It’s been a whopper of a year for independent original music in the Northern Territory – maybe even the biggest ever!

Our music activity is constant, busy, progressive and, at an all time high..  We now have a Territory Anthem; our Indigenous music awards – the NIMAs – went national for the first time, and one of our biggest music stars, Gurrumul Yunupingu, not only met and played for the Queen, he also played for the US President!

As you read this, The Tableland Drifters are preparing to head to Woodford to play their first Dreaming Festival (Frank Yamma will perform as well), with other NT artists also scheduled to play throughout the Australian music festival season.

The Sandridge Band is gearing up for the February release of album Brolga Dreaming, as are East Journey for their debut Gawuk, due to come out in March 2012.

Pushing forward with an aggressive digital release strategy Roymackonkey are about to embark upon their latest East Coast tour, as single Sleep Tonight continues to get airplay in the NT and beyond; while Alice Springs songwriter Colin Lillie has just signed a publishing deal, even before the official release of his debut EP.

The profile of Territory music is on the rise nationally and internationally, with the continued touring and/or chart success of many NT artists, like Leah Flanagan, Jessica Mauboy, Shellie Morris, Iwantja Band, eMDee, Worldfly and Gurrumul, who not only took Europe by storm but won a ton of awards for his second album Rrakala, which also reached platinum sales.

The Song Peoples Sessions project and CDs – featuring Territory treasures Warren H. Williams and Shellie Morris – also brought national attention to the Barkly region’s fertile cultural ground, with major media outlets covering the unique collaborative music project, as it progressed throughout the year.

Thanks to the perseverance and efforts of our Indigenous artists – and many of those who collaborate with them – it’s becoming  more common now to hear songs on radio sung ‘in language’, sometimes even on commercial stations and networks.

Territory artists receiving regular airplay on local radio also continues to the rise, with some radio programmers – beyond the ABC -  finally opening up their playlists more often to support homegrown music (TerritoryFM is one).

triple j Unearthed is also a space where more and more NT artists are making their presence felt to a national audience. At one point this year, Darwin high school band Skarlett was sitting atop not one but two Unearthed charts!

An increasing number of independent NT acts are also programmed on AirIt, while new CD releases from NT artists have been a constant throughout the previous 12 months.

To name but a few: Kris Keogh, Black Can Clan, Gurrumul, Tracy Bunn, eMDee, Unbroken Expanse, Iwantja Band, Seldom Party, Warren H. Williams, with compilation CDs from Red Sand Culture and Black Wreath.

Promised for 2012 is a Desert Divas CD – with solo outings for both Catherine Satour and Jacinta Price on the way – Worldfly, Shellie Morris, Roymackonkey, Lanrae and the long-awaited, as yet untitled debut album from Tennant Creek musician/producer, Dr. Fluoride. And that’s just for starters.

A strong touring circuit within the NT is also developing, with artists such as Reggae Dave, Tjupi Band and Seldom Party all receiving touring grants to take their music around the Territory and beyond borders.

Artback/Music NT’s Music Touring Manager Vanessa Hutchins reports that the NT Music Touring Program – which included artists such as Tjupi Band, Iwantja and Reggae Dave – played to approximately 15,000 people in 18 venues and communities across the Territory in 2011.

“Momentum is growing as the program develops for 2012″, she adds.

Other bands like Tennant Creek’s Unbroken Expanse, punched two fists in the air, independently embarking upon NT touring circuits of their own – and off their own bat.

Not to mention the success of the Long Way To The Top End II tour to the Fuse Music Festival & Conference in February, which saw 13 NT bands travel to Adelaide, to play across 6 nights at 4 venues.

NT acts are exploring new technologies to distribute, market and fund their music (Roymackonkey have recently embraced the free DIY phone App Songpier). Both Worldfly and Sietta ‘crowdfunded’ projects in 2011 through pozible.com, with the latter making it to an international showcase in Singapore as a result, and the former working hard to reach their $20 000 target by the end of January 2012, to support the recording of their new album.

Musicians are also banding together to launch music collectives (Black Wreath), music magazines (Shamzine), hugely active online Forums (Darwin Music Scene, ReviewsNT),  gig guides (Darwinlive) and new music promoters are emerging, bringing international acts to the Territory at a rate of knots…

Then there were the two iNTune Music Conferences, Bush Bands Business, national media coverage for the NIMAs…

The above ‘end-of-year round up’ only scratches the surface… Suffice to say that, yes, it has been a mighty year in Northern Territory music.

Music NT would like to wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a hearty congratulations on amazing work. It’s just getting bigger and better every day. We look forward to working with you in 2012 – stay safe, and all the best for the New Year.

- The Team at Music NT: Mark, Phil, Lisa, Milyika, Vanessa, Fiona & Megan