New Report To Reveal Impact Of COVID-19 On Vic Music Industry: 'It’s Been Devastating'

The music industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID, and a new report will reveal just how devastating the pandemic has been so far on Victoria’s local scene.

Headed by RMIT University’s Catherine Strong, the Music Industry Impact Survey will take a detailed look at just how Victoria’s music industry has been affected by the pandemic and its accompanying lockdowns.

“It’s been pretty obvious it’s been devastating,” Strong told Triple R’s Breakfasters.

“The live section of the music industry relies on people being able to [get together in crowded places].

“So people have lost their jobs playing, that also means that people associated with that have lost their income, such as road crew, people who run venues – it has had a very serious knock-on effect across the entire industry.”

Hosted on the Victorian Music Development Office’s website, the 15-minute survey is now open to those who live in Victoria and have worked in the music industry in the past 12 months.

“This is your chance to help us map the effects of the crisis, and have an input into decisions being made as we open up again,” VMDO said.

The survey arrives a week after a number of Victorian musicians and music businesses were named recipients of the Victorian Government's Sustaining Creative Workers grant program, including Briggs' Bad Apples Music, Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher's Milk! Records, Instagram-based streaming festival Isol-Aid and more.

You can find more details on the survey here.

Briggs

Courtney Barnett

Jen Cloher