VMDO Launches New 'Skills & Roles' Research Commission

The Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) has used its inaugural Music Data And Insights Summit to launch its new research commission, Skills & Roles – Support Workers in Victorian Music Industries.

The new insights come about following a long-term research partnership with RMIT University, and expand upon the 2020 study Career Path: The Victorian Music Business Career Life Cycle with fresh, evidence-based perspectives.

The new research helps to point out the nuances of learning and skills development within the complex and precarious career paths of Victorian music professionals and offers recommendations to build healthy thriving businesses.

Some of the insights reveal that 54% of music workers embrace a portfolio career and hold down multiple concurrent roles in order to make ends meet, while only one in five hold a single full-time role. Likewise, almost 50% work more than 40 hours a week across their combined roles, while more than 10% work above 50 hours a week.

While a Support Act survey found that 62% of creative workers are affected by increased financial stress, the new findings point out that across all roles in the music sector, 61% find themselves using business, financial and legal skills regularly. While many music workers are often ‘all-rounders’, the research found that these areas require further attention to develop these skills.

More than 80% of music professionals noted they utilise soft skills like communication, interpersonal abilities and problem-solving as their most critical skill set within the industry.

VMDO General Manager Kirsty Rivers noted that music workers play a central role in the workforce, with the findings from this research responding to the myriad challenges faced by those within the Victorian music industry as it attempts to sustain and develop its workforce.

“By building evidence-based research, we can better understand the skills and the gaps that exist. It helps us to develop bespoke industry training and support opportunities that are needed to thrive in the complex global music industry,” said Rivers.

“This research identifies the skills across the multiple Victorian professionals who support musicians, bands and performers, such as artist management, record label operations, marketing, venue management and music publishing.”

RMIT University Associate Professor Catherine Strong noted that the report is the first to map the support roles and associated skills within Victoria’s music industries.

“Skills shortages are often an industry concern and the research highlights areas requiring attention that could strengthen the workforce,” said Strong.

“The research shows that music workers often acquire skills on-the-job, which is valued by the industry. However, this means that professionals may not always acknowledge the skills or gaps they have. Finding ways to make formal training work better for this group is one way to counter these issues.”

Read the full findings of the commission here.