Support Act’s AusMusic T-Shirt Day is scaling up its industry backing for 2026, with Commercial Radio & Audio (CRA), ABC Radio and triple j joining forces to drive awareness and fundraising for music workers doing it tough.
The annual fundraising initiative will return on Thursday, 26 November, with CRA member networks including Southern Cross Austereo’s Hit and Triple M, Nova Entertainment, ARN’s KIIS and Gold, ACE Radio Network and Tapt Media committing high-frequency on-air inventory, talent reads and network activations in the lead-up to the event.
Foundational partner triple j will also return for its 13th year, with the ABC youth network set to support the campaign across its national audience, alongside the wider ABC Radio network.
The expanded media backing builds on last year’s industry-wide radio support, giving Support Act access to a significantly broader broadcast footprint across metro and regional Australia.
Alongside the media partnerships, Support Act has appointed music creative agency BRING, part of Universal Music for Brands, to lead the campaign’s creative direction and production for 2026.
Independent communications agency Sound Story will also return, this time with an expanded remit covering integrated media campaign execution, PR and the campaign’s ambassador framework.
The new campaign platform, developed by BRING, is titled ‘Keep Aussie Music On Rotation’ and uses a laundromat setting to connect the familiar ritual of wearing band merchandise with fundraising for Support Act.
The creative uses the rinse-and-spin cycle of a band T-shirt as a metaphor for keeping Australia’s music industry moving, with donations represented as a “coin in the slot”.
BRING General Manager of Partnerships Brooke Pilton said the campaign was designed to work across broadcast, digital and the wider supporter network.
“We wanted to build a campaign world that feels fresh, vibrant, and inherently scalable across broadcast and digital,” Pilton said.
Sound Story Managing Partner Jake Challenor said the expanded campaign required a structure capable of connecting the various media, corporate and artist partners.
“Scaling a national campaign across 260+ radio stations, major corporate workplaces, and dozens of artist ambassadors requires a seamless campaign architecture,” Challenor said.
The campaign will run under the broader call to action ‘Wear, Share, Donate, Repeat’, with Sound Story coordinating the national rollout across its broadcast and partnership network.
CRA chief executive Lizzie Young said the organisation’s member networks were again backing the initiative to turn radio audiences’ connection with music into direct support for the industry.
“Following the impact we achieved together in our first year, our member networks across metro and regional Australia are proud to back AusMusic T-Shirt Day again, using our airwaves to turn listener passion into tangible support for the artists and crews behind the music,” Young said.
Meanwhile, triple j and Double J head Lachlan Macara said: “triple j remains as passionate as ever about championing Australian music, supporting local artists and the industry around them,” Macara said.
Support Act chief executive Clive Miller said the combined backing from commercial radio, the ABC and triple j would give the fundraising campaign “unprecedented scale”.
AusMusic T-Shirt Day is also supported by founding partner ARIA, while American Apparel and Love Police return as partners for 2026.
The two partners will donate the production and printing costs for this year’s limited-edition T-shirt collection, allowing more of the proceeds from shirt sales to go towards Support Act and music workers in need.
