// Projects
Not Just Noise
Mushroom Marketing has created Australia’s first ever hip hop songwriting study guide endorsed by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
Not Just Noise is an interdisciplinary resource, suitable for year 7-11 classes of English, Media and Music. It uses a series of specially produced videos as key learning tools which feature insights from Australian hip hop artists on writing and performing hip hop lyrics.
The study guide package also includes professional music beats students can record their lyrics to and teacher documentation with in-depth overviews and suggested class activities.
Teachers can download Not Just Noise from: fuse.education.vic.gov.au (Learning Resource ID: YM2BF8). Check it out.
Telstra Road To Discovery (formerly Telstra Road To Tamworth)
The Brief
The Telstra Road to Discovery is an annual national talent development program which travels around Australia to uncover independent performers and songwriters from all corners of the country. After the first six years of the program, Telstra felt it needed a re-vamp and appointed Mushroom Marketing to do this.
Building on eight successful years as the Telstra Road to Tamworth, this year the program’s name has changed to reflect a new era that opens it up to artists from a wider range of music genres, from blues and roots, to folk and alt country and the program’s redefined emphasis on talent development and music mentorship.
The Response
Since 2009, Mushroom Marketing has co-ordinated, managed all talent tour and production aspects of Telstra Road To Discovery across local heats, Bootcamp (a 2 day music industry intensive), Semi Final and Final at Tamworth (10 contestants in 2 categories compete for 12 months of industry mentorship and a trip of a lifetime to Nashville) as well as developing the on ground Nashville prize element for the winners.
Mushroom Marketing has used it’s expertise working closely with Telstra to introduce emerging talent to industry organisations to give them first-hand experience of how the industry works and the tools they need to succeed.
Respect Through Music – Schools Project
The Brief
As part of their Respect Agenda, The Victorian Government was looking for innovative ways to tackle disrespectful and anti-social behaviour amongst young Victorians.
The Response
Mushroom Marketing developed an innovative “in school” music program to promote the Respect Agenda and its message in Victorian Schools in the second half of 2010.
In conjunction with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Mushroom Marketing developed and implemented a series of Songwriting and Event workshops across Victorian primary and secondary schools. Leading music educator Dobe Newton along with local hip-hop artists MANTRA and PEZ gave students a whole new insight into how to write songs with lyrics that reflected the Respect Agenda themes. A number of schools also learned how to stage their own live music events.
A selection of the student-written lyrics were produced and recorded and nine appear on the CD titled RESPECT THROUGH MUSIC that was distributed to the participating schools.
Live No Fear
The Brief
The Department of Justice sought an innovative way for Victorian youth to both express their views on the issue of knife attacks and the increased occurrence of people carrying knives in our streets.
The Response
Mid 2010, Mushroom Marketing worked closely with The Department of Justice to develop Live No Fear — an initiative which brought young people together using music, film, dance and other creative channels to create messages aimed at discouraging young people from carrying knives and other dangerous weapons on our streets.
Sourced in association with The Salvation Army and the Department of Justice, a group of young Victorians directly impacted by knife attacks on the street were given a voice through hip hop music to write and record their own song, developed through a series of workshops with hip hop artist Pez, DJ Matik, Mark Raymes and Mushroom Marketing.
The song was written and performed collectively by those involved, and a music video to showcase this process was created.
Live No Fear disseminated far beyond the participants; the lyrics, message and music video was distributed via social media and exclusively via Beat Magazine, Beat TV and Beat.com.au and provided a powerful example of our youth taking a stand their way against knife related violence.
Melbourne Music
The Brief
Melbourne has a reputation as one of the music capitals of the world. The City of Melbourne wanted to create an annual event to showcase and leverage Melbourne’s thriving music scene and nurture its musicians, venues, recording artists and songwriters and promote Melbourne as “the” music destination.
The Response
Mushroom Marketing was appointed to develop and implement key music elements of Melbourne Music (September 29 – October 10) which filled CBD laneways, trams, trains and squares with music for 12 days and nights. Over 100 artists across 100 free concerts from grass-roots and internationally renowned artists, free public lectures and workshops, trade days and entertainment were activated at the city’s many iconic music venues.
Dan Sultan, British India, Kate Vigo, Charles Jenkins, Dan Kelly’s Dream band, Oh Mercy, DJ Dexter, The Bedroom Philosopher and Public Opinion Afro Orchestra were just some of the musicians who performed at the inaugural event.
Championship Moves
The Brief
The Department of Justice’s Championship Moves campaign demonstrates positive behaviour options to reduce alcohol fuelled violence. Historically, the campaign had focussed on sport as a channel to connect with young Victorians. After dialogue with Mushroom Marketing, the Department of Justice were open to considering what could be done through the music industry.
