Many respondents commented on the difficulty in getting NT music heard and “out there.” Once again, this is an issue which affects all NT artists but disadvantages women further given concerns around rarely being booked as headlines or session musicians, the lack of NT women’s music on radio and the greater costs women often need to meet when gigging or touring. There is clearly no lack of talent across the NT, including from our female artists.

Even in Darwin where we have some artists who are nationally and in cases internationally recognised, they can still be disadvantaged. We don’t have the options performers based in Melbourne or Sydney have. The costs are huge, especially if you have a family. Grants don’t factor in extra costs for women touring.

The issue of geographical isolation and living in small communities was raised during MusicNTs 2020 online industry workshop series. The massive positive of living in a small community is that people tend to share and to collaborate more. The negatives are that there are limited opportunities and there is definitely a ceiling on those available, even in Darwin or Alice Springs. NT artists, especially emerging acts, need to tour (when COVID possible) yet this is expensive and has additional barriers for many women.

Touring nationally is a critical step from emerging to becoming professional and gaining a national profile. It brings great experience in working with new and big venues, having different support acts, top notch audio engineers and so on. ArtsNT seems to support projects happening in the NT and employing NT artists and arts workers here - this works to build up programs or projects but does not support touring.

An interstate commentator mentioned that the Alice Springs live music scene is really held back by its lack of a great band room and live music venues where interstate acts can come and strengthen connections between Alice and the rest of Australia.

This is true of many of our smaller towns and communities and has implications generally across industry.

One respondent commented that The Music Touring Program delivered 50% of its tour to developing female artists over the five year period it existed in (a) Partnership (between) Artback NT and MusicNT. It also enabled women with kids to tour including providing separate transport to current breastfeeding mothers. (It) planned tours suitable for established experienced artists and those less so. Clearly there is a need for more programs like this.

One Tour this program supported in 2018 enabled 4 of MusicNTs Divas alumni to tour the Territory with support from two highly experienced female/non-binary event managers and sound engineers, including performances at a range of remote community festivals and the Darwin Railway Club, and workshops for women and girls in a number of locations. One of the touring artists was breastfeeding and the tour managers accommodated her bringing her baby with her. Another required dialysis every two days which was also built into the schedule. Having organisations prepared to work in partnership and to accommodate the reality of female and Indigenous artist’s lives is critical.