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Airdate: The Sound

Music television is returning to Sunday nights on ABC.

Music television is returning to Sunday nights on ABC with a new series, The Sound, from Mushroom.

The one hour show, which starts at 5:30pm this Sunday, profiles musicians and songwriters, and features exclusive pre-recorded live performances, collaborations and artist interviews.

Hosting is Jane Gazzo (ex-triple j, ​Recovery​, ​The State Of Music)​ with Double J Mornings host ​Zan Rowe presenting music news. Special guests each week will also take on co-hosting responsibilities -starting with ​Bryan Brown​.

The Sound is produced by Saul Shtein, former Head of Sport at Seven, and the man who first bought MTV to Australia.

Michael Gudinski from Mushroom Vision says, “I’m incredibly excited to realise my dream to see a music show featuring contemporary Australian music in a prime spot on free-to-air television. ​The Sound will feature artists from all walks of our incredible local industry, with more than two thirds of each episode focused on showcasing new songs. I’m thrilled that ABC, the home of iconic programs like ​Countdown,​ ​Recovery a​nd ​rage​, have partnered with us to support local music in such difficult times.”

ABC Head of Music ​Chris Scaddan says, “As COVID-19 restrictions continue and the Australian music industry works to get back on its feet, we’re very happy to be working alongside the passionate team at Mushroom Vision on ​The Sound.

“Australian music needs to be heard and Australian artists have never stepped back from their creativity. ​The Sound enhances the ABC’s unrivalled support for Australian music in 2020, via our radio networks, video segments, TV programs, live concert streams and digital content.”

“If ‘music be the food of love’ then no better place to dish it out than on our ABC” – ​Bryan Brown

“This is a fantastic idea, I love that ​The Sound is getting the ​Countdown t​imeslot… It’s going to continue that history ​Countdown ​had of supporting Australian talent, which is something I’ve always been passionate about. I support this show all the way, and it’s great to see it get the support of the ABC too.” – ​Molly Meldrum

“ABC TV has a proud history of exposing local talent and it’s great to see them stepping up again at a time when live Australian music really needs some extra support.” – ​Jimmy Barnes

“At last! A new music show on national tele. Long have we waited for this. It will be a game changer and a much needed platform to get Australian music back into homes across the country once again!” – ​Mark Seymour

“It’s only when you start travelling outside of Australia that you realise how incredible the quality of Australian music is. The world is starting to clock on. We have a wealth of good music and some Australians don’t even know it. We need more all over free-to-air TV, because our quality musicians need to be heard.” – ​Lime Cordiale

For over 50 years the ABC has been showcasing Australian music and artists on the small screen. ​The Sound will continue a music TV tradition started by ABC programs such as ​GTK in the ‘60s, through ​Countdown in the ‘70s and ‘80s, ​Recovery ​in the ‘90s and most recently The Set.​ The new series, licensed to air on our much-loved national broadcaster, is filmed and created by Mushroom Vision, the same team who brought viewers the TV ratings hit Music From The Home Front (watched by 1.4 million people on Anzac Day) and livestream The State Of Music​ (two million+ audience).

Each week ​The Sound will feature segments ‘From The Vault’ (a curated historical clip); ‘Tribute’ (artists collaborating on iconic Aussie tracks) and ‘Introducing’ (where Australia’s next hottest talent is showcased).

Episode One boasts a stellar line-up – including a few big names:

– As the world awaits the global live streaming event of ​IDIOT PRAYER: N​ick Cave Alone at Alexandra Place on July 23, ​The Sound ​viewers will be treated to an exclusive preview performance by the great man himself. Cave’s performance was filmed by award-winning cinematographer Robbie Ryan (​The Favourite​, ​Marriage Story,​ ​American Honey)​ in Alexandra Palace’s stunning West Hall, and edited by ‘Nick Emerson (​Lady Macbeth,​ ​Emma​)
– Sydney trio ​DMA’S smashed it in the UK and just released their huge third album, THE GLOW – selling out 18 Sydney shows last week, and announcing four in Brisbane!
– Hunters & Collectors frontman and all round legend ​Mark Seymour & The Undertow​, celebrating their latest release, ​Slow Dawn
– Aussie favourites ​Kate Ceberano​, ​Steve Kilbey & ​Sean Sennett ​will serve up a slice of their recently released album ​The Dangerous Age
– Sydney brothers ​Lime Cordiale​, who also just dropped a new album in ​14 Steps To A Better You
– Perth trio ​Eskimo Joe​ are back with their first song in seven years, ​‘Say Something’
– Breakout New Zealand indie pop phenomenon ​BENEE is behind the excellent ‘Supalonely’​ and scored four tracks in this year’s Hottest 100 + 1.7 billion streams!
– Talented writer ​Jerome Farah will be ​The Sound’​ s first ‘Introducing’ artist, performing his politically-charged debut single ​‘I Can’t Breathe’

5.30pm Sunday July 19 (repeat Saturday 12.30pm) on ABC.

