The Styles playing at the Gunners Arms. Picture: SCOTT GELSTON
IN some pub in some Tasmanian town, an intrepid music lover can catch an original band or solo performer sweating over strings on-stage any night of the week.
It may be a national touring act or from further afield, a house musician, or a group of friends who have bonded over their love of rock music.
For a Tasmanian musician, the rewards are rarely financial.
In fact, being a cover band is a more lucrative way to regularly earn cash from Tasmania's live music scene.
Still, any Australian band that has made it into the history books has done so with its own songs, and can credit a venue booking its shows for some of its success, by helping its reputation grow and helping it to score a record deal.
While some Tasmanian venues will opt for the easier option of top- 40 DJs, others have gone a different way - by booking barely known acts.
For original home-grown rock music, there are two big choices in Launceston - the Gunners Arms or the Royal Oak.
Both venues have hosted legendary locals, such as The Styles who played a reunion show at the newly reopened Gunners Arms last year, and notable national acts.
Will Potter, of the Royal Oak, has booked acts for the venue for the past six years, continuing a live music tradition that the pub began 36 years ago.
"We get people in the door because of live music," Mr Potter said.
"If you give people what they want, they'll come - you've got to set the right environment for punters.
"Artists need somewhere to play and every town needs at least one place that will always support them."
Indeed, the bands support the Oak even when they don't play and can be seen drinking at the bar or watching their peers on stage.
Mr Potter said that by regularly fostering home-grown talent, the Oak's reputation had spread to interstate and international band representatives, who had approached the pub to host bigger acts.
"The management of some bigger bands that have visited Launceston before have contacted us after they clocked on to the vibe of the place," he said.
"They might have played here before but not got the response they wanted.
"There seems to be the right space and right clientele to create an atmosphere for the bands."
There are financial benefits to complement social benefits in staging live original music.
Economic analyst Ernst & Young found in a 2011 study that the Australian live music scene injected $1.21 billion into the national economy, creating 15,000 full-time jobs.
It found that 41.97 million patrons attended 328,000 shows at 3904 live music venues in that time.
In the North-West, Devonport's Red Hot Music has consistently booked big names since opening, and select pubs have seen value in Sunday musical sessions.
Burnie is also angling itself as a city for pub entertainment, with The King of Burnie and the new Otis Bar joining McGinty's in offering crowds live original music and performers.
Former North-West musical identity, Dave McKenna, has played the roles of musician and promoter.
The known drummer has played in a slew of bands over the past decade - most recently Jesus and the Jedi - and has seen ups and downs for original musicians in the North-West during that time.
"Just before I left (this year), I was trying to get a few gigs for Jesus and the Jedi around Devonport," McKenna said.
"It was painful and a waste of time.
"They didn't want to risk it.
"It turns out, talking to others lately, that they only seem to be putting cover bands on.
"Ten years ago we were only kicking off, but we still managed to keep our weekends busy."
He said venues would need to satisfy the Tasmanian public's taste for live music.
"I think being a live music venue is a great ticket to have," McKenna said.
"You are guaranteed to have people checking what's going on at your venue, just so long as you vary your acts."