Picking Hits, Missing The Boat On 'Riptide' & Building A Legacy: Ten Years Of Unearthed

Not only is the country currently in the midst of Ausmusic Month, but triple j is also also celebrating a massive milestone this year as it marks the tenth anniversary of the triple j Unearthed website. 

This Saturday, the youth broadcaster will share its 100 best discoveries and in anticipation, triple j Unearthed Music Director, Dave Ruby Howe, has sat down with The Music to reflect on the successes of the past decade, what the platform has done for artists and what the future holds. 

"Unearthed has got a massive legacy," Ruby Howe says. 

"Not just ten years, but going back to 1995 with the original regional demo competition that unearthed the likes of Grinspoon, Missy Higgins, Sophie Koh, Sick Puppies, Killing Heidi and so many other artists."

The website was later launched in 2006 and arguably changed the entire Australian music landscape. 

"It's pretty easy to look at things the way they are now and think, ‘yeah, it’s a music site that you put your music on’, but at the time there was no SoundCloud, no Bandcamp. So it was a pretty revolutionary idea," he explains. 

"I think a lot has been achieved. It’s really satisfying, but I think we’ve been a part of telling the first parts of stories for so many great Australian bands."

As music director, Ruby Howe is one of the first in the country to hear tracks from up-and-coming acts, some of which have gone on to become monster hits and achieve international attention. 

"When I first heard Lay It Down by The Rubens, I thought it was a really special song and I knew other people would feel the same, they just had to hear it," Ruby Howe recalls.

"That happens all the time. Hearing Meg Mac for the first time, I knew she was really special and that would translate. Same with someone like Remi or SAFIA or Vallis Alps or Boo Seeka.

"There are some times where you think one thing and you get it wrong and some times it can take longer than you think."

No song is a more perfect example of that then one particular little ditty by Vance Joy, Riptide.

"I was like, ‘yeah, this is a good song. We’ll play it.’ We played it about 100 times on Unearthed radio, but we didn’t do too much else with him.

"We did a little interview but we didn’t make him a feature artist, he didn’t win any competitions or anything like that. And then he gets signed, [Riptide] gets re-released and then it gets to #1 on the Hottest 100. You can never really predict the trajectory of these things."

The charm of artists being able to upload their music to the Unearthed website is that it can be done in many ways. 

A then-17-year-old Thelma Plum uploaded her first track to Unearthed after recording it on a laptop in her wardrobe, while Tassie songwriter Asta recorded her song, My Heart Is On Fire, in her home, which eventually won the Unearthed High competition in 2012. 

Another example Ruby Howe references is Sydney outfit Gang Of Youths' recent single Strange Diseases, which he says was actually uploaded in 2012.

"Obviously they weren’t happy with it and the song wasn’t finished and they told that to [Unearthed host Rosie Beaton] at the time when they came in," Ruby Howe says. 

"I think it must have been their first proper media interview and super nervous. They took the song away and tinkered with it and it came out this year as the full orchestrated version which is really beautiful."

Ruby Howe says the Unearthed team will take the milestone as an opportunity to look back at the incredible work they have delivered to the Australian public.

"I think it’s nice that we’re at ten years and we can look back a little bit because I suppose one of the things about Unearthed is we are always looking forward," he says.

"Artists will upload a couple of songs and then they might get a record deal or they are at a place where they can make enough money off their music that they don’t need to give it away for free… the turnover from new artists to established artists is really quick.

"It’s nice that we get to pause for a moment and look back at the history."

ruby howe's top picks for acts you need to keep an eye on

• Alex Lahey
• Maddy Jane
• Midas Gold
• Lanks
• Woodes
• Gretta Ray
• Julia Jacklin
• Tash Sultana
• Kuren
• Carl Renshaw
• Lastlings
• Good Boy