Speaking from The Tote, which stands tall as a beacon of resilience since its closure and subsequent resurrection, Premier Baillieu explained how ‘The economic, social and cultural contribution of venue-based live music in Victoria’ report provided the neccessary data needed to properly assess and approach the needs of the sector.
Statistic show that live music attendance betters that of the city’s other great passion, AFL. Over the past year, Victorian live music venues enjoyed a patronage of 5.4 million punters, whereas AFL matches clocked up 4.3 million attendees.
Fair Go 4 Live Music and SLAM responded to the report, which they say “for the first time quantifies the cultural and economic value of live music in Victoria”, by raising a few key issues. The point was made by contrast the massive expenditure set aside for the Grand Prix each year, and how disproportionately miniscule the budget for live music seems. The government’s support for musicians has been also thrown into question.
