Recipient Sarah Hamilton is pictured with One of One co-founder Joanna Cameron (photo by Tanya Volt)

This year, Music Victoria is pleased to introduce the Outstanding Woman in Music Award which recognises the achievements of not only musicians but also women behind the scenes, such as industry professionals, management and crew. Our longlist candidates were put forward by members of the public, music industry and Music Victoria members, with the final nominees and winner voted on by the Music Victoria board.

Our nominees were:

ANNA LAVERTY - Music producer. Anna was a featured engineer on the 2019 ABC TV series ‘The Recording Studio’, and recently produced the Milk Records ‘Milk On Milk’ compilation, and albums by Amanda Palmer, East Brunswick All Girls Choir, Loose Tooth and Shepparton Airplane.

COCO EKE - Coco is the General Manager of Bad Apples Music, an Aboriginal owned record label whose objective is to nurture Aboriginal excellence. Coco’s experience includes strategic roles within Aboriginal organisations including in the Barunga Festival, Boonwurrung Foundation, Ilbijerri Theatre and The Long Walk Foundation. Coco is also co-founder of non-profit Indigenous organisations Barpirdhila Foundation and Ngarrimili.

CHARLOTTE ABROMS - Charlotte started the Support Act COVID19 facebook fundraiser which raised in excess of $50,000, helped with the early stages of Isol-aid, Created the digital platform Kind Face Creative for online concerts, is the manager of Angie McMahon and Ainslie Wills, and an advocate for mental health in music industry.

EMILY ULMAN - Emily is the programmer and managing director of online festival Isol-Aid. She's also Brunswick Music Festival programmer, a venue booker, musician, and radio presenter for ABC Melbourne.

and the winner was:

SARAH HAMILTON - Sarah is the co-founder (along with Joanna Cameron) and one of the directors (along with Joanna Cameron and Ellen Kirk) of the One of One website which highlights women in the music industry and hosts a very special breakfast event on International Women's day. She also heads up the Australian team for Ditto Music distribution.

We commend these women for their incredible contributions.

Music Victoria are excited to reveal the winners of the seven industry-voted awards handed out at tonight’s first ever live-streamed Industry Awards event, along with the two 2020 Music Victoria Hall of Fame Inductees. The new format online event also marked the beginning of the voting period for this year’s public-voted categories with all nominees now revealed.

Industry stalwart Mary Mihelakos, and late blues musician Chris Wilson were revealed as the 2020 Hall of Fame inductees, with Chris’ family Sarah Carroll, Fenn Wilson and George Carroll Wilson honouring his induction with a special live performance of his track ‘Hand Becomes Fist'.

The event also awarded a selection of winners for the year’s best venues, festival, producer and Outstanding Woman in Music. Music Victoria are thrilled to welcome Sarah Hamilton as the inaugural winner of the Outstanding Woman In Music Award for her incredible work (along with Joanna Cameron and Ellen Kirk) with One of One - a website that highlights women in the music industry and hosts a very special breakfast event on International Women's day, alongside Joelistics (Joel Ma) who was crowned the debut recipient of the new Best Producer category for his work on Mo’Ju & Joelistics Ghost Town EP. Joel will also receive a $1000 voucher from Award Sponsor Yamaha.

This year’s Best Festival winner, Golden Plains will receive three-year’s free subscription with festival management software Loadin.com. Regional Venue winners, Barwon Club Hotel, Geelong and Theatre Royal, Castlemaine will each receive a $3000 cash prize from Bendigo Bank, and the Best Small and Best Large Venue winners The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood and Forum Melbourne will each have the opportunity to rep their own bespoke line of branded Brick Lane tinnies!

