Due to COVID-19, Support Act are currently only able to support and promote online events/ fundraisers. Of course we hope to return to live events in the near future, however cannot make a decision at this time when that will be. If you have an event that raising money for Support Act, please contact us online HERE. Please be aware we are currently inundated with enquiries and aim to get back to you ASAP.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Australian live events industry experienced an immediate, and complete shutdown, and in the space of just 48 hours, our entire income and job list for the remainder of 2020 (and beyond) was cancelled, with no end in sight. It was the first national industry to completely fall over due to the crisis, and it happened very, very quickly.

The ARCA Desk Tape Series is an initiative of the Australian Road Crew Association
(ARCA), a not for profit organisation dedicated to the welfare of live production crew in
Australia. ARCA is assisted by a collective of industry professionals, all freely giving their energy and time.
The series was created by ARCA to raise funds and resources for Support Act’s Roadies
Fund to provide financial, health, counselling and well being services for crews. ARCA
was approached by Support Act after ARCA made the industry and the wider community aware of the plight of many Roadies who were doing it hard, and they created the Roadies fund together.

Roadies have amassed a treasure trove of live recordings spanning more than 40 years
and made ARCA their custodian. These tapes document the cultural significance of the
Australian live music scene and serve as important historical records, requiring a release to ensure they may never be lost.

Acts including Australian Crawl, Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, Goanna, The Church, Cold Chisel, Crowded House,  Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons, Wendy Matthews, Men At Work, Mental As Anything, Midnight Oil, Paul Kelly and Redgum, all expressed a willingness to participate, foregoing their performance royalties to assist the crews who have helped them on their journey. A wonderful gesture of support and recognition. Each release acknowledges just how important roadies have been to making our live
performance industry a stand out success. They offer recognition to the engineers who
documented this wealth of genuine Australian music history.

ARCA has established Black Box Records as the vehicle to promote each release, with
MGM Distribution providing the means for worldwide distribution.

Each release will be distributed worldwide through all major digital and streaming services by MGM Distribution. ARCA will finance short runs of CD’s of each title for sale if feasible. The Desk tape Series will be available through:  iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube Music, Google Play, Pandora, Deezer, TIDAL, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok.

ARCA would like to thank the following sponsors of The Desk Tape Series:
Showtech (Rigging), CMI (P.A and Production), Clearlight (Lighting), DSE Trucks (Transport), Scully Outdoors (Outdoor Production), Gigpower (Crewing and Staging), Lock and Load (Crewing), Chameleon Touring (Production and Lighting),  JPJ (P.A and Lighting), Novatech (P.A and Lighting), Phaseshift (Lighting), Show FX Australia (Pyrotechnics), Event Personnel (Crewing), Norwest (P.A and Lighting Production),
Nprint (Artwork)

Thousands of artists, crew and other music industry professionals have lost their entire livelihoods due to the cancellation of concerts, festivals, tours and shows during the COVID19 pandemic.

Fender is proud to present the Australian exclusive “Support Act” strap collection, with 100% of Fender’s profits going to the Support Act Relief Fund. These quality limited edition straps contribute a dose of personality whilst promoting a noble cause.

Features:

Victorian based ERS Group Australia like many in the music industry saw all future work cancelled in March 2020. Founders, Michael Davis and David Stone, decided the way forward was to innovate and adapt to the new COVID-19 reality. Our ethos is to innovate and safely streamline practice in the entertainment industry from rigging to project management. Michael and David called upon this ethos to develop a software solution to streamline COVID Safe compliance here in Victoria.

“From the word go TrackERS has been about supporting business and inspiring community confidence as we return to normal activities” declares Michael.

TrackERS uses QR codes and short-links to quickly record entry data required for COVID Safe operation and securely destroy those records after 28 days. The service simplifies record keeping compliance whilst mitigating privacy and data risks for business and their customers. TrackERS has been is designed and implemented with security, data integrity and simplicity of user experience front of mind.

“We have seen successful uptake in regional hospitality venues from Castlemaine and Geelong to Mildura. We also keep a number of essential manufacturing businesses COIVD Safe compliant here in Melbourne thanks to TrackERS” remarks David.

TrackERS is a low-cost tool for small-medium business and venues. We believe TrackERS will help entertainment return and a step toward the best COVID Normal that allows all of us to get back to business!

