Music Australia co-invests $1.7 million with Australian record labels to drive the breakthrough of Australian recording artists

Music Australia has announced the recipients of the Record Label Development Scheme, and the inaugural Marketing & Manufacturing Grants, matched-funding initiatives designed to boost the development and advancement of Australian recorded music.

The $1,770,543 investment will support 36 record labels for the creation of new professional recordings, digital content and artwork, marketing and promotional campaigns, production, manufacturing and freight, and artist development.

As part of the initiative, Music Australia is incentivising record labels to manufacture physical products using environmentally sustainable materials. Where labels can demonstrate they have been guided by Green Music Australia’s Sound Country: A Green Guide on Physical Music Products, Music Australia will subsequently reimburse the price difference associated with sustainable productions, up to a limit of $5,000 per label for the Record Label Development Scheme and $2000 per label for Marketing & Manufacturing Grants.

For the Record Label Development Scheme, in addition to label support, a mandatory 10% artist creation fee will be added to the grant for creative and artistic services provided by the artists for the project. This includes recording activities and video production that features the recording artist. 

First launched in 2024, the Record Label Development Scheme was a groundbreaking initiative for Australian labels, recognising their role in discovering, developing, and promoting local talent. Following consultation with the recorded music sector, the scheme returned in 2025 alongside the Marketing & Manufacturing Grants, a companion program providing smaller labels with targeted funding for marketing, promotion, and physical production.

Together, the Record Label Development Scheme and Marketing & Manufacturing Grants will ensure Australian labels can continue to compete effectively, support their artists, and contribute to a thriving music ecosystem in Australia. 

The awarded labels include:

Record Label Development Scheme Recipients 2026

Blossom Rot

Bodega Collective

Butter Sessions

Central Station Records

Civilians

Earshift Music

Forever Ever Records

Gallery Recordings

Hopestreet Recordings

Medium Rare Recordings

Mushroom Music

New Levels

NLV Records

One Day Recordings

OURNESS

Psychedelic Salad Records

Red Rebel Music

Sweat It Out

TMRW Music

UNIFIED

Wonderlick

 

Marketing & Manufacturing Grants Recipients 2026

Cheatin’ Hearts Records

Dune Castle Records

Efficient Space

Elations Recordings

Feral Media

Flaming Heart Recordings

Hy-Lo Creative Studios

Impressed Recordings

Keeper Recordings

Low Key Source

Music in Exile

Oomycota

Pure Space

TRACKWORK

Transmitter Records

Wantok Musik Foundation

Wild Thing Records 

Music Australia has been established under the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy Revive, a dedicated body within Creative Australia to support and invest in the Australian contemporary music industry.

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES