'Outdated' Restrictions On Over 30 NSW Live Music Venues Axed
"It really is quite incredible that there were hundreds and hundreds of these conditions on liquor licences across NSW... "
Over 30 live music venues across New South Wales have had "outdated and unnecessary" liquor licence conditions removed in a bid to revive the state's live music scene.
In a statement issued today, Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said the removal of the "archaic" restrictions, introduced in May 2019, will help live music thrive.
“Many of these conditions were imposed decades ago in another era, but serve no purpose at all today,” Dominello said.
“Some of the greatest bands of all time started their careers in NSW including AC/DC and Midnight Oil. This is another boost for the State’s night time economy, following the introduction of the new lockout laws last month.”
Popular venues across the state, including Sydney's Civic Hotel and Criterion Hotel, Forresters Hotel in Surry Hills and the Oxford Tavern Hotel in Petersham, have had restrictions including no live music in beer gardens or on the premises at all, as well as DJs, removed.
"Along with the removal of the lockouts from the Sydney CBD and Oxford Street, getting rid of outdated conditions on liquor licences and the capacity for regulations to have a say over what music is permitted is essential if existing and new venues are to be able to better present live music and performance in New South Wales," Live Music Office's John Wardle told The Music today.
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"It really is quite incredible that there were hundreds and hundreds of these conditions on liquor licences across New South Wales, that in some cases regulated what genres were permitted, what instruments could be played, how many artists were permitted and even in what direction the performers had to face.
"Venues have been prosecuted in the past for bands playing genres that were prohibited on their liquor licence.
"It’s really great to see that some of the venues where these conditions have been removed are returning to having live music, and we look forward to seeing the next steps from the NSW Government to better support live music, arts and culture across the 24 hour economy."
Meanwhile, Shadow Minister for Music and the Night Time Economy John Graham, who was instrumental in the creation of an industry roundtable last November, said the move by the New South Wales Government is "way too slow".
"At this rate of progress, it will take 44 years to remove these bans on live music," Graham told The Music.
"It will finally be legal to hang a mirror ball in any venue in NSW in 2064.
“We should scrap these bans and restrictions in one go. That’s what they did in SA. That’s what the parliamentary committee recommended. It is time to act.”
The move comes weeks after the lockout laws were removed from Sydney's CBD and Oxford Street, however they remain in Kings Cross.
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