Television gets the music bug with concerts and docos boosting ratings and streaming

The Masked Singer, a Spicks and Specks special, MTV Unplugged and The Veronicas are just some of shows that have brought live music back onto the small screen. SEE WHAT’S COMING

The famous Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York record was one of the first albums the Australian rock artist Courtney Barnett owned and loved growing up.

Fast forward 25 years from the recording of that seminal special and accompanying album and Barnett was filming her own episode of the rebooted franchise which launched in Australia last year as MTV Unplugged Melbourne.

Since its kick-off by Gang of Youths, MTV has offered the unique – and coveted – opportunity of reimagining hits and covers to Amy Shark, DMA’s and The Rubens.

Courtney Barnett brought Paul Kelly on stage for her MTV Unplugged gig. Picture: Supplied

Barnett, with special guests including Paul Kelly, Marlon Williams and Evelyn Ida Morris, performed nine songs under a canopy of fairy lights and native flora.

As it debuts on the music network on Sunday, Barnett confesses the Unplugged legacy stirred the nerves ahead of the show’s recording.

“Nirvana Unplugged was probably one of my first albums, so it has a history for me,” she said.

“There are so many platforms to watch music and videos and everything is live streamed, so what makes something special?

“I found it incredibly overwhelming and emotional; I enjoyed it but it was emotionally exhausting. And I didn’t feel like I was hiding that very well. It felt really special.”

The presence of live music on television has been inescapable in the past couple of years.

After a long time in the wilderness, relegated to talent competitions which were more successful boosting the popularity of the celebrity judges than finding the next big thing, music-related programming is striking a resounding chord with viewers.

The hilariously weird format of The Masked Singer arrived in Australia this year and proved to be popular family entertainment, with Cody Simpson’s unmasking as the winner drawing more than 1.3 million viewers.

The Masked Singer Australia was an unexpected hit. Picture: Ten

Foxtel’s [V] music network has unveiled their first line-up for the return of their excellent [V] Island Parties live concerts with country star Morgan Evans joined on a triple bill with pop group Why Don’t We and new Australian artist JXN.

The ABC went out on a limb last year to offer performers another outlet to showcase their talents with The Set, hosted by popular radio personality Linda Marigliano and media and sports legend Dylan Alcott.

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An eclectic roll call of Australian artists including The Presets, Kasey Chambers, Jessica Mauboy, Kira Puru, Thelma Plum, Illy and Baker Boy have performed over The Set’s 11 episodes since it kicked off in October 2018.

ABC Head Of Music and Creative Development Chris Scaddan said while it may not have achieved groundbreaking ratings, it performed strongly as a selection of video clips from the show to online audiences.

Thelma Plum performing on ABC music show The Set. Picture: Jess Gleeson/ABC

“The thing that overwhelmed us when The Set started last year was the outpouring on social media of ‘Thank god this show is here’,” Scaddan said.

“I think there is a genuine appetite to watch live music on television and they want to find new stuff.

“There were a lot of comments from people who had never seen Baker Boy perform before or the Teskey Brothers who have been growing their radio audience via Double J and community radio.

“Put them on TV and the response was ‘Where has this band been my whole life?’”

A young Michael Hutchence in a scene from the documentary Mystify Michael Hutchence. A Madman Films release. Picture: Supplied

Director Richard Lowenstein wanted to honour his friend Michael Hutchence with the Mystify doco. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

The box office success of music biopics such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman – and the flow-on effect of introducing Queen and Elton John’s music to the streaming generation – has also inspired a raft of documentaries.

Heading to the ABC on November 24 after its cinema run is Mystify, the compelling and revealing doco by Michael Hutchence’s friend and respected filmmaker Richard Lowenstein.

Lowenstein said the boom of rock docs is partly due to the wealth of archival material banked by artists and now accessible to filmmakers thanks to new technology.

There is already great anticipation for a Midnight Oil documentary which will screen next year, possibly to coincide with the release of new music.

A Midnight Oil doco is heading to the ABC next year. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Suddenly you can grab the old rolls of film no one has ever been able to look at because putting it to video was too expensive. Now film scanners are relatively cheap,” Lowenstein said.

“Television has also become a huge market for music films because screens that were once low resolution are now 4K.”

Netflix has also invested heavily invested in music content to huge success. There were rave reviews for their The Defiant Ones series exploring the partnership and lives of legendary executive and producer Jimmy Iovine and rap pioneer Dr Dre.

Hip hop fans are still raving about the first season of the rap talent search show Rhythm and Flow which has not only launched the careers of artists such as D Smoke but features the most engaging judging panel of Cardi B, Chance The Rapper and T.I. alongside megastar guests including Snoop Dogg.

Hip hop talent search Rhythm and Flow was a hit for Netflix. Picture: Supplied.

Ausmusic Month will also be celebrated by the return of the music trivia show Spicks and Specks and a special about the 1990s Saturday morning staple Recovery.

And screening tonight on ABC is Hilltop Hoods live, filmed during their recent performance at the One Night Stand in the small town of Lucindale in South Australia.

That concert film also underscores why live music shows are proving popular among Australian audiences. It’s the FOMO factor, according to Barnett.

“I watched Sharon Van Etten’s ACL Live set when I was house-sitting recently and I thought it was incredible to be sitting in Melbourne watching a concert in Austin,” Barnett said.

“I think it gets lost on me sometimes how important that medium can be when you can’t get to the gigs or can’t afford the tickets.”

MTV Unplugged Melbourne: Courtney Barnett airs on MTV on November 17 at 6.30pm.

Originally published as Television gets the music bug with concerts and docos boosting ratings and streaming