'A Vital Contributor To Economic Activity': Where's The Money For Music In Victoria's State Budget?

Last week, Victoria's Always Live program – the state-wide celebration of live music – alerted gig-lovers to some disappointing news when they told their followers to not believe the rumours, and to rest assured that Always Live would be back again in 2025.

However, with little discussion having taken place, enterprising and intrigued individuals found themselves doing a little bit of digging before realising that some of the most important music news of the month had largely gone by unnoticed.

The topic at hand is, of course, the recently-announced Victorian State Budget, which was delivered on May 20th by State Treasurer Jaclyn Symes MP and notably sets aside no funds for the Victorian music industry. 

"This Budget is focused on what matters most," Symes said in her message to Victorians. In that same message, Symes outlined that the budget focuses on driving down the cost of living, improving infrastructure, making public transport free for minors, investing in schools and hospitals, and generally decreasing the pressures faced by average Victorians.

"This Budget continues our commitment to driving down spend on inefficient and non-priority programs," Symes added.

Without saying as much, it appears as though the industry is included on that list of 'inefficient and non-priority programs,' especially given the noted lack of its funding in this year's Budget.

For comparison, the 2023/2024 Budget was a boon for the Victorian creative industries. In fact, over $35 million was set aside to support the Victorian Music and Community Broadcasting package, with $20 million allocated to Always Live across two years, $7.5 million offered to the Live Music Performers Fund over four years, and between $2 and $2.5 million given to the Music Major Events Fund, Support Act, and musical mentoring opportunities across multiple years.

In the 2024/2025 Budget, things were less music-focused, though the creative industries still received a total of $161.4 million. According to Creative Victoria, the biggest music headline was the $1 million offered to boost the Victorian Government’s Music Works program, which helped to support musicians and music workers as they dealt with continued industry challenges.

When it comes to the most recent Budget, however, Creative Victoria notes that initiatives totalling $552.2 million are set to roll out over the next four years. 

However, the lion's share of this goes to supporting "Victoria’s iconic public creative and cultural institutions." While this does include locations such as the Melbourne Recital Centre (which does host music-related events), it's largely focused on the similarly-worthwhile aspect of galleries and museums.

The state's screen industry receives $50.2 million over the next two years, while the Royal Exhibition Building will receive $9.6 million over the coming two years. The arts and creative industries do receive some funding by way of a four-year pledge of $17.1 million, which promises investment on First Peoples creative organisations, events and careers; funding for Melbourne International Games Week; and also "touring and other creative activity in regional and outer suburban communities."

However, even a cursory glance of the 2025/2026 Budget finds no mention of anything related to the music industry. In fact, one of the few references to the industry in this year's related media releases can be found in discussion to the backing of jobs in the "events, sports & cultural capital" of Australia.

“We're the major events capital, the sporting capital, the live music capital and the food and wine capital of Australia," said Steve Dimopoulos, the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and Minister for Outdoor Recreation. "We’re supporting thousands of jobs and showcasing our regions, landmarks and produce to the world.

“It’s no wonder people are flocking to Victoria to live, work, stay or play – whether they come for a major event, a conference or a weekend away with friends enjoying our great outdoors, Victoria does it better than anywhere.”

However, if Victoria does do it better than anywhere else, why is the critical music sector not being funded? 

Currently, the Budgets of other states have not yet been released, so points of comparison won't be able to be made for some time, however, the value of the Victorian music scene cannot be understated on a national level.

In October 2024, Live Performance Australia released its Ticket Attendance And Revenue Report for 2022-2023, noting that the entirety of the live performance industry generated a national total of $3.1 billion in revenue – a 56.3% increase on the previous year. Meanwhile, attendance also grew by just over 24% to 30.1 million in total.

The report also pointed out how, collectively, New South Wales and Victoria lead the live performance markets, representing 64.7% of total revenue and 61.2% of total attendance – largely in line with their combined population representation.

On a state level, Victoria was noted as generating a total revenue of $984.7 million – equalling growth of 43.9% compared to the year prior. Additionally, the state also witnessed a 107.2% in contemporary music events, and a 115.6% growth in contemporary music festivals. 

Given that this growth largely occurred as the state came out of the world's most severe COVID-related lockdowns, and given that current figures are not yet available for 2023-2024, one can only assume that trends have likely stabilised. 

It remains to be seen exactly how a rising cost of living will impact these figures, though Creative Australia's Listening In: Insights On Live Music Attendance report, released last month indicates, that despite rising costs, many music fans value live events enough to "break the bank" in order to attend.

Though one could argue that a focus on reducing the cost of living is itself an investment in the music industry so as to ensure audiences can attend events, it does little to support those who work within the industry.

