21st February, 2011A Message to the Australian Music Industry, Media and CommunityMy name is Lisa Butler. I am the Founder and Coordinator of the annual Australian Songwriters Conference, a totally unique four day event that focuses exclusively on the craft and business of songwriting. In January 2007, when I decided to organise the first Australian Songwriters Conference it was, without a doubt, the best decision I ever made. Being a songwriter myself, I felt that there was not enough education on the craft and business of songwriting here in Australia, so I set out to create a professional, educational, event that was peer driven, nurturing and supportive. That first ASC, held in June 2008, was organised and run on a wing and a prayer. I had very little event management experience, no capital, no financial sponsors, and the proposed industry funding support I'd been offered was withdrawn to favour another industry event. I was up against real pressure to “give it up”, both by friends and family, and the industry itself. But I didn't give up - and it was an incredible event. Already, a number of attendees have begun to carve out wonderful careers because of it. The first annual ASC was everything I dreamed it would be for upcoming songwriters, and subsequent ASC events have been just as successful. Every year I watch as industry professionals on the ASC Faculty have been incredibly impressed by the talent pool and have picked up great performing and non-performing writers to develop and work with. I receive emails every year from attendees telling me that the event is life-changing for them. It just can't get any better than that. I was left with a massive debt after that first year. I was also infused with the passion and determination to do whatever it takes to ensure the continuation of the event and the other initiatives that have grown from it. ASC has been held every June long weekend since 2008, and more and more attendees have benefited from the education and networking they have gained from it. I'm extraordinarily proud of these brave and talented souls and all they are achieving with their careers. I am also very grateful for all the assistance, support and caring I have received from the industry professionals who have been on the ASC Faculty, our regular 'in-kind' sponsors, and my team of volunteers without whom I couldn't physically get everything done in the organising of this annual four day event. Every year, the ASC has had its unfair share of setbacks, broken promises, and under-funding issues. Every year I have fallen deeper into debt because of the event and I've never earned a cent. Without the injection of dollars by a major sponsor or benefactor to set the event on a financially even keel so it can become self-sustaining, I face a never-ending battle and the debt will continue to grow. For reasons that totally escape and bewilder me, the ASC was only approved one grant for this year's event. APRA approved $3000. All the other grant applications (Government and Arts) were unsuccessful. No event should be perpetually dependant on grants and funding but every event needs reasonable assistance in order for it to become self-sustaining, however ASC has never attracted the level of funding it deserves, and this year's result is nothing short of devastating. Music is acknowledged as one of the most effective tools used in the advertising and marketing of products and yet, with the exception of one very small financial sponsor (from an overseas music service provider), ASC has never attracted financial sponsors either. The event costs a minimum of $60,000 to run, and that doesn't include advertising costs or paying myself. The $40,000 (approx) generated through attendance fees doesn't cover the basic costs of the event. 2011 is supposed to be the fourth annual ASC. Unfortunately, at this point, without immediate financial assistance, the Australian Songwriters Conference must be cancelled. This is a sad state of affairs for the Music Industry, a bitter blow for the songwriters, artists and musicians that ASC assists, and a disappointment for my NSW Central Coast community that benefits from the tourism dollars ASC generates. Although they go largely unrecognised, songwriters are the very foundation of the Music Industry - whether the Industry - and general public - chooses to acknowledge it or not. Without the writers there would be no music. Songwriters are an undeniable part of all our lives, their music providing the backdrop to our life experience. I can only hope that if ASC doesn't survive, there will be someone out there who is willing to pick up where ASC leaves off. Australian songwriters deserve it. The better our upcoming songwriters are at their craft, the better the potential for higher income - not just for the writers, or for the general public who enjoy the music created, but for the entire Music Industry. I believe that the future of Australian music isn't with music publishers, PROs, record labels, distribution deals, music chart positions, airplay, downloads, or royalty percentages and breakdowns. The future of Australian music lies with the amount of honest and genuine energy, support and nurturing that is offered to the performing and non-performing music creators - the songwriters. Without them there would be no music, so the ‘business’ of music would be irrelevant. Perhaps this message will fall on deaf ears, but I hope not. Perhaps I'm a dreamer and an idealist, and that’s okay with me. Yes, I want the Australian Songwriters Conference to continue to support, mentor and educate our wonderful songwriters for many years to come - and by all accounts, our songwriters want and need that too - but whether the Conference survives or not, it is, and always will remain, the responsibility of the Music Industry to care for that which sustains it. Songwriters are the lifeblood of this industry, and the music they create affects and enriches all our lives, so please, please, please - protect and nurture them, and give them the support and the credit they are due. Lisa Butler PO Box 122, Woy Woy NSW 2256, Australia Website: www.AustralianSongwritersConference.com [ <<< return ] |