Category Archives: Australia Blog

News and notes from Google down under

Introducing YouTube Music Sessions: Today’s music headliners with support from tomorrow’s

How many times have you been to a gig or festival and fallen in love with a new artist? I remember seeing Thandi Phoenix perform live right before she released her first EP last year -- it was soulful and captivating. Her song ‘Say It’ is full of energy and so catchy, it quickly became a favourite in our house. Seeing her on stage, and now being able to watch her career grow and more people discover her talent, is really special.
But 2020 has delivered the unexpected, with the entire music industry affected by COVID-19.
“The live music industry was probably one of the worst affected as a result of COVID-19. It’s been really horrible seeing all the tours and festivals cancelled and knowing that so many people have lost work for months on end.” -- Jessica Mauboy 
As music fans we feel the loss, as it has become harder for us to find our new favourite artists at gigs. But for emerging artists, cancelled support tours and festival appearances means they are missing out on essential exposure to new audiences as well as associations and endorsements from other more established artists, not to mention the financial impact too.
“Not being able to play live shows during these times has really impacted the ability for all artists to reach new audiences. As an emerging artist, live shows and support slots in particular are super integral in getting you in front of new audiences, new communities, cities and in developing a fanbase.” -- Emalia 
So we can all keep discovering new music and Australian artists can have a platform to connect with fans around the world, we are introducing YouTube Music Sessions, in partnership with ARIA -- a series of four exclusive online performances by leading Australian artists, supported by up and comers through virtual support slots this August.

“We know it’s not easy, at the best of times, being a new artist on the scene trying to get your music out there so I think it’s such an important thing right now for the community to come together and help each other out.” -- Jack Gray 
Premiering live every Wednesday this August at 7pm, one headliner and one support act will perform for audiences around the world.

August 5 
Lime Cordiale supported by Mia Rodriguez 
Fresh from their #1 ARIA Album release, Oli and Louis are pumped to be able to share Mia’s sound with their fans: “We’ve been following her progress for a while and her vibe is mad. She works with the same producer as us so every now and then we get a little sneak peek at some of her upcoming music and it’s always so exciting.”
August 12 
Jessica Mauboy supported by Emalia 
Emalia is honoured to share a virtual stage with Jessica Mauboy: “Supporting Jess is pretty surreal to me. I was a big fan of her growing up and she is such an icon of the Australian music scene. To be able to play the YouTube Music Sessions with her, at a time when I believe sharing music to spread love and healing is vital, feels really special.”
August 19 
Paul Kelly supported by Eliott 
Eliott is trying to contain her excitement in singing alongside Paul Kelly: “Paul Kelly is such an incredible songwriter and performer, so authentic and raw. Which is something I always strive to be in my own music.”
August 26 
Vera Blue supported by Jack Gray 
Vera Blue can’t wait to see Jack’s career take off: “Jack Gray is an incredibly cool up and coming artist! I love his style and his voice is so unique. His songs have a semi electronic rock style with emotion and which reminds of surfy skate rock culture.”
Each performance will stream on the headliner’s YouTube channel and will be playlisted on the YouTube Australia and New Zealand channel and the ARIA channel.
We couldn’t celebrate the music industry like this without the support of ARIA and are thrilled the team are partnering with us.
Dan Rosen, ARIA Chief Executive, said, “ARIA is thrilled to continue our partnership with YouTube and provide another platform for music fans around the world to engage with Australian artists. During these challenging times we have seen Australian audiences move to watch even more online performances, and our artists have done an amazing job in helping us stay connected in this difficult period. I can’t wait to hear some incredible new music from some of our established greats and to discover new music from emerging artists on these YouTube Music Sessions.”
YouTube Music Sessions is also proud to help Support Act, Australia’s only charity delivering crisis relief services to artists, crew and music workers. For anyone tuning in to the performances and that can, please click the link in the description to make a donation to Support Act and show your love for our Aussie music industry. YouTube will be kicking the effort off with a $50,000 donation.
Clive Miller, Support Act CEO, said, “The pandemic has created intense financial hardship for artists, crew and music workers. It has also created significant anxiety, depression, career concerns and other mental health related issues, resulting in a 60% increase in utilisation of the Support Act Wellbeing Helpline.
“We’ll be using donations from YouTube Music Sessions to support our 24/7 professional counselling helpline as well as COVID-19 crisis relief grants -- which provide financial support in the areas of rent/mortgage, food, utilities, medical equipment and other expenses.”
“It’s really great that the organisation Support Act is involved so that we can support not only our artists during this tough time, but the crew and teams involved in making shows and festivals come together are being supported too.” -- Vera Blue 
We can’t wait to watch these performances and hope you’ll join us at 7pm each Wednesday night in August. Paul Kelly summed it up perfectly -- this is the time for the entire music industry to support each other.
“Emerging artists and established artists support each other. It isn’t a one-way street. I like to put a bill together with other artists so that we complement each other. It’s a kind of curation. A synergy. I love introducing young artists I like to my audience. I want that audience to walk away with the sense that they’ve just witnessed something that will never happen again.” -- Paul Kelly 

