This October, the spotlight of the music industry will turn to shine on some of the unsung heroes and shooting stars tirelessly shaping and evolving the Aussie music world with the 2nd annual Australian Women in Music Awards taking place in Brisbane.
Featuring an array of industry forums alongside a night celebrating all things women in Aussie music, the AWMAs is the brainchild of founder Vicki Gordon, this year focusing particularly on recognising First Nations and multicultural performers, as well as excellence in artistry, technical and production skills, leadership cross-cultural development, songwriting, music journalism, music photography, film making, classical music, humanitarian work - and a whole lot more.
In the lead-up to the awards, The Soundcheck is featuring an array of Aussie women in the music world across a gamut of specialties - from production kweens to publicity gurus, and everyone in between, come join us as we delve into the worlds of some of our best and brightest who are taking the music industry by storm.
Today, it is our greatest of pleasures to feature one of our very own music industry heroes; official queen bee of iconic Aussie publicity company Beehive PR and total industry powerhouse, the divine Sammie Anschau is a lady of many talents and a true champion of all things music. If it's got a musical pulse, you can guarantee Sammie knows about it, and this wonder woman has guided the careers of a dizzying roster of artists (including Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Hideous Sun Demon, The Getaway Plan and more) - and all with a refreshing display of cheery expertise and startling creativity. But don't take our word for it! Interview below.
THE SOUNDCHECK
AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN MUSIC FEATURES
Sammie Anschau
queen bee at Beehive PR and total music industry powerhouse
TIANA SPETER: How long have you worked in the music industry and what inspired you to pursue a career in the industry?
SAMMIE ANSCHAU: I feel old saying this but 10 years now! Wow where does the time go?!?! There never was a plan B for me. RAGE got me hooked on the music biz when I was a kid, I used to wake up early every Saturday morning without fail to watch the clips, I was totally mesmerized by music and never wanted to do anything else. It took me a little while to find what part of the industry I loved the most & I still like to work across different areas but yep 8 year old me knew it and I’ve never looked back.
TIANA: What do you love most about working in the Aussie music industry?
SAMMIE: 1) The music (of course!) Australia is home to some of the worlds best artists who are putting out incredible releases and getting recognised for it! We are proud as punch to work with an amazing roster of these super talented humans. 2) The people! The oz music scene is small and tight - I’ve met some of my best mates through working in the industry. A lot of people in the game wear many a hat to get the job done for their artists, they work long hours and are incredibly passionate - it’s extremely inspiring. Huge props to Poppy Reid, Nastassia Baroni, Sose Fuamoli, Tamara Mary, Elizabeth Louise, Rebecca Callander and Emily Cheung for being a constant source of inspiration of being a woman in the biz.
TIANA: What does a typical day consist of for you?
SAMMIE: Each day is different but as a music publicist there are a few things which are constant - lots of emails and calls chatting to media about current and upcoming releases, lots of listening to new music and lots of planning. We believe in the old saying ‘fail to plan and plan to fail’, the best approach is a strategic one tailored to the release.
TIANA: What's your best piece of advice for any women looking to succeed in the music industry?
SAMMIE: Work hard, be passionate, be honest, be a woman - you don’t need to act like a man to be heard, and the music always comes first.
TIANA: And finally, what's one song by a female artist that inspires you and why?
SAMMIE: Look I can’t just give you one ... here is a few I listen to loud & on repeat often :) Slotface - Magazine: I love the pace, the lyrics and the sentiment. Ruby Fields - Dinosaurs: I am obsessed with this artist -the vulnerability she shows in her tracks in inspiring The Beths - Future Me Hates Me: perfection in a song - I think so! The Buoys - Frequently: these girls SHRED live Middle Kids - Mistake: I was so impressed when the band stood up for front woman Hannah who had not been given credit time and time again for being an integral part of the songwriting, mixing and engineering of the record.
MISTAKE (MIDDLE KIDS)
HERE'S THREE CHEERS TO THE AMAZING SAMMIE ANSCHAU AND THE PLETHORA OF WOMEN CHANGING THE GAME IN THE AUSSIE MUSIC WORLD.
THE 2019 AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN MUSIC AWARDS WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE 8TH AND 9TH OF OCTOBER AT THE BRISBANE POWERHOUSE IN BRISBANE.
FOR ALL AWMAS INFO, HEAD HERE.
BY TIANA SPETER