Nearly half of Australia’s 16 and 17 year olds say venue licensing rules have stopped them getting to a gig, according to new research from The Push.
The 2026 Young Australian Music Audiences Report, released this week, found 45 per cent of 16 and 17 year olds have been unable to attend live music because of licensing restrictions, and the same proportion pointed to a lack of under 18 or all ages events in their area.
Some 68 per cent of Australians aged 16 to 25 also say they now have less than $100 a week for all entertainment, up from 58 per cent in 2024. Ticket prices were the single biggest barrier to attending live music, cited by 45 per cent of respondents.
Two thirds of young people said they take pride in listening to Australian artists and 69 per cent want more access to local acts, but 43 per cent said they rarely or never see an Australian artist play live.
59 per cent saying they want to go to local shows but do not know where to find gig information.
The Push CEO Kate Duncan said the findings should be read as a warning about the industry’s future audience pipeline as much as about young people’s access to music. The organisation is asking for $13.5 million to roll out youth music infrastructure nationally, and 67 per cent of survey respondents said they support government funding for youth music programs and live events.
For music venues the numbers describe a business problem as much as a social one. The audience that will be buying tickets in five years is being shaped now, and a good chunk of it is spending its teenage years outside the door. All ages shows are hard work under most state liquor regimes, and they rarely make money on the bar, but the venues that have kept them going tend to be the ones with a loyal crowd in their twenties.
This report gives operators fresh numbers for the argument that all ages and under 18 shows need licensing settings that make them workable rather than a compliance risk.
Source: The Music Network, 3 September 2026.
