FUSE Festival

FUSE is an Australian Music festival and Music Business Conference held annually in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in February. The FUSE Festival features keynote addresses, panel discussions, round table discussions and the opportunity to meet with the industry elite from the Australian and International Scene that FUSE have brought to Adelaide.

FUSE is a not-for-profit, largely government funded event through Arts SA with a focus upon deriving outcomes for all those who attend the conference. It’s a platform to learn from industry professionals and to showcase your band.

History

Fuse Festival first ran as Music Business Adelaide in 1996 as an industry development conference. Initially based loosely upon the South By South West model for Music Conferences, FUSE has proven to become an important source for knowledge and industry contacts.

In 2006 the move to house Fuse Festival within the Adelaide Fringe organisation was instrumental to the development of the event. Significantly, the Adelaide Fringe's mission statement includes a desire to 'encourage, support and assist independent artists in the development and presentation of their work' complimenting every aspect of the FUSE Festival.

FUSE 2008

Each year shows a different primary focus. In 2008 FUSE focused on Audience Development, covering Festivals, Touring, Social Networking, Promotion and Media and Publishing.
In conjunction with FUSE Festival, South Australian Film Corp announced an initiative to help support South Australian based musicians and South Australia film makers to collaborate.

Events

To be part of the FUSE Festival, all one needs to do is register by the cutoff date which changes of a yearly basis. Applications generally open in October and close at the end of December. Registration fees vary year to year.

Explode

Explode is held to herald the beginning of the Conference. It’s a celebration and a time to network for the delegates and the conference attendees. 8 bands are selected from around Australia to play, in 2008 Nova and Triple J held competitions to allocate the 2 remaining slots on this bill. The winners were, respectively, The Transatlantics and Eva Popov.

Ignition

Ignition is the interactive component of FUSE. Attendees to the conference are generally band members who have nominated that they’d like to perform on the night. Once their gig is booked and confirmed, details are sent through to be included in the program and distributed among attendees and delegates. Gig details are also included on the official FUSE website. The onus is placed upon the band to book, promote their own show and invite delegates to come along to watch their set. Many bands have direct outcomes presented to them straight after their set.

The FUSE Festival does not actively seek out bands to play Ignition. Provided that a band finds their venue and negotiates with other bands performing that night, all applications are accepted.

In 2008 57 bands registered to play Ignition, sandwiched into 25 venues around the square mile that makes up Adelaide CBD.

2008 Speakers

Angela Beal
Bill Cullen
Caroline Tran
Chris Gough
Christie Eliezer
Clive Hodson
Craig Armstrong
Dan Lander
Eloise Nolan
eMDee
Geoff Trio
Gordon Andersen
Heath Bradby
Iain Shedden
Jacqui Kassulke
Jaddan Comerford
Jane Intini
John Kelly
Keith Welsh
Leanne De Souzza
Mal Chia
Marianna Annas
Mark Meharry
Marshall Cullen
Martin Elbourne
Matthew Proft
Michael Chugg
Nathan McLay
Owen Orford
PJ Murton
Rev Moose
Rhoda Roberts
Richard Harris
Richard Moffat
Rob G
Rob Scott
Sam Kelton
Sebastian Chase
Stephen Foster
Steve Griffiths
Stu Buchannan

2008 Ignition Bands

Delia & Her Heroes
Tony Font Show
Jigsaw Collective
Sonny Keeler
Coby Grant
Behold The Sun
Bridget Dean
The Borderers
General Knowledge
Double or Nothing
Matty Johnson
GrÜbenstyle
Tha Deadly Boyz
The Beards
Twelve Dollar Monkey
Extended Family
Battle Circus
Ben Slip
Mei Lai Swan
Naomi Hicks
Warren Milera
The Giveaways
The Ramblers
SuperBee
C.O.K.E.
Soft White Machine
Poetikool Justice
Lines & Lines
Karnage
Bill Parton Trio
Glenn Skuthorpe
Raw Ether
The Amcats
The Kemp Brothers
Squeaker
Quintastella
5114
The MERRg
Temple Tigers
Zenith ASP
Granny Flat
Fighterpilot
Botanics
Lyla
The Avi Sol
Tin Alley
Vorn Doolette
Tyger Tyger
The Woodenelves
Jimbah
Social Change
Legless
Kytes of Omar
Aftashok
The Transatlantics
The Fiddle Chicks
Task

2008 Explode Bands

The Devoted Few
The Transatlantics
FunkOars
Leah Flanagan
City Riots
New Season Black
Eva Popov
Leader Cheetah

References

*http://www.fusefestival.com

External links

*http://www.fusefestival.com
*http://www.arts.sa.gov.au
*http://www.adelaidefringe.com.au
*http://www.nme.com/news/fuse-festival/34801
*http://www.stuartbuchanan.com/?p=126
*http://spoz.blogspot.com/2008_03_02_archive.html