Addi Sounds is a research collaboration between Addison Road Community Organisation and The Australian National University, exploring how music production can be used as a tool for community expression, inclusion, and connection. Addi Road is a community-run organisation focused on social justice, inclusion, and grassroots cultural and community activity. Located in the heart of the Addi Road site in Marrickville, Addi Sounds is a community recording studio embedded within this broader creative and social environment.
- Location: Addi Road Community Organization, Marrickville
- Partners: Addison Road Community Organisation and ANU
- Focus: Community recording, music production, and practice-based research
- Who it’s for: Local musicians, young people, community groups, and storytellers
Over the past few decades, music production has become more affordable and accessible through new technologies. Yet many communities continue to face barriers to accessing the tools, spaces, and support needed to record and share their stories through music. Addi Sounds responds to this challenge by embedding a fully functioning recording program within the broader creative and social environment of Addi Road.
Addi Sounds is designed not simply as a technical facility, but as a creative and social space where local musicians, storytellers, and community members can come together to create, collaborate, and build skills. Through workshops, mentoring, and supported studio sessions, participants develop experience in songwriting, recording, and music production while working in an inclusive and supportive environment. The project is grounded in the belief that music is not only a form of artistic expression, but also a means of building connection, fostering wellbeing, and amplifying voices that may not otherwise be heard.
Researchers from ANU work alongside the Addi Road team to better understand how community-based music production initiatives can serve and strengthen the communities they support. A community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodology underpins the co-design process, positioning community members as active collaborators in both the creative practice and research dimensions of the project. The research examines how programs like Addi Sounds contribute to positive social and cultural outcomes, align with the mission of community organisations, and are shaped through responsiveness to community priorities.
The project involves close collaboration between Addi Road staff and researchers from the ANU School of Music, including Dr Pat O’Grady, Associate Professor Bonnie McConnell, and Matt Barnes, who contribute expertise in music production, practice research, and community-engaged research. The studio has also been used by organisations, including Mission Australia and KinHub, demonstrating strong community demand and the flexibility of the space to support a range of programs and participants.
This research aims to develop a transferable model for how other community organisations might establish their own recording spaces—designed by and for the communities they serve—while contributing to broader scholarship in music production, creative practice research, and community arts.
Links: https://addiroad.org.au/