Emerging multicultural artists have the opportunity to sharpen their musical industry skills and knowledge for free courtesy of Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre (BEMAC) and their industry crash course, Get Prep'd.
The initiative has been spearheaded by BEMAC Artist Development Co-ordinator Simon Mula, who has an extensive history in cultivating strong relationships within the arts community and a passion for building a culturally diverse network of artists.
What is Get Prep'd?
[Simon] Get Prep'd is a free music industry crash course programme comprised of four professional development workshops aimed at providing multicultural artists with opportunities to up-skill in various areas of the Australian music industry.
The programme was launched in June; how was the response to the first workshop?
The first of the workshops was delivered with great success. Attendees were excited to go out and implement the knowledge they had gained from both APRA/ AMCOS and the BEMAC team. A quote from one of the attendees: “You’ve really changed lives today.”
Can you tell us about each of the workshops?
BEMAC has enlisted the skills of South East Queensland’s local professionals to share experiences, knowledge and provide a first-hand account of how to strive, survive and thrive in the music and creative arts industries. Each workshop is focused on a particular set of skill sets.
The next workshop, being delivered 12 July by QMusic, will shed light into the music business world. Covering topics such as business structure, tax, S.W.O.T. analysis and touch further on income revenue streams. Workshop three, ‘Get Training’, is an opportunity for artists to gain the skills necessary to facilitate arts, youth and cultural workshops. Delivered by the amazing people from Human Ventures.
Finally, ‘Get Noticed’ will deliver vital information on the ever-changing world of artist marketing. Delivered by Evan Alexander of Heapsaflash, this workshop will be of great value to any artist trying to get noticed in this digital age.
Why were you motivated to create this programme?
This programme was created to fill skill gaps identified in my time both here at BEMAC and as a music producer. It is, now more than ever, so important to be on top of the business side of things for independent artists and with so many fish in the pond, it is also vital to gain or improve on skills that can gain you extra income revenue in the creative arts when needed.
In terms of artists, who should be attending these workshops?
Someone once told me, even if you know 90 per cent of the story, it’s sometimes that extra 5 or 10 that can take things to the next level. That’s why I encourage any and all local independent artists to come along. From newbies to emerging and semi established, there will definitely be something for all to gain from attending Get Prep'd.
How do these types of programmes benefit multicultural artists and the wider arts community?
Being new to any country, information is vital. Some multicultural artists, though being here for a number of years, have not had the opportunity to learn and up-skill relevant to their new home. These workshops were purposely made free of charge for that particular reason, to provide opportunity for all.
What is your own background in artist development?
Personally, I have been working with new and emerging artists for the last seven years. Having successfully helped artists breakthrough to national and international mainstream music industries, I wanted to try my hand at applying what I have learnt along the way to a more niche sector of the industry.
The next Get Prep'd workshop takes place 12 July at BEMAC in Brisbane.
