In September 2011, AMIN and Virgin Australia announced a new initiative aimed at addressing the ongoing problems musicians face when travelling with musical equipment. Following discussions led by national body The Australian Music Industry Network (AMIN), Virgin Australia is offering the music industry a baggage allowance of 32kg (across three pieces of checked baggage) for individual artists – with an additional 32kg able to be purchased in advance for just $15. Bands may also be able to ‘pool’ their baggage allowance across their travelling group. The initiative has been well received by the music community who often have to deal with high and inconsistent excess baggage charges. The new Virgin Australia baggage allowances will have a major impact on the ability of Australian artists to tour more often. CMST and Tasmanian musicians welcome the deal, which offers some respite to the exorbitant costs of transporting music equipment across the Bass Strait.

Want to sign up as a CMST member to reap the benefits of this deal? Membership costs a teensy $10 a year! Go to http://www.cmst.com.au/membership to join up online.

The Booking Process

This baggage allowance is available on Virgin Australia-owned and operated domestic services only and must be booked or pre-purchased at least 48 hours prior to departure. This offer applies to all new bookings and cannot be provided in retrospect, and Virgin Australia will not refund normal baggage charges already paid. For all bookings of less than 10 guests please process via one of the following booking methods. Virgin Australia encourages eligible members to book flights via their current travel provider or travel agent. For members who do not have a regular travel provider, Virgin encourages you to book with one of the following music industry specialist travel agencies:

• Show Group – www.showgroup.com.au Sydney Head Office: 02 9352 9999, Melbourne: 03 9468 2100, Brisbane: 07 3252 7090, Adelaide/Perth: 08 8410 9277; Email: sales@showgroup.com.au
• Moves Travel Group – www.movestravel.com.au Luke Sawyer – Business Development Manager; Mobile 0430 362 037 or Phone 02 9217 8999; Email luke.sawyer@movestravel.com
• Stage and Screen – www.stageandscreen.travel Phone: 1300 737 383; Email: Tiz Galipo – National Sales Manager sales@stageandscreen.com.au
• Travel Beyond – www.travelbeyond.com.au Phone: 1300 Beyond (1300 239 663); Dave Price – Sales and Marketing Manager; Mobile 0413 849 720; Email: dave@travelbeyond.com.au

In the event that booking through one of these agencies is not an option, bookings should be made via Virgin Australia’s website www.virginaustralia.com. Once your booking is completed please email music@virginaustralia.com and advise your itinerary reference, the number of bags and weight you will be carrying, details of the Australian Music Industry body you are a member of plus the membership number, and your contact details. If you require further assistance, please contact Virgin Australia Business Events and Groups on 136700, between 0730 and 1500 ADT, Monday to Friday. 

Please Note: Any booking of 10 or more guests should be done through Virgin Australia’s normal Business Events and Groups bookings process, and will not be subject to the guidelines above, but rather will be subject to our Entertainment Terms and Conditions to which reference must be made. Group bookings over 10 should be directed through your current travel provider, travel agent, one of the suggested specialist agencies list above or direct with Virgin Australia. Virgin Australia cannot guarantee that Checked Baggage or excess baggage will be uplifted as this is subject to aircraft loads. Please refer to the Virgin Australia Baggage Policy – www.virginaustralia.com/baggage   

Already a CMST member and have questions about the deal? Call program officer Amanda Laver on 6237 6318 Monday – Thursday or email programofficer@cmst.com.au

Hi people.

Playing, documenting and nerding out on Australian music are just about the only things I’ve wanted to do since I was knee high to a melodica.  I’m also a trained journalist with a penchant for music blogs, political music advocacy and gonzo journalism.

I’m excited to be the new program officer for Tasmania’s peak contemporary music body and can’t wait to roll out our series of exciting programs over the course of 2012. These initiatives will make permanent and lasting changes to the shape of the Tasmanian music scene. It will be a seriously exciting year for Tassie musicians and this fair state alike. Stay tuned.

-A

Check out the full events guide, sign up for the CMST Newsletter to find out how to get involved and/or join us on Facebook.

From August 1 you will also be able to sign up for a CMST membership directly through this site. A membership grants you access to our 1-on-1 Mentor services, our CMST Sessions and soon to come a special package discount for touring artists and their baggage excess.

While the festival program will be a lot leaner than of years past, it will be more targeted and more of a celebration of Tassie music than ever before. Amplified will be held from August 17 to 21.

We are looking forward to championing Amplified and creating opportunities for our local music community to gain valuable exposure and to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Tasmanian artists and art workers.

The passing of the Amplified baton from Arts Tasmania to CMST is a significant moment and acknowledges the committed work of our Board and Program Officer over the past 16 months to construct solid foundations for the organisation. We have taken a thorough approach to planning and coordinating our current core programs to ensure we can be in an effective position to deliver high quality services to the Tasmanian music community.

The addition of Amplified to our roster of programs is another step to securing the long term future of CMST and establishing an organised supportive infrastructure and voice for Tasmanian music.

We would like to congratulate the showcase grant recipients who will be organising an array of events to be held during Amplified.

Keep in touch by signing up to our email newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. We’ll be announcing more details regarding the Amplified program over the coming weeks.

See you during Amplified!

It has been an incredibly busy few months for CMST. We have been kicking some great goals of late, and some exciting news, which we will be able to share very shortly!

In the meantime, here a little recap on some of the things going on at CMST:

Our 1-on-1 advice and referral service where artists, bands and music workers can meet with our Program Officer Dane to discuss their projects, ideas or simply source information, has been a great success with regular interactions occurring each week. Please feel free to drop a line to Dane at programofficer@cmst.com.au.

Our monthly CMST Sessions, which focus on various topics of conversation with the occasional industry guest speaker, have received regular turn outs – our biggest thrill to date was in April when we hosted internationally acclaimed stalwart Ritchie Yorke – official biographer to Led Zeppelin, editor for Rolling Stone Magazine and so many stories to tell. It was a great night!

It is exciting and inspiring to see Tassie musicians seeking to educate themselves on the music industry and empower themselves to take hold of what they do with their music and where they strive to take it.

Our next big task is the launch of our touring network later this year, which will encourage and assist artists to perform all around our state. It is exciting times for CMST and Tasmanian music!

Dario Phillips
President

CMST offers free 1-on-1 sessions for Tasmanian bands to sit down, have a coffee and talk about where you’re at and where you’d like to go. Email programofficer@cmst.com.au to book a place with this service.

As of April 7 we will be rolling out the CMST services for 2010 including the fortnightly CMST Sessions beginning Tuesday April 13 in the Irish Murphy’s Function Room, Hobart at 6pm. Entry is free and everyone is invited.

CMST in conjunction with APRA is also hosting free music industry legal sessions 1-on-1 with Principal Lawyer from Media Arts Lawyers David Vodicka on Friday April 16. To book in for a spot email programofficer@cmst.com.au.

Also on Friday April 16, Con Kalamaris, Vic/Tas APRA representative, is offering free 1-on-1 advice sessions about royalties and copyright. To book email victas@apra.com.au.

It was a resounding success with the following feedback from the event coordinator:

Your recommendations for entertainment were excellent.

Amy [Kendall] … was very professional and delivered a beautiful performance. Enola Fall were exactly what was needed to get the room back on focus and propel us into the last section of the evening. I have had only excellent feedback on both performance pieces.

Please pass on our sincere thanks to all involved. The entire event was a resounding success.

Andrew Cameron-Smith, Wonderment Events