Small Scale, Big Opportunity Victorian Music Sector Industry Scoping Study —

Published September, 2020

Monash University was asked by Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) to undertake a scoping study of the Victorian music sector.

VMDO stated that it was: seeking a better understanding of the industry dynamics and structures around the small- and micro-enterprise sector in the Victorian music industry. Issues to consider include the current structure of the industry, including supply and value chains, the movement of music talent and services through the industry, the stocks and flows of intellectual properties including copyrights, the relationship of domestic and export markets to industry sustainability, and the potential to identify policy interventions that would stimulate Victorian industry growth.

The objective of the research project was to “undertake a scoping study to lay out a future research program for VMDO, and to act as a road map for future detailed analysis of the industry dynamics and potential policy interventions.”

The study was agreed to pursue a methodology drawing on recent developments in the global cultural industries and cultural policy literature, involving both quantitative and qualitative analysis, including:

• A comprehensive short literature review;

• Data discovery and scoping, particularly with reference to identifying and requesting non-public data from Creative Victoria, APRA-AMCOS and the Australia Council for the Arts;

• ABS Census microdata analysis (6-digit cultural occupation and 4-digit cultural industry data) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2012); • Geospatial industry analysis down to local government area level;

• Industry supply and value chain mapping;

• Quantitative survey of the small-scale Victorian music sector, data probe to include: - Number of businesses; - How many employees they have; - Turnover; - Geographic spread; - Business model and business plan diversity; - Business conditions and confidence; - SWOT analysis of their business and the industry.

• Semi-structured interviews with industry participants and policy makers; and

• Policy analysis leading to recommendations for future study

The study was conducted by Dr Ben Eltham and Ms Catherine Ryan at the Culture, Media, Economy research focus program in the School of Media, Film and Journalism at Monash University. It builds on previous work conducted by Ben Eltham with Professor Justin O’Connor at the University of South Australia. The report was also able to incorporate considerable feedback from VMDO. The authors would like to thank all the interview and survey participants for their contribution to the report.