An open letter from Victoria’s music venues to the State Government.
Save Our Scene
Victoria’s famous music scene is on the brink of collapse and there’s no relief in sight. We are calling on the Victorian Government to step in and save our proud music culture by preserving the venues where artists play.
Live music means mass gatherings and it will be many months before our state's music venues can safely reopen our doors at viable capacities. In the meantime, our venues are being crippled by mounting debt including rent, mortgage payments, bills and insurance.
Without Government intervention, many of the venues you love will be forced to close the doors permanently.
From Victoria's small clubs to our iconic band rooms, the places where you go to listen, dance, share and celebrate music will start to disappear. Stages that nurture emerging artists to those that house Australia's and world’s biggest touring acts will go, and who knows what will replace them.
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
Music is who we are. It is a cornerstone of Victoria’s identity as the “creative state”, it is something that we are known for around the world, and it is a huge economic driver.
Melbourne has more live music venues per capita than any other city in the world. The 700 music venues across Victoria host approximately 100,000 gigs a year, with an estimated economic impact of $1.42 billion generated from live music, clubs and festivals. Melbourne’s live music venues have an audience of 112,000 every Saturday night — more than an AFL grand final. The industry generates tens of thousands of jobs, from musicians and DJs to bookers, promoters, publicists, venue operators, hospitality and bar staff, technicians, security staff and a vast network of ancillary suppliers and contractors.
Music venues are the critical infrastructure of this industry. If our venues disappear, the live music economy will disappear, and our cultural heritage will go with it. Australian artists will have fewer places to perform, to grow, to find fans. At exactly the time when more local stages are needed - because international borders are closed - we will lose them. If we lose the venues, we will lose the artists too.
Our music venues cannot survive without Victorian Government intervention. So please, protect our music venues. Support our artists. Save our scene.
Sincerely,
WITH THANKS
12 BAR · 170 RUSSELL · 24 MOONS · 29TH APARTMENT · AFRO HUB · AMERICAN HOTEL ECHUCA · ALPINE RETREAT MT BULLER · ANGEL MUSIC BAR · BAD DECISIONS · BAR 303 BAR OPEN · BARWON CLUB · BAR OUSSOU · BASS LOUNGE · BENDIGO HOTEL · BLACKCAT · BODRIGGY · BROWN ALLEY · BRUNSWICK GREEN · CACTUS ROOM · CAFÉ GUMMO · CARAVAN MUSIC · CHANDELIER ROOM · CHASERS · CHERRY BAR · CIRCUS BAR · CLUB PANDORA · COLOUR · COMMERCIAL HOTEL · COMPASS PIZZA · CORNER HOTEL · CROFT INSTITUTE · DOG'S BAR · DR MORSE · EDDIES BANDRROM · EDINBURGH CASTLE · ELECTRIC · EVELYN HOTEL · FERDYDURKE · FIFTYFIVE · FORTYFIVE DOWNSTAIRS · GEORGE'S BAR · GLAMORAMA · GRACE DARLING HOTEL · GRAND HOTEL MORNINGTON · HALLS GAP HOTEL · HOTEL NICHOLAS · HOWLER · INFLATION · IRISH TIMES · JAZZ LAB · JOHN CURTIN HOTEL · LABOUR IN VAIN · LA DI DA · LAUNDRY BAR FITZROY · LEADBEATER HOTEL · LONGPLAY · LOOP · LOST ONES · MAJOR TOMS · MANGO LOUNGE · MAX WATTS · MELBOURNE PAVILION · MERRI CREEK TAVERN · MR BOOGIE MAN BAR · MUSICLAND FAWKNER · MY AEON · NEW GUERNICA ·NIGHTHAWKS · NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB · ONE SIX ONE · OPEN STUDIO · PARIS CAT · PAUSE BAR · PAWN & CO · PIANO BAR · PIER BANDROOM · PLATFORM ONE · POST OFFICE HOTEL · PRINCE ALFRED HOTEL · PRINCE BANDROOM · RADAR · REVOLVER UPSTAIRS · ROOFTOP BAR · ROYAL OAK HOTEL · RUBIK WAREHOUSE · SAINTS & SAILORS PORT ARLINGTON · SECTION 8 BAR · SHADY LADY · SOOKI LOUNGE · STAY GOLD BRUNSWICK · SUB CLUB · SWAMPLANDS BAR · THEATRE ROYAL CASTLEMAINE · THE B.EAST · THE BERGY SELTZER · THE BRIDGE HOTEL · THE BUTTERFLY CLUB · THE CARLTON CLUB · THE CHARLES WESTON HOTEL · THE COLONIAL HOTEL · THE CROXTON BANDROOM · THE DRUNKEN POET · THE EASTERN · THE ESPY · THE FORUM · THE GASOMETER HOTEL · THE GOLDEN VINE · THE HORN AFRICAN CAFE · THE LAST CHANCE ROCK & ROLL BAR · THE NIGHT CAT · THE OLD BAR · THE PALAIS HEPBURN · THE PENNY BLACK · THE PINNACLE · THE RAINBOW HOTEL · THE RETREAT HOTEL · THE STANDARD FITZROY · THE THORNBURY THEATRE · THE TOFF · THE TOTE · THE TRAMWAY HOTEL · THE WOOL EXCHANGE · TORQUAY HOTEL · TRAMP · VOLTA · WESLEY ANNE · WESTERNPORT HOTEL · WESTWOOD HOTEL · WHOLE LOTTA LOVE · WORKERS CLUB · WORKERS CLUB GEELONG · YAH YAHS · YARRA HOTEL ABBOTSFORD · YARRAVILLE CLUB
WHO WE ARE
We represent independent small to medium music venues across Victoria, including some of the most iconic and long-standing music venues in the country. We are not the big end of town - we are not in the business of hosting stadium tours. We are the pubs, theatres and clubs where Australian musicians get their start and hone their craft.
We are the venues where Victorian music lovers see shows not just once a year, but every night of the week. Our venues nurture the part of Victoria’s music culture that is uniquely Victorian, providing community, connectedness and wellbeing to people across the state.