Australians haven’t listened to any new local music in 2023 so far

The year is one quarter over, and just two Aussie artists have cracked our own Top 40 charts. And two musicians have revealed what they think is causing the problem.

Women of Soul is a rare group of all Aussie female singers and producers. Members Chelsea Wilson and Candice Monique (right) pictured in Ultimo speak about the importance of empowering women in the industry. Picture: Jonathan Ng.

Five months into 2023, and Australian music is barely hitting its own scoreboard.

This week’s ARIA chart fails to feature a single Australian song in the Top 40, and the album charts are no better, with 26-year-old pop princess Peach PRC being the only homegrown entry.

Peach is just the second Australian artist to top the ARIA Album chart this year, while the highest-ranking local release is a Spacey Jane track from June last year.

Peach PRC is just the second Australian artist to top the ARIA Album chart this year, with her debut EP Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

Our current Top 40 features 24 songs by U.S. artists and 13 by U.K. acts.

The UK Top 40 by comparison, has six U.K. songs in the Top 10, and 21 U.K. entries.

“I’m over having conversations with music industry people that don’t seem to get there is a fundamental issue here,” Hit Network radio host Nic Kelly ranted in a viral TikTok.

“The ARIA charts, as much as people don’t put as much emphasis on them, are a level playing field. They are the aggregator of what is being listened to, and the fact is people are not listening to Australian music. Are we simply not breeding stars? That feels hard to say.”

Women of Soul’s Feel Good record, out on June 2, was written, produced, sound-engineered, and recorded by and for woman. It’s a one of a kind project and that’s a problem say Chelsea Wilson and Candice Monique. Picture: Jonathan Ng.

Chelsea Wilson and Candice Monique, of all-female collective Women of Soul, say at least half the problem is sexist and ageist barriers placed on our female artists.

“Nearly every song you hear on the radio is written and produced by a man,” Wilson told The Daily Telegraph.

Currently, two per cent of all Australian record producers are female, and just 20 per cent of APRA AMCOS songwriter members are women, who earn 15 per cent of annual royalties.

“I was asked to lie about my age so I wouldn’t jeopardise our opportunity to get played on radio, and to be taken seriously,” said Monique, who sings the I Am Enough single from Women of Soul’s upcoming Feel Good album.

“I wasn’t what I would consider old, this was 10 years ago. It was quite confronting and it’s still pervasive in our industry culture,” she continued.

“The way our record companies use women’s images to promote them reveres youth and sex appeal. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with talent.”

Wilson and Monique, who both have young babies, started working on Feel Good during the pandemic and brought together 30 women and female-identifying people for the project.