The NSW government can now intervene to stop a live music venue from shutting its doors under new legislation to prop up the state’s nightlife.
The ‘vibrancy reforms’ were passed in parliament last week and are world-first special protections to ensure popular and historic venues don’t close down.
It will see the Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham “empowered” to step in and help a live music venue stay open.
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The framework could have prevented popular venues such as the Annandale Hotel and The Basement in Sydney from shutting down.
It will allow venues to opt-in for a range of support that can be used if a venue’s survival is at risk over reasons such as noise complaints, upset neighbours or hostile landlords.
Venues that can apply for the support are defined as those that host live, mostly original music as the key function of the venue and are essential to the local scene in NSW.
The first tranche of the framework made it impossible for one noise complaint to threaten a pub or licensed venue.
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“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,” Graham said.
“We are not going to sit by and watch another Annandale Hotel unplug the music and dismantle the stage.”
He added: “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.”
There are 795 live venues across NSW and 55 of them are considered “dedicated live music venues”.
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