Diversity & Representation · Indicator 6
Balance of local and international artists
What this indicator asks
How many of the artists who perform in Sydney are based in Australia?
not scored
Around 5,000 artists (2,500 whose country is known) on over 7,500 Sydney event line-ups, for events dated between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2026.
International artists make up 62.8% of artists, but get 38.5% of bookings. On average, a local artist is booked for 5.4 events, while an international artist gets 2.0. So a local artist is booked 2.7 times more often than an international artist.
FBi Radio is a not-for-profit community station. At least half the music it plays is Australian, and half of that is from Sydney. A participant said the barrier to a first play is lower there than on national radio.
A participant said it feels increasingly hard to get people to go to local emerging live music, while punk shows in a Sydenham skate park have been really well attended.