Toilet Queues, Safety and a Lack of Music Venues Are Worrying Punters: Report

Australians love going to the show. But long toilet queues, bad vibes from other punters, and a lack of dedicated music venues, particularly in regional areas, is putting a dampener on the good times. 

Newly published data finds that the vast majority of Australians are keen to see multiple concerts in the months ahead, though many feel underserviced when it comes to live music venues in their local area.

Some 43% of respondents to the first annual Australian Live Music Census, was commissioned by Cedar Mill Group, either “disagree” or “strongly disagree” that there are sufficient live music venues in their area.

The sentiment is particularly acute in regional areas, where 75% of residents argue there’s not enough live music venues, compared to 55% in metro areas. 

As politicians and developers mull a solution for Australia’s housing crisis, the report draws attention to the dearth of affordable concerts spaces, impacting punters and an industry already tackling out-of-control insurance premiums, rising labour costs and more, 

More than 1,000 people were tapped for the study, comprised of 48% male, 47% female and 2% gender diverse (and the remaining 1% preferring not to say).

The largest age group of respondents was 35 – 44 (25%), followed by 45 – 54 (23%), 25 – 34 (22%), 55+ (20%), 18 – 24 (6%) and 13 – 17 (1%). 

The research captures a glimpse of the Aussie music fan, with 85% of respondents attending more than four live music events a year, and 93% saying they will likely attend a live music event in the next six months.

That’s against just 27% who said they’d likely attend a live sporting event in the same time period.

Some 93% said the experience of a good concert would create life-long memories.

The research also confirmed Australians’ love of the outdoors, with 74% of people saying they “strongly agree” or “agree” that they enjoy the atmosphere at outdoor  events. 

Safety is an issue, with 40% of female respondents saying that they’ve felt unsafe at a live music event, and toilet queues are creating a stink with live music fans – particularly females. Some 47% of female respondents rated it as their No. 1 gripe, compared to just 27% of males.

“It’s clear Aussies want more music venues, better accessibility and of course shorter toilet queues,” says a rep for Cedar Mill.

Of course, Cedar Mill has a solution. Through a partnership with Business Sydney and Business Western Sydney, the group this year presented a business case for three first-of-its-kind “performance shells,” part of a plan to reinvigorate the city’s once-thriving concerts space.

Those concepts were put forward in Greater Entertainment for Greater Sydney: Permanent Performance Shells in Sydney’s Iconic Parklands, a 50-page document that illustrates a “vision for a new era of live entertainment” in Australia’s most populous city.

Live Nation Australia, the domestic affiliate of Live Nation, the world’s leading concerts promoter, is ramping up its investments in venues.

The live music giant’s growing portfolio of venues, includes Festival Hall and The Palais Theatre in Melbourne, the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, the Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide and Anita’s Theatre, a historic venue in Thirroul, a northern seaside suburb of Wollongong, which in 2022 became LN’s first entry into the regions.