How did live music become central to debates on how to regulate the Victorian night-time economy? A qualitative analysis of Victorian newspaper reporting since 2003

Abstract

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. In Victoria, Australia, considerations of live music have become central to debates on how to best regulate the late-night economy. This paper examines the origins of this consideration and the reasons it has become a key matter in policy discussion about late-night licensing regulation. Using a media analysis of 110 Victorian newspaper articles (2003–2016), this paper demonstrates how the newspaper media has exerted significant power in producing a live music discourse. The live music discourse was firmly established by 2010, driven by the Tote Hotel's closure (referenced in 52 articles). The number of live music stakeholders engaged in the debate (80 quoted) far outweighed those from the government (26 quoted), impacting the overall presentation of the regulations along with the value of live music to the state. Gaps in media coverage, and the political context in which these matters were being debated aided advocates in facilitating subsequent regulatory change in favour of live-music venues. Consequently, it is argued that the media reporting contributed to a policy environment where perceptions of a threat to live music venues have become a barrier to restricting hours of sale in the future.