S E S T U D Y How Tamworth became the country music capital

C A S E S T U D Y How Tamworth became the country music capital

Max Ellis, Chief Executive, CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia

Tamworth, NSW, is widely recognised, both in Australia and overseas, as Australia’s ‘Country Music Capital’. In January 2000 the city hosted the 28th anniversary of the Country Music Association of Australia’s Toyota Country Music Awards of Australia, the event which was responsible for the birth of the Tamworth Country Music Festival and the development of Tamworth as our Country Music Capital.

So how did this relatively small inland country town acquire such a reputation and what has been the effect of this transformation on the modern town and its people? How did Tamworth manage to completely reverse the normal Australian tradition of heading for the beach in summer and, instead, influence thousands of people to flock to its sweltering streets at the hottest, most unpleasant time of year.

It is not a story of chance or good luck. It is about the conception and implementation by a group of country-based professionals, of an innovative, longterm, promotional and marketing project with the objective of creating an event and a brand which would generate commercial benefits for Radio 2TM, Tamworth and Australian country music. The story provides an object lesson for other entrepreneurs keen to develop their cities or towns in a similar way.

Earlier this century, in the 1930s, ’40s and ‘5Os, Tamworth, like most other country towns of the time, had a radio station with a long tradition of playing ‘hillbilly’ music in the early hours of the morning.

The modern story of country music, and Tamworth, does not begin until the late ’60s when once-popular Australian country music had been relegated to the backblocks by the emerging and all-consuming ‘rock’n’roll’. A few travelling showmen, like Slim Dusty and Buddy Williams, soldiered on, touring the country and preserving Australia’s country music traditions.

At that time, commercial radio was smarting from the introduction of television (TV came to the bush later than the cities – in Tamworth’s case, 1965). Radio’s evening audiences were decimated, but in Tamworth the local station, 2TM, fought back by airing specialist programs such as drama, jazz, folk music and even the supposedly despised ‘country and western’ music, in night-time slots.

To everyone’s amazement, the listener response to 2TM’s country music program was huge. The radio station had (and still has) a clear transmission frequency which it did not share with other stations elsewhere, and at night its signal could be heard all over eastern Australia. Hoedown (as it was known until 1996) with announcer John Minson, began to attract listeners from throughout the nation and became the catalyst for the entire Country Music Capital promotion.

In the late 1960s, a group of executives at 2TM conceived the idea of marketing Tamworth as an Australian centre for country music. In 1969, it was decided to nominate the city as ‘Country Music Capital’ in all promotional activity undertaken by the station. Despite the fact the only substance to the title was the Hoedown radio program, the name and concept caught on.

In 1972, plans were formulated for a national awards presentation to country music performing artists and songwriters and in January 1973 the first Australasian Country Music Awards were staged by 2TM.

Once the awards were consolidated, other activities were planned and initiated with the deliberate intention of developing a festival out of a single event. Gradually the period of the festival grew from two days to 10, with individuals and organisations staging a wide variety of events throughout the city and local district. In recent years a festival ‘count down’ has extended by another week.

During Tamworth’s country music development period in the 1970s and ’80s, several major factors strongly influenced its growth.

Country music capital as a marketing concept

The owners and promoters of the event were not ‘fans’. 2TM was concerned only with the establishment of a national promotion which could be developed and marketed widely with financial and social benefits to the station and the City of Tamworth.

Professionalism of organization

From the first, the awards and Country Music Capital campaign was run by marketing professionals. Every effort was made to present a highly professional event. This was reflected in everything from the publicity material and attitude to media to the organisation of the event, the quality and expertise of the people involved and the general approach to the entire promotion.

The entire country music promotion was tightly controlled and coordinated by the chief executive of the awards and festival, Max Ellis, who was also the manager of 2TM and, later, BAL Marketing (until 1984). All major decisions relating to any aspect of the promotion passed through his office.

While Tamworth City Council gradually became more involved with the festival as it grew, the centralised control continued, with council checking all its festival activities with BAL Marketing/2TM as a central reference point.

As other companies and organisations, such as talent quest organisers, registered club and hotel managers and outside entrepreneurs entered the festival, they voluntarily coordinated their activities through 2TM and BAL Marketing as unofficial, but very effective, festival coordinators. An example of how this worked was the sideshow operators who voluntarily stayed out of the city for a number of years because 2TM management believed the country music component had to be well established before other elements could safely be introduced into the festival.

Strong financial incentive

2TM undertook the entire organisation and promotion of the festival at its own expense, setting up and operating the overall activity as a major sales promotion, supported by numerous major national sponsors. Today, the awards are sponsored by Toyota, and the festival by Carlton, with dozens of other major sponsors involved in other events.

