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🧑 Joe Hardy (he/him) 📍 Eora

👇 writing and photography, mostly about music and culture

For work, I help teams be amazing. You can hire me.
I'm also the creator and co-founder of SydneyMusic.net

Interests: music, community, how people think, photography, social and environmental impact of tech

SydneyMusic.net Merch Launch & Fundraiser Party In A Bike Shop

07 October 2024 @ 10:07
It's me with a poster iPhone 15 Pro

Thank you so much to Doc Sprocket Cycle Workshop in Newtown for hosting this fundraiser and merch launch event for SydneyMusic this coming Monday, the 7th of October 2024.

A timeline:

  • Had the idea for the event Thursday

  • Asked and confirmed the line-up Friday

  • Got a poster designed over the weekend, printed it Sunday

  • Announced the event on Monday

More to be announced, and we'll try and get some surprises in the mix as well.

RSVP over here. Everyone welcome.


Ianto Ware: The Unpopularity of Cultural Data in Three Simple Graphs

18 September 2024 @ 19:06

When you hear ‘cultural’ and ‘data’ in the same sentence it normally means a PDF document with the words ‘cost benefit study’ on the title page, followed by a mass of graphs and tables, most commonly compiled after a project has been delivered so as to justify doing it in the first place.

The cultural sector hates these documents because they reduce ‘culture’ to a dollar value. Public servants hate them because they look like lobbying documents designed to secure funding for projects with no clear public need. Yet the latter keep requesting them, and the former keep producing them, so they’ve come to monopolise the discussion of ‘cultural value.’

Absolute gold-tier analysis and thoughts from Ianto Ware.

I've been chasing my tail trying to get these sentiments articulated for years, and Ianto's just knocked it out of the park, in a thoughtful and data-driven way.

His conclusion based on the analysis that I encourage you to take the time to read:

The traditional PDFs full of graphs bypass the issue because the focus on projects eclipses the analysis of public need. Based on my reading of the data, the most pressing public need is around the production of culture; on the demographic disparities between the 30% of Australians making cultural work and the 3% getting paid for it. If we can't bridge that disparity, I don't think we'll bridge the gaps in attendance, no matter how much subsidy goes into it.

(All emphasis in both quotes are mine)


It's My Birthday And I'll Fundraise If I Want To

12 September 2024 @ 01:27
Look sometimes you've just got to put it plainly

I celebrated my 40th birthday doing something no elder millennial should do: a selfie reel on Instagram. I guess it's sort of a pre-emptive fundraising appeal for SydneyMusic.net.

The fundraising campaign that we started in May this year never really stopped, but it's been a challenge to keep the promotional momentum going - especially finding the right way to tell the story and help people understand what goes into running the organisation and what makes it worthwhile. A lot of it becomes wasted energy and grinding for the algorithm is not good for the soul.

It's also hard to fund an organisation while you're trying to fund yourself with other income streams - very mentally taxing.

Anyway, the above is true: SydneyMusic.net is about to run out of money very soon.

If you care about what we do, please consider:

* * *

So far this birthday campaign has raised $860. I'm incredibly grateful for the support.

How far goes $860 go? Here's what we can get from that amount:

  • 10 hours of web developer time

  • 2x Gig Researchers (5 hours each) for a week

  • Our analytics and web hosting for a month

* * *

If you can help, we'd really appreciate your support! Donate here.


A Few Discussion Slides From My Tute At The Sydney Con

10 September 2024 @ 17:22
Title slide from my discussion notes
Definition of "Platform Economy"
Marc Andreesen on how platforms gobble up cash without making anything

Note: The slides for this presentation are available via SydneyMusic's Patreon.

I was invited to facilitate a couple of discussions at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music across two sessions.

Both classes were incredible - there were a lot of really insightful and often very candid thoughts shared, and I was excited that the topics resonated.

In the discussion we covered:

  • Why do we / should we care about live music?

  • Current sentiments on live music as enthusiasts and performers

  • What defines a "healthy" or "unhealthy" ecosystem? What can work against us having a healthy ecosystem?

  • What can we do about it?

  • What's SydneyMusic.net trying to do about it?

To explore this further we looked at:

  • What goes into making a music scene feel more "connected"?

  • Do we have a demand problem in Sydney right now? (i.e. do we get enough punters out to shows? does live music matter to enough people right now?

  • DIY vs industry channels

  • I shared my thoughts on how the business models of digital platforms are designed, informed from my experience working as a tech leader at the height of "digital disruption" in media.

  • We talked about how platforms changing the rules for reach and discoverability ultimately means the artists are creating for the platforms

Some thoughts that the students shared (loosely represented from notes taken on post-its):

  • There's heaps of stuff happening in terms of number of events, but what about the turnout?

