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The ASC was founded in early 2007 by Lisa Butler after she attended a songwriter conference in the USA to learn more about her craft. Frustrated by the lack of education and opportunities for songwriters in Australia (and never one to say no to a challenge), Lisa set about developing a concept that would educate, inspire and support songwriters of all genres. Taking inspiration from the overseas events she attended, then adding components that she, as a songwriter, felt were important and relevant to the Australian industry, Lisa created an event that many attendees have coined ‘Song Writer Heaven’.
Lisa Butler
Lisa has always been a writer in one form or another. She wrote poetry as a child and turned to songwriting in her teens, eventually winding up in the music industry. Aside from organising the ASC, from time to time Lisa also runs music career workshops and songwriter seminars.
The first Australian Songwriters Conference took place in June 2008 with subsequent ASC’s held in 2009 and 2010. The four-day event is held at the Ettalong Beach Tourist Resort in the beautiful seaside village resort of Ettalong Beach on the NSW Central Coast, and focuses on the craft and business of songwriting, attracting performing and non-performing songwriters from across Australia and internationally.
Now After six years, the ASC is returning in 2016!
The Conference will run from the 10th - 13th June 2016, and will be at Ettalong Beach, NSW Australia.
The ASC is open to all songwriters, regardless of age, location, songwriting experience or genre. The only event of its kind in Australia, the conference program is packed full of seminars, workshops, live performance, recording and production and other activities relevant to both performing and non-performing songwriters. The ASC’s main aim is to provide a supportive and nurturing peer environment where attendees can learn more about their craft, get up close and personal with the speakers and mentors who willingly share their time, knowledge and experience, and pitch their songs directly to the publishers (majors and indies) who attend the event.
At this time the Main Seminar will be conducted by Alan Roy Scott. Alan is a noted songwriter and music ambassador and is the founder and creator of Music Bridges. His career began with Screen Gems-EMI Music and with a division of Motown, where he was involved with the likes of Smokey Robinson, Temptations, and Stevie Wonder. His dedicated work through Music Bridges has seen a plethora of well known and respected artists visit sensitive regions around the world to write new songs with their cultural counterparts. From the USSR to Cuba and beyond artists such as Bonnie Rait, Burt Bacharach, Jimmy Buffett, Mick Fleetwood, Stewart Copeland, Lamont Dozier - just to name a few, have shared their skills and knowledge to bridge divides through songs.
Alan Roy Scott
Alan will lead daily activities and workshop segments covering critical aspects of “hit” songwriting in 2016 including proper song structure, memorable melody craft, chord contrasts, lyrical forms & the importance of titles and rhymes.
Other topics Alan will cover include:
- analysis of current “hit”songs and what makes them “work”
- arrangement/production and current demo methods
- the modern world of pitching and placements in the international market
- the art of co-writing
- group co-writing sessions to mirror actual collaboration situations
Other workshops include:
- Song Surgery - Alan Roy Scott
- Tips and Tools on Tweaking - Connie Kis Andersen
- Vocal Workshop for performing & Non-Performing Songwriters - Doreen Van Bree
- What's Your Hook - Andrea Szarbo
In order to maintain an informal and intimate environment with maximum attendee-faculty networking potential and song pitching opportunities, there is a strict cap on attendance numbers.
To register for ASC 2016, click here.
Join the ASC Facebook page to connect with ASCers, and subscribe to the ASC mailing list (info@australiansongwritersconference.com) to be kept up-to-date with news and event details.