Venues: Red Tape Greens, Perth SEP, Courts, New Openings & More

NSW Snips More Red Tape For Live Music…

The NSW State Government cut more red tape for music venues on the weekend, creating more certainty for operators, opening the door for more indoor and outdoor entertainment without costly and outdated development applications (DAs), and a more vibrant night-time economy.

The third tranche of its Vibrancy program, going live September 27, was announced by Music, Night-time Economy and Arts Minister John Graham and Planning Minister Paul Scully.

Among the changes:

• Venues offering live music, stand-up comedy and book readings can stage indoor and outdoor events twice a week without DAs.

• No DAs are needed if live entertainment is held between noon and 8 pm in residential areas. The hours expand to 10 pm in nearby areas and midnight for all other areas.

• About 250 venues can allow patrons to stand and drink outside, previously a financial drain on operators, as they had to send patrons away.

• Capacity for outdoor dining will also be increased, by up to 20% for venues already approved for up to 100 patrons, to 15% for those approved for over 100 patrons, and up to 30% for those in special entertainment precincts with outdoor areas allowing for an extra 100 patrons. 

• Street fairs and community festivals can stage events on public land without a DA.

But maximum patron numbers set by a liquor licence, or building code and fire safety requirements, will remain as is.

A September 2025 report by the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner indicated that allowing venues to expand their services could be worth $8 billion to the state’s Night Time Economy.

“These changes will increase entertainment options and boost the bottom line for businesses,” Minister Graham said.

Minister Scully added: “These simple planning changes will re-awaken NSW’s events, entertainment and hospitality sectors, which have been suffering under excessive regulations since the introduction of lockout laws in 2014.”

…And Triples Funding To Venues 

The NSW Government has tripled its funding in Venue Upgrade Grants to $5.1 million. 39 venues get support, soundproofing, equipment and professional advice on hosting live music without impacting their neighbours.

It means venues can hire more musicians, and fans can experience live music locally.

The 39 include The Eltham Hotel in Eltham, Outback Arts in Coonamble, The Servo in Port Kembla, The Globe in Albury, Red Rattler in Marrickville and Elton Chong in Penrith. The full list is here.

Newcastle’s King Street Hotel is using its $100,000 for soundproofing as new developments continue to spring up around it.

Of the five Wollongong spaces, Region Illawarra reported the Unibar will spend its $161,722 on audio production equipment, safety barriers, staging fixtures and curtains.

With a $125,000 grant, the Servo Food Truck Bar at Port Kembla will construct a stage and purchase new audio and lighting production equipment.

La La La’s plans for its $99,933 financial boost with a mixing desk, air conditioning, audio production gear, a projector and improved lighting.

Both Thirroul’s Anita’s Theatre ($92,719) and Fillmore’s Cafe in Kiama ($100,000) have soundproofing as their priorities.

Head of Sound NSW Emily Collins explained, “The Venue Upgrade Grants program is designed to help create world-class music venues that improve experiences for audiences and create life-long music fans, fostering a thriving live music scene across the state.

“From upgrades to lighting and sound systems, accessibility and energy, to improvements in soundproofing, ventilation and air-conditioning, this program is addressing the real-world challenges faced by venue operators – such as outdated sound systems, accessibility issues and urgent building upgrades.

“These upgrades are not just cosmetic; they are the difference between a venue closing or staying open.”

Perth’s Northbridge Getting Special Entertainment Precinct Protection

New reforms to the City of Perth’s local planning schemes and the WA Government’s noise regulations are in the works to protect Northbridge venue operators and residents.

The strip will get Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP), to shield existing venues as The Bird, The Rechabite, Jack Rabbit Slim’s and Lynott’s Lounge from noise complaints as long as they’re not already involved in a tiffle with neighbours.

The move is not only to bring certainty and investment to venues, safeguard Northbridge as a mixed-use entertainment area, and make clear to developers and new residential neighbours what rights these music spaces have.

Noise restrictions range from 54 dB to 79dB, but if apartments, student housing, or short-stay accommodations are built next door, the venues are restricted to the current 40 dB.

There’s no date as to when the SEP becomes active, but Minister for Planning John Carey has signed his OK-Dokey, subject to modifications.

“We want our inner-city areas to be vibrant and compatible spaces for entertainment venues and residents alike,” he said.