All nominees for this year’s awards will each receive a $100 voucher courtesy of Yamaha & Billy Hyde Music to spend on all Yamaha products and their associated brands including Line 6, Ampeg, Steinberg, Vox, Vater and EarthQuaker Devices. Voters will also go in the draw to win some of these vouchers! Plus, the good folk at Brick Lane are offering all voters the chance to win a slab of beer just for naming your favourite artists, songs and albums of the year, so be sure to check out the list of nominees below and head to the Music Victoria website www.musicvictoria.com.au/votenow before Friday 6 November and vote!

All remaining categories will be awarded at the official 2020 Music Victoria Awards, taking place on Wednesday 9 December at the Melbourne Recital Centre for the 16th instalment.

INDUSTRY AWARDS – WINNERS AND NOMINEES

Best Small Venue (under 500 capacity)
Winner: The Gasometer Hotel, Collingwood
Nominees:
Howler, Brunswick
Northcote Social Club, Northcote
The Tote, Collingwood
The Old Bar, Fitzroy

Best Large Venue (over 500 capacity)
Winner: Forum Melbourne
Nominees:
Melbourne Recital Centre, Southbank
Corner Hotel, Richmond
The Night Cat, Fitzroy
Hamer Hall, Southbank

Best Festival
Winner: Golden Plains
Nominees:
Brunswick Music Festival
Isol-Aid
Melbourne Music Week
Queenscliff Music Festival

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Over 50 gigs per year)
Winner: Barwon Club Hotel – Geelong
Nominees:
The Bridge Hotel – Castlemaine
The Eastern – Ballarat
Torquay Hotel – Torquay
Sooki Lounge – Belgrave

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Venue (Under 50 gigs per year)
Winner: *Theatre Royal – Castlemaine
Nominees:
The Blues Train – Queenscliff
The Sound Doctor Presents – Anglesea
Volta – Ballarat
Daylesford Cider – Daylesford

Outstanding Woman In Music
Winner: Sarah Hamilton (One Of One)
Nominees:
Anna Laverty (Music Producer)
Charlotte Abroms (Support Act Fundraiser, Music Management)
Coco Eke (Bad Apples, Barpirdhila Foundation and Ngarrimili)
Emily Ulman (Isol-Aid, Brunswick Music Festival)

Best Producer
Winner: Joelistics: Mo’Ju & Joelistics Ghost Town EP
Nominees:
Annika Schmarsel aka Alice Ivy: Sunrise', 'Don't Sleep', 'Better Man' (singles)
Anna Laverty: Milk on Milk (Milk! Records compilation)
Damien Charles: Coda Chroma 'Inside The Still Life' (Album)
Tom Iansek: #1 Dads – Golden Repair (Album)

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
TO BE INDUCTED AT THE MUSIC VICTORIA AWARDS
Mary Mihelakos (industry)
Chris Wilson (musician)

INDUSTRY-VOTED AWARDS NOMINEES
WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT THE MUSIC VICTORIA AWARDS

Best Regional/Outer Suburban Act
Benny Walker (Echuca)
Bones and Jones (Geelong)
Freya Josephine Hollick (Ballarat)
The Kite Machine (Geelong West)
The Teskey Brothers (Warrandyte)

Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent
Alice Skye
Allara
Kee’ahn
The Merindas
River Boy

Best Blues Album
Aaron Pollock – Separated Through Time
Charlie Bedford – Good to Go
Joey Vincent’s Bakelite Radio – Rosary of Tears
*Lloyd Spiegel – Cut and Run
The Teskey Brothers – Live at The Forum

Best Country Album
The Cartwheels – Self-titled
Lost Ragas – This Is Not A Dream
Michael Waugh – The Weir
Mitch Dean – Holding Back the Levee
Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife – You Be The Lightning

Best Electronic Act
*DRMNGNOW
OK EG
Pugilist
Simona Castricum
Sleep D

Best Experimental or Avant-garde Act
Bridget Chappell
James Rushford
Maria Moles
Natasha Anderson
Robin Fox

Best Folk Album
Charm of Finches – Your Company
Fiona Ross & Shane O'Mara – Sunwise Turn
Liz Frencham – Love and Other Crimes
Louisa Wise – All of These Things
Ruth Hazleton – Daisywheel

