Live music venue audiences and business needs have changed significantly post-Covid, and increasing residential development across Tāmaki Makaurau has highlighted a disconnect between the day-to-day reality of owning and running a venue as a business, and the Auckland council requirements they have to operate within.

Place Creative and Save Our Venues developed a strategic research project to understand the experience of running a live music venue in Auckland.

We looked at global and wider New Zealand licensing and planning trends to build understanding of and future-proof the important role live music venues play within Tāmaki Makaurau’s cultural infrastructure.

There was a great opportunity to celebrate the ecosystem of venues through interviews and surveys, discover current and future planning overlays (from sound proofing to licensing), and recommend ways Auckland Council can support venues across various departments, to enable a thriving live music scene in Auckland.

We look forward to sharing the report and insights once they have been made public.

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