News Archive
Posted on 03 February 2010
Boundary Bonds With…..David Benge, Co Director, Speak n Spell
This week Boundary Bonds with David Benge of Speak N Spell. And what we learn is that one of the best things about working for a small company is that you get a chance to have a go at just about everything!
Find out more about Speak n Spell HERE
Who are Speak n Spell? We're a music company that does a bit of everything... Touring international bands, managing bands, and we have a record label too!
What does your job involve? We all have different roles, but I personally deal mostly in management and touring. Again it involves a bit of everything really... Fun stuff like finding new bands you didn't know existed from all over the globe and then working on ways to bring them over to Australia either by way of releasing an album or by way of touring them through the country. We're more often than not involved in newer artists so it's great introducing someone new to Australia. But then there's the flipside of sleepless nights trying to talk to people in different time zones, reconciling tours, surrounded by receipts, negotiating contracts and arguing with record labels. Oh and I also make a pretty good cup of tea.
Toughest part of the week? The week is entirely circular... Monday is as good as a Friday as good as a Sunday, some days are good, some are bad, some weeks are good, and some are bad... The thing I find the toughest is having to fire someone, or drop someone. It's all so incredibly personal, and music/art in general is so subjective. Having to mix it with business is sometimes one of the most frustrating and impossible tasks in the world.
Which artist would you most love to work with? Ha...this is a cop out but we've been lucky enough to work with a lot of people that on any given day would have fitted that bill. Khonnor, Midlake, Four Tet, The Dandy Warhols, No Age, the list goes on. I've never worked with Bowie though and I reckon that'd be pretty good!
2010 means...a year of thinking outside the square in a constantly changing industry whilst remembering the reason that we're all involved in this boils down to one word...music.
Posted on 27 January 2010
Boundary Bonds With... Amelia Tovey, Producer/Director, Shoot The Player
This week we bond with the lovely Amelia Tovey who is responsible for catching beautifully spontaneous musical moments on her site called Shoot The Player.
You can find Shoot The Player HERE and be sure to check out the last days of their exhibition at Carriageworks over the next few days
What is Shoot The Player? Shoot The Player is an online filmmaking project that I started with my mate Jonathan. We contact artists from Sydney and around the world and ask them to come and play with us. We take them out onto the street or to a beach, a rooftop - anywhere that comes to mind and we shoot a live unrehearsed one-take performance of their songs. It's spontaneous and we all have to make it up as we go. Sometimes random things happen like an impromptu audience turns up or the musician wanders off and we just have to follow and improvise. All our videos are online and the experience is somewhat interactive.
You started the website because....We started the website for a number of reasons; we wanted to reach an international audience instantly, we wanted to exhibit the films for free, we wanted each video to be a user navigated experience. Now that the internet is no longer an amateur realm, crafting content specifically for online exhibition is actually really exciting and has opened so many doors for us. Shoot The Player is inspired by the French online project Take Away Shows, and with the blessings of Take Away Shows founder Vincent Moon, we've been able to contribute a uniquely Sydney-centric perspective to his original idea of an international community of music filmmakers.
What's happening at Carriageworks right now? CarriageWorks has bravely decided to put all our films on the big screen for the first time. Having said we love the free, low risk, user navigated exhibition that the internet allows, seeing them on the big screen inside the CarriageWorks foyer is such a thrill for us. The giant LED screen really makes the films pop. I've been down there recently and seen people sitting for hours just watching one after the other - it's opened the project up to a new audience which is great
Favourite artists you've filmed & why? Beach House because they were inventive and passionate, Ben Lee because he got a group of school girls to dance and sing with him, The Tallest Man on Earth because he was so generous and I absolutely love his performance, and Holly Throsby & Washington because they really got into the spirit of the project and have been wonderful spokespersons and good friends every since.
If all music vanished from the world what would be your next passion? Well, my other project Embodiment: A Portrait of Queer Life in America is my other passion these days; I recently went on a 3 month road trip around the USA with a photographer making a multi media survey of queer life - we met gun totting hillbillies in Missouri, gay preachers from Dallas, a married couple in Iowa, a one-legged Jewish gay rights activist in San Fran and a TV celebrity in Los Angeles - getting out in the world and uncovering it's many creative characters is what I'm passionate about.
