News February 13, 2019

‘Don’t Kill Live Music’ rally to take place in Sydney next week

In the wake of the Mountain Sounds cancellation, a new initiative is calling on NSW music-lovers to come out and show their support at the Don’t Kill Live Music rally.

Over the last few days, there has been plenty said about the ongoing “war on festivals” that is taking place in New South Wales.

While Mountain Sounds was cancelled over the weekend, organisers blamed the State Government: and authorities, accusing them of hitting the festival with “excessive costs, additional licensing conditions” and numerous other roadblocks.

While Premier Gladys Berejiklian appears unwilling to listen to organisers of festivals in New South Wales, a new initiative has sprung up, urging music-lovers to band together to save their music scene.

Reminiscent of Victoria’s SLAM rally, Don’t Kill Live Music is a new initiative that is fed up with the government’s constant desire to vilify music festivals, calling them “high risk activities”.

“Overbearing regulation, exorbitant police bills, a lack of respect for NSW businesses, and very little recognition of the significant positive impacts of music on our communities is forcing music out of NSW,” the initiative writes in an open letter.

“We want our music culture to be safe and inclusive. Onerous and ill-considered regulation will not save lives. And the State Government is decimating our music culture in the process.”

Boasting the support of some of Australia’s most well-known festivals, venues, organisations and musicians, including Something For Kate, Courtney Barnett, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Skegss, Ruby Fields, and much more, the Don’t Kill Live Music initiative is urging music-lovers to come out to a rally next week and show their support of the Aussie festival scene.

Taking place at Sydney’s Hyde Park on Thursday, February 21st between 6pm and 8pm, the Don’t Kill Live Music rally hopes to see as many supporters as possible coming together to show the State Government that they are sick and tired of the ineffectual and harmful attitudes towards festival in NSW.

If you can’t make it over to the rally next week, you can also sign the Don’t Kill Live Music petition, which already has well over 25,000 supporters at the current time.