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Working Across Disciplines
For independent musicians who want to work with, or be commissioned by, another art form: music for screen and stage, visual collaborators, and interdisciplinary grants.
At A Glance
$7,500APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund grant for a work combining composition with another art form
$1,400Illustrators Australia's base rate for a colour cover illustration
$1,000Hyperdriven's starting price for a half day music video shoot in Sydney
1Music for Screen and Stage
Sync licensing basicsExplains what a sync licence is and who commissions it.
- WhatA sync licence gives permission to pair a piece of music with visual media such as a film, a television show, an advertisement or a game. It sits alongside a separate licence for the sound recording itself.
- Who commissions itMusic supervisors source music for productions and negotiate sync deals with publishers, labels or artists directly. Production companies, advertising agencies and game studios engage a music supervisor or approach an artist directly.
- PayAPRA AMCOS states that each sync deal is negotiated per song, with an upfront fee and ongoing royalties when the work airs or streams. APRA AMCOS collects and distributes royalties and does not issue sync licences itself.
- Linkapraamcos.com.au
Lolly Box MusicRuns an indie sync agency for Australian artists and accepts submissions.
- WhatLolly Box Music describes itself as an indie sync agency for independent Australian music. It pitches tracks to its network of music supervisors for film, television, advertising and games.
- HowMusicians submit tracks through the agency's own submission page. The artist must own or control 100 per cent of the copyright in both the recording and the composition. Submission carries no cost, and the agency earns its commission only when a track is licensed.
- NoteThe submission page states that net licensing income is split evenly between the agency and the artist, and that each artist agreement runs on a rolling 90 day term.
- Linklollyboxmusic.com
Routes into syncSets out how independent musicians can land a sync placement in Australia.
- HowAPRA AMCOS recommends working with a sync agent or a music publisher, because both maintain ongoing relationships with production companies, advertising agencies, television networks and game studios. Sony Music Publishing Australia is named as an example of a publisher with these relationships.
- NoteThe guide names Midnight Choir and The Sound Pound as examples of sync agents who work with unpublished writers, and notes that direct pitching is possible and takes more organisation on the artist's part.
- Linkapraamcos.com.au
Sydney Theatre CompanyExplains how independent designers and composers are considered for its productions.
- HowSydney Theatre Company assembles each production's creative team through the director in consultation with the company's artistic leadership. Sound designers and composers sit within that creative team alongside set, costume and lighting designers.
- What to doA composer or sound designer who wants to be considered sends a CV and a portfolio marked as a designer expression of interest. The company acknowledges submissions and makes contact when a suitable production comes up.
- Linksydneytheatre.com.au
Sydney Dance Company commissioningFunds new commissioned scores for Sydney Dance Company works.
- WhatThe Carla Zampatti Commissioning Fund funds the creation of new contemporary dance works for Sydney Dance Company each year, including newly composed scores.
- ExampleRecent commissions have paired a choreographer with a composer to create an original score for a new work, including Nick Wales's score for The Shell, A Ghost, The Host & The Lyrebird.
- Linksydneydancecompany.com
Screen composer feesExplains how screen composer fees are structured in Australia.
- WhatThe Australian Guild of Screen Composers describes screen composer income as an upfront fee plus performance and mechanical royalties. The upfront fee covers the composer's time and craft, and can also be a package deal that covers musicians, engineers, studio time and other production costs.
- How it's negotiatedAGSC states that costs vary with the nature of the commission. The Guild publishes a members' rates survey and model composer contract templates to support fee negotiation.
- Linkagsc.org.au
2Visual Collaborators
MusicNSW Music Industry DirectoryLists NSW music industry service providers including photographers and designers.
- WhatMusicNSW's Music Industry Directory lists NSW music businesses, including photographers, videographers, content creators and designers, alongside recording studios and other services.
- HowMusicians search the directory by location and business type and contact listed businesses directly through their websites or social media profiles.
- Linkmusicnsw.com
Sydney Music Web photographers directoryLists Sydney band photographers, video producers and CD or album designers.
- WhatThis directory lists Sydney based band photographers, music video production companies and graphic designers who work on CD and album artwork.
- HowBusinesses apply for a paid listing on the site, which also links out to related services such as recording studios and rehearsal spaces.
- Linksydneymusicweb.com
Single cover artwork price guidePublishes a base rate guide for illustration commissions in Australia.
- WhatIllustrators Australia publishes a base rate guide for illustration commissions. The guide lists a colour cover illustration at A$1,400 as a starting point for an illustrator to build a quote from.
- NoteThe guide states that usage rights, geographic scope and duration of use affect the final fee, and that a full copyright buyout typically costs two to three times the quoted price.
- Linkillustratorsaustralia.com
Low budget music video pricePublishes a starting price for a music video in Sydney.
- WhatHyperdriven, a Sydney video production business, publishes a starting price of A$1,000 including GST for a music video.
- What's includedThat price covers a half day shoot with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, location filming within 50 kilometres of Sydney, editing, mastering and one round of revisions. A 50 per cent deposit is required at booking.
- Linkhyperdriven.com.au
General photography rate benchmarkPublishes general portrait and commercial photography rates in Sydney.
- WhatSydney photographer Gavin Jowitt publishes general portrait and commercial photography rates as a benchmark: individual portrait sessions from A$250 to A$650, and corporate or commercial day rates from A$1,200 to A$3,500.
- NoteThis rate card covers portrait and commercial photography generally. A band specific rate card confirmed from a Sydney photographer's own page could not be found.
- Linkgavinjowitt.com
3Interdisciplinary Grants
Creative Australia: Multi-art formFunds artists and organisations whose work spans multiple art forms.
- WhatCreative Australia's multi-art form category funds artists, creative workers and organisations whose work blurs the boundaries between art forms or spans dance, music, theatre, visual arts, screen and digital work, literature and other disciplines.
- Who can applyPractising artists, producers, curators, programmers and other creative leaders working across multiple disciplines can apply through Creative Australia's open funding rounds, including Arts Projects for Individuals and Groups.
- HowApplications go through Creative Australia's online system. Round opening and closing dates change, so applicants should confirm current dates on the page before applying.
- Linkcreative.gov.au
Create NSW: Digital & Experimental, Immersive and Light Art boardFunds NSW artists whose music work combines with another art form.
- WhatCreate NSW funds NSW artists through 11 artform advisory boards. The Digital & Experimental, Immersive and Light Art board is the assessment pathway for work that combines music with visual, technological or performance elements, alongside experimental, improvised and sound art.
- Who can applyNSW based individual artists, groups and organisations can apply through the relevant Create NSW funding round assessed by that board.
- HowApplications are submitted through Create NSW's SmartyGrants portal during open funding rounds. Round dates and eligibility vary by program, so applicants should confirm current guidelines on the page.
- Linknsw.gov.au
APRA AMCOS: Art Music FundFunds art music that combines composition with another art form.
- WhatThe Art Music Fund commissions art music, including notated composition, electroacoustic and improvised music, sound art and installation sound. It explicitly covers theatrical, operatic and choreographed music, and has funded works combining music with dance, theatre, visual installation and digital media.
- Who can applyApplicants must be APRA AMCOS members. Australian composers also need Australian Music Centre membership. The fund does not support popular contemporary music or folk music.
- HowApplications are submitted online through SmartyGrants. Each grant provides A$7,500, and applicants must show a partnership with an ensemble, performer, presenter or producer.
- Linkapraamcos.com.au