Great news for Australian music has come in from what was otherwise a fairly uninspiring Budget last night.
After being let down continuously since 2006, SLAM (Save Live Music Australia) announced over their Facebook that arts minister Simon Crean has come good on his promise to boost funding for contemporary music. “This funding has been allocated to ensure the arts sector continues to be supported with programs and services that explore the full extent of private and philanthropic support of the arts,” Crean has stated on the official Government site.
According to SLAM, the government will inject $3 million over four years starting 2012/2013. Breaking it down further, $1.7 million will be allocated to Sounds Australia in order to boost the amount of live music venues, to increase the rate of live music at new and existing venues and to encourage touring international artists to book local bands for support. The remaining $1.3 million will go into furthering education, internships and workforce development skills of the creative and cultural industries, which will result in new employment opportunities as well as providing more resources for up-and-coming musicians.
Furthermore, as listed on the Government website, “An additional $1.6 million over four years will be provided to the Australian National Academy of Music for elite level brass training and percussion education”
The Australian music industry contributes massively to the Australian Economy and it looks as though it will finally get the support from the pollies that has been promised for years, but hey, better late than never!
