A wave of optimism for young talent

Keen musicians and music industry professionals will gather at Bondi Beach this Friday for the Bondi Wave Music Industry Conference.

Held annually, the free Conference allows top music professionals to share their insights on many facets of the industry.

The Conference aims to give guidance to emerging musicians who are increasingly finding it difficult to produce their music as a result of the proliferation of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing programs, such as Gnutella and Emule, that have changed the nature of the music industry.

Convenor Lindy Morrison said: “One of the key issues we’re facing is the problems with P2P downloading – the fact that musicians don’t make any income from the sales of their recordings.

“We simply can’t compete with free P2P, but it’s about finding a solution for emerging talent.”

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the NSW government has increasingly provided funding to create opportunities for emerging talent, with $16.5 million towards music performance in 2009-2010.

The Bondi Wave event is a Waverley Council initiative that also supports a variety of music studios and choir groups for the community.

The Conference marks the launch of the event which includes a series of courses, workshops and seminars running from May to August.

This year’s event will feature a discussion of all music genres from Hip-hop to Rock, exploring how artists can make a living through live performances and the ownership of personal copyright.

Director of Vivid Live Festival, Fergus Linehan, managing director of Mothership Records, Brent Lean and head of Licensing and Sync at the Ministry of Sound Australia, John Ferris, have committed to speaking at this year’s conference.

Unlike other conferences, there is no panel and audience members can ask direct questions during the discussions.

Participants are able to talk to the speakers one-on-one and demonstrate their work, allowing for young talent to realise their potential and explore career opportunities within the music industry.

“It’s really important that young musicians are educated about the industry. [They are] finding directions in the morass of the contemporary music industry”, Ms Morrison said.

“It’s about giving them guidance, teaching them how to make a living out of it.”

The Conference kicks off at 9:30am tomorrow at the High Tide Room, Bondi Pavilion.

By Daniel Paperny