Events cancelled amid Valencia flood devastation
Scores of events have been cancelled in Spain amid the catastrophic floods that have killed more than 200 people in the country.
Reuters reports it is already Spain’s worst flooding disaster in modern history and the deadliest to hit Europe in 50 years. The country began three days of mourning yesterday (31 October), with prime minister Pedro Sánchez urging residents to stay at home and flags flown at half-mast.
Valencia has been the hardest-hit region, with the death toll in the Valencian Community has risen to 202, according to the Interior Ministry’s Integrated Operational Coordination Centre (CECOPI), following a year’s worth of rainfall in just eight hours due to a weather phenomenon known in Spain as DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos).
Two people have also died in the Castilla La Mancha region, while another fatality has been reported in Andalusia. Fresh weather warnings have been issued.
The Palau de la Musica de Valencia has cancelled concerts scheduled for 31 October to 3 November, saying: “We want to express our condolences and solidarity to all the families of the victims of the terrible Dana that devastated the Horta Sud.”
“We join the sadness and solidarity that the Valencian Community walks through in these difficult days”
Live music venue Radio City Valencia has rescheduled a gig by bands Diversos and Bisonte to 14 December, with other venues such as the Valencian Institute of Culture and La Plazeta Teatro also cancelling or postponed several events.
“We join the sadness and solidarity that the Valencian Community walks through in these difficult days,” says a social media post by the latter. “We know that this tragedy is devastating and we want to sincerely thank the effort of firefighters, security forces, healthcare personnel and neighbours of the affected populations.”
Additionally, all football matches in the region, including Real Madrid’s trip to Valencia in LaLiga, have been postponed, and Valencia will no longer host the MotoGP season finale, which was set for 17 November.
Elsewhere in the country, artist Xavi Sarrià has postponed his show at La Copa in Girona, slated for tonight (1 November), out of respect for the victims and the personal impact on the members of the group.
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PinkPantheress, Garbage cancel all 2024 dates
PinkPantheress and Garbage have each cancelled all upcoming tour dates for varying health reasons.
English singer-songwriter-producer PinkPantheress has axed all scheduled dates for the rest of this year, including opening slots on Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts tour and Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour.
The 23-year-old, whose real name is Victoria Walker, says she has “reached a wall which I’m struggling to penetrate” and that she needs to “focus on my physical health and overall wellbeing”.
PinkPantheress has been one of the opening acts on Rodrigo’s Guts tour since 19 July and was due to play support slots on it for several more weeks.
She was also due to open for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres tour in Australia this November and perform at festivals including III Points (US), Field Day (UK), Summer Sonic (JP) and FORM (US).
“It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of all our remaining dates for the rest of the year”
Elsewhere, 90s rock band Garbage have cancelled all remaining tour dates in 2024 due to an injury sustained by lead singer Shirley Manson, which will require surgery and subsequent rehabilitation.
“It is with great regret that we announce the cancellation of all our remaining dates for the rest of the year due to an injury that [frontwoman] Shirley [Manson] sustained on our recent tour in Europe that will require surgery and rehabilitation to correct.”
The band were due to perform at several festivals including Ohana Fest in California, HFStival in Washington, DC and Festival Hera in Mexico City.
During Live Nation’s earnings call this week, president and CFO Joe Berchtold played down concerns regarding increased tour cancellations of late, stressing there had been no more than normal.
“In terms of our cancellation rates, we’re seeing historical norms below last year,” he said. “They historically run kind of 4% to 5% of shows, about 1.5% of fans, absolutely in line with historical trends. I think most of the reports that we’ve seen have been efforts to take one or two data points out of a very large number of tours and shows, and we’re just not seeing anything unusual there.”
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Oz launches parliamentary inquiry into music scene
Australia’s House of Representatives has launched an inquiry into the country’s struggling live music industry.
The standing committee on communications and the arts is hosting its first round of public hearings this week, with the sector in the midst of an ‘existential crisis’ amid the widespread closures of venues and festivals due to issues including the cost-of-living crisis, reduced audience spending and state restrictions.
The committee will hear about the challenges and opportunities within the Sydney and Brisbane scenes from industry stakeholders such as peak bodies, broadcasters and event organisers.
In today’s session in Brisbane, the parliamentary committee was told that Australia needs a national strategy to ensure the live music industry survives, with grassroots venues highlighted as an immediate cause for concern.
Brisbane live music venue The Zoo shut down for good in July after running at a loss for the past three years. Owner Shane Chidgzey, who noted he has lost AUS$3 million running the venue since 2020, said: “We don’t have any chance whatsoever of getting anywhere near a profit.”
“The Committee looks forward to continuing its deep dive into the operational and regulatory challenges facing the live music event industry”
Despite seeing its best-ever ticket sales in 2023, The Zoo was constantly losing money due to higher costs and falling food and drink sales, Chidgzey said. “People shouldn’t have to get drunk to keep the music industry alive.”
Among the suggested solutions were a mandatory ticket levy for large concerts to support the grassroots music sector, government-funded culture passes for young people, and a rule that international tours include at least one local artist among the support acts.
Other areas to be considered in the inquiry include “the rapidly changing face of the Australian live music industry; changing audience preferences post-pandemic—including new demographic behaviour, and how digitisation is impacting career pathways and business longevity”.
The next two hearings will take place in Sydney on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 July from The Map Rooms in The Michael Crouch Room, State Library of NSW, Sydney, respectively.
In a statement, Brian Mitchell MP, the chair of the committee, said, “The Committee looks forward to continuing its deep dive into the operational and regulatory challenges facing the live music event industry.”
Elsewhere in the Australian live music industry, the Venue Management Association (VMA), the peak body for venue industry professionals in Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia, today announced that Joel Edmondson has been named as chief executive officer.
