Labor attempts to claw back music funding in Federal Budget: RMIT expert available

An RMIT music industry expert comments on the Federal Budget announcement of $8.6 million to support live music.

"The current Labor Government has done much to reverse the constant cuts that music sector funding faced under the previous Liberal government.

"It showed through its Revive policy last year that it does take music of all types seriously as part of the arts.

"This year's budget builds on this with $8.6 million to support live music, which, with venue closures and festival cancellations becoming all too common recently, is in desperate need of help.

"The big question is how this money will be spent.

"Finding ways to target creating sustainable futures for Australian artists and venues - particularly grassroots and small venues - will be vital.

"Throwing money at failing venues to prop them up without fully understanding and addressing why they are failing will not give us the outcomes we need.

"Similarly, if the money goes to big ticket events or sponsoring overseas touring artists, the support for local artists - who are currently doing it very hard - may be lost.

"This is an opportunity to support live music from the ground up, and to reshape the ecology to make it healthier in the long run."

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