Canberrans should be alarmed at some of the recent developments in the local music scene.
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It seems live music events - from intimate gigs to multi-day music festivals - are struggling to find venues and remain financially viable in the capital.
The closure of Sideway prompted concerns from Music ACT about the loss of grassroots music venues in this city. While the new owners have vowed to continue the Sideway legacy, it highlights the tough economic predicament facing smaller music venues.
Other venues, such as Gang Gang cafe, have had to reduce their gig schedules because of the substantial workload associated with the events. They're also seeing fewer ticket and bar sales at gigs because of the rising cost of living, which has hit Generation Z and Millennials the hardest.
On the larger end of the scale, multi-day music festivals aren't faring too well either. The National Folk Festival is the latest to be hit by financial losses in successive years. While it will return in 2025 it is set to be a scaled-back event. The organisers noticed a trend of punters waiting until the last minute to buy tickets amid economic uncertainty. Groovin the Moo, Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival have also been cancelled in the past year.
![Musician Ben Rankin preforms at Smith's Alternative open mike night on April 9, 2024. Picture by Keegan Carroll Musician Ben Rankin preforms at Smith's Alternative open mike night on April 9, 2024. Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/33pRA5ArzT57tWtt8VHHenS/45ab900a-1f69-4649-a5b8-9561ec0d8da6.jpg/r0_204_4000_2462_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The free pill-testing service at Groovin the Moo was a commendable and nation-leading scheme to reduce drug harm for patrons. However, it pushed up insurance premiums 2200 per cent for the festival organisers, and was therefore scrapped in 2022 and 2023.
ACT officials told a federal inquiry into Australia's live music industry that Canberra was being left off the tour schedule for major artists because the city was too cold for outdoor events and lacked an appropriate indoor venue.
The music industry is also having to adapt to other broad trends, such as younger people drinking less when they go to gigs and the globalisation of music making it harder than ever for Australian talent to break through.
There's no doubt that Canberrans want - and deserve - a vibrant cultural offering. We can't change Canberra's climate but we can change the types of venues available to accommodate a variety of artists at all times of the year.
Proposals for an indoor arena seemingly pop up every few months. Only in April the ACT government was asking for the feds to contribute 50 per cent of the funding for an indoor pavilion on the site of the ageing Civic pool.
The AIS Arena, set to reopen this year, could alleviate the situation but only has a capacity of 4000-5000. A proposed arena at the University of Canberra could also help build out the infrastructure needed to entice local and international acts.
We need a little less conversation, a little more action to get an indoor venue built by the end of this decade.
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In the meantime, the grassroots music industry can't be ignored until there is only a blank space. We need the music and hospitality industry, government and other stakeholders to come together to create a coherent strategy.
Governments can play a part in providing some incentives for artists to put Canberra on their touring schedule, perhaps subsiding travel costs or promoting the types of small venues that are available in the Capital.
Of course, Canberrans can play their part too in going out to support local musicians. Maybe a ticket to a show could be the "little treat" that Chief Minister Andrew Barr was urging us to purchase with the extra income from the stage three tax cuts.