As costs rise and income falls, live music industry hopes to reverse decline

By Josh Brine

ABC South East SA

Topic:Music

Mount Gambier musician Liam Brown has been seeing a shrinking number of live performance opportunities. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)

In short:

Venues and artists in SA's second biggest city, Mount Gambier, say soaring costs have led to a decline in gigs.

The lack of tours coming to the city has led to backlash against a local venue owner.

What's next?

MusicSA says the issue is nationwide, and a regional music summit in Mount Gambier will help come up with solutions.

A hundred years ago the Old Mount Gambier Gaol was home to the region's convicts and criminals.

Since its decommissioning in the 1990s it has become a hub for events, accommodation, and played host to some of the region's largest music shows.

Over the decade and a half James and Mel Stephenson have owned the Old Gaol they have brought in artists of a range of genres, from Hilltop Hoods to Missy Higgins to Jimmy Barnes.

But Mr Stephenson said these sorts of marquee shows, drawing as many as 5,000 people, are becoming more difficult to deliver.

"Everything's just gone up two, three, four or five times [in cost], that's the main difference from when we started to now," he said.

"It's not just the artists, it's toilets, it's security, it's logistics, it's front of house, it's staging.

Old Mount Gambier Gaol proprietor James Stephenson has received personal abuse for failing to secure gigs. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)

"It makes it a bit hard, not just for myself but for the promoters and how much they want to get out of a show.

Not attracting shows has seen Mr Stephenson face some criticism online, including personal attacks from disappointed locals, prompting him to speak up on social media.

"The majority is positive because of the things that we do for Mount Gambier, but we also get the negative," he said.

"I understand that people can get frustrated simply because it's not here, but they don't understand the work to get things here.

Festivals at the Old Mount Gambier Gaol have drawn thousands. (Supplied: James Stephenson)

Nationwide post-COVID decline

The challenges facing the Old Gaol are not unique.

Across regional Australia, venues of varying sizes are struggling to provide a local music scene, as increased costs, declining alcohol sales and the lingering impacts of COVID continue.

"It's a very different thing to what it used to be like two or three decades ago when we had a significant and healthy live music scene," MusicSA CEO Christine Schloithe said.

"Behaviour patterns in live music venues have changed over time so it makes it difficult for live music venues to drive that profitable model that they are used to, based on alcohol sales.

"The cost of transport and fuel in vehicles to get artists around is really significant, as is the cost of insurance.

Acts like Gernz are finding it harder to make a name for themselves as the number of shows decline. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)

Back in Mount Gambier, Liam Brown and his mates Bradley Frost and Kyle Gleed have spent several years playing in bands, currently performing as the rock band Gernz.

While they regularly play shows around the city, they've also performed on bigger shows with bands like Spiderbait and DZ Deathrays.

"It's one of the most exciting feelings when you've got people singing your music back at you," he said.

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But over his time in the scene, he's seen the number of shows shrink.

"It's harder for the venues to put on these events — it's very expensive."

Kylie Ind runs live shows at her brewery in Mount Gambier. (ABC South East SA: Josh Brine)

The owners of the Woolstore Brewery, just across the road from the Gaol, are doing their best to expand the opportunities for local bands.

Kylie Ind said there were some challenges stepping up from smaller gigs to running their first festival this year.

"Going up a step into festivals, obviously the costs grow astronomically," she said.

"That's been a really hard balancing act to make it affordable for people.

"We want them to come and bring their family and bring their friends, but also make sure that we're reimbursing the people that are putting in their time and energy to perform."

Tours featuring well-known artists like Paul Kelly are getting harder to hold in regional areas. (Supplied: James Stephenson)

Investment, initiatives needed

With towns across the country looking to reverse the concerning trend, stakeholders will descend on Mount Gambier in October for a national regional music summit.

Ms Schloithe said MusicSA wants to highlight some of its efforts to bring life to the Limestone Coast's music scene.

"[There's been] 12 to 18 months worth of really solid work that MusicSA has been doing in the Mount Gambier region supporting venues to increase live music in their venues, and to support that touring corridor between Melbourne and Adelaide," she said.

MusicSA CEO Christine Schloithe says efforts are being made in Mount Gambier to revive local music. (ABC News: Ben Pettit)

Mr Brown said it was vital regional music is kept alive, not just for artists and venues, but also for the public more broadly.

"If people don't have something to go to and attend where they feel welcomed by a group of people, that's when people start going left and really getting themselves into trouble," he said.

"Getting a venue like the Woolstore or the Globe [Hotel] or the Old Gaol putting those events on enables some of the best of the best to perform and people that are just starting out to perform, to get that new audience to work on their craft and try their best to get somewhere."

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