Lithgow Live & Local – upskilling our local music industry

Lithgow City Council’s Live and Local Music Program hosted two professional development sessions on 29 & 30 November in partnership with APRA AMCOS and the Live Music Office. The sessions were aimed at providing local musicians with tools to kick start their careers and establish themselves as professional artists.

The events were facilitated by Alex Green – APRA AMCOS Member Services Representative for the state of NSW who shared some great tips and insights on Music Booking, Music Production, and Artist Management.

On Tuesday 29 November the ‘Kickstart Your Career’ session for local musicians featured special guest speakers and professional musicians Abby Smith – singer, songwriter, professional musician and teacher from Smith and Jones and song writer, producer and professional musician, Kris Schubert, from the Safety of Life and Sea.

Both shared candid insights into the highs and lows of touring, building up and maintaining credibility and loyal audiences, merchandise, pros and cons of social media, when and how to make the break into going professional and playing originals rather than covers, working in a team versus staying independent, and how to deal with copyright and credits.

“It’s exciting to have guest speakers with so much industry experience come to Lithgow and share their stories with local musicians, some of whom are just starting out and others who have been in the industry for a while but want to take their passion to the next level”. Said Lithgow Council Event’s Coordinator, Robbie Park.

On Wednesday 30 November, the session featured special guest speakers who shared insights as professional events promoters and the universal challenges of adapting to the range of factors affecting audience levels and booking rates.

“Working with artists of this calibre will help to grow the local live music industry.  While here, Charity Mirrow took the opportunity to visit the Union Theatre to learn more about this amazing venue and potential future opportunities to bring travelling shows to Lithgow,” said Robbie Park.

The program is fully funded by the Australian Federal Government as part of the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grant Program. Lithgow City Council is partnering with the office of Live Music and aims to reconnect local musicians with venues. Visit Seven Valleys Tourism website for more exciting news & live music events coming soon or follow Lithgow Live & Local Music Hub on Facebook