Cutting through the noise and being heard is the eternal issue for recording and performing artists and it seems to be getting tougher rather than easier. Why though? What are the main hurdles to getting gigs, scoring a festival spot, getting online space on music blogs, play on radio or space in whatever remaining print publications there are?
A few obstacles that come to mind immediately are: 1) the cost of living for punters and a hesitancy to spend on music, gigs and merch, 2) the Covid hangover, where people’s social habits have changed (Punters now happy to sit on a couch and play games or binge a Netflix show), 3) unfair conditions from the streaming services and prohibitive algorithm changes to social media platforms, making it harder to reach an audience. Those are a just few problems that we’ve identified but what are the artists saying?
We asked five current artists of varying degrees of fame, Ben from Chavez Cartel, Jebediah’s Kev Mitchell,
Presley Davis Jr, Gavin Mac, and Melbourne Ska Orchestra’s Nicky Bomba, what they think are
the biggest hurdles to cutting through.
What are the five artists up to currently?
CHAVEZ CARTEL
In 2024, Chavez Cartel took off overseas once again, performing at The New Colossus Festival in New York as well as at SXSW in Austin, Texas, with both experiences broadening the global reach of this talented Gold Coast group. A band undeniably on the rise and one absolutely not to be missed, their current single Unfamiliar Boy is the beginning of a phenomenal new chapter for Chavez Cartel; and following an extremely busy 12 months on the road, the band are raring to reveal even more new music to the world in the not-too-distant future.
https://www.facebook.com/chavezcartel
JEBEDIAH
Currently promoting their new album OIKS, alt-rock legends The Jebs are half way through a major Australian tour and have also just been included on the fabulous travelling festival Hotter Than Hell. Tickets are still available for their OIKS tour and Hotter Than Hell festival details HERE hotterthanhelltour.com.au
https://www.jebediah.net/
PRESLEY DAVIS JR
Presley Davis Jr has just released 3 albums! The task of simultaneously creating three full-bodied and stylistically diverse albums saw Presley dive into a horde of personally meaningful genres, with the Eclecta Trifecta project also evolving from his experience during the pandemic years. Evaluating himself both personally and professionally at the time, Presley’s soul searching ultimately led to him settling on the idea to release a three-album project, with all three albums in three different styles set to release on the same day. A jack of all musical trades and adopting his stage name to honour Elvis Presley and Sammy Davis Jr., it seemed predestined that Presley Davis Jr would find himself immersed in the arts. The albums, Roadside Magnolia, Torana Americana and Birdlife, aka the Eclecta Trifecta, are out now
https://presleydavisjr.com/
GAVIN MAC
Discovered at the age of 16 by Sony Music, Gavin Mac quickly gained the title of being Sony Music Australia’s youngest-ever Australian recording artist at the time. Evolving his music industry skills and knowledge in the years to follow, Mac worked alongside both international and iconic Australian artists, including previous work with Nickelback, Queens of the Stone Age, Linda & Vika Bull, and Alex Lloyd. And from managing A&R duties for Roadrunner Records to stepping back from the industry to raise his family, Mac still kept his creative fires alive, co-founding the award-winning brand experience agency Urban, conceiving and delivering marketing campaigns for Electronic Arts, Airbnb, and Netflix. He’s just released a brand new single ‘Sideswiped’, a swaggering alt country ode to misadventures. Sideswiped is out now. The album, Make You Feel is set for release on Thursday September 5.
https://www.gavinmac.com.au/
MELBOURNE SKA ORCHESTRA
A milestone for many, often signifying the transition into adulthood, approaching the 21 year age bracket is always something to be celebrated. And in 2024, the 21st anniversary for the ARIA Award-winning collective Melbourne Ska Orchestra is set to bring the festivities to fans across Australia, with the band proudly announcing the Outlaws and Offbeats Tour kicking off this August before whipping around the country well into October. Tickets for the upcoming Outlaws and Offbeats Tour are available now from melbourneskaorchestra.com.