Live Music Professionals Program 2018 Applications Open

Music Victoria is excited to announce that applicaions are now open for Live Music Professionals 2018 – a free professional and business development program for independent promoters, venue owners, venue managers and band bookers. Although applications have been open for a short time, they have been arriving hard and fast according to Sarah Deborre, the project manager of the Live Music Professionals Program.
“They have already been coming in quite quickly which is really exciting and the more the merrier,” she remarks. “We have a limited number of spots in the program but if we end up with more than we can fit in the program then obviously we are running the program again over the next few years so would to look to accommodate those people in future programs.”
Successful applicants will be matched with some of Victoria’s most skilled and experienced music industry professionals for one-on-one coaching sessions in key business-based areas. In 2017 the coaches included the likes of publicist and manager Carolyn Logan, owner of The Tote and Bar Open Jon Perring, Groovin The Moo festival booker Richard Moffat, manager and co-producer of the Hills Are Alive Festival Aidan McLaren and Alex Zaccaria of digital marketing agency Bolster.
The program is free and applications are open until April 3rd with Victorians of all backgrounds who meet the eligibility requirements encouraged to apply. Designed to strengthen Victoria’s live music sector by fostering successful music businesses, participants will also attend specialised workshops, masterclasses and conferences while also having access to invaluable networking opportunities. The positive and changing effects of the workshop demonstrations are worth applying for alone according to Sarah.
“They are all different, last year we had workshops on social media for instance. It’s about having demonstrations and presenting the knowledge for anyone who’s working in the sector,” she said. “It’s about finding the gaps in their knowledge and finding a professional that can fill the gaps for them.”
The future of the program is a point to which Sarah hopes will foster a community aspect in rural Victoria.
“I would love to see this program bring people together and create a solid community for people in the live music sector,” she says. “People in regional centres lack that community so putting them in touch with a live music connection would make things better throughout the state of Victoria.”
For more information and to apply head to musicvictoria.com.au/LMP
Live Music Professionals is brought to you by Music Under Wings, a Victorian Government initiative
Written by Daniel Jubb