February's Issues Facing Crew Workers In Australia report noted that, out of 300 responses from industry workers around the country, 29% say they were currently considering leaving their job for a different role or industry, with low wages and work-life balance cited as the reason.

Additionally, 47% say they rely on income from outside the industry to make ends meet, and 45% said they were working excessive hours, with 53% claiming their working hours prevented a healthy work-life balance.

This alone shows a stark need for Governmental support for the industry, and with a Budget that does little to fund the music sector, the chances of those numbers rising even higher are almost guaranteed.

The lack of support for the music industry in the Victorian Budget also comes just weeks after the Anthony Albanese Government's election win saw music organisations around the country look toward the future with a renewed sense of optimism.

After all, in the lead-up to the election, Labor’s Minister for the Arts Tony Burke announced a $16.4 million extension of Revive Live. This extension sees venues and festivals receiving money for infrastructure upgrades, programming, and more, with the likes of Victoria's Queenscliff Music Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, Brunswick Music Festival, St Kilda Festival, and more being part of the promise.

“We welcome the re-election of the Albanese Labor Government and look forward to continuing the strong partnership we’ve built over the past three years,” said Dean Ormston, Chief Executive of the Victoria-based APRA AMCOS after the election. 

“Programs like Revive Live, the establishment of Music Australia, and support across live music, export and copyright have made a real difference to songwriters, composers, artists, music businesses, local communities and audiences."

In a statement released today, Music Victoria addressed the lack of support for the music industry in the Budget, acknowledging both "the significant fiscal challenges currently facing Victoria" and the fact that the nascent Budget "reflects some difficult decisions for government." 

"Within this context, Music Victoria are deeply concerned about the absence of dedicated investment in contemporary music, particularly the discontinuation of the Music Works program, which has been instrumental in supporting the growth, sustainability and global reputation of Victoria’s music sector over the past decade," the statement read.

"While Music Victoria appreciates the continued government investment in live music through initiatives such as the 10,000 Gigs program, the Live Music Festivals Fund and SongMakers, the absence of specific budget line items for contemporary music remains a significant concern.  

"Music is not a luxury or a ‘nice-to-have.’ It is a vital contributor to economic activity, job creation, cultural identity, social cohesion, wellbeing and international recognition," the statement adds. "It's part of what makes Victoria such a vibrant and unique place to live and visit."

Music Victoria also noted they are currently in the process of engaging with the government to better understand the implications of these changes while also exploring constructive pathways forward.

“Our aim is to ensure that the music sector and the thousands of Victorians it employs and inspires, continues to thrive," said Music Victoria CEO, Fiona Duncan. "We remain committed to working in partnership with government to build on past successes and to secure a strong, sustainable future for contemporary music in Victoria."

"Victorian music is part of who we are as a state. It connects us, it tells our stories and it supports thousands of jobs across every community," adds Duncan. “Right now, our artists and industry are making their mark on the global stage – but they need strong foundations at home to keep creating and building sustainable careers."

"Live performance is just one part of a sustainable music career," added Music Victoria. "Equally vital are the businesses and professionals that work behind the scenes, including labels, publishers, agents and sync specialists. Support for artists and this broader industry ecosystem is essential to foster long-term growth, career sustainability and innovation across the sector.

"Music Victoria stands ready to collaborate with government to ensure Victoria’s music community receives the strategic, career-building support it needs to continue flourishing—now and into the future—for the benefit of artists, industry professionals, and the wider public alike."

The Music also reached out to Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks for comment, with a Victorian Government Spokesperson responding by noting, "Music is an important part of our creative industries and the cultural life of our state, and we have a strong track record of investing in and championing all levels of the industry."

"We’re rolling out programs including 10k Gigs: The Victorian Gig Fund, the Live Music Festivals Fund, the Major Events Fund and the SongMakers program in Victorian schools, in collaboration with industry partners.

“We continue to invest in Victoria's music industry and work with the newly established Victorian Music Industry Advisory Council on the opportunities and challenges facing the music industry,” the spokesperson added.

While the Government does continue to roll out the $35.4 package million package announced in the 2023/2024 Budget, this severe lack of funding for the music industry in the latest round also comes following the news of the Victorian Budget delivering its first surplus since the pandemic.

At $600 million, the surplus is described as "razor-thin" by the likes of the Financial Review, but it does leave the curious amongst us wondering if perhaps some of that could have been directed at the industry which brings in more punters than the sporting sector does.

Despite this lack of support, however, it seems that the live music sector will continue to operate as best it can, putting on a brave face as it attempts to continue to provide for audiences despite a lack of funding.

"We're busy gearing up for 2025 – backing local artists and businesses across the state, filling its stages, and keeping Victoria front and centre as Australia’s leading destination for live music," Always Live promised fans last week. "The amps are warming up. Stay tuned!"