Warehouse music venues

By Benjamim Soares

What are Macao's options for alternative artists looking for venues to perform their music? Big names in music such as Bon Jovi, Bruno Mars, and Madonna have been to Macao reaching out to fans in Macao and the local region. These are big and famous names who ask for big arenas, large crowds, high ticket prices. What about independent bands, local or international, that do not have a big audience and are looking for a place to perform?

 

There is a venue in Macao that hosts music events at a more affordable rate focusing on alternative artists who are perhaps known in their own circles, but have not made it to the large arena.  The Live Music Association (LMA) is located in downtown Macao on Av. Cel Mequita next to an old Buddhist Temple, in an unsuspicious commercial building. Someone would have to find the address on LMA's Facebook page to know that it's in this building and up a wobbly elevator on the 11th floor. It's hard to imagine such a well-kept and trendy space could be inside such a humble building. It is a small space big enough to host about 50 people. There's small bar inside the venue but smoking is only allowed outside. Spotlights flood the room's black-washed walls. There's one row of seating at the opposite sides of the room, leaving the middle space wide open for standing room.

 

I talked to Krystal [no sirname was given], a former manager of LMA about the future of venues like LMA in Macao. She said that one benefit of small music venues like LMA is the close community built between musicians and fans who perform and attend the shows. She said that LMA will be around for longer than their already successful 10-year run. However, it's not always smooth waters. They have had issues in the past,  being reported for loud noise, and had to change buildings a couple times. She mentioned that the Macao government is cutting down the budget for venues like LMA.

 

"Those difficulties exist, and I think for us, the young generation could do something for it... There's not any young generation willing to work in this industry anymore, most of the staff are our friends or volunteers," she said adding that LMA is getting more difficult to run because it's harder to find young people willing to work in the industry.

 

In the future can Macao make use of warehouses and spaces to continue the trend of alternative music communities? Macao citizens must be prepared to make that push because the government is not going to be behind these initiatives. In fact it may be even harder in the future, as property prices continue to go up and the population density keeps rising. Young people will need to push this music culture forward.

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