Continuity of management

One important facet was the continuity of supervision of the country music promotion, again by Max Ellis through 2TM and BA! Marketing over the period from its inception in the late ’60s and the awards in 1973, until his departure in 1984. Many other key staff members were also deeply involved in setting up and running the promotion over these years, a period during which 2TM developed a close and personal relationship with artists, fans and the Australian music industry.

BAL Marketing continued its ‘unofficial coordination’ from 1986 through to the early `90s, finally handing its reduced role and responsibility to the city council in 1994. During the 1990s ex-BAL marketeers, including Max Ellis, again became active in the awards and festival management, particularly through their involvement with the Country Music Association of Australia, Prime Television (which telecasts the awards each year) and Rural Press Events, the successor to BAL Marketing.

Innovation

One of the most important factors in the expansion of the festival was innovation — the deliberate ongoing creation of complimentary new events by 2TM. These events provided the solid foundation of activity which encouraged others to participate. Most of the activities (such as Star Maker, Capital News and Pro-Rodeo) were created for commercial reasons but some (such as Hands of Fame, Roil of Renown and Cavalcade) were specifically started to enhance the overall drawing power of the festival.

Australian content

The Tamworth festival was always promoted strictly as an event for Australian country music and, while major overseas artists were encouraged to visit, they were discouraged from performing. This policy was formulated because 2TM believed its role was to encourage Australian music. Because it had relied on the ongoing support of Australian artists such as Slim Dusty to launch the concept, 2TM felt it had earned the right to top billing at the festival without the distraction of international stars. This approach obviously worked because the crowds keep coming back to hear Australian music and Australian artists. These days, international artists have become a regular part of the festival.

Publicity

The creation of a highly successful visual symbol, the Golden Guitar, provided a powerful public identity for the awards from the start. Publicity was handled by 2TM and its associated radio and N stations in Tamworth, with the help of PR man Dave Douglas in Sydney and PR professionals in Melbourne and Brisbane. Each year, awards executives, with the mayor, an alderman or prominent local business person, would visit each capital city and systematically canvas all available national media.

Over the years, articles appeared in virtually every paper and magazine published in those cities, together with countless appearances on radio, TV and news broadcasts. In addition to this promotional program, a few selected journalists were brought to Tamworth at 2TM’s expense during the festival. Every effort was made to facilitate media involvement prior to and during the festival, and for some years 2TM flew parties of journalists b Tamworth before the event. Today, the council retains a PR firm to handle national publicity running a media centre in Tamworth during the festival with a December launch in Sydney.

Massive media coverage was achieved, with all the major TV networks and newspapers sending people to Tamworth for the awards. From the very first awards in 1973, a live coverage was broadcast on commercial radio. From 1993, the ABC has been running a live three-hour coverage of the awards throughout their metropolitan and regional networks.

Prime Television covered the awards with news and specials until the late ’80s when a telecast of the event was commenced. When the awards were taken over by the Country Music Associtation of Australia (CMAA) in 1993, Prime directed a massive regional Australian coverage, working with the CMAA and other regional operators.

In 1996, the awards became the first Australian awards presentations to be featured on national Australian pay TV. Since 1997 the 7 Network has also carried a delayed broadcast of the awards nationwide.

Spreading the activity

Tamworth is unique in that there is no one venue which dominates the festival. This reflects the diversified nature of the event and is a major strength. From the beginning, 2TM worked hard to spread activity throughout the city rather than centralise it in one location. This meant that a vast diversify of music could be accommodated and it created a unique situation where virtually everyone who wished could become involved in one way or another. It also turned the entire city into an ‘attraction” with benefits to all. Over the years various locations have gained a temporary prominence but generally this evens out as new developments occur.

The long weekend

One important factor in building crowds was the Australia Day long weekend which, up to 1988, was scheduled on the first Monday on or after 26th January. This enabled organisers and visitors to plan ahead and take advantage of this major cultural celebration.

Spin-offs

In tourism, an identity is the name of the game and country music has given Tamworth an identity second to none.

On the June long weekend in 2000 the CMAA staged its first highly successful ‘Hats Off To Country/ festival, a new annual event, capitalising on Tamworth’s national branding. Local venues have given the CMAA major support and believe ‘Hats Off’ will develop into another different January for Tamworth.

Tourism is important to Tamworth. The Tourist Information Centre is shaped as a guitar, an obvious tribute to Tamworth’s reputation. And the Roll of Renown, the Hands of Fame, the giant Golden Guitar, the Country Collection Wax Museum, the guitar-shaped pool and Walk a Country Mile Interpretive Centre are among dozens of other activities and tourist attractions utilising this famous theme.

Other spin-offs like recording studios and related activities, artists choosing Tamworth as a home base, printing, publicity, accommodation and so on have brought significant tangible benefits to the city. Tamworth remains a centre for country music promotion, through CMAA project office activities, broadcasting, various syndicated TV programs, artist management services and publishing, and as a base for touring artists. Capital News, started by BAL Marketing in 1975, is still Australia’s major country music publication while The Country Music Directory, the industry’s ‘bible’ is also published from Tamworth.

