Victoria’s live music scene will get a $3.9 million funding boost as the Victorian Government continues to invest in the musicians, venues and festivals that power the state’s music industry.
Funding recipients include music festivals, musicians and live music venues, along with programs to support emerging regional musicians, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse artists and event producers and young performers.
The first round of 10,000 Gigs: The Victorian Gig Fund will fund 144 venues to stage paid gigs by local artists, while Music Works grants totalling $1 million will support 92 music projects involving more than 600 music industry professionals.
Recipients in the latest round of the longrunning Music Works program include artists Jessie Lloyd and Immy Owusu and bands Porpoise Spit and Quivers. The program has invested almost $13 million in more than 800 projects in the past 9 years, supporting artists to record albums, present live shows, tour and develop their skills.
Venues awarded grants include iconic Melbourne venues such as The Tote, The Jazzlab, Mamma Chen’s and Laundry, regional venues like Ballarat’s Volta, Barwon Heads Hotel and Theatre Royal, Castlemaine, along with suburban venues including Narre Warren’s District 14.
Among the 22 recipients of the Live Music Festivals Fund are festival stalwarts such as Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival and Riverboats Festival in Echuca-Moama alongside the return of Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues, and newer events including GROUNDED at Dookie Quarry, and Yass Queens Park, a queer-focused festival in Moonee Ponds.
The GRID Series artist development program is back in Geelong for a second year supporting local early career musicians to build and establish themselves in the industry, while The Push All Ages Grants will support live music venues, booking agents, artists, promoters and community organisations across Victoria to stage all-ages events.
Multicultural Arts Victoria will present the third iteration of its NEWPRINT program, which offers professional development opportunities for artists and creative workers including music event producers from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The first rounds of the Live Music Festivals Fund and Victorian Gig Fund are being delivered by Music Victoria on behalf of the Victorian Government. These latest grants are part of a $35.4 million package delivered in the 2023/24 Victorian Budget to support Victoria’s live music industry at all levels and in all parts of the state.
Music Works recipients
Find the full list here.
Live Music Festivals Fund recipients
Round 1 recipients – September 2024
PORT FAIRY FOLK FESTIVAL, Port Fairy
Over four days and three nights, the Port Fairy Folk Festival features a multi-venue main arena, free entertainment within the township, exhibitions, community markets, interactive workshops, forums, themed concerts and showcases, writers program, roving performances, handmade crafts, great food and family friendly entertainment.
LOCH HART MUSIC FESTIVAL, Princetown
Loch Hart Music Festival is a music, arts, comedy and camping festival held annually on the Great Ocean Road in Princetown, Kirrae Whurrong Country. A stone’s throw from the Twelve Apostles, it features performances including a comedy hour, storytelling, local food trucks, market stalls, glamping, yoga and an outdoor cinema.
ABILITY FEST, Melbourne
Ability Fest emerged from a need to address the significant service gap in accessible cultural and recreational opportunities for people living with disabilities. Over the years, Ability Fest has evolved into the country’s first and only completely accessible and inclusive music festival, attracting a combined audience of 20,000 people across four iterations held in Melbourne.
RIVERBOATS MUSIC FESTIVAL, Echuca-Moama
Riverboats Music Festival is a three-day music event staged on Yorta Yorta Country at Echuca-Moama in February each year. It is the largest outdoor music festival on the Murray River, with live performances on the main stage and aboard Echuca’s fleet of historic paddle steamers.
QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL, Queenscliff
Held on the last weekend of November in the small historic town of Queenscliff since 1997, the three-day festival is an accessible, family friendly event.
OCEAN SOUNDS, Phillip Island
Ocean Sounds Festival is a family-friendly music-lovers festival featuring national headline artists and talented local acts plus a celebration of the region’s food, wine and natural environment.
JAMAICAN MUSIC AND FOOD FESTIVAL, Williamstown
Jamaican Music and Food Festival is a family friendly event which brings out the reggae and Dancehall community for a one-day annual event featuring a diverse range of local and international performers.
HOPKINS CREEK FESTIVAL, Tallarook
Hopkins Creek Festival was first held in 2016, with a focus on core values of music and mateship. The event is predominately focused on combining a carefully curated, diverse selection of artists with a unique platform for self-expression and exploration.
MEADOW, Bambra
Meadow is a three-day music festival that fosters emerging Australian musical talent and delivers a unique cultural experience in a rugged regional setting between the Great Ocean Road and the Otway Rainforest.
