City of Yarra venue owners, your prayers have been answered. In what’s being reported as an Australian first, Yarra Council has launched a $25,000 fund to aid live music venues in soundproofing their band rooms when they encounter noise complaints.

As The Herald Sun reports, applications are now open for grants capped at $2000 for a standalone grant, or $5000 if matched by a venue. The funds can be used for soundproofing, acoustic measuring and consulting, and town planning and building surveyors’ fees.

“Live music is an important part of Yarra’s culture,” said Councillor Simon Huggins, who explained that the scheme had been designed with a view to being small and flexible. “The scheme allows the City of Yarra to act quickly to help venues out where issues arise,” he added.

However, though the fund is the first of its kind in this country, Cr Huggins acknowledged that the funding pool is relatively modest and indicated that he would push for more funding in the coming years.

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To be eligible to apply, the business must be a live music venue that is located in the City of Yarra and agree to adopt the Best Practice Guidelines for Live Music Venues, which includes protocols on noise levels, liquor licensing, and venue safety.

Grant funds cannot be used to pay for works that have already been done or for expenses that are clearly related to the daily operations of the business.

The City of Yarra is home to more than 500 licensed venues, including 50 live music venues. Being such a bustling hub of musical activity, it comes as no surprise that the local council received 138 complaints about music and patron noise last financial year.

As Tone Deaf reported back in August, the State Government had announced a similar grant scheme with a more substantial funding pool totalling $500,000, though the final details have yet to be announced.

Music Victoria spokesman Patrick Donovan has embraced both schemes and hopes they can work together. “My suggestion is that venues apply for acoustic reports through City of Yarra funding. They could then take that independent consultant’s report to the government and use that as part of a submission saying here is what we need,” he said.

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Donovan says the industry has welcomed the recent introduction of the famous Agent of Change laws, wherein new apartment complexes built near an established live music venue have to pay for soundproofing, and hopes similar progress can be made on the part of the Environment Protection Authority’s noise standards in the near future.

The live music advocate suggested a tiered approach, which would see venues in high-activity areas permitted relatively higher noise levels, rather than the restrictive blanket approach that currently operates in the state.

Applications for council grants are open now at the Yarra Council website, or by calling 9205 5045. Submissions close 4pm AEST Tuesday, 30th June 2015.

For publicans looking for other options, you can always follow the lead of Melbourne’s Cherry Bar, who managed to raise around $30,000 over 42 days via a Pledge Music campaign launched to help pay for the venue’s soundproofing.

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