Applications are now open for The Seed Fund 2013. The Seed is a great initiative that was established in 2005 by Australian musician John Butler. It is aimed at supporting emerging Australian musicians, arts workers and artists to pursue a successful career in their chosen field and project. This year The Seed Fund will provide funding to individuals or groups through 4 grants and 3 initiatives. The Seed Fund will be introducing 2 new categories this year too in effort to further support the community the initiative has already established through it’s Management Workshops.
See below for the grant and initiative categories and objectives as detailed by The Seed Fund. For more details head here.
2013 Grant Categories
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // Grants of up to $3000 // Up to 4 opportunities available
WHO FOR: Australian Musicians, must be over 18 years of age.
OBJECTIVE: Musicians are to select a practitioner of excellence that they want to be mentored or taught by, either locally or internationally, and then set goals and a schedule for engagement. Musicians will be required to submit a budget for the shortfall they are seeking, and a letter of commitment from the practitioner.
WHY: We believe in supporting emerging musicians to grow their skill set, and hone their craft to work towards becoming self-sufficient artists.
MONEY FOR MANAGERS // Grants of up to $5000 // Up to 3 opportunities available
WHO FOR: Managers who have previously attended the Seed Management Workshop
OBJECTIVE: To supplement emerging managers income potentially during a period of heavy workload and little commission (eg. Setting up for the release of an album or tour campaign). This grant is available across 2 scenarios:
1. A Managers wage to be set at $500 per week as a supplementary amount to commission
2. A Manager to pay an assistant (capped at $25 per hour). Payments must only be made towards wages (no travel or other costs to be covered).
WHY: We are committed to the ongoing support of the Managers that have become part of our Seed Management Community through attending The Management Workshop. After their attendance at the workshop we believe managers are better equipped to roll out campaigns and strategies to deliver real results to their artists and for their own careers in the music industry.
PUBLICISE IT // Grants of up to $5000 // Up to 2 opportunities available
WHO FOR: Managers who have previously attended the Seed Management Workshop
OBJECTIVE: We are seeking to fund managers (including self-managed artists) to contract a publicist for a promotional campaign up to the value of $5000. The campaign must be in support of a new Australian release (EP or Album only) or a campaign involving an Australian release and associated tour. Managers will be responsible for contracting the publicist and providing a letter of support that details their commitment to the upcoming campaign. Campaigns should begin after 1st July 2013.
WHY: We understand the challenge of finding the extra funds to publicise a release after all the investment that goes into the making of an album. We see publicity and marketing as key to having a viable release. This grant is available to the Seed workshop community because we believe they have the tools to roll out a campaign effectively.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT // Grants of up to $3000 // Up to 4 opportunities available
WHO FOR: Australian Musicians, must be over 18 years of age.
OBJECTIVE: Musicians are to select a practitioner of excellence that they want to be mentored or taught by, either locally or internationally, and then set goals and a schedule for engagement. Musicians will be required to submit a budget for the shortfall they are seeking, and a letter of commitment from the practitioner.
2013 Initiatives
SKINNYFISH // Up to $12,000 in performance fees to be paid to remote Indigenous Musicians
Supporting Top End Indigenous community bands, by generating paid performance opportunities and encouraging positive outcomes in community life through music.
WHO FOR: Selected remote Indigenous Musicians
PARTNER: Skinnyfish Music (www.skinnyfishmusic.com.au)
OBJECTIVE: Through existing remote community festivals, this initiative creates paid performance opportunities for remote community bands in and around their homelands. We will fund 3-4 remote bands who will play at 3 remote festivals of their choice. A fee of $1000 per band, per festival will be paid.
WHY: Having invested in stage one of this initiative for the past 3 years, we are now rolling out the second phase by selecting bands who have shown consistent commitment to playing live in and around their communities. Through this initiative we hope to further nurture and support these bands and empower them more experience and responsibilities attached to their performances.
BUSH BANDS BUSINESS // Up to $5000 funding for mentors
WHO FOR: Mentors to travel to Bush Bands Business
PARTNER: Music NT as part of iNTune Music Conference (http://www.musicnt.com.au/)
OBJECTIVE: To support music industry professional mentors travelling to Alice Springs and take part in Bush Bands Business.
WHY: We believe in supporting remote musicians who travel to Alice Springs for professional development. Music industry trainers and professional musicians/technicians mentor the Bush Bands Bash musicians, with the bands able to rehearse under the guidance of experienced mentors.
Song Cycles INBOUND
We are running for the third year, a program that takes urban music industry professionals into the heart of rural Australia to take a peek into the lives of Aboriginal musicians and remote Aboriginal community festivals with a music focus. Our hope is that these professionals will discover the high level of musicianship and song writing craft that exists in these communities and be forever changed by the experience.
This Song Cycles Inbound project is a partnership between The Seed Fund, APRA/AMCOS, The Australia Council, The Federal Office of the Arts and Skinnyfish Music that aims to address the following issues within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) music and performance communities that aims to provide tangible opportunities for musicians and performers within the following areas;
+ Professional development & exposure of new talent
+ Economic benefit
+ Industry co-operation and awareness
Grant and initiative descriptions sourced directly from The Seed Fund.
