Under the 10,000 Gigs program,first announced by then premier Daniel Andrews in the lead up to the November 2022 state election,Labor promised support to the sector as it struggled to recover from the prolonged disruptions wrought by COVID.
Band posters at The Tote in Collingwood. A government scheme designed to support live music is poorly designed,say critics.Justin McManus
“We’ll cement Victoria’s position as one of the world’s top live music destinations with a $7.5 million Live Music Performers Fund,backing thousands of Victorian musicians and artists to pack venues across the state and perform 10,000 gigs over the next four years,” a press release issued by Andrews’ office claimed.
In April this year,the 10,000 Gigs fund was launched,along with a second fund to support the live music festival circuit. Together,they were allocated $10 million over four years. The precise allocation of that money was not revealed,other than that one-quarter of it was to go to regional festivals and venues.
The programs are to be administered and delivered by lobby group Music Victoria,with the aim of creating “more paid opportunities for local artists,from those just starting out to established acts”.
But some venue operators fear the good intentions of the scheme are likely to be undermined by overly prescriptive requirements.
“The 10,000 gigs thing is stupid,” says Sash Janssen,who owned and operated punk-metal-rock venue Whole Lotta Love in East Brunswick for eight years.
“It’s just a catchy slogan plucked from the air. It feels like a PR campaign that’s touted as being for venues,but if you look under the covers you can see it’s not.”
Janssen’s issue is that while established venues can apply for a $10,000 grant,the conditions about how it can be spent – “ensuring 20 performances are supported,while adhering to the $250 performer minimum” – are unrealistic,with the focus on hitting that statewide target of 10,000 gigs rather than ensuring the gig sector as a whole remains viable.
“It’s not how the live music industry works,” says Janssen. “They’re describing a gig from a band’s point of view,so really it’s 20 acts,not 20 nights. And they are forcing venues to book based on quantity of members,not talent or audience engagement,which should be the real goal.”
Ballpark Music at the Zoo in Brisbane. After 32 years,the venue is set close.Sue Yek
The booker for another Melbourne venue,who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern that identification might affect any application they make,said that the fund was being pitched as aid for live music,which is struggling generally,when in fact it is an income support scheme for performers.
“It caters only for the artists,and not the whole musical ecosystem,which includes sound engineers,lighting artists,advertising,radio ads,poster paste-ups,film and video artists,venue maintenance and help such as new amps,general repairs to sound desks and even us band bookers,” they said.
The pushback on the scheme highlights how complex and systemic the issues currently affecting live music,both in venues and at festivals,have become.
“Costs are up 30 per cent,insurance is through the roof,young people are not drinking,and older people are drinking less due to cost of living pressures and the post-COVID hangover,” said one booker who works across multiple venues.
They pointed to the announcement this week that The Zoo,in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley,was to close after 32 years as one of the city’s premiere mid-sized venues. “It’s just so hard for anyone to make money from live music at the moment,” they said.
In response to the concerns from venues and bookers,Victoria’s minister for creative industries,Colin Brooks,said the Allan government was “proud of our world-class music industry” and was “pulling every lever we can” to support it.
The challenges were Australia-wide,he added,claiming the Victorian government had “done more than any other state or territory” to support the sector,adding “we welcome industry feedback,which will inform future delivery of the program.”
Applications for the fund close on May 17.
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