Pubs have two weeks to register their interest in Rise of the Pub Gig funding to help reinvigorate live entertainment around the country.
Under the initiative backed by Creative Victoria, The City of Sydney, and the Australian Government’s RISE Fund, funding is up for grabs for 100 venues to each host five gigs.
The aim is to help establish new live music offerings through a national tour featuring 500 shows.
The Rise of the Pub Gig was originally to be held in February but was postponed due to the Omicron outbreak. It will now kick off on June 2, according to its organiser, Muso, and the new closing date for applications is May 25.
According to Muso, the tour aims to give venues the kick-start they need to host ongoing live music, in turn increasing income for musicians and offering more gig experiences for punters.
“We had to push it back a few times because of the lockdowns, but we’re planning for things to kick off at the start of June,” Muso co-founder Jeremiah Siemianow said.
“Nothing changes – the entire package stays the same, and it’s still supported by the same people.”
The Muso platform has evolved to become a technology link between venues and artists, enabling both to book and manage gigs, including artist discovery, rostering, scheduling and payments.
Muso has continued to grow during the pandemic and now has close to 300 active venues and around 7,000 artists on the platform, and Siemianow said, and is now expanding into the UK.
All 100 venues will receive funding for their five gigs to cover the cost of artist fees and social media promotion, and these venues will also be given free access to the Muso platform and its team.
Venue owners and artists can register their interest and stay up to date on the tour on at the Muso website. Venues that registered last year are still in the running to be included, Muso said.