Op-Ed: The Top 20 List of Recommendations to Fix Australia's Live Music Industry Report Revealed
There's no denying the social and financial impact the Australian (and international) music industry has been dealt with in the past decade alone.
Since Wall Of Sound's conception in 2014, we've witnessed countless live music venues cease operations. We've seen Music Festivals come and go with many high profile events struggling to stay afloat in a post-covid world. We've also watched on as digital streaming platforms became the social norm for consuming music, while royalties from streaming are measly and an ineffective way to support the actual musicians in their database. Meanwhile, bands and musicians are struggling to make ends meet with fewer punters turning up for tours and shows - where most of these musicians make a living from direct merch sales and physical format purchases from fans. Don't get me started on the monopolized live music venues that still charge an obscene high percentage for merch cuts too.
At the end of the day, we all turn to music as a means to escape the harsh reality of the world around us, but where do our fav musicians go when the business model they're operating under is destined to fail them eventually?
These thoughts echo that of the Australian arts sector and the live music scene who have been looking for ways to improve the challenges faced in the business and last week, the results and recommendations from public hearings conducted by the Standing Committee on Communications and Arts (Federal Gov) were released on Friday, March 7th. These discussions - which took place throughout 2024 - included members of parliament and the music industry who came together to pass on their experiences and to provide recommendations and ideas that would help the industry stay afloat. The results of the inquest were published last Friday, however the East Coast was pre-occupied with Tropical Cyclone Alfred, so this fell on the wayside and the Federal Government is still yet to comment on the recommendation report submission.
With an election on the way, maybe think about who has your best interests in mind and who is willing to support and nurture an industry that has not returned completely following the aftermath of covid.
How the Inquiry came about
This all came following a recommendation from Honourable Tony Burke (Minister for the Arts) who called for the inquiry to take place. Tony asked the standing committee on Communication and The Arts to inquire, explore and report on the challenges faced and potential opportunities within the Australian live music industry - to ensure "a strong and sustainable future" for the next generations.
The committee then invited submissions addressing the term of references - which included the sustainability and growth of the industry, economic viability, venue infrastructure suitability, career pathway for artist, consumer markets and behaviours and barriers limiting the growth of the Australian industry. Members of the public were allowed to submit a submission addressing one or more of the terms of references to the Committee.
After submissions closed in April 2024, public hearings/meetings were held between June to November 2024 (18 in total) where these submissions, and the problems and issues faced were further discussed at length.
When the hearings ended, the committee went off to collate their findings and the end result was announced in last week's "Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?" recommendation report - a well worthy nod of appreciation to The Angels' classic pub rock belter. This document included a distilled collection of the Top 20 List of Recommendations which the committee established would improve live music within Australia. The recommendation was the result of information provided to the Federal Government by members of the community, music industry workers and experts.
The recommendations have now been put to the Anthony Albanese government - who can either take on the recommendations in principle, or filter through the list to pick those that suit - or they could just not take anything on board - however, professionals claim the established list provided are easy wins for the industry so there's a good chance many of these could be picked up over time and introduced into strategies which in turn will help to improve the failing live music sector, as there's not a lot of financial costs involves.
Since the report dropped, the Federal Government is yet to comment - which is understandable given the after effects of Cyclone Alfred - however something should be said soon, so let's hope this kicks their butts into gear to stop leaving the live music and arts sector in the lurch.
So, what were the Top 20 List of Recommendations?
Well, the recommendations you've been looking for are here - according to the "Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?" report, these are 20 recommendations that could fix the live music industry if the government enacted them.
4.22 The Committee recommends the Australian Government investigate the potential benefits of a tax offset for the live music industry. The Treasury, the Office of the Arts and Creative Australia should be tasked with developing a policy proposal for the Australian Government to consider.
4.23 Such a tax offset might be considered in conjunction with proposals for a live performance offset that would benefit other artforms such as theatre.
