New Desk Tape Series to raise funds for Oz roadies

The Australian Road Crew Association (ARCA) this Friday releases the first Desk Tape Series live recording, the latest initiative in its efforts to raise funds for roadies down under.

ARCA – which recently received a donation of A$10,000 (US$7,680) from Frontier Touring, and last year secured a commitment from Chugg Entertainment to donate 5¢ from every ticket sold – advocates for road crew, which it describes as the “backbone of Australian music”, especially those in crisis. A recent study revealed Australians working in the music industry disproportionately suffer from poor metal health, with roadies especially at risk: according to charity Entertainment Assist, road crew experienced suicide ideation at a rate almost nine times that of the general public in 2016.

The Desk Tape Series draws on 40 years’ worth of live recordings amassed by roadies, and kicks on Friday 10 November with a Redgum show recorded at Melkweg (1,500-cap.) in Amsterdam in 1985.

“Each release acknowledges just how important roadies have been to making our industry a stand-out success”

Future tapes, available on CD/digitally or limited-edition cassette via Black Box Recordings, will include shows by Men at Work, the Church, Crowded House, Midnight Oil and more.

All proceeds from the sale of the recordings will be used to assist road crew: The roadie who worked on the show will receive 80% of the profit, with 20% being retained by ARCA for its charitable Roadies Fund.

“Each release acknowledges just how important roadies have been to making our live performance industry a stand-out success,” says ARCA. “They offer recognition to the engineers who documented this wealth of genuine Australian music history.”

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