Real support for local music!

Bill Brown just sent this email out, and I'm sure he won't object to us reproducing it in full here:

"Hi All

ABC South East Music is all about promoting live music in the region – the musicians, festivals, and venues -  and as this is all about connecting you with our audience I thought I’d pass on some really good results that have developed over the last few months.

ABC Awards

Last month ABC South East Music was runner-up in the ABC’s national local radio awards in the Best Use of Online Media category – losing out to ABC Sydney. We were the only regional finalist in the category – so we did OK for the bush!

That’s s all fine, it’s an ultra high profile event attended by the NSW Governor, Premier, Opposition Leader, and Fed and State ministers, etc;  and the food and champagne was great – but the meaningful part was the opportunity of getting the attention within the ABC from the Managing Director, all the various network chiefs, and so on, with the message that out here in the bush there is a terrific community of musicians doing great things.

From the ABC point of view it has been highlighted as a significant example of the ABC supporting the arts in a regional area.

This is a big win for all of you – the feedback is all about the breadth and quality of your performances that comprise the content of ABC South East Music; and all about how in this remote part of Australia there is such an interesting music scene.

National ABC Local Music Online

We have demonstrated what ABC Local can do in supporting the arts in the regions and that we can create music productions that attract a national and international online audience – so this creates new thinking and new opportunities.

The latest development has been the establishment of a national ABC Online site: ABC Local Music – where one of the content streams is “Live to tape”, films and recordings from around Australia.

Have a look and you’ll see how well represented is South East NSW in the site’s national context.  Currently the site’s home page features videos of Garry Carson Jones and the PBGB at Pambula; Lucie Thorne and Kate Burke at Candelo;  Captain Matchbox at Tathra; Kade Brown Trio at Candelo; Six Feet Under at Tathra; (and no, I don’t select any of these – its done by the site’s producer)

This kind of media ‘traction’  means that between you all and us we are expanding our presence nationally, and expanding the audience for the performance videos that we make.

Four Winds Festival

Earlier this month ABC South East Music and ABC Classic FM partnered to dual broadcast recordings of the festival on Classic FM, while publishing a multi-camera coverage of the Festival on a dedicated ABC Four Winds Festival web site.

It took three years and multiple funding submissions to secure the budget to do this, and the outcome has been highly successful.

It is also another model for the ABC of the way things can be done in the bush – producing high value content suitable for online, radio and TV. Its the first time anything like that has been done – ABC Local Online partnering with a national radio network to film and record a regional festival.

Again, new things create new opportunities – so lets see what happens.

The future

Its just a matter of time before more clips find a way on to ABC 1 or 2 or 24 once the ABC’s TV Arts funding cuts and changes settle down.

The Four Winds Festival production has given iView a serious nudge; and we keep pushing for a regional music stream;  so we’ll keep knocking.

Work together and put it out there

The foundations are well established now. So its now all about continuing with new productions and building the buzz.

Please stay engaged with ABC South East Music:

-  musos: please use your web sites and Facebook to link to any clips we’ve created with you
-  festivals and venues: on your web sites and Facebook please use ABC South East Music clips of any artists your are programming
-  musos, venues, and festivals: please add your gigs to the ABC South East Music gig guide and help us promote you online and on radio"

Thanks for all the brilliant work in support of local music Bill!