Michael Chugg, Lucy Joseph & Lachlan Macara Open Up On The Importance Of Regional Music Opps

This year’s Regional & Remote Music Summit is set to kick off in just a matter of days, uniting music industry professionals and experts, artists, policymakers, academics and community leaders from all around Australia.

Held in Darwin (Garramilla) over three days from Wednesday August 7 to Friday 9, the program is packed with presentations, discussions and networking events covering every aspect of the regional Australian music landscape. The broad scope of themes includes place, storytelling and culture, regional and remote gigs and festivals, the importance of safe spaces, policy and investment, and much more.

To that end, the speaker lineup is truly next-level, featuring legends like Frontier Touring and Chugg Music founder Michael Chugg, APRA AMCOS’ Leah Flanagan, MusicNSW’s Joe Muller, Sound Story’s Kirsty Rivers, Music Australia’s Millie Millgate, the ABC’s Lachlan Macara, the Live Music Office’s Lucy Joseph... The list goes on (and you can head here to see it in full).

Before the summit kicks off on Wednesday, we posed two pressing questions to three of the speakers appearing at it.

What about your passion for the regional and remote music industry led you to what you do today?

MICHAEL CHUGG: I started in Launceston in the ’60s so I know what its like to not see acts. When I moved to Melbourne I made a promise to myself to take acts to Tasmania and I continue to do this today.

LUCY JOSEPH: We so often see strategic policies and reform centred around major cities and metropolitan areas because those are where the audiences are presumed to be by sheer numbers. However this sometimes brings with it an antipathy to engaging with local content in favour of bigger international acts. The beauty of regional and remote audiences is that they’re dedicated if and when the opportunities are given to them to participate in live music as a cultural activity. It contributes to their sense of identity in such a more uniquely immediate way because regional and remote communities are, by their very nature, more connected and tight-knit.

Much about the success of the Live And Local program comes down to the relationships that are built and fostered through its delivery, and we see that often having a greater impact in regional and remote communities because of the interconnectedness and the enthusiasm for self-driven change that already exists there.

LACHLAN MACARA: I worked in media in North-West WA before starting at triple j, and that experience gave me a much better understanding of our role and responsibility as a genuinely national youth music network. Highlighting regional and remote artists continues to be a key pursuit at triple j Unearthed, and in bringing back the One Night Stand this year to Warrnambool in Victoria, we feel we’ve got another big platform to shout about local talent in that region.

What are the biggest challenges for regional/remote music that we see in 2024?

MICHAEL CHUGG: Rising costs have killed it for a lot of artists. We need local community and council support and grants from state and federal bodies. I’m pleased to say this is starting to happen solidly.

LUCY JOSEPH: Cost. The cost of performing is the biggest showstopper for regional and remote music communities. The distances and the scarcity of supplies, equipment and personnel mean everything is far more monopolised, and therefore more expensive than metropolitan communities will ever have to consider. We need more upskilling and capacity-building programs for local communities to drive their own activities through alternative event models and approaches to live performance.

LACHLAN MACARA: Cost and access.

Head here for more info on the 2024 Regional & Remote Music Summit.