Television Can Save The Australian Music Industry
Editorial
Let's face it - the commercial networks would only botch it up with horrible content and a really annoying host, and no doubt the axe would be out after two or three weeks of just OK ratings. It would have to be done right, but just think how many people would benefit from a brand new free-to-air music show every Sunday night.
First and foremost, there would finally be, after nearly 25 years in the wilderness, a national sound stage for all the great artists around Australia to come together on a weekly basis and show the rest of the country just how good our local talent supplies really are.
No other music program has really mattered since the days before Countdown turned its focus away from local content on to the much blander mainstream, and that's going back to the mid-eighties. Recovery was the next best thing, and a great show, but was only let down by the gruelling early Saturday morning time slot that most musicians and their fans found way too hard for their dehydrated brains to commit to.
Think of the great effect it would have on the independent retailers, knowing that finally the hoards across the nation are being properly exposed to what otherwise sits idle on their shelves every day. Even the bigger chains like Sanity and JB Hi-Fi, who are constantly forced to cull all this local produce every quarter to make room for the real unit shifters, can have something to be excited about.
Live venues across Australia would arise again. All of a sudden there would be six or seven stops on the way to Sydney, than just the current one or two for the average touring act. Demand would be high for all these great new artists coming through town with these brand-new national television profiles.
Regional venues could even think about putting on original acts again for the first time in two decades, instead of the same old cover bands propping up bar profits with the same old, same old.
Times would be great. Radio programmers across the nation might even think about changing their attitude towards this new home-grown phenomena trading off all this national exposure. Wow - why does our survey say “yes” all of a sudden to new acts?
Most of all, the Australian public would finally have no excuse to not know what's going on beneath the mainstream radar in their own backyard. It's been far too long. I don't know who's been the stick in the mud over the years; a lazy music industry that gave up the fight with TV networks, or just unimaginative TV networks who couldn't really give a Michael Tuck either way. It's probably a combination of both.
Now, more than ever, Australian music is in desperate need of a golden handshake from the television world, and right now has never seemed like a better time to throw out a pair of willing hands and get this thing moving into the future, to preserve a truly world class music culture.
Carn' Australia - do yourself a favour!
Dave Larkin, Citysearch
User Feedback
April 30, 2010
I ranted about this awhile ago Dave, the golden age of muisc tv was in the early 90's and late 80's there really is need for soemthing to support local talent, you your self would amke a great host, it has to be someone with passion and wit, and someone who knows the Melbourne scene well, in my eyes it would be a mix of established bands getting a slot and plus regular plugs for local bands. How awsome would it be to film the show at a different venue every week, like doing a showcase at the Tote one week and then at Ya Ya's that would encourage punters to come out to support bands and venues, it would be a win win situation, and also debunk the myths that music venues= violence.
Q Mc
April 30, 2010
Hey Dave, I've heard lots of talk on this idea lately, you're right the timing couldn't be better, plenty of truly grat bands in this country right now.I for one will be watching
May 01, 2010
So we have a bit of an audience already! Do you think we should send this link to ABC or ABC2?
May 01, 2010
Yeah send it Dave, is a great idea and maybe send it to Channel 31 and SBS as well and any other pay tv stations you can think of
Nicko
May 01, 2010
Settled then! Show to air on Channel 10 for max exposure ASAP Sunday nights... piss off bloody Masterchef and master whatever - sick of all the tears... hosted by Robert Forster with Master Dave Larkin probably to provide in depth analysis of all the top oz music coming through
May 02, 2010
It couldn't be Channel 10... You'd have to put up with that silly woman whispering "seriously" every five minutes. And what about the Christmas party... Making small talk with Matt Preston and Neighbours people...no thanks. It'd be me and the punch bowl!! It would have to be one of the ABCs I think. At least a network that wasn't going to bring out the axe or shift the whole thing around after 5 minutes.
May 05, 2010
'GTK' meant 'getting to know', and it was aimed at a youth culture, a youth audience, to inform, entertain and otherwise amuse. GTK was like and advertisement, each week night, running only one music clip and was slotted just before the evening news. 5 per week. Not overly intrusive, but achieved exposure. This fits your criteria for local content on TV.
Elizabeth ruth Gr
May 07, 2010
i think ABC 3 could do with a show post or 9 or 10 pm (when they cut off their transmission). The programming on ABC 1 & 2 is too good to interfere with. Personally I think an inoffensive recovery style music show would be just the ticket. But.... a new host please? Dylan Lewis drives me nuts.
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