Watching them walk out taller than they walked in: Sydney's venues in 2016

: Cloonan M

Publisher: EQUINOX PUBLISHING LTD

: 2016

: Perfect Beat

: PERFECT BEAT

: 17

: 2

: 104

: 123

: 20

: 1038-2909

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v17i2.31301(external)

This article develops recent research into the live music industry via an examination of the attitudes of key personnel within a selection of Sydney venues towards the industry in which they work. Based on empirical research conducted on behalf of the City of Sydney Council, the article suggests that such personnel primarily see their workplaces as sites of cultural activity, rather than sites of commercial exploitation. Tensions between artistic endeavour and commercial reality are evidenced throughout the article. In addition it is also shown that these key workers feel that politicians and the public have little understanding of the reality of running a live music venue. It is further suggested that the notion of live music being an ecology provides a useful means by which to understand the workings of the contemporary live music industry in Sydney.