The latest Victorian Live Music Venue Audit, commissioned by the Victorian Government and delivered by Music Victoria, has revealed some essential findings for the state’s music industry.
The audit is part of the Victorian Government’s initiatives and resources to support the state’s music sector, as well as funding programs, planning, and investment in industry organisations such as Music Victoria.
The audit has confirmed that Victoria remains the heartland of live music in Australia. The state is home to 2,441 live music venues, more than any other state.
By mapping Victoria’s live music spaces, which include major rooms alongside community halls, pubs, and clubs, the audit found that 45% of all venues are located in regional Victoria—an impressive statistic.
The audit also found that 655 venues host at least one gig weekly. Further breaking down the figures, that amounts to 302 venues hosting two or more shows per week, and 353 venues hosting at least one show per week.
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However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows across the state. Rising costs and changing consumer behaviour are impacting regular attendance at live music venues, with the number of spaces hosting at least one gig per week having fallen 19.4% since 2019 – from 813 to 655 venues in 2024.
Additionally, the Victorian Live Music Venue Audit tracks the economic value of the sector. An average gig requires an estimated 43 people in 29 different job roles, plus 140 hours of work (pr more), with gigs employing musicians, technicians, venue staff, managers, marketers, production crews, and security personnel.
You can read the full report here.
In a statement, Music Victoria CEO Fiona Duncan said, “Victoria’s venues are the lifeblood of our music culture. They nurture artists, employ thousands of Victorians and power local economies.
“Behind every gig is an entire workforce. When weekly gigs decline, it’s not just artists who feel it; it’s jobs and livelihoods across the state. Protecting our venues means protecting musicians, employment and the creative infrastructure Victoria relies on.”
In November, Duncan penned an op-ed that unpacked why Victoria’s grassroots scene needs a ticket levy for The Music.
Writing that the 20% of the state’s music venues have permanently shuttered since the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in 2020, Duncan argued for a “modest Victorian ticket levy on major arena shows and government-owned venues,” describing the idea as a “fair, practical and future-focused solution.”
Duncan wrote:
While large-scale events break records, things look very different further down the ladder. Small and mid-sized venues, the spaces that launched almost every major artist we celebrate, are under increasing pressure. Rising costs, regulatory complexity, lower bar takings, high insurance premiums and tighter margins are making it harder and riskier to keep doors open. Audiences are drinking less alcohol (a positive social trend), but this means the traditional music-venue business model is becoming less sustainable.
Artists are doing it tough too. Fewer funding opportunities, the rising cost of gear, rehearsal spaces, fuel, rent, touring, recording, everything has gone up. Many artists now work multiple jobs just to sustain their creative practice, and financial pressure shapes what is possible and what never gets made. When artists struggle to survive, the entire sector feels it.
