Leaps and Bounds, Yarra’s annual winter music festival, has ended with a bang! More than 50 artists and industry professionals gathered at Bakehouse Studios in Richmond on Sunday to reflect on the festival and on the future of Victoria’s music industry.
Joining the event were special guests Katie Hall, the Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries and Sarah Witty, the Federal Member for Melbourne, with whom artists and industry professionals were able to share their experiences, challenges and hopes for the future.
Here in Yarra we host over 20,000 gigs every year. This makes up a huge part of our local nighttime economy.
But the industry is struggling. Live music venues, artists and industry professionals are under increasing pressure from rising rents, higher operating costs (especially public liability insurance) and broader cost-of-living challenges.
Leaps and Bounds is one way that Council invests in the local scene and provides opportunities for a diversity of performers. This year we’ve funded more than 35 gigs over 10 days, most of them free, with more than 100 artists taking part
Other levels of government also have a role to play in supporting the industry. That’s why we’ve been calling on the Victorian Government to:
Review regulations that make life tough for venues to put on gigs – especially all ages gigs – which make it almost impossible to break even;
Establish live music precincts in planning schemes. Our draft live music precincts planning amendment is on the Minister’s desk, waiting for approval to go on exhibition – it’ll help support local live music;
support venue upgrades, give more grants to venues, music makers and producers, and more funding for local festivals like Leaps and Bounds and a revived Brunswick Street Festival.
Congratulations to everyone who contributed to and enjoyed another amazing Leaps and Bounds music festival. Council will continue its support and advocacy to make sure that our creative industries continue to thrive.
You can learn more about Council’s live music advocacy on our dedicated webpage: Protect Yarra’s live music industry | Yarra City Council