Posted by Mark Wheeler, Head of YouTube Marketing Australia -- who’s been listening to Tones And I’s The Kids Are Coming EP on repeat with his family over the last few weeks.

‘After School’ with YouTube Kids

Parents and caretakers,
We know this isn’t the easiest time for you. You’re juggling work, life, kids and the state of the world today. The struggle is real for you and all families around the world. I’m there as well, with two young sons of my own at home, asking me for some extra screen-time, even as I type this. It is increasingly difficult as a parent to choose the right content and how much of it is for our kids. That’s why we want to help you with a library of high quality full-length movies and specials that will enrich as well as entertain your children, and that you can enjoy along with them.
YouTube Kids is a platform of choice for many of you, and with the extended time being spent at home it has become even more helpful for families. While some schools are back to physical in-class instruction, others remain virtual. We want to help you keep your kids engaged, enriched and entertained ‘After School’ because as a parent I can understand how difficult a task that can often be. Therefore starting today, until August 31st, we will release over 100 movies and specials on YouTube Kids, ensuring that your kids have a memorable ‘After School’ experience.
Over 100 Movies & Specials now on YouTube Kids
From popular family movies and specials featuring Tayo the Little Bus, Baby Shark and Pinkfong, The Wiggles, Masha And The Bear, Oggy & the Cockroaches and Paddington, to a collection of the best animated short films anchored by Oscar-winning short film Hair Love, and a wide variety of educational specials including Sesame Street’s Elmo’s World News, produced in collaboration with the Lego Foundation, and selections from BBC Studios’ hit series, Hey Duggee. Every Monday starting today, for the next five weeks, we will surface these excellent movies and specials in the app's “Shows” category, as individual videos, as well as playlists.
As part of this initiative, we will premiere Spookiz, a new movie produced by Wildbrain in collaboration with South Korean studio Keyring Studios, exclusively on YouTube Kids. Moreover, we will also offer special YouTube Original content, including Disney's complete series Shook and two Simon's Cat specials courtesy of Endemol Shine, for kids ages six and up.
We also have a wide variety of YouTube Originals available on YouTube Originals for Kids & Family Channel and YouTube Kids, including SHERWOOD for kids age eight and older, Kings of Atlantis and Fruit Ninja Frenzy Force for ages five and up, and current favourite for many kids and tweens across the world -- Lockdown, suitable for ages five and up.
Oscar-winning short film Hair Love on YouTube Kids
That’s not all, you could create a movie watching experience for your kids at home by making their favourite flavoured popcorn, movie night kits, setting ambient lighting, tweaking those sound settings, and don't forget to introduce them to the movie characters ahead of the movie. One interesting activity I love doing with my kids is to get them to produce their own movie review or create their own story based on the movie we just watched together. It's a great way to help them learn and improve their writing and communication skills. Check out this great video in YouTube Kids to teach your children how to craft their own stories today.
In addition, we are continuing to feature evergreen monthly themes on YouTube Kids, including our Month of Reading with a focus on diversity and inclusion, and read-alongs featuring Oprah Winfrey, Oscar Award winning actor Rami Malek and James Bond actress Michelle Yeoh from StorylineOnline. Moreover, just last month we announced Camp YouTube: a digital learning experience to help parents recreate the fun of summer camp at home. Camp YouTube spotlights content on the Learn@Home site and YouTube Kids across beloved summer camp themes, such as arts, adventure, sports, STEM, and more. With over 1,200 videos programmed, we want to take kids on a virtual journey of learning and exploration. Families can discover how to make a tide pool aquarium in their backyard with Brave Wilderness, make art with household items while learning art history with the ArtistYear, or learn coding with Goldieblox.
YouTube Kids app was built keeping in mind kids below the age of 13 years. It's a family-friendly place for kids to explore their imagination and curiosity. The app empowers parents to control what YouTube content their child can see, including the option to only allow content from trusted partners like Sesame Street, ChuChu TV, Bounce Patrol and PBS Kids, or hand pick other videos and channels to create a curated playlist for their kids.
We know this time of the year may be a bit different for a lot of us. However, with the help of our partners and creators, we hope you and your families can experience a great time right from your homes.

