Lockout laws, whether in Sydney or in Queensland, have become the go-to boogeyman for governmental overreach as far as Australia’s live music scene is concerned. It stands to reason as such laws are the reason words like ‘draconian’ were invented.
But as Kerri Glasscock, chief executive of the Sydney Fringe Festival, can tell you, the ways in which the government manages to get in the way of people just trying to put on a gig stretches far beyond the late-night lockouts.
“I travel to other festivals a lot and am always amazed by the freedom many of them have in being able to activate their city,” Glasscock tells Fairfax. “It is much more difficult here in Sydney to do so…”
This is exacerbated tenfold when you’re on a shoestring budget, as the Sydney Fringe, which receives no state or federal government funding, is. Prohibitive regulatory costs can add more than $30,000 to an organiser’s budget.
“The cost of compliance and regulation can be so exorbitant that it can prohibit the event taking place,” Glasscock says. “Things like additional security, fencing, waste, portable toilets, etc. can often increase an event budget by over $30,000.”
“We run on the smell of an oily rag and compared to other fringe festivals around we receive about a 10th of their funding.” According to a City of Sydney spokeswoman, outrage should be directed at the state government.
“These regulations, largely contained in state planning legislation, make it difficult for new small venues to open, and for the sector to grow with demand or replace venues that have closed over time,” she said.
We got a peek into the red tape-strewn reality of running a live music venue back in May when several Sydney venues, including iconic Kings Cross haunt World Bar, made submissions to a review of the city’s controversial lockout laws.
According to the owners, overall revenue is down 25 percent in just two years and it’s not just due to the drop in foot traffic and dip in overall attendance. The laws have brought on all sorts of new and often exorbitant costs.
“The cost of compliance and regulation can be so exorbitant that it can prohibit the event taking place.”According to World Bar’s own balance sheet, management are forking out an extra $224,900 per year due to the implementation of ID scanners as well as their regular maintenance, RSA officers, upgrades to their CCTV equipment, and a spike in insurance costs due to their classification as a “high risk” venue.
The venue is also required to submit data about their alcohol sales, costing them $3,000 annually. “This has been done for two years now with no explanation as to why. Surely whoever has the data has enough now. It is a timely and costly exercise for venues to do,” management wrote.
Many have pointed to Victoria as a place that’s doing things the right way, praising the state’s famous ‘Agent of Change’ laws, which put the onus of soundproofing live music venues on any developer looking to move into an area with established venues.
However, whilst this is certainly an example of government legislation that aids the live music sector instead of hindering it, less touted aspects of the ‘Agent of Change’ laws included the removal of prohibitive red tape in the state’s legislation.
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As part of a global study on the world’s most vibrant live music cities, the IFPI and Music Canada identified seven strategic areas as an effective means to grow and strengthen a city’s music economy, which included musician-friendly government policies.
“A vibrant music sector delivers an extensive array of social, cultural and economic benefits to its community; from job creation and retention to city identity and music tourism, to social cohesion, music can play an essential role,” wrote Graham Henderson, President and CEO, Music Canada.
According to their study, in 2012 Melbourne’s live music scene generated more than A$1bn in spending at small venues, concerts and festivals, supported 116,000 annual full-time equivalent jobs, and “produced significant spin-off benefits to restaurants, hotels, transportation companies and other providers”.
What this suggests is that if we want to see Australia’s live music sector flourish and provide jobs, it all starts at the polling booths.
