Pubs with pokies have to pls live music or pay a levy under SA Best policy

PUBS without live music would have their pokies revenue levied under an SA Best policy to support emerging musical talent.

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PUBS without live music would have their pokies revenue levied under an SA Best policy to support emerging musical talent.

Leader Nick Xenophon said SA Best would find an extra $1.25 million a year to add to the $850,000 already allocated from pokies revenue for the industry.

“This fund will have a formula that requires those venues with little or no live music to contribute the $1.25 million a year in extra funding, with bigger, high-profit venues paying more,” he said.

“If the venues decide to genuinely take on more musos, especially with original material, then they won’t have to pay.”

Nick Xenophon with Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson.

The extra money raised would be spent on encouraging emerging bands and performances in schools, promotion of new bands on radio and social media, and mentoring and training for musicians, songwriters and band promoters.

“The Australian Hotels Association had made unsubstantiated claims that SA Best’s pokies policies will impact musos’ jobs; that’s a lot of rubbish,” Mr Xenophon said.

“Many musos still remember the impact of pokies in pubs driving out live music in the mid-1990s.”

The Screaming Jets singer Dave Gleeson said it was vital live music “doesn’t die out”, and that required mentoring programs for young people in schools and universities.