future needs and aspirations may be in terms of business development was a very crucial one.

A natural outcome of this was the findings that many First Peoples felt they would like to use their position and skills to support the growth of other First Peoples in music, but firstly they acknowledged they needed development in their understanding of the business side of Music.

As a result of these learnings, we developed a program, Blak Sound, to serve as a pilot developmental program which not only grew the skills of First Peoples in music, but by expanding their music business knowledge base to position them as a cohort of leaders, building on the overall music business skills and expertise within First Peoples in music in Victoria.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 35 BUILDING INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

The VMDO First Peoples program has worked alongside the First Peoples Action Plan action of building international engagement through a variety of outputs.

SXSW

A big milestone achievement was a trip to the US in March for the attendance of SXSW. Key scoping purposes of this where to engage with other First Peoples within music and to expose US markets to First Peoples talent.

As part of these actions, VMDO First Peoples Business Manager was in attendance as was First Peoples artist Mojo Juju who performed at the VMDO showcase as well as on a number of other showcases. Artist Manager Mo Komba travelled as part of the VMDO contingent to network on behalf of First Peoples artist Kaiit. The outcomes for both of these First Peoples artists and teams proved to be highly valuable with artists engaging agents, and in Kaiit’s instance returning to the US for shows already.

FOLK ALLIANCE

VMDO First Peoples worked collaboratively with Songlines Aboriginal Corporation to support artist Brett Lee to attend Folk Alliance in Montreal. The purpose of Brett’s experience was as a self- managed artist, having the opportunity to attend the Indigenous Peoples Music Summit. Through this experience he was able to gain invaluable networks to support future plans for collaboration and touring. An outcome of this was Brett being a part of the Homelands tour, which included a tour with First Peoples from Canada here in May this year which culminated in performances at the National Folk Festival in Canberra. These invaluable connections and experiences for Brett have led him to investigating the development of his own business skills and aspirations that can benefit emerging First Peoples in music.

INCREASING PARTICIPATION AND ACCESS

Increasing participation and access is a key area of need for First Peoples within music in Victoria. One of the key stumbling blocks to this participation and access is the lack of solid foundations to promote engagement for First Peoples from an early stage.

O ne of t he key inves tigations by VMDO Fir s t Peoples has t hus b een look ing at developing progr ams which address this. A parallel industry where this has occurred has been through the mediums of sport where early intervention to create programs that foster high achievement and systematic processes to support growth have resulted in higher numbers of First Peoples reaching elite level of participation and ongoing engagement.

VMDO First Peoples office has thus investigated the development of programs which can enable a strength based approach which can work closely with communities to foster an early support base around those with an interest in music in order to lead to the best possible engagement in First Peoples pursuing careers within the music sector. This is currently involving looking at how partnerships can be developed with Educational Institutes and private sector.

36 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 In terms of the current music industry, VMDO First Peoples has been working with various organisations to look at developing arrangements to facilitate either employment or work experience and mentoring opportunities for First Peoples within existing music industry. Ongoing discussions have been had with Caroline, ABC, The Seed, Unified and others to develop these opportunities, in partnership with the Creative Victoria Firt Peoples traineeship program

Other examples of increased participation are: · Higher levels of First Peoples being booked for events/festivals · Higher levels of First Peoples curatorialship · First Peoples entering into the syncing space · First Peoples creating music for gaming · Strong interest and regular attendance of First Peoples at industry workshops hosted by VMDO/Music Victoria · First Peoples moving into roles of artist managers and inquiring about various roles within music industry, i.e booking agency, and record label sectors

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the VMDO First Peoples office will continue to work with First Peoples to develop a long-term strategy to grow First Peoples participation and contribution as a whole. Although there are many great examples of how these programs have generated a sense of hope and excitement for First Peoples, it essentially proves that this needs to be backed by a long term investment to have the current appetite and willingness of industry to translate into outcomes that will lead to the solidification of First Peoples within music in Victoria as both artists, and business owners that can aspire to continued sustainability as operators.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 37 L-R: Sianne van Abkoude, Kee’ahn, Bonnie Dalton, Katie Stewart Support Acts for the Big Names

We at the VMDO recognise there are a number of barriers that prevent participation from certain individuals in Victoria’s music industry, and removing these barriers will unleash the greatest potential of music in Victoria.

