The Music Market will open its doors next year as the first tenant of the new Collingwood Arts Precinct on Johnston Street. It will be home to music peak body Music Victoria and youth music organisation The Push, with hot desks and office spaces available for music industry organisations and businesses of all sizes.
“This is all about taking Victorian music to the next level – by backing our industry’s best and brightest and inspiring the artists of tomorrow,” said Martin Foley, Minister for Creative Industries. “The Music Market will be a hub of creativity, allowing musicians to share ideas and collaborate on projects, learn new skills and do business.”
The Music Market will include a multipurpose space for events and exhibitions, a training room for education and professional development programs and meeting and boardrooms for use by the industry. It will also sit alongside community radio station PBS FM, which last year announced its plans to relocate to the site.
It will also will be home to a new Victorian Music Development Office which will lead a range of programs and projects aimed at strengthening music businesses and building market for Victorian music.
Delivered by Music Victoria and supported by an industry steering committee, the Office will run business development and advice service for music businesses. It will also undertake research and provide training to help the industry master new developments and disruptions in areas such as technological change.
“Music Victoria would like to acknowledge and thank the Andrews Government for its significant investment in the music industry via the Music Works Program, ” said Tim Northeast, Chair Music Victoria. “The Melbourne Live Music Census 2017 results released last week show that the local industry is flourishing as a result of this investment and continues to be a major driver of employment in the arts and hospitality sectors.”
“Music Victoria looks forward to creating further opportunities for the industry through the Victorian Music Development Office and the Collingwood Arts Precinct,” added Mr Northeast.
Commencing operations this year, one of its first projects for the Office will be Support Acts for the Big Names – a campaign to increase performance opportunities for First Peoples artists, women and underrepresented artists by encouraging promoters to book them as supports for established acts.
The Music Market, Victorian Music Development Office and the Support Acts campaign are the final elements of the Victorian Government’s groundbreaking $22.2m Music Works initiative. The Victorian Music Development Office will open later this year and the Music Market will open in 2019.
Launched in 2016, the multifaceted Music Works initiative has resulted in new programs and projects to support artists, venues, music industry businesses at all levels. Major Music Works projects include the establishment of the Australian Music Vault at Arts Centre Melbourne – which has welcomed well over 200,000 visitors since it opened in December.
This week (19-20 April) hundreds of music industry leaders and policy makers from around the world have met in Melbourne for the Music Cities Convention to discuss what makes a thriving music city. Supported by Music Works, it is the first Music Cities Convention outside of the US and Europe.
For more information about the Music Works program, visit: www.creative.vic.gov.au For more information about the Victorian Music Development Office, visit: www.musicvictoria.com.au for details.