This report is concerned with Government funding of new classical music at a state and federal level, so that new music can continue to be created, presented and documented. The report is a preliminary step towards further investigations into the adequacy of new music funding. This is the first time that a national mapping survey of funding to new music has been attempted. In undertaking this project, one of the initial objectives was to identify geographic and/or chronological trends if they are occurring. However the difficulty of obtaining a full set of data was one of the chief concerns of this project. A complete national picture of new music funding was simply not possible. This is because those grant agencies do not employ data systems that allow target data to be accessed. Obviously, better systems would be of benefit not only for internal auditing purposes but also for any external research.

The larger objective of the project is to contribute towards a better understanding of the long-term sustainability of new music creation and performance. Its fluid and constantly changing nature means that established grant funding categories and criteria might not continue to serve it adequately or optimally. What the project reveals is a lack of a common understanding about the sector variously labelled as ‘new music’, ‘new classical music’ or ‘new art music’. A consistent terminology is needed, as this would avoid a large amount of confusion that presently exists. A uniformly adopted definition, such as that used in this report, would enable clearer distinctions to be drawn between this and other styles or sectors of music, such as jazz, contemporary, rock, pop. Industry development of new music will continue to be inhibited as long as this lack of clarity exists. At the same time, the plurality of artistic practice that has developed in new music in recent decades needs to be fully recognised in the development of any long-term strategies for sustaining it as a sector.

The immediate outcome of this study would hopefully be that all funding agencies are encouraged to continue to provide statistics to add further to the body of data so far collected. Over time, the resulting body of data could be a worthwhile resource that assists in agencies’ strategic thinking. Essential to this strategic thinking would be a more coordinated approach between the state and federal governments. How this research might proceed further is open to general input and discussion.

Read the full report. Published 23 September 2006.