2013

ART ON THE STREET

WHY: We are seeking to fund visual artists who are undertaking projects delivering art to outdoor, or prominent indoor public spaces. These art pieces should be a form of social commentary, communication and inspiration, between the artist and the general public. The art must be made available at no financial cost to the general public. 

PARTNER: Next Wave Festival (www.nextwave.org.au)

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANT: b.o.m.b.

Part archaeological dig, part crime scene, part research centre, Shift is a performative, interactive and durational public artwork that explores our understanding of the built environment through interdisciplinary research and presentation. Stop and watch Adelaide-based arts collective b.o.m.b. map, draw and photograph; view the evolving pop up exhibition of their findings so far, tell them your experience of the site or shuffle through their research archives in their mobile on site laboratory. Measurements, classifications, cataloguing and visualisations appear and reappear in a constant cycle for you to explore and interact with. Questions, discussions and stories are welcomed and used as essential information that makes up an evolving picture of Melbourne.

"Presenting Shift as part of the Next Wave Festival could not have been possible without funding from The Seed. Shift was an ambitious project for our relatively new collective both in terms of scale and concept. Working in a new genre and city was a huge challenge that was made easier by our generous Seed funding that allowed us to travel regularly to Melbourne before the festival began and paid for vital components of the performance." 
- Jessica Miley, Artist 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

WHY: We believe in supporting emerging musicians to grow their skill set and hone their craft to work towards becoming self-sufficient artists.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS:

PETER CLARK will travel to Denmark to teach, study and perform alongside Màtè Szücs, principal violist of the Berlin Philharmonic.

"I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to The Seed Fund - for assisting me with the costs of travelling to Denmark to participate in the Thy Chamber music Festival. Without this support there was no way I would have been able to attend and consequently gain so much."

ADRIANO CAPPELLETTA will undertake mentoring sessions with Simon Rudston-Brown to improve technical acoustic guitar proficiency and become a confident live musician.

"This was the first time an outside body has recognised me as a musician and songwriter. It has given me enormous confidence and made being a musician a reality. I feel I have a solid foundation of practical knowledge and skills that I can keep developing."

SARITAH NEWMAN will work with Mohamad Kombra from Diafrix on beat making & production skills, in order to develop her skill set which will allow her to express and capture ideas more fluently. 

"I am super grateful to be a recipient of the Seed Fund’s Professional Skills Development grant! Having 10 classes of tuition in music production software  Logic Pro has given me the basic skills to home-demo my new material to the next level.  I received tuition in recording audio and midi to editing, EQ, effects, mixing and more - I learned so much! It is very satisfying and liberating to be able to get my ideas down and come at the song from all angles myself before taking it to my band/collaborators. The songs for my next album are taking fuller shape with the help of my newly aquired skills!"

STEVE ALLINGHAM will travel to Cuba to study and practice Afro Cuban Drumming with Yaroldy Abreu, to further build on basic skills and dramatically broaden his drumming experience. 

"I can’t thank you all enough for your support in funding my study trip to Cuba this year! I am forever grateful for your belief in the project and helping to further my career! It was truly a life changing experience and far exceeded my expectations."

MONEY FOR MANAGERS

WHY: We are committed to the ongoing support of the Managers that have become part of our Seed Management Community through attending The Management Workshop. After their attendance at the workshop we believe managers are better equipped to roll out campaigns and strategies to deliver real results to their artists and for their own careers in the music industry.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS:

ANTHONY ZACCARIA - To engage the services of an assistant to work across the LOON LAKE debut album release campaign and the FRACTURES debut EP release and tour campaigns.

"The Seed is such an fantastic organisation - run by amazing people doing great things and it's a privilege to be part of The Seed community. The money for managers grant allowed me to bring on extra help to assist in executing two successful release campaigns within a short period of time. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to commit the resources required to do the artists campaigns justice."

LAURA WALLBRIDGE from Walls and Bridges will undertake GOSSLING's debut album campaign as well as working across GUINEAFOWL's sophomore EP release. Strategies over the first phase will include extensive local touring for both acts to support their releases, as well as international show casing opportunities.

"The Seed's 'Money For Manager's' grant has literally allowed me to move through one of the most important times of my career to date. After completing the Management Workshop in 2011, I returned home incredibly motived and excited for the future, also with the realisation that I could no longer continue running my publicity business. I had fallen head over heels in love with management. To have any chance of being successful and making it a long term career proposition it was going to require 100% of my focus. Being a successful recipient of the 'Money for Managers' Grant allowed me to maintain my focus on this very important time in both my artists careers without having to have the burden of wondering if I would need to get a casual job to keep my family afloat during that time."

CHARLES WALL - To engage the services of an assistant to work across the BOBBY ALU album release campaign and national tour, as well as follow up single release and tour. 

"I cannot thank the Seed fund enough for the support you have given me over the years. The management workshop in 2010 equipped me with the right tools and drive to follow my passion. Its where Mel and I formed a partnership. To receive more assistance through funding is an honour. This campaign we have just completed is a raging success and the Seed fund has largely contributed. It’s now a goal of mine to assist The Seed one day."