Posted by Don Anderson, Head of Family & Learning Partnerships, YouTube APAC

New Media Literacy Lab equips students with essential skills to identify misinformation and stay safe online

This is a guest blog post from Lesley Podesta, CEO of the Alannah & Madeline Foundation.

The Alannah & Madeline Foundation is one of Australia’s most respected children’s charities, and is dedicated to protecting children from violence and its devastating impact. 

With the online world playing an increasingly important role in the lives of young Australians for education and entertainment, it’s more important than ever that we help them to develop skills to stay safe and identify misinformation.

Today, with the help of a $1.4 million investment from Google.org, we’ve launched Media Literacy Lab - the first dedicated teaching and learning tool where Australian students can develop crucial critical thinking abilities to navigate online environments. This new media literacy toolkit is currently available for free to Australian students nationally. Teachers can register at medialiteracylab.org.au

This groundbreaking education program will draw on fictional narratives with real-life examples to help students identify trusted sources of information, understand the impacts of hate speech and avoid manipulation.




“In Year 7, a time when everyone is connecting to the online world, kids don’t always know what to do,’’ said 15-year-old Solli Raphael.

Solli is a published author who has used social media to promote his book and connect with his audience. Now a Youth Ambassador for Media Literacy Lab, Solli believes the program will benefit fellow students as they embark on the online world for the first time.

“The lessons in the Lab are really engaging. There’s not an information overload and it’s all clear and easy to understand. This will really empower young people,” Solli said.

We’ve developed the first-of-its-kind program with industry experts, academics and schools. It’s designed for students aged 12 to 16, who will navigate six modules that are gamified and youth-driven.

Students will learn about media essentials, ways that they can verify information sources and be aware of deepfakes and bots. We’ve worked to ensure these important messages are delivered in a way that’s safe, insightful and engaging.

Young people aged over 13 mostly get news from three sources - social media, family and TV, but with those who rely on social media, only about half pay attention to the original source.

Media literacy skills are incredibly important for young people who can have a difficult time when it comes to determining fact from opinion. This means they can be more susceptible to misinformation, manipulation and hate speech.

Our Media Literacy Lab will work to shape a generation of media-savvy Australians who are more skilled to see this harmful activity for what it is, can better examine information and make more informed decisions.



“In Year 7, a time when everyone is connecting to the online world, kids don’t always know what to do,’’ said 15-year-old Solli Raphael.

Solli is a published author who has used social media to promote his book and connect with his audience. Now a Youth Ambassador for Media Literacy Lab, Solli believes the program will benefit fellow students as they embark on the online world for the first time.

“The lessons in the Lab are really engaging. There’s not an information overload and it’s all clear and easy to understand. This will really empower young people,” Solli said.

We’ve developed the first-of-its-kind program with industry experts, academics and schools. It’s designed for students aged 12 to 16, who will navigate six modules that are gamified and youth-driven.

Students will learn about media essentials, ways that they can verify information sources and be aware of deepfakes and bots. We’ve worked to ensure these important messages are delivered in a way that’s safe, insightful and engaging.

Young people aged over 13 mostly get news from three sources - social media, family and TV, but with those who rely on social media, only about half pay attention to the original source.

Media literacy skills are incredibly important for young people who can have a difficult time when it comes to determining fact from opinion. This means they can be more susceptible to misinformation, manipulation and hate speech.

Our Media Literacy Lab will work to shape a generation of media-savvy Australians who are more skilled to see this harmful activity for what it is, can better examine information and make more informed decisions.