South Australia has a new two-year roadmap for its music industry, with CreateSA’s Music Development Office (MDO) launching A Sound Future: South Australian Music Development Strategy 2026–2028 on Thursday 28 August 2026. The strategy replaces the MDO’s previous plan, Supporting Revival 2023–2025.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Arts Kyam Maher said in the foreword that the strategy aims to support artists and music businesses to perform, create and thrive, while making sure audiences right across the state continue to benefit from South Australia’s music culture. It sits alongside A Place to Create, the state’s 10-year cultural policy released in March 2025, and draws on the additional $1.5 million the state government committed to original contemporary music through that policy’s first delivery plan.
The MDO built the strategy on a broad base of research, including reports from industry associations and Music Australia, national and state parliamentary inquiries, the Premier’s Live Music Advisory Council and the Legislative Council’s Select Committee on Local and Live Creative Venues. Targeted consultation followed in late 2025, with roundtables and interviews involving artists, music businesses, industry organisations and cultural leaders. A youth roundtable hosted by Carclew included participants as young as 15.
The consultation pointed to some familiar pressures. Cost of living is hurting attendances, grassroots spaces are struggling to survive despite being critical to the local ecosystem, and artists are finding it harder to be discovered and to reach national and international markets. The strategy also notes national research showing almost half of Australia’s musicians earn less than $15,000 a year.
For music venues, the most significant commitment is a new Venues Activation Program to support the presentation of original music in dedicated live music venues. The MDO will also partner with the Australian Festivals Association on a festivals and live music events roundtable, and work with the Australian Music Venue Foundation to explore further ways to support live music venues. Information to help music venues with accessibility upgrades is also on the way.
Other key actions over the two years include:
- A new Youth Reference Group and an annual Music Careers Expo
- Extra money for the MDO’s Project Support Grants, plus a new quick-response grants program for time-sensitive opportunities
- An ongoing contemporary music reference group to coordinate support across the sector
- The Regional and Remote Music Summit, delivered with Music Australia, MusicSA and the City of Mount Gambier
- An expanded Robert Stigwood Fellowship Program and an export showcase during AIR’s Indie-Con/Indie Week
- Support for Aboriginal-led music development through CreateSA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel
The strategy is organised under nine ambitions, ranging from strong Aboriginal representation and cultural leadership through to Adelaide having a thriving live music ecosystem as Australia’s only UNESCO City of Music.
It’s encouraging to see a state music office putting dedicated live music venues front and centre, and we look forward to seeing how the Venues Activation Program takes shape.
The full strategy and an Easy Read version can be downloaded from the CreateSA website.
