Today COSBOA welcomes a new member, The Australian Live Music Business Council. This new association was officially born today (2 July 2020) in response to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the sector and represents about 65,000 jobs.
The ALMBC will be representing the interests of small to medium Australian music enterprises and the thousands of live music jobs they underpin - from booking agents and managers, venues and promoters, through to ticketing companies, poster companies, media, publicists, food vendors, security, music technicians, roadies and many more. Stephen Wade from Select Music will service as its interim Chair.
The association will also become members of COSBOA to get extra support in their advocacy and connect with a network of other associations representing small businesses in a variety of industries around Australia.
COSBOA CEO Peter Strong said "This is exactly what the music industry needs. There are a number of associations that represent the big end of town - and there's nothing wrong with that - but until now no one has been looking out for the small guys, at least not as business operators."
Mr Strong added "We're talking about one of industries that has suffered the most from the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of people don't think about the fact that the live music sector isn't just musicians - we're talking about a whole supply chain that has been affected. Now more than ever is an important time for them to have a unified voice."
"The founders of the ALMBC are going to be great advocates," Mr Strong said. "They have put in a lot of effort into creating their association and I know they will give their all in advocating for the smaller end of their industry."
ALMBC Interim Chair, Stephen Wade, said “COVID has shown just how important a collective approach is in times of crisis and the Australian Live Music Business Council fills that gap, providing for the first time, a platform to help galvanise our passion to work in this amazing industry."
"The formation of the ALMBC now gives a coordinated voice to the thousands of small and medium businesses working at the coalface of Australia’s essential night economy, representing the long-tail of shows, venues and events that underpin Australian commerce and culture.”
"These businesses are the real engine room of the live music economy, and with revenue dropping to zero for many, they face significant commercial challenges for the foreseeable future” Wade said.
To find out more about the ALMBC, visit www.almbc.org.au. In recognition of current times, they will be waiving joining fees for 6 months.