While live music venues appear to be circling the drain and artists complain of delayed payments, some Canberran talents and a beloved venue will be working for free this Sunday.
Six acts including At Last: Broadcast, Babyfreeze and the Brass Knuckle Brass Band will play sets for a "genre-agnostic" gig at Live at the Polo.
The five-hour event will also feature visual artists and small businesses selling prints and products pocketing either half the proceeds or none at all. They include Gold St Press, Lucy Chetcuti and SCHLURP.
"There was a point where we had to stop looking [for bands]", co-organiser and sousaphone player David Abkiewicz, whose brass band charges $2000 as a starting rate, said.
"If it hadn't been for scheduling, there were [bands] really keen to come ... everyone was excited about being able to do something like this," co-organiser, artist and event emcee Zev Aviv said.
Their goal is to raise at least $10,000 for families and individuals in Gaza who are need of medical care.
The June 16 event comes a week after Israel freed four hostages in a military operation which killed 210 Palestinians.
Mr Abkiewicz and Mx Aviv asked Palestinian friends in Canberra - majority of whom have relatives and loved ones in Gaza - and were advised to donate to the Palestinian Australian New Zealand Medical Association.
Organisers said every cent from the three-tier ticket sale ($25/$35/$45) will go to the Australian charity.
They said everyone participating in the Gig for Gaza wanted to feel "a little less powerless".
People also have the option of paying it forward (buying someone else's ticket if they themselves cannot attend). Palestinian community members can access free tickets.
"A lot of these [musicians] aren't getting paid enough for their art and yet they're still willing to essentially donate their time and ... their potential money," Mx Aviv said.
While both organisers are Jewish, Mr Abkiewicz is traditionally observant and goes to the synagogue every week. He said it was important to show there were diverse views in the Jewish community.
"It's pretty obvious with the discourse going on ... any public support of Palestine, it's clear that accusations of anti-Semitism always come thick and fast," he said.
"Hopefully we can be somewhat shielded from accusations by being Jewish ourselves, although that hasn't always been the case."
Based on ticket sales, they are hoping to sell out at the venue which has a capacity of about 200.
Working for free in an unhealthy music scene
Live at the Polo, a non-profit venue with "reduced commercial requirements", would usually be paid about $1000 to host an event of this size and duration.
Manager Dave Howe said organisers would not need to pay to use the space for Sunday's gig, similar to a benefit hosted in 2022 for communities devastated by floods in Lismore.
"It's a humanitarian issue that needs that deserves our attention," Mr Howe said about Palestinians in Gaza.
He added it was no secret that Canberra's music scene was still doing it tough after lockdowns.
"Since COVID, we've, there's been a succession of difficulties, insurance has become almost unobtainable. The government support is not particularly well targeted in my opinion," Mr Howe said.
"Compared to our day to day or week to week business pre-COVID, we're definitely not in a particularly healthy place. To be perfectly honest, things weren't that great before COVID."
He said the government's Amp It Up payments were effective in subsidising live music and helped pay bills, staff, musicians and technicians.