11 Responses

  1. Saw the last 15 mins of this-not sure who it’s supposed to appeal to-anyone under 40 or so will not likely have much idea who many of the artists are/were and a former timeslot for ‘Countdown’ is truly irrelevant in this day and age-truly bizarre!

  2. The great thing about Countdown was it played everything from ABBA to Zappa, regardless of hipness or record label.
    Hopefully this lasts long enough that all talented Aussies, whether 16 or 60, signed currently or not, that have new music to play will be given an opportunity.
    If so, and its not just an ad for Mushroom or an extension of Rage and the Sets indie JJ-centric playlists, this will be unmissable TV for me.

  3. … David Hill and Paddy Conroy got shown the door in 1995 when it was revealed that “commercial interests had influenced program content” at the ABC … is Mushroom partnering with the ABC to help flog its artist roster twenty-five years later any different? …

  4. How about some true Australian music for the people like some jazz, folk, instrumental, Australian bush ballads, country and some independent music away from the major labels. People like what they know, they don’t know what they like until they hear it. So any show that challenges the viewer to be adventurous and actually take a listen to something different sounds good to me.

  5. Great to see a music show re-emerge on OZ FTA TV. All for it. Mushroom is broad, not just alternate, so happy with that. Saul Shtein producing is a good get. And I assume it’s some sort of studio performance or home CoVid variation, newly and weekly produced and not just old clips. They will have to be careful to not let it look too one-sided / Mushroom-slanted though.

    Let’s not have too many stars in our eyes – (IMHO) Mushroom’s real motive in funding this is to sell product either physically in store or more likely these days in downloads and the music publishing and performance rights that flow from that .

    But good luck to them anyway – let’s hope the ABC sees some ratings & demos to make it worthwhile for them and flowing from any success they may have, other networks play locally made music related programming (also probably fully funded by the other record and…

  6. My goodness me, that is one interesting opinion right there. I’m actually gobsmacked by it. To say I’m with RoaringDave on this one is an understatement. I think that the last time I turned on the radio and heard a guitar was at the turn of the millennium! I know you’re talking about FTA tv, but the Foxtel music channels are exactly the same. If alternative music was as prevalent on tv as you suggest, then it wouldn’t be Guy Sebastien and Delta Goodrem as judges on The Voice, it would be Dave Le’aupepe and Kevin Parker.

  7. New music programming is great, though like The Set, it sounds like it’s going to be very alternative music focused. There’s more to the music industry than just alternative music and we also have a situation in Australia where there is no contemporary pop public broadcast radio when they have BBC Radio 1 in the UK, where as BBC Radio 6 is more alternative and indie focused. The music snobbery culture in Australia is not something to be proud of.

    1. I couldn’t agree with your comments less. What do you consider “alternative music”? How you qualify that? Mark Seymour. Alternative ? No. Kate Ceberano? No. Steve Kilbey? No. Eskimo Joe? No. DMA’s, as it says in the story, just sold out 18 shows in Sydney alone. Alternative? No.
      If you want pop music on TV, watch The Voice. It’s on almost every night. Rage on Saturday mornings plays the Top 20 or so. And those that are “alternative”, are most likely very good and I’m looking forward to discovering new music.

      1. Yeah I agree, this seems more targeted to the digital radio Double J set with a little Triple M sprinkled in more than anything else, which isn’t a bad thing as the younger set have YouTube and etc., they frequent more.

      2. Anything that would get played on Triple J, Double J or Triple M, though Triple M had diversified their playlists some years ago. Kate Ceberano would probably be the only artist listed that would probably not fit into alternative. I have nothing against alternative and indie music, it’s just that most of the ABC music shows other than rage post-Countdown like Recovery, 10:30 Slot & The Set had a Triple J playlist slant to the music. Though rage has the chart countdown, most of the show is still alternative and indie based. ABC being publicly funded should have more balance in music genres like BBC.

        1. Really me saying a sprinkling of Triple M was more slanted at Mark Seymour having played the AFL Grand Final, Kate Ceberano also that with the National Anthem and Eskimo Joe​ having done both the AFL Grand Final and NRL State Of Origin.

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