(The online application form has been removed from the website. It will be available again when applications for the 2013 festival open again in May 2012)
In an endeavour to be both environmentally friendly by reducing the enormous amount of waste paper that has been generated by the paper-based application process and to ease the workload on our volunteers, we request that performers assist us by applying via the online form if possible. If there is a genuine reason why you are unable to submit your application online, please email us and we will send you a paper form that you can fill in and return to us
We have simplified our two-stage application process even further this year. In order to minimise the work involved for both the artist applying and us assessing the applications, the initial application will take the form of a simple EXPRESSION OF INTEREST form in which the minimum information required by the festival to assess your application is asked. Further information will be requested from selected performers. See the section on Selection Procedure below for more information.
The Festival usually book one or two international artists each year who are touring Australia at the time. We are not in a position to sponsor acts or arrange tours. We do not provide airfares. International acts also must arrange their own visas.
If you would like to perform in Australia, we recommend that you contact one of the Australian agents familiar with the folk music touring circuit. The process the Australian Government expects is so complex that it would be extremely difficult without such support. Read this article for more information.
If you have organised a tour in Australia around the date of our Festival, we welcome your, or your agent’s, enquiry or application.
Applications close 31st August and we anticipate that performer selection will be completed by the end of October. Please do not contact our office to find out if you have been successful. We will contact you regarding your application. All applications will be acknowledged.
In very rare cases when the follow up information conflicts with or has changed significantly from the expression of interest, or the information provided raises problems with the scheduling of the act, the festival reserves the right to decline the acceptance of the application. Final selection is based on the information provided in both stages of the application process. Applicants will be advised within a very short period of the receipt of the additional information whether or not they have been successful. Contracts will then be mailed to successful applicants and, once signed, are binding.
Please assist us by not leaving it to the last minute to submit your application. It helps us by spreading the workload involved in assessing applications and we may be able to give you a decision earlier as well.
We have had instances in previous years where acts have added increasing number of members to their act after having been selected, which has essentially rendered the act significantly different to the one we originally assessed and selected. We appreciate that performers may wish to take advantage of certain opportunities that may arise after the initial application to include an additional accompanist for example and we are happy to accommodate this. However, the addition of more than two members to the act will be deemed to be a different act to that which was originally selected and the festival reserves the right to refuse the additions or nullify the original acceptance. Acts are free to swap members (within reason) or invite other performers who are booked to perform at the festival to join them as guest musicians, but going from a solo or duo act to a big band is not on!
In an effort to minimize the legal jargon and to make the application process as friendly as possible we have avoided the use of strict “terms and conditions”.
However, we will take it as granted that in filling out and submitting the application, the person doing so (and the Contact listed on the application form if a different person) has the permission to represent the artist/act and all members of the act in all dealings with the Yuin Folk Club / Cobargo Folk Festival.
It is the responsibility of the representative for the artist/act to pass on all the information provided by the festival to all members of the act. Similarly, it is also the responsibility of the representative of the act to inform the Festival of any changes to the information provided in the application. Such changes may have implications with regard to the outcome of the application. It is also the best way to ensure that problems later on with regard to performers' ticketing, admission, accommodation, and performance scheduling are avoided.
The Festival receives many times the number of applications than we can book. There are always many disappointed acts. Rejection of an application does not necessarily reflect lack of quality. Choices in programming are made on a number of different criteria each year and we endeavour to produce a varied program from year to year. If not successful one year, please consider reapplying for another year.
Unsuccessful applicants are also reminded that the Festival has blackboard-concert type venues and you are welcome to attend and participate in such concerts, sessions, etc. Our festival organizers often “talent-scout” such venues for future festivals or folk club concerts throughout the year.
1) Type of Material “Folk” covers a broad spectrum of music styles, both traditional and contemporary. The Festival includes elements of blues, bluegrass, country, Anglo-Celtic, world-music, jazz, singer-songwriters, folkloric dancing, indigenous, bush poetry and yarn-telling, comedy, etc. It is very difficult to be prescriptive as to styles and many performers are at home in different music ‘scenes’ (eg country and folk). However, performers who are exclusively ‘pop’ or ‘rock’ for example are unlikely to be successful.
2) Type of Performances. Performers offering workshops and themed presentations are always more favoured than those just offering concert performances. Performers who can also play for children and dances are also sought. We also prefer performers who do not place too many restrictions on their availability, who can stay for the whole festival and participate in sessions and the general festival atmosphere.
