Untitled Group to ‘keep pushing boundaries’

Australia’s Untitled Group has vowed to keep “pushing boundaries” as it celebrates its first 10 years of operations.

The Melbourne-based independent promoter’s camping festival Beyond The Valley is coming up in Hesse, Victoria from 28 December to 1 January, with acts such as Fisher, Ice Spice, Chase & Status, Marlon Hoffstadt, Tinashe and Royel Otis.

“We wanted to create a four-day camping festival over New Year’s Eve that stood apart from others in the market,” explains Untitled co-founder and managing partner Nicholas Greco. “Our focus was on creating a highly curated experience centred around electronic music, combined with an elevated emphasis on production, staging and immersive site design.

“We wanted every aspect, from the lineup to the overall creative direction of the site to feel intentional.”

The event’s 2014 launch actually preceded the formation of Untitled.

“Untitled Group back then was just Beyond The Valley and a single club night,” explains Greco. “Now it’s grown into a national festival touring circuit over New Year’s Eve featuring flagship events like Beyond The Valley and Wildlands.”

“The decision to start touring our own artists was a major turning point”

A sister festival to Beyond The Valley, Wildlands will visit Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide in late December/early January. Greco considers its launch a “key moment”.

“It allowed us to establish a national festival touring circuit over New Year’s Eve, which has enabled us to bring bigger international talent into Australia during that period,” he says.

A second multi-day camping festival, Pitch Music & Arts, returns to the heart of the Grampian Plains in Victoria for its eighth edition from 7-11 March, while the firm has also developed a major touring division, bringing artists such as Dom Dolla, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Kaytranada, Christina Aguilera and Zach Bryan to Australia.

“The decision to start touring our own artists was a major turning point,” contends Greco. “It transformed us from festival promoters into globally recognised concert promoters. In the beginning, we were building momentum and riding the wave without a clearly defined vision. We were somewhat winging it and figuring things out as we went along.

“Today we have a much more deliberate focus. Our vision is more refined, we know the markets we want to target, the artists and genres we want to hone in on, and what our core business offerings are.”

While the pandemic shutdown was a devastating period for many within the live industry, the company maximised the unexpected downtime.

“Covid was a real catalyst for growth,” he says. “For the first time, we were forced to pause running events and reflect on our business, where we wanted to go, and how we wanted to grow. Although it was an incredibly tough two years, it allowed us to build a strong foundation for the future.”

“The collapse of so many major festivals over the past year has been a stark reminder that we can never afford to be complacent”

The Australian festival scene has endured a turbulent year, with several major festivals like Splendour in the Grass, Groovin the Moo, and Return to Rio calling it quits for the 2024/25 season.

“The collapse of so many major festivals over the past year has been a stark reminder that we can never afford to be complacent,” remarks Greco. “It’s reinforced the importance of constantly striving to improve and adapt. Audiences are evolving faster than ever whether in terms of their expectations, tastes, or how they engage with events. If you don’t keep up with those shifts, you risk falling behind.

“It’s a challenging landscape, but it’s also an opportunity to innovate and raise the bar across everything we do.”

Greco has detected a growing shift towards electronic music at festivals and events across Australia.

“This surge in demand has made booking electronic talent increasingly competitive, creating challenges in securing the right acts and driving up costs,” he observes. “Another trend is the rise in artists opting for headline tours rather than festival appearances which can reduce the talent pool available for festival programming, forcing festivals to rethink how they build their lineups.”

In addition, Greco suggests the business is still adapting to the tastes of the new generation of festivalgoers.

“The 18-25 demographic is drinking significantly less at shows, which is impacting margins,” he notes. “This shift is making it harder for venues to remain profitable and as a result we’re seeing more closures in the industry. This trend highlights the need to explore alternative revenue streams and rethink the traditional venue business model to ensure sustainability.

“Young people are increasingly spending time online and therefore discovering new music and experiences through digital platforms. This shift in mindset means our events need to adapt to meet them where they are. TikTok, in particular, has rapidly accelerated the globalisation of music trends, making it essential for us to stay ahead of the curve not just locally in Australia, but on a global scale.”

“Ten years ago, we could never have imagined the company would grow to where it is today”

A standout moment for the promoter in 2024 was the Dom Dolla b2b Solomun show at Melbourne’s 5,000-cap The Wool Store.

“It took us five years to get the venue permitted again, so to host such an iconic event with two artists who have played pivotal roles in the Untitled Group story was a full circle moment,” says Greco. “Dom has been part of our journey from the beginning, playing our club nights before we were festival promoters, performing at the very first Beyond The Valley, and returning for eight more editions since then.

“Solomun also holds a special place in our history. He was the very first artist to play The Wool Store back in 2018. That event has become legendary and part of Melbourne nightlife ‘lore’. From his set to the afterparties where he DJed on an ironing board at one of our interns’ houses until the power had to be switched off.”

Looking ahead to 2025, Greco says Untitled is excited to continue to build on the legacy it has created over the past decade.

“Our goal is to keep pushing boundaries while staying true to what we do best,” he adds. “Ten years ago, we could never have imagined the company would grow to where it is today, so the prospect of where we could be in another decade is incredibly exciting.

“We’re committed to continuing to deliver world-class experiences with world-class artists, constantly evolving to meet the changing demands of audiences and the industry. The focus will always be on creating unforgettable moments and maintaining our passion for pushing the live music scene forward.”

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