The concept of Make Music Day is simple – on 21 June, we occupy public, private and commercial and online spaces with music making activities and events to celebrate the fundamental role that music plays in our lives. The idea originated in France in 1982 as the Fete de la Musique, where the Ministry of Culture declared the 21st of June to be a day where citizens could take to the streets to make music with friends, families, neighbors and strangers alike. It is now a public holiday in France, with 64% of the entire population engaging with the day either as audience members or participants, and has now grown to be a global celebration in over 1000 cities across 120 countries. Australia has been participating since 2017, and we are part of an international alliance of Make Music Day coordinators all around the world.

Yes – the date stays the same every year, which means the day of the week changes. This date has been the same across the world since 1982.

Anyone and everyone! Venue owners, event organisers, council workers, schools, universities, curators, groups, individuals, musicians of all walks of life and music enthusiasts alike can all contribute to Make Music Day.

Getting involved in Make Music Day has never been easier and when it comes to celebrating music, the possibilities are endless.

A Make Music Day event or activity can take on any shape or size and be as long or short as you like. Just remember:

• If you create pre-recorded content, you can add it to the gallery on the Make Music Day Australia Website as a Youtube or Vimeo format, as well as posting it on social media using the make music day hashtags.
• If you are organising a live-streamed event, you can register your details here: makemusicaustralia.org.au/#participate.

Yes – one of the founding principles of this global celebration is that the events are free at the point of entry and therefore accessible to the greatest number of people. This does not mean that revenue cannot be generated in other ways – food and drink, merchandise, raffles, in-kind support, donations etc. Sometimes people organise a fundraising event prior to the big day in order to cover their costs.

This will be entirely dependent on what kind of activation takes place. Individual venues and organisers working with professional musicians or groups should have appropriate financial arrangements in place for the event, however as the aim of Make Music Day is to be as inclusive as possible, amateur and community groups and regular citizens are also encouraged to participate however they would like.

If you create pre-recorded content, you can submit your video to the Make Music Day Australia website to be included in an online gallery available for viewing on 21 June. We will then share these videos on social media, and include in newsletters and the post program round up to report on all the amazing activities that took place on the day.

If you are organising a live-streamed event, make sure you register the details early enough so that we can help promote the event in the lead up to June 21, as well as across social media platforms and through editorials with media outlets.

We also encourage you to promote your event through your own channels and media partnerships. We have provided Make Music Day logos for free download via the website.

When you register your event or activation on the Make Music Day website, it will be included on an interactive map that shows where Make Music Day activities are happening all over the country. The Make Music Day Australia website will also promote feature events.

Helpful hint: the earlier you register your event or activity, the more we can promote it across all our communications channels!

You will need to ensure you have the correct license for your Make Music Day event or activity. Refer to APRA AMCOS who can provide further help and support around copyright, licensing and licensing for live streaming events.