Melbourne's lucrative comedy scene is grappling with an existential crisis brought about by the shift in audience appetite towards on demand and digital content. It's all jokes aside as another comedy venue falls under, and artists struggle to find a pathway to make it to the big time.
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00:00 Maury Morgan's venue in South Melbourne was a hub for all things comedy.
00:07 People are nice aren't they?
00:09 But all that's left now is an empty building.
00:13 You could come in in the daytime, you could have a beer after the show, you could watch some live music.
00:18 So it was a real buzzing, fantastic environment.
00:21 The pub hosted five nights of comedy per week, including two open mic nights,
00:26 welcoming newcomers who want to break into the industry.
00:30 But it was shut late last month due to outstanding rent odes during the pandemic.
00:35 Mr Morgan says audiences shifting away from smaller venues is a wider issue for the industry.
00:42 The biggest problem of course is streaming services.
00:44 If I want to watch comedy, I could make an effort and go out to a pub and see comedy that may or may not appeal to me.
00:52 Or I can be self-selective and watch that on a streaming service.
00:56 Comedy producer for over 25 years in Melbourne, Janet McLeod,
01:01 thinks booking artists in advance works better than rocking up on the night.
01:06 It's hard running a comedy night.
01:08 So I like people to show an interest in the night and it's not just about them.
01:14 So I think that it's not too much of an ask to say, "Hey, come and see the night, see if it suits you."
01:22 While standing in front of a microphone on a comedy stage might be some people's worst nightmare,
01:28 it can be just as confronting for comedy venues.
01:31 600,000 people laughed their way through last year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival,
01:37 but local venues are struggling to stay relevant outside of the festival's bright lights.
01:43 Experts say emerging comedians who can't get a gig on the main stages need to have something else up their sleeve.
01:50 People can disseminate performances via social media, via YouTube.
01:56 Podcasting is another thriving area for comedians.
02:00 But it does change the form.
02:02 Change might be nerve-wracking for comedy newcomers,
02:05 but the risk of losing live audiences is no laughing matter.
02:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]