Can Australian Music Survive in the Age of Spotify?
A Mixed Scorecard for Music in the 2026–27 WA Budget
The 2026–27 WA State Budget delivers a familiar mix of progress and pressure points for the music and live performance sector. There are clear signals of ongoing government recognition of music’s economic and cultural value—but also reductions that risk undermining recent recovery and regional momentum.
The wins are real, if unevenly distributed.
The continuation of the Contemporary Music Fund is a small but welcome affirmation that contemporary music remains on the public policy agenda, with $1.125 million committed across 2025–26 to 2029–30. However $839,000 was delivered in 2024–25, which represents a major reduction to around $225K annually. For artists, managers and small businesses, this remains one of the few targeted funding mechanisms supporting recording, touring, career development and export pathways. In a volatile operating environment, continuity matters—and this commitment provides some stability, although much smaller than what is needed and previously delivered.
The increase in overall creative industry support reinforces the positioning of music within a broader creative economy. Funding for Creative Industries Industry Support rises from $86.7 million in 2024–25 to $106.1 million in 2025–26 and an estimated $115.4 million in 2026, before easing to $106.1 million in 2026–27. This investment underwrites the ecosystem: multi‑year funded organisations, sector development, and the infrastructure live music relies on to function.
However, the losses carry real consequences.
The Live Music Support Package sees a clear reduction, falling from $525,000 in 2025–26 to $315,000 in 2026–27. At a time when venues continue to face rising costs, regulatory pressure and fragile audiences, scaling back direct live‑music‑specific support sends a concerning signal. Live performance is not peripheral—it is the economic engine and cultural heartbeat of the music industry, and it remains particularly sensitive to funding contractions of this scale.
Equally troubling is the Regional Creative Industries Fund, which drops to $6.76 million in 2026–27, below its $6.78 million allocation in 2024–25, after peaking at $7.32 million in 2025–26. Regional touring, local festivals and community venues were among the strongest post‑pandemic success stories for WA music. Pulling back this investment risks widening the metro–regional divide and undoing hard‑won gains in regional employment, audience development and cultural participation.
The reduction in multicultural grants further compounds these challenges. Funding through multicultural programs declines from $23.1 million in 2024–25 to $21.1 million in 2025–26, with no uplift indicated in forward estimates. Multicultural music and events play a disproportionate role in activating live performance, developing new audiences and supporting culturally diverse artists. Cuts here directly affect some of the most active, community‑driven segments of the live music landscape.
The bottom line:
This budget acknowledges music—but cautiously. Strategic investment continues through creative industries and contemporary music programs, yet the scaling back of live‑specific, regional and multicultural funding suggests a shift from growth to containment. Without sustained support in these areas, the broader gains in creative industry investment risk resting on increasingly fragile foundations for WA’s music and live music sector.
