Melbourne’s live music scene will soon welcome a new, 5,000-capacity venue delivered and operated by Live Nation.
The new venue, Arden Music Hall, will be located two minutes from the recently opened Arden Station in North Melbourne and just 1.5 kilometres from the Melbourne CBD. It’s expected to host more than 100 events annually, “create new opportunities for Australian artists”, and bring more international tours to the city.
A press release notes that the venue will form part of a $7 billion cultural and parkland neighbourhood development in Arden Central, courtesy of Hamton and Hostplus.
With its direct connection to public transport, the Arden Music Hall is expected to draw audiences from across Victoria, as well as interstate and overseas. A newly launched Live Nation Community Events Fund will support local artists and communities looking to host events at the venue.
While the venue has no open date, Blueprint Studio, Live Nation’s in-house design and development group, along with Populous, is designing it.
The space is part of Stage One of the Arden Central development, which, once complete, will include over 5,400 homes for more than 10,000 people, plus 5.5 hectares of open space and a retail, hospitality, and community hub.
Alex Klos, President of Live Nation Australia & New Zealand, described Melbourne as “one of the world’s great live music cities” and added, “Continued investment in venues is essential to attracting international artists and keeping Melbourne relevant in an increasingly competitive global environment.
“This purpose-built venue will add a significant new stage to Melbourne’s live music ecosystem, while helping establish Arden Central as a vibrant new destination for live entertainment.”
Guy Ngata, Senior Vice President of Venue Development at Live Nation, said, “This venue is being designed around the live experience, creating an intimate connection between artists and fans while delivering everything expected of a best-in-class touring venue.
“A range of premium experiences, outstanding artist amenities and efficient production access have been embedded into the venue's design. Iconic venues are at the heart of communities, and we look forward to seeing the impact our Arden venue will have in the years ahead.”
The Temper Trap’s Toby Dundas welcomed the opening of Arden Music Hall and said, “What excites me about a new venue, especially one in my neighbourhood, is all the moments that will happen inside.
“A fan seeing their first big show, an artist stepping onto that stage for the first time, or a song uniting a room of strangers together as one. Those are the experiences people carry with them, and it’s great that Melbourne will have another place where those moments can happen."
Jet’s Mark Wilson added, “We’ve been lucky enough to play venues like this all over the world, and they’re a lot of fun. Having another one in Melbourne means more touring artists coming through, more opportunities for Australian bands and more live music for everyone. That can only be a good thing.”
