There are many ways to be involved or participate in Make Music and we have prepared a one page Advisory that helps with suggestions and ideas. Download MAKE MUSIC DAY 2021 – BE IN IT!  There is plenty to inspire your participation and assist the association in growing this celebration of music making in our country, while joining thousand of locations around the world.

Our industry can be crucial in raising public awareness of the event by using our customer networks to spread the word about the event. There are great ways to engage with customers and grow music making in your locality.

The Make Music Day website provides resources and images to make promoting Make Music Day easy. CLICK HERE. Now, in year four in Australia, the event this year looks to come out from the pandemic and gather people to make music in cities and towns across Australia.

Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it is now held on the same day in more than 800 cities in 120 countries.
Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music Day is open to anyone who wants to take part. It’s a DIY Music Festival! Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur and professional, of every musical persuasion — can organise their own gig, or join the many organisations that will host events, to share their music with friends, neighbours, and strangers. All of it is free and open to the public.

Over 30 years after opening as Cranbourne Music, the company’s name has been changed to Coleman’s Music to honour Michael Coleman, the founder of the business. Congratulations to the Coleman family. Check out the announcement HERE.

In announcing this year’s celebration that unites the world in Music Making, the AMA has announced key partnerships that will drive the event this year. The event is enabled with generous funding support from the NAMM Foundation. Leading the Australian sponsors list is the NSW state government with Create NSW as well as The Live Music Office, Community Music Victoria and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia.

Australian Music Association Executive Officer Rob Walker said, “The AMA is excited to give musicians of all levels the opportunity to create their own stage on Make Music Day. The synergy of purpose between the partners driving the event is striking, and we look forward to engaging our communities in live music on June 21, 2021.”

Lucy Joseph of the Live Music Office commented, “Make Music Day is all about allowing communities of audiences and musicians to engage with each other for one day to make free, accessible music and to celebrate the role that music plays in our everyday lives.”

The Live Music Office will work with Make Music Day to promote participation, engage with other government agencies and liaise with music industry stakeholders, local councils, venues and organisations promoting the benefits and opportunities surrounding Make Music Day.

Government and organisations lend their weight to the national effort with key partners including Create NSW, Community Music Victoria and the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and many others. Create NSW has been pivotal in developing initiatives in its state which reveal a deep desire for Australians to make music. Chris Keely, Executive Director, Create NSW said:

“Create NSW is excited to continue our involvement in Make Music Day in 2021. Make Music Day connects NSW to the global music community and offers a significant opportunity for practitioner and audience development. Through Make Music Day, Create NSW engages with the NSW music sector by brokering partnerships and facilitating events both live and online that demonstrate the joy of music in our lives”.

Community Music Victoria’s Craig Barrie said, “Community Music Victoria is proud to be a foundation partner of this annual celebration of music. The well-documented benefits of singing and playing together have never been more important, as communities reconnect after a challenging year. Make Music Day is the perfect catalyst for inspiring creativity and joy through music and celebrating our music-making communities.”

By establishing one specific day each year, June 21, to celebrate music, Make Music Day encourages both amateur and professional music making, and empowers individuals to seek out ways to celebrate music in their community.

The full 2021 Press release announcing the event can be viewed HERE

Sydney’s Oldest Independent Music Shop Wins National Local Business Awards

This month, Logans Pianos won The Australian Small Business Champion award for specialty retail. This solidifies Logans as Sydney’s oldest independent music shop, and one of the oldest music shops in Australia.

Opened by Charles Logan Sr. in 1920, the store is currently run by the third and fourth Generation of Logans, Geoff & Chris Logan. This award marks a significant milestone for Logans Pianos in their 101st year of operation.

Logans was also recognised by NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) as one of the top 100 music stores in the world in 2020.

Logans is primarily a community store, sometimes having served multiple generations of the same family, in addition to some of Sydney’s most prestigious music institutions, and international artists like Barbra Streisand, Delta Goodrem and Sir Elton John.

“There are families that have been coming to us for three or four generations, and schools who’ve been with us for decades and decades”, says General Manager Chris Logan

“I want to thank all of our staff, customers, and my parents for this monumental achievement. You are what makes Logans what it is – one of the best music shops in the world” added Chris.