Find Shoot The Player HERE
Posted on 21 January 2010
Boundary Bonds With Pete vs Toby
Ever wished you could spend your days hanging out with mates, making clothes and painting awesome (and occasionally offensive) art?
Well through the joys of positive vibes and some hard yakka the Pete vs Toby lads sorted themselves out with the life most of us wish we had!! Check the Pete vs Toby site HERE
Run us through what Pete vs Toby is about. We're a band of hippy punk artists, currently expressing ourselves through Australian made organic outerwear. We believe in yes, yes is god, we have no time for no...It doesn't exist.
How did it come to be? Slowly, slowly. We have been doing this for 3 years now and everyday is filled with lessons. The migration from Byron Bay to Sydney 3 years ago definitely lit the fire under our asses.
Biggest obstacle you've had to overcome with the business? There really hasn't been any "obstacles". We work with friends on every project and every challenge has only made us stronger. We have a family relationship with every person involved in the label and that makes sure that we survive.
Best part of the day? 4:20 hey, we work hard all day then in the arvo it's time to chillax and run down to the beach.
We wish someone had told us...that this passion would take over our lives and we would love every moment of it...
Posted on 13 January 2010
Boundary Bonds With...Ro - Those Walls, Your Ears
There are occasional people in the world who's musical tastes will always be way cooler than any other person you know. Ro is one of these people.
But luckily for you she's more than happy to share them on her blog Those Walls, Your Ears. Plus she's kinda handy with a camera (see above shot of Deerhunter)!
What is Those Walls, Your Ears? It's a music blog that introduces the newest and most exciting music from every corner of the world as well as locally. There are occasional guest contributors who help out and are equally as passionate about music as I am.
Why did it start up? I just wanted a little place on the internet where I could share music since the few music blogs around back then simply wasn't my cup of tea. Also, I got my first dslr camera back then, so it became a music-photo blog and it kinda still is.
What's your personal favourite site to find music news and tidbits? 20 Jazz Funk Greats because it's obscure and unlike any other music blog out there - the music they post is unlike anything you've heard before.
Act you're most excited about for 2010? L.A.'s Best Coast. Everything great is happening to her/them at the moment and their 7 inches have been phenomenal for something so simple. It makes me miss the west coast.
I'm happiest when...I'm with my birds and/or with my bestest pals. YEAH!
Posted on 23 December 2009
Boundary Bonds With...Con Kalamaras, Senior Writer Services Representative, APRA|AMCOS
This week Boundary bonds with Con Kalamaras from APRA|AMCOS. Like any industry there is very much a business side to music and Con's job is to make sure the artists are getting what they deserve
What is APRA? APRA|AMCOS exists to make life a little easier for songwriters and composers. We help make sure that songwriters and music publishers get paid when their musical works are publicly performed, communicated or reproduced in a recorded format for many different purposes. We do this by administering the rights granted to them under Copyright laws. Australian copyright law makes songwriters and composers the exclusive owners of their original music and lyrics. Nobody else can use their work without getting their permission first and, if necessary, paying a royalty for this use.
And what's your role there? My job is to help composers with their royalties, be it over the phone, email or in person. We assist composers from all walks of life, from beginners to fully established composers. So my job is to keep a tab on who's up and coming, and also who's playing and making sure that all Vic & Tas composers are members and all up to date. I also give talks to Tafes, Unis & other educational Institutions to students who wish to work within the Music Business.
The biggest issues arise when...People don't call when they need help, sometimes not asking questions will cause problems. Always call if you need help...better to ask than to guess.
Why is it essential for organisations such as APRA to exist? The law is designed to help music creators make money from their creative work. However, it can be hard for individual songwriters to keep track of who is using their music and even harder to then negotiate a payment for each use. This is where APRA|AMCOS steps in. APRA|AMCOS collects royalties on behalf of over 50,000 members, and by agreement, for all the copyright owners around the world. On behalf of our members, we license music consumers (radio/TV stations, live music venues, web site owners, small businesses etc) for their use of our members' music. We collect licence fees for that use and then distribute these fees as royalty payments to the copyright owners (songwriters and music publishers) of the works that were performed or broadcast.
Your tip for artists just starting out? There's a lot of great Music Industry books out there that can assist you and skill you up, also the Copyright Council & The Arts Law Centre are a great source of information and advice. Also we are also available to assist and point you in the right direction. Know your product, know your market, work hard, network and have fun.