“Live music makes our communities more vibrant and liveable, so we want our inner-city areas to be compatible spaces for live music and residents alike.”

Creative Industries Minister Simone McGurk added, "Northbridge is a unique entertainment area, and these targeted reforms will provide better support and certainty to entertainment venue operators.

"Live music makes our communities more vibrant and liveable, so we want our inner-city areas to be compatible spaces for live music and residents alike.

"As a State Government, we are focused on striking the right balance between housing and tourism accommodation, and our creative industries."

Home House Returning As Nightclub

The Home House nightclub of Geelong, Victoria, will be revived, although not necessarily under that name. The one-time celebrity hangout at 40-42 Moorabool St closed in November 2024 after 22 years. The multi-level, all-night business was once run by celebrity photographer-turned-Mayor Darryn Lyons.

Now the current owners are selling off the leasehold but have rented it out for an initial five years to a party that expressed plans to keep it running as a music room.

Live Music Amped Up At Opera Bar

The live music program is being refreshed and increased at the Sydney Opera House’s Opera Bar. This is one of the changes made by Applejack Hospitality’s co-founders, Hamish Watts and Ben Carroll, who took over from chef Matt Moran’s Solotel after 24 years.

For the music, Applejack have teamed up with Michelle Grey and Susan Armstrong’s Arts-Matter, which curates music events as well as art, fashion, film, theatre, dance and literature.

Don Elford Exiting Legends Global

Venue legend Don Elford is leaving his role as Director of Global Partnerships (APAC) at stadium operator Legends Global at the end of this week “to focus on personal priorities.”

Company APAC MENA Chairman and CEO Harvey Lister said, “Don has been instrumental in driving significant achievements recently, including securing national supply deals with Asahi via CUB and Asahi Lifestyle Beverages.

“He has also played a pivotal role in securing over five venue naming rights deals during his time with us, and two new deals set to be announced in the coming months.”

Work Begins On Canberra 2,000 Seater 

With the promise of attracting bigger names and stage production to Canberra, site set up and early works are planned to begin in mid-October at the new 2,000-seat Lyric Theatre.

An artist’s design of the building at sunset was released over the weekend, showing how it is inspired by the city’s natural landmarks.

About $24 million was allocated for design and community consultation, with stakeholders including First Nations advisers and a Performing Arts Reference Group.

Features include three levels with accessible seating on each, an orchestra pit that can quickly shift size, equitable building access and more bathrooms than required, including all-gender facilities.

The theatre is being built on the area north-west of the Canberra Theatre Centre, bordering Northbourne Avenue and Vernon Circle, in the existing Theatre Lane car park.

The Australian Changes Hands

The live music showcasing The Australian in McGraths Hill, NSW, with a 2 am licence, changed hands for $40 million. 

The identity of the new owner is not known. But the previous owner was Warren Livingstone, founder of party and sports events company Fanatics Australia, who also runs Hyde Park House, Charing Cross Hotel in Waverley, and Parramatta’s Rose & Crown.

MCG Eyeing Larger Capacity

While the Melbourne Cricket Ground was the epicentre of the AFL world on the weekend, plans are continuing to modernise it and increase its seating capacity to 110,000.

First proposed in 2022 for $1 billion, the State Government has given the Green Light on a business case on whether to redevelop it.

A plan to put on a roof has been dropped for now as it would cost between $5 billion and $6 billion, “and rain-affected events only three to four times a year,” said MCC CEO Stuart Fox.

Plans are to introduce state-of-the-art technology to amp up viewing, dining and wi-fi experiences. It is likely the Shane Warne Stand will be demolished and rebuilt to increase seating capacity. The earliest work would start is 2029.

The just-released MCG Social and Economic Value Study reported it drew 4 million last year for 69 sports, concerts and community events.

These and other events brought 620,000 visitors to Victoria from interstate and overseas, pumped a record $720 million into the state economy, and supported 7,500 full-time equivalent jobs.

The MCG can squeeze in as many as 373,691, as in the 2024 Boxing Day Test - Australia v India over five days. Most of its biggest attendances are sporting events.

In terms of concerts, the biggest crowds were for Ed Sheeran in 2023, on March 3 (109,500) and March 2 (108,000). Taylor Swift, last February, got 96,000 Swifties a night over three nights.

