Whose Master's Voice? The Development of Popular Music in Thirteen Cultures

tralian rock acts overseas, and a desire to overcome the extent to which local performers have been seen as inferior to overseas stars by audiences, a factor fueled by promotional practices in the past.

The local rock music scene can be portrayed as dynamic and diverse but continues to compete with a better-financed overseas product. The small size of the Australian market leaves it very much subject to international fluctuations, and while the resources of the major record companies tend to be channelled into the promotion of international products, threatening to undermine local rock acts, the majors can also be available to popularize Australian talent on a wider, international scale.

Public policy, as part of a general movement toward the development of Australian culture, supports Australian musicians through the quota on radio and the increase, during the last ten years, in the diversity of radio outlets, which have also led to expanded avenues of entry onto the public stage. Thus, the formal structures exist whereby "Australian sound" remains problematic but should not present an obstacle to the fostering and success of local talent.

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