Music-making Beyond the Pub: The Importance of Community Music and DIY Enterprise in Maintaining Regional Music Scenes (Gippsland Case Study)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Regional music scenes in Australia face unique challenges tied to distance, deflated economies and youth flight to urban areas. Drawn from seven interviews with music workers from Gippsland during 2020, the article examines these challenges and the cultural practices that glue musicians to this south-eastern region of Victoria. Findings highlight that Gippsland’s music scene is sustained at the intersection of two cultural practices: community music enterprise and a do-it-yourself scene centered around the live pub circuit. In addition, locals have banded together to keep the scene alive through the online television program Live at Spectrum and performances at house parties.