The City of Port Phillip Council has developed a draft Live Music Action Plan that aims to ensure the local live music industry is sustainable and prosperous, and that live music continues to be an everyday part of life in the City of Port Phillip.

See Council Website https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/draft-live-music-action-plan

Link to download the Draft Plan

The draft Live Music Action Plan tables a comprehensive list of challenges and actions, based on extensive community consolation, research analysis and shaped by the Mastering a Music City Framework Methodology. The strategy represents an opportunity to chart a new, all of council direction to better serve the music community and industry as well as the greater community throughout the municipality and to “better support, facilitate, regulate and grow a dynamic live music scene”

Challenges and Actions within the draft Live Music Action Plan are listed under the following categories:

1. Seek opportunities within our priority precincts
2. Break down barriers for musicians wanting to perform in Port Phillip and maximise opportunities for musicians, businesses and audiences to connect
3. Welcome live music and events in a densely occupied municipality
4. Maintain our role as a regulator whilst also encouraging maximum live music opportunities
5. Stand out as a city of music festivals, welcoming the events and their audiences whilst ensuring community compatibility with our communities
6. Increase accessibility to live music and performance, including those events on public spaces and in private venues
7. Reinforcing the view of council as a supporter of live music, building trust by improving our transparency and clear communications
8. Ensure access and music -focussed services for young people
9. Equip musicians with the tools to create, perform, and prosper
10. Build a diversity of events that cater to a range of genres, cultures and audiences
11. Encourage more music in public spaces, aligned with councils public space strategy
12. Acknowledge and celebrate our cultural heritage of live music

This draft Live Music Action Plan represents a very thorough and detailed initiative, that not only addresses audience and industry development strategies for the local government area, has a strong events direction, as well as a comprehensive consideration of the regulatory framework, and in particular the planning system, to seek better protection for venues and clear and consistent guidelines for development, activation, and events.

Draft Live Music Action Plan actions have also been costed within the report, and provision made for regular evaluation through the progression of the strategy.

Community consultation is open until midnight Sunday 22 March 2020. The feedback will be considered as part of reviewing and finalising the draft Live Music Action Plan. The final Plan will be considered by Councillors at an Ordinary Meeting of Council in mid-2020.

As the 22 March consultation deadline approaches, the Live Music Office will be continuing to engage with industry in the region to support this really great work underway with Council.