If you’re looking for another article to complain about the lineup of 'Splendour in the Grass', and how overdramatised the reveal was, keep scrolling.
Yes, I was secretly hoping and praying Lana Del Rey would headline 'Splendour' when discussing dream acts with friends. But, to be honest, Australian festivals have lost the feasibility of securing major international acts due to perceived low demand and reduced support. Splendour supposedly spent a few million dollars on Future and secured Australian icon Kylie to headline, but even they couldn’t save the festival which used to sell out mere hours after tickets were released. They are not the only Australian festival that has been struggling.
A recent report by Creative Australia found only 56% of Australian festivals made a profit between 2022-2023, with 35% losing money. They also discovered that 18-24-year-olds, who are generally the key festival demographic, are buying tickets at lower rates than the same age group pre-pandemic, as well as buying them later.
The domino effect of issues within Australia’s live music scene is clear. 'Falls Festival', traditionally occurring over the New Year, was cancelled in 2023, citing they were taking a year to ‘recalibrate.’ Then ‘Groovin the Moo,’ a very popular regional festival, was cancelled in 2024 just a week after tickets went on sale, with organisers stating sales were “too low to deliver a festival of this kind.” While 'Laneway’s' 2024 lineup appeared to be well received, its announcement was upstaged by a leak on Reddit a few days before the official announcement. Not to mention, ‘Pitch Music and Arts Festival’ warned festival-goers not to come to the event because of extreme fire risks on the starting Friday, yet failed to officially cancel the event until Sunday afternoon, causing panic, and patrons difficulty leaving.
On the other hand, 'Souled Out', a recently occurring R&B festival, transpired without major issues. Nevertheless, headliner PartyNextDoor was unimpressed by the energy of the crowds at the festival with their lack of singing or dancing, saying in a now-deleted tweet:
“Australia I can’t front, I don’t know if I’ll ever come back. There’s a life I’m living and I know y’all ain’t living like that.”
This domino effect of promoters not having enough funding to secure impressive lineups, and tickets thus failing to sell directly links to the constant disappointment expressed on social media basically every time a festival lineup is announced. 'Chicago Lollapalooza' released their lineup around the same time as 'Splendour', boasting worldwide superstars - Tyler the Creator, The Killers, and Stray Kids to name a few - with many Australians wishing for the same acts to be brought here. Yet the scale of the event cannot be mirrored here, as Lollapalooza occurs across countries, their popularity allows their funding to achieve the coveted headliners, as well as their locations are more accessible for international acts to attend, with many based out of the US or Europe.
Shown is the 2024 lineup for Chicago Lollapalooza
Australian festivals cannot offer better or bigger lineups if they are not getting ticket sales or funding, causing consumers to not purchase tickets because of the disappointment in the lineups. Thus, an endless cycle of cancellations and issues is occurring.
Additionally, with the current costs of tickets, people are buying them later and later. The Jonas Brothers recently performed in Australia. As the event came closer, the promoters reduced the original ticket prices, whilst refusing to upgrade those who brought tickets during presale and general sale at their Sydney show. People buying tickets a few days before the event were getting tickets people originally paid $300 for, for $80, and being placed in front of patrons who had originally paid the higher prices. Outrage further occurred when people on X discovered a Ticketek link floating around for Sydney Night 1 offering free floor tickets to make the show appear ‘more full.’
Further ticketing issues with international acts surround The Weeknd, whose highly anticipated Australian leg, was set to be rescheduled due to, “unforeseen circumstances.” The statement released a few weeks before his expected performances said:
Australian fans waited for the new dates, yet the tour was officially cancelled at the end of April. Other popular international acts such as Beyoncé, Boygenius and Doja Cat have skipped out on Australia or are still yet to release dates. Even with popular international acts including Taylor Swift, SZA and Olivia Rodrigo coming, the ticket-buying process has become a nightmare.
Ticketek’s new lounge feature allows patrons to be let in randomly into the purchasing queue rather than chronologically, causing even further disappointment with fans. There is no indication of what position in the queue you are, as compared to other ticketing services, so many patrons may wait a number of hours, only to find everything had been sold out when they finally get through. During the Olivia Rodrigo sale, fans also found the website was continuously loading an error screen saying ‘Access Denied,’ only exacerbating their frustrations; it appeared they had made it past the lounge loading screen yet it was for nothing.
Above is the Ticketek Lounge loading screen, the bar will continue to reload every 10 seconds, but there is no way to determine your place in the queue, or if any tickets are still available.
However, the festival and live music scene is not all an avalanche of doom. An increase in the popularity of the EDM/Rave, K-Pop, and Emo scenes, has assisted in events occurring smoothly. Festivals such as 'Knotfest' and 'Good Things' have occurred without cancellation, and HSU holds hardstyle events throughout the year with increasing turnouts, as well as the extreme demand for Fred Again’s most recent tour, who had over 1 million fans virtually queuing for tickets.
So, back to 'Splendour', how will the cancellation of what was once Australia’s biggest festival impact the industry, and the future of international acts in Australia?
With the majority of festivals relying on volunteer work, insurance costs rising, and the government refusing to increase entertainment funding, exacerbated by the current cost of living crisis, the climate of the Australian live music industry is not looking like it will bounce back anytime soon.
Australia is already a smaller market for international acts, so the cancellations of major music festivals may further impact how we are viewed as potential audiences for successful tours. After all, the live music industry is a business at the end of the day, and we as fans may have to suffer because of the current economy.
Harper Spits is a second-year student studying a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and Creative Writing. She is still mourning the boygenius hiatus and never recovered from seeing Chappell Roan live last year. She has an affinity for buying more books than she can read and collecting pretty vinyl pressings.
