Councillors recently voted nearly unanimously to adopt the Otepoti Live Music Action Plan, a strategy to develop designated entertainment precincts, review acoustic insulation requirements and investigate options for a new mid-sized music venue in the city.
A study funded by the City of Sydney found a potential link between live music and lower overall alcohol consumption by patrons in licensed premises.
Save Dunedin Live Music (SDLM) co-founder and University of Otago senior lecturer in criminology Dr Fairleigh Evelyn Gilmour said the council had made the right decision by voting through the plan, and the ongoing research across Sydney and Victoria had presented consistent findings.
"There’s consistent evidence that live music reduces alcohol-related harm.
"People do drink less on nights when there’s live music. They drink less while the bands are on. They drink slightly less at live music-based venues."
Dr Gilmour said the research, which approached the issue from a harm-minimisation perspective, showed live music reduced really grave alcohol-related harms, such as violence and excessive drinking.
When people had another aspect to their evening, besides drinking, it made drinking to get drunk less of the fundamental purpose.
A good example of this was former student-owned and operated bar Starters.
Dr Gilmour said its live music made it an appealing space for students, while still having good safety strategies and well-trained staff.
Further harm minimisation should not focus on policing entertainment for young people, but on creating safe environments that were appealing to drink in, she said.
Red Frogs NZ spokeswoman Shannon Thomson said they had found anecdotal evidence in Dunedin that live music and entertainment reduced alcohol-related harm.
Mrs Thomson said organic gatherings, such as student flat and street parties, were prone to more trouble as they focused primarily on drinking and lacked additional entertainment.
"We have found that by using entertainment and live music at an event, it definitely helps make things safer and reduce that harm."
Meanwhile, bar and entertainment venue Rewind has hosted a handful of small events since opening, with more on the way.
Owner Aaron Davies said the decision to host more live entertainment would consolidate the positive atmosphere they had strived for from the beginning.
By challenging the perception that alcohol-related harm occurred predominantly in the city, he hoped it would direct more people to licensed premises rather than student flat parties.
tim.scott@odt.co.nz , PIJF cadet reporter
