Rod Davies

Dr Rod Davies is one of Australia's leading practitioner researchers in the fields of recording studio production and songwriting. His academic work has resulted in two books that investigate studio production from the music practitioner's lens, as well as several articles on how the copyright system in Australia affects professional musicians working in these spaces. Davies' work impacts cultural policy by contributing to continuing debates on law reform in the arts and cultural sectors.

Rod is the convenor of Popular Music and a lecturer in Songwriting at the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance.

Graduating with a Bachelor of Science (psychology and physiology) from Monash University in 1995, Davies has since sustained a diverse career as a professional vocalist in the fields of live performance, studio recording, music theatre, music publishing and education.

He has experienced firsthand the full breadth of live performance – as a solo artist, a commercial entertainer and a backing singer to Australian music icons John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Tina Arena and Mark Seymour.

As a session vocalist, Davies’ performances on TV (Hey Hey its Saturday, 1996-2010; Dancing with the Stars, 2004-2015), radio and album recordings, has developed a reputation, skillset and understanding of studio vocal recording that is rarely matched.

His experience as a music theatre performer (Piano Men, 1996), writer (Pop!, 1999) and musical director (Kissing Frogs, 2003; Minefields and Miniskirts, 2005), has also developed a keen interest in this field of performance and creativity.

In 2006 Rod took his creative talents to Europe, signing a songwriting deal with EMI Music Publishing Germany. Over the following six years he regularly travelled through northern Europe, writing and recording with local songwriters, producers and artists.

Davies joined the school of music staff in 2016, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge and understanding of popular voice and songwriting with Monash students. His PhD topic researched performance in the vocal recording booth.

Research interests
My work focuses on understanding how to build thriving and sustainable music communities within the Australian creative industries.

Having worked as a professional musician for over 25 years, I have seen first-hand how technological, legislative and societal change affects the careers and lives of working musicians.

Recently, I documented anomalies in the Australian recording industry that directly impact musicians, depriving them of valuable income and recognition. This research is currently influencing a government inquiry into legislative copyright reforms.

I am now working on a project that investigates how skills, attributes, competencies and knowledge can be designed and utilised by tertiary educators, government and industry to create clearer pathways for the next generation of musicians to enter the workplace and be rewarded with remuneration commensurate to their advanced skill set.

As well as working on these projects as a researcher, I am also a federal councillor for the Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, where I serve as an advisor to the union, industry and government.