The Music Development Office (MDO) facilitates the development of South Australia’s music industry
Established by the South Australian Government in 2014, the MDO is a dedicated government office focused on supporting the growth of the local contemporary music industry in South Australia.
The MDO was set up by a partnership between Department for State Development and Arts South Australia in response to recommendations made from global music industry professional Martin Elbourne (Co-Founder Womad, key booker for Glastonbury Festival and Creative director and co founder of The Great Escape in Brighton).
Based at St Paul’s Creative Centre in the heart of Adelaide, the Music Development Office sits within the Creative Industries division of the Department for Industry, Innovation and Science and was the first and only government office of its kind in the country.
The MDO is proud to celebrate Adelaide’s designation as a UNESCO City of Music. Adelaide is one of 59 other Cities of Music around the world, as part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network and is Australia's only UNESCO City of Music.
2021-22 Music Development Office Strategic Plan: Supporting Recovery
The 2021-2022 MDO Strategic Plan focused on supporting the reshape, recovery, rebuild and re-strengthening of a resilient, confident and future-ready music industry. A new strategic plan is being developed and will be released soon.
With themes aimed at encouraging collaboration, skills development, innovation, entrepreneurialism, promotion, access and export, the MDO activated the 2021-22 strategy through continued partnerships with key local and national industry organisations, and state and local government agencies. The MDO also worked directly with industry by identifying, developing, and championing contemporary music entrepreneurs, businesses, artists and their work.
To support this activity, the South Australian Government through the MDO committed more than $3.4 million across two financial years (2020-21 and 2021-22) to deliver industry support programs and to work with key organisations on initiatives that support the strategic intent outlined below.
This Strategic Plan targeted all artists and music industry entrepreneurs, businesses and organisations, inclusive of diverse communities throughout South Australia and set out intentions that underpin four phases:
Adapt to new conditions and opportunities presented within the disruption of COVID-19 through new collaborations, skills and business models.
- Facilitate access to pathways and opportunities that support reshaping business models to enable the diversification of revenue streams.
- Support opportunities for artists and music businesses to collaborate, upskill and increase professional development.
- Support strategies that contribute to building a cultural appreciation for music, and an understanding of key skills required for career pathways in music, through education.
Nurture South Australian music businesses and artists to recover by supporting efforts to increase access and engagement, wellbeing and the diversity within the ecosystem.
- Support music businesses to recover through the impacts of COVID-19
- Active engagement with professional music practitioners from under-represented communities to increase participation in programs.
- Foster and enable the next generation of music industry participants supporting youth and early career artists and industry.
- Support a focus on developing the live music ecosystem in the regions.
- Support wellbeing projects and initiatives that raise awareness for mental health.
Champion the local industry by working together, promoting each other, and supporting local products and services.
- Support the rebuilding of the live performance aspect of the sector for artists, venues and promoters across South Australia.
- Encourage partnerships and engagement across local music industry businesses, artists and suppliers to increase commercial outcomes across South Australia.
- Support and encourage engagement of local artists and music industry suppliers across government and key organisations to support commercial outcomes.
- Encourage connectivity and collaboration across the broader creative industries to support an increase to commercial opportunities.
- Explore and enable new touring routes through regional areas and across the country to maximise opportunities for artists to increase revenue and develop grass roots audiences.
- Ensure that cultural and economic objectives continue to align to support growth of the music industry across the state.
- Champion and showcase the South Australian music industry by promoting and sharing local success stories.
Leverage unexpected or new possibilities in COVID-19 low risk markets.
- Increase export opportunities for South Australian music industry representatives in new key ‘safe markets.’ E.g. Trans-Tasman.
- Leveraging Australia’s position as a safe place to do business, attracting opportunities that drive growth of the state’s music industry.
Respond with Innovation through the COVID-19 disruption.
- Support new, innovative approaches and platforms to engage audiences and market goods and services in the music industry.
- Support and encourage collaborations and partnerships between music, tech and sciences to develop technology that supports the advancement and growth of the music industry ecosystem.
A new Music Development Office strategy is in the works
The Music Development Office team, in consultation across South Australian Government agencies and with key industry leaders, organisations and contributors are working through a new strategic direction.
Stay tuned for more information soon.