It is a VMDO priority to increase visibility of, and see more involvement from, underrepresented peoples the Victorian music industry. All the while, we seek out opportunities for underrepresented artists on stages in Victoria.

In the coming financial year, the ‘Support Acts for the Big Names’ program will be renamed ‘Inclusion’ to allow for more involvement by existing groups and organisations working with underrepresented artists.

38 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 ONE OF ONE – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY NETWORKING BREAKFAST

VMDO sponsored the One of One Networking Breakfast in March 2019, in recognition of the support it provides for women and TGD people within the local music industry. The sponsorship gave us access to tickets for First Peoples women and we invited Candice Lorrae, Crystal Kickett, Crystal Clyne, Hayley Percy and Amy Dowd and introduced them to key industry at the event. The VMDO also helped to facilitate the booking of artist Kee’ahn to perform.

UNCONSCIOUS BIAS TRAINING

The first in a series of training sessions aimed at improving industry standards in the area of ‘reflecting Victorian communities’ was held in February 2019 and gave participants a solid grounding in understanding in the area of Unconscious Bias. Participants came from a range of Victorian music businesses including sole traders and bigger organisations including Unified, Native Tongue, Remote Control, Liberation, Corner Group and Bolster. In addition to great feedback from participants, Corner Group and Unified have since booked in training internally at their offices for their senior/key staff.

“We went to the Unconscious Bias training that VMDO ran a couple of months ago. It was something we were looking at doing, I feel like we got a lot out of it. We’ve rolling out a bunch of training programs for our staff annually and we’re booked in to do Unconscious Bias training at the end of July 2019. We’ll have 60 people in total across Corner Group and UNIFIED – which will be a group of our management, senior staff and security” – Sally Mather, Corner Group

CULTURAL SENSITIVITY TRAINING

In May 2019, two non-indigenous VMDO staff members (Katie Stewart and Sianne van Abkoude) participated in the Footscray Community Arts Centre program Generate 2019 - Working in First Nations Cultural Contexts.

The workshop was designed to build the capacity and effectiveness of non-Indigenous workers to better support sovereignty and self-determined outcomes in First Nations arts, culture, education and community engaged practice.

Facilitated by FCAC’s Indigenous Advisory Group, in this three-day workshop we connected with Elders and Koorie community members, artists and educators who all shared their first-hand knowledge and experience.

In the coming financial year, the VMDO will work to deliver a First Peoples Cultural Awareness training workshop, specifically for the Victorian music industry.

The VMDO are working closely with the team at Music Victoria to increase opportunities for First Peoples in their existing programming. Music Victoria have confirmed 1 x participant spot has been created for First Peoples in the recently refunded Cultivate program, a business leadership program for mid-level to established women in the Victorian contemporary music sector.

ACCESSIBILITY

The VMDO will have an ongoing focus on accessibility in the coming financial year and will deliver an accessibility workshop, in collaboration with Arts Access for businesses within the music community.

In order to prepare for this, VMDO staff members have undertaken various training courses including Arts Access Adapt, Diversity Arts Australia Fair Play and Lets Talk Access.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 39 Governance Organisational Structure

Creative issues / Awards Music Victoria Board (Board sub-committee)

Finance and Risk Marketing / Membership Musician’s Advisory Panel (Board sub-committee) (Board sub-committee) Chief Executive Officer Music Victoria Board Regional Advisory Panel HR & Culture External Relations / PR Women’s Advisory Panel (Board sub-committee) (Board sub-committee)

Accounts Live Music Professionals and Cultivate Manager Victorian Music Development Office Music Victoria VMDO Steering Committee General Manager General Manager Chief Executive Officer

Music Business Professional Development Event Producer and Music Business Communications Manager, and Memberships Manager Marketing Manager Manager Coordinator First Peoples

Victorian Music Office Music Victoria Development Office Administrator General Manager General Manager

Governance Organisational Structure

Creative issues / Awards Music Victoria Board (Board sub-committee)

