Multi-Million Dollar Ideas to Ignite Live Music in Melbourne and Brisbane CBDs

Multi-million dollar ideas are underway to ignite activity in two major CBDs, Brisbane and Melbourne.

In the latest, a $5 million pop up music and theatre venue is on the cards as part of an ambitious $50.4 million plan to revitalise Melbourne’s central business district.

Up north, the race for the construction and operation of the $5.4 billion Brisbane Live arena and precinct ramps up with a cashed-up American investor throwing its hat in the ring.

The Melbourne pop-up will be activated in underused parts of the CBD and is aimed at shows that attract new audiences.

It is an initiative of the $200 million Melbourne City Revitalisation Fund – a partnership between the State Government and City of Melbourne.

It includes a $4 million precinct at Queen Victoria Market for the social enterprise sector; and $4.5 million to grow Melbourne International Games Week in 2023 and 2024 and to establish collaborative games industry workspaces.

There is $25.4 million in projects to attract businesses from different industries that will see more people visit, live and work in the inner city; and $10 million to cement Melbourne’s status as a prominent student city.

In the long run, these would be extremely beneficial for the entertainment sector.

“From major events, to locking in some of the biggest dates in the sporting calendar – a Labor government will always build a bright economic future for Victoria,” said minister for industry support and recovery, Ben Carroll.

The State Government and City of Melbourne already work together on Dusk til’ Dawn grants.

These provided up to $100,000 to bring projects including festivals and other pop up venues into the city from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m..

As a new music tourism draw, the government is spending $287,000 on a statue of Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter in inner city Fitzroy, to be unveiled in 2023.

The Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Yarra City Council and family members will work on the installation.

The government this week also announced a state memorial for Roach at Myer Music Bowl on December 15, which will be livestreamed.

Melbourne’s night time economy employed more than 31,000 people in 2020-21 – a 14.9% increase on the previous 12 months.

The number of night-time establishments rose by 4.4% to nearly 3,000 in 2020-21 – or 7% of the total economy.

The Brisbane Live precinct was first proposed in 2016 by venue operator ASM Global (Asia Pacific) chairman and CEO Harvey Lister.

It was to include a 17,000-seat indoor arena for $450 million, as well as a 4,000-capacity live music venue, cinemas, restaurants and bars.

Now the U.S.-based venues and entertainment powerhouse Oak View Group (OVG) has upped the ante with a rival proposal.

OVG runs arenas in New York, Seattle, Austin, Coachella Valley California, Manchester U.K., São Paulo Brazil and Ontario.

It is working on $5 billion worth of new developments, including a $3 billion entertainment complex in Las Vegas.

It also owns “Pollstar” and “Venues Now” magazines and venue management and hospitality provider Spectra.

Brisbane Live was a “natural fit” for OVG, its executive vice president Brian Kabatznick told the “Brisbane Times”.

“[It is] an amazing opportunity to build a cutting-edge venue that will attract international performers and visitors and showcase top-quality events for Queenslanders.

“With our consortia partners, including Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company, we have the expertise, the experience and, critically, the capital to transform this precinct in Brisbane into Australia’s premier entertainment destination with minimal public funding.”

The Brisbane Live Arena will be used as part of the 2032 Olympics.

According to the Queensland Government, it could deliver 450 jobs per year during construction, with 1060 jobs in the peak year and 600 ongoing jobs once operational.

It would be a major tourism pull, and could attract up to $2.5 billion in real Gross Regional Product over 2026-2048.

The activated arena and wider precinct could attract $90 million per annum in investment.