The City of Melbourne and City of Ballarat have received the prestige of being the top-ranked Metro and Regional councils, respectively. In alphabetical order, the City of Darebin, City of Greater Geelong, Maribyrnong City Council, Moreland City Council, Mornington Peninsula Shire, City of Port Phillip, City of Stonnington and City of Yarra have also all been commended for their efforts.
Music Victoria have assessed the candidates based upon a rich array of criteria, including (but not limited to) providing grants and other programs for contemporary music, curating and supporting local music festivals, offering use of council facilities for local musicians and leading the way in developing and implementing strategic plans for contemporary music in their community.
In 2016, Music Victoria surveyed 2,000 candidates in 79 municipalities asking them about strategies and initiatives for their music community. Of those candidates, 85% committed to supporting a music strategy in their municipality – however, 51% believe that music funding in their area wasn’t adequate at the time of the survey. A whopping 97% of those candidates agreed that they would support an increase in funding and 98% of candidates have pledged support for increased use of council facilities and buildings for use in music events.
In short, there’s a lot of love for live music going around. Congratulations to these councils for their hard work – we all appreciate what you do.
