WHAT IS LIVE & LOCAL?
Live and Local Shoalhaven – City of Gigs – is designed to put live music on the Shoalhaven map by investing in our region’s many talented musicians, connecting them with new and exciting venues and audiences who are engaged and looking for live music.
The initiative is being coordinated by an experienced and committed working group led by curator and local musician Paul Greene and supported by Shoalhaven City Council, Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre, APRA AMCOS, and the Live Music Office.
This project will include:
- A series of micro-festival events.
- A dedicated professional development program of workshops for musicians.
- An industry forum facilitated by the Live Music Office to support development for a Live Music Action Plan informed by the experience, engagement, and information gained through the Live & Local program.
- Opportunities for Shoalhaven musicians to meet and be mentored by industry professionals.
- Creation of databases for Shoalhaven-based musicians, live music venues (both traditional and non-traditional) and live music audiences.
BACKGROUND
The Live & Local initiative has been run by numerous councils across the country over the last seven years. It is a comprehensive program that responds directly to the need to increase participation in Australia’s regional live music scene. Live & Local also provides a platform for delivering innovative, flexible, and sustainable live music activity.
This initiative aims to strengthen the ecology of local live music communities connecting musicians, venues, producers, publicists, booking agents and Council representatives to keep local live music alive and thriving.
Live & Local has been tried and tested around the country with great success and has proven to stimulate employment opportunities for musicians in local communities, particularly young and emerging musos. Live and Local has helped to sustain their music practice and increase opportunities for them to perform locally while supporting economic and cultural activity, plus developing new and undiscovered destinations for music lovers.
The Live Music Office developed the model to embed Australian music within people’s daily lives and to increase opportunities for active participation. They have found activating a community-based live music scene is the most successful pathway to creating a nationally sustainable gig economy that connects people and keeps the Australian music industry pumping.
Below are stats for the Live & Local initiative to date:
WHO'S IT FOR?
In short - anyone who loves music!
Whether you're a musician, a live music fan, or a business, you can get involved in Live & Local Shoalhaven - City of Gigs.
MUSICIANS - This is an opportunity to perform in new venues and get your music out there in front of an engaged audience. If you are a singer-songwriter, part of a duo, trio, or band, and are living and working in the Shoalhaven LGA we want to hear from you. Original material is preferred but if you also perform covers that's great. Click the link below to get involved.
BUSINESSES - Do you love music and are you looking for a unique way to enhance your business? Live & Local Shoalhaven might be just what you're looking for! If you are interested in being involved in an initiative that has a proven track record for increasing revenue and willing to regularly program live music in your venue, click the link below to register your interest.
LIVE MUSIC LOVERS - If you're a music fan who loves to be the first to know when and where gigs are happening, Live & Local is perfect for you. Not only will you be the first to know where gigs are happening, but you will also get the chance to experience and support great new local talent. Click the link below to get involved.
And when we say everyone can be involved, we mean everyone!
Live & Local Shoalhaven, the working group and all supporting partners encourage interest and involvement from musicians, live music lovers, and business owners regardless of age, race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.
Get Involved
MUSICIANS
If you are a musician who would like to have your music programmed into new and exciting venues, click the link below to take the survey to get involved with Live & Local Shoalhaven - City of Gigs.
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LIVE MUSIC LOVERS
If you're a Live Music fan who loves to hear about great gigs first, click the link below and take the survey to get involved with Live & Local Shoalhaven and hear about gigs as soon as they're booked!
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BUSINESSES & VENUES
The Live & Local program has engaged businesses as diverse as shoe stores, tattoo parlours and furniture shops as venues for live music. If you're interested, take the survey to see what it's all about.
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Objectives for Live & Local Shoalhaven
The Objectives of the Live and Local Strategic Initiative are to:
- Support local businesses in programming live music
- Build capacity for local Councils to provide sustainable, locally specific music based events
- Provide direct access to best practice of contemporary music presentation, promotion, strategy and networks
- Enhance connections for local musicians to the local and domestic music industry
- Deliver best practice policy and regulatory guidance to local councils
- Coordinate a strong, collegiate regional music network within Western Sydney & Regional NSW
- Support all-ages audience development and access to live music.