Finance and Risk Marketing / Membership Musician’s Advisory Panel (Board sub-committee) (Board sub-committee) Chief Executive Officer Music Victoria Board Regional Advisory Panel HR & Culture External Relations / PR Women’s Advisory Panel (Board sub-committee) (Board sub-committee)

Accounts Live Music Professionals and Cultivate Manager Victorian Music Development Office Music Victoria VMDO Steering Committee General Manager General Manager Chief Executive Officer

Music Business Professional Development Event Producer and Music Business Communications Manager, and Memberships Manager Marketing Manager Manager Coordinator First Peoples

Victorian Music Office Music Victoria Development Office Administrator General Manager General Manager

40 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 MUSIC VICTORIA BOARD

Tim Northeast (Chair) Tim has been involved in live music venue management for over 25 years and is currently a member of the Victorian Music Council and the Live Music Roundtable.

Originally from Warrnambool in country Victoria, Tim completed a Bachelor of Commerce from Melbourne University and gained experience in corporate banking and retail before moving into venue management. Tim has been Managing Director and co-owner of The Corner since 1995 and is also co-owner of the Northcote Social Club and The National Hotel.

Tim is also a director of Ticketscout Pty Ltd which is a boutique ticketing service focused on independent live music venues and events.

With experience in financial management, innovation and managing cultural change, Tim is keen to help reinvigorate live music in country Victoria and promote musicians rights.

Chelsea Wilson (Deputy Chair) Chelsea Wilson is a Melbourne based vocalist, broadcaster, DJ and producer with over 12 years music industry experience. Her debut soul-inspired album ‘I Hope You’ll Be Very Unhappy Without Me’ was lauded #2 Album of the Year on ABC Radio National and nominated for Best Soul album at the Age Music Victoria Awards 2014, leading to performances including Glastonbury Festival UK and the headline spot on the Arts Centre stage at the Australasian World Music Expo. Her behind the scenes roles have included Concert and Events Licensing Representative at APRA|AMCOS and Music Manager at PBS 106.7FM.

Currently Chelsea is the Artistic Director of Stonnington Jazz Festival and Music Programmer of Brunswick Music Festival. Passionate about independent media she produces and presents radio programs ‘Jazz Got Soul’ (PBS) and ‘The Australian Soul Sessions’ (Mi-Soul London). She also curates the ‘Women of Soul’ performance series. A member of the Women in Music Panel she is also chair of the Musicians Advisory panel for Music Victoria. She holds a Masters Degree of Arts and Entertainment Management, a Bachelor of Popular Music and a Diploma in Entertainment Business Management.

Paul Luczak (Treasurer) Paul has been working in the music industry for the past 14 years. Paul spent the first decade of his career helping build a music accounting and business management practice from a two-man basement operation to 40 + staff. During that time, he had the pleasure of working with hundreds of Australia’s most successful domestic and international artist cycles, together with advising some of Australia’s most prominent music service-based companies.

In 2015 Paul created The Gild Group which focuses on a holistic business and financial offering to cover all aspects from day to day bookkeeping to global business management, tax and personal financial planning. The Gild Groups works with start-up music groups and service based businesses through to the likes of clients like Angus & Julia Stone, Tame Impala & Tash Sultana.

Outside the music world Paul is also director and co-founder of Elto Freight (an international freight forwarder), Intogreat Solutions (a business improvement, consulting and offshoring company).

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 41 Sarah Blaby (Secretary) Sarah Blaby is a musician, DJ, venue booker, promoter and currently the sponsorship manager at PBS FM. She works alongside all major venues, festivals, councils, touring agents and promoters in Victoria, as well as national booking agents and media agencies. PBS is a one of the nation’s largest community radio stations, specialising in music of all genres and a champion of the local Melbourne scene. As manager of the sponsorship department she is responsible for funding partnerships, advertising income, maintaining council and government relations and keeping in touch with new and established venues and musicians in all stages of their careers.

