Diversity & Representation · Indicator 2
Diversity in venue ownership & production
What this indicator asks
Are women, queer people and people from marginalised communities among the owners and operators of Sydney’s venues, spaces and production companies?
55.5/ 100 · Sydney
Lucky Radical is a collective run by a young First Nations organiser, with a queer focus. Many of its events are at The Red Rattler. A participant said talented First Nations artists are not getting opportunities at mainstream traditional venues, so they have to create their own events and spaces.
A participant said independent collectives actively try to make room for people who have been underrepresented or marginalised. Another said change has still to come at the commercial end. An expert said a small, established group dominates nighttime culture, and that young people may find it hard to get in:
“The nighttime economy is sort of dominated and influenced by a small group of people who have a lot of power and influence. Like it’s the establishment. So whether that’s the established music scene, venues that have been around for a long time, big pub chains, there’s clearly a status quo who have been in place for a long time, but I just wonder how easy or difficult it is for people in their late teens or early 20s to break into that.”
Funding pathways expect something to be up and running already. A participant proposed quick-response, smaller-budget grants that are not tied to outcomes.