From 2017 to 2019, there was a 48% growth in the economic contribution made by live music across Victoria ($1.72b to $2.55b), where most of the growth was identified at regional Victoria box offices (12% growth a year in regional, compared to 10.5% growth in metropolitan areas).
In 2019 the data in the census reveals that:
When comparing 2019 with 2020-21, it is inevitable that the census data would show large reductions, including:
“The insights from our census provide a great benchmark. This is the first time we have access to whole-of-state data and findings that will help guide the potential and growth trajectory for our live music industry,” said Schinkel.
“Victoria is renowned for its world-famous live music scene. As such, our priority is to secure support, partnerships, resources and investment that enhance and build the Victorian live music sector to make it even better,” said Schinkel.
Looking at 2023, Simone Schinkel, Music Victoria CEO, said the Victorian live music industry is still in unchartered waters.
“It’s no surprise that we are still managing the ripples of the pandemic. We have a three-year back log of events, and significant government investment bolstering us up. We have not yet settled into a new normal, and it’s going to take ongoing long-term strategic planning, commitment and support to reach the full potential, that we were on track to achieving!
Music Victoria is creating solid partnerships for change, including:
Music Victoria also welcomed the Andrew’s Labor government commitments at the recent election, which align strongly with the recommendations in the census. These include:
“Over the last three years, we seen bands broken up, workers leave the industry, fan networks disperse and venues suffer major losses. We must not underestimate the challenges ahead.
However, given the consistent and significant growth in revenue and attendance between 2014 and 2019, there is every reason to suggest that Victoria’s live music sector can be reinvigorated.
Victoria’s live music recovery requires significant commitment and cooperation, which will be guided by the findings in our census. It will inspire action to make Victorian live music even better,” explained Schinkel.
The census data is available at here.
The Commonwealth and Victorian Governments have announced jointly-funded packages of grants to support thousands of small and medium-sized businesses through the next six weeks at which point Victoria is expected to reach 80 per cent vaccination.
The funding package of up to $2.27 billion announced today will support businesses most affected by restrictions as Victoria reaches the 70 per cent, then 80 per cent fully vaccinated thresholds on the state’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan.
At these key markers, forecast around 26 October and 5 November respectively, dining, entertainment, retail, sport, recreation and other sectors will progressively and safely open.
The package announced today provides businesses with further certainty that support will continue in line with Victoria’s Roadmap. This will see more than 160,000 businesses receive support, ranging from retailers and gyms to hairdressers and hotels – mostly through automatic deposits into their bank accounts.
Of these, around 124,000 eligible businesses will receive automatic Business Costs Assistance Program grants ranging from $1,000 to $8,400 per week, rising according to payroll, until the end of October. Businesses that remain closed or severely restricted over the first two weeks of November will also receive automatic payments for that period.
More than 9,000 eligible cafes, restaurants, hotels and bars across Victoria will receive automatic Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund payments of between $5,000 and $20,000 per week until the end of October.
Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund payments will continue for the first half of November, set at reduced rates to reflect lower restrictions in place at that stage under Victoria’s Roadmap.
The package will also enable a further 30,000 businesses to receive a one-off $20,000 payment through the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, taking the number of recipients to 65,000.
Funding of up to $1.26 billion will provide for automatic payments to recipients of the Business Costs Assistance Program across October and into the first half of November.
Businesses will be eligible to receive two fortnightly payments between 1-29 October on a rising scale.
Eligible non-employing businesses will receive $1,000 per week, increasing to $2,800 a week for an annual payroll of up to $650,000, $5,600 a week for a payroll of $650,000 - $3 million and $8,400 a week for a payroll of $3 million - $10 million.
Businesses that remain closed or severely restricted between 70 and 80 per cent double dose will receive an automatic payment for the period from 29 October to 13 November.
The full list of eligible ANZSIC codes for the Business Costs Assistance Program will be available on the Business Victoria website tomorrow.