With over 20 years in the Melbourne music scene, across media, venues and as a musician, she brings a wealth of experience in grass roots and punk rock DIY spaces and events, has a large knowledge of the club and DJ scene through 8 years as Revolver programmer, and is connected to a large vibrant scene of musicians and artists. Sarah was part of the now legendary ‘Rock n Roll High school’, has toured with Le Tigre, Le Butcherettes, Dinosaur Jr, The Coolies, Von Bondies, plus pretty much every Melbourne band you can think of, touring across Australia, Europe, Japan and USA. She’s performed at Big Day Out, Ladyfest, North by North East (NXNE Toronto) and represented organisations at South by South West. Sarah also managed Melbourne dark wave act HTRK during the recording of Marry me Tonight and she plays guitar in local three-piece, Plaster of Paris.

Catherine Haridy Catherine Haridy has been managing musical artists and producers, mixers, writers, engineers and even a music philosopher for the last 12 years. Coming from a record label background, Cath cut her teeth at both Warner Music and Festival Mushroom Records in A&R before crossing the floor to management in 2006. Her stable includes a roster of talented and enduring artists including Eskimo Joe, Jebediah, Adalita, Bob Evans and ABC TV family artist dirtgirl along with some of the brightest in music production and writing: Anna Laverty, Tony Buchen, Steven Schram, Joel Quartermain, JP Fung, Jimi Maroudas as well as Mick Glossop (ANZ only) and Ian Caple (ANZ only). The management company has expanded into managing non-musical artists forging a wonderful partnership with Berlin- based Australian, Craig Schuftan, who has had three works published, won an ARIA for his work with The Chaser and broadcast the successful “Culture Club” on national youth network Triple J.

Catherine is a current board member of Support Act Limited (SAL): a charity supporting musicians and music professionals who experience crisis or hardship. She was recently appointed as the Executive Director of the Association of Artist Managers (AAM) after being on the board since 2010, is an APRA Ambassador, an AMP Award Patron and formerly involved for 7 years with the board and several sub-committees of the Community Broadcasting Foundation (CBF). Cath continues to be involved in various advocacy issues that effect artists and their managers, and is a proud patron of the AAM!

42 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Matthew Kennedy Matthew Kennedy has worked within not-for-profit business management and development, across all of local, state, national and international levels, for nearly 25 years. Since 2011, Matthew has been the Chief Executive Officer of Tennis Victoria, a $5-6million umbrella body which has over 40 staff and about 900 member clubs, centres and associations. TV’s registered participants has grown from 90,390 to over 270,000 in this period. Matthew previously worked for the International Cricket Council for a decade and was its Global Development Manager, first based out of London and then later Dubai, responsible for overseeing an annual budget of $30million to best support the ICC’s 94 non-Test cricket nations. In doing so, he worked with – and learnt from – a very diverse range of governments/ departments and sporting bodies.

Matthew began his career in 1993 at the Victorian Cricket Association, finishing seven years there as its Community Cricket Manager. He was previously a Co-opted Director on the Music Victoria Board, where his acquired skills and experiences in governance, strategic planning, organisational leadership and growth, and stakeholder relations contributed positively in that time. Under its new structure, Matthew presently sits on the MV Operations sub-committee. He previously served on MV’s Business and Strategic Planning sub-committee, Finance sub-committee, Women’s Affairs sub-committee, and HR/Employee sub-committee. Matthew has a Bachelor of Business in Sport Management (Deakin University 1992) and a Graduate Diploma in Sports Law (Melbourne University 2008). He recently sat the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Chris O’Neill

Artist, advocate and industry stalwart Chris O’Neill has been committed to music for more than a decade. While he graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Music, it’s been his work on and off the stage that had built his profile and reputation.

Chris makes a daily contribution to supporting songwriters through his role at APRA AMCOS as National Manager - Writer Services, where he regularly engages with industry organisations around the country, whilst rolling out the APRA AMCOS national events program and managing the APRA AMCOS grants program.

An acclaimed drummer, Chris has written and performed with artists from just about every genre, made numerous records, and performed on stages around the country including major festivals such as Prima Vera, Splendour in the Grass, Big Day Out.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 43 Melinda Dine Melinda has been working in a variety of roles at The Push Inc for the past ten years. Beginning with a Bachelor of Business – Music Industry at VU, Melinda moved on to work at the Big Day Out. At The Push, Melinda manages the $1.4million Music Under Wings program at which incorporates a range of mentoring and skill development initiatives including Music Victoria’s Live Music Professionals Program. Melinda has skills in program design and implementation, not for profits, human resources and more. She also has governance experience having sat on the Centre for Innovative Justice’s Restorative Justice Advisory Board and providing consultancy to the Office of Public Prosecutions and the Family Violence Restorative Justice Project. In her spare time Melinda manages artists King IV and Zoe A’dore.

