When I was 19, I went to a music festival in the north-western French commune of Caen.by the electronic music duo Disclosure – because it was during this home stretch that my phone died.
Businesses have had a tough ride in the past few years. Most sectors have felt the pressure, but music festival businesses have been smacked around by every challenge under the sun .to floods – and wages that have barely kept up with the rising tide of price pressures.
Over the past decade, Live Nation has bought up more than a dozen Australian music festivals, ticketing companies, music agencies and venues. On its receipt are Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival: both of which have been canned this year. That has given companies such as Live Nation a truckload of power when it comes to negotiating with artists, often leading to deals that are worse for performers. Some artists were left out of pocket when the first day of Splendour was cancelled in 2022 due to flooding after new contracts put much of the burden of risk on performers if the event didn’t go ahead.