Best Heavy Album
Carcinoid – Metastatic Declination
Dead – Raving Drooling
Diploid – Glorify
Internal Rot – Grieving Birth
Sithlord – From Out of the Darkness

Best Hip Hop Act
Birdz
DRMNGNOW
Jordan Dennis
Nomad
Sampa The Great

Best Intercultural Act
Amaru Tribe
Black Jesus Experience
Gelareh Pour's Garden
No Borders Music
Sampa The Great

Best Jazz Album
Andrea Keller – Life Is Brut[if]al
Horns of Leroy – Big Night
JK Group – The Young Ones
Vanessa Perica Orchestra – Love is a Temporary Madness
ZEDSIX – The Shape Of Jazz

Best Reggae and Dancehall Act
Dub FX
Jah Tung
Marvin Priest
Monkey Marc
The Push Reggae Band

Best Rock/Punk Album
Cable Ties – Far Enough
Nuada – Beneath the Swamp
Pseudo Mind Hive – Of Seers and Sirens
RVG – Feral
Shepparton Airplane – Sharks

Best Soul, Funk, Gospel or RnB Album
Karate Boogaloo – Carn The Boogers
Sampa The Great – The Return
Surprise Chef – All News Is Good News
The Teskey Brothers – Live at The Forum
Various Artists – Over Under Away Volume 1: 10 Years of Hopestreet Recordings

PUBLIC-VOTED AWARDS NOMINEES
WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED AT THE MUSIC VICTORIA AWARDS ON WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER

Best Album
Cable Ties – Far Enough
Elizabeth – the wonderful world of nature
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways to New Italy
RVG – Feral
Sampa The Great – The Return

Best Band
Amyl and The Sniffers
Cable Ties
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
RVG

Best Song
Baker Boy – Move
Leah Senior – Evergreen
Mildlife – Rare Air
RVG – I Used To Love You
Sampa The Great – OMG

Best Solo Artist
Angie McMahon
Baker Boy
Briggs
Courtney Barnett
Elizabeth
Gordon Koang
Leah Senior
Sampa The Great
Simona Castricum
Sui Zhen

Best Musician
Amy Taylor (Amyl and The Sniffers)
Erica Dunn (Tropical Fuck Storm, Palm Springs, MOD CON)
Gareth Liddiard (Tropical Fuck Storm)
Gordon Koang
Jen Cloher (Dyson Stringer Cloher)
Romy Vager (RVG)
Sampa Tembo (Sampa The Great)
SilentJay (Sampa The Great, Mandarin Dreams)
Stu Mackenzie (King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard)
Tom Iansek (Big Scary, #1 Dads)

Best Breakthrough Act
Alice Skye
Elizabeth
Grace Cummings
Nat Vazer
Pinch Points

Best Live Act
Amyl and The Sniffers
Cable Ties
Gordon Koang
Sampa The Great
The Teskey Brothers

The Music Victoria Awards
Wednesday 9 December 2020
Melbourne Recital Centre
7.00pm
To be live-streamed on musicvictoria.com.au and broadcast on Channel 31.

Spotify Playlists to share and enjoy:
Industry-Voted Nominees
Public-Voted Nominees

Voting for all public-voted categories NOW OPEN until Friday 6 November via musicvictoria.com.au/votenow

VOTE NOW

The Music Victoria Awards accept one vote per device.
Multiple votes from the same IP address will be removed before winners are announced.

Music Victoria thanks Major Partners Bendigo Bank, City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria and Melbourne Recital Centre for their ongoing support of the Music Victoria Awards.

*Music Victoria Board Member Tim Heath is a co-owner of Regional Venue winner Theatre Royal. *VMDO/Songlines staff member Neil Morris is nominated for his work under the performing name DRMNGNOW. Music Victoria Artist Advisory Panel member Lloyd Spiegel is nominated in the Best Blues Album category. These Awards are industry-voted by independent panels, and nominees are not involved in the voting process.

