APRA AMCOS welcomes passage of NSW Music Bill
The Music Bill 2026 puts contemporary music into NSW law
It builds on $103 million in NSW Government investment since the last election and the establishment of Sound NSW
APRA AMCOS has welcomed the passage of the Music Bill 2026 through NSW Parliament yesterday. The Bill puts support for contemporary music into state law, with a new accreditation scheme for live music venues, mandatory mediation for venue disputes, fairer sound rules for outdoor events and an end to government decisions made on the basis of music genre.
"This Bill is the third major stage in rebuilding music in NSW," says Dean Ormston, CEO APRA AMCOS. "The Government has invested $103 million in contemporary music since the last election and Sound NSW has given music a proper home in government. This legislation now sets clear rules for every state agency and council that makes decisions about music, from venue licensing to event approvals."
The Bill establishes a three-tier accreditation scheme recognising dedicated, significant and live music venues, with support including extended trading hours, grants and dispute mediation. Festivals and major events at government sites including Centennial Park, the Domain and the Sydney Opera House will be assessed on average sound levels over time rather than peak readings. The Bill also sets guidelines for government agencies and councils on event approvals and charges, and brings the Sound NSW Advisory Board into the one Act.
"Songwriters have spent too long watching gigs being cancelled or loaded with conditions because of the kind of music they write and perform," Ormston adds. "Ending genre-based decision making across government is a principle we've argued for over many years and we're glad to see it in legislation."
"Paul Kelly has described live music venues as his university. That's where songwriters learn their craft and build their audiences and careers. One dispute with a neighbour or an authority can cost a small venue more than it can carry. Every venue lost that way weakens the ability of artists across NSW to build the local audiences and export markets that the next Australian hit depends on."
The Music Bill 2026 is the first major legislative reform affecting music in NSW since APRA AMCOS and the Live Music Office worked with the NSW Parliament on the omnibus reforms of 2020. Preceding the establishment of the 24-Hour Economy Office, those reforms legislated special entertainment precincts, which remain the foundation of the regulatory work happening across the state today. They also made co-ordinated changes to the Liquor Act, Planning Act, Local Government Act and the Building Code, removing venue conditions that dictated the type of music, instruments or number of musicians, and lifting restrictions on dancing and mirror balls.
"The 2020 reforms cleared away a generation of red tape and gave councils the power to create special entertainment precincts. The precincts being rolled out now are built on that work," concludes Ormston. "Six years on, NSW has gone from being the hardest place in the country to put on a gig to having support for music written into law."
“We thank the NSW Parliament for passing these laws. We also acknowledge the tireless work of Minister John Graham, who has driven this reform, and the team at Sound NSW."
