Australian Music Venue Foundation Announces New Board Members, Artist Ambassadors and Early Supporters
The Australian Music Venue Foundation (AMVF) aims to secure the future of Australia’s grassroots music venues.
Image Hugo L. Casanova
The recently established Australian Music Venue Foundation (AMVF) has announced some major plans this week, adding new members to its board and appointing artist ambassadors to discuss the importance of Grassroots Music Venues (GMVs).
The AMVF was created as a reaction to the Australian Government’s recent Am I Ever Going to See You Live Again report, which dived into the issues facing Australia’s live music scene, with the not-for-profit organisation aiming to support grassroots venues around the country and preserve Australia’s live music scene.
The new board members are an experienced mix of music industry vets that include venue owners and operators, peak bodies and artist representatives. The new members are:
● Fiona Duncan - CEO, Music Victoria and Executive Director, Loog Management
● James Legge - Director, Freo.Social and Treasurer of the AMVF
● John Collins - Fortitude Music Hall, The Triffid
● Tim Northeast - Managing Director - The Corner Hotel, Northcote Social Club
● Tyla Dombroski - CEO, Crowbar Group, President of the Live Music Venues Alliance NSW and Advisory Board member for Sound NSW
Julia Robinson, the Head of Government Relations & Programs ARIA/PPCA, has also been appointed as an advisory council member.
The new board members join original founding members, Harley Evans, Howard Shore, Mardi Caught and Tam Boakes, who have been appointed as CEO of the AMVF, while the UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) founder and CEO Mark Davyd will continue to assist in an advisory role.
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Along with the new board members, the AMVF has appointed several artist ambassadors to help spread the word – The Rubens, Velvet Trip, Phoebe Go, Darcie Haven and Anna Lunoe.
Speaking on how important local live music venues are, Zeppelin of Velvet Trip says, “When I first moved from Byron to Sydney, I spent most nights drifting between the little venues in Kings Cross that hosted blues jams. I’d bring my guitar along and see if I could jump in for a song or two. Those nights opened up the world for me - they made music feel possible, and showed me there was a whole community of people chasing the same dream. At the same time, I was catching gigs all over the inner-west, daydreaming about starting my own project and hoping to meet others who felt the same pull towards music and collaboration.
Without those small, grassroots venues, I don’t think I - or many of my peers - would have found each other, let alone started building careers in music. I care about these spaces deeply, because they really shaped the path I’m on today.”
Phoebe Go adds, “Venues hold history and energy and they give us a sense of belonging. They’re not a luxury. They’re infrastructure. Like the supermarket or the train station. They keep us going. I’ve been playing in venues since I was about 15. At first accompanied by my folks or sneaking in the side door. Since then, I’ve played rooms that hold 50 people and rooms that hold 5,000. In no particular order. The size isn’t the thing. What matters is that people are coming together. That’s the whole point.”
NSW favourites The Rubens, who recently performed at the Oxford Arts Factory, describe why it is important to support GMVs: “We had to play a lot of shows before we were a band worth listening to and small venues like Oxford Art Factory and Candy’s Apartment gave us the space to learn, fail and grow. Without these spaces artists wouldn’t have anywhere to find their feet and audiences wouldn’t find their new favourite ‘thing’, and things are awesome.”
Discussing the electronic music spact, Anna Lunoe says, “Australia’s electronic music culture starts in grassroots venues. We don't go from our bedrooms into stadiums. Community spaces spark creativity, connect us to our future audience, create communities, careers and showcase the diversity and innovation that define our national sound. They provide more than just stages for performance — they are cultural incubators that keep the scene alive and evolving.”
The AMVF has announced the first of three key partnerships, with Universal Music Group, Moshtix and UNIFIED Music Group all joining as early sponsors.
For more info, visit australianmusicvenuefoundation.org.
