Live music and performance action plan

Outlines our support including regulatory reform, grants funding and free rehearsal space.

Published 30 March 2014

We are working closely with Sydney's live music and performance community, delivering a comprehensive program of support ranging from regulatory reform to grants funding and free rehearsal space with our live music and performance action plan.
The action plan comprehensively reviews the issues affecting the live performance sector in Sydney across 4 areas
These are development controls and noise, Building Code of Australia, liquor licensing, audience and sector development.

Live music and performance action planPDF · 8.45 MB · Last modified 14 August 2020

Lex Davidson

Strategy Advisor - Culture

In December 2018, 58% of the action plan has been implemented with an additional 28% of actions in progress and 14% yet to start or being re-scoped.

The latest update shows we have delivered important actions including:

$18.8 million in cash grants to the live music and performance sector since the action plan’s adoption in 2014. This sustained investment supports live music and performing arts projects and organisations, as well as festivals that provide a platform for live performance
over $400,000 in rent foregone each year to subsidise spaces for music and performing arts in our accommodation grants program and live/work tenancies
$850,000 in matched funding to businesses and venues operating in the night-time economy to introduce or improve live entertainment facilities and program events and activities after dark
continued use of community facilities for free rehearsal spaces for students
access to affordable recording facilities at Redfern Community Centre
exhibition of a comprehensive suite of planning and regulatory reforms to reduce barriers impeding live performance, increase opportunities for small scale and temporary activities, introduce a more fair and balanced approach to managing entertainment sound, and help businesses trade later
yearly business seminars for the live music industry
funding for all ages events, in partnership with MusicNSW
research into the value of live music in our local area, which found live music contributed $353 million to the local community in 2016 alone
our February 2018 submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the music and arts economy.