Making Music Work: How Do Australian Musicians Create and Sustain Their Careers?

[Extract] Last week the results of a ground-breaking Australia Research Council Linkage study into the working lives of Australian musicians were released. The study shows that the vast majority of Australian musicians undertake a portfolio career which encompasses concurrent, overlapping and often impermanent roles.

This is not a new phenomenon. However, major shifts in how music is made, paid for and consumed, along with the impact of COVID-19 on the funding and policy landscape, has dramatically affected how musicians develop and sustain their careers – or not.