NSW Gov’t Unveils ‘Transformative’ 10-Year Music Strategy

After the drab years of the lockdowns, the festival licensing regime, and the pandemic, the state of New South Wales has a masterplan for music industry– one that its architects are convinced will cement the state as a “global music powerhouse.”

Announced overnight by the Minns Labor Government, the NSW Contemporary Music Strategy 2024 is a 10-year roadmap to a brighter future for the music community.

The document, according to its creators, is a blueprint to stabilise the foundations of the state’s music industry, cultivate growth and support its expansion through targeted initiatives and programs.

The mission ahead will include efforts to wind back onerous laws, reduce costs and find new ways to support artists, venues and festivals.

Key plans to the decade-long strategy include:

• Prioritising and protecting First Nations music by empowering communities and investing in skills development for First Nations artists and music industry professionals.

• Connecting NSW artists and industry professionals to the world through funding programs to support recording, promotion, touring and business development, while also investigating opportunities to attract more international artists and producers to record in NSW.

• Implementing fair pay for music artists with a minimum payment fee of $250 for artists performing at government-funded commercial events to ensure they are paid fairly for their time, talent and expertise.

• Delivering initiatives to support NSW venues and festivals, where businesses making valuable contributions to the music sector can access greater support, from funding opportunities to reduced government costs and licensing incentives.

• Investing in industry-led safety programs and resources, as part of a commitment to supporting programs that will make the music industry a fairer, more diverse and inclusive place to work, while increasing audience safety and accessibility at live music events.

• Introducing new funding initiatives and strategic partnerships to provide people with more opportunities to pursue careers in music, whether on stage or behind the scenes.

• Supporting the next generation of talent and audiences, by developing a venues-based all ages live music program to deliver year-round shows for young people across NSW and providing support for young promoters to deliver events for their communities.

• Putting NSW music first by using NSW music in Government campaigns and initiatives.

Addressing a launch function at the Oxford Art Factory, NSW minister for music and the night-time economy John Graham remarked: “Music is important to our way of life. It has the power to spark joy and bring people together. Music is also an important part of the NSW economy, with the live sector generating $5.5 billion in economic output and employing over 14,000 people.”

Speakers on the night included Emily Collins, head of Sound NSW Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport, and Jessica Ducrou, chairperson of the Sound NSW advisory board.

With this first-ever strategy, Graham continued, “we want to make a very clear statement: government is no longer standing in the way of music, it is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the industry to face the challenges and embrace the opportunities ahead.”

Graham also called for a collaborative approach, urging international streaming brands, tech platforms and music labels “working to make our music more discoverable in the global music market.”

The strategy was developed with input from the Sound NSW advisory board, and consultant Megan Brownlow.

ARIA and PPCA CEO, Annabelle Herd, who serves on the advisory board guiding the vision, welcomed the document as “a defining moment for the NSW music industry. It sets out a clear vision for a thriving, sustainable future while recognising the transformative power of music to connect, inspire, and drive economic growth.”

NSW is in prime position to top its class, with 31% of the national population and, last year, accounting for 40% of Australian artists featured in triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in Broken Hill or Bondi, Byron Bay or Bega, the positive effects of music enrich our lives, shape our communities, create thousands of jobs and strengthen our local economies,” comments Collins. “Sound NSW looks forward to working with industry and government partners to ensure NSW is a thriving home for great music.”

The full strategy can be found here.