Major festival and tour cancellations made many a headline since the pandemic halted travel and gatherings, but Australia's local live acts have been impacted so heavily, almost three-quarters of them are considering ditching music altogether.
Vocalist and guitarist Lockie Farr's band To The Skies was on the rise, with the Sunshine Coast-based three-piece releasing new original music and preparing for a capital city tour — then 2020 reared its ugly head.
"It just destroyed our momentum," Lockie said.
"There was probably about eight months where we didn't play one gig."
He said one of the most disheartening phases of the path out of COVID restrictions was when venues slowly started to reopen, but everyone had to stay seated.
"No-one was allowed to dance," he said.
"Being an entertainer, like, how am I meant to entertain someone while they're trying to sit? They want to boogie, you know? It was really rough."
To The Skies managed to keep afloat over the past couple of years by securing some cover shows, but only managed to book their first gig back playing their own music in late 2022.
Lockie said with money already tight, venues were making cuts — and local live acts were the first to go.
"Businesses got hit hard too, to keep afloat they're doing everything they can do," he said.
"But right now, the music industry for original artists is horrible. I'll simply put it that way."
Fewer performance prospects leaves musicians in the lurch
New research conducted by Wild Turkey has found that about 89 per cent of aspiring Australian artists are struggling to pursue a music career, and 73 per cent are considering ditching it completely.
The online survey asked hundreds of Aussie musicians whether the last three years had negatively impacted their career — more than half said yes.
Almost 40 per cent of those surveyed say they still haven't been able to perform at live venues since COVID hit.
Australian organisation Support Act provides crisis relief and mental health support to musicians, managers, crew, and other music workers.
National programs manager Anne Jacobs said the lasting impact of COVID on the industry combined with multiple other challenges has meant many artists are struggling — not only career-wise, but mentally as well.
"We hear from those in the industry struggling the most that there are fewer venues operating, fewer venues employing people to play, as well as lower rates of pay provided," she said.
"Then adding on top of this the floods [and] fires, which have impacted venues closing in previously thriving music hubs, and increased costs of living which all have had a significant and detrimental effect on the mental health of musicians and music workers."
Lockie said he and his band mates have stayed optimistic about their place in the local music industry, but not everyone was able to continue through the lack of performance opportunities.
"I have seen bands give up and go back to their regular jobs, which is sad to see," he said.
"To The Skies, our message is to go to the skies ... so optimism is our strength, but lately, we've been feeling it."
Mentorship program aims to keep artists in the game
With a third studio album to be released on Friday, Matt Corby is one of Australia's most enduring artists — but even he said he was been pushed to his limits through the pandemic.
He said the number of artists who said they were struggling doesn't surprise him "at all".
"Even established artists, over the last couple of years, they've all been trying to put out records and haven't been able to tour, so there's this crazy bottleneck as music's coming back slowly," he said.
"The best place to grow as an artist is either performing live on stage or on the road, and we've lost that presence over the last few years. Playing live is the main part of the job."
In response to their survey of grassroots musicians, Wild Turkey wants aspiring artists to apply for mentorship program "Music 101" in the hopes of keeping Australian talent in the industry.
Music 101 will offer participants the chance to learn from Australian musicians, including Corby, and potentially have the opportunity to record a demo or perform.
Corby said the sheer number of aspiring artists considering giving up on music was concerning, but mentorship and "getting real with people" could help them get back on track.
"A young artist is probably going to be really discouraged at this point in time," he said.
"They could be incredible and everybody could be turning a blind eye to them, which is why the Wild Turkey 101 program is so cool. It's another avenue for younger artists that are up-and-coming to get some experience live."
Ms Jacobs said there was always room for more mentorship and support for grassroots Australian artists.
"We appreciate that there is more work that can be done in order to have the most thriving and mentally healthy music industry and ensure that the songs and stories of up-and-coming artists are heard," she said.
