Ausmusic T-Shirt Day is an annual day of recognition and support for Australian musicians, held every November (Ausmusic Month) since 2013. It was founded by national youth radio station Triple J. Participants are encouraged to wear a t-shirt representing their favourite local artist, and make a donation to music industrycharity Support Act. The initiative raises hundreds of thousands of dollars every year through the sales of limited edition t-shirts, often sold at community markets across the country.
History
From 2007, British DJ Steve Lamacq annually championed Wear Your Old Band T-Shirt to Work Day, an initiative he created as host of BBC Radio 6 Music. Inspired by this, Ollie Wards, content director of Australian youth radio station Triple J, began a social media trend in 2013 with the hashtag #AusBandTShirtDay. Two years later, it started becoming known as #AusMusicTShirtDay to be inclusive of solo musicians. In 2015, the initiative began receiving support from the Australian Recording Industry Association.[1]
Since 2017, the initiative has raised funds for Support Act, an Australian charity that assists those in the music industry facing personal hardships.[2] A range of limited edition t-shirt designs are made available specifically for Ausmusic T-Shirt Day every year, with all net profits directed towards Support Act. In 2023, the artists participating in this range included John Farnham, Cold Chisel, Kylie Minogue, Gang of Youths and G Flip.[3] For the 2023 event, over $700,000 was raised for Support Act, derived from over 680 fundraisers.[4]
