As hard as it has become to operate a live music venue, The Stag & Hunter Hotel in Newcastle remains a bastion among the local community.
Owner and operator of Stag & Hunter, Mick Starkey has led the battle to not only keep the doors open, but also help get musicians back onstage. "We've got an amazing live music community, we're lucky for that," Mick says.
"The minute we were allowed to [last year], we opened and went for probably three weeks without any shows, and it felt like the heart and soul were missing from the place.
"We did some live shows with local acts and everyone knew the situation that none of us were going to make any money, but it was about community and being together and looking after each other.
"We're just lucky we're in a great spot in Newcastle where we could continue to do it and there were people who would happily come support."
Late last year, Stag & Hunter participated in the Great Southern Nights series of COVID-safe events sponsored by the New South Wales government as a way to get live music back on its feet.
"The Great Southern Nights initiative worked really well, got people back out," Mick says. "I think it was a great little initiative that the [NSW] government put forward and we were happy to be part of it.
"The shows were still at reduced capacity but regardless of that, the artist still got paid what they would normally get paid for a full show."
As the COVID pandemic brought the live music industry to a standstill, it also forced many, including Mick, to reassess their business model and adapt if they were to survive.
William Crighton performs at Stag & Hunter Hotel
"COVID taught us that we actually weren't making any money," Mick reveals. "We were paying lots of guarantees, the bands would play then leave and we'd have 50 people there to watch the show.
"We've flipped it around where we're spending a lot more money on promotion but putting the artists in front of the promotion a lot more, and we're able to do that because we're not paying guarantees.
"I know it sounds bad and I hate the fact we do that, but that's just where we're at. . . the economics says we have to do it like this."
Live music has become a much more highly-prized commodity and therefore comes at a higher premium. With all shows at Stag & Hunter now ticketed, the value of live music as well as live music venues has also greatly increased.
Though Mick says this does place more pressure on artists to sell-out the shows, it has also placed intense focus on the technicality of their performances, to the benefit of both the artists and the punters.
"It brought the talent out, rather than the theatrics," he says. "This whole sit-down-and-watch scenario for every genre really forced people to appreciate the artistry."
As the industry wrangles with an evolving situation, venues such as Stag & Hunter play such a vital function in rebuilding a healthy and viable live touring system that provides fair payment for artists. For the everyday punter, this means putting money where your mouth is when it comes to supporting live music.
"The people who come to a venue then turn their back on it when they have to buy a ticket to come in," Mick says, "you've got no place supporting live music because if that's your attitude, that someone should be out there working for free – that's no good."
The Stag & Hunter Hotel is located at 187 Maitland Road in Mayfield (Newcastle).
