• The New South Wales government is allowing up to 500 people to attend outdoor seated music events.
• The Australian Festivals Association praised the move, saying it was “a step in the right direction towards the safe return to crowds at our events”.
• However, the Live Entertainment Industry Forum is calling for more support from the government for the live music industry.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

The New South Wales government is easing more restrictions for music performances, but live entertainment venues want more to be done for the industry.

Staring on Friday, October 16, hospitality venues in NSW will be allowed to have one person per two square metres. The state government is also increasing the number of people allowed to attend outdoor seated music events from 20 to 500. But they have to abide by the one person per four square metres rule.

“In NSW, we are focused on keeping the virus under control but also ensuring our economy keeps going and these changes will allow hospitality venues to increase their capacity in a COVID-Safe way,” state premier Gladys Berejiklian said in a statement.

“This is also a big boost for our music industry with more people in NSW able to enjoy music in the outdoors over the summer.”

The Australian Festivals Association (AFA) told Business Insider Australia via email it welcomed these new changes as it is “a step in the right direction towards the safe return to crowds at our events”.

“We hope to continue to work with the government on further increases in capacity and easing of restrictions,” an AFA spokesperson said.

Jeff Jones, CEO of TEG – the parent company of Ticketek – was also pleased to see the state government lift restrictions for outdoor performances.

“This offers some relief for musicians in NSW, who have suffered greatly and are chomping at the bit to get out and play,” he told Business Insider Australia via email.

While NSW has lifted some restrictions, the AFA spokesperson highlighted the challenges the music industry is still facing.

“Of course, even as restrictions ease, artist touring and inaccessibility of insurance remain barriers to viable operation so we continue to call for much needed sector support,” they said. “Our industry was first to be switched off and will be last to come back to full levels of operation.”

The Live Entertainment Industry Forum (LEIF) pinpointed some measures the federal government could implement to support the sector, which has been hampered by the coronavirus pandemic.

The Forum, which is made up of top executives from Australia’s sporting and entertainment venues, released the preliminary findings of an EY report, which found live entertainment in Australia made an estimated $36.4 billion contribution to the economy in 2019.

But the pandemic would cause an estimated 65% drop in the industry’s economic output to $12.8 billion in 2020 if restrictions continued until the end of the year – a $23.6 billion loss.

The report also found that the live music sector supported 122,000 full-time jobs in 2019, with this number predicted to fall by two-thirds (or 79,000) down to 43,000 should the restrictions remain.

As a result, the LEIF is seeking more industry-specific support from the federal government. This includes continuing a JobKeeper-like program for employers, introducing a moratorium on GST on live ticket events and rolling out a Live Entertainment Business Interruption Fund underwritten by the government.

Roger Field, President of Live Nation Asia-Pacific, said in a statement this business interruption fund would “overcome the fact that we cannot get any insurance to cover us for shows being stalled due to COVID.”

“We are a very self-sufficient industry; however, we need the support of government in respect of losses incurred due to interruptions caused by the imposition of COVID-related restrictions,” he said. “This small safety net would allow us to get back to investing in our events and communities as we return safely and responsibly.”

LEIF Chair James Sutherland highlighted concerns about the cessation of JobKeeper in March and reinforced the organisation’s push to have venues operate at full capacity.

“JobKeeper has provided a lifeline for our sector, but the prospect of it disappearing in March 2021 – when the industry is likely to remain massively inhibited by key pandemic-related restrictions – is of grave concern to all industry operators,” he said in a statement.

“For our sector to operate profitably we require venues operating at full capacity, unrestricted interstate movement, and open international borders without extensive quarantine.”

Easing restrictions won’t only benefit musicians, but workers in related industries as well.

“It is important to remember that musicians are at the heart of a vast interlinked ecosystem that includes the crews, the bartenders, the hot dog sellers, the taxi drivers and the hotel staff and so many other types of workers that rely on the live industry to generate income,” Jones told Business Insider Australia

“Until venues can function at full capacity, people across the industry will continue to suffer.”

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.