Since 1993 the CMAA (with EMI) has produced its Winners CD based on the awards finalists as well as the video coverage of the awards.

In 1997, the CMAA, with support from TAFE, established an annual College of Country Music in Tamworth in January, utilising today’s top artists to help train tomorrov/s country stars.

The Australian Country Music Foundation has been established in Tamworth to build a national archive and resource centre to preserve the heritage of Australian country music.

In 1998 the long-awaited Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre was completed by Tamworth City Council with financial contributions from the country music industry, State and Federal governments and local business people. This provides a permanent home for country music in January and June, and Tamworth with a first class multifunction facility all year round.

Summary

It is now well over 25 years since the first awards were staged and over 30 years since the concept of Country Music Capital was born at 2TM. From the strong foundations (aid in the 1970s and early ‘$Os, the awards and festival have evolved and developed, in many ways.

The CMAA Toyota Country Music Awards and Carlton Country Music festival are an excellent example of a private enterprise event which has created enormous benefits for the community in which it takes place.

With no government assistance, Tamworth and country music have achieved a miraculous transformation of a country town from a summer backwater into a nationally – indeed internationally – recognised tourist destination.

The Tamworth Country Music Festival is also a rare example of of commercially based festival which runs itself. It has no single director but is shaped and driven by a number of major entrepreneurs and venues and many smaller operators, all with a common interest, each responsible for their own shows and each selfsupporting through ticket sales and strong sponsorship. These activities take place in a sophisticated, visitor-friendly environment, supported, maintained and professionally promoted by the local business community and the Tamworth City Council.

Max Ellis

Chief Executive, Australasian Country Music Awards and Festival 1973-84 Chief Executive, CMAA Country Music Awards of Australia 1993-99

Study Questions

In evaluating the festival, what are the long term benefits for the city of Tamworth?

Some of the long- term benefits for the City of Tamworth that can be identified or surmised from evaluating the Festival include:

Wide recognition of Tamworth, both in Australia and overseas, as Australia’s country music capital
Strong support and recognition from the Australian music industry and Australian country musicians
Strong destinational promotion of the city arising from this recognition
A sense of community pride and cohesion
The development of a strong tourism infrastructure and spin-off themed attractions –

Tourism Tamworth Visitor Information Centre

Hall of Renown

Hands of Fame

Country Music Wax Museum

Giant golden guitar

Guitar shaped swimming pool

TAFE (annual College of Country Music)

Tamworth Country Theatre

Significant tourism visitation arising from this infrastructure, development and promotion
The development of spin-off business activities, as listed iabove
Significant economic benefits from both tourism and spin-off business activities
Year round country music tourism and activity as evidenced by the monthly Tamworth Country Theatre concerts
Infrastructure development, including the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre

How has Tamworth used the festival to create an identity for itself?

Since discovering the degree of interest in country music evidenced by the listener response to 2TM’s “Hoedown” radio program in the 1960s, 2TM, BAL Marketing and Tamworth City Council have consciously developed and promoted the Australasian Country Music Festival to create an identity for the city.

An important first step was the decision taken by 2TM executives in 1969 to market Tamworth as an Australian centre for country music, and to refer to the city as Country Music Capital.

Other important steps in developing this identity include:

The staging of the first Australasian Awards in 1973
The development of a festival out of this event, gradually growing from 2 days to 10, with individuals and organisations staging events in venues throughout the city and local district
Establishing a professionally run event with strong centralised control, financial viability and continuity of management
Continued innovation to expand and enhance the overall drawing power of the Festival
Promoting the Festival strictly as an event for Australian country music
A strong publicity campaign based around the creation of a highly successful visual symbol, the Golden Guitar, and leading to the national telecast of the Australian Country Music Awards by the Seven Network
The culmination of the event on the Australia Day Long Weekend, enabling organisers and visitors to plan ahead and take advantage of this major cultural celebration
The development of spin-off attractions and business activities making Tamworth a home base for country music recording, publishing and publicity
The development of a tourism infrastructure to package and sell tourism to Tamworth based on the Festival
Infrastructure development of the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre, and the development of year round activity such as the Tamworth Country Theatre series of high profile monthly concerts by Tourism Tamworth

What role does the festival play in selling Tamworth as a tourism destination?

Aspects of the role the Festival plays in selling Tamworth as a Tourism destination might include the following:

Creation of an identity and profile of Tamworth as Country Music Capital
Enhancement of this profile through televising of the Country Music Awards and national media coverage of the Festival
Attraction of visitors to Tamworth through the promotion of the Festival and direct sale of tourism packages
Infrastructure development such as the Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre and tourism infrastructure such as the guitar shaped Tamworth Visitor Information Centre
Long term impact of visitors attracted throughout the year by country music related attractions and entertainment such as the monthly Tamworth Country Theatre concerts