12 Darwin bands are ready to travel to Adelaide for
The Long Way to the Top End showcase. Photo by Jacqui Sneddon.

What was your activity?

Long Way To The Top End was an independent live music event hosted by the Wheatsheaf Hotel in Adelaide from 4 - 6 March 2009 during the Adelaide Fringe and the Fuse Festival. Twelve Darwin bands travelled to Adelaide at their own expense to perform original music from the Northern Territory to a national audience. All twelve bands self-selected to participate.

The Long Way To The Top End sampler CD was the major promotional tool for the event, of which we manufactured 500 copies. One CD was included in each of the 300 Fuse delegates bags and about 100 CDs were sent or given interested media or music industry professionals in Adelaide, Darwin and nationally.

Did the activity meet your objectives? 
Long Way To The Top End was planned as a promotional tour, but also to provide professional development opportunities for the artists involved. This included performing on a national stage and promoting the gigs through radio interviews, print and electronic media.

The opportunity to participate in a tour with other Darwin bands was highly valued by all. Bands who participated in the Fuse conference were most positive about the value to their professional development.

All musicians gained exposure in the NT News, ABC Radio Darwin and Triple J, Radio Adelaide, Adelaide's Street press’ 'Rip It Up' and 'DB', as well as the Adelaide Fringe Festival guide and the Fuse Festival and conference program.

Partly as a result of the "buzz" created by the event and its promotional campaign, the NT music scene gained special mentions at the national Fuse music conference, while at least three of the Long Way To The Top End acts received special industry attention.

  2 Cats 1 Hat on stage at The Wheatsheaf.
  Photo by Zephyr L'Green.

      The Aviators and Jack Tinapple attending the Fuse
      Conference. Photo by Mark Smith.

What were the successes and challenges?
The activity was highly successful in promoting NT original music to a national audience, raising the profile of the NT music industry, and providing a range of professional development opportunities to participants.

As a result of participating in the tour, Jess Ribeiro and The Bone Collectors were invited to play at the Fuse Festival's 'Explode' showcase, which attracted an audience of around 600 people including industry representatives.

The feedback showed “The chance to play in a different venue than Darwin, professional development on the side.” and “I valued the fact that the Darwin music scene 'banded' together and put on something that made Australia take notice of us.”