Dr Sam Whiting is an academic and musician from Meanjin/Brisbane.  His research focuses on issues of capital, labour and value as they relate to the creative industries and the cultural economy more broadly.  He is an expert on Australia’s live music landscape, with a rare holistic perspective backed up by deep and exhaustive research. 

With festival cancellations and Live Nation in the headlines, it felt like a good time to pick Sam’s brain.  Is live music really in crisis in Australia?   Why are these small venues so important?  And what, if anything, can artists do about it?

Read some of Sam's articles on The Conversation:
https://theconversation.com/profiles/sam-whiting-1319313/articles

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qb_5PDwZbcs

Dr Sam Whiting is an academic and musician from Meanjin/Brisbane.  His research focuses on issues of capital, labour and value as they relate to the creative industries and the cultural economy more broadly.  He is an expert on Australia’s live music landscape, with a rare holistic perspective backed up by deep and exhaustive research. 
With festival cancellations and Live Nation in the headlines, it felt like a good time to pick Sam’s brain.  Is live music really in crisis in Australia?   Why are these small venues so important?  And what, if anything, can artists do about it?
Read some of Sam's articles on The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/profiles/sam-whiting-1319313/articles
Follow Tim Shiel: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/">https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/</a>
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/qb_5PDwZbcs

Conversations with big thinkers about why music matters.

Conversations with big thinkers about why music matters.

Why Make Music

Dr Sam Whiting

Ben Abraham is a singer-songwriter originally from Naarm/Melbourne, now based in Los Angeles. 

He spent his early years as an independent artist in his hometown, eventually crowd-funding his first album Sirens. This caught the attention of US indie label Secretly Canadian and major publisher Sony/ATV, who started putting him in writing rooms for other artists. This led to cuts on records by Demi Lovato, The Chicks, Ben Platt and Wafia. One of his songs for Kesha - her comeback single "Praying", co-written with Ryan Lewis - currently sits at half a billion streams on Spotify. 

In 2022, Ben’s second record was released on Atlantic Records, making him labelmates with Ed Sheeran, Cardi B & Coldplay. It’s an album that sees Ben reconciling his deeply-held faith with his identity as a queer person. In 2023, Ben was dropped by Atlantic. He now finds himself recalibrating his music career, returning to his roots as an independent artist and working alongside his parents to explore his Indonesian heritage. 

Follow Ben Abraham: https://www.instagram.com/benbenabraham/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O165SngH2Bg

Ben Abraham is a singer-songwriter originally from Naarm/Melbourne, now based in Los Angeles. He spent his early years as an independent artist in his hometown, eventually crowd-funding his first album Sirens. This caught the attention of US indie label Secretly Canadian and major publisher Sony/ATV, who started putting him in writing rooms for other artists.&nbsp;This led to cuts on records by Demi Lovato, The Chicks, Ben Platt and Wafia. One of his songs for Kesha - her comeback single "Praying", co-written with Ryan Lewis - currently sits at half a billion streams on Spotify.&nbsp; In 2022, Ben&rsquo;s second record was released on Atlantic Records, making him labelmates with Ed Sheeran, Cardi B &amp; Coldplay. It&rsquo;s an album that sees Ben reconciling his deeply-held faith with his identity as a queer person. In 2023, Ben was dropped by Atlantic. He now finds himself recalibrating his music career, returning to his roots as an independent artist and working alongside his parents to explore his Indonesian heritage. Follow Ben Abraham: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/benbenabraham/">https://www.instagram.com/benbenabraham/</a> Follow Tim Shiel: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/">https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/</a> Watch this episode in full on YouTube: <a href="https://youtu.be/O165SngH2Bg">https://youtu.be/O165SngH2Bg</a>

Ben Abraham

Dropping in with a short update on the future of this podcast - episodes will return soon!  And if you think you might be able to help keep Why Make Music going in 2025, get in touch. You can DM me on Instagram @timshiel or email me here: timothyryanshiel@gmail.com

Dropping in with a short update on the future of this podcast - episodes will return soon!&nbsp; And if you think you might be able to help keep Why Make Music going in 2025, get in touch. You can DM me on Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/">@timshiel</a>&nbsp;or email me here: timothyryanshiel@gmail.com

Update!

Ed Service is a producer and DJ originally from Aoeteroa/New Zealand. He is also one half of the musical duo SHOUSE.

Since moving to Melbourne about 15 years ago, he’s juggled his creative practice with day jobs that reflect his personal interest in arts infrastructure and community engagement. In 2021, Ed’s career trajectory took an unexpected turn when SHOUSE's song "Love Tonight" became a sleeper hit, going platinum in many countries including the US and the UK. Collabs with David Guetta and Jason Derulo followed, as well as gigs at Paris Fashion Week, through the US and Europe, and of course Ibiza.

With the dust now settling, Ed and Jack have returned to Melbourne determined to re-engage with music at the community level. That’s where they come from, that’s what they care about. So I sat down with Ed to ask him whether his unlikely experience with SHOUSE has changed the way he thinks about music, and to learn a bit more about communitas, or collective joy, one of many deep ideas that informs his creative practice.

Follow SHOUSE: https://www.instagram.com/shouse.shouse/

Follow Tim Shiel: https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/

Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxy3uSi30pw

Ed Service is a producer and DJ originally from Aoeteroa/New Zealand. He is also one half of the musical duo SHOUSE.
Since moving to Melbourne about 15 years ago, he’s juggled his creative practice with day jobs that reflect his personal interest in arts infrastructure and community engagement. In 2021, Ed’s career trajectory took an unexpected turn when SHOUSE's song "Love Tonight" became a sleeper hit, going platinum in many countries including the US and the UK. Collabs with David Guetta and Jason Derulo followed, as well as gigs at Paris Fashion Week, through the US and Europe, and of course Ibiza.
With the dust now settling, Ed and Jack have returned to Melbourne determined to re-engage with music at the community level. That’s where they come from, that’s what they care about. So I sat down with Ed to ask him whether his unlikely experience with SHOUSE has changed the way he thinks about music, and to learn a bit more about communitas, or collective joy, one of many deep ideas that informs his creative practice.
Follow SHOUSE: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shouse.shouse/">https://www.instagram.com/shouse.shouse/</a>
Follow Tim Shiel: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/">https://www.instagram.com/timshiel/</a> 
Watch this episode in full on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxy3uSi30pw

Dr Sam Whiting

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