Music Festivals and Survival

It’s a bad time to be a music festival. By now, most of us have seen the news of big name music festivals shutting down. In Canberra, the Spilt Milk and Groovin the Moo festivals both had to shut down (although Spilt Milk has now had a resurgence). Across Australia, other festivals like Byron Bay Bluesfest have also had issues. The music festival I work for, the Canberra International Music Festival, adapted from a 10-day to a 5-day festival. No matter which way you try and cut it, the festival industry seems to be struggling generally.

So, how did we get here? I can only talk from my perspective, but it seems to be reflected in the current trends. One major reason was the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifts in audience expectations that followed. Of course COVID led to a bunch of cancellations due to occupancy restrictions and lockdowns. But most of us expected that when these eased, things would go back to normal. Most people would say they have – but they’re wrong, and the Festival experience shows this. Audiences generally are much more hesitant to buy tickets before a gig. People instead are valuing their flexibility and freedom, partly, I think, to avoid any instances where your money was locked away for a year or two until an event could run. This mindset is not helped by world events since; even right now, no-one seems to know what will happen if the war in Iran continues for longer and petrol prices continue to increase (leading to higher travel costs, reluctance to drive to events, and higher event costs – more on that later). Whereas ticket sales would normally be somewhat steady for months beforehand and then increase in the final months, nowadays people seem content to only buy tickets just before an event, which means event organisers stress over whether they will sell enough tickets to make back production costs. Since the margins on festivals are so small, it’s a nerve-wracking time for anyone in the industry.

Secondly, we have higher costs for everything now. COVID and a series of worldwide wars and sanctions have increased inflation and the price of numerous essential elements for a Festival to run. Petrol is used to fly or drive artists to the venue, but also to transport all of the gear, ranging from huge outdoor setups to the smallest lighting and sound rigs. All of these costs get passed on, with the festival having to foot the bill. Similarly for staffing costs and catering, as well as every single little item that is purchased throughout the course of a festival. And while these numbers have increased, because the cost of living is hire and people are feeling squeezed, audiences are less likely to pay for tickets, let alone tickets that are also higher than what they were pre-COVID. In a festival setting, which is built around a few headline acts and many smaller shows, audiences are hesitant to spend when they are unsure whether they will get their money’s worth. What was a no-brainer in the past now has to be weighed against groceries, fuel, and other essential items.

So, what can be done to make festivals more financially sustainable? I don’t think anyone has that figured out yet. Personally, I think we should be looking to the world of cinema and film. These operate on the basis of a massive blockbuster then being used to fund smaller independent films which are riskier. Festivals already try to do this with headline shows and smaller acts, but perhaps the headliners are not big enough. The risk with this, of course, is that the headliners become more and more popular and the smaller acts continue to die off – something which is already happening as audiences trust in their superstars to deliver but not smaller acts. Another option is to rethink the financial model of festivals. Crowdfunding, as made popular on platforms like Kickstarter, could be another way to change the way audiences think of tickets. In a crowdfunded model, audiences “donate” to the fundraiser, and are only charged if the fundraiser is successful. In return, they receive a variety of “rewards”. In the festival ecosystem these might include tickets to shows, but could also include typical donor rewards such as naming rights, being featured in a program book, meet and greets with artists, VIP seating, and more. These systems are beneficial to both parties – the event organisers can see exactly what income they are receiving, and audiences feel like they are part of the process, rather than just a ticket-buyer. Stretch rewards, where more funding is raised than the initial amount, would enable festivals to be modular in their programming. A festival might request $100,000 to run its initial program in the evenings, but if it makes $150,000, it can expand into daytime concerts as well, and upon reaching $200,000 it may introduce more concerts.

One thing is certain – festivals need to find a way to make audiences come with them, or risk disappearing entirely. So I ask you, please help us on this journey. Support live music wherever you are, and enjoy the live experiences. Live in the real, the sublime, the area that exists only in the space between a live musician and yourself.

While I work for the Canberra International Music Festival, all opinions presented here are entirely my own.

Upcoming Gigs! & Current Project Progress

I’m performing at the National Folk Festival in the Kompactus Youth Choir! Our main concert is at 3pm on April 3 (Good Friday). Buy tickets here!

And the Canberra International Music Festival is on April 29 to May 3 all over Canberra. You can buy tickets here. I would particularly recommend the MOSSO program, which is all about music and film/motion and is very affordable ($15 concession / $25 regular – cheaper than a typical movie ticket). You’d be crazy not to go!

PhD thesis: 40%

Composition Portfolio: 45%

The thesis is still coming along, with a few more compositions finished this week. I would really love to get a draft of the whole portfolio by the end of this month, which would leave May and June to focus on the thesis writing.

Question of the Week

This week’s question is: “What’s the difference between production managing and performing, and has that affected the way you approach music?”

Production managing is all about the logistics of a concert or festival. I don’t have much (if any) say in artistic decisions, except on how to execute them. Artists will come with a vision, and it’s my job to help execute that vision, within time and budget constraints. For example, an artist might want a particular lighting look, and it’s my job to find out how we can make that happen, or deliver the closest alternative that I can provide. On top of that, I then have to make sure all the pieces are in-place for the concerts to happen: chairs and music stands delivered, percussion in-place, sound techs hired, and so on. The performers, then, can just come in and play and do their thing with everything already in place for them. Of course, sometimes we work closely together to make sure they have everything they need — but it usually falls to me to make sure that is all in-place for the actual concerts and rehearsals.

I always find festivals incredibly creatively stimulating. Usually Festivals play with space and sound more than a typical concert in a recital hall would. For example, in previous years I’ve seen musicians play from within the audience, inside burnt-out telescopes, and moving around inside spaces. This really changed the way I think about music in performance, transforming it from a static to an active process. However, producing also opens me up to the realities of budgets and other constraints, leaving me with the knowledge of what is feasible and what is not. Overall, I think is is a strength, since it is better to work within constraints than have to scale back a vision.

Until next month,
Josh