Photo of Great Hops Brewery in Armidale by C Bennett 2020
UNE Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Research Seminar
11am, Wednesday, 25th November 2020 in A1 lecture theatre Arts building E11*
Cary Bennett presents
Challenges facing regional live music venues: A case study on Armidale NSW
This paper draws from a wider research project undertaken in 2018 in Armidale (NSW), to explore the challenges commercial venues face in presenting and maintaining a regular live music program. An analysis of the main themes suggests that the issues regional venues encounter are often qualitatively and quantitatively different from those facing their urban counterparts. This research found that regulatory issues, such as licensing, planning and noise, were not considered major impediments to regularly hosting live music. Instead, finding and accessing affordable quality bands in the numbers and styles needed to keep audiences coming to gigs, and getting audiences to regularly attend and spend money in the numbers needed to sustain the gigs were identified as ongoing difficulties. Although venues in larger metropolitan cities are often confronted with similar problems, these are not the issues that stand out in the research in this area, rather the regulatory environment is emphasised. By drawing attention to the non-regulatory challenges that face regional venues, important new avenues of research are opened up that will benefit live music scenes across Australia.
Cary Bennett (PhD) is a senior lecturer in Sociology at UNE. He has conducted research and published in the areas of popular music, recreational drug use and trafficking, drug treatment and education, HIV/AIDS, global development and evaluation technologies in education. Cary is also a musician who has worked extensively around Sydney, Newcastle and the New England regions and, earlier, on various cruise ships as drummer, vocalist and musical director. He is currently working on a research project that seeks to identify the barriers and facilitators to live music in Armidale.
*This on campus HASS seminar must adhere to COVID-19 safety measures. Invitees are requested not to attend if they have cold or flu symptoms or if they travelled from known COVID-19 locations in the previous fortnight or if they are a close contact of someone who has. Audience members will need to maintain social distancing of 1.5 metres when arriving and departing from the seminar and 4 metres personal space when seated. Please arrive a little early to allow time to use sanitiser then sign the register on arrival at the venue. For those who cannot attend the seminar will be recorded.
If you would like to attend by Zoom please contact the organiser.
Enquiries to: Karin von Strokirch – kvonstro@une.edu.au