As a great man once said, from little things, big things grow. So it has been for many Sydney artists, and indeed, for the local industry as a whole. We’ve witnessed a multitude of musicians progress from busking on street corners and performing on market stages to playing at some of the city’s most iconic venues and events, but along the way, there’s no guarantee of success or sustainability.
Struggling to survive in music is equal parts hard work and luck, and to that end, City of Sydney and Vivid have teamed up to lend a hand. We chat to Hugh Nichols, the City of Sydney’s Strategy Advisor for Live Music and Performance, as well as rising rockers Body Type, about one of the most exciting financial supports to our music scene in years, X|Celerate.
“The X|Celerate program is the part of the Vivid Sydney program that showcases the cornerstones of our music industry,” explains Nichols. “In 2015 we approached Destination NSW with the idea of working together more closely with the aim of increasing the visibility of those venues within the Vivid Sydney program. X|Celerate is the outcome. [It’s] about using Vivid’s popularity to expose new audiences to our local venues, and to tell a positive and realistic story about what live music in Sydney is all about. Sydney has an incredibly strong live music industry, and this program is all about making sure locals and visitors know it.”
Sydney has an incredibly strong live music industry, and this program is all about making sure locals and visitors know it.
Most people are of course aware that Vivid Sydney is about more than strolling along the harbour, lost in the glamour of lights and projections. The festival has long been a platform of incredible conversations and performances, though the larger international guests can at times overshadow what Sydney’s own music community has to offer. Now, local acts will find billing alongside their globally established peers.
Even more impressive is City of Sydney’s commitment to provide an annual $100,000 in cash support for the X|Celerate program over the next three years. That $100,000 has been matched by Vivid, and all of it is going straight through to the local venues participating in the program.
“Generally, what shows the strength of Sydney music to those who don’t live here,” Nichols says, “are the artists that are able to get attention nationally or overseas. I’m not just talking about commercial success, I’m also talking about the lesser known but critically acclaimed artists that show the innovation that goes on here. Getting artists ready for export and the work of Sounds Australia is integral in this process, but local music communities are what produce those artists in the first place, so we want to make sure that when people come here they are getting to see that.”
Annabel Blackman from Body Type agrees. Incredible as the Vivid Sydney program is, X|Celerate will ensure that locals and visitors alike will be exposed to acts they may otherwise overlook.
“There’s a lot of stuff in Vivid that is kind of overwhelming and big. It’s this city-wide event, and I avoid large crowds a little bit. You know, some healthy agoraphobia,” Blackman laughs. “With X|Celerate, I think it’s important to keep some of that open. I don’t know if these smaller events that are free will appeal to everyone, but it’s definitely great to have that kind of platform and interest. We’ve played at Golden Age before this [gig], but if you have something like Vivid involved, it opens it up to a new audience. Hopefully that leads to a good cross-section of people.”
Since 2014, City of Sydney has spent $2.77 million in small grants as part of its Live Music and Performance Action Plan. While many folk are bemoaning the death of Sydney’s local arts culture, these tales of woe aren’t entirely accurate. There are, certainly, significant issues that are making life difficult for artists and venues alike. Yet there is also a variety of platforms to support and encourage our entertainment community. In short, not many musos are in it for the money; but it sure doesn’t hurt.
“There’s no shortage of challenges artists have to face, many of them common to communities outside of music,” says Nichols. “For example, housing affordability and access to space is a major challenge that affects musicians and many other creative communities. Artists and musicians are the nucleus of any city’s music community but are also among society’s least well paid professions. If they can’t afford to live and work here, then we can’t reasonably expect to have a thriving music industry. I can’t predict the future, but from the perspective of someone who works in government what I hope to see over the next decade is an increased focus on cooperation across levels of government on urban issues like affordability, as well as planning and liquor reform.”
It’s about people getting excited, and us being excited about playing music.
For now, X|Celerate is a remarkable boost to local artists, and crucially, one that seems geared to the sustainability of these artist’s careers through new audiences, exposure, encouragement, cold hard cash.
“It’s about people getting excited, and us being excited about playing music,” Blackman suggests. “And it’s good to find a new mix. That’s the interesting thing. [X|Celerate] has been curated really well. All of the acts that are playing at Golden Age for example are stuff that I’d want to see, and it’s a great place. If anything, you’ll need to get in early. It’s a melting pot of great stuff.”
Photo: Ashley Mar
We’re working with City of Sydney to tell stories of Sydney’s live music scene. For more information about X|Celerate, the Vivid Music collaboration between Destination NSW and City of Sydney, head to https://www.vividsydney.com/event/music/xcelerate.
