Aboriginal Music has existed in Australia for many of Thousands of Years. Traditionally our Ancestors used the Didgeridoo, Clap Sticks, Hand Clapping and Chanting as a way of sustaining our culture through song and Dance. This helped teach our young about our Dreamtime Stories and Creation, it was a medium used quite successfully for thousands of years.

Today this medium is still being used with a mixture of traditional instruments and Western music instruments such as the Guitar, Drums and Keyboards. The most successful artist to use this method is Yothu Yindi.

Although the Urban Aborigine is no longer living in a traditional sense the Victorian Aboriginal Community is at the forefront of Aboriginal Music. Most urban Aboriginal people sing about the oppression and torment suffered by Aboriginal people, Archie Roach is one successful artists able to present his music in a format that gives peoples an insight to the atrocity's committed on Aboriginal people without people having to feel guilty. Archie won a human rights award for his song `Took the Children Away'. A song that told of white Australian governments stealing Children away from there parents, Culture and Traditional ways.

Blackfire how-ever are an energy Rock band that give people a sense of hope especially to the younger generations of Urban Aboriginal people. They sing about life and how it really is and there able to sum up the urban view point and put it in a song with out offending there audience. Blackfire are not a full on political band there music is quite varied any thing from Rock to pop to Blues and Acoustic.

They were the first Aboriginal Band in Victoria to be awarded the Aboriginal Artist of the year as presented to them by the National Aboriginal Islander observerance committee. They have recently been special guests for Carlos Santana on his Australian National Tour and have supported or played with many of Australia's leading Artists. They are currently completing there forth coming CD "BIG RIVER" with former Crowded House Drummer Paul Hester who is producing the CD as well as playing a few drum tracks on the ALbum.

Tiddas are another successful Victorian Act, a trio that consists of 2 Aboriginal women and one non Aboriginal Australian. There format consists of basically acoustic guitars great harmonies and Clapsticks and percussion. These girls have supported and played with international artists like Bob Geldof, Sweet Honey in the Rock and are one of Australia's most popular female artists. There present CD self entitled is selling well and is receiving great responses right across the Country.

It is hard to categorise Aboriginal Artists as Music styles are so diverse probably one of the reasons why Mainstream Radio has a problem fitting Aboriginal Music into a Format.

In 1958 the modern Australian Music Industry began to which in this time only 4 indigenous Artists have made any impact. In 1963 an Aboriginal Artists by the name of Jimmy Little had a hit record with a song called Royal Telephone and former World boxing Champion Lionel Rose had a hit in 1971 with ` I Thank you'. In more recent times Christine Anu and Yothu Yindi have made major impacts into the Australian Music industry.

Aboriginal Artists have been ignored by the Australian mainstream media for far to long. Aboriginal Music has flourished in Australia over the last 5 years that many of our Artists are setting there sights on Overseas Markets as Australian Record companies are still hesitant to sign indigenous artists. Most of the Indigenous artists in Australia are signed to independent labels. CAAMA Music in Central Australia is the only recognised Indigenous record label in the Country most of the well known Artists who don't appear on major record labels are signed to this label with artists such as Warumpi Band, DeadHeart, Blekbella Mujikj and Blackfire. As CAAMA is based in the centre of Australia it doesn't have enough impact to be able to promote our Artists to there maximum potential or enough monies to be able to spend on promoting or touring artists.

Aboriginal Radio is one of the main factors in promoting Aboriginal Artists and there music. Most Aboriginal Communities wether there in the city or the Outback, Aboriginal people have access to local Radio. There are thousands of Aboriginal Programs that currently run around the Country. Aboriginal people rely heavily on these programs for information and is also a key factor in playing contemporary Aboriginal Music.

Unfortunately these Radio Stations are not major Radio Stations. The major Radio Stations in Australia have basically ignored Aboriginal Music on the airwaves unless their signed on major labels which many of our Artists are not.

Local Radio Community based stations have been more successful in promoting Indigenous Artists instead of the majors. For example local Melbourne Radio station 3CR was a big player in exposing Indigenous Artists through Aboriginal Programs which run out of the station. Archie Roach and Tiddas were very popular on independent Radio and well exposed before they hit the mainstream music industry. Blackfire are now enjoying simular airplay as they increase there National profile.

The Aboriginal Radio Network is evolving rapidly as we head towards the year 2,000. There are many Aboriginal Communities in Australia who are buying there own Radio Stations and Licenses which will give our Artists much more exposure than ever imagined before something that Commercial Radio should have been supporting years age. There are many indigenous Groups in Australia who are currently working in order to look at ways and means of having more input into the Australian Music scene and exposing more of our Artists on a large scale. Aboriginal Pilot music programs are now starting to be developed for TV and will hit the Airwaves early in 1997.

Songlines Music Aboriginal Corporation is a Victorian Community based Organisation operated by a board of seven directors. Its major aim is to connect with the music industry and to provide employment and Training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples as well as providing assistance to all Victorian Artists and Managers and operating training programs.

Songlines is a major initiative by Aboriginal performers and Art workers who are prepared to build infrastructures and support mechanisms to provide an indigenously controlled spearhead into the Music Industry.

We are currently delivering modules of Basic Music Skills which is a national accredited training course in Music Management. This course comprises over a 20 week period which also includes a 4 week placement in the music industry. We also will be operating this year 25 Music Traineships for Aboriginal people to learn the skills of the music industry.

Songlines enjoys a high profile within the music industry. The interests of Aboriginal musicians are represented on various boards like Ausmusic, Aboriginal Torres strait Islander Commission, Vic Arts and the Australia Council of the Arts. Songlines has been asked to advise many other music organisations and industry sources such as the ABC Television, ABC RADIO, 3CR, and various studios in Victoria.

Songlines receives many requests from both fledging and well established artists for advise on sourcing funds assistance, Letters of support for various projects, assisting people on writing music submissions as well as advise on appropriate legal and industrial specialists. We also provide and disseminate information to our indigenous artists of APRA, AMCOS, the Musiccians Union, Arts and Law referral centre and Aria.

Songlines is usually the first point of contact for indigenous artists who intend to visit or perform in Melbourne. We offer them assistance and were appropriate find them gigs.

We participate in overseas festivals which has seen us already take a contingent of Aboriginal Artists to the Music West Festival in Canada. Our trip here went down extremely well and seen our Artists increase record sales in these overseas markets as well as promote Aboriginal Culture in a positive light to the rest of the World. Songlines wants to continue these tours as often as possible and intends to have trips overseas at least once a year. We intend to establish close links with the Asian Music industry as we feel our music and culture will be better appreciated by an overseas market.

There is wide recognition that if indigenous peoples are to participate on equal terms within the music industry in Australia then we require our own support structures and mechanisms. The lack of such support is already compounding the disadvantage that many indigenous artists suffer. Many of our performers have been subject to gross exploitation with out access to adequate 0advise and support.

The path to successful careers for many aspiring performers and workers is currently a difficult and arduous one with many barriers and impediments placed in there way. There is however an increasing recognition that genuine self determination and empowerment is dependent on an appropriate balance between social and Economic developments in Indigenous Communities.

Our work and experience has already clearly demonstrated that there is a genuine interest, enthusiasm and a great deal of natural performing talent in our Communities. Many young people are particularly motivated by the prospects of a career in the Music Industry. There is no doubt that major opportunities exist for both employment and economical opportunities for indigenous peoples with the rapid growing interest in Indigenous music around the globe.