Leading music entertainment provider Nightlife is supporting Australian pubs and performers on the upswing from the pandemic, continuing fee-relief and real alternatives in troubled times.
The national pub industry is blinking back to life after a heart-breaking period of hibernation, but it will be a long road to recovery for many and service suppliers demanding a return to full charges during this depressed period of trade risk pushing operators away or even to the brink.
The Queensland-based entertainment provider has launched the ‘Kickstarting Australia’s Nightlife’ program, supporting both venues and artists. This focus follows and is in addition to scaled financial support of its existing clients.
The program provides cost-effective features to Nightlife’s product offerings, including: the option of curated ‘DJ Sets’, to raise room energy levels or use between live music sets; COVID-compliant signage for TVs; the SPORTS_TV partnership with the NRL and AFL, bringing current and historic game highlights; and new features in the Nightlife CrowdDJ app, which has been downloaded by more than 270,000 consumers.
CrowdDJ was launched in 2016, allowing patrons to select their own songs at a jukebox-syle kiosk, or use the cloud-based app to integrate their Spotify playlists with that of the venue. The system took the awards for Business Innovation last year at the Optus Business Platinum Award and the Australia Pacific LNG Award.
Two years ago the company started its own ‘Australian Played’ campaign, displaying an icon so punters can identify and select Australian artists.
Recognising that the music Industry has faced devastating challenges, Nightlife has now thrown its weight behind the ‘Aussie Made’ campaign by APRA, ARIA and Screen Producers Australia, to help get Aussie artists back on their feet.
Nightlife was formed in 1989 by schoolmates and engineers Mark Brownlee and Tim De Souza, aiming to devise a video jukebox system. Celebrating three decades entering 2020, the company employed 120 people.
Five months later, with the vast majority of its clients forcibly closed for months, Nightlife says revenue is down 95 per cent and much of its workforce has had to go. Those that remain have contacted virtually all its 5,000 clients to help them to get through COVID-19, as it thinks less about growing business and more about helping the industry survive.
“We’ve got a number of projects going on in the background in preparation for when venues around the country are finally able to reopen and importantly, it is with a laser-focus on highlighting Australian-made content in every facet of what we do,” explained Brownlee.
“During quarantine, we’re happy to say that the music didn’t stop,” adds Paula Geinitz, who recently racked up 18 years at the company.
“Nightlife kept systems on and spirits high for hospitality staff still working to deliver essential services and takeaway options. Here’s hoping more of Australia gets to enjoy it soon!”