4.24 The Committee recommends Australian consumer law be amended to better regulate the selling of tickets to live music, by:
- improving the transparency of fees and charges within the price of tickets
- limiting extreme variability in ticket prices caused by ‘dynamic pricing’.
4.25 The Committee recommends the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission monitor the Australian music industry for anti-competitive conduct and take enforcement action as required.
4.26 The Committee recommends the Australian Government add a small levy to the price of tickets to large music events and direct the funds raised to support for small venues and grassroots live music (see Recommendation 5).
4.27 The Committee recommends an extension and expansion of the Revive Live program. This expansion might be funded through a ticket levy (Recommendation 4) and funds could be disbursed by Music Australia. The funding could be offered in three streams:
- Live and local: a series of performances at a live music venue or non-traditional venue with mandated minimum performance fees.
- Live ready: funding for capital improvements to live music venues to improve the functionality and accessibility of venues. This could include costs like sound-proofing, equipment upgrades, disability access.
- Live for all: funding for music festivals with an emphasis on improving the accessibility, viability and diversity of live music, including regional festivals, all-ages events, First Nations festivals, community focussed events and not-for-profit based operations.
4.28 The Committee recommends state, territory and local governments consider designating ‘special entertainment precincts’ in recognition of the economic and cultural value of these places.
4.29 Special Entertainment Precincts should benefit from a regulatory regime more supportive to their ongoing viability. This may include exemptions to trading hour restrictions, concessional liquor excise rates and differentiated noise complaint processes.
4.30 Further, the Committee recommends the Australian Government gather information on best practice in this area, provide advice to jurisdictions on how to establish and support special entertainment precincts, and monitor the effectiveness of reforms across the jurisdictions that implement them.
4.31 The Committee recommends the Australian Government assess the viability of a rebate or voucher scheme to incentivise younger audiences to attend live music.
4.32 This may include offering event presenters a rebate to compensate them for income foregone by offering discounted tickets to young audiences and ‘two for one’ tickets for audience members required to attend with an adult or support person/carer.
4.33 An alternative approach may be to offer vouchers directly to prospective audience members.
4.34 The scheme should prioritise:
- young audiences, from under 18s to early 30s – the demographic in most significant decline amongst live music audiences
- events, venues or festivals with Australian artists and original music in their programs
4.35 The Committee recommends the Australian Government partner with state and territory jurisdictions in funding a trial of any future rebate or voucher scheme.
4.36 The Committee recommends the Australian Government consider ways in which it could partner with state and territory governments to improve the standard of music education in primary schools.
4.37 This may include support for pilot projects to deliver quality music education in communities of socio-economic disadvantage and an evaluation of the impacts of this on student outcomes.
4.38 The Committee recommends the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority work closely with state and territory governments to ensure better incorporation of music education into school curricula, with the aim of significantly increasing the number of children studying music at primary and high school.
4.39 The Committee recommends a minimum fee reflective of Award rates and conditions be established for the hiring of musicians and performers at public events that are run, sponsored or otherwise supported by the Australian Government, and that this fee be indexed yearly by CPI or average wages.
4.40 The Committee recommends the Australian Government partner with relevant stakeholders to undertake research into the viability of a self-insurance or mutual insurance model for the music industry and investigate other reforms and initiatives for insuring live music activities that could result in lower premiums for presenters.
4.41 Further, the Committee recommends the Australian Government provide information on best practice management of live music venues and events with a view to reducing both risk to insurers and premiums for presenters.
4.42 The Committee recommends Music Australia partner with the Live Music Business Council and the Insurance Council of Australia to develop a self-assessment app to provide a more accurate prediction of risk and a more customised insurance premium to reflect the main drivers of risk (outdoor events, multi-day events, late events, etc).
4.43 The Committee recommends the introduction of a new obligation for major international tours to include Australian support acts as a condition of approval – a proposal commonly referred to as ‘Michael’s Rule’.
