Australian festival-goers and musicians are singing out over current festival lineups amidst the worsening cost-of-living pressures.
Lineups for ‘Beyond the Valley’ and ‘Lost Paradise’ include big industry names such as Ice Spice and Fisher, but many Australian musicians are predicting that big industry names could be doing more bad than good for the music industry.
Local Wollongong Drummer William Nott believes the problem stems from major festivals featuring big international names and not prioritising smaller artists.
“Supporting festivals with international acts isn’t a good way to keep the Australian music scene vibrant anymore,” said Mr Nott.
So far this year, four major festivals have been cancelled, including ‘Splendour in the Grass’ which in previous years has welcomed major artists such as Lorde, Flume and Coldplay.
The Federal Government’s 2022-23 report ‘Soundcheck’ reported that 18 to 24 year olds are purchasing festival tickets at lower rates than before the covid-19 pandemic.
According to the report, the price of tickets were the main reason young Australians were not purchasing tickets, reportedly having an impact on over 55 per cent of regular festival goers.
Many musicians believe the only way to fix this worsening problem is to go back to the roots of Australian music and start small and cheap with local artists.
“Ultimately, no matter how much money they pump into it, they can’t really save the model, if it’s kind of dying on its own,” Mr Nott said.
“We have to move away from the corporate model of live music.”
Local Wollongong band Proxy Diver play frequently at smaller venues in the city and believe that building communities of dedicated fans is the best way to rebuild the live music industry.
“If Australian music is going to survive, it needs to move offline,” Mr Nott siad. “Bands need to focus on building community and a base.
“And fans need to get amongst it.”
With the cost of living pressures reaching major Australian festivals such as Groovin the Moo, Splendour in the Grass, Dark Mojo and Coastal Jam, Illawarra residents need to know that there will always be a market for live music.