The State of Affairs: 2016 ARIA Week program announced, Triple j Breakfast announced new hosts for 2017 & more!

This week in the music industry, the annual ARIA Week returns for its sixth year to celebrate Australian music in and around the Sydney area, triple j announces a brand new team of hosts for their popular Triple j Breakfast show & the winners of the Unified Grant are revealed!

2016 ARIA Week

On Thursday 17th of November, the sixth annual ARIA Week program officially launched in Sydney. Coinciding with the 30th anniversary 2016 ARIA Awards, the program is a week long celebration of Australian music, featuring a variety of special one-off gigs, showcases, conferences and events in and around the Sydney area.

This year’s program highlights include live performances from home-grown talents such as Peking Duk, Crowded House, as well as numerous international guests such as Steve Aoki who’s performing at the MTV Beats & Eats festival. Furthermore, on Tuesday 22nd of  November, Richard Wilkins hosted a keynote interview with music industry icon Barry Weiss at the invitation-only ARIA Masterclass.

Barry Weiss’ influential career in the music industry spans across more than 35 years, working with international superstars such as Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and ‘N Sync. In addition, Weiss has served as Chairman and CEO of The Island of Def Jam Music Group, Universal Republic Records, RCA/Jive Label Group, and Co-Founder/Partner of new label RECORDS.

The 2016 ARIA Week program will continue until the 2nd of December. Full program information can be found here.

Triple J unveils new team of hosts for 2017

Following the announcement that beloved Triple j Breakfast hosts Alex Dyson and Matt Okine will be leaving at the end of the year, Triple j have unveiled their brand new team of hosts for the popular breakfast radio program. Starting from Monday 9th of January 2017, Triple j Breakfast will be hosted by Adelaide radio presenters Ben HarveyLiam Stapleton, as well as journalist Brooke Boney. 

In addition, the team will also be joined by regular guests Dylan Alcott (Australian Paralympian of the Year) and Gen Fricker (comedian).  On top of making guest appearances on Triple j BreakfastDylan Alcott will be hosting the  Weekend Arvos program at 2pm on Saturday and Sundays, while Gen Fricker will takes over the role of hosting Triple j Lunch, following the departure of current host Lewis McKirdy at the end of the year.

Winners of the 2016 Unified Grant announced

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This week, the winners of the inaugural UNIFIED Grant were announced in Melbourne, with $25,000 awarded across five individual recipients to help them further realise their dreams and projects bubbling away behind the scenes of the Australian music industry. UNIFIED Founder and CEO Jaddan Comerford first announced the grant during his BIGSOUND keynote speech and this week, we were stoked to find out that the following creatives took away $5000 each.

Michelle Grace Hunder & Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore:
The duo’s Her Sound, Her Story project recently debuted at Melbourne Music Week to widespread acclaim; the collaborative art project adds to the narrative about women in the Australian music industry through photography and film.

Georgia Beach:
Office Gossip Design bridges the gap between creators and their community via graphic design. Based in Darwin, the company travels to remote areas of the NT to help Indigenous and Northern Territory creatives get their work out to a wider audience.

Neal Walters:
Professional music photographer Walters is currently working on a photography book featuring portraits of people in the music industry alongside photos of the subject in their happy place, at their most candid.

Aaron Dobos:
Producer, Engineer and Mixer, Dobos has been working around Melbourne for over seven years and has established his own space to work with up and coming Australian bands with limited budgets in producing world-class sounds that may have otherwise been out of reach.

Ashleigh Hills:
With The Tram Sessions, Hills has created a Melbourne initiative that brings live music to the public transport system. Since 2010, the sessions have hosted over 100 artists including Paul DempseyPaul KellyHands Like Houses and more.

The Unified Grant will be running again in 2017 – for more information, head to www.theunifiedgrant.com.

The Roundup

JMC Academy announced a $10million re-investment into expanding their Brisbane and Sydney campuses, which are expected to be completed by early 2017. The college is also looking into expanding their Melbourne campus in the near future.

West Australian rapper and ARIA Award winner Drapht has signed a worldwide music publishing deal with BMG, joining the likes of fellow Aussie acts Peking Duk, Montaigne, and San Cisco. 

AIR 100% Independent Singles Chart

  1. Sia feat. Kendrick Lamar – The Greatest
  2. Nick Murphy – Stop Me (Stop You)
  3. Sia – Cheap Thrills
  4. Sheppard – We Belong
  5. Tash Sultana – Jungle
  6. Flume feat. Tove Lo – Say It
  7. Sia – Chandelier
  8. Bliss N Eso feat. Thief – Dopamine
  9. Vance Joy – Riptide
  10. Flume feat. Kai – Never Be Like You

AIR 100% Independent Albums Chart

  1. Client Liaison – Diplomatic Immunity
  2. Sia – This Is Acting
  3. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Skeleton Tree
  4. Ball Park Music – Puddinghead
  5. Ben Abraham – Sirens
  6. Sia – 1000 Forms Of Fear
  7. Superheist – Ghosts of the Social Dead
  8. Twelve Foot Ninja – Outlier
  9. Sticky Fingers – Caress Your Soul
  10. Camp Cope – Camp Cope

ARIA Singles Chart

  1. James Arthur – Say You Won’t Let Go
  2. The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk – Starboy
  3. Calum Scott – Dancing On My Own
  4. Neiked – Sexual
  5. The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey – Closer
  6. Rae Sremmurd – Black Beatles
  7. Little Mix – Shout Out To My Ex
  8. Maroon 5 feat. Kendrick Lamar – Don’t Wanna Know
  9. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
  10. Nevada feat. Mark Morrison & Fetty Wap – The Mack

ARIA Albums Chart

  1. Illy – Two Degrees
  2. Leonard Cohen – You Want It Darker
  3. John Farnham & Olivia Newton John – Friend for Christmas
  4. Michael Buble – Christmas
  5. Jessica Mauboy – The Secret Daughter (Songs from the TV Series)
  6. Phil Collins – The Singles
  7. Elvis Presley – The Wonder of You: Elvis Presley with the Royal
  8. Bon Jovi – This House Is Not For Sale
  9. Sting – 57th & 9th
  10. Robbie Williams – The Heavy Entertainment Show

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