Despite its reputation for being bereft of late-night culture, Sydney has a vast underground network of musicians ready to take the stage - if only they can find one.
A wave of optimism has gripped the industry since lockout laws were scaled back and the pandemic ended, leaving a city ready to grow into itself and nurture up-and-coming talent.
But a lack of mentoring and guidance as well as infrastructure, like mid-tier and more diverse venues including in suburban areas, means a lot of talent is falling through the cracks.
Ricky Simandjuntak, who helped develop big-name Sydney acts The Kid Laroi and Sampa the Great, manages one of the country's most successful - and controversial - rap groups ONEFOUR.
He says the international success of local artists is creating a surge of confidence, particularly among those based further from the city centre.
"A lot of artists from western Sydney are starting to realise that potential, they're starting to see it done by other artists that look or sound similar to them," Mr Simandjuntak said.
"It's true for western Sydney, but I feel it's true for Sydney as a whole."
Matt Levinson, from the Committee for Sydney policy think tank, said the city's music scene was "as good or maybe better than it's ever been", despite a consistent fall in venue numbers - even in the wake of COVID-19.
A report by Mr Levinson, released on Thursday, underlines the need to maintain momentum in the industry to capitalise on the creative, community and commercial potential of live music.
"You'd have to look back to the '70s and '80s with pub rock to see a time when music was really popping off across Greater Sydney in the way it is right now," he said.
Unlike in decades gone by, artists can record and release their own music, local singer-songwriter Bertie Blackman said.
But without the support of established record labels, they can also get stuck not knowing what to do next.
"It's cheaper and you can just do it yourself - but that means you're swimming in this huge pool of music," Blackman said.
"You can have a great gig and then be back at square one, we need to create a culture of support."
One of the report's recommendations to government and industry is to establish "music hubs" where emerging entrepreneurs can meet, learn from each other and access established leaders in the sector.
Mr Simandjuntak pointed out it's not just musicians who benefit from this type of collaboration.
"We're shooting a music video out in western Sydney and we've got a crew of about 10 people," he said.
"So we're creating employment opportunities for other creatives around us, like visual effects people, editors, graphic designers, stylists."
The report also calls for more support for venues, trialling a live music liaison in NSW Police commands and considering a rebooted Dine and Discover voucher system to help combat the effects of cost-of-living stress.
Music coming out of the city right now is meeting an international benchmark, Sydney Opera House contemporary music lead Ben Marshall said.
"It happens in your city and under your nose as much as it happens in glamorous, exciting spaces," he said.
Events like Vivid, which he curates, are able to bill local artists alongside international giants thanks to the support of government, which is starting to appreciate the role of contemporary music.
Mr Marshall said in the classical music world there was an assumed role for public funding in helping the sector to thrive and enrich people, and that model was increasingly being applied to contemporary music.
"Government needs to come to the party, industry needs to come to the party, and the public needs to come to the party," he said.