There were 80,708 for Eminem in 2019, 80,518 for the charity Sound Relief in 2009, and 73,756 for Guns N’ Roses in 2017.

Ticketing #1: Conference At CommBank Stadium

The 5th Ticketing Australia Conference is at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta, Sydney, on November 19 & 20. In 2023, it had 250 delegates.

Organisers call the event timely, “as the ticketing landscape grapples with multiple pressures: shifting consumer expectations, demand for more flexible, technology-enabled access, the challenge of balancing affordability with sustainability and constant disruption from new platforms and regulations.”

Topics to be explored by companies such as Ticketmaster, TodayTix, Spektrix, and Vivaticket include marketing, consumer growth, technology adoption, innovation in ticketing operations and case studies of optimising fan experience.

Ticketing #2: Oasis Create Furore In UK

UK watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has sent “a clear message to all ticketing websites” about providing clearer ticketing advice to consumers in online queues after it gained commitments from Ticketmaster.

The CMA investigated complaints from Oasis fans – 10 million queued up, three times larger than Ticketmaster’s previous record – that they had to queue for hours and offered tickets for more than twice the advertised face value.

The CMA’s inquiries found Ticketmaster "may have misled Oasis fans" with unclear pricing, but had not infringed commercial law, nor did it use “dynamic pricing”, nor did it pressure fans to buy tickets by giving them a short time.

But it did find that Ticketmaster (a) did tell fans in the queue there were two prices and the expensive ones would kick in once the cheaper tix sold out; and (b) sold the platinum tickets at almost 2.5 times more without sufficiently explaining that they got no additional benefits.

Ticketmaster, without admitting any wrongdoing, said it will sharpen its communication, advising fans 24 hours in advance if there is tiered pricing at play, providing all the ticket prices, and alerting when cheap seats have run out.

“The changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money,” said CMA head Sarah Cardell. “If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”

In the US, Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, are facing court over allegations that they allowed brokers to buy up millions of dollars' worth of tickets and resell them at higher prices.

Meanwhile, Live Nation's CEO Michael Rapino has said he thinks concert tickets are under-priced, and that sports fans spend thousands of dollars buying premium tickets, but "they beat me up if we charge $800 for Beyoncé."

Ticket prices went up 23.3% globally last year, but Rapino insists there is  "a lot of runway left" before a backlash from fans.

Uh, G’Day You Honour

• 
  Former Cargo Bar bouncer Salevasa Samataua, 35, was sentenced to a 10-month supervised intensive correction order after pleading guilty to reckless grievous bodily harm in Downing Central Local Court, the Daily Telegraph said.

The victim was escorted by Samataua and another guard out of the King Street venue for being intoxicated. There was a shoving match, an attempt to re-enter the club, and a punch that led to the patron being hospitalised with two skull fractures and two brain bleeds.

• A 16-year-old boy is facing court in Darwin after allegedly using pepper spray against two club bouncers after they refused him entry.

• Steven Kospetas, director of the multi-venue Universal Hotels group, faces court in October for his alleged role in breaking into a Sydney apartment and stealing a woman’s car keys over an apparent dispute over who owned the car.

Whole Lotta AC/DC 

Fifty years ago, folks from the WA town of Katanning paid $3.30 per ticket to see AC/DC at Katanning Town Hall. To celebrate, hundreds of townspeople lined the streets as a truck hauled a six-piece tribute band – made up of Jackknife and 40 Kays Out and Albany bagpipe player Laurie Scott – while it performed a 90-minute set of Akka-Dakka gems as it journeyed from Austral Terrace to the Katanning Town Hall, and then to two local primary schools.

Some locals rummaged through their closets to find T-shirts and socks from 50 years ago.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ABC Perth (@abcperth)

Countdown To Yen

Some of the estimated  $480 million it will cost to build the Gold Coast Arena might be borne by Japanese investors. According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, Mayor Tom Tate quietly spoke to investors on a trade mission to Japan about pitching in for the arena in Carey Park in Southport, as well as the $1 billion Advanced Recovery Resource Centre (ARRC) at Stapylton.

The Mayor said, “There would be substantial benefits for the Gold Coast if that were to happen and if they chose to come in on it with us, they’d probably look at a 50% stake and they’d have the technology and backing to make it happen.”

