This paper discusses the role of the live music environment in the development and sustaining of local music industries. In particular, it focuses on the experience of the members of the original indie pop/rock music industry in Perth, Western Australia. This analysis is contextualised within the frameworks of the music 'scene', the music 'community' and how this 'community' facilitates networks of learning which result in a 'community of practice'. Changes due to business decisions and cultural renewal are also analysed in light of how they have influenced the functioning of the local live music industry.