Supports international touring by Australian musicians performing predominantly original Australian music

An initiative of up to $20,000
Applications for this grant close 26 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in June 2012
Funded projects can start 22 June 2012

About the initiative

International Pathways supports international touring by Australian musicians performing predominantly original Australian music. It assists with the development of markets and audiences through live performance.

Tours must include a minimum of three performance opportunities.

For one-off showcases and festival performance opportunities, see the ‘Live on Stage – Music International Showcase Program’ initiative offered by Market Development.

Costs

International Pathways provides funding for costs associated with international touring up to a maximum of $20,000.

The total Australia Council request must not be more than 50% of the total expenses.

If you have a record label, publisher or management company, please provide details of the support they are providing for the tour.

The funding cap reflects the maximum amount available through this category. The amount requested in any application must be supported by a clear, well argued budget. For an indication of grant amounts previously funded in this category, please view Assessment Meeting Reports for previous rounds.

Recommended resources

International Visas and Taxation: a Guide for Performing Arts Organisations in Australia and New Zealand is an online resource for performing arts companies touring internationally. It aims to ease the process of applying for visas and complying with taxation regulations with case studies demonstrating practical tips for success. Applicants to International Pathways should read this guide to understand their visa and taxation requirements. The resource can be found on the Australia Council website here. 

Contact

Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their application with the relevant Australia Council team member. For further information, or to discuss your proposal, please contact:

Peter Keogh
Program Officer, Music
Phone 02 9215 9108, Email p.keogh@australiacouncil.gov.au

or

Andy Rantzen
Program Officer, Music
Phone 02 9215 9115, Email a.rantzen@australiacouncil.gov.au

Supports international touring by Australian musicians performing predominantly original Australian music

An initiative of up to $20,000
Applications for this grant close 26 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in June 2012
Funded projects can start 22 June 2012

Eligibility

International Pathways is an initiative of the Music Board, and does not count as one of your two possible applications to the Music Board per year.

Individuals, groups and organisations are eligible to make proposals for funding. To be eligible, you must meet the general eligibility requirements.

The following requirements are specific to this initiative:

• applicants must have a commercially available release and touring experience
• applicants must have a minimum of three performance opportunities
• organisations must be legally constituted, for example, incorporated, or a company limited by guarantee. Funding proposals may be accepted from non-Australian individuals or organisations if the purpose is to engage artists who are Australian citizens or permanent residents
• funding proposals from youth groups/ensembles or semi-professional organisations (eg choral) will only be considered under exceptional circumstances. Only costs associated with professional artists and artsworkers will generally be considered in these cases

How often can you apply?

Applicants may submit a maximum of three proposals in a three-year period, as calculated by the closing date. Unsuccessful applications cannot be re-submitted.

Selection criteria

Applications will be ranked against the following criteria:

• artistic merit
• export readiness and the quality of the marketing strategy
• evidence that the activity is well planned and achievable

Applicants are encouraged to read the latest Music Sector Plan before preparing and submitting their application. The sector plan describes the Australia Council’s involvement with the sector, identifies current issues and outlines short and medium term goals and priorities.

Artistic merit

This includes: the calibre of the artist(s); a record of successful professional performance; good live act, strong and clear artistic vision; and innovation in the work(s) or project in terms of exploring new processes, forms, interpretations or audiences.

Export readiness and the quality of the marketing strategy

This includes some or all of the following criteria as appropriate:

• overseas market knowledge and contacts
• the extent of groundwork in, and commitment to, the target territory or market
• recognition in the Australian market
• current full length CD with national distribution
• touring experience
• good quality promotional material
• media profile
• preparedness to tailor the product
• evidence of export market planning
• management resources
• demonstrated willingness to deal cross-culturally
• short-term and long-term career development goals and objectives for your international tour.

Evidence that the activity is well planned and achievable

This includes available financial and human resources to successfully undertake the tour. Applicants should demonstrate strong tour management skills by providing a tour itinerary that is well scheduled in terms of performances, travel days and days off, fees paid and performance terms negotiated with promoters and presenters. Applicants should demonstrate that the activity would not normally be covered through other sources or agreements and should indicate any performance fees in the budget under 'income'.

Selection process

A panel made up of Music Board members, peer advisers and a representative from Market Development will assess proposals. You will be notified of the decisions within ten weeks of the closing date for your funding proposal.

For more information on the assessment process, please see the page on Assessment of applications in the Information for applicants section.

Supports international touring by Australian musicians performing predominantly original Australian music

An initiative of up to $20,000
Applications for this grant close 26 March 2012
Decisions will be advised in June 2012
Funded projects can start 22 June 2012

How to apply

You are encouraged to apply online for this category. To begin an online application, use the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column. Please select 'Music Board' when prompted to choose a board for your application.

For other ways to apply, please see the information on making an application in the Funding Guide for 2012.

