Live music venues in NSW will gain extra protection against threats to their survival under new measures introduced by the Minns Labor Government.
As part of the second tranche of Vibrancy Reforms, which passed Parliament on Thursday, the Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy is empowered to intervene if a significant music venue is at risk of closing its doors.
These are world-first legislative protections designed to ensure the health of the NSW live music scene and prevent closures that took away venues like the Annandale Hotel and The Basement and threatened the survival of venues like the Eltham Hotel.
The first ever census of live music in NSW, the State of the Scene report issued by Sound NSW in June, found there were 795 live venues across the state, with 55 considered “dedicated live music venues”.
A framework will allow venues to opt-in to a range of supports that can be deployed if a significant venue’s survival is under threat for reasons that can include noise complaints, vexatious neighbours or hostile landlords.
A significant live music venue is defined as one which hosts live, predominantly original, music as the key function of its business and is essential to the touring and live, local music scene in NSW.
The Minister will be able to deploy co-ordinated support from Sound NSW, the 24 Hour Commissioner, the Hospitality Concierge and the Business Bureau as a response to threatened venues that require assistance.
The Vibrancy Reforms legislation also provides for the Minister to request mediation between a venue and another party to resolve a matter before it progresses further. At that point, a venue may agree that the public and its music fans be alerted that it is under threat.
The first tranche of the Minns Labor Government’s made it impossible for a single neighbour noise complaint to shut down a pub or licensed venue.
It also increased incentives for live music and live performance, with two hours extended trading and an 80% reduction in liquor licence fees for licensed venues offering live music.
The second tranche of reforms, which passed Parliament with unanimous support, has torn up baffling restrictions on licensed venues that include “no entertainment” clauses or dictate what genre of music or even how many musicians can play.
Property buyers will in future be notified they are moving into an existing entertainment zone to protect the intent of Special Entertainment Precincts and reduce the friction between venues and their neighbours.
Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said:
“The music-loving community has been forced to say Rest In Peace too many times to the foundational live venues that were the incubators of Australian music. We are not going to sit by and watch another Annandale Hotel unplug the music and dismantle the stage.
“In a cost of living crisis, we need a strong local music scene where people can enjoy live music without shelling out the hundreds of dollars it can cost to see the big touring international acts.
“Protecting our time-honoured venues is also about supporting the night-time economy. The NSW music census found live music provides 25,000 jobs and contributes $5.5 billion in economic output to NSW. We want to amplify that contribution to the economy.
“A state significant music venues framework is part of the rebalance, and it’s long overdue.”