Live music and performance venues are integral to the development and employment of our talented local artists, both in our regions and in Adelaide, Australia’s first and only UNESCO City of Music.
The South Australian Government’s $10 million See it LIVE support package is reviving the live music industry through a range of support for live music and hospitality venues, promoters and more.
This aims to support a whole new calendar of live gigs and festivals during 2022 and 2023, offering audiences a great opportunity to get along to a music performance and revitalising our nightlife.
Music events in venues, laneways, and public spaces will enrich our state and attract visitors boosting local businesses.
There are several initiatives as part of the See it LIVE program:
- See it LIVE e-vouchers worth $400 each for live music and hospitality venues to host live music, the vouchers are helping music acts get back into pubs, clubs, small bars, restaurants, cafes and other smaller venues.
- See it LIVE Event Grants for SA-based promoters, organisations and businesses, to help meet costs including engaging musicians and technicians, marketing and promotion costs and ensuring the event is COVID-19 safe.
- Venue Improvement Grants, a $1 million scheme of 200 grants of $5,000 each to allow eligible venues to upgrade so they can cater for live music performances. This could assist with modifying layouts to allow for a small stage, create better viewing spaces for audiences, improve acoustics or upgrade sound systems including mixing equipment, speakers and PA systems.
Other programs
Support Act funding
Music industry charity Support Act will receive $250,000 which will support South Australian crew and music industry professionals to continue to access the Support Act wellbeing helpline – a free, confidential phone counselling service that is staffed by psychologists with direct experience of working in music and the arts.
It has also ensured South Australian music workers have had access to a range of industry specific prevention, education and training programs.
Premier’s Live Music Advisory Council
The Advisory Council has been established to leverage the council’s collective industry connections and expertise to continue revitalising live music in South Australia.
Live Music and Event Cancellation Fund
Financial assistance of between $10,000 and $250,000 will be available if an event or live music performance is cancelled or rescheduled due to the introduction of COVID-19 restrictions. This will limit financial losses associated with running major ticketed live music events in South Australia.
Royal Adelaide Show partnership
Through a $500,000 grant, this partnership re-introduced live music to the Royal Adelaide Show entertainment program for the first time in 20 years. During the 2022 event, there was twice-daily programming in the Main Arena and the Main Boulevard Stage, where primarily South Australian and Indigenous artists demonstrated their talents in front of a large audience, on a scale that they would not otherwise have access to.