WHEN PIGS FLY FESTIVAL, Abbotsford
When Pigs Fly is a New Year’s Eve music festival in its third year at the Collingwood Children’s Farm for a diverse group of punters featuring Australian artists across two stages, local food vendors and bars.
FOLK RHYTHM AND LIFE, Eldorado
Folk Rhythm and Life is a three day, five stage festival featuring live music, workshops and roaming performances. The last iteration featured multiple stages alternating to provide non-stop music for two days.
WINTER SOUNDS, Daylesford
Winter Sounds is a four-day regional music festival presenting live music within extraordinary locations including cathedrals, gold-rush era buildings, bush halls and art-deco trains across the Dja Dja Wurrung (Daylesford) region.
PENINSULA SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL, Mornington Peninsula
Peninsula Summer Music Festival, which has been running for 15 years, has grown in scope and delivery to feature Victorian musicians and composers across diverse music styles, celebrating the creation and live performance of new music including experimental, jazz, folk, First Nations music and electronic.
AIREY’S INLET MUSIC FESTIVAL, Airey’s Inlet
Airey's Inlet Music Festival has been running for 18 years, featuring a diverse range of artists across stages in local venues over three days.
ECHO BEACH, Abbotsford
Echo Beach is an independent, one day music festival at Collingwood Children's Farm. Running since 2021, the festival prides itself on diversity, accessibility and inclusion with a musical program that connects the dots between legacy acts and emerging artists.
CRESFEST, Creswick
CresFest is a folk and roots music festival in the forested gold rush town of Creswick, nestled between Daylesford and Ballarat. The festival grew out of the passion of local musicians wanting to celebrate live music in Creswick, with involvement from local venues, business, organisations and schools.
GROUNDED, Dookie
Formerly known as Secret Garden Gigs, GROUNDED was established 6 years ago with the aim of showcasing regional musicians and vendors while providing audiences with unique and immersive experiences. Located on Yorta Yorta country in an unused quarry in Dookie, the Festival boasts a stunning backdrop of raw, red cliffs, elevating the ambiance of the live music performances.
NIGHTJAR FESTIVAL, Torquay
Nightjar Festival is a celebration of live music, art, and culture, taking place every January in Torquay. Combining a vibrant night market, live music, roving entertainers, food trucks and licensed areas, Nightjar offers a dynamic and inclusive summer entertainment experience.
YASS QUEENS PARK, Moonee Ponds
Yasss Queens Park features an array of queer-focused entertainment and queer-operated businesses including drag performances, activations, roving entertainment, pop-up bars and DJ sets.
LET THEM EAT CAKE, Werribee
Let them Eat Cake is Australia’s premier New Years Day dance music festival, held on the heritage-listed grounds of Werribee Mansion. It has hosted some of the biggest Australian and international names in electronic music.
MACEDON RANGES MUSIC FESTIVAL, Hanging Rock
Macedon Ranges Music Festival is the only contemporary music festival in the Macedon Ranges, held at the iconic Hanging Rock near Woodend.
WANGARATTA FESTIVAL OF JAZZ AND BLUES, Wangaratta
Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues has grown to become an internationally renowned event. with a diverse mix of jazz greats and rising stars, the program showcases jazz and blues of all styles.