The Bulletin forecast at least 10 consortia are expected to bid on the project, including those from Asia, the Middle East and the USA.

Venue Foundation Taps Ambassadors

The Australian Music Venue Foundation is working hard on lifting its profile as a lobby group for grassroots venues. It’s tapped alt-pop singer-songwriter Phoebe Go, the band Velvet Trip and DJ/producer Anna Lunoe as Ambassadors.

During BIGSOUND, it made a launch speech at the Moshtix Mixer and had merch for sale throughout, committee members Tam Boakes and Howard Adams were spruiking its mission, Tyla Dombroski spoke at the Venues panel and John Collins launched Queensland on Tour.

As TheMusic previously reported, Brit singer Olivia Dean’s 2026 Australian tour is donating $1.10 per ticket to the association.

Vale DJ Stelio, Glamour Entertainment Founder

Adelaide DJ Stelio died at his Salisbury home after a heart attack at 56. Aside from a 20-year DJ career, as Stelio Mitsos, he toured Greek acts and ran Glamour Entertainment, which provided wedding entertainment packages.

End Of Era For Lightshow Pioneer

Ellis D. Fogg, Australian counter culture lightshow pioneer who “decorated” concerts and festivals from the early ‘70s, announced a Sunday, November 8 event at Paddington Uniting Church in Sydney titled “Mr Fogg’s Last Lightshow.”

Widely recognised as Australia’s “Father of Lumino Kinetics”, the event from 6.30 pm also launches his book You Are In The Book!

He’s passing the baton to the next gen artists and some whom he mentored, including jazz pianist Leonie Cohen, Northern Rivers psychedelic liquid light experience Liquidelic, lightshow artist Zoe Ortez with Argentine flares, along with a healing mantra performance blending contemporary Japanese art and yogic singing, and rare counter-culture movies.

Waterside Set For November Opening

Sand Hill Road, which transformed Melbourne live music venues, the Esplanade “The Espy” Hotel in St. Kilda, before selling the freehold for $64 million in 2022, is getting set to open the doors of The Waterside in November.

In the 1850s, the hotel’s proximity to the Yarra River (at Flinders and King) gave it the reputation as a “dirty” place where wharfies came in at 7 am. 

The 2025 version is a slick glass and steel seven-storey model that took five years to remake. Collaborators included Technē Architecture and interior designer Eleisha Gray.

Live music is advertised on social media, with outdoor and events spaces, a rooftop cocktail bar, fine dining restaurants, a beer garden and a public bar, all set to hold a total of 1,000 people. The cost estimate was $27 million in 2023, but it shot past that due to COVID’s long tail.

Carriageworks Turning Dancefloor

Music curators Finely Tuned (Lost Paradise, Lost Sundays) are turning Sydney’s Carriageworks for four weeks in summer into a world-class nightclub. The Enter The Works series includes 20 local and international acts, including headliners Underworld, I Hate Models, Ben Böhmer and Chris Stussy.

Promiseland Creditors To Meet This Week

The creditors of Gold Coast hip-hop festival Promiseland are meeting this week online, convened by liquidator Stephen Earel of Cor Cordis.

Eleven unsecured creditors were owed $1.9 million.

Promiseland was held last October at Doug Jennings Park with Metro Boomin and Busta Rhymes headlining, attracting between 20,000 and 25,000 for each of its three days and selling $9 million worth of ticket sales.

In June 2025, after electrical contractor Eventelec Events Pty Ltd, which provides power for live events, applied to the Queensland Supreme Court for Promiseland 2024 Pty Ltd to be wound up.

Cor Cordis released a damning report to creditors stating that sole director Bernard Benjamin Kumar and company secretary Emal Naim had not been cooperative and had transferred $5.6 million to fund their other companies.

Earel’s report stated that possible actions to recover funds for creditors include insolvent trading, unfair preference payments and uncommercial transactions.

“A claim for insolvent trading may exist in the range of $60,000 to $1.3 million. My preliminary view is that the company was likely insolvent from at least either 30 June 2024 or 31 October.”

In a separate civil case in the Supreme Court in Brisbane, Kumar was accused by his father, Ash Nittesh Goundar, of forging his signature on a joint venture deed to get $1 million to fund the festival.