Over the last 20 years Music SA has delivered a significant contribution to the growth, development and profile of the original contemporary music industry in South Australia. We service artists, industry practitioners and music businesses.

Since its inception Music SA has been an industry leader for contemporary music education (both performance, festivals & events and music business) and has been a Registered Training Organisation since 2010.

The not-for-profit company continues to work with artistic, industry and government agencies to create value and add capacity to the musical landscape of South Australia, through significant programs and partnerships that have reached well beyond the City of Adelaide and suburbs into regional South Australia including the Barossa Valley, Murray Bridge, Mount Gambier, Whyalla, the Riverland and Port Lincoln.

Key milestones in our 20-year existence include:

  • 1997 Established the “South Australian Contemporary Music Development Company” T/A AUSMUSIC SA (later to change its name to Music SA).
  • 1998 Introduced short courses for music business practitioners
  • 2000 Published annual Australian music week/day program and presented annual AMD events for next 10 years
  • 2004 Music SA Online established
  • 2005 Ausmusic SA ‘Homebrew’ local music weekly show began on NOVA 919 (first ever weekly local/original music show on commercial radio)
  • 2005 Commenced Contemporary Music Program in 29 secondary schools
  • 2007 Established first Music Industry Development officer role for SA
  • 2007 First VET Music Business programs delivered
  • 2007 – 2010 Louder Than Words Festival in regional SA
  • 2008 Established first Music Business Training program at the Centre for Aboriginal Studies in Music (CASM)
  • 2008 – 2012 Coopers Alive Festival
  • 2009 Won ABAF SME Award (Australian Business Arts Foundation) for Coopers Alive Festival
  • 2009 Won Trainer of the Year from INAP (Nev de Boar)
  • 2009 Ausmusic SA wins CBAA Award (Community Broadcasting Association of Australia) for Radio Adelaide partnership
  • 2010 Established Music SA as Registered Training Organisation
  • 2010 Rebrand Ausmusic SA as ‘Music SA’
  • 2011 Established first ATSI Music Industry Development role
  • 2011 First Bands on Track @ Clipsal
  • 2011 Inaugural Clip It! music video production initiative with Canon & MRC
  • 2012 Inaugural Fowlers Live Music Awards (SA Music Awards)
  • 2012 – 2013 Southern Exposure Festival @ Reynella Youth Arts
  • 2013 Joined national Australian Music Industry Network
  • 2014 This Is SA Music at the Adelaide Airport (later named Adelaide Sounds)
  • 2015 First ever Triennial Funding approval
  • 2015 Inaugural SA Music Awards and published the first annual Live Music Census
  • 2015 Sound and Vision partnership with Flinders University
  • 2016 Published Best Practice Guide for Live Music Venues
  • 2016 Inaugural Umbrella: Winter City Sounds 2-week live music festival which in 2017 saw 300 events across 100 venues funded by the Australia Council and the SA Tourism Commission
  • 2016 Music SA online gig guide goes national
  • 2017 Scouted Showcase and regular weekly music segment on ABC 891
  • 2017 Partnership with the national Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Awards
  • 2017 Girls To The Front music education program for teenage girls

Since 1997 our focus has broadened from music courses with schools to a holistic state and national approach to artist development, audience development and industry development, with examples as follows:

Artist Development

  • Workshops, Masterclasses and free Public Forums on music business
  • Mentoring Programs for artists
  • “Song Labs” for co-writing & recording across genres / borders
  • Music SA Paid Internships
  • Southern Exposure Festival @ Reynella Youth Arts
  • “Health Matters for Musicians” including filmed education sessions on mental & physical health (Tinnitus, RSI, drugs & alcohol, depression and anxiety)
  • School holiday workshops and programs with school bands e.g. Winter Jams
  • Facilitation of opportunities e.g. Telstra Road to Discovery, Festival of Voices, Control & Release, MAPS, Clip It!, Stigwood Fellowship
  • Contemporary Music Program (CMP) in secondary schools
  • Fuse Festival, Coopers Alive, Bands on Track and Umbrella Winter City Sounds
  • Website “Opportunities” page and fortnightly e-newsletter
  • Girls to the Front program to address the gender gap in the music industry
  • Scouted Showcase
  • Website toolkits, checklists and resources for artists on music business matters

Audience Development

  • Band merchandise markets
  • Music SA Website and Social Media with well established relations with media partners including Channel 9, Brand South Australia, Fresh 927, ABC 891, Radio Adelaide, Opinion Media, The Messenger, The Advertiser, themusic.com.au, YEWTH, moshtix and Scenestr
  • Fowlers Live Music Awards, which has evolved to the SA Music Awards
  • Performance Opportunities e.g. Louder Than Words Festival, Tour Down Under, Adelaide Central Markets, Sunday Vibes @ The Rotunda, Clipsal Bands on Track, Adelaide Fashion Week, Australian Masters Games, Victoria Square, Uni SA Summer Series, Brickwork Markets, City of Tea Tree Gully Fringe
  • “Good News Stories” year-round publicity program
  • Development of Live Music Action Plans with local councils
  • 100 Hot Wines, Pirate Life, Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Film Festival and Clique partnerships
  • Music SA Next Gig App
  • Live Music Marketing Campaign for Adelaide Fringe each year e.g. FRUSIC
  • Radio Showcasing
  • Coopers Live Adelaide Band showcase
  • I Love Live Music short film competition
  • The Adelaide Airport’s Adelaide Sounds is an original South Australian live music series curated by Music SA and performed at Adelaide Airport every Friday afternoon, plus alternate Saturdays and Sundays. Since 2013 more than 60 artists have presented original live music performances in Terminal 1 and the ongoing success of the series proudly sees the 500th performance in spring of this year, with the total number of travellers experiencing live music performances reaching one million people.

Industry Development

  • South Australian Music Awards
  • Website toolkits and resources for venues including Venue Factsheets
  • One-on-one “Music Business Mondays” career advisory service
  • Nationally accredited certificate courses in music business, including “action projects” within and for the local music industry
  • Venues Roundtable and streamlining of Live Music Regulation
  • Music Industry Council
  • Music business workshops for venues
  • Music SA roadshows in schools and via music educators and APRA AMCOS
  • APRA AMCOS Information Sessions
  • AMIN representation and projects
  • Music teacher professional development programs in Pro Tools
  • Festival based action learning internships

What started out as an organisation with a focus on music courses in schools, has grown into a nationally recognised industry body which not only educates, but advocates, promotes, mentors, supports and markets artists and industry personnel and focusses on building a thriving contemporary music community in SA. It believes in nurturing creators of original contemporary music and the development of real careers in an industry that plays an important part in South Australia’s economic transformation.