Music hub going strong
WHAT if you could combine the creative genius of young southern Gold Coasters with a tried and tested business model known to drive innovation and increase productivity?
You'd have the brainchild of Southern Cross University PHD candidate Benn Farr-Wharton.
It's called the Southern Gold Coast Music Hub and it lets creative types in the area network and collaborate online.
Initially launched in 2010, the hub has doubled its membership from exclusively performers, venues and festivals to include local studios and designers, artists, web developers and graphic designers.
A brand new website was launched at Never Land Bar in Coolangatta last night.
It features a series of evolving diagrams showing each member's connections.
"There has never been much research into how creative clusters emerge but through the website we can map the development of a cluster in real-time," Mr Farr-Wharton said.
"At the same time, this technology has connectivity functions which have positive spillovers to product innovation.
"Eventually, if the music hub is successful it would be a model that could be replicated into any region to develop a creative capacity there."
Mr Farr-Wharton said the southern Gold Coast was attracting more and more creative types.
"We did some data collection and the comments we got back were that it is becoming recognised as a creative area, not just a place for tourists and families."
The director of the Research Centre for Tourism, Leisure and Work at SCU, Professor Kerry Brown, believes the website is the perfect mechanism for people in creative industries to build their networks.
"Better connected people and organisations do better," she said.
Visit the new website here.
