Report Damns Indigenous Support

Despite the chart success of Jessica Mauboy, Gurrumul Yunupingu and Troy Cassar-Daley, new report “Song Cycles” damns the Australian  music industry for its lack of support of indigenous acts.

Only 4 percent of content on college radio is of indigenous acts. The government-run national network the ABC plays less than 2 percent, and commercial radio’s contribution is 0.14 percent.

The report was jointly researched by the Australia Council for the Arts and the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).

“Touring is an important way for artists to get their name out and build their skills and a stable income,” said Dr. Mark Bin Baker, chair of the Australia Council Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, and himself a musician. “But with 27 percent of Indigenous people living in remote locations, the distance to gigs and the costs associated with this mean they never reach the spotlight. Looking at ways to get around this is a crucial step.”