Music Victoria is excited to announce a new format for 2020 with their first-ever exclusive online event. Ahead of the 16th edition of the annual Music Victoria Awards in December, the 2020 Industry Awards will take place online, beamed to wherever you may be across the state on Thursday 8 October to reveal Music Victoria’s Hall of Fame inductees and award seven of the 21 industry-voted awards as well as announce all remaining nominees for both the industry and public-voted categories.

Hosted by Music Victoria favourites and long-time Awards MCs, 3RRR’s Chris Gill and PBS Radio’s Lyndelle Wilkinson, the online event will be the first Industry Awards event that is open to the public, and will broadcast via Music Victoria’s Youtube channel. Music Victoria invites all nominees, families, friends, fans and Music Victoria Members to tune in for free from 8pm, Thursday 8 October and be a part of this historical event. Co-presenters PBS 106.7FM and RRR 102.7FM will join in the excitement with simultaneous Awards features on their radio shows Sunglasses After Dark with Phil McDougall and RRR 102.7FM program The Australian Mood with Neil Rogers.

The seven industry-voted awards that will be handed out on the night are the inaugural Outstanding Woman in Music Award (as voted by the Music Victoria Board) and the debut Best Producer Award, as well as previously recognised categories for Best Regional and Outer Suburban Venue (under 50 gigs per year), Best Regional and Outer Suburban Venue (over 50 gigs per year), Best Venue (under 500 capacity), Best Venue (over 500 capacity) and Best Festival.

The evening will also announce the two 2020 Hall of Fame inductees and will celebrate the announcements with an intimate live tribute performance on the night as a special treat for all who tune in. The Industry Awards event will announce all nominees for the remaining 14 industry-voted awards and will officially open up the online voting for the seven public-voted awards for Best Album, Best Band, Best Song, Best Solo Artist, Best Musician, Best Breakthrough Act, and Best Live Act.

Music Victoria is thrilled to announce new education sponsor JMC Academy and new beer sponsor Brick Lane Brewing, and thank departing sponsors Collarts and Mountain Goat for their support of the event over many years. They also welcome Event Partner Scene Change, whose studio will be broadcasting the Industry Awards Live Stream, and Channel 31, who will be broadcasting the Awards Ceremony in December.

Other sponsors include Yamaha & Billy Hyde Music, who are gifting a $100 voucher to all music nominees to spend on Yamaha brands (Yamaha, Line 6, Ampeg, Steinberg, Vox, Vater, EarthQuaker Devices), and Loadin.com who are awarding all festival nominees with their festival management software for free.

Major Partners Bendigo Bank will award regional category winners with $3000 cash each, and nominees of Best Song and Best Album will be awarded a paid and professionally filmed livestream event, thanks to funding from the Victorian Government’s Victoria Together Program.

Music Victoria also thanks Major Partners City of Melbourne and Melbourne Recital Centre for their ongoing support of the Music Victoria Awards.

All remaining categories not handed out at the Industry Awards will be recognised on the night of the official 2020 Music Victoria Awards, taking place on Wednesday 9 December at the Melbourne Recital Centre for the 16th instalment. Stay tuned for further event information.

2020 Music Industry Awards live-streamed event
Thursday 8 October
8.00pm - 9.00pm
via Music Victoria’s Youtube
Live Stream also accessible via
www.musicvictoria.com.au

Categories awarded at the event:
Best Regional and Outer Suburban Venue (under 50 gigs per year)
Best Regional and Outer Suburban Venue (over 50 gigs per year)
Best Venue (under 500 capacity)
Best Venue (over 500 capacity)
Best Festival
Best Producer
Outstanding Woman in Music Award

