3 months ago
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Soulful Brisbane rockers Blues Arcadia are in the unique position of getting a national shoutout in their final month before they call it quits.
On day two of Ausify Your Algo – an online campaign showcasing local music acts – the Brisbane band found themselves in the playlist.
Aus Music Month has been held every November since 2013.
This year, artists Thelma Plum and Keli Holiday are the faces of a new campaign aimed at getting Australians to diversify their streaming algorithms by playing home-grown performers.
Brisbane band Blues Arcadia is disbanding at the end of this month.Credit: Blues Arcadia
More than 30 artists from Queensland have been featured in just over a week of Ausify the Algo playlists.
Australian music hasn’t been “winning the algorithm” for a while, Blues Arcadia frontman Alan Boyle told this masthead.
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“Bands are just sort of plugging away in the hopes that things are going to get better, or even out … when all the evidence to the contrary is sort of evident,” Boyle said.
It’s more than just an algorithm problem, but the entire industry, he said.
He was extremely supportive of the campaign. Streaming services had largely replaced other avenues for discovering music, yet were far less focused on local talent.
“The only difference between a hit song and not a hit song is airplay. How many really f---ing awful songs do you hear on the radio a lot?”
Brisbane band Bean Magazine has just finished up their first headline tour.Credit: Bean Magazine
The most important thing people could do to support Australian artists was to stay local, Boyle said.
“Supporting those little, little venues where you can catch a band for $10 and show them that there’s an audience for whatever it is that they’re doing,” he said.
Bean Magazine was also featured in the Ausify Your Algo campaign, and band member Gabrielle Beiers agreed “attending live shows is still the best way to support local artists”.
She and her bandmates Seb Baren and Henry Creamer just finished up a tour, so she’s familiar with the unique support of a gig crowd.
During their tour, Bean Magazine gave to fans about 10 art pieces inspired by songs from their EPs.
The band has just announced they will support the Grogans on their regional tour of Australia and New Zealand, and previously supported Brisbane band Ball Park Music on a similar tour.
Beiers said it was “very hard to beat a home-town show in Brisbane”, but playing in cities such as Toowoomba was a highlight because of the great crowds and friendly people.
Beiers and Boyle both noted that small actions like buying a band shirt could go a long way, helping to get artists on the road to begin with.
Since 2013, Ausmusic T-Shirt Day has been held every year in November as part of a campaign to support local music. This year it will be on November 27.
The government could be doing more to support the industry, Beiers said.
“Considering how many incredible Aussie artists, bands and musicians we have coming through, more funding from government organisations is always welcomed,” she said.
“This way, we can all further our careers as much as possible, which allows us to expand our audience.”
The Ausify Your Algo campaign hopes to increase the percentage of local music Australians were streaming, which languished at less than 10 per cent.
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Alongside daily playlists sorted from A-Z, the campaign also has various playlists for different “vibes” – including First Nations, LGBTQIA+, global fusion, classical, country, punk and more.
An investigation into the Australian music charts last year found the portion of Australian and New Zealand in the Top 100 Albums charts had declined from an average of 29 per cent in 2000 to 4 per cent in 2023.
Both Spotify and Apple Music were highlighting local music in November, though the former in particular has been criticised for prioritising overseas hits over local acts.
Other home-grown Queensland artists featured on Ausify playlists so far include Amy Sheppard, Beckah Amani, Bella Mackenzie, Brook St, Charley, Chloe Styler, Clea, Confidence Man, Conrad Sewell, Cub Sport, Curtis Young, Day1, Dean Brady, DHEM, the Dreggs, Dune Rats, East of West, Eli Wan, Emma Louise, Felicity Kitcher, FISHER, Girl and Girl, Hannah Rosa, Hatchie, Homegrown Trio, Hotel Motel, Ixaras, Jack Gray, Jada Weazel, Jem Cassar-Daley, JJ4K, Julian Munyard, the Jungle Giants, and JVYDEN.
Blues Arcadia’s final show will be at Lefty’s Music Hall on November 30.
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