On My High Horse
One thing that the Australian music industry is fairly hopeless at is political lobbying. I don’t know whether it is because there are too many vested interests out there, or that we have so many cowboys operating in the music biz that they don’t want the scrutiny…but whatever the reason, we lack focus and teeth regarding issues that directly affect us.
For example, I was aghast when I read this article recently in the Sydney Morning Herald. The crux of the story is that the NSW state government is offering a tax free threshold for small hotels with poker machines that earn under $200,000 per annum. Larger hotels will pay 50% tax for machines that raise over $5 million in revenue per year.
Imagine if a pub that had a stage and a small PA that contributed less than $200,000 per year could take advantage of a similar tax regime to support local talent? Why is the poker machine industry able to lobby for this type of tax change? Poker machines do not add anything to the community, they do not support the local arts, they merely suck money out of people that can least afford it and give virtually nothing back.
In the past we’ve had some success with organizations like the Music Manager’s Forum at least giving some sort of focus at a governmental level, so I hope the new AAM (Association of Artist Managers) can make some similar in-roads.
We need it.
The Nation Decides…
What is it about an election campaign that makes political parties turn out the WORST TV ads ever made?
You would never guess that Julia Gillard’s partner is a hair-dresser from Labor’s first TV ad. And the Liberal party’s jingle would have to be some of the worst song-writing I have ever heard. “Stand up, stand up, for real action”.
It doesn’t even mean anything…
All this “stand up” and “move forward” business makes this election campaign sound more like some sort of federally funded aerobics class than a choice about our country’s leadership.