“The logical step once TrackERS took off was to partner with Support Act, with 20% of each sale being donated to the Roadie’s fund”, says Michael. “I know many of our people have had it tough through COVID, so every little bit we can do to support the industry make a recovery isn’t optional in my book.”

It’s easy to comply. Try it yourself: bit.ly/trackERS

Montara Wines has launched its ‘Billie & Co.’ range to help support musicians and entertainers facing tough times due to COVID-19 restrictions prohibiting live shows and limiting their work opportunities.

The range consists of two new wines, a Cabernet Merlot and a sparkling rosé, which Montara will donate a percentage of their proceeds to Support Act, an Australian charity that delivers crisis relief to the music industry’s artists and workers.

Montara Wines has been owned by the Stapleton family since 2006 and Billie Stapleton says music has been a family pillar since she can remember, making this decision to support the nation’s struggling industry a no-brainer.

“Our love of music and the arts has always been at the heart of Montara Wines. With most of the Stapleton family being involved in the entertainment industry at some point of time, it was only fitting to give back to not only the musicians but all the crew and backstage workers,” she said.

“That is what is so fantastic about Support Act. It helps not only musicians in crisis but music workers too.”

No strangers to the music industry, the Stapleton family remain committed to performing themselves, with renowned performers and musicians such as Wendy Stapleton and Paul Norton.

The family is seeing a new generation of performers emerging up through the ranks, but it is also a winery affair.

“We felt helpless during this pandemic and felt a drive to work out how to give back. We are excited and proud to bring this brand of wine blended with our love of music into focus and in support of the music industry.”

If you work in music festivals in Australia, you’ve likely heard of Matthew Jens.

No stranger to event production management, his lists of credentials and accomplishments are lengthy, having managed some of the most significant music events in Australia. Whether he is backstage at a gig or spending time with his family, Matthew would always bring a lively, positive attitude to any situation.

It’s not unusual to often find him competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu or critiquing Hi-Fi gear. As a hobby, Matthew has been roasting coffee for five years – mainly for friends and family.

Since COVID-19 has paused the world of events, Matthew (like many others) lost the ability to do what he loved doing: gigs.

Matthew witnessed the devastating effect that COVID-19 has had on his colleagues, friends and community. He has turned to his coffee roasting passion for two reasons: to bring delicious, cafe-quality coffee into people’s lives, and to help those who need it most.

For every coffee bag that is sold, Beans To An End will donate $1 to one of our partner charities, Support Act and the Dylan Alcott Foundation. We chose these charities because they are causes that we believe in, and we’ll be adding more to the lineup as time goes on. You can either buy a single coffee bag or sign up for a subscription with us. Regardless of how you buy it, for every bag purchased, we will donate $1 to the charity of your choice.

Celebrating the one year anniversary of ‘Stories Start or End’, SAFIA are releasing a Live EP from the Australian tour to celebrate the incredible work of their touring crew. SAFIA will be selling an exclusive merch bundle comprising of the Live EP and a limited-edition t-shirt, with all profits going to Support Act to help crew affected by COVID-19.

The songs on the Live EP were recorded across various shows on the album tour and were mixed by Alex Gooden, who mixed the original album, and tours with the band as their FOH Engineer. The EP captures both the energy of live music (which we are all missing) and celebrates the talents of many music industry professionals currently out of work due to COVID-19.

Hilltop Hoods have just released a new song written from, and about isolation titled ‘I’m Good?’, with proceeds from the song going to the Support Act ‘Roadies (Crew) Fund’.

Regarding the release of the song, the band had this to say: ‘It’s a very dark time at the moment, so we wanted to make something light-hearted, we’re hoping that the song might give someone a laugh and maybe lift their spirits. But ultimately what we want to do is raise money for the roadies and associated support crew – including those who have lost their livelihoods due to this pandemic.’

Vanessa Amorosi has released her latest track ‘ISOLATION’ from her upcoming album The Blacklisted Collection. All proceeds from this track will be donated to Support Act.

* Making Art Work, A summary and response by the Australia Council for the Arts

A poolside daydream with four Brisbane boys having a good time, and making good times.

The Dollar Bill Murrays are selling shirts via The Merch Desk. 50% of profits will go to Support Act the other 50% will go to All Inn Brewing Co.

You can purchase a shirt online HERE