Fragmented, Positive and Negative: Live Music Venues in Regional Queensland

Abstract

Large geographical distances between major towns in regional areas could present as an inherent handicap to a thriving regional music scene. The costs associated with travel and transport drive down profit margins for musicians operating in these areas. Longer travel from coastal to inland regions results in additional economic pressures such as accommodation and equipment transport costs, not to mention the possibility of your gear not arriving in time for your gig if you were to fly. In regional towns where the population is numbered in the thousands, venues are small, and despite interest and passion, venue owners still may not be able to hire musicians. As well as reducing profit margins, the small populations of regional areas also increases competition for entertainment options between venues. Despite this volatility and the issues facing regional scenes, the appetite for live music in regional areas remains high. A healthy live music scene is regarded as a positive part of community engagement. At a local governmental level, it is regarded as a way of enlivening the local community and bringing in tourists. Venues regard it as a way of attracting clients and adding entertainment options beyond gambling and drinking to their venue, broadening their client base. For musicians, it is their livelihood. In this chapter we focus on how these benefits and constraints are experienced and negotiated in a specific regional location in Australia. The case study presented in this chapter draws on the results of 41 interviews with people active in the music scene in Central Queensland, a regional area with small urban clusters in the regional town centres of Rockhampton, Mackay and Gladstone and reflects on the current climate, including how the pandemic has played a role.