This week, the Productivity Commission released its Interim Report – Harnessing Data and Digital Technology. Buried in the report is a proposal for a major change to Australian copyright law: a new “fair dealing” exception for text and data mining (TDM).
If implemented, this would allow AI companies to legally mine Australian songs, stories, art, research and other creative works, without consent or payment, to train their algorithms. It would mean vast datasets of creative material could be scraped, copied and mimicked by machines, with no licensing or acknowledgement of the original creators.
WHY IT MATTERS
The cultural and economic impact would be devastating.
As APRA AMCOS, ARIA and PPCA have already warned, this proposal undermines the foundation of intellectual property rights that Australian artists rely on. It:
MUSIC VICTORIA'S POSITION
This is not innovation - it's theft and it’s exploitation.
Music Victoria stands with Australian songwriters, performers and creators in rejecting this proposal. We support the development of ethical, responsible AI, but it must be built on consent, transparency and fair remuneration.
Have Your Say – Submissions Close 5pm AEST, Monday 15 September
We urge everyone in the music sector to speak out.
Make your submission here: pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/data-digital#interim and tell the Commission to protect, not exploit, Australian music.
Music has value. Artists have rights. Our culture is not free for the taking
Music Victoria CEO, Simone Schinkel, has announced her decision to finish with the organisation at the end of this year.
During her almost four-year term and having started in the midst of the pandemic, Schinkel has led Music Victoria by guiding crucial advocacy and vital change, including securing over $88m in direct sector investment from the Victorian Government.
Throughout Schinkel’s leadership, Music Victoria has delivered a solid program that includes research, industry resources, professional development opportunities, targeted promotion, a help desk as well as ongoing industry engagement and advocacy.
Some of Schinkel’s key achievements for Music Victoria include:
Schinkel explained that she proudly supported and represented the Victorian music industry, “My journey at Music Victoria was made possible through an incredible and inspiring community alliance. We have achieved some great outcomes and it is a bittersweet moment that I announce my departure.”
“While the landscape has changed during my time at Music Victoria, the power of music remains strong. We have continued to shape a more sustainable and equitable future. The Victorian music industry will continue to soar,” Schinkel highlighted.
“Our work is a collective effort and I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to engage with some incredible people to achieve our vision to champion for the entire Victorian music sector,” said Schinkel.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our 5,000+ members, our dedicated staff and Board – both past and present – and our partners, industry advisors, fellow peak bodies and collaborators,” Schinkel acknowledged.
Kutcha Edwards, Mutti Mutti musician and Music Victoria Hall of Fame inductee, remarked, “During Simone’s time as CEO, Music Victoria has emerged as an engaged and effective partner with First Nations music mob and community across the state. This is a testament to her commitment to deep listening, reflecting and learning, while consistently creating connection and representation time and time again.”
Sophie Paten, Music Australia Board Member, award-winning artist, and beloved Aussie export, Gordi, commented, “Simone has made an invaluable contribution to music in Victoria. She led through a particularly difficult period during the pandemic and was able to navigate conversations with stakeholders and government in a way that united and motivated the industry.”
Eliza Hull, a musical artist, writer, journalist, and disability advocate shared “I always felt truly heard, respected, and valued by Simone. Her passion for Victorian music, local artists and the local industry was evident in every decision she made. She has always had her heart in the right place, remaining focused on the bigger picture, championing accessibility, inclusion and equity in every way. While I’m sad to see her go, I have no doubt she’ll continue to accomplish incredible things. A true advocate for all of us!"
Jaddan Comerford, UNIFIED Music Group Founder and CEO, said, “We greatly value the important role that Music Victoria plays in supporting our local music industry. Thank you Simone, for guiding our peak body through a very challenging time and doing so with integrity and passion.”
Chris O’Neill, Chair of the Music Victoria Board, added that Schinkel has demonstrated incredible passion and dedication as CEO over the past four years, “Simone’s collaborative efforts with the Victorian Government have been instrumental in securing essential funding, supporting our diverse membership through the pandemic and the challenging times that have followed.”
“Through her hard work, Simone has transformed Music Victoria’s operations, strengthened internal procedures and cultivated a positive, inclusive culture within our growing team. We extend our deepest thanks to Simone for her commitment and wish her every success in her future endeavours,” O’Neill concluded.
Schinkel will finish at Music Victoria on 20 December 2024 and the Board will now commence recruitment for its next CEO.
We take our advocacy work very seriously. By advocating on behalf of the broader music community, we push beyond any one individual's needs towards a thriving ecology that is reaching its full potential, often working behind the scenes, but always making things happen, we hold the government, and each other, to account.
Music Victoria has joined Rock Posters and other Melbourne businesses to launch a vaccination campaign to encourage Melburnians to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The month-long 'Mighty V' campaign will be visible on advertisement sites across Melbourne due to contributions of over $10,000 made by 22 partner organisations, including Music Victoria. The campaign will aid Support Act and its crisis relief program, which brings much-needed support to those in the music industry who have lost work, gigs and their livelihoods due to the pandemic.
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In early August, Support Act announced it received an additional $20 million in funding from the Australian Government. The organisation will expand its outreach beyond the music industry to support artists, creatives, production and technical crew working across the broader arts sector from 23 August.
The Mighty V campaign is one of two vaccination campaigns Music Victoria helped launch this month. On August 20, Music Victoria launched #GetVaxxed4Vic, an online campaign to encourage the music industry and music lovers to get vaccinated to aid the Victorian live music scene in reopening.
You can also support artists and music workers by donating to Support Act here or Music Victoria here.
In 2018 Victoria had more venues per capita than anywhere in the world. Fast forward to February 2021 and 3 in 5 workers are considering leaving the music industry as live music trades at under 4% of pre-COVID levels. Every person that gets vaccinated brings us a step closer to reopening and saving Victoria's live music scene.
Along with getting vaxxed, you can support Victoria's live music industry by updating your Facebook profile picture with the campaign frame to encourage others to get vaxxed too.
Step 1: Click on the links below to download a campaign frame
Facebook profile picture frame
Instagram or Facebook post frame
Instagram story frame
TikTok frame
Facebook video frame
Facebook cover image (no editing required)
Twitter header (no editing required)
Email signature (no editing required)
Step 2: Use your image editing tool of choice to put the frame on a photo of yourself
Don't worry, you don't need any design skills! You can use this free, easy-to-use site called Canva and follow the steps below.
This afternoon brings more devasting news as Victoria prepares to enter Lockdown 6.0 at 8pm tonight which means more lost gigs and income for the Victorian Music Industry.
We are still working with the Australian Music Industry Network and the Australian Festival Association to tally the impact of lost gigs across Victoria so we can help find ways to support people and businesses who have been affected. The I LOST MY GIG survey has received 2, 526 responses so far but we know there are so many more people who have been affected by lost gigs. If you lost a gig due to COVID-19 in 2021, please fill out the survey now.
You can read the data collected from the survey so far below.