10,000 Gigs: The Victorian Gig Fund
Round 1 Recipients
170 Russell, Melbourne
24 Moons, Northcote
Aireys Pub, Aireys Inlet
Alpine Hotel Warburton, Warburton
Axedale Tavern, Axedale
Bad Decisions Bar, Fitzroy
Ballarat Trades Hall, Ballarat Central
Banks Brewery, Seaford
Bar 303, Northcote
Barwon Edge, Newtown
Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads
Beavs Bar, Geelong
Beleura House and Garden, Mornington
Bells Beach Brewing, Torquay
Bergy Bandroom, Brunswick
Brunswick Ballroom, Brunswick
Bundalong Tavern, Bundalong
Cactus Room, Thornbury
Canadian Bay Hotel, Mount Eliza
Cape Horn Vineyard & Riverside Bar, Lower Moira
Carlton Club, Melbourne
Chasers Nightclub, South Yarra
Cherry Bar, Melbourne
Church St Hotel, Wodonga
Commercial Hotel Terang, Terang
Creatures of Habit Bar & Bandroom, Fitzroy
District 14 Pty Ltd, Narre Warren
Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
Exchange Hotel Kerang, Kerang
Farmers Arms Creswick, Creswick
Fifty Five, Melbourne
Forget Me Not Eatery, Greenvale
Francesca’s Bar, Northcote
Freddie Wimpoles, St Kilda
George Lane St Kilda, St Kilda
Glamorama Bar, Fitzroy
Golden Vine Hotel, Bendigo
Good Land Brewing Co, Traralgon
Grampians Ale Works, Stawell
Heaven Lounge / Honey Bar, Mildura
Hendriks, Lilydale
Hickinbotham of Dromana, Dromana
High Note Space, Northcote
Hop Temple, Ballarat North
Hopheads, Point Cook
Hotel Lona, Frankston
Inflation Nightclub, Melbourne
Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat Central
Killing Time Bar, Windsor
Kindred Studios, Yarraville
Laundry Bar, Fitzroy
Lulie Tavern, Abbotsford
Mac’s Hotel, Portland
Major Tom’s, Kyneton
Mamma Chen’s, Footscray
Manchuria, Melbourne
Mansfield Hotel, Mansfield
Mantra Studio Kitchen Bar, Yarraville
Marlo Hotel, Marlo
Max Watts, Melbourne
Medusa Bar, Geelong
Minyip Hotel, Minyip
Miscellania, Melbourne
Misfits, Footscray
Musicland, Fawkner
My Aeon, Brunswick
Nevermind Bar, Hawthorn
Nighthawks, Collingwood
Oak Tree Tavern, The Basin
Ocean Grove Hotel, Ocean Grove
Odessa at Leavers Hotel, Creswick
Open Studio Venue, Northcote
Paynesville Wine Bar, Paynesville
Peninsula Beer Garden, Boneo
Piano off Pier, Altona
Piano on Chapel, Windsor
Piano on Evans, Sunbury
Piano on High, Northcote
Platform 3095, Eltham
Platform One, Melbourne
Pockets Moorabbin, Moorabbin
Pockets Tullamarine, Tullamarine
Prince Alfred Hotel, Port Melbourne
Queenscliff Brewhouse, Queenscliff
Queenscliff Town Hall, Queenscliff
Ragtime Tavern, Preston
Railway Hotel Pakenham, Pakenham
Rochford Concert Lounge, Coldstream
Rumours Nightclub, Mildura
Shedshaker Taproom, Castlemaine
Shiraz Republic, Comella
Shotkickers, Thornbury
Star Hotel Echuca, Echuca
Studio 185, Werribee
The Barwon Club Hotel, South Geelong
The Black Bee Craft Beer & Wine Bar, Belgrave
The Blackstump Bistro, Mildura
The Blues Train, Queenscliff
The Boite, Box Hill
The Clam, Lorne
The Coolroom at the Northern Arts Hotel, Castlemaine
The Corporate Moose, Mildura
The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham
The Deck Est.2013, Frankston
The Drunken Poet, West Melbourne
The Eastern, Ballarat
The Fitzroy Pinnacle, Fitzroy North
The Flywheel Bar & Café, Beaufort
The Gem Bar & Dining Room, Collingwood
The General, Mt Hotham
The Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
The Greendale Pub, Greendale
The Heritage Balnarring, Balnarring
The JazzLab, Brunswick
The Lost Cowe, Phillip Island, Cowes
The Merri Creek Tavern, Northcote
The Motley Bauhaus, Carlton
The Night Cat, Fitzroy
The Old Bar, Fitzroy
The Osborne Rooftop and Bar, South Yarra
The Pig & Whistle, Main Ridge
The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
The Quiet Man Irish Pub, Kensington
The Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
The Rooks Return, Fitzroy
The Royal Hotel, Bacchus Marsh
The Standard Hotel, Fitzroy
The Thornbury Local, Thornbury
The Tote Hotel, Collingwood
The Travellers Rest Hotel, Thorpdale
The Vineyard, St Kilda
The Workers Club, Fitzroy
Theatre Royal Castlemaine, Castlemaine
Tom Katz Live Music, Sorrento
Two Buoys, Dromana
Union Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick
Uptown Jazz Café, Fitzroy
Upwey Belgrave RSL, Upwey
Vine Hotel Wangaratta, North Wangarratta
Volta Ballarat, Ballarat Central
Welshpool Hotel, Welshpool
Westernport Hotel, San Remo
Workshop Bar, Melbourne
Yah Yahs, Fitzroy