Beating the Lockout Laws: One Gig At A Time

Sydney is a city that is world-renowned for its perfectly balanced culture of work and play. And by that we means there is far more play than there is work. However, in recent months, there has been huge debate over whether Sydney’s new lockout laws — supposedly designed to reduce incidents of violence, but are we really buying that? — are ruining the culture that is so engraved into Sydney’s soul. Well, we here at Sombal are ready to make a stance! We want to maintain Sydney’s perfect culture and beat the new lockout laws one live and local gig at a time.

APRA AMCOS and the Live Music Office recently released figures suggesting that the lockout laws have caused a 19% decrease in attendance figures at Sydney nightclubs and dance venues since 2014. They also reported that live music venues have experienced a 40% drop in revenues over the same period. To us, this seems like pretty dour news.

However, with new legislation in NSW removing the need for venues to hold a license to put on live music, perhaps the lockout laws will result in a movement to more live and local music and gigs.

There is much speculation as to the actual motives of Sydney’s lockout laws. Many people and groups believe that the damage done to the nightclub and dance venue industry is mostly benefitting the casino groups, while others believe that the government hopes to clear out areas of prime real estate in order to develop and upgrade the areas. Whatever the reasons are, we are excited to be part of the solution.

So, we propose that in order to beat the lockout laws, in a metaphorical sense (not in a legal sense…don’t do anything illegal people!), we as the people of Sydney must:

• Continue to party, and by doing so, continue to support the live entertainment industry that provides life and character to our amazing city;
• Support local musicians by going to gigs, sharing great tracks and keeping up-to-date with events in Sydney
• Voice Our Opinions and never be shy to express support for the entertainment industry of Australia. A lot of people depend on this amazing industry for their livelihood, and even more importantly, happiness and purpose
• Reduce Violence at Night Time — while this applies to the smallest percentage of the population, if we can all take actions to reduce levels of violence then we take away the only legitimate reason for the Lockout laws to exist at all.

It’s that simple.

Together we can overcome these lockout laws. One gig at a time.

Originally published at Sombal.