Rock Dogs

Can rock n' roll and politics mix? Rock Dogs looks at the impact of government music policies on the Australian music scene, youth culture, and national identity.In the 1980s to early 1990s, rock music in Australia became one of the unlikely targets of the Australian Labor Party's (A.L.P.) cultural policies.Younger A.L.P. politicians and activists were galvanized to create a series of unique initiatives, such as Ausmusic and the Victorian Rock Foundation, which targeted Australian youth through the music industry. The policies, which used techniques adapted from other cultural industries like television and film, were diverse and innovative, but unproven in the music industry. Despite the optimism fueling these cultural policies, various governmental inquiries, increased resistance from major studios, and a growing divide between the needs of the people and the music industry eventually dampened them. Rock Dogs is a candid, observant study of the legacy of these cultural policies and the larger debate over the creation and preservation of a national culture.

Marcus Breen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northeastern University in Boston. He was Chairman of the Victorian Rock Foundation and a prominent music writer for the Melbourne Herald, Sunday Herald, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard Magazine, and Business International. He also works as a consultant in the fields of communications and trade policy in the developing world.