Heidi Braithwaite

After previously working for an independent record label and as a band manager, Heidi founded her own publicity company, Riot House Publicity, in 2006. The agency has since expanded to include two other staff members, and continues to work with a varied roster of artists and festivals including Alex Lahey, Marlon Williams, The Jezabels, C.W. Stoneking, Beyond The Valley and Grapevine festivals. Heidi has completed a short course at the Australian Institute of Company Directors (Governance For Non Profits) and is a member of the AICD. Through her years working in publicity, she has developed skills in media relations, crisis management, and image development/management. After 15 years in the music industry working in record labels, management companies and as the director of her own publicity consultancy, she brings a breadth of knowledge and experience from a marketing and PR background.

Tim Heath

Tim Heath was born and raised in Castlemaine and has been involved in live music for 20 years as a musician, venue booker and venue owner/manager. As a musician he has toured most parts of Australia extensively from cities to outback. For twelve years Tim was engaged in the Melbourne music scene, after which he moved back to his home town and has since become an owner and band booker of Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal.

Tim has developed a strong sense of the music industry in regional places, has worked with local council and government to improve musician’s opportunities and to improve longevity in venues. He has worked extensively with young musicians and organisations such as FREEZA and the Push, co-ordinating all-age events that offer exciting performance opportunities and safe spaces for young people to engage in live music.

He has worked with some of Bendigo’s premier venues and is constantly engaged with the broader regional music industry.

44 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 VMDO STEERING COMMITTEE

Chris O’Neill (Steering Committee Chair) Artist, advocate and industry stalwart Chris O’Neill has been committed to music for more than a decade. While he graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Music, it’s been his work on and off the stage that had built his profile and reputation.

Chris makes a daily contribution to supporting songwriters through his role at APRA AMCOS as National Manager - Writer Services, where he regularly engages with industry organisa- tions around the country, whilst rolling out the APRA AMCOS national events program and managing the APRA AMCOS grants program.

An acclaimed drummer, Chris has written and performed with artists from just about every genre, made numerous records, and performed on stages around the country including major festivals such as Prima Vera, Splendour in the Grass, Big Day Out.

Katie Besgrove Katie is the Co-Owner of Look Out Kid; an artist management and music company that works with artists such as Courtney Barnett, and Sarah Blasko. She is also a founder and General Manager of Barely Dressed Records, a label that releases music by Gold Class, Jess Ribeiro, Jack Ladder and many more. Katie began her career in the industry as a trained solicitor, specialising in the area of music and entertainment law. Having previously worked at Media Arts Lawyers and Studio Legal, she has represented artists, managers, producers, record labels, music distributors and festival owners. Katie is also currently a Director on the Board of the Australian Record Labels Association.

Karl Richter Karl Richter is the founder of Level Two Music, an Australian music supervision company with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.

Over the past 16 years, Level Two’s commercial work spans the globe including on-airs in most countries for brands such as McDonalds, Hungry Jack’s, Target, Ford, Holden, Corona, Qantas, Vodafone, Vegemite, Westpac and more.

While working as a music supervisor, Karl founded DISCO, a music file sharing and workflow platform built specifically for the music industry. In beta for just over a year, DISCO now manages 10 million files for publishers, record labels, managers, artists and music supervisors across five continents including Warp, Secretly Group, RocNation, Fox Sports, Concord and Sony Interactive.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 45 Kirsty Rivers Kirsty Rivers works within the State Government as the Senior Manager – Contemporary Music where she is responsible for the delivery of the Music Works programs including the VMDO, The Australian Music Vault, the Live Music Professionals program, Music Under Wings and the Music Passport program. Prior to working at Creative Victoria, Kirsty has worked for over 30 years in the national music industry and is considered one of the Top 50 most influential people in the Australian music industry.

