Three venue operators and a former radio programmer bet their savings on reviving the city's hollowed-out music scene. Two years later, they're booking international acts and training the next generation of promoters.
Gary Neilsen was sitting in the Cavill Avenue McDonald's at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday when he decided to quit his job at 98FM and buy a nightclub. It was 2023. The Gold Coast's live music infrastructure had contracted so severely that venues on the strip were running EDM nights and cover bands on rotation, playing to half-empty rooms. The city that once rivalled Sydney for touring acts had become a logistical headache for promoters.
"I'd worked in radio for sixteen years," Neilsen said during an interview this week at Elsewhere, the 450-capacity venue he now operates on Surfers Paradise Boulevard. "I knew every promoter, every band manager on the east coast. And I kept hearing the same thing: 'Why would we go to the Gold Coast? There's nowhere to play.'" He decided to answer that question with his own money.
Neilsen's gamble has become part of a broader shift reshaping the city's cultural economy. Two other venue operators—James Tomlinson, who runs The Bearded Iris in Coolangatta, and Michelle Chen, who opened Hinterland in Southport in late 2024—have collectively invested over $2.8 million in renovations, booking infrastructure, and staff training. Their three venues now host between 80 and 120 live music events monthly, up from roughly 15 across the entire Gold Coast in 2022.
The scale of the problem these three were tackling becomes clear when you look at the numbers. Between 2016 and 2022, the Gold Coast lost eleven mid-sized live venues, according to data compiled by the Australian Venues Association. Property values had climbed 340 percent on Surfers Paradise Boulevard. Landlords preferred retail chains and pokies venues to the unpredictable revenue of live music. By 2022, a touring band had maybe three options on the entire coast—and two of them had questionable sound systems.
Neilsen spent six months sourcing equipment before opening Elsewhere in March 2024. He hired audio engineer Derek Pritchard away from a Melbourne venue, paying him $65,000 a year plus accommodation. "That's not how the Gold Coast operates," said Pritchard during a soundcheck last week. "You don't typically invest in sound staff here. But you can't book decent bands without decent audio." The venue has since hosted touring acts from Melbourne, Brisbane, and Sydney who hadn't played the Gold Coast in five years.
Tomlinson's approach at The Bearded Iris in Coolangatta focuses on local artist development. He's funded a paid mentorship program that brings eight emerging musicians into the venue each month, pairing them with established acts and veteran sound technicians. "The Gold Coast produces musicians," Tomlinson explained. "But they've had to leave to get stage time. We're trying to keep talent here."
The real test is whether this model survives commercially. Ticket prices for a mid-tier touring act at Elsewhere average $35 to $45, compared to $28 to $32 three years ago at Brisbane venues. Rental costs on Surfers Paradise Boulevard run $8,000 to $12,000 monthly. Most shows need to draw 250-plus attendees to break even, and Neilsen admits that happens maybe twice a month.
What's changed the math is ancillary revenue. Elsewhere's bar takings on music nights average $4,200, compared to $1,800 on non-event nights. Hinterland in Southport has contracted with three local breweries to rotate taps, which has doubled foot traffic. These operators are treating venues as community infrastructure rather than pure profit centers—and pricing accordingly.
The model is attracting attention from the Gold Coast City Council. Last month, the council approved a new Live Venues Activation Fund, allocating $500,000 over three years for sound equipment grants and promotion. Neilsen, Tomlinson, and Chen sit on the advisory committee.
For now, the three are booking tours through to December 2026. The real question is whether they'll inspire others to take the same risk. Real estate on Cavill Avenue is still climbing. But for the first time in four years, there's live music again.
Spread the word
About this article
Published by The Daily Gold Coast
Daily brief
Free, in your inbox before 7am. Weekdays.
More from Gold Coast
