AUSSIE ARTISTS TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT MONEY IN MUSIC
25 July 2014
What does ‘making it’ really mean in terms of cash in your pocket? For Violent Soho guitarist James Tidswell it mean applying for a job in McDonalds the same day his band was nominated for an ARIA. Filmmaker extraordinaire, Dan Graetz’s new documentary short explores the financial gains for Australian musicians in, The Truth About Money In Music .
Graetz was approached by corporate giant Johnny Walker and asked to take part in their Future Legends promotion. His plan was to make a short film asking a host of Aussie musicians their thoughts about corporate sponsorship, how much money they make from releasing an album and if they make enough to ‘earn a living’ from their music careers.
Graetz asked his questions to Kate Miller-Heidke, Hey Geronimo, REMi, The Carios, KLP and more, resulting in an eye-opening, frank discussion about how little is actually made by successful Aussie bands/artists.
The artists also discuss the creativity that goes into earning a crust, by doing the thing you love most and how breaking-even isn’t such a bad thing if you’ve had a good time with your mates. They also talk about life under a major label, which Miller-Heidke described as stifling, choosing to independently crowd-fund her latest release O Vertigo.
You can watch the entire film below.
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