<\/p>\n
The latest venues round-up features the latest movements in Australia’s live scene, from career moves, milestones, legal matters, upgrades, and more.<\/p>\n
This fortnight\u2019s roundup highlights the continued support of audiences to live events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This includes Melbourne Park<\/strong> delivering $1.5 billion to Victoria, upgrades for Launceston Theatre, a SA festival buying a winery, a new strategy for an influential lobby group, new arrivals in Sydney and Geelong, and more changing hands in a buoyant market.\u00a0<\/p>\n Such backing motivates governments to expand pop up venues and all-ages gigs, finance films about two iconic Perth venues, and finding ways to safeguard punters in Tassie and WA.<\/p>\n The idea of the ticket levy has the live sector excited but some challenges have emerged.<\/p>\n The NSW State Government\u2019s latest round of snipping red tape<\/u><\/a> for the live sector offers opportunities for promoters in Special Entertainment Precincts by bypassing having to get approval for development applications.<\/p>\n Buildings and car parks will be allowed for pop up live music or community events.<\/p>\n It\u2019ll be easier to convert empty shops and offices into licensed small entertainment venues like small wine bars and restaurants, and more scope for rooftop bars.<\/p>\n Hundreds of clubs on Crown Land across NSW can utilise outdoor spaces for dining without development approvals. But these bowling, surf, RSL, and gold clubs must still meet development standards to manage patron safety, amenity, access and parking for people with a disability.<\/p>\n Don’t miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham<\/strong> said, \u201cNSW has some of the best locations in the world, but too many of them have been tied up in red tape.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese changes will allow us to maximise our potential by allowing venue and event operators to harness outdoor spaces like rooftops, car parks and town halls.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Government, there are currently 24 councils considering establishing new 24-hour precincts. This continues expanding the state\u2019s entertainment hubs from just Kings Cross and the CDB as was the case.<\/p>\n An independent audit found that Melbourne Park \u2013 whose venues include Rod Laver Arena<\/strong> and Margaret Court Arena<\/strong> \u2013 delivered a $1.5 billion social and economic boost<\/u><\/a> to Victoria.<\/p>\n Music, sports, and entertainment live events (not including the Australian Open<\/strong>) generated $1.34 billion in Gross State Product and supported more than 13,500 jobs.<\/p>\n 455 Melbourne Park events attracted 2.7 million attendees beyond the AO\u2019s 1.2 million. The 470,000 interstate and international visitors and 359,000 from regional Victoria, generated 1.2 million bed nights across Victoria.\u00a0<\/p>\n These results were driven by multi-night residencies from Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa<\/strong>, Drake<\/strong>, Katy Perry<\/strong>, Gracie Abrams<\/strong>, Ricky Martin<\/strong>, Kylie Minogue<\/strong>, and Tyler, The Creator<\/strong>, as well as a 15-show run of Les Mis\u00e9rables<\/em> The Arena Spectacular<\/strong> at Rod Laver Arena.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Across the year, Melbourne Park brought together acts from 16 countries, with headline performances from K-pop stars TWICE<\/strong>, Indian pop idol Diljit Dosanjh<\/strong>, Mandopop performer Ronghao Li<\/strong>, and J-pop singer Ado<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Short films about Perth\u2019s Ellington Jazz Club<\/strong> and Leederville\u2019s Hip-E Club<\/strong> make their debut at the Revelation Perth International Film Festival<\/strong> (PIFF<\/strong>) July 8\u201419.<\/p>\n In a Sentimental Mood<\/em>, about the Ellington Club, is written and directed by Saskia Glass<\/strong> and produced by Aron Attiwell<\/strong>. Glass focuses on the exhilaration of live music and in a city like Perth.<\/p>\n Hip-E Club: The Beat Goes On<\/em> is produced by Lucy Nicol<\/strong> and directed and written by Sanja Katich<\/strong>. It comes at a time when John \u201cJA\u201d Anderson<\/strong>, who founded the club 40 years ago, passes the baton to his godson, Ben Maher<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Both films are the result of the City of Vincent Film Project<\/strong>, now in its ninth year. It provides early-career filmmakers with finances, mentorship, in-kind camera equipment from rental company Raz Studios and support from Halo Films.<\/p>\n Spotify<\/strong> has partnered with Live Nation<\/strong> for the launch of its Reserved initiative, which rewards superfans<\/u><\/a> by reserving two concert tickets when a tour is announced.