Importance of live music events in a struggling industry

Young attendees got involved during Angie McMahon’s sold-out show at Melbourne’s Forum (Image credit: Louis Harrison)

The first concert I went to was one I remember vividly. I saw Gretta Ray perform at the idyllic Chapel Off Chapel for her ‘In Between Eras’ fans-first show.

As a regionally-based music lover, it was always a struggle finding youth-friendly concerts I could go to that didn’t break my non-existent bank account and wouldn’t have me getting stuck in the Melbourne CBD with no way home after the last v/line left Southern Cross at 9:42 PM.

That night, when I saw Gretta Ray perform acted as a formative moment that still informs the way I engage with the local music scene now as a radio producer, photographer and writer. 

Research commissioned by a leading industry body, Music Victoria, on youth attitudes towards live music found that many young people in the state share this same passion that drove me to attend gigs and festivals.

Just like my first concert has shaped the way I see the live music industry, this research found that 78 per cent of young Victorians say their passion for music is shaped by their first experience.

Further, this research found that of the survey participants, 82 per cent bought music concert tickets, 70 per cent bought tickets for a music festival and 65 per cent had purchased artist merchandise either at a gig or by other means.

Despite this appetite for live music, many young people face barriers to attending these events.

We’ve seen this play out in real time with the recent slew of music festival cancellations. Major music festivals Splendour in the Grass, Groovin The Moo and Coastal Jam are just some of the names that fell through in the 2024 calendar year.

Further research into Australia’s live music sector was published in April of this year by the national body Creative Australia for the Soundcheck: Insights into Australia’s Music Festival Sector (Soundcheck) report.

Echoing the findings of Music Victoria’s findings, Soundcheck also found audiences under the age of 35 face financial barriers and are also the demographic most likely to attend music events and festivals.

Soundcheck also cites the challenges festival organisers have with average running costs of approximately $3.9 million. Around 35 per cent of festivals also recorded a deficit and eight per cent broke even meaning just over half recorded a profit in the 2022-23 financial year.

The reality is that the Australian live music and festival industry is in a difficult spot which further perpetuates the obstacles we already know young people experience around attending gigs and festivals. 

It’s not just the major festivals that are finding the current climate tough.

Emerging artist LEO performs as a supporting artist for Cowboy Malfoy at The Gaso (Image credit: Louis Harrison

An article published in ABC News says since the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia has lost 1,300 small and mid-sized live music venues.

Venues are finding it more difficult to cover the rising costs of insurance premiums, ticket sales are down due to cost of living pressures and it’s getting harder to secure big-name acts for lineups in an industry facing significant uncertainty.

It is worrying that the opportunities that have appealed to young people for so long are now struggling or falling under. 

If there isn’t a space for these artists to grow and develop their skills, it will be interesting to see what industry we are looking at five to ten years down the track.

The question really is… where to now and what does this mean for the future of Australia’s live music industry?