Published 16 February, 2023

The Encore Project was delivered in partnership between RMIT, APRA AMCOS, the VMDO and the Australian Music Centre. The initiative has been designed to help facilitate the re-entry of women and GNC people into the music workforce.

Women face underrepresentation across the music industries and are more likely than men to take career breaks for longer periods of time.

Musicians, composers, artist-managers, technical workers and CEOs of music businesses have historically been male-dominated professions. As the Triple J Hack team reported, the gender gap is shifting among musicians, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

The project ran three focus groups with other people experiencing a similar career situation. These focus group sessions took place in Melbourne and Geelong. Each group explored the experiences of different stages of re-entry into the music industries.

These focus groups aimed to ensure that the training materials that were developed by the ENCORE project considered a diversity of pathways, challenges and experiences that women and gender non-conforming people experience in taking a break from and re-entering the music industries. 

Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO)

The Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) is a Victorian Government initiative delivered by Music Victoria – it has a commitment to boosting the growth and evolution of the Victorian contemporary music industry, supporting the creation of sustainable opportunities and ensuring Victoria maintains its reputation for great music.