The 2010 Melbourne live music rally, (commonly known as the Save Live Australian Music (SLAM) rally) was a public political rally held on 23 February 2010, in central Melbourne, Australia. The rally was held in protest of what the organisers claimed were the effects of liquor licensing laws on live music, particularly venues, and what they asserted to be a lack of government investment and support of live music in general. Attendance was estimated at 10,000-20,000 by the ABC,[1] with some estimates being as high as 50,000.[2]
The rally began at 4pm around the Victorian State Library where a large crowd began to grow from around 3pm, before moving southwards down Swanston Street, turning left and heading up Bourke Street, ultimately arriving at Parliament House on Spring Street, to a variety of speakers and musical performances. Throughout the route, members of the Rockwiz orchestra enacted AC/DC's Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock n' Roll) music video, shot at the same location 34 years prior.[3]
The rally was organised by a collection of community groups including Save Live Music Australia (SLAM), for which the rally itself was named. Other groups involved, attending and supporting the rally included; PSB, Triple R, JOYfm, the newly formed Music Victoria, the Australian Greens and representatives from rural pubs and venues.
Many nationally and locally famous and infamous individuals, groups and bands were in attendance throughout the rally including; Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins, Paul Dempsey (Something For Kate), Tim Rogers (You Am I), Wilbur Wilde, Kram (Spiderbait), Scott Owen (The Living End), Clare Bowditch, Cut Copy, Pikelet, My Disco, Amanda Palmer and many others. The rally was the largest in support of live music in Australia's history. Notably, the rally was alcohol free.
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In 2007, new liquor licensing laws were introduced as a measure to alleviate alcohol-related violence in the city. Restrictions were subsequently placed on small music venues, classifying them as high risk and requiring them to have abundant security. These restrictions caused the cessation of live music performance in some venues, forced the closure of the iconic Tote Hotel, and threatened the closure of several other small live music venues.[4]
Upon the closure of The Tote Hotel in January 2010, several social networking groups were created in opposition to the closure of the venue, one such group reached 20,000 members, and within 2 days a rally was organised. On 17 January, a crowd of between 2,000 and 5,000 rallied outside the venue, closing traffic to two major roads in Collingwood, an inner city suburb of Melbourne.[5]
The Tote rally sparked moderate public and political debate about the effect these laws were having on small music venues and quickly grew to encompass other venues which host musical performance and lack of government investment and support of live music in general. The rally also forced the State government to open discussions between the state government and local music industry representatives in fear of losing marginal inner city seats at the 2010 Victorian State election, though no action was taken on amending the laws to remove restrictions on small live music venues.
A new body Music Victoria was established and several community groups began organising a much larger rally to encompass the wider spectrum that the issue now covered. Subsequently, another rally was organised for 23 February 2010.
The rally was scheduled to begin at 4pm at the Victorian State Library. A large crowd began to grow from around 3pm, building to cover the top end of Swanston Street and State Library surrounds by 4pm. Attendees were rallied by MC Brian Nankervis accompanied by a band on the back of a flat tray truck. The truck proceeded southwards down Swanston Street, before stopping and turning left, eastwards up Bourke Street by 4:30pm. ultimately arriving at Parliament House on Spring Street around 5pm.[6]
Upon arrival at Parliament House, the rally began to grow in size north and southwards on Spring Street and building back down Bourke Street. AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to The Top (If You Wanna Rock n' Roll)" was then performed on a temporary stage on the steps of Parliament House with the original pipers from the AC/DC music video. Sometime after 5pm speakers and further musical performances were held on the temporary stage, concluding around 6:15pm.
Estimates of the number of attendees range from 10,000 to 50,000[2] with the average sitting at around 20,000.[1] The overwhelming majority of attendees were local musicians and patrons of local music. There were also many artists, photographers and other patrons of the arts. The crowd also included small collections of unionists, gay and lesbian rights supporters and other groups.[7]
Although part of the desired effect was strategically announced by John Brumby on the morning of the rally, the rally afforded a high attendance. This can be attributed to the lack of clarity and commitment by the State Labor Government on the amendments to the laws, the lack of consideration of licensing fees and the lack of any sort of announcement for increased governmental support of the arts. The rally was also seen by many attendees as a celebration of live music.