Other Announcements
Hall of Fame Inductees

Nominees for the industry-voted categories:
Best Blues Album
Best Country Album
Best Electronic Act
Best Experimental or Avant-Garde Act
Best Folk Album
Best Jazz Album
Best Heavy Album
Best Hip Hop Act
Best Reggae and Dancehall Act
Best Rock/Punk Album
Best Soul, Funk, R'n'B or Gospel Album
Best Emerging First Peoples Act (Archie Roach Foundation Award for Emerging Talent)
Best Intercultural Music Act
Best Regional and Outer Suburban Act

Plus public-voted categories:
Best Album
Best Band
Best Song
Best Solo Artist
Best Musician
Best Breakthrough Act
Best Live Act

Voting for all public-voted categories open Thursday 8 October.

Music Victoria thanks all partners and industry supporters for their ongoing support of the Music Victoria Awards

Are you our next CEO….

We are looking for a professional with remarkable communication skills at all levels as you converse with ministers and musicians alike. You will be driven, passionate and adaptable while not only open to change you embrace it. A good operator with sound strategic and financial planning skills, you will have an intricate understanding of project management principles.

A day in the life of our CEO could include advocacy work with government and completing acquittals for funding arrangements. Communication will factor in all aspects of your day as you work closely with stakeholders including the Music Victoria Board Members and Creative Victoria while engaging with the media or adding value as a member of industry panels.

There will be challenge and reward in equal measure in this role, as you:

• Lead a small and committed team to deliver quality services, programs and advocacy.
• Are passionate about music and motivated by a desire for the success of Victorian Music.
• Have a goal-oriented approach with a strong focus on delivery and ability to assess, prioritise and manage a variety of projects.
• Are capable of leveraging business opportunities, leading and influencing music or government policy.
• Embrace innovation for improved outcomes for the industry.

In exchange for your hard work, you'll be well rewarded:a suitably competitive salary awaits. But more than that, you'll be contributing to an organisation that brings music to the lives of Victorians, taking full ownership and driving us towards an even brighter future.

Applications close 1pm on 5 October 2020

More information at https://musicvictoria.recruitmenthub.com.au/Vacancies/5206064/title/Chief-Executive-Officer

The State Government this morning announced a $13 million funding package for the Victorian music sector, and groundbreaking new planning controls that will support venues and set the foundation for the establishment of Live Music Precincts.

These first announcements of the Victorian Live Music Grants and the planning recognition for live music spaces were key planks of Music Victoria’s Live Music Rescue Package proposal which were strongly promoted by the Save our Scene campaign.

The state-wide planning recognition for live music venues, slated to be gazetted this week, is a game changer, and along with the object in the Liquor Act recognising the economic, social and cultural contribution of live music, will ensure that live music is protected and supported by the regulatory system for generations to come.

Other strategic grants will go a long way to helping artists and some of the more vulnerable sectors of the industry, including youth, Regional and First Nations, navigate their way out of the crisis.

Music Victoria thanks the State Government for listening to the industry, its visionary approach and its generous support of the contemporary music sector at this crucial time.

Read the press release here:
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/supporting-our-world-famous-music-scene-and-workers

See the list of venue recipients here:
https://creative.vic.gov.au/news/2020/supporting-our-music-industry-to-rebuild-and-recover#

1. A new State Planning Policy recognising the importance of live music, that will have effect in every planning scheme in every municipality:

Objective

To recognize the social, economic and cultural benefits of live music and encourage, create and protect opportunities for the enjoyment of live music.

Strategies

• Identify areas where live music entertainment is encouraged or where there are high concentrations of licensed premises or clusters of live music venues, and implement measures to protect and enhance the social, economic and cultural benefits that such areas offer to the community.
• Implement measures to encourage the retention of existing, and the development of new, live music entertainment venues.
• Implement measures to ensure live music venues can co-exist with nearby residential and other noise sensitive land uses, and which recognise the principle that the primary responsibility for noise attenuation with respect to live music venues rests with the agent of change.