One of the AMA’s premier hosted events is Make Music Day Australia. and Make Music Day will  be happening on June 21 2021. We’re inviting people to create their own stage

Unlike traditional music festivals, Make Music Day is an open invitation for everyone to make music anywhere and everywhere. In 2020 our annual celebration of music making pivoted to online as well as face-to-face as was allowed in some states and territories. It was a great success with over 60 online submission online to supplement over 200 other events around the country. We hope to be taking over the streets, parks and venues with music making on June 21, but we now know that people can successfully participate online too. We invite Australia to join one of the Make Music Day initiatives that will take place either face-to-face or online on June 21, 2021. Some of the initiatives that we joined in with international partners included.

Check out the Make Music Australia 2021 Launch Press Release

The is information on how to participate HERE

There are the 2021 GUIDES  on how you can be involved HERE

You can Make your own social media tile for your event HERE

You can Submit a pre recorded video for publication on JUNE 21 HERE

On the advice of public health experts, the whole of Victoria will move to a short-lock down from 11:59pm tonight until 11:59pm on Wednesday, 17 February.

Victoriasns are back to Stage 4 restrictions – a full descriptions of these can be downloaded at the DHHS site at this link

This means there will be four reasons for Victorians to leave their home: shopping for the things you need, care and caregiving, exercise and work, if it is essential.

And as with Stage 4 restrictions, all non-essential retail will close, but essential stores like supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open. Cafes and restaurants will only be able to offer take-away.

Victoria’s music stores must close their doors to customers as per the restrictions. Howevevr, online orders will still be taken and click and deliver services are permitted. Contactless Click and collect services may apply for some businesses. Stores will be still able to take phone enquiries as usual in most cases.

A list of essential providers is as follows:

Essential providers

1. A supermarket, grocery store, bakery, butcher, fruit and vegetable store or fishmonger; or
2. an indoor or outdoor market, but only to obtain groceries or fresh food; or
3. a restaurant, café, pub, bar or hotel, whether licensed or unlicensed, but only to the extent that:
   • it provides takeaway meals or drinks or a meal delivery service; or
   • it provides food or drink to the homeless
4. a bottleshop; or
5. a financial institution; or
6. consular and diplomatic services; or
7. court, tribunal or commission services;
8. a post office; or
9. a news agent; or
10. a pharmacy; or
11. a petrol station (including a petrol station that sells groceries); or
12. vehicle and mechanical repair services; or
13. a pet store or veterinary clinic; or
14. urgent services necessary for the health and safety of any person, animal or premises; or
15. essential child protection activities
16. a childcare or family day care provider; or
17. a school, but only to the extent that education services are provided to the child of an essential worker or to vulnerable children

18. a ‘click and deliver’ service.

Logisitical services will continue to operate.

NAMM has announced the music product retailers to be honored in its Top 100 Dealer Awards. Now in its tenth year, the annual awards honor retailers who demonstrate exceptional commitment to their stores, neighbourhoods, and customers and share in a vision of creating a more musical world through their local communities. This year we’re pleased to announce the Australian dealers who made the Top 100. Congratulations to AMA Members, Bernies Music Land, Ringwood VIC, Better Music, Phillip ACT and Big Music, Crows Nest, NSW,  and Logans Pianos and Artist Guitars of NSW

Click Here for the full story

Bernie and Michelle Capicchiano celebrating their award

The association’s AGM was held yesterday, November 24, 2020 and in addition to the usual procedural necessities, a new executive committee elected by the membership. In a difficult year for the association and the industry it is good to acknowledge past service and new contributions. Stepping down this year were past-president, Craig Johnston, Jarred Finnigan, Matt Walsham and Dave Clark. A unanimous vote of thanks was passed by the executive committee following the AGM in appreciation of their service. Coming onto the committee are Andrew Muller, from Soundbay, Michelle Brown from Fine Music, Jeff Higgins from Encore Music Distributors and returning after a break, Dom Disisto of Holden Hill Music.
Michael Shade, GM at Yamaha was re-elected president for a second year, and Anthony Ursino, Macro Music and Graham Hoskins, Concept Music were re-elected Vice president and Treasurer respectively.
Also returning to the committee were Warrick Baker, Kawai, Andrew Collyer, Hal Leonard, Tony Burn from the Resource Corporation and Fender’s MD, Mark Amory.
The committee also discussed a couple of vacancies available, and has extended invitations to Phil Muffet of Jands and Michael Jago of Link Audio to fill these vacancies. These appointments will be made at the next meeting in January.
Gillian Erskine, Forte Music, Mat Taylor, Yamaha and Stefan Krcmarov, Piano Warehouse were appointed as ex-officios to work on our subcommittee for Traditional Instruments and Education. The other working committees will be appointed also in January.