newy.com.au – Newcastle is among the metropolitan centres sharing in a sharp revival of live music across NSW, with the number of venues accessing state incentives climbing to a record 564, up from 133 before the Minns Government came to office in March 2023.
The NSW Government said on Wednesday the statewide total had quadrupled after three rounds of vibrancy reforms, with venues from Cooma to Coogee and Marrickville to Murwillumbah joining the scheme. Newcastle was listed alongside Greater Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong as metropolitan areas eligible for the live music incentives, with those venues required to host at least 10 gigs a month to qualify.
Under the incentives, eligible venues receive an 80 per cent discount on liquor licensing fees to help cut the cost of putting on more live music. They can also access an extra two hours of trading on nights they host live music, subject to development approval, and venues in a Special Entertainment Precinct can receive an additional hour on other nights.
Regional NSW has also played a major part in the growth, with 158 of the 564 registered live music venues located outside metropolitan areas. The government said recent updates to the vibrancy reforms had delivered greater support for regional venues, while examples of increased programming included 7th Day Brewery in Brookvale lifting annual gigs from 80 to 300 and Coledale RSL increasing from 72 to 150.
The government said the broader package of reforms had removed the final elements of the lockout laws, including the last drinks requirement, changed the noise complaints system so single serial complaints could no longer shut down a venue, and allowed live entertainment in more settings without development approval. Restrictions on music genres, the type or number of instruments, the number of musicians, original music and “no entertainment” clauses have also been switched off, while the Music Bill 2026 proposes a live venue accreditation scheme and grant support.
Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said: “We always wanted live music at the centre of the night-time economy revival and I’m very pleased to see that’s what is happening.”
He said: “To see the number of venues quadruple is a great sign our vibrancy reforms are working, and that there’s a great appetite for venues and fans for live music.”
Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris said the reforms were “striking the right chord with venue operators to reinvigorate the live music scene across NSW”, while Live Music Venues Alliance NSW president and Crowbar chief executive Tyla Dombroski said the discounted licence fees and extended trading options were giving venues more flexibility to program artists, genres and events after years of restrictions and uncertainty.
