It seems like every other day we read about another Australian venue closing, whether it is due to noise complaints or because of lock out laws. Now, the folk of Bendigo are attempting to save the only dedicated live music venue left in town – the MusicMan Megastore.
As The Music reports, a crowd funding campaign is being spearheaded by Marlowe Lee, the manager of local heavy-metal band Morth. The campaign is aiming to raise $21,000 to keep the venue operational.
“MusicMan is the Heart and Soul of the live music scene in Bendigo, without it Bendigo has lost all that is live music,” Lee states in the summary. “We as musicians need to keep our venues alive, every one we lose is a huge loss to the live music scene. Do we really want the places that we can perform at just disappearing one after another?”
Lee is blunt about the future of live music in Bendigo should the campaign fail, and commends owner/operator Paul Tzountzourkas as she asks the local music community for their help.
“Without Paul and Music Man we will have lost the very heart of Bendigo’s live music scene,” she writes. “Paul is a friend to many, his commitment to live music and all that it represents is commendable.”
“We are appealing to anyone that has ever performed there, been there or just wants to help in general, please help Paul and his venue out in this time of need,” she continued. “Venues never ask for much so the least we can all do to keep performing there is to dig deep and donate.”
The campaign and its creators give no specific reason for the venue’s dire need, leaving us to speculate as to whether mounting operational costs and decreasing revenue are to blame. After a day online at the time of writing, the campaign has reached $340 of its $21,000 goal.
MusicMan Megastore will be hosting the likes of King Of The North in a couple of weeks.
We’ve recently implored Aussie bands to consider the benefits of regional touring, but it seems that Bendigo may not be appearing on anyone’s tour before long.
