Music industry charity, Support Act, has announced today that its annual Ausmusic T-Shirt Day will return on Friday 19 November, backed by some of Aussie music’s biggest names including Jessica Mauboy, Jon Stevens, 5 Seconds of Summer, Amy Shark, Lime Cordiale and Neil Finn.
Ausmusic T-Shirt Day, which is supported by ARIA and celebrated across triple j, Double J and the ABC part of Ausmusic Month, is an annual day of fun and awareness to celebrate Australian music and raise urgently-needed funds for music workers in crisis due to the devastating impacts of COVID-19 or an issue that prevents them from working.
Over the past 18 months, Support Act has committed $22.8m in the form of 10,000 crisis relief grants to music and live performing arts workers in need, and provided mental health and wellbeing support to many thousands more through its mental health programs and Wellbeing Helpline. But with restrictions still in place, more support is needed.
A record number of Ausmusic T-Shirt Day ambassadors have put their names behind this year’s campaign. As well as those mentioned earlier, Accordion Hans, Mo’Ju, Myf Warhurst, Ngaiire, Peking Duk, Rob Mills, The Amity Affliction, The OG Wiggles, The Teskey Brothers and Travis Collins are helping to ensure that all genres of music are represented.
Hundreds of other artists will Champion the day through social media and companies across the country are gearing up to create teams to fundraise.
Music lovers around Australia can support the campaign in one of three simple ways:
Buy an Ausmusic T-Shirt
Fundraise in a team with work/school/mates/family
Donate to Support Act
Participants are asked to share their Ausmusic T-Shirt love by posting on their favourite social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok using the hashtag #ausmusictshirtday and tagging Support Act, triple j and ARIA*.
Ambassador Jessica Mauboy explains: “Our industry is in crisis like never seen before. We’ve lost work and livelihoods due to the pandemic, and for many this is our hour of need. Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is a simple and fun way YOU can help raise funds to get our beloved Aussie artists and music workers back on their feet.”
More fantastic Aussie artists have created this year’s range of limited edition Premium T-Shirts including Genesis Owusu, GFlip, Keith Urban, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Lime Cordiale, Paul Kelly, Powderfinger, Spacey Jane, Tame Impala, Tones and I and honorary Australian, Ed Sheeran, with 100 percent of net proceeds going to Support Act. Premium T-Shirts are $50 and are available to order now until Friday 5 November.
This year’s Ausmusic T-Shirt Day logo, a non-binary drumming echidna, has been created by First Nations artist Bree “Little Butten” Buttenshaw and is also available as one of this year’s Premium T-Shirts.
If that’s not enough, then a wide range of merch partners are onboard including Love Police, Sound Merch, Threadshop, Merchfan, Artist First, Merch Jungle, Warner Music and more who will all be donating a percentage of their proceeds to the campaign.
Support Act CEO, Clive Miller, adds: “While there is now light at the end of the COVID tunnel, thanks to the massive uptake of vaccinations across Australia, there is still a long way to go before the music industry is operating at pre-pandemic levels.
“We know just how much the Australian community loves and misses their live music, which is why we are asking everyone with a passion for Australian music to get behind this year’s Ausmusic T-Shirt Day to help raise the funds we urgently need to continue providing our support services to music workers in crisis.”
For further information on Ausmusic T-Shirt Day including information about how to set up a team to fundraise, buy an Ausmusic t-shirt and ways to donate, visit ausmusictshirtday.org.au.
For further information on Support Act and its services, including crisis relief, mental health resources and programs, visit supportact.org.au. For the Wellbeing Helpline, call 1800 959 500.
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