Many attendees voiced harsh displeasure directed at Liberal MPs on the steps of Parliament House and unseen Labor MPs, many displaying derogatory signs, one such reading "Liberal Fuck Off". Many observers related that it appears as though the State Labor Government has lost many traditionally Labor-voting music industry patrons to Liberal and more importantly, the Greens. Many of the speakers at the rally related their predictions that Labor would lose marginal inner city seats at the 2010 Victorian State election to the Greens and/or Liberal parties.
There was criticism[9] of Premier John Brumby in both mainstream, public and independent media, regarding his announcement of changes to liquor licensing laws being timed for the morning of the day of the rally. This was seen by many as an attempt to negate the effect of the rally, although anecdotally it didn't appear to have any impact on attendance.
Other controversy included public exclusion on the steps of Parliament House, access only being granted to pre-approved media and photographic personnel, which did not include local music media such as FasterLouder and others. In addition to exclusive media access, Liberal MPs were also granted access to the steps of Parliament House to hold up placards reading "Brumby's Liquor Fees Killing Live Music" and "Liberal's Love Live Music". The gestures of these Liberal MPs were viewed by the crowd as being token and ingenuine, and the MPs were booed several times as speakers referred to them in their respective speeches. Notably, none of the three Greens MPs advertised signage of any kind on the steps.
"Looking at the live music culture outside Victoria, we count ourselves lucky to live and be actively involved in the Melbourne music scene. Venue closures throughout Sydney and Brisbane have forced live music to struggle in inner city suburban homes, warehouses, art spaces and anywhere that will host it in a desperate effort to save a once flourishing community. As venue owners in our city now face increased licensing fees, cut backs on hours of operation and strict decibel restriction, we are forced to realize that without active community participation, Melbourne could soon become a mere shadow of what was once heralded as the greatest live music community in the southern hemisphere." - My Disco, in a statement prior to the rally.
"As far as I’m concerned, the small venue is a centre of community cohesion, people know each other, and they’re drawn together. nobody goes there looking for trouble, we all know that. If there’s a few blow-ins and they’ve strayed into the wrong place and they’re trying to start something, they may as well try to start something in a local church. It’s like trying to strike a match against a damp cloth: no chance of fire. The government’s worried about community violence, so are we all. Music and small venues are something that enriches local identity, social responsibility and cohesion. For many of us, it’s the nearest thing to real living culture that we can experience. And we in the inner suburbs are lucky to have our small pubs and bars and restaurants. I understand the social function and humanitarian value of live music, that’s part of a way of life, as much as food, drink, conversation and laughter are. Shortly after my gig folded due to the financial impracticality of employing two crown controllers insisted by the liquor licensing directorate, the same body approved two clubs in the Docklands area. One with a capacity of 750 people, the other with a capacity of 1500. It’s unlikely that either of these places will employ live musicians, it’s equally unlikely that any of the patrons that frequent these places will create social networks through attending these venues. These places are anonymous. The staff will not become familiar with any one of the sea of faces that pass through. And these faces drawn from places that know no community, from places with no other life than the shopping mall, certainly no local gigs, to get as drunk as they can, be ejected by security to continue their binge free of identification, other than by the cold eye of the security camera on the street or the train station, where they can vent their frustration, their alienation, and their bored anger on some passing individual, as faceless to them as they have become to themselves. As for me, I’ll see you at the local gig if it’s still there." - Rick Dempster, from his speech at the rally.[10]
The rally made the top three news items on every public and commercial television network news.[11] Several local and independent media groups were also covering and filming the rally. Commercial news footage was shot from a helicopter.
Several radio stations covered the proceedings prior to and during the rally itself, including ABC774, 3AW, PBS, Triple R, Triple M.