Fan demand for songs from moving Music From The Home Front concert results in CD and vinyl release

With the concert industry on its knees due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Music From The Home Front CD and vinyl releases will boost Support Act charity.

MICHAEL Gudinski will release the Music From the Home Front as a special edition CD and vinyl set as music fans flock online to watch videos of the historic performances or stream and download original versions of the songs.

One of the biggest hits since Saturday’s gig has been the Missy Higgins song Carry You, generating more than 30,000 views for the video of her singing with Tim Minchin.

Dean Lewis’s chart-topping hit Be Alright and Birds of Tokyo’s Unbreakable are among the most popular songs on the iTunes chart in the days after the broadcast.

The Rubens also won new fans with their bunker performance of Live In Life, while families who tuned in have celebrated their discovery of newer artists by downloading Jack River’s Fool’s Gold and G Flip’s About You.

Birds of Tokyo and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra performed Unbreakable. Picture: Supplied/Nine Network.

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The ambitious melding of genres and ages by Gudinski, with Jimmy Barnes helping with song selection and collaborations, was also a ratings winner for Nine with a peak national audience of 1.419 million viewers, for an average of almost 1.16 million.

“Music From The Home Front is one of the greatest things I have ever been involved with in my life,” Gudinski said.

“I think it has opened the door for more Australian music on television.

“The ABC should be looking at what the BBC do and be doing more, we still don’t have a late night show like Graham Norton on any network and the success of this show should make people look at how, across the board, contemporary music is so big right now.”

Indie pop drumming sensation G-Flip won new fans with her song About You. Picture: Supplied by Nine.

Covers of iconic songs, including the DMA’s stunning rendition of the Crowded House classic Better Be Home Soon and Neil Finn’s band’s rendition of Don’t Dream It’s Over, catapulted them back on the iTunes singles charts.

The concert, organised to pay respect to those who have served Australia in the defence forces and give thanks to COVID-19 frontline workers, put ANZAC songs as The Last Post, Redgum’s I Was Only 19 and Lee Kernaghan’s Spirit of the ANZACs back into chart circulation.

Schumann and his Vagabond Crew suddenly appeared with three songs on the Spotify Viral 50 – usually a measure of hot up-and-coming pop tracks – after their rendition of 19 with national treasure Archie Roach.

They also performed their own Facebook Live concert on ANZAC Eve.

“I’m vastly entertained that I have gone ‘viral’- whatever that might mean. Personally, I think the real viruses are streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube,” Schumann said.

“I was reliably informed (my song) “I’ve been to Bali too” went viral about a year ago – millions and millions of hits apparently, and 18 months later, my publishing statement came through. I think I got about $24.93.

“Good job I live in Adelaide. If I lived in Sydney, I couldn’t park my car for $24.”

Gudinski said the CD and vinyl releases would hopefully feature all the songs performed on the night, depending on copyright clearances.

Home Front artists would be given the opportunity to tweak their versions to improve the sound quality.

Not every artist has posted the video of their performance as yet so many fans will be hanging out for the recorded versions, particularly the un expected collaborations such as Delta Goodrem and Colin Hay for Down Under.

Delta Goodrem and Colin Hay performed a surprise collaboration of Down Under. Picture: Supplied/Nine.

“There may be a couple of things artists will want to fix up. There is such demand for these songs, I’ve had messages from people from around the world,” he said.

Gudinski, who has had to put all his Frontier Touring tours on hold under the current restrictions, doesn’t believe international artists will be able to perform here before next year.

“The last things that will be switched back on are sporting events, mass gatherings and concerts and festivals and I can’t see that happening until next year,” he said.

“I think both (AFL and NRL) grand finals will happen but without crowds and because with touring you have to plan so far ahead, I think Australian artists will have a two to three month window which they can own and really, really shine.”

The Rubens were socially distanced in their bunker for their performance. Picture: Supplied/Nine.

The Music From The Home Front concert double CD set is expected to be released in late May, with a three LP vinyl collection out several weeks later.

Proceeds will be directed to the music industry charity Support Act which is providing financial and mental health assistance to music workers from artists and musicians to roadies.

Originally published as Fan demand for songs from moving Music From The Home Front concert results in CD and vinyl release