Live music is city’s pumping heart

LIKE readers, I’ve gone through a few different musical stages in my life. My first album was Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell and I still fondly remember his concert at the MCG in the 70s.

I am a big fan of 60s music and bands like The Easybeats and Rolling Stones. I guess you might describe my musical tastes these days as eclectic.

Music is the soundtrack to our changing lives. It doesn’t just entertain us, it brings us together, shapes who we are, and can be a powerful therapy.

The last gig I went to was Daryl Braithwaite at the Barwon Heads Hotel.

I believe a healthy live music scene is the pumping heart of a city.

That’s why I’m so passionate about ensuring we do everything we can to promote a diverse range of live music, with a focus on supporting local Geelong talent and vibrant community performances.

Six months ago, we launched a pilot program called the Live Music Locator to make it easier to find live gigs by bringing together all the gigs in Greater Geelong in one central place.

This digital platform gives music fans the option to filter by location, genre and venue, as well as links to buy tickets.

For the first time, Geelong now has a single, reliable source for residents and visitors to discover live gigs and it’s free.

Not surprisingly, I am pleased to say it’s been a great success, and the community has jumped on board to use it, in doing so, supporting local artists.

The early data has found the Live Music Locator has strong uptake, with 22,000 music-lovers accessing the site, showing their support for our diverse and accessible local live music scene.

So far, 83 venues have got on board, capturing over 1,560 gigs, with 90 per cent of performances by unique acts.

With cost of living pressures rising, it’s also encouraging to see Geelong venues offering cheaper median ticket pricing than gig-centric areas like St Kilda and Bendigo, all while delivering a volume of gigs that rivals much larger markets.

The data shows that local favourites, including The Green Room Wine and Whiskey Bar, Here & Now Lounge, The Elephant Castle, Captain Bar, Barwon Heads Hotel, The Barwon Club Hotel and The Inn Hotel Geelong are among the venues to have hosted the highest number of gigs in the past six months.

I applaud these venue owners for championing live music in our region and celebrating our local talent.

People have told me they love the Live Music Locator because it has helped them discover Geelong’s hidden musical gems and emerging stars.

This resource is supporting the night-time economy and local hospitality sector by drawing thousands of people to our region, strengthening Geelong’s identity as a creative, liveable and culturally active city.

Every gig you attend supports local musicians, venues and hospitality businesses doing great things across our region.

The City will continue our partnership with the Live Music Locator, and we intend to broaden our commitments to supporting live music in the region.

We are hosting a Live Music Summit later this year, drawing together our leading venue operators and stakeholders from across the arts and culture sector. I look forward to seeing what exciting opportunities stem from these conversations.

In the meantime, to explore live music in your area, head to geelong.lml.live

Cr Stretch Kontelj

Mayor, City of Greater Geelong