Dear members and subscribers,

Having collectively achieved zero active cases in Victoria for the first time since February, things are looking good for a return to live music. The whole music ecosystem is interconnected and the blow dealt to live music has affected our whole industry and community. This also means that a coordinated holistic effort will be needed to restart live music and the scene we love.

This week we also saw the State Government commit a record $1.68 billion towards arts and cultural development in the 2020-2021 Budget.

There is still work to be done to determine how much will be going directly to music, however it does include:

• Melbourne Arts Precinct project including a new Centre for Creativity which will host an expanded Australian Music Vault
• $9m for independent creatives by continuing new rounds for Sustaining Creative Workers, Creators Fund and Music Works Programs in early 2021
• $17m to support live public performances and music events
• $35m towards creative infrastructure in regional Victoria
• $94.5m towards cultural institutions and creative sector organisations

While the Premier’s announcement about restrictions easing on Sunday 22 November was encouraging and provided a ray of light for the music industry, we still acknowledge that despite being on the ‘last step’ there are in fact many more steps to go before we are back on our feet and Music Victoria is working closely with all levels of Government and the Industry to ensure a viable road map to recovery.

We were very encouraged to see that the State Government listened to the concerns of Music Victoria and it’s members and changed the 5m buffers between the audience and performers and the 2m buffer between performers to a recommendation instead of a requirement as well as easing the density quotient in venues under 200m² to 1 per 2sqm. This means that a large number of small to medium venues can start to host live music.

We have briefly summarised the current rules that relate to music below:

Audiences

• All audiences need to be seated and wearing a mask (unless eating or drinking)

Musicians

• Are recommended to be 2m apart and 5m away from the audience (this is a recommendation, not a requirement)
• Masks are to be worn if you are performing indoors unless you’re singing or playing brass/woodwind. Masks are not required outdoors.

Live Music Venues (e.g. pubs/clubs/hospitality)

• under 200m² can have 1 person per 2sqm (max 50pp)
• over 200m² can have 1 person per 4sqm (max 150pp)
• outdoor areas can have 1 person per 2sqm (max 300pp)

The total of indoor and outdoor can’t exceed 300pp and the 200m² is based on the publicly available space

Indoor Venues (e.g. theatres/music halls)

• Small venues (under 600 cap) can have 1 person per 4sqm (max 150pp) (small venues can seat less people)
• Larger venues (over 600 cap) can have 1 person per 4sqm (maximum 25% of the fixed seated capacity)

Outdoor Venues

• can operate at 50% capacity (max 500pp)

Rehearsal and Recording Studios

• under 80m² can have 1 person per 2sqm (max 20pp)
• over 80m² can have 1 person per 4sqm (max 150pp)

Festival and Events

• There are plans for a phased return from 25% - 100% capacity and a 3 x tier system depending on the scale of your event (Tier 1 5000+, Tier 2 500-5000, Tier 3 <500)
• These are assessed via the Public Events Framework and involve submitting a COVIDsafe Event Plan

For further information please see here for details provided by the State Government and if you have any questions or concerns about the new restrictions please reach out to us at info@musicvictoria.com.au

Stay safe everyone.

Music Victoria