It goes without saying – this year has been an incredibly difficult one for the Australian music industry, both the artists and the crews who work tirelessly to make it happen. There has likely never been a more appropriate year for Ausmusic T-Shirt Day, which is due to take place this year on Friday, 20th November.
If you’re not across it, Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is a nationwide celebration of Aussie music, a celebration of the sheer amount of talent that our local artists have on offer, and a chance to raise much-needed funds where it counts.
Aussie music industry relief organisation Support Act have been doing an incredible job throughout this period of providing assistance to those in the industry who’ve been impacted by the pandemic and resultant restrictions on mass gatherings. Since the pandemic began, requests for crisis relief made to Support Act have increased by 883%, and calls to their Wellbeing Helpline have increased by 52%.
“If there is one thing our donors and supporters have been telling us since the start of the pandemic, it’s how much they miss live music,” commented Support Act CEO Clive Miller.
“They also get that artists, crew and music workers have been doing it tough. Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is a great way to celebrate Australian music and the people who create it, while raising funds to ensure that Support Act can continue to provide desperately needed services to our friends and colleagues in need.”
This year sees the initiative get a new mascot – as seen above – designed by First Nations artist Bree “Little Butten” Buttenshaw. Support Act have also teamed up with TikTok and livestream festival Isol-Aid this year, meaning there’s a range of opportunities for celebrating the day.
Head to this year’s website for all the details on setting up a team fundraising page or making an individual donation, and then when November 20 rolls around, post your photos to social media using the hashtag #ausmusictshirtday and tagging @supportact, @triplej and @aria_official.
So start planning your wardrobe – if you’re in need, Support Act has developed a t-shirt range with exclusive, limited edition designs from the likes of Amy Shark, Ball Park Music and more, with 100% of net proceeds going to Support Act. Otherwise, head here for a great range of partnered merch outlets who will all be donating a percentage of sales to the campaign this year.
