ARIA Collab Eligibility and Participation Requirements

ARIA Collab

Eligibility and Participation Requirements

1. Membership Requirements: Record labels must be active ARIA Members with paid 2024/2025 dues.
2. Artist Eligibility: Artists must be in an active recording cycle, over 18 years old, Australian citizens/residents, and aligned with ARIA’s diversity and inclusion goal, available here. 
3. Genres: Applications must specify one genre stream (Stream 1: Hip Hop, Soul & Trap music or Stream 2: Pop, Soul, R&B, Electronic & Dance music), and the genre choice is binding.

Application and Documentation Requirements

1. Application Submission: All applications must be submitted within the specified timeframe and meet completeness standards (no late or incomplete entries will be accepted).
2. Supporting Documents:
• Artist bio and headshot.
• Up to 3 ready-to-record demo tracks.
• Marketing plan, including promotional strategy and target platforms.
• Detailed budget covering artist fees, team costs, and a proposed royalty split.
3. Commitment to Career Development: Labels must demonstrate financial and logistical support for artist development, including fees for the artist, local producer, and team travel/accommodation.

Selection and Judging Criteria

1. Selection Panel: A panel of industry representatives will select artists.
2. Evaluation Criteria:
   1. Criteria 1: Quality - The Selection Panel will evaluate the calibre of the participating artists and their teams.
   2. Criteria 2: Impact - The panel will assess the potential of the participating artists to contribute to the growth and sustainability of the Australian music industry. 
   3. Criteria 3: Viability - Finally the panel will evaluate the feasibility of the artists' plans, including their budget, release strategies, and marketing efforts. 

Full criteria available here. 

Participation and Financial Responsibilities

1. Artist Payment: Labels are responsible for paying the artist and team fees.
2. Local Producer Costs: Labels must fund all expenses related to the local producer’s involvement.
3. Travel & Accommodation: Labels must cover all travel and accommodation costs for the artist and team.
4. Marketing Costs: Labels must handle all marketing expenses with ARIA’s $5,000 marketing contribution supplementing these costs.

Program and Funding Contributions (ARIA)

1. Studio & Production Costs: ARIA funds studio hire, mixing/mastering, and essential staff (engineers) for recordings.
2. Marketing Contribution: ARIA will contribute AU$5,000 per recording for promotional costs.
3. Catering: ARIA will cover catering for artists and teams during workshops.

Conditions and Obligations

1. Program Participation: The artist, label representative, and local producer must attend the program as scheduled. Participation is non-transferable.
2. Record Release Requirements: Completed recordings must be commercially released by December 2026 and registered for ARIA Charts tracking.
3. Content Use & Publicity:
• Labels agree to allow ARIA to film and photograph the artist for promotional use.
• Artists and labels commit to participate in reasonable publicity efforts coordinated by ARIA.
4. Legal Agreements:
• Labels must enter agreements with the Executive Producer for all terms regarding funding, services, and commercial release.
• ARIA will not intervene in the financial agreement between the label and Executive Producer.

General Legal and Compliance Terms

1. Indemnity: Labels and participants indemnify ARIA and Music Australia against claims arising from the project.
2. Changes and Liability: ARIA reserves the right to change dates, times, or locations due to uncontrollable circumstances and holds no liability for rescheduling impacts.
3. Code of Conduct and Compliance: All participants must comply with ARIA’s Code of Conduct and any studio-specific policies. Available here.