Music Victoria unveils new set of recommendations for politicians

Victoria’s peak music association Music Victoria has this morning unveiled a White Paper making known a series of recommendations to politicians ahead of the state election on November 29.

The association’s CEO Patrick Donovan exclusively revealed to TMN that while its White Paper last year “covered a number of regulatory issues that needed fixing – and they’re on their way to getting fixed – this is about opportunities.”

He adds, “We’re encouraging all the parties: the Government, the Opposition, the Greens and others to adopt some of these recommendations in their platforms for the election. We obviously want music to have some priority over the next four years.”

They include:

• Increase the pool of Arts Victoria funding for contemporary music. In particular, introduce quick turn-around grants for acts if a career-changing opportunity avails itself.

• Promote Melbourne as the music and arts capital of Australia, with initiatives such as renaming streets and places after musicians and industry personalities, establish a music Hall of Fame, develop a walking tour of music landmarks and install plaques that highlight buildings and places of significance.

• To secure Melbourne’s positioning as a global music city, apply to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) and seek Melbourne to become a UNESCO City of Music in 2015 and join its Creative Cities Network.

• Hold a Regional Live Music Summit to develop a plan to stimulate recovery in the regional live music scene. A Regional Live Music Office could be set up to coordinate regional touring and activities.

• Establish a Live Music Hub as a mix of a performance stage, exhibition space and thousands of hot desks for music businesses to work together and soundboard ideas. Points out Donovan, “It will be similar to the one set up in Adelaide recently for which the SA Government committed $3 million.”

• Provide organisational and marketing support to further develop and coordinate events in November to showcase Melbourne as a music city nationally and internationally.

Other suggestions cover another four years of funding for Music Victoria; including music in trade missions; utilising the expertise of Small Business Victoria to mentor firms; reduce red tape for gigs; find ways to increase the industry’s economic benefit; fairer noise tests for venues; coordinate more events in November around events as the Face The Music conference and World Music Expo which draw interstate and international tourists.

In the last four years the live music sector and the State Government have worked closely. The trigger was the SLAM (Save Live Australia’s Music) rally which drew 22,000 to protest tough laws affecting music venues. It lead to the signing of the Live Music Accord in 2010. Subsequent Live Music Roundtable sessions lead to the reversal of liquor licensing policy that linked live music to high risk, a Live Music Best Practice Guide to assist venues, the return of all ages gigs, a commitment from Government to strengthen the Agent of Change principle in planning law, and the first review in 25 years of the State Environment Protection Policy that will protect venues. An estimated $1.04 billion was spent in Victoria’s small venues, concerts and festivals in 2012, and it employed more than 30,000 full time equivalent employees.