Scenes are created by people and for the people. Just look at the punk pits of 70's England, the indie rock rebels of the early 2000's and the rave caves of Berlin.
For years the strategic question has been asked, “What makes a strong and thriving music scene?”
It’s not a simple question to answer as the music industry is a complex beast with multiple moving parts that keep the cogs spinning. But it is a question that was explored in depth during a City of Greater Geelong held Live and Local Forum earlier in the year. The round table session invited hundreds of music industry contributors and engagers to help shape the future of Geelong’s live music industry, with the afore-proposed question spawning countless suggestions with a weighted argument in favour of a supportive and collaborative community.
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It’s a point that hit home for local music industry titans and champions Lucinda Goodwin and Monique Chester, who both left the session with fires in their bellies and a notebook full of ideas.
“The conversations that emerged from that forum really highlighted some collective concerns about the state of our live music scene and one of the main takeaways was the demand for community connection,” says Goodwin.
As an award-winning music photographer, content creator and educator, who has yet again been named a finalist in the 2024 Australian Women in Music Awards, Lucinda Goodwin is a household name in the Australian music industry, and has been a mainstay to the Geelong music scene in a professional capacity since 2010.
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Monique Chester is also a face well-known to the local music community. When she’s not slinging beers behind the bar at the Barwon Club Hotel, Chester is growing an artist services and booking agency, MCM Bookings. Representing the local likes of Mojo Corner, Tommy Dynamite and the Explosions, The Grimwoods and Matt Bourke and the Delusional Drunks, Chester has been hustling to support and amplify the voices of music-makers.
Leading up to the forum, the two had been having regular coffee catch-ups to uplift each other in their individual projects, finding in each other that trusted person to spitball ideas off of and generally chat industry shop with.
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“Being in business in the music industry can be isolating at times. Even though we are connecting with others through our profession, sometimes you just need someone who understands the industry but isn’t necessarily involved in your own practice to offer an ear or brainstorm ideas when you’re feeling lost. We realised that we were both experiencing similar situations and decided to try to support each other,” says Chester.
With the fuel from the forum fire, the two quickly noted that others around them are likely experiencing the same cocoons and longing for additional support from the local music ecology. Thus began the establishment of Geelong Music Network.
The premise was simple – to provide a safe space for Geelong music industry contributors, engagers and supporters to come together regularly and connect. Run by community, for community, the Geelong Music Network started as a casual Tuesday evening hang out at The Brewery. With no agenda, no judgement and no eye-rolling icebreaker activities, the evening simply put bodies in a room, allowing individuals to connect and chat.
“We didn’t expect anyone to turn up so we both took our laptops and thought “if no one comes, we’ll just get some work done”. But over 30 people turned up and have continued turning up with some new faces each time. Mon and I consider ourselves to know a lot of the people that are in our local industry, but there were a lot of people that we didn’t know. It was really nice to not only meet fellow industry people but to see them connecting with others and even making plans outside of the event to meet up,” says Goodwin.
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Following the evenings success, the Geelong Music Network have made the event a monthly occurrence titled ‘Music Industry Night’, and started a Facebook group for industry pals to join and continue the connection online. Last month, Geelong Music Network also partnered with community radio station 94.7 The Pulse as part of their subscribe-a-thon membership drive, hosting a meet-up and opening the floor for community to meet presenters, further forging connections within the Geelong music web.
Continued conversations emerging from the networking events and Goodwin and Chester’s regular coffee dates have led the duo to filling further gaps in our local music economy, with the two working towards a series of educational and professional development events for the new year. From panel discussions with leading industry figures to live music events, Geelong Music Network is mutating into an unstoppable force.
“We initially thought “Why us? Why do we have to be the ones to drive this thing” but that immediately changed to “why not us?” We know what we want to see happen in our music community so why can’t we be the ones to make it happen. We’re really excited for where this is heading,” says Chester.
The next Geelong Music Network Geelong Industry Night will be held on Tuesday 1 October at The Brewery Geelong. Learn more and join the community here.
