Alan Scott, owner of the recently closed Zen Studios in Sydney, says changing musical tastes and rising rents are killing the live music ecosystem. Zen Studios, a renowned rehearsal space that opened in 1990 and hosted bands like Radio Birdman and Frenzal Rhomb, went into liquidation and closed with a garage sale in Tempe in late May. Its closure follows the loss of other iconic Sydney rehearsal rooms such as Sound Level and Troy Horse.
Scott notes that in the 1990s, many young people aspired to be musicians and could afford to live in inner-city suburbs like Surry Hills on the dole. Now, he says, those under 30 spend 50% of their income on rent, and live venues have also shuttered, including the Sandringham, the Annandale, the Hopetoun, the Great Club, and Foundry616. On the same weekend Zen closed, Mary’s Underground (formerly the Basement) announced its demise due to financial pressures.
A 2023 Apra Amcos report found the pandemic wiped out 1,300 small and mid-sized venues across Australia—about one-third of the sector. Hamish Cox, who runs Sunset Rehearsals in Adelaide, says cost-of-living pressures, utility bill hikes, and rent increases make it harder for musicians to afford rehearsal space. He warns that without affordable rehearsal spaces, the music industry will lose artists and songs that should be heard.
Even major spaces like Bakehouse Studios in Melbourne have survived only by diversifying into multifunction arts spaces, according to co-founder Helen Marcou. Scott laments that his customers now die of cancer and heart attacks rather than drug overdoses, reflecting an aging musician population. He says the decline is a combination of social change, with young people falling out of love with rock music, and the high cost of living.