4.44 The Committee recommends the Australian Government conduct comprehensive research into changes in audience behaviour and generational attitudes and behaviours that have affected demand for live music.
4.45 The Committee recommends the Australian Government develop a centralised source of information on compliance, age-based access, regulation, and training requirements across national, state, territory and municipal jurisdictions that can inform the planning and management of festivals and live music venues.
4.46 The Committee recommends state and territory governments consider a reduction or abolition of user-pays policing charges at music festivals.
4.4 7 The Committee recommends state and territory governments re-evaluate the need for large police presences at live music events and the use of sniffer dogs and strip-searches.
4.48 The Committee recommends Austrade expand its support for Australian music exports to support the global reach of Australian music.
4.49 The Committee recommends the Australian Government undertake research on business models for live music that do not require dependence on the sale of alcohol.
4.50 The Committee recommends state, territory and local governments support the development of dedicated and permanent outdoor live music spaces (such as sound shells and associated equipment and infrastructure) to reduce the marginal cost of staging events for presenters.
4.51 The Committee recommends state, territory and local governments support private sector efforts to establish permanent and dedicated festival sites in regional settings that are resilient against extreme weather events and ensure these sites are served with appropriate amenities.
4.52 The Committee recommends state, territory and local governments re-evaluate their pricing regimes for government-operated venues and provide concessional fees to presenters fulfilling cultural imperatives.
4.53 The Committee recommends the Australian Government consider supporting live music event-related training programs for young people.
4.54 The Committee recommends the Australian Government work with music streaming services to increase the proportion of Australian content that algorithms or automated playlists generate for Australian users, and that if co-operation is not forthcoming that legislation be strongly considered to mandate and enforce higher proportions of Australian music on these services.
The departing voice who lead the charge
There was one defining voice throughout the inquiry who stood up for the live music industry - Committee Chair, Brian Mitchell MP.
Brian, an avid live music fan, spoke about the struggles faced within the industry and listened to detailed accounts from those within it when preparing the "Am I Ever Gonna See You Live Again?" report - which also serves as his final contribution since he will not be recontesting his seat of Lyons (TAS) at the next election.
In his foreword, he stated:
"The challenges are many and varied, and were well articulated by the many witnesses who provided evidence. We’re undoubtedly seeing tectonic shifts in the economics of music and in the relationships between fans and musicians, largely driven by technological disruption. For example, it used to be that bands would make their money from selling singles and albums. Tours were treated as loss-leaders: unprofitable ventures worth doing because they opened the bands up to new and bigger audiences, who would then buy more records."
But now we don’t buy music, we pay a monthly subscription to stream it, and musicians only make fractions of a cent when their licensed songs are played. So tours and ticket sales are now vital to earning a quid and making a living."
Brian also spoke about how social impacts have changed the way live music venues consider booking shows and gigs in this dark new age.
"Pubs would get musicians in to play because their audiences would buy beer. There are fewer pubs willing to accommodate live acts and those who do make less money because drinking habits have changed. Making money from playing music has always been hard but it’s harder now than ever."
On top of championing live music, there was a big emphasis on musicians connecting directly with their audiences - a change which we've personally noticed with the introduction of social media and band-to-fan subscription platforms like Patreon. If you find a band or musician you love, you go above and beyond to support them anyway you can.
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is buy some merch directly from your fav artists - the very least thing you can do is support them on social media. Give them a like, comment on photos or share them with your networks. There's nothing cringe about wanting to see musical acts you appreciate blow up - it's the basis which Wall of Sound's early inception was based around - and still to this day, we love championing new and emerging acts because you never know who the next big name in Aussie metal will be, unless you start from the beginning.
Brian's findings also touched on the decimation of the live music festival industry - with suggestions we back as well - including ensuring more Australian acts are given the opportunity to play and are done in a way where their efforts are financially viable.
