What is happening to Melbourne’s vibrant live music scene? A recent report in Melbourne’s Herald Sun charts the success of some of Australia’s best known music acts who’s careers were fuelled by the plethora of pubs willing to showcase their talents. Think AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Midnight Oil and more recently The Whitlams, who started out playing at pubs on Sunday afternoons.

According to the Herald Sun, the beginning of the end was in the mid-1990s with the arrival of the poker machines and noise pollution laws. But it has increased with the closure of The Tote in Collingwood and the impending closure of alternative music venue The Arthouse. The operators of the popular live venues say council regulations, a crackdown over liquor-licensing laws and reduced revenues have made business impossible.

A law under the Liquor Control Reform Act, designed to curb alcohol-related violence, requires all venues that host live music to hire licensed security guards after 9pm at a ratio of two for the first 100 patrons and one for every 100 thereafter. It has been rigourously enforced lately, leading some venues to panic.

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