Businesses that have previously received or been approved for a Business Costs Assistance Program Round Two or July Extension grant will be eligible for these payments.
More than 9,000 licensed hospitality businesses that have previously received grants under the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund or July Extension programs will receive further automatic payments in October.
Weekly payment amounts are stepped according to premises capacity: $5,000 for a capacity of up to 99 patrons or where patron capacity is not specified, $10,000 for a capacity of 100 to 499 patrons, and $20,000 for a capacity of 500 or more.
Between 70 and 80 per cent double dose, payments for licensed premises in metropolitan Melbourne will be reduced by 25 per cent, and in regional Victoria by 50 per cent as the economy continue to progress to greater levels of freedom.
The Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund payments will total up to $407.5 million for the six-week period.
Some $600 million has been added to the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund, taking the total program to $1.3 billion.
The existing $700 million funding pool has been fully subscribed and the new allocation means 65,000 businesses will now be supported with one-off grants of $20,000.
The Fund supports businesses that have suffered significant losses due to the pandemic, including businesses legally allowed to operate but restricted in their ability to generate revenue, but have previously fallen between the cracks in terms of government support.
Read the full announcement from the Victorian Government here.
In 2018 Victoria had more venues per capita than anywhere in the world. Fast forward to February 2021 and 3 in 5 workers are considering leaving the music industry as live music trades at under 4% of pre-COVID levels. Every person that gets vaccinated brings us a step closer to reopening and saving Victoria's live music scene.
Along with getting vaxxed, you can support Victoria's live music industry by updating your Facebook profile picture with the campaign frame to encourage others to get vaxxed too.
Step 1: Click on the links below to download a campaign frame
Facebook profile picture frame
Instagram or Facebook post frame
Instagram story frame
TikTok frame
Facebook video frame
Facebook cover image (no editing required)
Twitter header (no editing required)
Email signature (no editing required)
Step 2: Use your image editing tool of choice to put the frame on a photo of yourself
Don't worry, you don't need any design skills! You can use this free, easy-to-use site called Canva and follow the steps below.
Business Victoria has opened round two of the Live Performance Support Program for suppliers and presenters. If you were contracted to work on a live performance event that has been postponed or cancelled, we encourage you to apply for this funding.
If you’re thinking about applying for Business Victoria's Live Performance Support Program Round Two, register for one of our free online information sessions! We'll cover changes from the last round of funding, program guidelines (including eligibility and how to apply) and answer all your questions.
Click the links below for more info and to register.
REGISTER FOR THE SUPPLIER STREAM
Session 1: 20 August at 2pm
Session 2 : 3 September at 2pm
REGISTER FOR THE PRESENTER STREAM
Session 1: 20 August at 4pm
Session 2: 3 September at 4pm
We received great feedback from our last round of info sessions and we hope these next sessions help many more of you submit funding applications!
Background:
Business Victoria has opened round two of the Live Performance Support Program (Presenters) for events affected by recent lockdowns and health restrictions. Victorian event presenters, including producers, promoters, venue owners and artists who promote their own shows, are encouraged to apply.
If you’re thinking about applying for the program under the presenter stream, this free online information session is for you.
This session will cover:
• changes from the last round of funding
• program guidelines, including eligibility and how to apply
• funding amounts available ($7000 or $5000 for one event, and a further $5000 for a second event)
• any questions you have.
We received great feedback from our last round of info sessions and we hope these next sessions help many more of you submit funding applications!
Please RSVP your attendance and don’t exclude yourself.
Find out more about the Live Performance Support Program (Presenters) here.
If you’re thinking about applying for the program, this free online information session is for you!
The Victorian government updated this program to assist a wider range of affected event businesses and workers. We’ll go through the program changes, the application process and answer any questions you may have.
