Australian Live Music Business Council launches COVIDSafe tool for the industry

Australia’s network of live music venues now has a trusted resource to help guide them through the pandemic and back to business.

Today, the Australian Live Music Business Council launches the National Gig-Ready Dashboard, an updating hub of information which is meant to help the live sector through this fluid, and confusing health crisis.

The ALMBC’s COVIDSafe tool spells out essential details on compliance across states and territories, from restrictions and social-distancing requirements through to the service of alcohol, whether guests can get out of their seats and dance, and more.

And it’s available for anyone in the industry, free of charge.

“As the country opens back up to live music,” comments ALMBC interim chair Stephen Wade, co-founder of Select Music, “creating tour routes and planning shows that will be COVID compliant and having advice that is up to date for every corner of the country will be essential to ensure we can take advantage of opportunities for artists, businesses and audiences.”

Pixie Weyand

Pixie Weyand, owner of The Zoo and a member of the ALMBC working group, is trialing physical distancing gigs through the Brisbane venue’s “Anti-Social” nights, which kicked off in July and will run through September.

“As a music venue, the last few months have been not just stressful, but really confusing and that’s just in one state,” explains Weyand. “It’s really important for venues that are struggling to stay afloat that the rules are clear and easy to navigate and it’s been great that we can come together as a sector not just for support, but for information sharing.” Artists and bookers “can now create national plans with the eight sets of rules they are working under all in one place.”

Established in July, the ALMBC has grown quickly as the live industry looks for answers in these difficult times.

Currently, the Council boasts 488 small-to-medium-sized Australian businesses among its members, representing 28,000 employees across agencies, venues and small promoters through to ticketing companies, poster businesses and more.

Stephen Wade

More information can be found at www.almbc.org.au. In due course, an interactive portal will launch along with several other “practical member-driven initiatives,” organisers say.

A return to live music isn’t too far off (though Melbourne will have to wait).

In recent days, Live Performance Australia has shared industry guidelines to help venues as they prepare to emerge from the months-long lockdown, while guidelines for large-scale shows are being developed through the Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF), a working group comprised of stakeholders from music and sports.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.