Qld Music Festival Launches New $15,000 Award For Female Musicians

There are few veteran figures as inspiring and widely regarded in Brisbane's music circles as Carol Lloyd, often referred to affectionately as Australia's original 'rock chick'.

A fixture of renowned local act Railroad Gin, Lloyd has been battling terminal pulmonary fibrosis for most of the past two years. Unfortunately, a recent prognosis from her specialist indicated that the beloved musician has reached the "final stages" of her illness, making the announcement of the $15,000 Carol Lloyd Award a bittersweet one indeed.

Unveiled by Queensland Music Festival artistic director and state music icon Katie Noonan at last night's Goodbye Ruby Tuesday benefit concert, the Carol Lloyd Award will be bestowed upon an emerging female singer-songwriter from anywhere in the state, providing them with the chance to receive funding to help them record an original album, or an EP with accompanying tour. 

Additionally, the winner will be given the opportunity to broaden their experience in the music industry, placing them in close contact with a diversity of artists as they make their way up the nebulous ladder of success.

Speaking at the benefit event, an all-star concert held at QPAC's Concert Hall, last night, Noonan explained the legacy and import Lloyd wields among those who know and love her and her music. 

"Carol Lloyd is a legend, and a much-loved and highly respected member of the Queensland music industry family," Noonan said. "She has paved the way for countless female musicians like me.

"In honour of Carol’s incredible legacy, this award will enable and inspire the next generation — women who can continue to carry the flame lit by Carol more than four decades ago."

Also paying homage to Lloyd at the event were Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, who said she was "delighted" that her government could be a part of establishing the award, and APRA AMCOS chief executive Brett Cottle, who paid homage to Lloyd's "trailblazing lead".

"APRA AMCOS is committed to developing the next generation of Australian music creators, and we're very proud to support this award," he said.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for a female songwriter, and a fitting recognition of Carol Lloyd's place in Australia's rock history."

Lloyd is widely acknowledged as the first female singer-songwriter in Australia to front a successful rock band, a feat she achieved at the fore of cult '70s act Railroad Gin.

Railroad Gin formed in 1969, with Lloyd joining soon after original vocalist Geoffrey Fitzgibbon — with whom she worked at an advertising agency — heard her singing around the office. She featured on two albums with Railroad Gin — A Matter Of Time (1975) and Journey's End (1976), as well as putting out an album with her eponymous Carol Lloyd Band in 1976 titled Mother Was Asleep At The Time, and a solo effort, Take It Or Leave It, in 1981.

She went on to become the first Australian artist of any gender to secure a worldwide EMI publishing contract, through which she released hits including A Matter Of Time, Do Ya Love Me and You Told The World across an impressive 27 countries and leaving an indelible mark on countless aspiring young musicians in the process.

The Carol Lloyd Award will be judged by a panel of industry veterans and experts including Noonan herself, Time Off Media's Sean Sennett, A Rock & Roll Writers Festival director Leanne De Souza, QUT head of music John Willsteed (Halfway, ex-Go-Betweens), and former owner of The Zoo Joc Curran.

The prize is presented by Qld Music Festival with the support of the Qld government, APRA AMCOS and Hutchinson Builders.

Entries are open as of today, with eligible artists encouraged to get their entries in as soon as possbile, although you do have until March 2017 to get it done. Applications will entail written and recorded components, with the winner set to be announced at next year's Qld Music Festival launch event.

For more information about the award, see Qld Music Festival's website.