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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $50,000
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, $47,000
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, $47,000
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, $50,000
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, $47,000
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, $36,000
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, $45,000
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, $45,000
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, $45,000
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, $45,000
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, $48,700
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, $32,800
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, $50,000
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
The following venues have been awarded $10,000 to present 20 live music gigs
- 170 Russell, Melbourne
- 24 Moons, Northcote
- Aireys Pub, Aireys Inlet
- Alpine Hotel, 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
- Bergy Bandroom, Brunswick
- Brunswick Ballroom, Brunswick
- Bundalong Tavern, Bundalong
- Cactus Room, Thornbury
- 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
- Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy
- Fifty Five, Melbourne
- Francesca’s Bar, Northcote
- Freddie Wimpoles, St Kilda
- George Lane St Kilda, St Kilda
- Glamorama Bar, Fitzroy
- 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
- Killing Time Bar, Windsor
- Laundry Bar, Fitzroy
- Lulie Tavern, Abbotsford
- Mac’s Hotel, Portland
- Major Tom’s, Kyneton
- Mamma Chen’s, Footscray
- Mantra Studio Kitchen Bar, Yarraville
- Marlo Hotel, Marlo
- Max Watts, Melbourne
- Medusa Bar, Geelong
- Minyip Hotel, Minyip
- Miscellania, Melbourne
- Misfits, Footscray
- My Aeon, Brunswick
- 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
- Platform 3095, Eltham
- Platform One, Melbourne
- 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 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 Greendale Pub, Greendale
- 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 Retreat Hotel, Brunswick
- The Rooks Return, Fitzroy
- 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 Wangaratta
- Volta Ballarat, Ballarat Central
- Workshop Bar, Melbourne
- Yah Yahs, Fitzroy
- District 14 Pty Ltd, Narre Warren
- Farmers Arms Creswick, Creswick
- Musicland, Fawkner
- Pockets Moorabbin, Moorabbin
- Pockets Tullamarine, Tullamarine
- The Post Office Hotel, Coburg
The following venues have been awarded $5000 to present 10 live music gigs
- Exchange Hotel Kerang, Kerang
- Golden Vine Hotel, Bendigo
- Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat Central
- Manchuria, Melbourne
- Mansfield Hotel, Mansfield
- Nevermind Bar, Hawthorn
- Piano on Evans, Sunbury
- Piano on High, Northcote
- The Corporate Moose, Mildura
- The General, Mt Hotham
- The Grace Darling Hotel, Collingwood
- The Heritage Balnarring, Balnarring
- The Quiet Man Irish Pub, Kensington
- Westernport Hotel, San Remo
- Canadian Bay Hotel, Mount Eliza
- Forget Me Not Eatery, Greenvale
- The Royal Hotel, Bacchus Marsh
- Welshpool Hotel, Welshpool