South Australian Tourism Commission accused of ripping off local musicians for new ad campaign
A PROMINENT South Australia musician has accused the South Australian Tourism Commission of exploitation after the government agency offered bands just $150 per song to score its new Rewards Wonder campaign.
A PROMINENT South Australia musician has accused the South Australian Tourism Commission of exploitation after the government agency offered bands just $150 per song to score its new Rewards Wonder campaign.
The campaign, which launched yesterday, will feature a five-day live streaming virtual tour of South Australia, with 100 songs from local artists providing the soundtrack.
Not-for-profit industry body Music SA negotiated the $150 fee, an amount musician Max McHenry – frontman of Max Savage and the False Idols – slammed as “deeply concerning”.
“The current fee of $150 is a fraction of the industry standard,” McHenry said.
“I am deeply concerned that the SATC in conjunction with Music SA are preying on vulnerable young and emerging artists.
“They are sending out vague, undefined contracts which cede significant rights for the artist in perpetuity.”
The contract, seen by The Advertiser, states that the artist would grant the SATC “non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide licence to use and reproduce the material”.
McHenry said such a low fee to secure rights to a piece of music for perpetuity was “unheard of in any industry, particularly when it comes to government”.
“They have targeted young and emerging artists who often have no idea of their rights or current industry standards,” he said.
McHenry, who has played some of our biggest stages including Womadelaide and the Adelaide 500, said he understood the temptation for emerging musicians to accept low fees or free gigs in the hope of gaining exposure.
“Musicians don’t get paid much,” he said.
“I bust my gut working manual labour jobs and every spare cent that I make goes into paying bands as well as producing and recording music.
“I can guarantee you that at every other step of this advertisement’s production, people would have been paid an award wage – the producers, the camera people, the graphic designers and certainly the executives at the SATC.
“Why are musicians, who pour so much money, heart and soul into recording, paid less?”
Music SA general manager Lisa Bishop defended the deal, saying many musicians were happy that the SATC was now using local music in its campaigns.
“The days of Nick Cave are over,” Ms Bishop said, referring to the commission’s 2013 Barossa Valley ad that featured the Victorian-born UK-based musician’s song Red Right Hand.
“When we got a whiff of the campaign we approached the SATC and asked if they planned to use local music.
“Because the Rewards Wonder campaign features 120 hours of footage we thought it would be a great opportunity for emerging musicians.”
Ms Bishop said that as well as the $150 payment the musicians would also receive an on-screen credit.
She rejected McHenry’s claim that the fee was below the standard rate.
“There is no rate, it’s always negotiated,” Ms Bishop said, pointing out that TBWA – the agency creating the ads on behalf of the SATC - initially offered no payment for the music.
“I understand where Max is coming from, but that was the offer. In a perfect world the musicians would be paid more, but we have to crawl before we walk.”
A spokeswoman for the SATC said more than 50 local musicians will have their tracks played throughout the five days of footage.
“Artists such as Faint One, Wolfjay, TOWNS, Ollie English and Hartway have all provided tracks, which provide an amazing local soundtrack to the filming,” she said.
“For the past three years, the SATC has only used local tracks – with the Hilltop Hoods, and now Germein and others featuring in this campaign. The SATC is also very proud of its role in giving emerging South Australian artists an opportunity to be heard by a broader audience.”