Watching them walk out taller than they walked in

Sydney's venues in 2016

Authors

  • Martin Cloonan University of Glasgow

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v17i2.31301

Keywords:

live music, venues, regulation, industry, lockouts

Abstract

This article develops recent research in to the live music industry by examining the attitudes 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 venues primarily see themselves as sites of cultural activity, rather than sites of commercial exploitation. The tension between artistic endeavour and commercial reality is evidenced throughout the article. In addition it is also shown that venues feel that politicians and the public have little understanding of this reality. It is further suggested that the notion of a live music ecology provides a useful means via which to understand the workings of the contemporary live music industry in Sydney.

Author Biography

  • Martin Cloonan, University of Glasgow

    Martin Cloonan is Professor of Popular Music Politics at the University of Glasgow. His research interests focus on the political economy of the music industries. His latest book Players’ Work Time: A History of the British Musicians’ Union, 1893–2013 (co-written with John Williamson) was published by Manchester University Press in 2016.

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Published

2017-03-03

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Cloonan, M. (2017). Watching them walk out taller than they walked in: Sydney’s venues in 2016. Perfect Beat, 17(2), 104-123. https://doi.org/10.1558/prbt.v17i2.31301