Live Music Australia

The Live Music Australia program is now closed.

Live Music Australia was established to fund live music venues, festivals and organisations that support quality original Australian live music.

Further information

Contact the Contemporary Music Team by phone 02 6136 8008 or email music@arts.gov.au.

When to apply

The open competitive grant opportunity commenced on 11 August 2020 and closed on 12 March 2024. All funding has been allocated.

Information about grants awarded under the program can be found by clicking on the 'Who we've funded' tab below.

Funding available

The Australian Government provided a total of $20 million over four years, from 2020–21 to 2023–24, for the Live Music Australia program.

About the program

Program information

Live Music Australia provided funding for live music venues, festivals and organisations that support professionally staged original Australian live music.

The program supported business ventures in cities, towns and regions across the country, building capacity for a sustainable live music scene with strong community roots, in all parts of Australia.

All grants awarded under the program have been published on this site, at the 'Who we've funded' tab above. Information is also available at the Grant Awards section of the Australian Government's centralised grants information system GrantConnect.

Support for contemporary music

The Australian Government's National Cultural Policy Revive recognises the importance of the live music sector and provides support for the music industry.

To learn more about what the Australian Government is doing to support Australian contemporary music, download Revive: A Place for Every Story, a Story for Every Place

Through the 2024-25 Budget, The Australian Government has committed new funding of $8.6 million through the new Revive Live program, to provide essential support to live music businesses including live music venues and contemporary music festivals. The program is currently under development.

Creative Australia administers a number of grant programs which support contemporary music projects, artists and organisations, including the Contemporary Music Touring Program which funds Australian musicians to perform their own work on tour in Australia, with a priority on regional and remote locations.

Music Australia has been established within Creative Australia to support and promote the Australian contemporary music industry to increase discoverability and develop markets and audiences. It will invest to stimulate a vibrant and sustainable music industry ecosystem in which artists can thrive.