Kwame Asked What Needs To Change In The Aus Music Industry, And Everyone Sounded Off
"Remove all of the old and not-so-old white men from triple j and replace them with First Nations artists and presenters."
Kwame asked his Instagram followers what one thing they would change about the Australian music industry, and the answers — from musicians, radio presenters, industry figures and fans alike — are well worth your time.
Kwame posed the question this Tuesday on his Instagram stories, but upgraded it to the grid when he was overwhelmed by responses (as first spotted by Pilerats). There’s a lot lacking across the industry, and the rapper kicked things off with one or two of his ideas in a series of comments.
“We need more women, Black, Indigenous, First Nations and POC people in higher positions of power,” he wrote, an idea co-signed by Milan Ring, Handsome, Ivey and DJ Girlname.
On the topic of representation, he also criticised the press’ tendency to preface Indigenous artists with their identity: “Music publications: let’s refrain from ‘Indigenous [insert genre here]. Why are those of that community becoming a sub-genre?”
Kwame also specifically called for an end to the “unfair treatment of women” and “bro-code” in the music industry, citing labels having women sign non-disclosure agreements “keeping them away from speaking on the sexual assault they suffer from within the industry?”
Kira Puru, who has demanded more from the industry for years, also provided many ideas about gender and racial diversity on both stages and behind the scenes, asking for a local quota for festivals and 50 per cent female and gender non-conforming people and BIPOC people on industry boards.
She also criticised music festivals’ tendency to put ’emerging’ or ‘diverse’ acts at the day’s beginning “as a gesture” instead of throughout the festival and called for cultural sensitivity and sexual harassment training across the board.
“Stop making women in music feel like they can’t have both career and [a] baby or that they have an expiry date.”
Triple j unearthed’s Abby Butler would like to see a greater focus on accessibility for disabled punters and artists — something echoed repeatedly in the comments, as people called out a lack of information on event and venue sites about accessibility.
A few more triple j figures chimed in too, including unearthed music director Dave Ruby Howe, who said he wished that commercial radio championed local acts more, pointing out that they rarely hit mandated quotas. Roots N All host and musician Nkechi Anele hoped that artists might one day get paid what they’re owed, rather than given booze and food as payment.
And Good Nights host Bridget Hustwaite also supported the general move towards having more BIPOC and women in positions of power, and also rattled out a few easily possible goals.
“Less prejudice towards artists and bands in pop because they have a strong female or queer following which is then deemed as illegitimate,” she wrote.”Stop making women in music feel like they can’t have both career and [a] baby or that they have an expiry date.”
Hustwaite also took aim at the ARIAs for inviting “people who actually make a fuck all contribution to the Australian music landscape”, an idea expressed elsewhere too. Puru also imagined an ARIAs where the same people aren’t nominated and involved year-in, year-out, asking “what’s the point if it’s just the same people giving awards back and forth”.
Jen Cloher also called for a cleansing of the old guard, specifically at triple j. “Remove all of the old and not so old white men from triple j and replace them with First Nations artists and presenters who can decide who they will employ to program music in their country,” she writes.
“Sure triple j ain’t everything (DSPs) [‘digital service providers’, aka Spotify, Apple Music] but in this country find me a single artist who has received enduring support from triple j that hasn’t benefitted from it.”
Musician Kamaliza also demanded more from DSPs like Spotify and Apple Music, asking that they provide more support to independent artists, rather than continually promote major label acts. He also imagined they could help end the triple j “monopoly” of promoting artists by creating their own radio shows, pointing towards the success of Briggs’ beats 1 show.
There’s a lot that needs work, and the thread is a massive insight into what Australian artists, music figures and fans think is holding us back. Have a scroll here.
Photo Credit: Bridget Hustwaite by Giulia McGauran