Serial whingers to lose their voice under new live music laws

Vexatious neighbours, serial complainers and hostile landlords threatening to shutdown a live music venue will face mediation under new laws to keep the industry alive.

Vexatious neighbours, serial complainers and hostile landlords threatening to shutdown a live music venue will face mediation under new laws to keep the industry alive.

Instead of being able to wreak havoc by lodging repeat complaints with local councils and police, the laws empower the minister of the day to step in to oversee the resolution of the dispute.

The laws will apply to a list of venues that have been identified as “significant” across the State, from the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay to the Crowbar in Leichhardt.

A significant live music venue is defined as one which hosts live, predominantly original, music as the key function of its business and is essential to the touring and live, local music scene in NSW.

Under the new laws, the minister will be able to call in Sound NSW, the 24 Hour Commissioner, the Hospitality Concierge and the Business Bureau as a response to threatened venues requiring assistance.

Annandale Hotel was used by the Foo Fighters to film the music video for their song Big Me.

The Minns government has described the new laws as the “world-first legislative protections” designed to ensure the health of the NSW live music scene and prevent closures that took away venues like the Annandale Hotel and The Basement while threatened the survival of venues like the Eltham Hotel.

The protected venues were identified in the first ever census of live music in NSW with the June State of the Scene report identifying 795 venues across the state, of which 55 were considered “dedicated live music venues”.

The venues also included Enmore Theatre, The Factory Theatre in Marrickville, the Oxford Art Factory in Darlinghurst and the Lansdowne Hotel in Chippendale.

With the new laws passing through state parliament last week, the government will now finalise the details of a framework that will allow venues to opt-in to a range of supports that can be deployed if a significant venue’s survival is under threat for reasons that can include noise complaints, vexatious neighbours or hostile landlords.

Hannah Joy of Middle Kids performs at Enmore Theatre at SXSW Sydney 2024. Picture: Nina Franova/Getty Images.

The laws build on the first tranche of “vibrancy reforms” which make it impossible for a single neighbour noise complaint to shut down a pub or licensed venue.

The second tranche of reforms, as revealed by The Sunday Telegraph, tore up restrictions on venues dictating what kind of entertainment a venue could put on.

Music and Night-time Economy Minister John Graham highlighted the plight of the iconic Annandale Hotel, where bands from Jimmy Barnes to Metallica played during its heyday.

The venue. which shutdown after a stoush with Leichhardt Council over late night trading and noise compliance, was also used by the Foo Fighters to film the music video for the song Big Me, featuring a pigtail wearing Dave Grohl.

“The music-loving community has been forced to say ‘Rest In Peace’ too many times to the foundational live venues that were the incubators of Australian music,” Mr Graham said.

“We are not going to sit by and watch another Annandale Hotel unplug the music and dismantle the stage.

“In a cost of living crisis, we need a strong local music scene where people can enjoy live music without shelling out the hundreds of dollars it can cost to see the big touring international acts.”

The NSW music census found live music provides 25,000 jobs and contributes $5.5 billion in economic output to NSW.

Originally published as Serial whingers to lose their voice under new live music laws