The Response
In 2009/2010 Mushroom Marketing developed the Championship Moves Summer Music Festival project.This broadened the campaign’s impact targeting Victorian live music fans and giving them the chance to demonstrate a “championship move”.
Across the Summer Festival period, Mushroom sent their film crew to 15 different live music events, interviewed hundreds of patrons and filmed many of them demonstrating a “move” that could be used to save a friend from a potentially aggressive alcohol fuelled confrontation.
The best “championship moves” were then featured on the campaign’s website and a public vote selected the winning “move”.
Content developed from this project received considerable positive feedback and Mushroom Marketing was commissioned to create a 60 second cinema spot for the Department of Justice featuring a number of the best moves captured at the festivals.
In 2011 we created the Championship Moves Concert Series taking the campaign into the Victorian pub rock community. We created content promoting the gigs with the bands and then more content at their shows with their fans.
Championship Moves messaging was integrated into this content which was in turn featured on media partner and bands websites and the Championship Moves website. The Concert Series and the Championship Moves brand were further promoted through a range of other live music media channels.
Vanessa/TAC
The Brief
The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) had a presence at a number of Victoria’s leading music festivals with their revamped former booze bus, Vanessa, provided patrons with free breath testing and road safety messages. The TAC sought to further leverage this relationship by involving music artists involved with the festivals and feature their messages via the Vanessa website.
The Response
Over the 08/09 Summer Music Festival period, Mushroom Marketing rallied the music industry to support Vanessa.
Through Mushroom’s network of contacts, international and Australian artists provided messages of support and practical tips on how to prepare for a festival road trip and enjoy the festival environment without engaging in reckless on-road behaviour.
Mushroom’s crew filmed at key Music Festivals including Falls, Meredith, Soundwave, Big Day Out, Meredith, Queenscliff, Apollo Bay and Chill Island.
One-on-one interviews were also undertaken with Australian musicians, road crew and music industry identities to promote safe and responsible driving behaviour. In all, 55 interviews were completed including artists such as Bliss n Eso, Little Red, Josh Pyke, Birds of Tokyo, the Rock Wiz crew, Youth Group, Blue King Brown, Paris Wells, Kram, Augie March and Kate Miller-Heidke.
To support the online drive via MySpace, Mushroom Marketing developed a number of “up close and personal” prize activations with winners and artists.
Appropriate TAC themes were integrated within the content, which was hosted on the Vanessa’s MySpace website.
NAB150
The Brief
2008 marked the 150th Anniversary for National Australia Bank. They wanted a cornerstone initiative to “touch and give back” to communities which have been part of their heritage for the past 150 years across the breath of Australia and by doing so deepen those relationships.
The Response
For this milestone celebration Mushroom Marketing helped develop the NAB 150 Roadtrain nationwide tour, the NAB 150 Songwriting competition and The Dream Festival.
The NAB 150 Roadtrain visited over 100 regional towns, isolated communities and cities across 8 months; conducting a range of 220 events and activities designed to entertain and educate communities including live music events, local business functions, AFL Auskick clinics and 50 school and university music workshops. The Roadtrain engaged over 200 live music artists and programmed many local emerging artists.
The NAB Songwriting Competition was an initiative designed to help inspire, educate and unearth the nation’s next generation of great song writers. The competition garnered nearly a 1000 entries in just over a month!
The NAB 150 Roadtrain tour culminated in the NAB Dream Festival a free 4 day celebration of art and music in the Yarra River precinct featuring 2 days of free live musical performances and workshops in the Alexandra Gardens (with over 135 musicians) which also showcased 5 winners of the NAB Songwriting Competition.
Live Solution – Live Music against Alcohol Fuelled Violence
Brief
The Federal Government released a strategy for preventative health action, including an initiative to tackle binge drinking. They sought to create a pilot partnership to raise awareness of the risks of binge drinking and demonstrate that communities – backed by governments, business and other supporters are the key to changing the culture of binge drinking and violence in Australia.
The Response
In April 2010, Mushroom Marketing developed the Live Solution concept – a music driven community initiative opposing alcohol fuelled violence. It was designed to demonstrate that our proud heritage of live music culture can play a positive and constructive role in tackling alcohol fuelled violence in Australia.
Mushroom Marketing organised a multi bill live music event showcasing some of Melbourne’s finest musicians at the iconic Corner Hotel. Artists, booking agents, venue operators, media partners, and live music fans came together taking a stand against excessive drinking and alcohol-related violence. Melbourne’s live music community stood as one against alcohol fuelled violence.
A strong ‘music industry style’ media and online campaign ensured Live Solution engaged with Melbourne’s passionate live music fans.