As part of the online application you will be asked to address the following questions:

• Who are you?
• Where do you want to go?
• Why do you want to do this in terms of career development?
• How much does it cost?
• Who is involved?
• Outline your international marketing strategy, which should include the following:
  
• a) State your target territory(ies) or market(s), and the size and demographic of your audience;
• b) Provide evidence of groundwork carried out in the target territory(ies) (ie contacts made, interest expressed, past tours);
• c) Provide a list of the key industry players that you will be targeting in the territory(ies), that is, those key individuals and organisations that you will be trying to meet and network with, invite to performances etc., including representatives of record companies, distributors, publishers, festival directors, artists, promoters, bookers, agents, venue operators, sponsors, media (such as journalists, reviewers, critics, in electronic and print media) etc;
• d) Describe what you consider to be the main features and unique selling points that you offer that would be attractive to the target territory(ies) or market(s);
  e) Provide details of how your fees have been determined and how ticket prices have been set;
• f) Describe your promotional strategy: list the promotional tools you currently have available, and those you plan to produce for the proposed activity, and describe how each will be used to reach your audiences and key industry players;
• g) Give details of who will be involved in implementing the marketing strategy, and what will their roles be (eg promoters, publicists, presenters, etc, on whom you will be relying to ensure the success of the strategy).

The questions are listed here for your reference only, and you will need to complete them in the online application form to be eligible.

You will have the equivalent of approximately four A4 pages of space in which to provide your responses. This is based on using Arial font in 12-point, single-line spacing. 

Supporting materials

Applicants to this category are required to submit examples of their work and additional written material at the closing date.

The Music Board will review no more than a total of 10 minutes of support material for each application submitted. If more than 10 minutes of material is submitted, staff will select which 10 minutes goes forward to the Board.

1. Examples of work - Required with your application at the closing date

You must submit up to three examples of your work and that of the key artists represented in a format listed below:

• Up to a total of 10 minutes of audio material, to be uploaded with your application, or submitted in hard copy as a single audio CD; or
• Up to a total of 10 minutes of audio visual material. Video files 10mb or smaller should be uploaded with your application. For larger video files please submit four identical DVDs or data discs in hard copy; or
• A URL linking to audio or visual material, to be uploaded with your application as a single PDF file.

You are encouraged to include support material which demonstrates the quality and range of your work. You are encouraged , where possible, to include Australian content in the support material submitted.

You must also include details of the support material included with your application. This should include title, duration, year, composer/songwriter and performer details, and a brief explanation of the material’s relevance to the application. You can include this information in the comments space provided or attach a separate document (Support material details), which you can download below.

2. Written material - Required with your application at the closing date

The following additional material must be submitted with the audio or audio visual material and your application by the published closing date.

• in hard copy, or as a PDF attachment in the Support Material section of the online form, a day-by-day itinerary that includes details of performances, meetings, days off and travel days, including dates, cities, venues, presenters, who the meeting is with, and whether or not each performance/meeting is confirmed or pending with the details of the fees and contract negotiated.
• in hard copy, or as a PDF attachment in the Support Material section of the online form, written confirmations of key performances from the venues and/or presenters and written confirmation of meetings with key industry people.
• in hard copy, or as a PDF attachment in the Support Material section of the online form, one full promotional pack. The promotional pack should contain a biography, a high quality image and press releases. It is acceptable to provide a URL to your electronic press kit (EPK) or website.
• in hard copy, or as a PDF attachment in the Support Material section of the online form, for proposals with creative content and/or stated intended outcomes relating to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists, communities or their activities, letters of support from relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists and/or communities.

Applications for some specific activities require additional material to be submitted.

In hard copy, or as a PDF attachment in the Support Material section of the online form, for proposals with creative content and/or stated intended outcomes relating to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists, communities or their activities, letters of support from relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists and/or communities.

Support material in hard copy will not be returned to you and will be disposed of 45 days after you are advised of the outcome of your application. If you wish support material to be returned to you, please contact staff before this time to make alternative arrangements.

Applications that are incomplete, or which do not contain all the required supporting materials, will be ineligible.

Updates before the board meeting

For your application to be eligible for consideration for funding, you must submit the above support material with your application at the closing date.
You can submit updates, such as additional confirmations of key performances from the venues and/or presenters, written confirmation of meetings with key industry people or changes to your itinerary after the closing date. Updates need to be submitted by 30 April 2012. All other support material needs to be submitted at the closing date.

Support material formats

Support materials can be submitted in the following digital formats:

• Audio files – .mp3 (192.1 kb/s)
• Documents – .pdf
• Video - standard H264 QuickTime .MOV or .mp4 format only
• URL - to be uploaded with your application as a single PDF file.

For more information about support material formats please see the FAQ’s here.

The Music Board does not accept notated scores or video cassettes and will not assess them if provided.

Please contact Music Board staff with any questions related to support material requirements.

Please submit hard copy support material to:

Music Board
PO Box 788
Strawberry Hills NSW 2012

Please ensure the support material is clearly labelled, with the applicant’s name, application ID and the category. All hard copy support material must be postmarked no later than the closing date.

Application checklist

We encourage you to use this handy checklist to help you prepare and submit your application. You should:

1. read the Funding Guide for 2012, in particular the general eligibility requirements, the information on making an application and the information on how your application will be assessed;
2. read all of the information provided for this grant (across all the tabs above);
3. get in contact with the grant contact person to discuss your application;
4. prepare your application, being mindful that you address all of the eligibility and selection criteria for this grant; and
5. submit your application form online using the 'Apply online' button in the right-hand column.