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]
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