3) Returning Performers. Generally speaking we try not to book acts for more than two years out of three. In an effort to support our local performers we make an exception to this rule and many of our local performers are regulars. However, quality is the important determining factor and just because you live locally will not necessarily guarantee you a spot. For performers coming from further afield we may also make an exception where an established act fits a hard-to-fill niche or comes up with something new and innovative (such as interesting themed concerts and presentations). Consequently, do not be too surprised or disappointed if your application is not successful if you have performed at the previous couple of festivals even if you were a “hit” at those festivals. We have probably just chosen to give you a break this time around and may have you back in future years.
4) Fees. The Festival is a small, not-for-profit event with a limited budget, run by volunteers so please take this into consideration when quoting a fee. Be realistic if you wish your application to be considered. All fees quoted are to be totally inclusive of all costs such as GST, travel, visas, meals. International performers please refer to note above. We provide free accommodation either as onsite camping (preferred) or billeted with local residents (limited).
5) Street performers, buskers, artists are welcome to apply but we limit the number of such acts and they must not interfere with scheduled performances. Such acts who have performances suitable for young children (eg, clowns, magic acts, puppeteers, kids crafts, etc) are sought for our Children’s program.
In general, the festival will program up to four performances per act, usually a combination of concerts, workshops and themed concerts over the three days of the festival.
If your act has material suitable for one of our themed concerts (e.g. The Political Soapbox concert, The Comedy concert), you may be asked to contribute a couple of songs in one of those. We may also invite one or more of your members to contribute to our instrumental forum concerts (e.g. “Glorious Guitars”, “Festival Fiddles”, etc). These will be in addition to your main performances.
Concert performances per act vary between 30 minutes to one hour (usually 45 minutes), workshops 45 to 90 minutes, dance demonstrations 20 to 30 minutes. Setup time is usually included within the performance time (e.g. a 45 min spot equates to 40mins performance time and 5 minutes set up time). The quicker you can set up, the more performance time you have! If your act has special requirements that will necessitate a longer set up time, you need to let us know so that we can schedule your performances at times that will allow this and minimize the effect on the rest of the schedule.
Accommodation in Cobargo is very limited. Some billets are possible but we are able to offer complimentary on-site camping with all amenities including powered sites (you have to provide your own camping equipment). Many performers prefer to camp onsite. Please consider the advantages of onsite camping (savings on travel time and cost, being able to participate in the many festival activities and socializing, etc) and the limited off-site accommodation available when applying.
The Festival’s public liability insurance requires that all performers carry their own insurance. This is not unique to the Cobargo Folk Festival and you will find that most festivals and venues have the same requirement these days. Unfortunately, in this increasing litigious society this is becoming a necessity and it would be in the best interests of all performers to carry their own public liability insurance.
The festival welcomes performers partners and children (under 16) providing their details are supplied in advance (this will be requested in the second stage of the application process). We do not provide additional tickets for other guests. If required, a festival pass will be provided for both parents (or guardians) of a performer under 16 years. If the performance is on one day only, a day pass for that day will be issued (which can be upgraded to a weekend pass by purchasing the balance). Again, we request that the names be supplied in the in advance. We cannot issue free festival passes at the festival gate.
1) Representative sound sample: If you are applying as a solo act, a recording of you with a huge backing band would not be representative of your act. We would rather hear a poor quality recording of you solo than a slick, commercially produced CD of you with a large number of backing musicians. Similarly, if you are proposing to have some accompanying musicians, please endeavour to include them on the recording submitted. A recording from a live performance would be ideal.
2) We only require brief descriptions in the Expression Of Interest form. Additional information and photos will be requested from the performers invited to complete the second stage of the application process. The following information applies to that second stage application form:
(a) Images should be a minimum 300 DPI in JPG format (as separate files, not inside a Word doc). Only include photos that you would be happy to have included in the festival program book and publicity material if selected. Please do not send flyers or poster for gigs.
(b) Please note that sending additional bio / background information is NOT a substitute for supplying a brief bio on the application form. The latter will be used for the performer information in the program book. So think carefully about the wording of this bio. Many well organized performers have a prepared media document with multiple bio versions; for example a 25 word bio, 50 word bio and 100 word bio which can be used for different purposes.
(c) Unless you specifically request it AND include a postage-paid return addresses envelope, all support material sent to us will be retained for our files. We often refer to these files when formulating future festival programs.
The Festival organizing committee hopes that the above information has been helpful in deciding whether or not to apply and an assistance in the completion of the application process if you do decide to go ahead. Good luck with your application!