Today, let me ask you three questions to start.
Do you attend music events at least once a year? Are you a fan of live gigs and open-air festivals in the spring/summer months? Are you South Australia-based?
If you’ve answered “yes” to all the above, this post is definitely for you. And if you haven’t, keep reading anyway. You’ll learn about an awesome initiative spearheaded by MusicSA, celebrating live music for the whole month of November.
PART 204 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
The Adelaide music scene is super vibrant yet quite underestimated, in my humble view.
On the one hand, some amazing live music events are happening there throughout the year. Amongst them are the world-famous Adelaide Fringe and the award-winning WOMAdelaide Festival, both happening in February/March. On the other hand, the state’s capital and its biggest city can’t compete with Melbourne’s gig offering, for example. It doesn’t have enough venues and, probably, local acts to put on multiple events every night.
I spoke about it on my podcast with one of the emerging indie rock bands from the region, Newgate Crowd. The gents shared some interesting insights about their local scene, which made me even more curious about it. So, Good Music Month is another great opportunity to explore South Australia’s venues, acts and other happenings.
Especially since MusicSA – the regional peak body for music – is behind the initiative. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, it promotes and supports the local industry. This mission is executed by developing initiatives to connect artists, audiences, venues and businesses. One of those projects is Good Music Month.
It is actually a part of a broader program called Keep Music Live. MusicSA’s CEO, Christine Schloithe, shared one of the main reasons for staging the month-long celebration: “It’s no secret that the music industry is facing tough times, and our beloved South Australian industry is doing it very tough.”
Hence, Good Music Month aims to shine a light on music-related gatherings in South Australia, also outside Adelaide. Because of that, I’d call it an epic state-wide music festival.
It was organised in 2023 for the first time. 650 live music events and over 2000 artists participated in the initiative last year. MusicSA hopes those numbers will be even higher this time around. And there are a few reasons why this could be true.
Firstly, you don’t necessarily have to be a promoter to register your event. The initiative encourages all sorts of individuals, businesses and institutions to participate. Whether you’re a member of an arts and culture organisation, a local SA council, a music manager or an artist, you’re welcome to form part of Good Music Month.
Now, if you’re a seasoned organiser, you might question the need to register. But there are clear benefits to it. MusicSA mentions offering access to approx. 20,000 engaged live music supporters through its channels. So marketing-wise, it is a unique opportunity to reach a wide range of potential new followers and get the attention of music press and media outlets.
Secondly, there are no limits as to the type of event you want to put on. A rap battle in the hood? Yes, please. A seated concert with an orchestra playing classical music? Absolutely! A karaoke night in the club? Sure thing. And how about a Silverchair tribute band playing your fave local pub? Sounds good. What counts is the musical side of it, regardless of the genre and format.
Lastly, whether your event is ticketed or not, there is no cost involved when registering it as part of the MusicSA initiative. But you also have the option to use the Good Music Month ticketing platform to sell your tickets. In that case, they’ll charge you a $2 booking fee (for admin costs, I imagine).
While more events will surely be added throughout the month, some awesome gigs are already featured on the website. As of November 4, over 600 entries can be found before filtering out content.
Amongst them are the South Australian Music Awards, the internationally famous pop star Troye Sivan‘s Adelaide leg of his current tour, the Adelaide Guitar Festival ‘On The Road’ series, and a tribute show to one of the greatest bands of all time, The Doors Alive (UK).
I’m super keen to see the final list of events at the end of the month. Because for a music fan like me, every month should be a good music month. But MusicSA’s recurring November initiative is definitely worth applauding.
After all, there’s nothing better than enjoying a live gig with the perfect spring weather. And it’s even better when you can just go to one platform to browse all the events in your local area.
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