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The Australian Music Prize 2005.
The Australian music industry has come together to offer a cash
prize of $25,000 for the best Australian album of the year.
The Australian Music Prize (which is known as The Amp 2005 in
its inaugural year) won't be decided on record sales or chart
positions or what's trendy or who had the bigger production
and marketing budget. It could go to someone living in the sticks
who made a brilliant record in their bedroom. It could be pop,
jazz, country swing or Swahili rap. The money does not have
to be paid back. There are no strings attached.
"The beauty of a prize like this is that it's open to all these acts who work around the fringes of the music industry," says Lindy Morrison, a musician, lecturer, artist rep on the PPCA board and activist for copyright protection and artist rights. "There is no commercial imperative, it's a prize for any artist who creates the most exciting adventurous work. There is a lot of great underground music out there, we certainly have a thriving culture. Our records are often better than those coming from abroad."
Sebastian Chase, head of MGM Distribution, almost single handedly showed that it is possible for indie acts like the Whitlams, the John Butler Trio and the Waifs to sell more records than most major acts and earn twice as much from record sales. He has long believed that Australian music has a uniqueness to be encouraged.
"Ours is a young culture which is striving to forge its identity," Chase explains. "This search for identity has less economic power than the music that is coming from America and England. So Australian artists have to dig deeper and yell louder."
The Australian Music Prize is based on Britain's Mercury Prize, and is the brain child of Scott Murphy. Murphy has been working with indie music for close to 25 years, first as head of Mushroom Distribution Services, then as head of Zomba Records and a director of dance promoter Agent Mad. He initially came up with the idea for the prize four years ago. To him, an album making it to The Amp Shortlist8 is just as important as winning.
"I was always impressed by how the albums in the Mercury Music Prize short list get an extra boost of popularity and recognition," says Murphy. "The Australian Music Prize is not just about encouraging quality and creativity. It's another fantastic vehicle to promote Australian music."
When Murphy first approached the music industry in 2001, there wasn't that much interest. The Mercury Music Prize wasn't the enormous media event it is now, where it is televised and broadcast on radio. But this year when he tried again, everyone saw the potential. Executives who increasingly found new music through the Internet realised how much great Australian music fell through the cracks. The PPCA (the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia), the national, non-profit organisation that represents the interests of Australian recording artists and record labels, offered to come up with the $25,000 prize.
Murphy knew the judging process had to be impeccable. He got
together a patron steering committee of 12 which included record
label chiefs like EMI's John O'Donnell, MGM's Sebastian Chase,
Shock's Charles Caldas, Colin Daniel of Vicious Vinyl and Philip
Mortlock of Origin Records. Also on the committee are publishers
(Mushroom Music's Ian James and APRA's director of members services
Sally Howland), manager Philip Stevens (The John Butler Trio,
The Waifs), promoter Michael Chugg; retaile, Geoffrey Bonouvrie
of Mall Music; publicist Vivien Fantin and Spiderbait's Kram.
The 12 have no part in the judging. That is for the 50 execs who will be chosen from all areas of the industry and who are known for their ability to expertly review music - and appreciate excellence in music. Entries are open from January 6. Murphy expects up to 350 entries for The Australian Music Prize in its first year. The Amp Shortlist8 is announced in February. The winner will be revealed at an industry function in Sydney in March. Down the track, Murphy expects The Australian Music Prize to also be covered live on radio and television. Meantime, the music sector is strongly urging acts not to feel intimidated and to enter, and to take the opportunities of a prize where the judges have total freedom to choose whom they want.
"That $25,000 can make all the difference for a band," says Sebastian Chase. "You could use the money to try your luck overseas, make contacts, get deals, or present yourself on international stages."
Lindy Morrison would have loved that $25,000 when she was in the Go-Betweens. "Between 1980 to 1988, we were broke, starving and cold," she recalls. "We toured constantly so we could get a feed. With that money we could have paid ourselves a wage, eat properly and pay for our electricity. It's extremely difficult building up a business in a band. It's a ten year project. If other bands make it before then, they're lucky. It'd be unusual. You simply don't make any money."
In a wider perspective, an initiative like The Amp 2005 also shows how the Australian music industry is becoming more mature. The likes of John Butler, the Hilltop Hoods and former LRB member Glenn Shorrock have set up grant systems to help others. It's not about competition. It's about taking responsibility and giving back. It's about art for art's sake.
Christie Eliezer
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For more information on The Amp 2005, see www.theamp2005.com.au
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