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More boutique arts and music events in Adelaide are revitalising the sector and providing platforms for new performers.
But festival organisers said their growth potential was being crippled by some of the complex regulations which had an impact on smaller ventures.
The Porch Sessions is a travelling music event which sets up in backyards across Adelaide.
James Draper sings in the band Winterbourne, which put on a recent backyard performance, saying that as an up-and-coming outfit it did not yet have a large enough fan base to play bigger festivals.
"[Events] like this mean there are people there to listen, people who want to hear music and people who love music, and it means we get a really nice fan base," he said.
Event organiser Sharni Honor said the boutique festivals were a vital part of South Australia's "festival state" image, bridging a gap between performers in tiny venues and the state's huge music and arts events.
"In the last five years there's been this amazing movement of a lot of young crew that are just trying out these outrageous concepts and some of them are really taking off," she said.
But she said there was a lack of supportive legislation for the boutique events and a crisis developed last year, amid court hearings and attempts to alter current legislation, almost forcing the Porch Sessions to shut down.
In what is music to the ears of some festival lovers, an arts industry round table has been set up and is discussing ways to streamline various regulations.
Organised by Arts SA, it includes representatives of events including Womadelaide, the Fringe and the Porch Sessions and not-for-profit industry support company, Music SA.
Among the issues it has in its sights is a current government review of state liquor licensing regulations.
Arts SA manager of contemporary music Becc Bates said the State Government had just appointed Scott Valentine to a coordinating role, to help events organisers navigate such things as licensing requirements and other legislative factors.
"For some of those smaller boutique festivals especially, there's barriers that can seem insurmountable — it's a really complex regulatory environment," Ms Bates said.
"The round table brings together threads of conversation to a more concentrated forum and it's looking to streamline the process.
"Some of the changes in the draft liquor laws act are already going to simplify the process."
Members of the round table are due to meet Deputy Premier John Rau in the next week.
Ms Bates said Adelaide, and indeed the entire state, had a strong music pedigree to build on.
"We were given the designation of a UNESCO city of music — music is at the core of cultural values here and we want that to be a part of the heartbeat of our city and our towns," she said.
"If we've got an environment where people can come and do business here easily, I think you'll see people experiment with unique things and different business models and that's good for everybody."
Topics: community-and-multicultural-festivals, community-and-society, arts-and-entertainment, activism-and-lobbying, adelaide-5000, sa