The Phonographic Performance Company Of Australia (PPCA) and the Australia Council For The Arts have announced the recipients of five recording grants worth a total of $75,000.
The grant program — now in its fourth round — is part of an ongoing partnership between the two organisations, providing its recipients each with $15,000 in funding to create new recorded works, and visibly reflects a great diversity of artists from across genres and backgrounds.
The latest batch of grant beneficiaries include Sydney singer-songwriter Katie Wighton, of All Our Exes Live In Texas, who will use the funding to record and promote the band's forthcoming second album, as well as West Australian cult favourite KUČKA (Laura Jane Lowther), to create, release and promote her debut full-length.
Successful applicants also included Australian-Tongan singer Radical Son (David Leha), who will record a collaboration between First Nations artists in language and song called the YANAYA project; Chris Read, who will work with WA/Wingellina's 'desert reggae' pioneers Irrunytju Band; and Melbourne muso Ella Thompson — of The Bamboos, GL and Dorsal Fins — who will make use of the cash to record and release her second full-length solo effort, Like Running Water.
"On behalf of PPCA, I would like to congratulate all of the artists who were successful in securing funding," PPCA chief executive Dan Rosen said in a statement. "We were extremely pleased by the range and number of applicants in this round of grants.
"We look forward to hearing the recordings that emerge as a result of this funding and wish all of the recipients the very best over the course of their recording careers. I would like to thank the Australia Council for their ongoing assistance, and look forward to our continuing partnership."
Australia Council chief executive Tony Grybowski added: "The Australia Council’s latest research, Connecting Australians, found that 97% of Australians are choosing to listen to recorded music, which reinforces the importance of supporting new recordings by Australian artists.
"The report also found that the majority of us think Australian arts reflect the diversity of the nation. All the funded projects this year are led by either female artists or First Nations artists, sending a great message about the energy and diversity of contemporary Australian music."
PPCA represents Australian artists when their music is played in public — a service for which musicians can register for free — and distributed $38 million to its registered artists and labels in 2016 alone.
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