This week in the column: opportunities galore for electronic artists, SXSW process get confirmed, and the AGE EG awards are announced.
ARIA CHART WRAP
Psy is well on his way to providing the biggest album and single of 2012, as his continues his success at number one with 'Gangnam Style' on the ARIA singles charts for another week. There isn't much action in terms of debuts in the top fifty, but Swedish House Mafia featuring the vocals of John Martin has bulleted up to #3 with 'Don't You Worry Child' while Bruno Mars struts into #10 up eleven spots with 'Locked Out Of Heaven'.
Pink drops down one spot after four weeks at the top spot on the albums chart and makes way for Taylor Swift with her new album Red. Reality TV winner Reece Mastin also debuts highly at #3 with Beautiful Nightmare. Two other Australian artists show up on the chart too, with Paul Kelly with Spring & Fall drops in at #9 and Lee Kernighan rounds out the top ten at #10 with Beautiful Noise.
OPPORTUNITIES: ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONFERENCE
Asia-Pacific’s inaugural Electronic Music Conference (EMC) which will happen during ARIA Week in November has announced that applications are now open to Australian DJs and producers wishing to present their work at EMC’s Emerging Artists Showcase. The showcase will take place on Tuesday 27th November.
Anyone who is a delegate to The Emerging Artists Showcase is admitted free. To register, the conference are asking for you to email hello@electronicmusicconference.com with a short bio, contact details and a link to your music online. Submissions close Friday, November 2.
OPPORTUNITIES: 2012 QUICK RESPONSE GRANT
In addition to the above opportunity, industry body MusicNSW has announced the 2012 Quick Response Grant program, which will provide financial support to artists and managers attending the Electronic Music Conference. The grants provided intend to maximise networking opportunities and professional development at the conference itself.
Submissions are restricted to artists (or their managers) based in NSW. Applications open Thursday November 1, and will close at midnight, Monday November 19th. For further information and to download selection criteria, budget templates, and all the other jazz associated with it, head to www.electronicmusicconference.com/grants
OPPORTUNITIES: SXSW 2013
Artists are still encouraged to apply to attend and perform at next year’s South By Southwest (SXSW). The deadline for artists to upload their music, bio and various little things via the Sonicbids website - www.sonicbids.com/sxsw - will close on November 7. Cost is $40 per application.
Those that apply between now and November 7 will be put up for priority evaluation so that visa grants to perform in the USA can be processed. More information about the application process can be found here, or here.
MORE SXSW
In other SXSW news, sixteen artists have already had their applications approved to perform at the worlds largest music industry gang bang… er, I mean conference: Vaudeville Smash, Gold Fields, Sugar Army, The Swiss, Nolita Knights, Something For Kate, The Chevelles, San Cisco, Hiatus Kaiyote, Emma Louise, Atlas Genius, Seth Sentry, Bearhug, Twerps, 360
FRESHLY INKED: A SEASON OF SECRETS
The UK’s A Season Of Secrets has signed with Australian-based artist manager Amanda Graves who will look after their matters in this country. The outfit have recently released their EP Crooks, and plans for an Australian tour are underway.
FRESHLY INKED: CHRONOGRAPHS
Ghost Music has announced that UK ‘technical metallers’, Chronographs, have joined up onto the label’s roster. They’re to release their debut EP Nausia is set to be released on 7 January 2013.
EARTH TWINS
Two filmmakers from Adelaide, Ben Dring and Sam Steinle are planning to film and record bands at the local recording hub Twin Earth Studios Live. The concept, titled Live At Twin Earth, will have bands performing two songs with an interview, much like a mini Studio 22.
So far the duo has filmed two episodes of Live At Twin Earth, which Adelaide bands Leader Cheetah, Gold Bloom and Melbourne/London artist Joe McKee. A Pozible campaign has been set up in order to achieve a monetary goal of $5000 to fund the successful production of the whole series. People can learn more at the project’s facebook.
AGE EG AWARDS ARE NO EGG
A slew of artists have been announced as performing at the Age EG Awards, which is Fairfax’s slice of the pie in the music award-giving business.
Weddings Parties Anything will be inducted to the awards hall of fame, while Ian Rumbold from Sound Developments Analogue Audio Repairs & Service will win Music Victoria's award for a non-performing musician (such things exist as a non-performing musician?).
The awards this year have been announced as part of the official Melbourne Music Week program with MMW presenting the reader-voted award for Most Outstanding Achievement in 2012 by a Melbourne band or artist.
Clare Bowditch, Kate Miller-Heidke and Julia Stone are among the female artists fans can vote for in this year’s online poll, while Charles Jenkins, Chet Faker, Henry Wagons and Geoffrey O’Connor are among the men in contention for this year’s Best Male performer.
The albums up for the Best Album award include the self titled album by The Twerps, the Dirty Three’s Toward the Low Sun, Pond’s Beard, Wives, Denim and Dirty, Dirty by Jim Keays. Oh Mercy, Husky, Graveyard Train and Pond are in the running for the Best Band award.
If you have any media releases or news that could suit this column (i.e., music industry issues only - please) send them through to industry@theaureview.com
