Imagine a world with no music, no theatres, no galleries or street art…
Imagine watching your favourite movie without the soundtrack playing…
Imagine surviving the extended COVID lockdowns without music, television, books…
At Alberts, impact investing means using our resources to create the world we want to live in and which we want future generations to inherit. A healthy, thriving world – both planet and people, are central to this.
But equally important is a world rich with creativity.
It can be easy to forget the role creativity plays in all our lives. I for one was brought to tears when we were able as a team to attend Hamilton just after the late 2021 lockdown in Sydney lifted. Everyone was a little nervous, no one had seen this many people in one place in a long time, especially not in an enclosed theatre… And then, the stage lights went up and the audience roared. There were performers back on stage, musicians in the pit, the backstage crew working tirelessly to pull it all together and it was magic. There was something in the air that night. There was a sense of euphoria, a recognition of what we’d been deprived of, and the common yearning for it was palpable.
Creativity and the arts have taken central stage in most ancient and indigenous civilisations. Rituals celebrated with song, dance, art. History, knowledge, beliefs passed from one generation to the next through beautifully woven stories.
Our own heritage at Alberts has celebrated the role of music in particular. We’ve been investing in music and the creative industries since 1885. From our early days with music stores, sheet music and mouth organs, through to the birth of radio, television, and rock and roll. Making music accessible to all and providing a stage for artists to challenge and entertain us.
We continue to believe in the role of creativity as the heartbeat of our collective soul. These days we are looking for new ways to support and bolster this. In 2012 we established The Tony Foundation which uses music as a tool to improve life outcomes for young Australians. Then in 2019 we launched Alberts Impact Ventures, backing the next generation of creative pioneers through our impact ventures fund. And we continue to back other big, bold, creative ideas.
Some of the pioneers we’ve invested in include start-up ventures Muso and Tixel. Muso is a next generation booking platform connecting artists and hirers. It’s ensuring a fair wage and conditions for artists and providing them visibility and access to opportunities. Tixel is providing a solution to the often-fraudulent secondhand ticket marketplace. It provides an ethical and transparent ticket exchange enabling more fans to get to the events they love at a fair price.
And looking beyond the arts for their own intrinsic value – what also of the role of the arts in these uncertain times to help lift us from despair, to reunite us, to find joy, to process our pain, to challenge behaviors and beliefs, and to ignite innovation?
The arts has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the pandemic and yet it may hold the key to our recovery. For if we are to create the change we wish to see in the world, we certainly need creativity. As we seek to rebuild and bolster the creative economy, so too are we rebuilding and bolstering ourselves, our communities, our wellbeing and our mental health. And with that superpower, anything is possible.
Come and join us at Aurora, during the Impact Investment Summit, for an evening of stories, creativity, community and connection, and help us celebrate the arts as a vital and valuable part of our village. Wednesday 30 March 6pm – 10pm