MEAA Submission - Inquiry into the State of Live Music in New South Wales

Australia’s music industry is in crisis. While large international conglomerates like Spotify and Live Nation extract substantial profits from the Australian live and recorded music industries, most musicians earn below minimum wage. Underpayment, wage theft, insecurity, and harassment are widespread in the industry. At the same time, emerging technologies – including generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and virtual live music synthetisers – displace and devalue musicians’ work.

This submission to the Inquiry into the State of Live Music in New South Wales contains nine recommendations to address the structural drivers of exploitation of musicians in the live music industry.

MEAA Submission - Inquiry into the State of Live Music in New South Wales

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Last update: March 3, 2026