No ABC logo

Sadly the Australian Broadcasting Corporation ABC has closed their audio department now only selling BBC titles. So while you'll be able to buy old recordings of the Goon Show no Australian work, like my own, will be available.

I'm not sure what this says about what we think of ourselves. Maybe it's a sign of our times as the young listen to the radio less and less. Marshall McLuhan called radio the tribal drums. The mood of a nation could be determined by listening to talk back radio but as has been demonstrated by the Obama win, where most under 30 years olds voted for him, there is a new way for us all to know what most of us are thinking. Opinionated shock jocks have an dwindling and ageing audience. The Obama team used the internet like JFK used TV in 1962.

And so radio or listening without pictures may be something only favoured by the blind or drivers keeping their eyes on the road...Or illustrators working away at their images and wanting a change from the usual mood music. Jazz in my case.

So now that the copyright of my recordings have reverted to me I have had 500 discs duplicated and as you can see, with no ABC logo. I have been heartened that the ABC shop buyer Sophie Higgins wants 100 copies for the shops. I have become the supplier and get 50% RRP instead of my usual 10% royalty. Other artists will have to do the same or find another audio publisher. I doubt BBC would be interested. We should be looking after our own.

Perhaps this is a good move for me but distribution remains key to world domination. He He. Watch this space.