EXCLUSIVE: Collarts Partner With Industry Event Series

Fledgling Melbourne-based "regular local music get-together" the Society Of Tastemakers & Elegant People (STEP) has announced a partnership with industry educational institution Collarts.

The deal will see Collarts provide a financial injection into the organisation and see them promote their events through their channels and to their student base. Collarts offer courses in management, performance and audio produciton.

Having already hosted a series of panels — Young Labels, The Critic and The Managers — featuring industry and artistic personalities such as Jen Cloher, Mikey Cahill, Milwaukee Banks and more, STEP was also present at Brisbane's BIGSOUND conference and Melbourne's Face The Music event in 2014.

The collective aims to develop panel discussions dappled with musical performances, to offer more what they believe are ore thought-driven experience than the usual parties you might be used to.

The new partnership with Collarts will broaden STEP's network and ability to attract speakers and performers from a more diverse cross-section of the industry. 

"Having Collarts onboard will allow STEP to further its reach, bring interstate performing artists and speakers to the events and pretty much make the already existing positive experience an even better one," said STEP co-founder Ashley Sambrooks.

The first fruits of the new partnership will come in the form of STEP's next planned event, The Artist, which will be held at Melbourne's The Toff In Town on Wednesday 21 January. Moderated by Nick Clarke, the session will feature input from Chela, Remi (and Sensible J), Banoffee and Oscar Key Sung. The talk-based action will be backed up more than capably by experimental Melburnian outfit friendships, with a set also coming from rising hip-hop outfit RaRa.

The collective have also launched a new website.