Last Saturday’s Hottest 100 has proven yet again that Australian music needs more support.
As expected, artists from both sides of the Atlantic dominated this year’s poll, as star-of-the-moment Chappell Roan crashed the party with “Good Luck, Babe!,” capturing the greatest number of votes in the contest’s decades-long history.
The latest countdown, so often pitched as the “world’s biggest musical democracy,” reiterates what the ARIA year-end charts already confirmed: homegrown acts are struggling to be heard.
Just three Australian acts cracked the Hottest 100 top 10. Two were covers, recorded for triple j’s “Like a Version”.
Royel Otis’ take on Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor,” which enjoyed a new life thanks to its sync in “Saltburn,” was the best-performer from these parts, at No. 3, and G Flip, whose record of seven entries last year was wiped out by Charli xcx and Billie Eilish, nabbed No. 9 with their version of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”
Though triple j throws its network muscle behind Australian content, the numbers aren’t reflected in the poll. The state-funded broadcaster typically programs at least 50% homegrown content on its airwaves, though Australian recordings account for fewer than 30% of the poll.
Wind the clock back a decade, and the 2014 triple j Hottest 100 when a record-breaking 59 Australian artists were featured, a then-record for homegrown representation.
A cruel summer indeed.
The ARIA Charts is ground zero for the discoverability problem plaguing Australian artists. Just five recordings from the land Down Under appear on the year-end singles chart, or 5% of the total, when, a decade ago, the Australian contingent would regularly rack up 10-15% of the top 100.
Leading the way on that year-end chart is Vance Joy’s 16-times platinum certified hit from 2013, “Riptide,” coming in at No. 24. “Riptide” is, once again, the leading track on the weekly chart, at No. 22, one of just three Australian tunes impacting the weekly top 50. One of those cuts is a cover.
The national albums chart doesn’t provide any relief. Last year, just three domestic creations impacted the top 100, or 3%. On the latest weekly chart, published Friday, January 24th, Dear Seattle holds the flame with TOY, at No. 4. No other Australian recording impacts the ARIA Top 50.
For domestic artists, the struggle is real. And it’s only exacerbated by a festivals space that’s said to be facing an “extinction event”. It’s not any easier for grassroots venues.
No shortage of solutions have been presented by the industry. Among them, Music Australia’s funding initiative, which is designed to support homegrown labels that are “actively discovering, developing, and promoting local talent”; the AAM’s Michael’s Rule, a policy that would ensure at least one local artist would be among the support acts on every tour; and the ongoing (and contentious) discussion on content quotas.
The outlook isn’t all bad. Despite the cost-of-living crisis, punters are still going out. Just not as often. Need proof? Pink shifted 950,000 tickets last year, and filled 20 stadiums up and down the country. Dom Dolla cleaned up with a record-breaking national tour, seen by 170,000. Cold Chisel’s 50th anniversary tour shifted 225,000 tickets.
Australia is still creating stars; Amyl and the Sniffers and Confidence Man were nominated last week for a Brit Award (marking the first time two Aussie acts were shortlisted for international group of the year). And triple j’s listeners took the time to cast nearly 2.5 million votes. Swing a cat, you’ll hit a music fan.
Speaking to an industry gathering in November 2023, APRA AMCOS CEO Dean Ormston presented a five-step plan for prosperity, and envisioned a future where “Australia/NZ has joined Sweden, the U.S and U.K. as a net exporter of music and our industry is recognised as thriving, diverse, inclusive and safe.” Getting there is the tricky part.
In an election year, the Australian music industry will be seeking assurances of support from the major political parties. Those diminishing returns for Australian artists should play a part in those talks. Triple j’s Hottest 100 and the ARIA Charts for 2024 would provide a handy conversation starter.
