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In what is a major coup for the Gold Coast entertainment industry, music rights organisation and industry body APRA AMCOS has selected studio Bignote Productions for its next SongHubs program.
Now in its seventh year, the initiative has been held around the world in the likes of London, New York, Stockholm and Sydney; but now the Gold Coast will have its turn in the sun.
Previously, talented song writers and producers have collaborated on comercially-viable songs for the international market with the likes of Guy Sebastian, Client Liaison, SAFIA and Peking Duk. Since the program launched in 2013, over $2 million in performance royalties for the initiative's collaborators has been earned.
Held over four days from 16-18 October, Bignote's SongHubs will see industry heavyweights like George and Amy Sheppard from the band Sheppard work alongside emerging and other established musicians to craft pop hits from the Burleigh-based studio.
There is a rigorous selection process for those invited to take part at SongHubs; they must have demonstrated recent commercial success, and have a funded recording scheduled for release within 12 months preceding the four-day intensive program.
According to Bignote Productions founder Jennifer Matthews (pictured) securing SongHubs at her studio is not only a personal win, but one for the Gold Coast music industry.
"It gives local songwriters an amazing opportunity. Normally they would've had to travel a lot further to get to something like this," she said.
"Bignote Productions is a full production facility, so we have everything from video production to design to photography and music, so it's kind of a one-stop-shop for musicians."
Matthews tells Business News Australia that APRA AMCOS was so impressed with the facilities at Bignote that it's already booked in a second SongHubs at the studio for next year, before the first has even commenced.
"We've locked some dates away for that which is fabulous," Matthews said.
"You know, before they've even done one they've wanted to do another which is 'Winner Winner Chicken Dinner'!"
Inside Bignote Productions' studios (Photo: provided)
For the musicians involved Matthews says the opportunity will be one to remember, not only giving them the chance to work with established musos, but to network and boost their careers.
"They can come in and rub shoulders with the people who have actually broken through that glass ceiling," says Matthews.
"And then if they need us to do anything, like record, because we're engineers and producers ourselves, we can loan them all of our instruments and let them do whatever they need to make this a really great experience."
Importantly, Matthews hopes Bignote can be a place of joy for the artists that attend who have been struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's quite a tough gig being in this industry," Matthews said.
"Gigs just dried up during COVID, but the studio's been really busy all through it. We can social distance in here which is great, and a lot of people have been able to come through Skype and other places to record, so that's been great."
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