To celebrate 10 years of Sounds of Australia, the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) is calling upon music lovers and history buffs to suggest this year’s additions for the prestigious honour list.
Since launching in 2007, more than 100 sounds have been added to the Sounds of Australiaregistry. Each recording has been chosen for its relevance to our national identity, from definitive rock ballad’s like Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh to iconic jingles like the 1938 Aeroplane Jelly Song.
Now, it’s time for Australians to have their say on what’s missing. Is there a power ballad so awesome it needs to be preserved for eternity? A famous speech or radio program that’s been overlooked? With nominations for 2017 open until midnight on Sunday 13 August, this is your chance to do right by your favourite classics.
Members of the public are invited to nominate up to three sounds for consideration. They can be popular songs, jingles, famous speeches, radio broadcasts or any other sound recordings. The only criteria for eligibility is that the recordings are Australian and more than 10 years old. The current list even includes records of extinct Indigenous languages.
Fans of particular singers, bands or shows are encouraged to share their top picks and gather support on social media using the hashtag #SoundsOfAustralia.
For anyone with a fondness for music released as recently as 2007, this means that songs such as Silverchair’s ‘Straight Lines’ and Thirsty Merc’s ‘20 Good Reasons’ are now eligible for nomination.
The public nominations will be reviewed by a panel of industry experts, who will then make a final selection of ten sounds to be added to the Sounds of Australia.
Sounds that are selected will be preserved by the NFSA for years to come, giving future generations the chance to discover and enjoy the recordings.
Nominations can be submitted on the NFSA website or on social media.