Our Soundtrack, Our Stories Is A New Initiative Calling For More Aussie Music In Our Media
A viral post from Jack River has kicked the entire industry into action.
Some of the biggest music bodies in the Australian industry have banded together for Our Soundtrack, Our Stories, a new campaign designed to shine a spotlight on local creators.
It’s undeniably been a tough time for the Australian music industry, what with the government failing to bail out lost touring income. That’s where Our Soundtrack, Our Stories comes in. Inspired by a viral Instagram post from Holly Rankin — AKA Jack River — the campaign aims to draw more attention to local artists and encourage businesses and advertisers to work with local acts.
Rankin’s Instagram post was based off her dismay that local coverage of the Olympics failed to include any music by Australian creators. “Dear Channel 7 and Corporate Aus,” Rankin wrote. “How great would it be if you played all Australian music in your coverage of the Olympics? These are Australian moments, they deserve Australian music.
“And while we’re here,” the post continued, “how good would it be to hear Aussie music in Coles, Woolies, Aldi, in banks, on hold, in stores and on ads being shown to Australians for the next few months?”
Now, roused by Rankin’s words, industry bodies like ARIA, APRA AMCOS, Mushroom Group, Universal Music Group Australia and Music Victoria have banded together to spawn Our Soundtrack, Our Stories.
At this stage, the campaign is in its very early days, but it’s already making ripples in the industry — already, Coles Radio has added more local music to their playlists, and a new website offering licences that pay artists fairly has been launched. Qsic, a commerical music streaming service, has now teamed up with Rankin’s management company UNIFIED to curate all-Australian playlists for their 70+ clients across the country.
Basically, it’s a great initiative, one that will make a deep difference to the lives of Australian musicians, precisely when they need it most.
“One ad sync can change a young artist’s life, impact their career for a good few years and give them financial stability,” Rankin told triple j. “Why are you giving those opportunities away to people who may not need them or we have no connection to?”
Read more about the initiative over here.