Perth's isolation is problematic for many rising artists, as it increases costs associated with touring and promotion. For this reason, many artists leave Perth to improve their popularity, with varying degrees of success. While most artists leave after achieving some popularity, some acclaimed performers only gained their fame after leaving, such as The Triffids and Pendulum.
Perth is home to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra which performs a regular programme of orchestral music, usually from its base at the Perth Concert Hall; it also tours regional Western Australia. There are a large number of smaller professional, semi-professional and non-professional music groups and choral societies and choirs which perform in a variety of venues in and around Perth. Repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary. The West Australian Youth Music Association, allows the youth of Perth to experience playing in a musical ensemble. Acceptance is only granted to amateur student players under the age of 25 years and who are currently under instrumental tutelage. The association runs a symphonic band, a flute choir, several choirs and four orchestras in total.
Venues
Major music venues in Perth include the Perth Concert Hall, Perth Arena, Challenge Stadium, the Metropolis Concert Clubs in Fremantle and Perth, Fremantle Arts Centre, Belvoir Amphitheatre and the Red Hill Auditorium. Large international acts often play outdoors, in stadium venues like the WACA cricket ground, Subiaco Oval, Members Equity Stadium or Perth Oval. Festival events are generally held at Claremont Showground or on the Perth Esplanade. The Supreme Court Gardens offer a large alternative outdoor venue, and have hosted such acts as David Bowie. Many former venues have been demolished, including wartime dancehalls such as The Tearooms and The Pagoda Ballroom. The Perth Entertainment Centre hosted many international acts until it was closed in 2002 and demolished in 2012. It has been replaced with the Perth Arena. Similarly the Burswood Dome hosted many international acts until its demolition in 2013. Other venues, such as The Bakery, The Raffles Hotel, the Hyde Park Hotel, The Grosvenor, The Stoned Crow, Fitzgerald's, The Red Parrot and The Old Melbourne Hotel, have closed as music venues but have been redeveloped as restaurants, public bars or apartments. Current live music venues are predominantly located in the Fremantle and Perth/Northbridge entertainment districts. Many mid-sized venues host international and interstate acts. Some of these include the Fly-By-Night, The Newport Hotel, Mojos, the Rosemount Hotel and Amplifier/Capitol. Many other smaller clubs and pubs present live music pop music predominantly, plus hip-hop, electronic music, cover bands and lesser-known local artists.
Publications
Local street press publications dedicated to the music and arts scene include X-Press Magazine and The Music. Many newspapers and magazines include sections on the Perth music scene, including the Wire Magazine, The West Australian's latest attempt at appealing to the youth market, and university publications such as Grok Magazine, Pelican and Metior. Now defunct, there were many other music publications such as: Party Fears and Vortex, which often included a free seven-inch vinyl flexidisc stapled to the front, featuring local bands.
