In Melbourne, there's been a lot written and said about the closure The Tote over the past week. (The best of which has to be this sad and hilarious rant by Marieke Hardy). As a Melbournian and a frequenter of the Tote it's easy to get carried away with this local furor and forget that iconic venues around the country have been finding themselves in similar circumstances for years now. (Read Dappled Cities eloquent Blog about the clusure of the Hopetoun in Sydney last year as a fine example). The number of Australia's excellent live music venues is dwindling due to liquor licensing restrictions, license costs, pokies, poor turn-outs and gentrification... It's a familiar story, we all know it.

AIR represents independent rights holders, that's record labels, indie artists and indie distributors. It could be argued that getting shirty about unreasonable liquor licensing regulations affecting live music venues falls outside of our charter. But it doesn't. Any venue that embraces live music plays an integral part in the development of independent music in this country. I'm not just talking about sticky carpeted dives populated only by rock pigs, I'm talking about cafe's, specialist world music venues, hip hop venues and jazz clubs who all struggle to pay the rent. The strength of a music industry can (and should) be judged on it's grass roots variety and participation just as much as the bottom lines of it's major labels sales.

3 AIR Award winners were given the honour of playing playing at The Tote last night in it's final show. The Drones, Eddy Current Supression Ring and The Nation Blue. Between them they've played scores of gigs at the venue.

Here's the online petition demanding a rethink of Melbourne's licensing laws that you can sign: Fair Go For Live Music 

Music Victoria
Q Music
WAM
Music NSW
MusicNT

Finally, last night the final song played at The Tote was a version of God's 1988 balltearer, 'My Pal' featuring Joel Silbersher.  This ain't it. It's the original 1988 version but it still feels kinda right.