<\/p>\n It\u2019s initially available in the US from their summer but other countries will be added in time.<\/p>\n The way it works is Spotify will identify which of its 29 million Premium subscribers (ages 18+) are an act\u2019s most dedicated fans and hold two tour tickets for them.\u00a0<\/p>\n These are put aside before the tix go on sale, allowing the subscriber to buy them without having to get stuck in a queue. \u201cBecause real fandom deserves a real seat at the show,\u201d the streaming service states.<\/p>\n A tour\u2019s superfan is identified by their frequency of sharing, saving, and active listening. It\u2019s not known if they have to pay extra for Reserved.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paying for privilege is not an issue for China\u2019s Tencent Music Entertainment<\/strong>. It uses early access to concert tickets and exclusive merchandise as perks for its Super VIP tier \u2013 which costs RMB 40 (AU$8.02) per month, or five times a standard subs price.\u00a0<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t stop the tier from getting 20 million subscribers by the end of 2025, or grow revenue in Q1 2025 by 16.6% to 4.22 billion RMB ($815.29 million), and help the company reach revenue in that quarter to 7.36 billion RMB ($1.41 billion).<\/p>\n Manly, Sydney, hospitality identity Matt Clifton<\/strong> has another hit on his hands. His late night live music and Irish bar Gopher<\/strong> opened on Friday May 15 on 40 The Corso site of The Old Manly Boatshed<\/strong>. Opening weekend had crowds queuing down the street until 2 am.<\/p>\n Clifton, who was behind Donny\u2019s<\/strong> and The Cumberland<\/strong>, was hands-on with the designs. Light fixtures were sourced from Bulgaria, Germany, the UK, and Canada, and the early 1900s milk glass lampshades from 16 countries.<\/p>\n The name came from The Gopher Gang, an Irish-American street crew who ran amuck in Manhattan\u2019s Hell\u2019s Kitchen from the 1890s to 1910s. Elements in the venue salute that era. One of the cocktails is so strong patrons are only allowed two a night.<\/p>\n The Old Manly was run by Geoff Burgess<\/strong> for 38 years until suddenly closing last September.<\/p>\n Holy smoke! A renovated century-old church in Ryrie Street has become the latest music venue for Geelong in Victoria. Geelong Council made extensive renovations<\/u><\/a> to turn it into an affordable music space for the regional city\u2019s independent and emerging music talent.<\/p>\n The venue, called The Church<\/strong>, is part of Council\u2019s strategy to build up the city\u2019s buoyant live scene. Some of it was outlined during the Geelong Live Music Summit<\/u><\/a> held in early May before 120 music executives, academics, MPs, bureaucrats, and punters.<\/p>\n Eddy Kontelj<\/strong>, Deputy Mayor and Chair of Arts and Culture, Hospitality and Live Entertainment outlined Council discussions for a Special Entertainment Precinct, a parking permit for musicians and road crews, setting up a Night Time Advisory Committee and slashing fees for venues which wanted to have outdoor dining.<\/p>\n Other speakers spoke about the economic and cultural impact of the city\u2019s live music, scope for collaborations between Council and the live sector, precincts and policies, career pathways, the cost of living, and the challenges and opportunities of venues.<\/p>\n The City of Hobart has pressed green-light on allowing raves in the Town Hall Underground<\/strong>. The area, with four rooms and a hallway, already hosts installations, music, performance art, sculpture and painting exhibitions, and book launches.<\/p>\n The underground has a certain ambience, once connected to the court room upstairs via a tiny staircase and one of the rooms for constables.\u00a0<\/p>\n But moving forward with the raves, Ben Artup<\/strong>, Director of Community and Economic Development explained it was so they\u2019d be held in \u201ca regulated and managed environment rather than having them occur unregulated elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n As South Australia\u2019s Day Dance Festival<\/strong> is set for another year (June 6 and 7) it took to social media to alert its patrons that it had bought Simon Hackett Winery<\/strong> in McLaren Vale as its permanent site a few months ago.<\/p>\n It had been staging at the winery since it began in 2017. But the chance came to buy it when founder Simon Hackett<\/strong> died from a stroke in January, aged 73. It had a substantial export market in the UK but went into liquidation last year after a legal battle with a related company.<\/p>\n Day Dance organisers took to Facebook<\/u><\/a> to spell out changes to attendees. \u201cWe\u2019re very excited to utilise the full property for the very first time!! The main bar will be in the warehouse. The toilets will be in the production area. And there\u2019s a whole new indoor space for you to nestle in to!