"The big commercial festivals are falling over but many smaller, grassroots, community led festivals are flourishing. The challenge is how to encourage this, while ensuring the musicians who play at them do so in a way that allows them to pay their bills."
As for the longevity and sustainability of live music in Australia? Brian further suggested we act now by immersing the next generation in it and introducing them to pathways to enrich not only their musical discoveries, but encouraging them to pick up an instrument and play themselves.
"We’ve recommended that more work be done to encourage an appreciation of music education, mainly because it’s great for kids’ brains, but also because it fosters a love of music that will remain into adulthood, creating a new generation of music appreciation."
Of all the recommendations we’ve made, that to me is the most important: teach kids how to play music, not just how to stick airpods in their ears.
In closing, the departing MP stated the inquiry was an in-depth discussion that went on "longer than we expected it to be, but we went over a lot of ground." And these suggestions may not come in overnight, but they have certainly started to get the ball rolling in the right direction with clear goals for improving the live music scene for both the musicians and music industry workers within it, and the fans who live and breathe the release from the world they provide.
Final thoughts and future hopes!
As we look to the future, there's a glimmer of hope that things can, and should change in favour of Australians both attending and playing live shows. One easy recommendation in particular we hope becomes a staple for years to come in the suggestion of including Australian support acts as a condition of approval for international tours, and something that should be introduced around the grounds for each and every genre.
To further press the importance of supporting Australian bands, select acts should be given the opportunity to play on the full tour run and not just delegated to local support slot openers as a last minute deal.
That way, more Aussie fans are exposed to MORE AUSTRALIAN ARTISTS from the get go and these career-defining placements aren't lost in the delivery - thus resulting in more missed opportunities on larger sized tours like we've seen with:
Taylor Swift x Sabrina Carpenter, Falling In Reverse x Black Veil Brides x Hollywood Undead, Alexisonfire x Underoath x GEL, ERRA x Silent Planet x Resolve, Slipknot x Vended (Adelaide KNOTFEST sideshow), Hot Water Music x The Flatliners, Pallbearer x CONAN, Bad Omens x Poppy x House Of Protection, Jinjer x Kittie, Cradle of Filth x Infected Rain, Neck Deep x State Champs, Metallica x Evanescence x Suicidal Tendencies, Childish Gambino x Amaarae, Tyler The Creator x Lil Yachty x Paris Texas and TECH N9NE x Joey Cool with more that may have been omitted from publication.
In festival world, KNOTFEST 2025 only had two Aussie acts out of 13 (14 on the Sydney date); half of what appeared on the 2023 and 2024 runs. Meanwhile, MONOLITH Festival 2024 featured one local opener with the rest of the roster being internationals. New Bloom Fest 2025 initially launched with a lineup featuring six international bands with three local openers announced at a later date in city (Brisbane was cancelled due to Cyclone Alfred).
The following upcoming tours/shows have been publicly released, but full run or local Australian supports have yet to be announced as of publishing:
Opeth, Testament, Insomnium x Ominium Gatherum, The Offspring x Simple Plan, Amigo The Devil, Counterparts x Dying Wish, Hollywood Undead (sideshows), LANDMVRKS, Atreyu x Memphis May Fire, Trentemøller, Yellowcard x Motion City Soundtrack x Plain White T's, Phil Campbell & The Bastard Sons, Mayday Parade x Jack's Mannequin, Free Throw x Microwave, Fame On Fire, slowdive x Beach Fossils, Ic3peak, The Dillinger Escape Plan, letlive.
If promoters and bookers are finding it hard to locate Australian acts for their tours and shows; please reach out to us. We have a vast knowledge of Aussie bands who are just waiting for a golden opportunity to play the biggest shows of their careers and we'd love to put their names forward for any/all corresponding tours... it all comes down to YOU giving them that chance!
Words by Paul 'Browny' Brown @brownypaul
For email enquiries about bands, feel free to reach out browny@wallofsoundau.com