  • Infrastructure is poor - it often feels like venues and artists aren't looking for the same thing

  • Different types of spaces radically impact the kind of art that can be performed and created (sounds like what Daz Cross was talking about when he discussed the difficulty of playing "ecstatic folk guitar" in pubs)

  • "Social media has cornered us" - a focus on volume, growth, "ever-changing" and trends and techniques ("unsustainable") - means artists become more and more conditioned to follow formulas.

  • "You need people to have life" - but the internet disrupted connections between people

  • A deeply felt need for "more engagement, support, knowledge sharing and collaboration"

  • "It's easier to stick to your crew"

There was a lot of beautiful passion for community. But the cohorts I spoke to definitely felt the weight of the world they're living in.

Thanks to Nerdie for his thoughts about how "I feel like in music today there are no songs, just vibes", recorded from SydneyMusic Social #2 back in May.


Cupholder Industries: The Playlist

28 August 2024 @ 14:02
Playlist cover image Photo by Olive Rush of EGOISM

Fucking amped to finally have a playlist to represent the Cupholder Industries vibe.

Caitlin and I have pulled together a selection of music we're loving right now - to listen to around the house, to see at shows, in DJ sets we're playing. We'll be constantly changing it and adding to it, so stay tuned in.

Available wherever you get your music that rips off artists - so please buy the music you value.

And here's the tracklist at the time of writing:

  • Annabelle Scobie - cat allergy

  • frugirl - Yellowfin

  • DJ ANDREW, girlfrompluto, Mx Toad, Sky Vermont - Doing Today

  • Chonzu - critter

  • Bridge Dog - Counterweight

  • Sadie - Late

  • Ariel. - Housing Market

  • Safety First - Haircut

  • Cherry Rype, marcella sunshine allen - INNER WEST PRINCESS

  • Trim Reaper - Modest Salary (Cupholder Remix)

  • Troth - Komodo

  • ealing, BAYANG (tha Bushranger) - KANDINSKYY

  • Mayke - 2phonecalls

  • Hed Ardennes - Dutton Bleeds Out

  • Porij - Marmite

  • Possible People, LOW STAKES, Pinz - I Don't Ask for Much

  • Hugh B - Low Pressure Dub

  • Sollyy, Isaac Puerile - RIDDLE ME THIS

  • The Cleaners From Venus - The Jangling Man

  • Thomas Gray & Liam Ebbs - Real Life Feeling

  • Bastian Void - Marsh Ave

  • ADORER - Silk

  • Dying for Meg Ryan - Myself

  • Brooklyn Comic - Transient

  • Carb on Carb - I Know The End 2

  • Mannequin Radio - M Girl

  • Beryl - Paint the walls

  • Cassandra Jenkins - Petco

  • Mk.gee - Candy

  • Quivers - Oyster Cuts

  • Alan Sparhawk - Get Still

  • Gayngs - The Beatdown

  • Squirt Circle - Heavy Lifting

  • FUKHED - No C No A

  • EASYFUN, Iiris - Be Your USA

  • Lonelyspeck - My Angel Goes Before Me

  • California Girls - Carabiner Boys

  • Holliday Howe - never meant

  • Charly Bliss - Tragic

  • Vigilantonie - Dealah

  • The Buoys - Ahead Of Myself

  • Im Blu. - Booster Seat. flip

  • Willo - All Your Love

  • LUPO.THEBOY - Shelter

  • gooseball - Colouring Darkness

  • Carmouflage Rose - Late Nights

  • The Pool - Jamaica Running

  • Clairo - Flaming Hot Cheetos

  • Emotional Oranges - Be Somebody (feat. Tkay Maidza)

  • Kendrick Lamar - Rigamortus

  • Moonsign + Bilby - Let’s Split

  • Parallel Dance Ensemble - Shopping Cart

  • Blood Orange - Uncle ACE

  • Buzz Kull - Last In The Club

  • Hugh B - Astral Body

  • Severed Heads - We Have Come to Bless the House

  • Spoon - Paper Tiger

  • Dwight Twilley Band - Looking For The Magic

  • 1-800-Mikey - Plushy

  • X - Suck Suck

  • dust - Ward 52

  • Sick Fizz - Sick Fizz

  • Johnny Boy - You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve

  • Oscar + Martin - Recognise

  • The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes for You

  • Loose Fit, Hugh B - Exhale - Hugh B Dub

  • Hybrid Man - Ocean Drifter

  • DJ Plead - Liquify

  • Parades - Invaders (Review)

  • Carla dal Forno - Took a Long Time

  • Pleasure - Self Suck 210321

  • Rory J S - 26

  • Bluetung - Naïve Hope (Election Day)