Intro header

Best Practice Guidelines for Live Music Venues

Introduction

These guidelines provide information for venue operators who are planning to host, or already host, live music at their venue. Topics covered by the guidelines include managing sound to maintain a positive relationship with neighbours, providing a safe environment for patrons, staff and musicians to enjoy the live music experience, and building constructive working relationships with musicians.

The guidelines provide advice on achieving ‘best practice’ as a live music venue operator. There are many benefits to achieving best practice in a live music venue, including:

  • attracting high-quality performers;
  • improving patronage;
  • increasing profits;
  • enhancing your venue’s reputation in the live music and hospitality industries;
  • building positive relationships with neighbours and authorities;
  • increasing staff satisfaction and retention;
  • reducing the number of complaints about the operation of your business;
  • reducing the potential for safety and legal issues; and
  • reducing operational costs (security, legal and repairs).

COVID-19

With the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions that affect the music industry are constantly being updated. To keep up with all of the relevant changes for venues and events, please stay updated by visiting the Northern Territory Government’s coronavirus website: https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/

With the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, local restrictions that affect the music industry are constantly being updated. To keep up with all of the relevant changes for venues and events, please stay updated by visiting the Northern Territory Government’s coronavirus website: https://coronavirus.nt.gov.au/

Legal Line

This Best Practice Guide (“Guide”) has been compiled by Music Victoria, MusicNT and other listed sources.

The Guide is made available to you for private use only and you shall not have the right to reproduce, copy, publish, perform, communicate to the public, adapt, modify, alter, change, or commercially exploit the Guide or any part of the Guide without the prior written consent of MusicNT in each instance.

The information contained in the Guide is confidential, and shall not be disclosed to or shared with any third parties. The Guide is intended to be used as a reference for the best way to approach specific industry issues, however it does not claim to present every approach.

Whilst MusicNT has used all best endeavours to compile informative and practical information within the Guide, MusicNT is unable to guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any information published within the Guide. MusicNT does not make any guarantee of the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the Guide for individuals or companies and MusicNT expressly disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to any warranties as to the quality, accuracy, merchantability, fitness for purpose of any content contained in the Guide, or the truth, reliability, correctness, or completeness of any information contained in the Guide.

You are encouraged to make your own enquiries before using or relying on the information provided in the Guide, and acknowledge that the Guide should not be relied upon as a source of professional legal or financial advice and users should seek the appropriate legal or professional advice to address their specific facts and circumstances.

MusicNT assume no responsibility or liability in connection with the use or misuse of the materials presented in the Guide.

Copyright of the materials shared in the Guide belongs to the respective owners whether or not a copyright notice appears on the screen displaying the materials.

Acknowledgements

These guidelines were originally produced by Music Victoria as a collaborative project between stakeholders in their live music industry and the Victorian Government. With permission, MusicNT have adapted these guidelines for Northern Territory venues and would like to extend thanks to the following organisations and individuals who assisted with both the original document and the Northern Territory version:

  • Alcohol and Drug Foundation
  • APRA AMCOS
  • Arts Access
  • Chelsea Wilson
  • Creative Victoria
  • Department of Environment and Primary Industries
  • Department of Justice Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria
  • Dr Bianca Fileborn
  • Environment Protection Authority Victoria
  • Green Music Australia
  • HEARsmart
  • Hospitality NT
  • Jen Cloher
  • John Watson
  • Katie Pearson
  • LISTEN
  • Melinda Lucas
  • Music Victoria’s Artist Advisory Panel
  • Music Victoria
  • OneMusic Australia
  • PPCA
  • queerspace
  • Save Live Australia’s Music Sexual Harassment Taskforce
  • Simona Castricum
  • The Corner Hotel
  • The Live Music Office
  • The Push
  • Transgender Victoria
  • Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation