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Put On Your Own Show
A guide to putting on your own gig in Sydney, from getting a bill together to paying everyone at the end of the night. Each step lists places to hire and what they cost.
Pick a room your crowd will fill.If the acts on the bill can bring about 60 people between them, a bar room or a small hall will feel full and cost less. A big town hall with the same crowd can cost more than the door brings in.
1Build the Bill
- Three acts is a good number for a first show. Choose acts that suit each other, and try to include at least one that already brings a crowd.
- Before you announce the show, agree the set times, the set lengths and how the money will be split with every act. A group text where everyone agrees to the same numbers is enough.
- The open nights on the Community page are a good place to meet acts to share a bill with.
2Cost It Out Before You Book
- List every cost before you book anything. Anything you forget usually comes out of what the acts get paid.
- Most shows need the room, a PA, someone to run the sound, someone on the door, posters and ticket fees. Depending on the room you may also need a music licence and insurance, and each act needs to be paid.
| Room, five hours at $155 | $775 |
| Small PA, picked up | $166 |
| Sound operator, four hours | about $400 |
| Posters | about $80 |
| Total | about $1,420 |
At $20 a ticket, that is 71 tickets sold before the acts are paid.
How acts get paid
The three kinds of deal
- Guarantee
- The act is paid a fixed fee however many people come.
- Door deal
- The act gets a share of ticket sales. Acts on the same bill can have different shares.
- Versus
- The act gets a fixed fee, plus a share of the door once sales pass an agreed number.
What to pay each player
- Rate
- Musicians Australia recommends paying each player at least $250 for a three-hour call, which covers setting up, travel and playing.
- In NSW
- It's a recommended rate. Tell each act what you can pay when you book them, and pay them on the night.
3Find a Room
- Choose a room that suits the crowd your acts can bring. For about 40 people, a bar room or a small hall works well.
- A bar or small venue that runs self-promoted nights will already have a PA and a bar, and you share the door with the venue. A council hall is hired by the hour and comes empty, so you bring the gear and the people to run it.
House and warehouse showsA space that isn't approved for public events may not have safe exits for a crowd, and insurance usually won't cover a room used for something it isn't approved for. If you do run one, keep it small, free and invite-only, and make sure everyone knows where the exits are.
Places to hire
Petersham Bowling ClubPetersham
- Deal
- The club doesn't take any of the ticket, merch or door money, so the acts keep all of it.
- Rooms
- There are two stages, upstairs and downstairs, and a gear list on the booking page.
- How
- Email [email protected] with a short bio and links to your music. Bookings are by email only.
The Red Rattler TheatreMarrickville
- Room
- It's a co-op run theatre that holds 300 standing or 120 seated downstairs, with a PA, lighting rig, stage and licensed bar.
- Cost
- Hire prices are given on request.
- How
- Fill in the online hire form and sign the hire agreement, which includes their safer spaces policy. The email is [email protected].
Inner West town hallsMarrickville, Petersham, Leichhardt
- Size
- Marrickville holds 550 standing, Petersham 500 and Leichhardt 300 seated.
- Cost
- Hire is $155 an hour on weekdays or $2,840 for a full day on the weekend, with a bond of at least $1,500.
- Gear
- Marrickville and Leichhardt don't have a PA, and Petersham has a basic mixer, so you'll need to bring or hire the rest.
- How
- Book at bookings.innerwest.nsw.gov.au or call 02 9392 5923. Leichhardt doesn't take bookings less than seven days out.
Seagull Room, Bondi PavilionBondi
- Size
- It holds 196 standing.
- Cost
- It's $90.50 an hour on weekday evenings and weekends, and not-for-profit groups pay half.
- Gear
- A sound system and lighting come with the room. Food and drink have to go through the Pavilion's caterer.
City of Sydney community hallsInner city
- Cost
- Halls are hired by the hour. Local community groups can apply to have the fee waived for a free event that's open to everyone.
- Insurance
- Hirers need $10 million of public liability cover, and the City sells cover to hirers who don't have it.
Western Sydney community centresBlacktown, Penrith, Parramatta
- What
- Councils in Western Sydney hire out community centres by the hour. Your Locals runs its all-ages heavy shows at Marayong Community Centre.
- How
- Book through your council's venue hire page and check that amplified music is allowed.
4Sort Out the Sound
- Ask the room what gear it has. Many halls have lights and power and nothing else.
- A solo act or duo can get by with two powered speakers, a small mixer and two microphones. A full band needs foldback speakers, more inputs on the desk and someone who knows how to run it.
PA hire
Gsus4Rydalmere
- Kit
- The live music pack has two Mackie speakers, a Zoom L-20 mixer, two stands, two mics and cables, for $166 a night if you pick it up.
- Operator
- Delivery, set-up and an operator cost $99 an hour plus GST, with a three-hour minimum.
- Weekends
- Weekend hire runs from a Friday pick-up to a Monday return.
DJ DirectSydney
- Kit
- The basic PA has two 15-inch speakers, an 8-channel mixer and two SM58 mics, for $140.
- Operator
- A sound and lighting technician costs $65 an hour.
Sydney PA HireSydney
- Kit
- Band packages come with foldback, a digital mixer, mics, DI boxes and lights, and are priced by quote.
- How
- Email [email protected] or call 0408 239 161.
5Sell Tickets
- Put tickets on sale once the bill is confirmed, and hold some back for the door.
- Take both cash and cards on the door.
- Every platform charges a fee on each paid ticket. Decide whether the buyer pays it or you do before you set the price.
| Platform | Fee on a paid ticket |
|---|---|
| Humanitix | 4% plus $0.99 a ticket, plus GSTPaid about five business days after the show |
| TryBooking | $0.50 a ticket paid by the buyer, plus 2.5% paid by you |
| Eventbrite | 5.35% plus $1.19 a ticket, paid by the buyer unless you cover it |
| Oztix and Moshtix | Quoted for each event, so ask before you sign up |
Free events cost nothing on Humanitix, TryBooking and Eventbrite.
6Licences, Alcohol and Insurance
- The hall will usually ask about all three of these when you book.
What you may need
Music licence (OneMusic)
- Ask first
- Ask the hall whether it has a OneMusic licence. A hall with a Community Halls licence already covers live acts, as long as the total paid to performers for the event is under $6,000.
- No licence
- If the space doesn't have a licence, you'll need a OneMusic Events licence yourself. The minimum fee is $82.50 an event.
- Contact
- Email [email protected] or call 1300 162 162.
Selling alcohol
- Licence
- To sell drinks at a one-off event you need a Single Function limited licence. Only not-for-profit groups can get one. It costs $110, and you need to apply at least 28 days before the show.
- On the night
- Anyone serving needs an RSA, and free water and food have to be available.
- BYO
- If you're not selling drinks, the hall's hire agreement sets the rules, so read it before telling people to bring their own.
Public liability insurance
- What halls ask
- City of Sydney asks hirers for $10 million of cover. Inner West asks for $20 million from any contractors you bring in.
- One night
- Local Community Insurance Services sells cover for a single event, priced by quote. City of Sydney also sells cover to people hiring its halls.
- Membership
- Musicians Australia membership costs $3.89 a week and includes public liability insurance. Check that it covers you as the organiser as well as a performer.
Noise
- Rule
- The 2024 changes that protect licensed venues from noise complaints only apply to licensed venues. In a hall, house or warehouse the usual council noise rules apply, so finish on time.
7Tell People
- Send the show to the gig guides as soon as tickets are on sale.
- Announce the show three or four weeks ahead and again in the final week. Ask every act on the bill to post about it and tag the venue and each other.
- Record shops, cafes and bars will often put up posters. Putting posters on poles and street furniture can get you fined in the City of Sydney.
Gig guides, posters and listings
The RizzeriaMarrickville
- What
- It's a volunteer-run risograph co-op. In an hour you can usually print 20 to 50 A3 posters in two colours.
- Cost
- Printing with a volunteer is $25 an hour, plus $10 for a master for each colour, 30c for each colour on each sheet, and 50c to $2 a sheet for paper. Most people spend $65 to $85.
- How
- Book online, and email [email protected] to check which inks and paper they have.
Sydney PostersSydney
- What
- They put posters up around Sydney for $1.32 each.
- How
- Email [email protected] or call 02 9360 1714.
Sydney Gig GuideSydney and NSW
- How
- Email [email protected] with the act, date, start time, venue, ticket link and poster.
- Who
- Independent Australian artists playing their own music.
Other gig guides
- SydneyMusic
- Email [email protected].
- Happy Gigs
- Add your show at gigs.happymag.tv/submit.
- FBi Radio
- Email [email protected] before the Monday of show week.
- City of Sydney
- List it free on What's On if the venue is within 7.5 km of the city centre.
- Blues
- Blues shows go to the Sydney Blues Society at [email protected].
Radio, press and shops
- Radio
- The Radio page has the presenters at every community station.
- Press
- City Hub takes listings at [email protected], and the Music press page has more.
- Shops
- The Record shops page lists shops that put up posters and stock local records.
8On the Night and After
- Get there early, put up a running sheet with the set times, and have one person on the door for the whole night.
- Count the door with the acts at the end of the night and pay everyone before they leave.
- If you're a songwriter and an APRA member, report your setlist afterwards so you get royalties for playing your own songs.
Royalties for your songs
APRA AMCOS Performance Report
- How
- Use the APRA AMCOS app or the Writer Portal to list the songs, the venue and the date.
- When
- You have a year from the show to report it. Royalties are paid four times a year and usually take about six months to come through.
- Your own show
- If you put the show on yourself, you file the report yourself.
9Money and Advice
- Most live music grants in NSW are for music businesses with an ABN and some experience running shows, so they're easier to get once you've done a few.
Where to look
Sound NSW: All-Ages Live Music ProgrammingNSW
- What
- It offers up to $100,000 for at least four all-ages events, planned with young people aged 12 to 24. Half the funding is set aside for Western Sydney and regional NSW.
- Who
- It's open to NSW music businesses with an ABN and experience running all-ages events. A first-time organiser can apply by teaming up with one.
- When
- Applications open 28 September and close 9 November 2026 at 2pm.
Good Practice Guide for Staging All-Ages Music Events in NSW
- What
- The Push and MusicNSW have a free guide to running safe all-ages shows.
- More
- The All ages and youth page lists all-ages spaces and programs.
Other grants
- Where
- Council and state grants that can pay for a show are on the Grants page.
If you've put on a show and have something to add, tell the guide.