Nick Xenophon offers South Australian live music an extra $5m in electoral promise

As part of his promises for the South Australian elections,Nick Xenophon’s SA-BEST party will provide an additional $5 million over the next four years to the state’s live music industry if it gains balance of power.

These extra funds will be spent – based on grassroots industry feedback and consultation – on a range of initiatives including:

*Encouraging emerging bands and live gigs in schools;

*Cross-promotion of new bands on social media and music radio stations, and;

*Mentoring and training programs for musicians, songwriters and band promoters.

Xenophon said, “Currently, $850,000 is allocated annually from pokies revenue for the live music industry, but there are widespread concerns the fund does not go anywhere near far enough in supporting live music and emerging local talent.”

Most of the new funding will come from poker machine venues “which have little or no live music to contribute the $1.25 million a year in extra funding, with bigger, high-profit venues paying more.”

Dave Gleeson, singer with Screaming Jets and The Angels, endorsed Xenophon’s idea.

He said, “I’ve been doing this for about 30 minutes. There’s so much importance to be placed on young bands getting opportunities to record their music, play in front of people, and to get their names known.

“(This) is pretty hard to do at the moment, especially in the local industry where opportunities have dried up for places to play and bands to support.”

Gleeson added that young acts needed support in social media use, mentoring and time in the recording studio to learn the process, and to get their name across.