EXCLUSIVE: Senator Conroy: ‘Thanks Gotye, But Community Radio Can Fund Itself’

The Federal Minister for Communications Senator Stephen Conroy has confirmed he's received the open letter from Gotye regarding the funding of community radio.

Earlier this year the community radio sector hit the panic button in regards to funding, fearing that a shortfall would force the closure of their digital platforms and could endanger their existence when analogue is phased out. After asking $3.6 million they received $2.2 million in the 2012 budget.

In his open letter to the Minister, Gotye – aka Wally de Backer – wrote, “I urge you Minister, rectify this budget shortfall.”

He added, “It will ensure that young musicians starting to develop a unique sound and vision can find an audience and connect with a diverse community of supporters before hopefully moving onto significant endeavours on the world stage. It will ensure that millions of Australians can discover cultures and communities that are rarely represented in other media, promoting diversity and engagement between people from many different backgrounds. It will be a commitment to a vibrant, interesting and intelligent Australia.”

Today a spokesperson for Senator Conroy told theMusic.com.au he “appreciated the letter from Mr de Backer and will respond in due course” but denied that the sector's funding had been cut and urged it to chase “community-sourced revenue”.

“The facts are that there has been no cut in funding for the community digital radio sector,” the spokesperson said. “As part of the 2011-12 Budget the Government provided community radio with an additional $12.5 million over four years – an increase of 25 percent – to boost content and production in the sector.”

They pointed out that the government provided $13.5 million over four years from 2009/10 to 2012/13 to “establish and operate” the digital services, and “has also committed to providing $2.2 million in annual ongoing funding to digital community radio in the forward estimates. In addition, the Government has legislated to ensure the community sector can access the radiofrequency spectrum necessary to provide digital radio services.”

But Community Broadcasting Association of Australia [CBAA] President Adrian Basso believes that the current funding model would force them to switch off those digital services they've established.

Today he told theMusic that “The money that came through was well short of what was required – the government knew the figures and they were legitimate.”

As part of the migration to digital broadcasting, the government's framework requires the community sector to lease access from the commercial sector. The ongoing viability of that arrangement is where the $3.6 million came from.

“We're grateful for the government's $2.2 million,” Basso said, “but we're not sure where they got that figure… The Government made it quite clear they would support us into digital, but that's gone.”

Conroy's representative today urged the community broadcasting sector to strive for self-sustainability, with the industry and community picking up the slack, regardless of government funding.

“The primary source of funding for community broadcasting, however, has always been and should continue to be drawn from sponsorship and donations from within those communities, independent of government support,” they said. “The government is proud to augment this funding, but it should never be seen as a substitute for independent community-sourced revenue. Additional government funding is subject to budget considerations. The Senator's office also pointed out their rescue of the AMRAP project late last year.

Basso said that as a not-for-profit, non commercial sector that was easier said than done. “We can only sell five minutes per hour… and even if that was changed, I'm not sure the wider broadcasting sector would be too keen on it and it would change the style and tone of what we do.”

He has once again threatened “drastic cost cutting” measures await if the funding doesn't eventuate, with digital services likely to be switched off.

You can read Gotye's full letter, published at The Music Network, below:

Minister Conroy,

My name is Wally De Backer and I make music under the name Gotye.

Recently my music has enjoyed a great amount of success both locally and internationally, garnering hundreds of millions of views on YouTube, selling 10+ million records worldwide and receiving a number of awards (my album Making Mirrors won a Grammy for Best Alternative Album and my song Somebody That I Used To Know was awarded the Record of the Year Grammy).

Australian community radio has been instrumental in my recent international success. Without the support and encouragement of community stations when I started self- releasing my music in 2001 I would not have been able to develop my career. Larger capital city-based stations like RRR and FBi were instrumental, but opportunities for interviews, connection with fellow music lovers, and new musicians from diverse backgrounds through smaller community stations like KCR in Kalamunda, WA, or student radio station SYN FM in Melbourne supported me for many years as I developed my music and started finding an international audience.

Like millions of Australians I am also a listener to community radio and I love it. We are fortunate to have one of the most diverse and vibrant community radio landscapes in the world, something that has become clearer to me since traveling the world for the last two years and tuning in to radio in many countries. I value very highly the opportunity to connect with communities and cultures not regularly represented in mainstream Australian media through this network of volunteer-based, not-for-profit organizations.

It has come to my attention that there is a shortfall of $1.4 million per annum for the community radio sectorʼs transition to a digital broadcasting future in the upcoming May budget, a shortfall that may result in many community stations being switched off.

I urge you Minister, rectify this budget shortfall.

It will ensure that young musicians starting to develop a unique sound and vision can find an audience and connect with a diverse community of supporters before hopefully moving onto significant endeavors on the world stage. It will ensure that millions of Australians can discover cultures and communities that are rarely represented in other media, promoting diversity and engagement between people from many different backgrounds. It will be a commitment to a vibrant, interesting and intelligent Australia.

Sincerely,
Wally De Backer