The Sunshine Coast needs to think regionally and work collaboratively to create a vibrant night economy and recover from recent hits to the live music scene.
That’s the opinion of one of the Coast’s business leaders and music industry drivers following the loss of two major entertainment venues in little more than a month.
Michael Shadforth’s family (including daughter and award-winning singer-songwriter Doolie) is heavily involved in the music industry. He believes our region has to work harder to ‘future-proof’ the local music scene against venue closures.
He said that was the responsibility of everyone – from patrons to Sunshine Coast Council and organisations such as Visit Sunshine Coast.
Like many other music lovers, Mr Shadforth, the Caloundra Chamber of Commerce president and Sunshine Coast Music Industry Collective chair, was saddened to hear Birtinya’s NightQuarter had been forced to close its doors in late November last year.
Food Focus Australia owners and husband-and-wife team Ian van der Woude and Michelle Christoe said ‘goodbye’ to their supporters on Facebook after running the popular NightQuarter in Birtinya for the past two years.
That company is now under external administration, with Brisbane-based SV Partners appointed as administrator on November 28 last year. A second meeting of creditors was held via teleconference on January 5.
A spokesman for the adminstrator said that as the matter was ongoing, no further information could be provided at this time.
The second blow to the local live music scene came when Eleven Dive Bar owner Aaron Crump said he and his partner Danielle Stafford had shut the doors on their popular Eleven Dive Bar venue in Duporth Avenue, Maroochydore. They are not yet sure if the closure will be permanent or temporary.
They said in a December 30 Facebook post that they had made the “very difficult decision” amid ongoing issues with the Queensland Investment Corporation-owned building, including a leaky roof, and COVID-19’s lasting effects on the industry.
Mr Crump told the ABC that, despite restrictions being lifted, the pandemic had “changed the landscape” for live music, with people still leaving it to the last minute to decide on attending gigs, creating a situation where some promoters were cancelling acts due to low ticket sales.
Ms Christoe this week made a plea for people to keep supporting live music.
“We ask that people on the Sunshine Coast support our local musos and continue to buy tickets, so we don’t become a region that gets missed by Australian tours,” she said.
“It is already happening as promoters have lost confidence in ticket sales in the region.
“Sunshine Coast has lost tours already with Dean Lewis, Vera Blue, Sarah McLeod and others touring and not coming to Sunshine Coast. We previously sold out shows with them.”
Mr Shadforth admires the passion of both venues’ operators for giving it a go. But he warned that the region faced the challenge of convincing others to open new venues in the future.
“So, it’s now or never,” he said.
“We have to see the council, particularly, making sure that there is a real drive towards a safe, vibrant night-time economy.
“Live music promotes a safe night-time economy.
“And without that vibrancy, we don’t attract the talent that we need.”
The development of the Maroochydore CBD, Mr Shadforth said, was an ideal opportunity for the Coast to “grow jobs and unique and different industries and really become something”.
The creation of a strong live music scene could be part of that growth.
But across-the-board support for venues, bands and artists was the first step.
He said that as a region, we had to think smarter to make the most of opportunities to engage residents and visitors.
That meant businesses syncing calendars and cross-promoting major events with parallel live music gigs and festivals.
“Some of the ways we should be doing that is making sure that major events work with our live entertainment venues to ensure that there’s engagement,” he said.
“When big events come to town, these venues and bars should be working together to promote the ticketing, and the night life and the party atmosphere after the triathlon or after the surf lifesaving carnival.
“That has to happen … in a much more collaborative approach so that people are getting a much greater experience.”
Mr Shadforth said that while the current debate on the future of public transport across the region was important, the outcomes were “too far away for these bands and the industry now”.
An easier ‘fix’ was close at hand, though.
“We (Sunshine Coast Music Industry Collective) believe that free transport to Ocean Street or Maroochydore, supporting the CBD, particularly on weekends, would get people in and out of that area safely and give people a reason to stay in other places like Caloundra,” Mr Shadforth said.
“It would even get people out of Noosa if they want to go somewhere at night and give them a safe way home.
“If not for free, then it should be very cheap and consistent. But it should be organised.”
He said a region-wide ‘what’s on app’ could help put events, festivals and gigs centre stage in the eyes of residents and visitors, promote individual venues and entertainers through advertising, offer links to buy tickets, and allow attendees to take advantage of free transport after showing their ticketing bar code.
Brisbane City Council, for example, for many years has offered ticketholders, including Sunshine Coast residents, who are heading to major music events at QEII Stadium to park near Westfield Chermside and take the scheduled event buses for free.
Mr Shadforth acknowledged that everyone had a part to play in the future of live music on the Coast.
“What we’re trying to do is make sure that the Sunny Coast has a really vibrant, safe nightclub precinct. That’s something that we think is really critical,” he said.
“The Sunshine Coast Music Industry Collective is all about musicians working together to grow the skills and the IP (intellectual property) inside the industry and making sure we have a stronger network so they’re also supporting these venues.
“We have to pick up our game as well.
“You’ve got to create a scene by being a scene.”
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via: news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
