Sweat It Out’s Kristy Lee Peters (AKA KLP) and Melodie’s Evan Buist will wave the flag abroad later this year, thanks to national funding designed to clear the way for music publishers to attend international conferences.

KLP and Buist are the music publisher recipients of the Music Australia International Conference Contribution (MAICC) third and final funding round for 2025, a program that will be extended through 2026.

The third round supports Australian music publishers to attend key international conferences occurring in September to December 2025 inclusive, helping the recipient to discover new markets, grow export revenue and create more global opportunities for local songwriters and composers.

With that support, KLP, the APRA and ARIA Award-nominated artist, and A&R executive in Sweat It Out’s publishing division, is headed to Amsterdam Dance Event 2025, presented in late October. At ADE, she’ll run a first-of-its-kind Australian songwriting camp, representing independent dance publishers globally.

Buist, founder and managing director of Melodie, the Australian-built sync licensing platform, will attend Music Tectonics in Los Angeles this November, where he will promote his business and its growing roster of homegrown composers.

“We’re proud to back the next generation of publishers flying the flag for Australian music globally,” comments Damian Rinaldi, CEO of AMPAL, which administers the MAICC program for the benefit of its members.

“This program is all about long-term impact,” adds Rinaldi, “opening doors, building networks and creating meaningful opportunities for music publishers and their songwriters.”

The initiative is assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia, which is extending MAICC into 2026, “a powerful vote of confidence in AMPAL’s members and the future of Australian music publishing,” Rinaldi remarks.

This funding initiative has already supported over 40 Australian music publisher applicants to attend major international music conferences, with each recipient receiving contributions of up to $5,000 to get on their way.

AMPAL was formed in 1956 and today boasts more than 50 music publisher members, collectively representing upwards of 90% of the economic value of the music publishing sector.