2. Four key changes to the pre-existing planning provisions relating to live music (in Clause 53.06 of all planning schemes):

• An additional Purpose “To encourage the retention of existing and the development of new live music entertainment venues.”
• Councils can identify areas with one or more live music venues in them – ‘live music precincts’, where live music will be encouraged and protected
• Inside identified precincts, any proposed new residential use needs to take account of any existing venue, and the possibility of new venues (this extends the Agent of Change principle to a whole-of-precinct approach)
• When anyone makes an application to establish, alter or demolish a live music venue, or to establish a new noise sensitive use near a venue or in an identified precinct, consideration must be given by the applicant and Council (or, in extraordinary circumstances the Minister) to the impact of the proposal on opportunities for live music.

3. Will the provisions save live music businesses from being evicted by landlords, or prevent landlords from selling the building?

• Not necessarily. It is extremely difficult for town planning laws to operate so as to require land to be used or developed in a certain way. While planning can prohibit, discourage or encourage certain outcomes, you can’t force someone continue to use their land as a live music venue (or anything else for that matter).

4. How will the provisions work in practice?

• They are likely to be of real value to live music venues who are trying to establish, or expand their existing operations. That is they have a positive effect rather than a negative or defensive value.
• The value lies in having a direct statement in the Scheme that opportunities for live music, and the economic and social values of live music are factors that must be taken into account by a decision maker.
• When this is combined with the changes to State policy, we have a planning scheme that provides considerably more support for live music venues, and expressly recognises that they have great value for the community.
• This in turn makes it significantly more likely that a planning decision maker will issue a permit for a new venue, or allow it to expand or allow its hours of operation or numbers to be increased.

5. How will this benefit live music?

• It is a very strong statement from government that live music is a planning priority of the state, giving it the same weight as factors such as affordable housing, heritage or industrial land supply. As with the reform in 2011 legislating the Liquor Act to insert an object recognising the contribution of live music, the benefits - both intended and unintended - will be wide-ranging and extensive, because it will make sure that live music is considered in all relevant planning strategy and land use decisions.
• It will allow Councils to identify areas with a concentration of venues and other night-time economy uses and allow them to set consistent, enforceable rules for venue owners, operators, developers and residents to protect amenity while encouraging economic activity.
• Effectively, the planning system will better deal with the opportunities and challenges of higher density living in activity precincts with live music venues in them.
• Implementing this approach will require a Council to identify a proposed precinct and take it through a planning scheme amendment process, so it will take a fairly committed Council to do it. But once in place, venues will have far greater planning support and protection.
• It will ensure that planning decisions-makers have to stop and think about the potential loss of a venue (or benefits of a new one) as a specific issue in any relevant development application. This is important. While it’s not a ‘ban’ on redevelopment of venues, it sends a message that the importance of a venue must be given weight. In practice, it’s likely to be a bit like heritage – the more significant the venue, the more weight it will be given in a planning decision.

6. How will it benefit artists, fans and music industry professionals?

More venues means more performance opportunities for artists, and live gigs for production crews and fans. Councils are likely to establish precincts were many artists live – and these precincts could include other services such as recording and rehearsal spaces, record stores, co-working spaces and radio stations.

7. Does it stop proposals to close or demolish existing venues?

No. This is beyond the power of planning controls to achieve. But it makes everyone stop and consider the impact of that loss and will encourage options to retain or replace venues in redevelopments eg. The Espy.

8. Do Councils have to identify precincts?

No. But it gives them power to do so, and the Minister is likely to issue guidance on how to do it. Music Victoria will work with supportive Councils to introduce precincts.

9. What are examples of other Live Music and Arts Precincts?

Fortitude Valley in Brisbane, Southport on the Gold Coast, Northbridge in Perth and Amsterdam all have live music precinct overlays, but this is believed to be the first statewide. The Melbourne Arts Precinct in Sturt Street is based on a similar model.

