The launch of the NSW’s government’s Contemporary Music Strategy 2024, a 10-year policy that aiming to stabilise and enhance the state’s reputation as a music destination and music business hub has secured broad industry support from peak bodies including The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA).

Unveiled on Monday 2 December at the Oxford Art Factory, the policy responds to a two-decade decline in the state’s live music sector and the significant reduction in the number of venues. In 2018, a NSW parliamentary inquiry heard 176 venues had closed state-wide since 2014.

Photo © Vishnu Nair/Pexels

Key planks of the policy include: the prioritising and protection of First Nations music by empowering communities and investing in skills development for First Nations artists and music industry professionals; connecting NSW artists and industry professionals to the world through funding programs to support recording, promotion, touring and business development, and the implementation fair pay for artists (including a minimum payment fee of $250 for performing at government-funded commercial events).

The policy also pledges initiatives to support NSW venues and festivals, investment in industry-led safety programs and resources, introducing...