Community Radio Delivers $153 Million in Value to Australian Music
New research has put a dollar figure on what the live music industry has long known — community radio is an essential pillar of the Australian music ecosystem.
A report released in May 2026, Community Radio and Australian Music: Building the music media ecosystem, is the first to quantify the sector’s full economic, social and cultural contribution. Led by Associate Professor Shane Homan at Monash University and funded through the ARC in collaboration with Griffith University, Creative Australia, the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia and others, the research draws on a national survey of nearly 10,000 people, airplay data, and interviews with artists, listeners and station staff.
The headline finding: community radio generates an estimated $153 million in annual value to the Australian music industry — and that figure only scratches the surface of what these stations actually do.
Using a Social Return on Investment methodology, the report found that community radio plays more than double the local content of commercial networks, and that its listeners actively convert airplay into real-world support. In 2023 alone, thousands of listeners went on to search artists on Spotify, share tracks, and purchase merchandise, recordings or gig tickets after hearing music on community radio. Over a million Australians identify community radio as the only place playing the local music they want to hear.
The research also highlights the sector’s role in artist development and workforce training, with volunteer hours equivalent to meaningful industry experience. First Nations community stations receive particular attention, with 60 per cent of their listeners reporting that the music deepens their cultural connection.
For the live music industry, the implications are clear. Community radio is not a legacy medium running on nostalgia — it is active infrastructure, bridging the gap between emerging artists and audiences that commercial platforms and global streaming algorithms consistently overlook. The report makes the case that this infrastructure deserves recognition, resourcing and protection as a central part of Australia’s music media ecosystem.
ALMBC welcomes this research and encourages policymakers and industry partners to engage seriously with its findings.
