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ABSTRACT
This paper presents a case study on the tensions present between the regulation of liquor regulation and the ways in which contemporary music venues are able to support local original contemporary music activity in Western Australia. It draws on qualitative semi-structured interviews with the owners, managers and bookers of ten live music venues in order to explore the ways in which their operations are impacted, not only by the Liquor Control Act (1988), but how it is administered and applied in-situ. As this paper argues, this application and in-situ enactment, does not allow for the flexibility the sector needs in order to meet demands, and ultimately results in a failing of the Act in being able to adequately support live original music activity, one of its secondary objectives. Recommendations such as areas in need of further research, as well as changes to the administration of the LCA which can support a more open and supportive dialogue and policies between government and industry are also made.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. It is important to acknowledge here the scope of the spaces in which live music activity takes place. While much of it is staged in premises primarily licensed in relation to the ways in which can provide alcohol to the public (whether this be in fixed spaces as discussed here, or temporary spaces such as outdoor stadiums and at festivals), there are instances of it being staged in ‘underage’ venues, or at markets and street festivals that engage a wider non-music audience public.
2. For the purpose of the discussion here, original contemporary music is defined as that has been written and composed by the performer, and would receive airplay and media coverage on mainstream and/or prominent independent media outlets. As per the Australian Federal Government’s Strategic Contemprorary Music Plan (MusicNSW Citation2020), contemporary music includes, but is not limited to genres such as blues, country, electronic/dance, experimental, folk, funk, hip-hop, jazz, metal, pop, rock, roots, and world musics.
3. At the time the fieldwork was conducted, late night trading restrictions, or so-called ‘lock out laws’ which prohibit venues from allowing patrons to enter, or re-enter their premises after particular times, as well as restrict, or limit the ways in which particular kinds of alcohol can be served, had recently been put in place in nightlife districts in the capital cities of Brisbane (QLD), Melbourne (VIC), and Sydney (NSW). Over the ensuing two years, Brisbane and Melbourne removed these laws, while Sydney relaxed restrictions on all but one entertainment precinct (BBC Citation2019).
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Christina Ballico
Dr Christina Ballico has a strong background in the music, media and arts sectors, with her research broadly examining the relationship between music and place, including aspects such as creative and cultural capital, business and career development, popular music culture and policy, and music cities. She currently sits on the Editorial Board of the IASPM Journal and is a former student researcher and ECR/PhD subcommittee member of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, and a former member of the West Australian Music Council. She is the co-editor of the forthcoming collection Music Cities: Evaluating a Global Policy Concept (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).