Can Australian Music Survive in the Age of Spotify?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Music funding survives budget — but the clock is ticking
Australia’s live music sector has dodged an immediate crisis, but everything hinges on what the Albanese government does next with national cultural policy.
Federal music funding will hold through 2026–27, with Revive Live confirmed at $12.5 million and Music Australia continuing through Creative Australia’s base appropriation. But both programs expire on 30 June 2027 and the budget contains nothing beyond that date.
The word “music” does not appear once in the main budget papers. Neither does “musician”, or “live performance”. Arts and cultural heritage spending peaks this financial year then declines, while sport and recreation spending surges , driven by Brisbane 2032 Olympic infrastructure.
“The budget keeps the lights on, but the meter is running out,” said ALMBC Chair Howard Adams. “We are twelve months away from a funding cliff, and the only thing standing between Australia’s live music industry and that cliff is a cultural policy reset that hasn’t been released yet. We need it, and we need it to be bold.”
The Australian Live Music Business Council (ALMBC) is urging the Government to use the upcoming National Cultural Policy renewal to make Music Australia and Revive Live permanent, putting live music on equal footing with the long-term investment afforded to sport.
The ALMBC has released a draft response to the National Cultural Policy review. See here for more
Award-winning ALMBC Treasurer Kylie Thompson has also developed a simple outlin of the federal budget and what it means for your business.