\u201d<\/p>\n They put it out there: \u201cWould it be a bit much if we call it Day Dance Winery?\u201d<\/p>\n The WA Government is expanding the \u2018Ask For Angela\u2019 venue crisis call in regional areas, four months after introducing it in five metro precincts and finding it effective.<\/p>\n A patron feeling unsafe can use the phrase with a staffer to trigger responses, from being moved to a safe space, having transport home arranged, or having police or emergency services called.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a simple way to offer practical help for anyone feeling threatened or vulnerable,\u201d WA Minister for Women Simone McGurk<\/strong> said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pubs, clubs, hotels, entertainment venues, sports clubs, and restaurants wanting more information and free resources can visit the official website<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n City of Launceston voted to add another $2 million to the $43 million redevelopment of the 939-seat Princess Theatre<\/strong> on Brisbane Street. It will cover the $2.2 million cost of the hydraulic orchestra lift.<\/p>\n The theatre hosts rock concerts, plays, opera, ballet, and comedy. It is closed for two years while changes include fire systems, disability access and operation issues.<\/p>\n Last year the Federal Government committed to $12.7 million. Arts Minister Tony Burke<\/strong> said at the time<\/u><\/a>, \u201cFor a long time when people talked about access in theatres, they only thought about people being in the audience. They never thought about how to make sure that artists, no matter what their ability or disability might be, that they can be in the spotlight as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Woodfordia, home of the Woodford Folk Festival<\/strong> in Queensland, has \u201creached an important milestone in the Forest of Goodwill campaign,\u201d reported festival GM Amanda Jackes<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n It has set up the Woodfordia Foundation Ltd. This comes in the wake<\/u><\/a> of the campaign reaching $2.35 million \u201cso far towards securing Woodfordia into the future.\u201d The Forest of Goodwill is part of a 500 Year Plan to be green for generations to come.<\/p>\n The Foundation will be in charge of how to disperse the funds. In early May, during its \u201cplanting festival\u201d, the Woodford community and volunteers set up two new forests \u2013 the Friendship Forest and the Forest of Wonder.<\/p>\n Some venues playing roles in live music changed hands, some for eight-figure bonanzas.<\/p>\n After 40 years, the Yang<\/strong> family sold the Bexley North Hotel<\/strong> in Sydney for a reported $70 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n New owners are John<\/strong> and Dean Feros<\/strong> of JDA Collective. From the \u201860s to the \u201880s, it was a rock hub, where AC\/DC<\/strong>, Divinyls<\/strong>, Cold Chisel<\/strong>, INXS<\/strong>, The Church<\/strong>, Dee Minor & The Dischords<\/strong>, The Easybeats<\/strong>, and Mental As Anything<\/strong> would tread the boards until 4 am. The Lonely Hearts<\/strong> played there 14 times.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Seven months after the relaunch of Home House<\/strong> nightclub in Geelong, Victoria, the freehold is up for sale<\/u><\/a> for between $4.3 million and $4.4 million, reports Real Commercial<\/em>. The two-level building on Moorabool St is being leased for five years by a nightclub operator in Cairns, QLD, with an annual rental income of $250,000.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Moruya Waterfront Hotel<\/strong>, on the NSW far south coast \u2013 whose live music programming includes regular Sunday Sunset Sounds<\/strong>, Blues & Roots Festival<\/strong>, and the five-hour NYE bash \u2013 is now part of Canberra-based Agnew Group<\/strong> which paid about $6 million for it.<\/p>\n Privately owned and multi-divisional the company already operates The Hive<\/strong> in the town.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The Kings Cross Hotel<\/strong>, well known for its DJ freakouts and three levels of entertainment, will officially shift its keys from Solotel<\/strong> to the Gravanis<\/strong> brothers\u2019 Oscars Group<\/strong> in July.<\/p>\n The venue is at the gateway of the old Cross\u2019 strip and music precinct under the famous Coca-Cola sign.\u00a0The KX Club<\/strong> packs \u2018em out, with a full-bodied VOID sound system, split-platform staging and a 40-piece custom lighting fit-out.