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A federal government inquiry has been evaluating the future of Australia’s live music industry following a challenging year for venues and major festivals.
A number of iconic venues have closed and festivals cancelled in Australia this year, and the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts has held discussions with the industry’s stakeholders.
Members from the state government’s Arts Queensland, peak body QMusic and a research round table have been heard from, according to reports.
“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 chief executive Kris Stewart told the inquiry, as per ABC News.
Additionally, barriers against regional musicians were highlighted including distance, availability and cost.
“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 Griffith University’s Dr Ben Green, who was speaking on behalf of the Regional Music Research Group.
“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.”
The Regional Music Research Group also proposed using major international touring acts like Taylor Swift and the Foo Fighters to drive ‘discoverability’ in the Australian industry.
QMusic’s Stewart proposed the idea of levy on tickets, similar to a policy explored by the Music Venue Trust in the UK, to help sustain local music industries.
Suggestions were further made to use major events, like sports matches and tournaments, as a way to highlight Australian artists.
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