AUSTRALIA’S LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY QUESTIONED AT GOVT INQUIRY

The future of Australia’s live music industry is being questioned at a federal government inquiry after a challenging year of venues closing and major festivals cancelling events.

The Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts heard evidence from a variety of stakeholders, including the state government’s Arts Queensland, peak body QMusic, and a research round table.

“When we go out and reach out to and speak to our venues in Queensland, [we’re] hearing almost the same challenges being repeated time and time again,” QMusic CEO Kris Stewart told the inquiry.

“If we want an Australian industry in 10 years, we need to acknowledge that our small music venues, they are the soil from which our artists grow. If that soil dies, no seeds can come from that.”

Griffith University’s Ben Green, speaking on behalf of the Regional Music Research Group, said non-metropolitan areas had the same number of musicians per capita as capital cities, but availability, distance and cost were all barriers.

“There’s evidence that the benefits of live music — economic, cultural, and social, including for health and wellbeing — can be significant and keenly felt in regional and remote Australia,” said Dr Green.

“However, despite the demand and benefits, regional Australia has lower rates of participation in cultural events, including live music. While I would stress the diversity of regional Australia, we see cost and availability, including distance, commonly cited as barriers.”

He said there was also less specialised infrastructure and fewer local production experts, like sound technicians.

Sustaining new entries to the industry

Independent researcher at Griffith University Diana Tolmie told the inquiry the industry was unable to sustain the careers of grassroots, up-and-coming artists, with some people viewing a career in music as “fun and entertaining”, but not serious business.

“My very recent research data also acknowledges that increasingly, musicians are exiting the profession owing to unsustainable financial and workplace experiences. This age group is becoming exponentially younger, and is two-thirds female,” she said.

She told the inquiry music graduates were among the most educated and dynamic people in the country, and that losing people with a creative education could affect other industries.

“These musicians, who are more educated than the population average, have a plethora of well-honed, transferable soft skills that benefit their non-music workplaces by increasing productivity, professional standards and morale.”

In terms of performance infrastructure, mid-size music venues were key to small artists making a run at a more extensive career.

The operator of Brisbane venue the Zoo, Shane Chidgzey, said that while the pubs and larger venues have been largely keeping their heads above water, mid-size venues like the Zoo have been dying out.

He told the inquiry the food-and-beverage business model for small venues wasn’t sustainable anymore.

“People shouldn’t have to get drunk to keep a music industry alive, and that’s what it is,” he said.

He said the closure of these venues left a gap in the performing market that could be insurmountable to smaller artists.

 

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