We\u2019ve been writing about the challenges facing grassroots music venues around the world for some time, with many of the efforts to support them coming from within the live industry: grant funds, voluntary ticket levies and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Governments have got involved, making funding available and (in the UK) prodding for the voluntary levies. But in New South Wales in Australia, we\u2019re now seeing the proposal for some full-blown legislation: the Music Bill 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can read the bill\u00a0here<\/a>, and TheMusic\u2019s rundown of its key provisions\u00a0here<\/a>. The new law would set up a \u2018Sound NSW\u2019 advisory board and an accreditation scheme for \u2018dedicated\u2019, \u2018significant\u2019 and \u2018live music\u2019 venues \u2013\u00a0which will smooth the process of providing them with support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n The bill would also ease challenges around noise complaints about outdoor events; speed up approvals of events; and comes with a new AU$500k scheme offering grants to venues putting on all-ages concerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur music industry has been smashed by lockouts, lockdowns, overregulation of festivals and the algorithmically enhanced onslaught of American music,\u201d said New South Wales minister for music and the night-time economy John Graham. \u201cWe have to back our local musicians or they\u2019ll continue to drop out of our charts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s a reference to the ongoing debate in Australia about the declining domestic stream-share of local artists, with Spotify pushing back with a stream of announcements stressing those artists\u2019 global growth on its platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Because both of those trends can be simultaneously true, the debate about streaming\u2019s impact on Australian artists will rage on. But if the challenge at hand is to reinvigorate their local streams, supporting the local venues and festivals where they can play live is vital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why this legislation is noteworthy in Australia, but its impact is also wider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as the work of the UK\u2019s Music Venue Trust charity has inspired similar efforts elsewhere \u2013\u00a0Australia included<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0so New South Wales\u2019s Music Bill 2026 may give politicians around the world some pointers for what they could do to support their own grassroots live-music industries.<\/p>\n\n