Margaret River's Settlers Tavern a breath of fresh air for live music

Settlers Tavern, Margaret River, has become one of Australia's most iconic hospitality venues for live music, named APRA Licensee of the Year in 2018.

Located in the heart of the Margaret River, OneMusic licensee Settlers Tavern is an iconic venue acclaimed for its ongoing support of live music. In 2018 they were honoured with the APRA Licensee of the Year to recognise this commitment.

At the time, Settlers Tavern was in a unique position due to its location, which meant that the venue was frequently visited by tourists. Margaret River has historically been a tourist hotspot – its incredible landscapes and beautiful beaches, as well as boutiques, wineries, and breweries. This means that visitors flock to the town to enjoy live music in a picturesque location outside the confines of a city.

“We deliver nearly 250 live shows a year, which draws fans of those artists to the area, and creates a live music hub in town,” Mr Gough said,

Rob Gough, who co-owns the Tavern with his wife Karen, makes an effort to ensure that a big scope of artists are able to perform at the venue, from headline acts like Peter Garrett & Dan Sultan, to local artists like Ten Cent Shooters & Pete Matthews.

“We put a strong focus on diversity and trying to offer a range of music and acts for all tastes. We’ve got comedy nights, country and western, jazz, world music and a bit of good old-fashioned rock and roll,” said Settlers Tavern’s entertainment coordinator, Jon Godden.

Despite the massive effect that COVID has had on hospitality venues, Settlers Tavern continues to be recognised as one of Australia’s best in numerous fields. They have just recently picked up the Aon Responsible Service of Alcohol Award at the AHA-Aon Hospitality Awards for Excellence, and were a finalist in the people’s choice Uniquely Aussie Awards for Best Country Pub.

Venues like Settlers Tavern are imperative to the Australian music industry, providing a platform for live music from a range of backgrounds, and ensuring that Australian musicians get the recognition and rewards they deserve.

Find out more about music licensing for hospitality venues.