Commissioned by Sound NSW and released this week, the State of the Scene Report 2024 purports to be a “first-of-its-kind piece of social and economic research to better understand the current state of the NSW live music industry and to provide guidance on how to support the industry to thrive in years to come.”

This research will inform NSW’s first ever Contemporary Music Strategy, now in development. It was a key commitment in Creative Communities, the state’s arts, culture and creative industries policy.

Photo © Jacob Morch/Pexels

The research was gathered from 750 people working in the live music industry via a questionnaires, stakeholder interviews and focus groups. The report also heard from a sample of 550 members of the public from Sydney and across regional NSW who attend live music events.

A snapshot of the research found that of the 795 establishments offering live music in NSW, 55 were dedicated venues where live music is the key function of the business, and 453 venues featured ongoing and regular live music programming. The state has 56 large scale multipurpose venues presenting live music as part of their broader offerings. Another 231 venues in...