WAMFest weekend is without doubt the best showcase of West Australian musicianship on offer, showcasing acts of varying style and popularity. Yet, while the live music can be heard throughout the streets of Perth City and Northbridge over the course of the weekend, the unsung hero of the weekend is WAMCon. Stacked with industry know-how and international representatives, the two-day conference focuses on granting valuable insights into the workings of the ever-changing music industry. This year’s event was no different, loaded with keynotes, workshops and 1-on-1 sessions with speakers ranging from reggae-punk icons, Perth rock royalty, all the way to triple j figureheads.
Friday
Friday morning saw a cluster of Perth musicians, producers, managers, and music fans descend upon the State Theatre Centre of WA, as Grammy-award winning filmmaker, DJ and radio broadcaster Don Letts kicked off the conference. The man responsible for introducing reggae to the UK punk scene (as well as to The Clash) captivated the crowd over the next 60 minutes, treating the audience to a wild recount of his musical history and dropping countless gems throughout.
“A good idea attempted is better than a bad idea perfected.” – Don Letts
Clearly not having lost his rebellious punk essence, Letts had the audience on a string with his vivid and animated stories which encapsulated his passionately diverse musical background. From tales of sneaking off from school to see The Who play down the street to selling weed to Bob Marley in London, this man’s highlights reel was a marvel to hear. As with any industry veteran, Letts’ take on how the music industry has evolved was particularly fascinating, citing the ease of both musical access and production as key reasons for the general lack of remarkable music he perceived in today’s climate: “the internet age has taken away the passion and the pain.”
Followed was the information-packed session titled Mind Your Business – a panel discussion from Australian music business representatives (including Susan Heymann of Chugg Entertainment and David Vodicka of Media Arts Lawyers) on how to build and maintain a solid business in this field. Throughout the discussion, common themes of efficient time management, unrelenting persistence, and considerable sacrifice were threaded throughout the discussion.
After a short stroll across the road to The Bird for some mingling over burgers at the customary Bookers & Burgers session, it was back to the theatre where Perth hip hop artist Tinashe Soko aka T$oko, Karnivool guitarist Drew Goddard and others gathered to discuss the reverence of the song writing process. All of the artists on the panel cited the importance of “getting out of your own head” and writing from a place of inner freedom for the most genuine results. It was also interesting to gain insights from a manager’s perspective, with Hayley-Jane Ayres of 360 Logistics sharing what goes in from her end to ensure the creative process is as seamless as possible: “I have to be constantly checking in with my artists, setting them up with everything they need to make music”.
The day concluded with a scientific dissection of the origin and biological function of music by Professor Alan Harvey of the University of Western Australia. With his keynote presentations previously described as “mind-blowing”, Prof Harvey journeyed through the many connections between science and music. Insights included the ability to date the first music to over 70,000 years ago by using genealogy techniques, the chemical reactions and hormones released within the human brain when music is listened to and the intrinsic link between music and evolution.
“Music is a core part of what makes us human beings.” – Professor Alan Harvey
Saturday
Thankfully for those who nabbed tickets to the annual WAMCon Industry Boat Party and kicked on to the many live gigs the night prior, the day started in fairly relaxed fashion with the debut screening of the much-anticipated documentary Her Sound, Her Story. The film sheds a spotlight on the journey of women in the Australian industry, featuring over 45 artists including Nina Las Vegas, Tina Arena, Stella Donnelly and Julia Stone. While the film touched on the widely-known inequalities that have been suffered by women in the industry in the past, it was more aptly presented as a celebration of the vast contributions of these women, their music, and their strength.
The film’s conclusion prompted an extensive Q&A session featuring several women from the WA music scene including Carla Geneve, Amber Fresh (Rabbit Island), Dixie Battersby (DB Publicity) and Suzie Tuialli (Hyclass). The session that ensued featured an emotional discussion, with various recollections of sexism and discrimination to be shared by members of the audience and the panel. Despite the wholesome message portrayed within the film and the unanimous admission that the landscape of gender equality has improved, the stories told and the emotions shown in that session illustrated that this is an issue that is far from resolved – within the music industry and society full stop.
After lunch, Professor Patrik Wikström from the Queensland University of Technology held one of the last sessions of the conference with an updated snapshot of the current music industry and its progress into the technology age. Prof Wikström addressed the widely-debated topics of whether streaming has reduced the value of music and saturated the market. Both notions were rebutted, citing the ability for artists to gain ongoing residual incomes through streaming along with their ability to gain unprecedented exposure and market analytics through streaming consumption.
After two days of soaking up some of the best industry intel, it’s evident that WAMCon successfully served up another year of intellectual conversation, inspiring musical presentations and networking events and remains an absolute must for any of those interested in the industry.
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