‘On The Road’ initiative helps to fill Melbourne streets with music

The latest round of the Victorian Government’s Music Works funding program will provide 77 music projects involving close to 7,000 music industry professionals with grants totalling almost $1.7 million – supporting artists and businesses across the state.

The grants will allow artists to record new albums, stage festivals and make music videos while supporting recipients to reconnect with audiences, pursue new business opportunities, advance their careers and recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson notes “through On The Road Again we’re filling Melbourne’s city streets with music from some of Victoria’s most captivating talent, providing even more reasons to rediscover our nation’s cultural capital.

“These paid gigs partnered with vital support for venues and the latest Music Works grants are ensuring Victoria’s celebrated live music industry can continue to reactivate and thrive.”

Recipients include singer-songwriter Alice Skye, who will use her grant to undertake a two-month studio residency to develop music for her third album – the follow-up to her 2021 release I Feel Better, But I Don’t Feel Good.

Skye also joins hundreds of Victorian musicians who will bring live performances to the streets of Melbourne over the next four weeks, as part of the Melbourne leg of the State Government’s On The Road Again initiative in partnership with the City of Melbourne.

The program will see close to 700 busking performances along with pop-up shows by well-known musicians hitting the city streets, including much-loved artists Uncle Kutcha Edwards, Gordi and Emma Donovan.

Also among the recipients are Music Production For Women which secured $35,000 to support a music summit that aims to equip women and non-binary artists with skills to take preliminary steps into music production and electronic music performance, and Abbotsford Events which received  $39,985 to support Mind Your Langridge Street Fest, a community street festival with an organic marketing campaign, to increase exposure for live artists and provide a platform to perform to new audiences.

The $9 million On The Road Again initiative will spread its wings to Melbourne’s suburbs later this year, with more events to be rolled out across metropolitan Melbourne and shows already happening across regional Victoria.

City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp enthused “we’re delighted to be partnering with the Victorian Government to bring the buzz to Melbourne, showcasing our city’s spectacular live music scene with surprise gigs by some of our best and brightest performers.

“Music is central to Melbourne’s identity, and we’ll continue to work with the industry to support and promote performers, producers and venues as they bounce back.”

Recognising the challenges facing live music venues the $8 million Victorian Live Music Venues Support program is also now underway, helping eligible venues get back to the business of staging live music events. The support will provide more than 160 live music venues with grants of between $20,000 and $65,000.

For a full list of Music Works grant recipients, visit creative.vic.gov.au.  
To find out more about On The Road Again performances, visit vmdo.com.au/ontheroadagain and follow @WhatsOnMelb on Instagram for performance details.