Neil Morris Neil Morris is a Yorta Yorta man, born and raised on Yorta Yorta country around the towns of Shepparton and Mooroopna. He has a very powerful connection to the landscape and his culture. It is central to his being and how he functions in this world and led him to return to Shepparton in 2010 after a number of years away, and to start working on projects, on country and with fellow Yorta Yorta peoples.

A musician, who performs as DRMGNOW, Neil regularly performs across a range of venues and festivals. Neil also hosts an incredible program on Triple R called Still Here which showcases some of the best indigenous music on the airwaves. It is a strong passion of Neil’s to provide a platform for non Indigenous people to be exposed to Indigenous culture, and also have an appreciation of this fostered. He has actively pursued this endeavour and has been involved in this through work with organisations like Multicultural Arts Victoria, SheppARTon Festival and more.

46 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 VMDO STAFF

Bonnie Dalton | General Manager Bonnie Dalton is the General Manager of the Victorian Music Development Office, where she is responsible for working with artists and the businesses that support them, to foster sustainable music industry careers and partnering with music organisations and businesses.

Prior to the VMDO, Bonnie worked predominantly as an artist manager but also across events, production, and programming. A recipient of the Lighthouse Award for management, she has previously worked with Little Red, The Vasco Era and more recently Ali Barter and Oscar Dawson. She was the producer of the Melbourne St Jerome’s Laneway Festival for ten years, worked in senior management at Falls Festival and has programmed line-ups at a range of festivals and events from Low Light, Queenscliff to Melbourne’s House of Vans.

Katie Stewart | Music Business Manager Katie Stewart is the Music Business Manager at the Victorian Music Development Office. Previously, she was the General Manager of Lunatic Entertainment and St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival.

Katie’s experience in event management has been quite diverse over the years, evolving from managing local event volunteers through to overseeing all festival departments. She also has international experience in live music and touring, having advanced many international tours for the likes of The Temper Trap, Gotye and CHVRCHES and joining them on the road in as Tour Manager/Assistant Tour Manager. She was named as one of the New Bosses for 2016 in the IQ Magazine Awards.

Katie’s favourite festival experiences globally include Coachella, Glastonbury, Bonnaroo, Roskilde, Sonar Barcelona and Fuji Rock. On the bucket list includes Primavera, Form Arcosanti and Austin City Limits.

Neil Morris | Music Business Manager, First Peoples Neil Morris is a Yorta Yorta man, born and raised on Yorta Yorta country around the towns of Shepparton and Mooroopna. He has a very powerful connection to the landscape and his culture. It is central to his being and how he functions in this world and led him to return to Shepparton in 2010 after a number of years away, and to start working on projects, on country and with fellow Yorta Yorta peoples.

A musician, who performs as DRMGNOW, Neil regularly performs across a range of venues and festivals. Neil also hosts an incredible program on Triple R called Still Here which showcases some of the best indigenous music on the airwaves. It is a strong passion of Neil’s to provide a platform for non Indigenous people to be exposed to Indigenous culture, and also have an appreciation of this fostered. He has actively pursued this endeavour and has been involved in this through work with organisations like Multicultural Arts Victoria, SheppARTon Festival and more.

Sianne van Abkoude | Communications Coordinator Sianne is an Alice Springs export (with a few years in Adelaide between then and now). An avid member of the Australian music community, and a new member of the Melbourne one, Sianne is excited to be contributing to the VMDO team as Communications Coordinator.

She is an illustrator, designer, DIY enthusiast and recent Music Industry Pathways mentee at The Push. You can generally find her persisting with her passion-project Extended Family or as part of the Girls Rock! Australia team as Co-Director of Girls Rock! Adelaide.

VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 47 General Manager’s Note: The full, audited financial reports for the VMDO 2018/2019 Financial Year will be available as part of Music Victoria’s annual report. This will be delivered in December 2019.

48 VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 Victorian Music Development Office The Victorian Music Development Office is an initiative of the Victorian Government Level 2, delivered by Music Victoria. 77 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank VIC 3006

T + 61 3 9686 3411 [email protected] VMDO ANNUAL REPORT 2018-2019 49 www.vmdo.com.au