Get involved: Regional Victoria Music Census 2021

Music Victoria is excited to announce that it has been commissioned by the Victorian State Government to conduct a study of live music performance and presentation in the state’s regional tourism areas.

We are calling on anyone with an interest or involvement in regional live music presentations (e.g. artists, venue operators, event promoters, media, production and technical crew, fans, and patrons) to share their knowledge and experience.

The Regional Victoria Live Music Census and Infrastructure Audit 2021 will:

• quantify live music’s value as a tourism driver
• identify current challenges and gaps in support mechanisms and structures where targeted investment would help to drive future growth in visitation, employment and income generation
• document the growth in the live music sector that has taken place since the Regional Live Music Census of 2013
• document the impact of recent restrictions which have devastated the operations of all businesses – no more dramatically than those in the entertainment, tourism, and hospitality sectors.
• provide the important data that the government relies on to encourage and fund private and public sector investment to restore operations and generate future growth.
  

The timing could not be better.

With the current focus on local and regional tourism prior to the eventual opening of international borders, there is a key window of opportunity to build the case for sector support. This study will produce a greater understanding of live music’s importance in the regions where tourism-related visitation and activity have experienced significant growth, particularly in the last decade.

The project will be managed by music industry veteran Dobe Newton and build on his previous work for Music Victoria and the City of Melbourne to produce a number of significant reports including The Melbourne Live Music Census (2012), The Regional Victoria Live Music Census (2013) and The Melbourne Live Music Census (2017).

As many will be aware, the 2017 report provided the State Government with the data it needed to commit significant funding to assist practitioners and businesses in the local music sector.

Dobe will be joined by:

• lead researcher and co-author of the 2017 report, Rosa Coyle-Hayward
• a team of student researchers studying music industry at Collarts, who obviously have a significant stake in the sector’s future viability.

But the report, and its usefulness as an investment/funding driver, will only be as good as the data that underpins its findings and recommendations. That’s where you come in!

Share your knowledge and experience

Music Victoria is calling on anyone with an interest or involvement in regional live music presentations (e.g. artists, venue operators, event promoters, media, production and technical crew, fans, and patrons) to share their knowledge and experience.

Your input will be vitally important in providing accurate information and insights.

Please contact dale@musicvictoria.com.au to express your interest in being involved in this important project.

You have our personal guarantee - as was the case in the previous studies - that no personal nor confidential business information collected or communicated as part of the project will be shared by the consultant with any third party without prior consent.

The final report will be delivered in February 2022, and we will be in touch in the coming months to let you know how you can help make a contribution to help restore and grow our vitally important sector.