'Don't Kill Live Music' Petition Hits Over 100,000 Signatures As Festival Heads Hold 'Crisis' Talks

18 February 2019 | 10:34 am | Staff Writer

#dontkilllivemusic

It only launched less than a week ago but the 'Don't Kill Live Music' petition has reached over 100,000 signatures. 

As of Monday morning, the Change.org petition has been signed by almost 106,000 people. It comes as NSW festival organisers will meet at NSW Parliament today to hold "crisis" talks. 

As SBS reports, members of the NSW festival industry, including representatives from the recently cancelled Mountain Sounds and Psyfari events, will meet to discuss the government's widely-panned festival policy.

"This meeting is a chance for our voices to be heard and added to the many voices calling for the licensing scheme to be scrapped, and a more thoughtful approach be taken in creating event rules and guidelines," Psyfari's Steve Demian said.

"The new event licensing scheme has been created with little involvement from people in the festival industry.

"(It) almost comes across as a form of punishment for events which don't sit right with certain authorities."

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It comes after Labor Leader Michael Daley vowed to "end the war on music" should they win next month's state election, promising in Sydney last Friday to increase total funding for contemporary music from less than $4 million over the last four years under the Liberal and National Government to $35 million.

Meanwhile, thousands are expected to attend a rally this Thursday at Hyde Park in Sydney to protest the government's festival policy.