Some notable program changes that we’ll cover include:
• possible funding for missed gigs from Lockdown #5 if you missed out on the last round of applications
• explanations around the total support cap of $4000 cap and the $200 -$500 per event cap
• eligibility criteria and deadlines
We received great feedback from our last round of info sessions and we hope these next sessions help many more of you submit funding applications!
Please RSVP your attendance and don’t exclude yourself.
Find out more about the Live Performance Support Program (Suppliers) here.
Background:
Business Victoria has opened round two of the Live Performance Support Program (Presenters) for events affected by recent lockdowns and health restrictions. Victorian event presenters, including producers, promoters, venue owners and artists who promote their own shows, are encouraged to apply.
If you’re thinking about applying for the program under the presenter stream, this free online information session is for you.
This session will cover:
• changes from the last round of funding
• program guidelines, including eligibility and how to apply
• funding amounts available ($7000 or $5000 for one event, and a further $5000 for a second event)
• any questions you have.
We received great feedback from our last round of info sessions and we hope these next sessions help many more of you submit funding applications!
Please RSVP your attendance and don’t exclude yourself.
Find out more about the Live Performance Support Program (Presenters) here.
If you’re thinking about applying for the program, this free online information session is for you!
The Victorian government updated this program to assist a wider range of affected event businesses and workers. We’ll go through the program changes, the application process and answer any questions you may have.
Some notable program changes that we’ll cover include:
• possible funding for missed gigs from Lockdown #5 if you missed out on the last round of applications
• explanations around the total support cap of $4000 cap and the $200 -$500 per event cap
• eligibility criteria and deadlines
We received great feedback from our last round of info sessions and we hope these next sessions help many more of you submit funding applications!
Please RSVP your attendance and don’t exclude yourself.
Find out more about the Live Performance Support Program (Suppliers) here.
Dear members and subscribers,
It was music to Victoria’s ears when Premier Dan Andrews this week announced ‘’Live Music is back’’.
So what exactly does this mean? It’s a gradual opening, and they are small steps, but if the numbers stay down, we are hopeful that more and more musicians will be able to return to rehearse, record, live stream, and perform - initially to small outdoor audiences, and then increasing to larger outdoor events and indoor shows.
Music Victoria has been consulting with various government departments on the easing of restrictions, and will continue to advocate for the sector in the lead up to the Premier’s next announcement regarding the lifting of restrictions on November 8. We have been also liaising with the Environmental Protection Agency and councils on working closely with the venues and musicians to establish good practice guidelines and messaging to encourage co-operation and minimalise adverse amenity.
Clearly live music is part of the State Government’s plan for the state’s recovery, but it’s important to remember that we have a responsibility to ensure we consider residents and the rest of the community – so consult your council and neighbours, don’t play too late, and put away the Marshall stack and downsize your equipment for the initial outdoor shows performing to small crowds.
Here’s a summary of the new rules:
- Live seated outdoor shows can take place in hospitality venues such as pubs, bars and restaurants in metro Melbourne (50) and regional Victoria (70). Band members must be included in the venue cap.
- Venues don’t have to serve food with the live music
- If you have an existing liquor license and are planning on hosting outdoor events, you need to apply through your council first, and then apply for a Temporary Limited Licence through the VCGLR
- Musicians need to stand 2 metres apart on stage
- Performers need to be 5 metres from the audience
- Band members (except singers and woodwind and brass instrumentalists) must wear a face mask while they perform
- Nightclubs can open for seated service of food or beverages only
- You can live-stream from a venue but only essential people can be on site – ie band members, filming crew and a venue representative with the keys to the building
- You can rehearse and record at studios, but must adhere to 1 per 4 square metre distancing requirements (so smaller bands in the smaller rooms) - ensure you have a COVIDSafe plan
- Set building can take place, but you need to comply with construction guidelines
- You can attend an outdoor music lesson, class or practice with up to ten people
Keep an eye out on Music Victoria and Creative Victoria websites for further updates as they come to hand.
Additional official guidance can be found here and here.