While we at Time Out are firm fans of Sydney and lovers a big night out in the Emerald City, we're also realistic – Sydney’s nightlife scene is not what it once was. Two decades ago, our city was a magnet for live music fans with punters packing into pubs for the bands rather than the beers.
Great strides have been made to return our city to her former glory after the impacts of the lockout laws that were finally scrapped in 2021, and the overlapping Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns which affected cities globally. But there's still more work to be done. Sadly, half of NSW’s live music venues have closed down over the past ten years. But while we’re still mourning the loss of ripper places like legendary CBD rock'n'roll haven Frankie’s Pizza, live performance hub the Giant Dwarf, popular gig bar HiWay on Enmore Road, and the all-too-short-lived Meraki Arts Bar on Oxford Street, we’re not giving up hope.
And the NSW Government hasn't given up either, announcing plans to revive our once legendary live music scene – and it’s quite literally music to our ears. For the first time, they’ll conduct a statewide survey of artists and music professionals, where they’ll question participants about the strengths of the industry and the challenges holding them back.
John Graham, the Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy (amongst other titles) said: “The last decade of lockouts and lockdowns has led to a grassroots music venue crisis in this state. We know the live music sector is facing many challenges, and this research will help identify from firsthand experience of musicians and industry participants themselves what those challenges are.”
The anonymous survey data will be combined with economic analysis, venue mapping data and audience research to inform the NSW Government’s first ever ten-year contemporary music strategy, as well as create a road map for the future of our state’s arts and cultural scene.
According to current Liquor and Gaming data, there are only 137 live music venues left in NSW, and we can’t afford another casualty anytime soon. Whether you’re an artist, manager, promoter, venue operator, technician or ticket retailer, everyone is encouraged to take part in the Live Music Survey.
You can fill out the survey here. Anonymous submissions are open until January 15, 2024.
In the meantime, the Government is introducing six new reforms to pump up the volume on live music and Sydney's nightlife, and initiatives like Great Southern Nights are bringing heaps of great gigs to venues all over the city with a range of artists from Alex The Astronaut and Thelma Plum to rock legends Jet. Music will also dominate Sydney Festival's 2024 program, with special outdoor concerts and intimate gigs in store this summer. The first ever SXSW Sydney was also an important platform for artists like Western Sydney's R'n'B prodigy Ashli.