MIKE SOLO will work across projects including: THE RED PAINTINGS – international release and touring across Australia, UK, Europe and the USA; sleepmakeswaves - international release and touring across Australia, UK, Europe and the USA. DUMBSAINT - Australian EP release and tour.

"The funding I received enabled me to throw my heart and soul into setting up international markets for sleepmakeswaves and The Red Paintings, as well as developing relationships both in and out of Australia for all the acts I work with. The Seed's genuine interest and passion for developing young managers is once again humbling and inspirational. I can't thank them enough for all their support, from the initial workshop through to now."

PUBLICISE IT

WHY: We understand the challenge of finding the extra funds to publicise a release after the investment that goes into making an album. We see publicity and marketing as key to having a viable release. This grant is available to The Seed Management Workshop community because we believe they have the tools to roll out a campaign effectively.

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS:

JESSE BARBERA engaged the services of Adam Christou from Remote Control Records to work on the release of JEREMY NEALE’s EP titled ‘A Stranger Affair’ and national tour in support of the release. Listen

"The Publicity for the EP release campaign met and exceeded my expectations. Engaging Remote Control as the publicist yielded great results across online and print media and ensured optimal attendance at all the shows of the EP tour. The campaign raised my profile as an artist and has created some amazing opportunities for touring and appearances on panels that would not have presented themselves otherwise." 

TONY QUINN & PETE CAROLL engaged the services of Monique Rothstein of Positive Feedback to work on the release of RAINY DAY WOMEN's debut album (currently untitled) and national tour in support of the release. Listen

(Originally granted to 2012 Seed alumnus Meesha Astill) 

"The Seed Fund gave the band the ability to bring onboard a group of promotional people, whom have relationships with key media writers, reviewers and radio programmers to further extend the profile and positioning of Rainy Day Women and their music."

SKINNYFISH FEES FOR REMOTE INDIGENOUS MUSICIANS

Supporting Top End Indigenous community bands, by generating paid performance opportunities and encouraging positive outcomes in community life through music.

WHO FOR: Selected remote Indigenous Musicians

PARTNER: Skinnyfish Music (skinnyfishmusic.com.au)

OBJECTIVE: Through existing remote community festivals, this initiative creates paid performance opportunities for remote community bands in and around their homelands. We will fund 3-4 remote bands who will play at 3 remote festivals of their choice. A fee of $1000 per band, per festival will be paid. 

WHY: Having invested in stage one of this initiative for the past 3 years, we are now rolling out the second phase by selecting bands who have shown consistent commitment to playing live in and around their communities. Through this initiative we hope to further nurture and support these bands and empower them more experience and responsibilities attached to their performances. 

Remunerating musicians for performing instills value in playing music as a serious lifestyle choice and a way to earn a living from their craft. The Seed and Skinnyfish Music seek to create a positive focus within communities to support their musicians and create role models for the younger generations. 

This is the belief that community performance is a vital and viable part of the Australian Music Industry. Just as pubs or local venues provide the breeding and nurturing ground for urban musicians and bands to flourish, so too does the community circuit in remote areas provide an opportunity for musicians to hone their skills and develop their craft. Live performance within communities’ nurtures fans and performers and has an extensive positive social impact.

Festival name: Barunga Festival
Festival date: 7-10 June 2013
Location: Barunga Community, 4 hours south of Darwin, NT

“The big crowd and the money makes the boys really proud to play and be professional when we play our music”
- Ambrose (manager) from Bad T Boys

“We always love to play at Barunga but the money means that we can bring our families and it pays for petrol and food”

 “Getting paid helps us to come here and it makes us feel good that people like our songs”
- Howard from T-Lynx

BUSH BANDS BUSINESS / FUNDING FOR MENTORS

WHO FOR: Mentors to travel to Bush Bands Business

PARTNER: Music NT as part of iNTune Music Conference

OBJECTIVE: To support music industry professional mentors travelling to Alice Springs and take part in Bush Bands Business. 

WHY: We believe in supporting remote musicians who travel to Alice Springs for professional development. Music industry trainers and professional musicians/technicians mentor the Bush Bands Bash musicians, with the bands able to rehearse under the guidance of experienced mentors.

SONG CYCLES INBOUND PROJECT

We are running for the third year, a program that takes urban music industry professionals into the heart of rural Australia to take a peek into the lives of Aboriginal musicians and remote Aboriginal community festivals with a music focus. Our hope is that these professionals will discover the high level of musicianship and song writing craft that exists in these communities and be forever changed by the experience. 

This Song Cycles Inbound project is a partnership between The Seed Fund, APRA/AMCOS, The Australia Council, The Federal Office of the Arts and Skinnyfish Music that aims to address the following issues within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) music and performance communities that aims to provide tangible opportunities for musicians and performers within the following areas; 

+ Professional development & exposure of new talent

+ Economic benefit 

+ Industry co-operation and awareness