10. How do these changes relate to other regulations?

EPA is currently reviewing the regulations relating to noise from indoor and outdoor music venues. Music Victoria has strongly advocated for acknowledgement of active precincts that could have different noise objectives and measurement techniques. Now that the planning system provides for this, we can go back and lobby EPA to align the noise regulations.

After 10 years at the helm, Music Victoria CEO Patrick Donovan has made the decision to hand over the baton as CEO and leave the state peak body for contemporary music, Music Victoria.

Patrick, who was appointed as the peak body’s inaugural CEO in August 2010, said “A lot has changed since then and it’s been wonderful to have played a part in a dynamic body in this creative and passionate industry. Ten years seemed like a logical time to pass on the baton to a new CEO who can build on our work over the last decade.’’

Patrick will finish later this year to take up new opportunities after he takes long service leave over summer. Prior to MV, Patrick (Paddy to many) was the Age Newspaper’s Chief Music Writer, and is an adjunct professor of RMIT’s Bachelor of Arts (Music Business) Course.

Music Victoria Chair Sally Howland paid tribute to Mr Donovan’s service over the decade:

‘’Paddy's name is synonymous with Victorian Music and in many ways over the last 10 years he has become Music Victoria. His tenure as founding CEO is marked with an impressive list of achievements, including the Agent of Change legislation, establishment of the VMDO, the Music Victoria Awards and targeted skills development programs - Live Music Professionals and Cultivate, the women’s’ leadership program. More recently he has overseen a surge in our Membership, which now stands at 6,000.

Never one to take a backward step, he has been a true champion for our music business. Undoubtedly passionate, staunchly loyal, and ever tenacious. He is a good man to have on your team.

The Board is forever grateful not only for Paddy's tireless work but also for the legacy of leaving behind a robust organization ready for its next chapter. He takes with him the goodwill from all of us as he tackles his next venture."

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley thanked Patrick for his leadership:

“Paddy has been an incredible ambassador and champion for Victoria’s music scene. He leaves Music Victoria well positioned to come back strongly from the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic. I thank him for his leadership, commend him for his significant contribution and wish him all the best for the future.”

“Under Paddy’s stewardship, Music Victoria has grown into a significant voice for local music. Music Victoria is now the leading champion for live and local music not only for our state but on a national and international level."

Patrick thanked the volunteer board members, former and current staff, members, industry partners, pro bono contributors, Government partners and the music community for their support for Music Victoria and the sector.

‘’It’s been a privilege and a joy to work with so many talented and passionate people and help steer Music Victoria over the last ten years and help position the industry into a much more sophisticated and strategic position.

‘’The industry is currently undergoing major upheaval with artists, venues and industry businesses and workers struggling to sustain their businesses and careers because of the pandemic. But the Victorian music industry is resilient and fortunate to continue to receive the backing of Local, State and Federal Government through funding, development programs and legislative reform, and Music Victoria can leverage this support to confront the challenges. More than anything, I hope Music Victoria can help the industry to survive and recover from this pandemic, and I can’t wait to get back out to live shows.”

Before he finishes up, Patrick will assist the board in securing a new CEO to lead Music Victoria through the next decade.

Music Victoria has been nominated in the top three Best Global Music Offices in the inaugural Music Cities Awards. The award is for the music office that can showcase unrivalled support for music, musicians and music businesses in their city as well as globally. The other two nominees are the Memphis Tourism Office and Vermont’s Big Heavy World.

The Music Cities Awards is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward the most outstanding applications of music for economic, social and cultural development in cities and places all around the world.

The awards also aim to promote best practice and demonstrate the value of music to the world. The winners will be announced at the ceremony on September 23rd 2020.

https://www.musiccitiesevents.com/awards

Kerry’s appointment lasts until the Annual General Meeting is held in December, when she will have the opportunity to run for the board elections.

The announcement comes in the same week that Music Victoria and the Peak Body for First Nations Music in Victoria, Songlines Music Aboriginal Corporation, signed a Memorandum of Understanding committing to work closely and partner on regular events.