NEWCASTLE music identities have welcomed the NSW Government's renewed focus on the live entertainment scene, but are divided on whether any meaningful change will result.
The NSW Government has launched a survey of artists and professionals working in the music industry as part of an audit of the state's entertainment and arts economy.
It will form part of a larger research project in devising the NSW Government's first-ever strategic policy for contemporary music.
According to Liquor and Gaming data NSW has 137 live music venues, half as many as a decade ago.
"The NSW Government is committed to reviving live music across NSW," minister for music and the night-time economy, John Graham, 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 Newcastle music scene, while remaining one of the most vibrant in NSW, has been weakened by a combination of noise complaints, a hangover from COVID and declining tickets sales due to cost-of-living pressures.
"I think a survey like that will be super helpful for them to figure out what some of the issues are for the live music scene at the moment," Hamilton Station Hotel booking agent, Spencer Scott, said.
"I feel like people in the industry have been telling them exactly what the issues are for years, but I'm glad there's a formal project underway to find out what some of those things are."
Publican Mick Starkey, whose Stag and Hunter Hotel is one of Newcastle's leading music venues, said planning laws were problematic but he welcomed the NSW Government's recent bill to parliament to relax rules around noise complaints.
"The Newcastle scene is quite healthy, I think," Starkey said. "There's lots of good venues and plenty of artists, we've just got to get the customers out."
Newcastle musician Ben Leece has already completed the survey, but is cynical about it leading to any substantial change.
"It's a good place to start, if they're fair dinkum," Leece said. "I feel like they've done a few of these things."
Leece regularly performs around NSW and said touring was becoming increasingly cost-prohibitive.
"It's purely my opinion, but it feels like it's top heavy in that the artist is always the last person to be paid," he said.
"Being part of the smaller-scale tours that I've done, I rarely pay myself. I often rely on selling merch to make money out of the show."
Newcastle country star Catherine Britt agrees. Since the pandemic Britt said touring had become more unpredictable.
"It has picked up, but it's not consistent," Britt said. "It's one great gig, one not so great. One phenomenal, one average.
"You win on one and lose on the next, so it ends up a break even."
The live music survey is open until January 15.
