A collective of Fortitude Valley musicians has opened what they believe is Australia's first free instrument lending library, allowing young Brisbanites aged 8 to 18 to borrow guitars, keyboards, drums, and other instruments for up to six months at no cost.
Sound Commons Brisbane launched in January from a converted warehouse space on Ann Street, next door to the legendary Zoo nightclub. The library currently holds over 200 instruments — most donated by local musicians, music shops, and recording studios — and has already lent out 140 of them.
"I didn't pick up a guitar until I was 19 because my family couldn't afford one," says co-founder Mick Fanning (no relation to the surfer), a session guitarist who has toured with Ball Park Music and The Goon Sax. "How many kids out there have the potential to be incredible musicians but never get the chance to find out? That's the gap we're trying to close."
The library operates on a simple model: young people sign up with a parent or guardian, choose an instrument, and take it home. Each borrower is paired with a volunteer mentor — often a working Valley musician — who checks in monthly and offers informal lessons. The program currently has 60 volunteer mentors on its roster.
Funding comes from the Queensland Music Trail Fund, Brisbane City Council's community grants program, and a ongoing partnership with Strings & Things music stores, which provides maintenance and repairs for returned instruments at cost.
Twelve-year-old Zahra Hassan, who borrowed an acoustic guitar in January, is already writing her first song. "I play it every single day when I get home from school," she says, grinning. "My mum says I'm driving her crazy but she's smiling when she says it."
Sound Commons plans to expand to satellite locations in Inala and Logan by mid-2026, targeting communities where access to music education is most limited. "Every kid deserves a chance to make noise," Fanning says. "Beautiful, terrible, loud noise."