The Victorian Government is supporting our world-famous live music venues to respond to the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic with a new program providing grants to help pay wages and basic business expenses.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley today announced the creation of the $15 million Victorian Live Music Venues Program to secure the future of grassroots venues which are the heart and soul of Victoria’s $1.7 billion live music industry.

Melbourne is the live music capital of the world – with one venue for every 8,915 residents it comes up trumps ahead of other renowned music cities including Berlin, New York, London and Austin, Texas. Across Victoria, live venues play a crucial role in communities and in providing a foundation for new talent.

Northcote has one of Melbourne’s richest live music scenes, with venues such as the Northcote Social Club, Thornbury Theatre and Wesley Anne being household names and many more large and small venues, dotting our local suburbs.

Music venues, including those in Northcote, were among the first businesses to shut down and are expected to be among the last to reopen. Across the state, live music venues attract more than 17.5 million people each year, but the coronavirus restrictions have brought this activity to a halt, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue and thousands of lost jobs.

The Victorian Live Music Venues Program will be open to venues across Victoria with a capacity of 50 to 1,200 people. It will support venues that have a solid reputation for presenting original live music and demonstrate best practice in business operations.

The $15 million program is in addition to $4 million previously announced for the music industry focused on supporting musicians and industry workers who have lost gigs, income and employment as a result of the pandemic.

The Victorian Government’s response to safeguard the wider creative sector now stands at more than $66 million.

Applications for the Victorian Live Music Venues Program will be open from 16 July to 6 August. Guidelines and application details will be made available on the Creative Victoria website – creative.vic.gov.au – in coming days.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley

“Venues have been a vital part of our music culture and economy – hosting thousands of gigs a week, providing a vital career-making platform for artists and employment for industry workers.”

“While our love of music has continued online throughout the shutdown, paid work for many in the industry has dried up. By helping to secure venues for the future, we’ll help the industry bounce back when it is safe to do so.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Northcote, Kat Theophanous

“Live music venues across the Electorate of Northcote are part of the beating heart of our suburbs – and I know the last several months have been extremely tough on these businesses as well as the artists and workers who rely on them. That’s why I’m so pleased to have worked closely with the Minister for Creative Industries to get this funding for our music venues over the line.”