In a Queensland town famous for its sun-soaked dining and stylish bars, venue owners say they are being unfairly targeted by "authorities" trying to shut down the live music scene. 

Noosa Junction restaurant New York Minute is the latest to announce it is putting a stop to live performances, after what one local promoter has called "relentless authoritarian hassling ... inspired by a very, very small group of complaining local residents".

Founder Antony Crowther said he had experienced a marked increase in complaints in recent months.

"In our first six months, I might have seen Liquor and Gaming authorities maybe two or three times, and they came out to explain that when we are at capacity, there is noise coming from our venue," he said.

"But in the last three months, it's sitting at around one or two times a week."

A Department of Justice spokeswoman said the "frequency or focus" of venue inspections could change based on complaints.

Mr Crowther said when planning the venue, he had not anticipated such pushback, considering venues nearby already featured live music.

One of those is Village Bicycle, which has operated for 10 years with a seven-day licence to trade from 10am to midnight.

Co-owner Jackson King said he only hosted live music until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and complied with decibel limits set by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.

But he still gets complaints "every time".

"The licensing [authority] will call us, probably the next week, and say they've had complaints from people, residents up on the hill," Mr King said.

"It's a big headache for all the businesses in the junction to have to deal with.

"We're trying to make a living, and everyone's going through a hard time in hospitality.

"And then you've got people trying to make it harder."

The Department of Justice spokeswoman said the department supported licensed venues, describing them as the "heart of their local communities".

But they still had to keep the volume under control.

"It's critical that adverse effects are minimised for neighbouring residents and businesses, particularly problem or unreasonable noise," she said.

Residents petition council

The clash between residents and business operators has come to a head as Noosa Council considers changing its planning scheme.

Proposed changes include extended trading hours for Noosa Junction food and drink outlets, and new definitions around "acceptable outcomes" for music.

Noosa Junction resident Peter Stuehrenburg launched a petition against the proposed changes, arguing the junction was too close to residents for late live music.

The online petition, titled "Stop Noosa Junction From Becoming a 7-Day Nightlife Hub — Protect Residential Wellbeing!" had 337 signatures at the time of publication.

"When you live close by … the sound travels quite far," Mr Stuehrenburg said.

"When it's even 10 o'clock at night we can sing the songs in our bedrooms, and they are nice songs but I don't want to sing those songs up to 12 at night everyday.

Noosa Mayor Frank Wilkie would not give a definitive answer as to whether live music would be allowed to go on later into the night under the council's proposed amendments.

"All that's being assessed as part of the planning scheme amendment process, so there'll be a public report on that in a month or so," he said.

"We're wanting to strike a balance there, because we want to encourage live music and an active and vibrant live music scene.

"But you know, especially in the junction, with residents so close, it has to be within reason.

Support for struggling venues

Queensland's newly appointed inaugural Night-Life Economy Commissioner John Collins told ABC Radio this week the state had an opportunity ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to create "vibrant and safe" nightlife precincts.

The Brisbane venue owner and former Powderfinger bassist said the live music industry was struggling to bounce back post-COVID, particularly smaller venues.

"They run on such small margins as they are, and your cost of running the business, and also the reduction in revenue because people aren't spending as much out at the bar, and young people aren't searching for that type of music as much," he said.

Mr Collins said his role would involve extensive consultation with venue operators, before bringing recommendations to government.

He did not rule out the possibility of replicating changes made by New South Wales' first 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, who in 2021 cut liquor licence fees for live music venues, softened noise regulations, and extended trading hours for bars and restaurants.

"We need to develop artists, you know, we need our next John Farnhams and Powderfingers, and Midnight Oils, and that's where they come from, these smaller rooms," he said.

"They need to exist for the larger ecosystem to exist."