Sounds of Australia goes web 2.0

A new, more interactive presentation of the Sounds of Australia collection is now available from australianscreen.

One of the main reasons we started the Sounds of Australia in 2007 was to find out what recordings people care about and why. This new website makes it easy for you to give us feedback – by adding a review or commenting about the sounds online. We would love to hear if you have information or personal reminiscences about the recordings in the collection.

We also want to hear your nominations for the 2010 additions to the Sounds of Australia. Nominations close 4 July 2010 with the announcement in August 2010.

In the 3 years since launching the registry we have learned that people are passionate about all kinds of sounds and music. Often people’s first reaction is to mention a sound from the environment – the call of a magpie, or the siren that heralds the finish of a footie match. This tells us a lot about what people care about, but to be on the register a sound must exist in the form of a recording. It could be a published record or CD, a recording of an old radio serial, or a tape in a library or archive collection. The recording should have relevance to Australia, and must be more than 10 years old to be eligible.

I hope you enjoy the new look Sounds of Australia on australianscreen and look forward to seeing your comments on the website, and your nominations for this year’s Sounds of Australia.