ARIA Takes Action On The Lack Of Aussie Artists On Local Music Charts

ARIA has proposed changes to the systems Australian music is heard across broadcast, radio and streaming services in a bid to see more homegrown acts on the local music charts. 

Appearing at a Senate enquiry in Sydney today, ARIA General Manager, Lynne Small, and ARIA Corporate Counsel — Commercial, Rohini Sivakumar, echoed statements made earlier this morning by APRA AMCOS CEO, Dean Ormston, and called for Australian content to be better supported by radio and streaming services. 

Sivakumar noted that in ARIA's 2017 end-of-year charts, no Australian artist appeared in the top 30 of the Singles chart or the top ten of the Albums chart. 

"… ARIA is of the view that streaming music services could support Australian music by having local employees dedicated to curating and supporting Australian content, investing in locally-produced and curated playlists, ensuring that proportionate Australian content is appropriately represented on its locally-curated playlists and highlighting Australian artists in its promotional material, both internally to its users and externally by its marketing channels," Sivakumar said. 

It comes after US artist Post Malone dominated the ARIA charts this past May, with the rapper posting seven times more tracks from himself alone then any Australian song in the top 40. 

read more:

• Senate Enquiry Told Australian Streaming Services Need To Increase Support Of Local Music

• History Made As 5 Seconds Of Summer Dominate ARIA Charts

• There Are Seven Times More Post Malone Songs In The ARIA Singles Chart Than Aussie Tracks

• No Surprises - Ed Sheeran Dominates Aus End-of-year Charts

In August last year, more songs featuring Justin Bieber were listed in the top 20 over Australian songs.

"We would say that there are a range of factors that can assist," Small noted.

"The way that funding is available for new recordings and to help developing artists... and we would see these content quotas and content requirements as being another lever that can be tweaked to provide a greater opportunity for artists to develop their careers and to be heard so that people are familiar with them and can enjoy and appreciate their work."

2018 has been more positive in regards to Australian acts making an impact on the ARIA charts, however. 

Earlier this month, Amy Shark's debut album Love Monster landed at #1, making the Queensland artist's LP the seventh local record to hit top spot following 5 Seconds Of Summer’s Youngblood, Sheppard’s Watching The Sky, Parkway Drive’s Reverence, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu’s Djarimirri (Child Of The Rainbow), Kylie Minogue’s Golden and Vance Joy’s Nation Of Two.

Meanwhile 5SOS made history on the charts last month, becoming the first local act to top both the ARIA Albums and Singles charts since 2011.