‘Uncharted waters’: Vic’s live music scene battered by Covid, industry’s future unknown

Victoria’s live music industry is still reeling after 51,000 gigs were cancelled during Covid resulting in a $901m loss in revenue.

Victoria’s live music scene has taken a battering since Covid, with new figures revealing the full extent of damage to inner-city venues.

The 2022 Victorian Live Music Census, released by Music Victoria today, reveals more than 70 per cent of visitor spending at music events was lost during the pandemic, while nearly half of all performers considered leaving the industry all together.

About three quarters of all Victorian events were cancelled or postponed and 73 per cent of casual and part-time venue and event workers lost their jobs.

Melbourne CBD venues saw more than 51,000 gigs cancelled, resulting in a loss of about $901m in revenue.

The wider Yarra area suffered a 70 per cent decline in gigs throughout Covid. Picture: Zo Damage

Popular live music venues at Fitzroy and Collingwood, in Melbourne’s inner north, were some of the hardest hit, with the wider Yarra area suffering from a 70 per cent decline in gigs and losing out on $163m in revenue.

Event venues in the Port Phillip area, including St Kilda, suffered a revenue loss of about $106m, while nearly 12,000 performances were cancelled around Stonnington, in Melbourne’s inner southeast.

Pre-pandemic, the live music sector’s economic contribution from across the state had nearly doubled in just two years, drawing in $2.55bn in 2019, compared to $1.72bn in 2017.

Music Victoria chief executive Simone Schinkel said while it was exciting to see a growth trajectory in the industry before Covid, the sector was now swimming in “uncharted waters”.

“I think it’s still early days for us to know exactly where we are – we haven’t yet fallen into a new normal. There’s still a lot of backlog of events and a backlog of touring,” Ms Schinkel said.

“It’s just a whole different world … people are also living hyper locally, rather than going on a big travel to go see a gig, so we’ve seen local venues popping up. It’s different and we’re yet to fully understand it and find our feet.”

73 per cent of casual and part-time venue and event workers lost their jobs during Covid. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Schinkel said ending “the late-night licence freeze” across inner-city councils including Yarra, Stonnington, Port Phillip and Melbourne would “make a really big difference” to the live music scene.

“It’s something Music Victoria has been working on for a long time … any sort of red tape we can remove and any sort of further consistency we can have across liquor licencing and policing and all the regulatory bodies, the better,” she said.

The state government has pledged to lift the ban on new late-night liquor licenses in these areas on June 30.

City of Melbourne acting Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece said the council has recommended “several changes to planning policies and controls” ahead of the freeze ending.

“It’s vital we find the right balance between supporting Melbourne’s booming night-time economy and maintaining safety across our city and the wellbeing of residents and visitors,” he said.