Someone from QUT reached out to me earlier this year to pitch a music release.
The artist was Daivy – a neo-soul/pop/R&B act. The song was a a playful anti-capitalist anthem that I highlighted on my socials in the #lyricsoftheweek section. And the student who contacted me collaborated with Brisbane-based Vermilion Records.
I hadn’t heard that name before, so I did some digging. It turns out it’s a different kind of music initiative. And I’m here to tell you all about it.
ART 280 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
As the name suggests, Vermilion Records is a record label. But unlike many other similar organisations, it’s based at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and run by students.
What piqued my interest is that it operates as both a hands-on learning environment and a real-world platform for creative industries and music business students. Operating as an interdisciplinary hub, it brings together creatives from diverse fields, like production, design, photography, videography, writing, and event management, to collaborate on music projects.
The label focuses on developing, producing, and promoting emerging indie talent in the Brisbane music scene. It covers the whole pipeline — release strategies, distribution, digital marketing, physical merch, and live showcases. Each year, it also provides essential resources, professional support, and access to state-of-the-art recording facilities.
Serving as a springboard for rising local talent across pop, indie, electronic, synth-pop, and rock genres, Vermilion Records supports musicians who are either current students, alumni or QLD-based creatives. Their 2026 roster includes acts like THE ZON, King Crow, MOON BOOTS, Bianca Mantarro, The RaTaTas, Rudy Jame$, Apocalypse, Hag, and the previously mentioned Daivy.
The label hosts regular single/album launch parties (for example, at QUT’s Botanic Bar) and showcases (including their famed annual new-artist launch events). It also lists local gigs and other related music gatherings on its website.
But it isn’t limited to releasing recorded music and promoting live performances. It runs other initiatives to elevate the local scene and emerging acts. One of them is Vermilion High.
If the name makes you instantly think of Unearthed High, you’re not wrong. The initiative’s objectives are the same as in the case of the triple j’s discovery platform. It’s all about the outreach and development aimed at “unearthing” and supporting high-school-aged artists.
This year, Vermilion Records also put together a bigger format called Campus Revival Tour.
As per The Push’s recent report, young Aussies love going to gigs and festivals. But many are locked out of those experiences, for many reasons, which means their attendance at those events is gradually declining. So a project fostering live music ecosystems on Australian campuses was a great move.
Associate Professor Kristina Kelman, Study Area Coordinator for Music at QUT, Founder and Head of Vermilion Records, and Campus Revival Tour Project Lead explained it like this: “Universities have produced some of this country’s finest artists, but that pipeline doesn’t sustain itself. If we want a live music industry in ten years, we have to invest in where it starts – on campus, with real gigs, real audiences, and real stakes for everyone involved.”
The multi-state initiative engaged universities in Brisbane, Sydney, and Wollongong, with the rising Brisbane-based indie pop star Serendipiti as the headliner. The gigs took place in August and were free to attend.
And that last part also speaks to Vermilion Records’ values. Driven by love for music and community, it works as a non-profit. So instead of teaching students to focus purely on the economic aspects of running a record label, it fosters ambition amid real creative industry challenges, like AI, while building lasting connections at the same time.
And maybe this is the future of Australian record labels and the music industry in the Land Down Under after all?
Cover image: Daivy’s promo materials
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