26 June 2025
Music is the beating heart of Nevermind, so it’s no surprise the bar has also made a name for itself as a passionate supporter of the local music scene and all music creators.
For close to three decades, Nevermind Bar has been a local institution for live music lovers and party animals like. Named after Nirvana’s Nevermind album, the Hawthorn bar is entrenched in the Melbourne live music scene as the go-to place for live music and thot DJ sets - a place where you’re guaranteed a fun night out without fail.
Music: 'Head Up' by Zemigold and Jack De La Hoyde.
Founded in 1998, Nevermind has been a Mecca for uni students, live music lovers, and the alternative scene for generations. Known for its friendly vibes, free-flowing drinks and good times, the dark and cosy hangout has hosted the likes of Chet Faker to current resident DJs and other up-and-coming live artists.
As its founder Cameron Jackson is a big believer in making sure those in the business of music are able to enjoy the same level of longevity Nevermind has. OneMusic’s Sarah Dore sat down with Cam to talk about the reasons behind his support for music creators and his advice to other small bar owners.
Sarah: Give us a little history about Nevermind
Cam: Well Nevermind was started in 1998. We recognised there was an opportunity in the market for somewhere for people to go that wasn’t a big pub and wasn’t a big nightclub. We’re entering our 27th year now and having a really great time. Putting on a great time for people and live music is a significant part of that.
Sarah: 27 years it’s amazing, especially in this industry. Tell me why is it important that music creators get adequately compensated for their work in a business?
Cam: Firstly Sarah I love the term music creators because it just covers everybody in the artistic and performance space from the guys that write the music through to the performance artists themselves.
As music consumers we feel really strongly that the artists need to be paid fairly and reasonably. We know how hard it is for music creators to make a dollar and it gives us a great sense of fairness that OneMusic is able to provide a revenue stream on our behalf.
Sarah: What would be your advice to a small business owner just starting out such as a small bar owner wanting to get into the live music scene as well?
Cam: It’s a really exciting field to be in and it keeps us all young and interested - here at Nevermind certainly. The key point I’d probably recommend to people is to surround yourself with great people and surround yourself with people that know the field and know live music including, of course, OneMusic. The process of signing up to a OneMusic account is really simple. It’s all online based and it provides us with the knowledge that the music creators are being paid properly and fairly.
Music: 'Head Up' by Zemigold and Jack De La Hoyde.
So Sarah back to you with my small bar owner’s hat on, why do small bars need a licence to play live music?
Sarah: The reason why small bars or any business would need a OneMusic licence is that a OneMusic licence grants permission to play music that is protected. It then provides a revenue stream for music creators to make a livelihood from.
Cam: Sarah can you clarify what’s the difference between a paid music subscription say Spotify up against the OneMusic fees?
Sarah: The difference between OneMusic and a personal streaming service such as Spotify or Apple Music is we don’t provide music at all. We provide permission to play music in a public setting or a business. Using a personal streaming service, for example Spotify, they have in their terms and conditions that it’s not to be used in a commercial setting.
Cam: What happens if a venue doesn’t take out a licence?
Sarah: If a venue doesn’t take a licence we really try to find out where the resistance is coming from. And generally it’s a very unsure understanding of what music licensing is. Most businesses that are reluctant are reluctant because they’re unsure.
Once we get to that understanding most of the businesses are more than happy. They see the value, they understand why the music creators are getting compensated for their work. It’s enhancing their business as well in the atmosphere. If it comes down to a place where a business is unwilling we look at copyright infringement but that’s a long way down the track.
Cam: As a small bar as opposed to a hotel or larger clubs, how does the music use and licensing from OneMusic get quantified for a business like ours?
Sarah: Every single business is quoted individually for their music usage. Within the hospitality licence we have so many different products because music is consumed in such various ways. For example you have live music, we have background music where it’s just set and forget and then we have things like karaoke which is also another product that gets added within to it.
So we don’t want you paying for music you’re not using. We also need to ensure that we’re licensing correctly, not under-licence for each business.
Cam: Where does the licensing fee that we pay to OneMusic go? How is it distributed?
Sarah: Licensing fees that you pay are distributed in various different ways. We have live performance reports that come in from music creators themselves when they perform. We have background music suppliers who give us their data of who’s being played, how many times it’s being played within a business. Then we have the reports from TV and radio things like that.
With his clear message for aspiring small bar owners to surround themselves with experts, pay respect to the art form, and do things right from the start, Cam believes a OneMusic licence is the only way to ensure the longevity of the music scene and live music venues.
Share
