Australian artists can’t really complain when it comes to the different initiatives aimed at developing their music and industry skills. At least, that’s my impression.
But you rarely see projects specifically dedicated to the underrepresented groups in the business. So I totally applaud APRA AMCOS for their EQUALIZE idea and for striving to create “an inclusive, safe and caring creative environment for all participants.”
So, today, let me break down for you what the program is all about.
PART 244 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
For starters, you probably want to know what APRA AMCOS is and what it has to do with the EQUALIZE events.
The Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) is the country’s music rights management organisation. It grants licences for the live performance, broadcast, communication, public playing, or reproduction of its members’ musical works.
So, broadly speaking, it advocates for the rights of its members, who are songwriters, composers, and music publishers. But it also spearheads many other initiatives, such as industry awards recognising its members’ achievements, or competitions that allow entrants to develop their skills. I mentioned two of them in this post about initiatives supporting emerging artists from Australia.
Another, unwritten part of its mandate is to help artists upskill and stay on top of the music industry trends. The EQUALIZE workshop series is the practical realisaton of this objective. But it actually goes a step further. It is specifically designed to elevate women and gender diverse music makers in the country.
The project’s 2025 edition launched on September 20th this year in Canberra. And it has been since making stops in all Australian capital cities.
As I’m typing this, there’s one more workshop coming up in Perth. And even though it’s a bit of a last-minute report on my part, here are a few reasons why you should consider participating if you’re WA-based.
Firstly, it’s a comprehensive one-day event meant to help you develop and hone songwriting and live audio skills. It consists of two parts. ‘Live Sound’ focuses on how to set up and explains both the equipment for the stage and the use of live mixing desks. And the ‘Songwriting’ bit is all about learning compositional tips and methods from some of Australia’s most skilled songwriters.
On that note, these hands-on sessions are facilitated by experts in their fields, who are (mostly) local to the particular scene where they take place. Amongst them are Abby Wallace (Hobart), Alex Hosking (Adelaide), Nell Forster (Brisbane), Romy Vager from RVG (Melbourne), and many more. So if you ask me, that’s another strong argument for attending.
Two very special guests will help participants hone their skills during the upcoming Perth event.
Katy Steele has spent nearly two decades forging her path as a singer-songwriter and solo artist.
With an unmistakable, ethereal voice, Katy Steele is perhaps best known as the front woman of Little Birdy. The alternative rock band from WA has released three albums, two EPs, and some standalone singles. This year, they have reunited to tour the country after a decade-long hiatus and wowed the fans again straight away.
As a solo artist, Katy has released two critically acclaimed records. She’s working on a new one right now, as well as a memoir, adding another chapter to her illustrious career. A funf fact, too – she’s Luke Steele’s (from Empire of the Sun) younger sister.
With ARIA nominations and international tours behind her belt, she’ll surely be a valuable mentor for the workshop’s participants.
Katy will be accompanied by Elise Reitze-Swensen, a multi-award-winning composer, freelance music producer, and gender equality activist from WA. She is also one-half of the electronic percussion duo Feels.
Described by Purple Sneakers as “some of the most intricate and refined pieces of electronic music to emerge from Australia in, well, ever”, the group has toured extensively, performing at festivals like Listen Out, Falls, and Groovin’ The Moo in Australia, plus SXSW (in the US), and Ableton Loop (in Germany). They have also supported G Flip, Orbital, and Kimbra, while scoring features by influential music outlets, including triple j, BBC Radio 1, Spotify, and the Les Paul Foundation.
In addition to her creative work, Elise is also a leading educator in music making—as an Ableton Certified trainer, a mentor for APRA AMCOS’s national program SongMakers, a casual lecturer at The Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) at Edith Cowan University (WAAPA), and a guest lecturer at interstate universities. The artist is a 2025 Minderoo Foundation Artist Fund Recipient. Her project explores the unheard stories of Matrescence (transition to Motherhood) through songwriting and music production.
All these qualification make her an undisputably valuable mentor for the EQUALIZE project.
In case you’re wondering – you don’t have to be an experienced music creator to join the EQUALIZE workshop. Participants of all skill levels are encouraged to register. The organisers also vow to provide a supportive, inclusive, and open environment as the sessions will take place in small groups.
And the best part? The workshop is free of charge. That’s possible thanks to the sponsors: the SAE University College, offering courses in creative media and technology, the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, and Women of Music Production (WOMP).
It’s inspiring to see women and gender diverse people lifting up their peers. So allow me to share a few more words about that last institution, too.
WOMP was founded in 2017 by the already mentioned Elise Reitze-Swensen. As a community of over 700 womxn music producers, it organises an annual songwriting camp (est. 2022) – the only one of its kind in Australia. The organisation’s work spearheading change for womxn in music technology has been recognised at a national level. WOMP was the winner of the Outstanding Community Award at Australia’s Music Producers and Engineers Guild 2024 Awards.
So, if all the above arguments don’t convince you to sign up for the last workshop, Perth-based music creators, then I don’t know what else will.
The event’s page says there are only a few tix left. So grab yours here before the allocation is exhausted.
And if you’re a woman or gender diverse music creator from elsewhere in Australia, make a note of the APRA AMCOS EQUALIZE initiative in your skills development notebook. I’m sure they’ll bring it back in the future as well.
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