Jimmy BarnesAustralian music icon Jimmy Barnes got people talking last month when he performed outside of Parliament House to raise awareness of the many issues and hardships those in the music industry face and the purpose behind the intimate performance has come to light.
Speaking at the Live Music Now! conference in Sydney yesterday, APRA's Head of Corporate Services, Dean Ormston, said the idea behind the set was to put the issue directly in the face of the government.
"The whole idea was really to put the music industry and in particular the live music industry in front of as many politicians as possible just to say, 'We are an industry'," Ormston explained.
"What was really nice – you talk about culture and bringing people together – to see politicians standing next to each other, watching Jimmy Barnes singing Flame Trees…it’s something that cuts through, it brings people together."
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Ormston went on to say that one of the issues faced when dealing with government is showing that the live music industry does not fit solely into the arts portfolio.
"The struggle is I think, having people feel comfortable in talking about something that’s an art form that is also a creative business," he said.
"I think you should be able to have a conversation to say Josh Pyke is an artist and Gordi who is a fantastic young electronic music artist, but she’s also running a small business and here are her challenges."
Music Australia's Michael Smellie suggested that the regulation of the live music industry is a major issue.
"That seems to me, is ongoing. As we fix something, somewhere there's another issue," Smellie said.
"When these issues [of live music] are debated in the public arena, you see…a lot of people complaining about noise, the doctors complaining about violence or all sorts of things.
"But the other side of the argument doesn’t really get aired."
Ormston claimed that another issue faced within the industry is that there are some who run live music venues who have "a very general lack of understanding of how to present live music".
"You ask the question, ‘Does it make money for you?’ most of them haven’t got a clue," Ormston said.
"Where does live music fit into your venue’s offering? It comes down to, I guess, understanding the revenue streams of your business, the demographic and the opportunity for live music."
