20 NSW venues turn their music off at midnight in protest against live music policies

Over 20 venues and bars across NSW are turning their music off at midnight tomorrow (Saturday December 15) in an unprecedented protest against the NSW government’s policies to live music and music events.

The stunt is taking place exactly 100 days until the NSW election.

“Music venues are vital for any creative city and we think music policy should be in people’s minds come election time,” says Mark Gerber, owner of the Oxford Art Factory.

David Abram, owner of another participating venue, Freda’s in Chippendale, adds “it’s more than just about music. We also stage art exhibitions, spoken word nights, talks and markets.

“Venues provide an essential service to many Sydney communities and need to be valued higher than they currently are.”

The protest is being coordinated by Keep Sydney Open, which is now a political party contesting the election.

Its spokesperson Tyson Koh points out, “There has been a net loss of 175 venues since the lockout laws were introduced, and the recent scapegoating of music festivals has shown the NSW government is not going to stop until they destroy all the fun in NSW.”

“We have seen a massive decline in economic and job growth in Darlinghurst and surrounding suburbs which can be directly correlated to the lockout laws and anti-competitive policies of the NSW Government,” adds Darlinghurst Business Partnership chairperson, Stephan Gyory.

Some of the venues turning off the music at midnight are:

Marlborough Hotel – Newtown

Oxford Art Factory – Darlinghurst

Kings Cross Hotel – Kings Cross

The Family Hotel – Newcastle

DK Pool Club – Bathurst

Freda’s – Chippendale

Chingalings – Darlinghurst

The Narrabeen RSL – North Shore