[Photo Credit: Zo Gay]

On 23rd February 2010, the SLAM rally saw 20,000 people march through Melbourne to the tune of AC/DC’s definitive ‘Long Way to the Top’, in protest against the Victorian Government’s misguided policy link between live music and violence. Out on the streets of our city, we showed our support and love for a truly great live music community.

The SLAM rally was the largest cultural protest in Australia’s history.

Now all of Australia has the opportunity to participate in a national event that celebrates our local musicians in our small venues.

“Small venues were my university.”
– Paul Kelly, SLAM Rally speech

Music communities around Australia are now invited to unite in support of our thriving live culture by hosting their own National SLAM Day gigs – February 23rd 2012 will be a national day to celebrate live music in Australia!
Support your local artists and venues by getting out and experiencing the spontaneous excitement and intimacy you can only get at a small venue.
Support a National SLAM Day event in your town – any style, any genre. It’s easy to get involved:

♣ Venues can register their gigs on the SLAM website at slamrally.org. It’s free to sign up.
♣ Musicians can join with their local venues to curate a National SLAM Day gig.
♣ Gig-goers can celebrate live music and local musicians in their own neighbourhood.
♣ Community groups can host their own National SLAM Day gig.
♣ “Like” SLAM on Facebook and keep up with news on live music: www.facebook.com/SLAMrally

About SLAM
Save Live Australia’s Music (SLAM) is a collective of non-politically aligned, independent, local music-loving citizens. The only pre-requisite to getting involved is a love of live music.

In early 2010, the SLAM Rally swept through the streets of Melbourne in protest against over-arching Victorian Liquor Licensing policies that unfairly linked live music to high risk activity.

SLAM representatives, the lobby group Fair Go 4 Live Music (FG4LM) and the then newly established Music Victoria, all co-signed the Live Music Accord on the eve of the rally and then spent a further seven months negotiating the Live Music Agreement, where it was officially announced that live music does not cause violence.

Since then, SLAM has successfully negotiated important changes within a number a number of other key music reforms in Melbourne. SLAM has contributed to the Busking Policy and the Live Music Strategy for the City of Melbourne, the City of Yarra’s Live Music Working Group, and the Music Council of Victoria.

Supporters and spokespeople for SLAM have included Paul Kelly, Dan Sultan, Megan Washington, Nick Cave, The Dirty Three, Tina Arena, Clare Bowditch, Paul Dempsey, Kram, Tim Rogers, Nic Cester, Cut Copy, The Living End, Missy Higgins, Ross Wilson, Evelyn Morris (Pikelet), Brian Nankervis, The Rockwiz Orkestra, Slash, Myf Warhurst, Augie March and Mick Harvey, among many others.

“Live music coverage relates not only to artists, gigs or festivals, but also covers the galvanisation of the local community to ‘protect’ the live music industry .The formation of interest groups such as SLAM provides further evidence of the value attributed to live music by community members. The interest groups are a manifestation of community pride in the reputation and legacy of the live music industry, which they value as something ‘worthy of protection’.”
Deloitte Access Economics Report
The economic, social and cultural contribution
of venue-based live music in Victoria’

www.slamrally.org

---

 
Related:

Check out our coverage of the SLAM RALLY – Don’t Kill Live Music! from 2010.

Photographer: CARBIE – http://www.carbiewarbie.com

Click image to view the photo gallery
[Photos: CARBIE]

View the photo gallery