If you’ve never heard of The Seed Fund, you’d probably be blissfully unaware of the utterly critical role they play in discovering, nurturing and proliferating good old home grown Australian music. They’ve probably even helped some of your favourite artists to get to where they are today. They’re people like Boy And Bear, whose latest album is being called one of their best (take our word for it), or Emma Louise, whose singing and songwriting talents have wowed audiences both at home and internationally. The Seed Fund helps to give artists like them and countless other local talents a much-needed leg up and they have an enormously positive impact on the industry.
They’ve been running a Pozible campaign to raise some much needed funds since mid-September of this year and they’re almost at the end of their allotted time. Given that without a thriving Australian music industry, writers like all of us here at Howl And Echoes wouldn’t have anywhere near the number of opportunities we have (and also the world would be an incredibly sad place) we’re encouraging you to get behind this campaign as it wraps up today.
As a bit of an added incentive, the incremental rewards you get with your donations are pretty flippin’ sweet. With a Seedy Mixed Tape featuring a whole bunch of awesome up and coming Australian artists, mystery merch, handwritten notes from artists, VIP tickets and a whole lot more that means you’re not just donating and not getting anything in return!
If you want to know where your scrilla is going to, it’ll find its way into artist grants, supporting the Management Workshop which is coaching up the future leaders of the industry as well as to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Music Group and to BBBiz (Bush Bands Business), an initiative that sends industry professionals out to rural areas to help discover and mentor musical talent that otherwise might never find its way out of some of our farthest flung regions.
Perhaps you were even lucky enough to score tickets to the now sold out fundraising event at Melbourne’s Athaeneum Theatre tonight, featuring the musical talents of the aforementioned Emma Louise as well as Missy Higgins, San Cisco, co-founder of The Seed Fund, John Butler and a relatively unknown young man I’m sure is going to go far, one Paul Kelly. It should be a night for the ages.
To donate to this fantastic cause, follow this link here. The Seed Fund is drawing closer to their mark but need all the help they can get!