If you’re a music lover, you rarely need a reason to throw on your favourite band’s t-shirt. Let’s be real, you’re probably wearing it right now. Who knew you could do what you do best and support a good cause?
That’s what Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is all about – wearing your favourite Australian artist’s t-shirt and helping to raise funds for Support Act, and it’s happening this Friday 18 November.
Support Act is a charity performing crucial work supporting musicians, managers, crew and music workers through crisis relief, mental health and wellbeing programmes, and the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline, a 24/7 free phone counselling service. They are also celebrating a big milestone this year, their 25th anniversary.
Over the past few years of the pandemic, with help from the Australian and New South Wales Governments, they delivered more than $40 million in short-term financial support to music workers in need, helping around 11,000 music industry workers.
Chris Hemsworth
Aussie legends Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Mauboy have teamed up to front the campaign, which boasts a star-studded list of ambassadors, including Kylie Minogue, Ball Park Music, Bag Raiders, DMA's, and The Wiggles, to name a few.
“Be a fan, and put your hands up for Aus music,” Mauboy encourages via social media, while Ball Park Music input, “we are extremely proud to be ambassadors… We love T-shirts, we love Ausmusic and we love @supportact so it’s a no brainer.” Even social media stars such as Dom Littrich (The Inspired Unemployed) and Swag On The Beat have jumped on board.
Montaigne
“Donate to [Support Act] that supports workers and people in the Australian music industry who have suffered throughout the COVID lockdowns, have lost their jobs, have no superannuation, [and are] perhaps suffering from mental illness. Be there for us, be there for Australian music,” Mark Seymour from Mark Seymour & The Undertow exhorts via Instagram, sporting a Vika & Linda t-shirt.
Pierce Brothers took the comedic route to raise awareness, poking fun at the venues and billings that often misspell their name, by creating a shirt that reads ‘The Pirece Borhters are my Borhters’ with a portion of proceeds going to Support Act.
Triple J are offering practical advice on their socials, “do your washing and order your merch, #ausmusictshirtday is nearly here.”
Swag On The Beat
But before you throw on your old faithful t-shirt, be sure to check out the limited edition designs created especially for the event by artists like Casey Donovan, Darren Hayes, Hoodoo Gurus, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly and Montaigne, among many others. Of course, there are also Ausmusic T-Shirt Day shirts designed by First Nations artist Bree 'Little Butten' Buttenshaw, which feature a cute cartoon frog strumming a guitar. For the first time, there are also women's and kids' sizes available. And the best part of all, 100 per cent of net proceeds go to Support Act. Shirt purchases and donations can be made via the Ausmusic T-Shirt Day website.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there, get repping Aussie music, and help a great cause.
Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is on Friday 18 November.
