MUSICIANS, business and venue owners, event managers and all-round live music enthusiasts met at The Hub 2 at the C.ex Coffs International Stadium on Tuesday, April 4 to discuss what a thriving live music scene might look like on the Coffs Coast.

The Coffs Coast Live Music Industry Forum was held by the City of Coffs Harbour in partnership with the Live Music Office, a collaboration between the Federal Government and the Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA) and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS).

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Lucy Joseph from the Live Music Office told NOTA her organisation engages local councils on better regulation and strategic policy development through its ‘Live and Local’ forums.

“The Live Music Office has a number of strategies, which includes ‘micro festival’ events that showcase local musicians, in usual performance spaces but also encourages the use of innovative venues,” Ms Joseph said.

“These events involve no costs to businesses and no road closures, stage building or other interruptions.”

The Office is also involved in capacity building through professional development workshops (with topics such as marketing, charging fees, etc) and events, such as the forum to help local government develop policy.

Joel Grimson, the City of Coffs Harbour’s Live and Local Curator, said his work began with a live music census, to which 171 musicians and 76 acts responded from Grafton to Macksville.

He said the next step was to hold a micro festival with 21 venues hosting 41 performers.

The first event was a Saturday morning in the Coffs CBD with 22 performers in twelve venues and this was followed up with another in First Avenue in Sawtell and a “block party” in the CBD that attracted more than 1000 people.

The initiative finished up with a ‘live and local’ Saturday morning at Northern Beaches general stores and cafes.

The main purpose of the forum was for attendees, in groups, to address the question – ‘What makes the live music scene thrive?’

Groups were deeply engaged in conversations and came up with numerous suggestions.

Responses such as “appreciative audiences who are prepared to pay for music”, a purpose-built venue, encouragement for original music, more national/international acts playing, a database of musicians/suppliers, supporting infrastructure were all suggested as indications of a thriving live music scene.

The outcomes of the forum will contribute to the development of the City of Coffs Harbour’s next Events Strategy.

By Andrew VIVIAN