Braxton Neate

At Browning Street Studios, we do things a little differently. We are an organisation founded on principles of livelihood, autonomy and professional development for local musicians, and in June this year, we became the first Worker-Owned Cooperative (as far as we can tell) in the history of Australia’s music industry.

Our teachers are no good at blowing their own trumpets, or banging their drum (okay no more musical puns, promise!) – but we’re now one of the largest independent enterprises in West End. We’re run by musicians, for musicians, and importantly – we own and control our own livelihoods which ultimately benefits our students and the broader community.

For our first five years, Browning Street was run as a community enterprise with a sole proprietor. A truly musician-owned enterprise was going to take time to build, and - while the transition is almost complete - we're not quite there yet!

In June 2013 we created the new cooperative entity, building systems and processes in anticipation of the collective taking over operations of Browning Street Studios at the beginning of 2014. But to achieve this, we run into costs outside of our normal operating expenses. Basically, the Cooperative need to buy the assets of the business and take over the leasehold interests in our buildings and facilities. This comes at a cost of around $1,650 per teacher, costs predominantly in the form of security bonds on our commercial leases.

While our business is founded on principles of a living wage for local musicians, few of us are in the position to make such a financial investment in the Cooperative. Which is why we’re asking you to help us make history.

We’re not asking for straight-out gifts of money per se, but we are asking our students and supporters to consider investing in some lessons “up front” for 2014, or particularly, introducing friends or family to Browning Street Studios. The full range of pledges, and their rewards, are listed on this pozible page.

Importantly, we’re hoping to reach our target by New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2013). We know this is a tight time frame, but we also know how strong the Browning Street community is and we are confident that together we can all make history!