Live and Local! Music program to deliver boost to homegrown industry

The Region’s best and brightest musicians will find themselves centre stage when Live and Local kicks off in Toowoomba to deliver a boost to the local music industry. Designed to support local councils and their communities in delivering live music micro-festivals, the Live and Local Strategic Initiative will bring together musicians from across the Toowoomba Region for a series of workshops and performances from May until the end of 2021. The program seeks to support the growth of venue-based live music through industry skills development, a regional performance working group and unique performance opportunities which celebrate local talent. Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Environment and Community Committee Chair Cr James O’Shea said Live and Local is an opportunity to grow the local music industry by bringing together the Region’s musicians, businesses and the community. “There are already more than 50 live music venues across our Region, showcasing a diverse range of emerging, established and touring musical artists,” Cr James O’Shea. “Live and Local will support these venues to host more live music more often, providing a great platform for local bands and musicians to showcase their talent to an even larger audience. “Restrictions on event numbers and the closure of venues during 2020 because of Covid hit many of these small and micro businesses hard and made it difficult for performers to participate in their industry. Council wants to help maintain and grow these businesses and our Region’s creative industries.” Project Manager with the Live Music Office, Lucy Joseph said it was inspiring to see local councils take such a proactive role in supporting the growth of their local live music communities by engaging with programs such as Live and Local. “Not only does the program provide paid employment opportunities for local artists, but it also provides an effective platform for councils to develop supportive policy to ensure long term sustainability of local live music,” Lucy said. “These events now create a blueprint for regional and suburban centres to host their own program and events and help to develop skills and collaboration for live music to be fostered within the community.” Artists will be able to participate in workshops providing valuable insights into the business of live music performance, recording and management, including the opportunities to perform in local businesses and venues across the region. Musicians will also be given the opportunity to undertake training with QMusic, Queensland’s music industry development association. This will be held alongside workshops for other skills involved within the live performance industry, including sound, lighting, recording, film and photography. Cr O’Shea said live music not only contributes to the Region’s arts scene but is an integral part of the region’s economy. “Live music promotes spaces for creative growth and communities to come together,” he said. “By providing these opportunities and skills development to wider range within our arts sector, we are creating a space for the music industry to thrive within our Region.” Cr O’Shea said the Live and Local program team is currently calling for expressions of interest, with some of the activities set to start in early June, including:• Industry working group• Emerging Event Curators workshop • Performers skills development being held by Q Music. Calls for local performers to be part of the live music shows will be made during the second half of the program. Those wishing to register to be a part of the program are encouraged to apply quickly with the spots expected to be sort after. For more information on the Live and Local Toowoomba Program, please visit tr.qld.gov.au/community-business/community-support/live-local-music or call 131 782 and quote “Live and Local Toowoomba”. The Toowoomba Live and Local is delivered as part of the Regional Arts Development Fund partnership with Toowoomba Regional Council, South West Queensland Regional Arts, Q Music, The Live Music Office and APRA AMCOS. Caption: TRC Environment and Community Committee Chair Cr James O'Shea chats all things live music industry with Toowoomba based musician and singer Meg Beth at Cafe Guitar in Toowoomba.