APRA AMCOS has announced it will close the Live Music Office and its Live And Local program on 1 July, marking the end of a 13-year campaign that helped reshape live music regulation across Australia.
by Paul Cashmere
APRA AMCOS will bring the Live Music Office (LMO) and its community-focused Live And Local program to an end on 1 July, concluding a 13-year initiative that played a significant role in reforming live music regulation and supporting local music activity across Australia. The organisation says its advocacy efforts will now shift towards addressing the financial sustainability of the live music sector, particularly through the pursuit of tax incentives for venues.
The decision reflects a major change in the challenges facing Australia’s live music industry. When the Live Music Office was established in 2013, alongside the National Cultural Policy and Creative Australia framework, regulatory barriers were widely regarded as one of the biggest threats to venue viability. Liquor licensing laws, planning regulations and building code requirements often created obstacles for venues seeking to present live music.
Created through a partnership between the Australian Government, the Ministry for the Arts and APRA AMCOS, the Live Music Office was tasked with reviewing policy frameworks, developing industry resources and advocating for reform at all levels of government. Over more than a decade, it became a central voice in campaigns aimed at improving conditions for live music operators, artists and local communities.
According to APRA AMCOS Chief Executive Dean Ormston, the environment that prompted the office’s creation has changed substantially.
“In the 13 years since the Live Music Office was established, the landscape has changed dramatically,” Ormston said.
“With government bodies at a federal and state level now doing such an incredible job for live music, and local councils empowered to continue the good work, now feels like the right time to hand back the mantle.”
Ormston said the closure would allow APRA AMCOS to redirect resources towards what it sees as the sector’s next major challenge.
“By doing that, it also allows us to focus more on other important priorities for our members and the broader industry by advocating the Australian Government for a broad-based tax incentive for live music venues to help build the long-term sustainability of the live ecosystem.”
The organisation points to the emergence of a broader support network since 2013, including state music development offices, Music Australia, night-time economy commissioners and dedicated funding programs. Industry organisations such as the Australian Live Music Business Council, the Nighttime Industries Association, the Live Music Venues Alliance and the Australian Festival Association have also become established advocates for the sector.
Meanwhile, the Live And Local program developed into a significant grassroots initiative. APRA AMCOS says it partnered with more than 40 councils nationwide and supported more than 1,000 live music events. The program focused on demonstrating the cultural, social and economic value of live music to local governments while helping councils develop strategies and expertise to support music activity independently.
APRA AMCOS expects those localised programs to continue without national oversight, driven instead by councils and community organisations that have adopted the framework developed through Live And Local.
The organisation also used the announcement to acknowledge key figures associated with the initiatives. Ormston praised outgoing Live And Local Engagement and Program Manager Lucy Joseph and National Program Manager Bronwyn Adams, while also recognising founding Live Music Office Director John Wardle for his role in achieving regulatory reform across Australia.
A special mention was given to Brisbane City Council’s Frank Henry, who helped establish the special entertainment precinct model in Fortitude Valley. That framework later influenced legislation in Queensland and was subsequently adopted in New South Wales, Western Australia, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.
While regulatory reform is viewed as a success story, APRA AMCOS argues that economic pressures have now overtaken regulation as the sector’s most urgent concern. A 2024 APRA AMCOS and OneMusic survey of almost 3,000 venues found that more than 70 per cent had stopped presenting live music because of financial pressures. More than 70 per cent also identified tax rebates or incentives as the measure most likely to encourage a return to live programming.
That data is underpinning APRA AMCOS’ next advocacy campaign. The organisation is backing a federal live music tax incentive scheme, a recommendation that was listed first in the 2025 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts report. Economic modelling commissioned from Oxford Economics projects the policy could generate between $636 million and $920 million in gross value added, support up to 10,800 jobs and contribute more than 322,000 additional live performances each year.
For APRA AMCOS, the closure of the Live Music Office marks the end of one chapter in Australian music policy. Its focus now turns to ensuring venues can remain financially viable in an increasingly challenging live entertainment environment.
Stay updated with your free Noise11.com daily music news email alert. Subscribe to Noise11 Music News here
Be the first to see NOISE11.com’s newest interviews and special features on YouTube. See things first-Subscribe to Noise11 on YouTube
Follow Noise11.com on social media:
Facebook – Comment on the news of the day
Bluesky
Instagram
X (Twitter)