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Sunshine Coast hospitality and entertainment hub The Mooloolaba Wharf<\/strong> has been quietly withdrawn from the market, said the <\/em>Courier Mail<\/u><\/em><\/a>. It ends months of speculation that a major cashed up firm would take over and exploit its potential and picturesque location.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Australian Venue Co.<\/strong> and Charter Hall<\/strong> teamed up to take over the leasehold and operation of The White Cockatoo<\/strong> in Petersham, Sydney. Best known for its Sunday afternoon live music, it was run by The Reilly Group<\/strong> who bought it in 2017 and slapped on $3 million worth of renos.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n While the Australian live sector increases its push for a voluntary arena tax levy as a solution to the grassroots crisis, the issue is causing headaches in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n In England where this is a \u00a31 ($1.88) contribution, there is great frustration because the Government is taxing the levy. IQ<\/u><\/em><\/a> magazine reported that of the \u00a36 million ($11.3 million) raised, 20% or \u00a31.2 million ($2.26 million) will go to the Government.<\/p>\n IQ <\/em>also reported that last week the German live sector met in the Bundestag (federal Parliament) to discuss the \u201ccrossroads\u201d its scheme is facing from some quarters since being introduced in January.\u00a0<\/p>\n Industry advocacy group The Live Music<\/strong> said efforts were currently at a \u201cstandstill\u201d.<\/p>\n Australia will face this. When this column quietly got feedback from two promoters to gauge their support for it, the response was essentially \u201cNice worthy idea but our shareholders won\u2019t go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n BIGSOUND<\/strong> announced that advisers for its First Nations program Goolwal Goolwal are Kaleena Briggs<\/strong>, Joshua Eggington<\/strong>, Uncle Joe Geia<\/strong>, William Kepa<\/strong>, Will Pawa-Oui<\/strong>, Denni Proctor<\/strong>, Catherine Satour<\/strong>, Sherene Stewart<\/strong>, and Candice Lorrae<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Uncle Joe Geia also serves as its Elder In Residence. The proud Gugu Yimithirr Kaurareg man and multi-instrumentalist is regarded as a pioneer of contemporary Indigenous music through his roles in co-founding No Fixed Address<\/strong> and Black Arm Band<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Marc Carnes<\/strong> takes over as CEO of Adelaide Fringe<\/strong> from July 1. He spent 20 years in the arts, fringe festivals and audience development in Canada. He was most recently CEO of Alberta\u2019s music, arts and culture CKUA Radio<\/strong>, and served as Chair of the board of the Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The Venue Management Association<\/strong> (Asia Pacific) appointed Megan O\u2019Reilly<\/strong>, Chief Operating Officer of Melbourne Park, as its new President. She succeeds Phil King<\/strong>, Managing Director of Ticketek<\/strong>, who served in the role for three years.<\/p>\n Joining the VMA<\/strong> board is ICC Sydney<\/strong>\u2019s Senior Manager \u2013 Live Events, Michelle Zangari<\/strong>. She joins newly elected members Houri Tapiki<\/strong> of the Theatre Royal Sydney<\/strong>, Mark Jones<\/strong> of the Melbourne Cricket Ground<\/strong>, and Geordie Miles<\/strong> of Spark Event Group<\/strong>\/VIPeople<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMore Pop Up Music Venues For NSW<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Melbourne Park Delivers $1.5B To Victoria<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Short Films For Two Iconic WA Venues<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Spotify Partners With Live Nation For \u2018Reserved\u2019<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Gopher Replaces Old Manly Boatshed With Big Turnout<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Geelong Church Becomes Live Music Hub<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Raves For Hobart Town Hall Underground<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SA\u2019s Day Dance Festival Buys Winery<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Venue Safe Message \u2018Ask For Angela\u2019 Expands To Regional WA<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Upgrade For Launceston Theatre<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Good Things Come In Trees: Woodfordia Sets Up Foundation For Forest Of Goodwill<\/strong><\/h3>\n
New Seasons, New Reasons<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Long Road To Ticket Levy<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Musical Chairs<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Cumberland Gets Funding For Live Music<\/strong><\/h3>\n