Edmondson brings more than 15 years of senior management experience and most recently served as CEO and creative director for Queensland Music Festival (QMF). He will replace Michael Brierley, the VMA’s CEO of six years, who will remain with VMA in a part-time capacity as the Association’s Company Secretary.
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Fields & Yields: Weighing up the 2024 festival season
In the last month, a raft of festivals have celebrated banner editions – from “the best Glastonbury yet” to yet another sold-out edition of Roskilde. But while the good times continue to roll for some event organisers, elsewhere a perfect storm shows signs of being upgraded to a potentially catastrophic hurricane as the cost-of-living crisis, escalating artist fees, increased production costs, competition from other tours and events, and, perhaps, a touch of fan apathy takes a toll on festivals – large and small – around the world.
April’s Coachella – for so long the darling of the North American landscape – experienced its slowest sales in decades, with reports estimating that up to 20% of the total inventory remained unsold. And that purchasing pattern appears to be one of the trends of 2024, with numerous festival chiefs reporting sleepless nights as they await activity from last-minute ticket-buyers. But for many, that nervous wait becomes too much to bear.
Historically one of the strongest festival markets in the world, the UK is experiencing an unprecedented period of flux, with more than 50 festivals already postponed, cancelled, or shut down in 2024, according to the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF).
Somebody saying, ‘I’m going to go, but I haven’t bought a ticket yet’ is no good to a festival organiser who’s got to pay a bill for a stage upfront
That growing crisis includes Towersey Festival, which having been launched in 1965 was the UK’s longest-running independent. Amid “increasing financial and economic challenges since the pandemic,” Towersey revealed that its upcoming August edition will be its last.
It joins a list from this year’s UK calendar that already includes NASS, Challenge, El Dorado, Pennfest, Connect Music, 110 Above, Leopollooza, Long Division, Bluedot, and Barn On The Farm. In almost all cases, organisers blame spiralling operational costs.
Responding to the situation, AIF chief exec John Rostron tells IQ that promoters have described the current climate as the most difficult they have ever seen. “It’s an incredibly challenging environment because they’ve got multiple things that have all come together at the same time,” says Rostron. While drilling down to precise reasons might take some months of analysis, there are obvious signs that the cost-of-living crisis is playing a significant role when it comes to the ticket-buying habits of consumers.
“The overall sales pattern is changing,” observes Rostron. “A lot of people might want, or intend, to go to a festival, but cost of living means they won’t buy their tickets as early as they used to. Somebody saying, ‘I’m going to go, but I haven’t bought a ticket yet’ is no good to a festival organiser who’s got to pay a bill for a stage upfront.”
Dilemmas involving younger generations are also adding to the mix, as many festival organisers are noting that alcohol consumption is lower among younger fans, while the allure of camping is waning among that same demographic.
“Most of the festivals in the country – maybe as many as 80% – are not making a penny anymore”
Ever creative, some event organisers are catering to the needs of those health-conscious customers by introducing wellness areas at their festivals, or in the case of Secret Garden Party, launching a dedicated wellness festival, Wild Meadows, which make its week-long debut from 5-11 August at the SGP site in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. The broader issues are not confined to the British Isles.
“In the post-pandemic world of costs, we have a problem with festivals in general,” says FKP Scorpio CEO Stephan Thanscheidt. “As a board member of the German Promoters Association, what I hear is that most of the festivals in the country – maybe as many as 80% – are not making a penny anymore.
“At the same time, they’re not showing their weakness because they don’t want to be a lame duck or a damaged brand. But for most of them, they’re not even breaking even, and when I talk to them, they’re waiting for a better tomorrow. But no-one has any idea where that is going to come from, or when.”
Indeed, one of the highest profile casualties is MELT, which announced in May that this year’s 11-13 July event would be the final edition due to “insurmountable changes in the festival landscape.” The 20,000-cap festival had been running since 1997.
With closures becoming an unwelcome trend, Thanscheidt says FKP Scorpio is nevertheless bucking the trend with the majority of its festival portfolio, while admitting that keeping festival brands financially viable is “very difficult.”
“Selling tickets to the very enthusiastic people who just had a great time at your festival is very important”
“In Germany, Southside is sold out, Hurricane is super close to sold out, M’era Luna and Deichbrand are doing very well,” he reports. ”Highfield is struggling a bit, but we managed to not have the level of problems others have right now.”
Also performing amazingly are Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, which Thanscheidt and his FKP Scorpio team now work on with fellow CTS Eventim-owned promoter, DreamHaus. Indeed, having announced Slipknot as one of next year’s headliners, Ring and Park 2025 sold out 50,000 tickets in the first day of presale following this year’s 6-8 June twin events – the best presale in its history.
Hurricane and Southside also enjoyed strong presales following their 2023 editions thanks to strong campaigns in the immediate aftermath of the festivals.
“Selling tickets to the very enthusiastic people who just had a great time at your festival is very important, but you have to sell the tickets right away, because if you wait a few months, then it’s much tougher to get all these people on board again. But with the enthusiasm and the great experience they had, they’re on fire to go next year again,” notes Thanscheidt.
That was certainly the experience at Wacken Open Air last year. Despite being forced to run the festival at a significantly reduced capacity because of the conditions caused by rain and thunderstorms, all 85,000 tickets for the 2024 edition were snapped up in just four-and-a-half hours in the day after the event – a new record for Wacken.
“The festival scene in Spain is vibrant and bustling with activity this year”
Elsewhere, the growing festival market in Spain is thriving, despite the challenges, according to Mad Cool principals Cindy Castillo and Javier Arnáiz. “The festival scene in Spain is vibrant and bustling with activity this year,” says Arnáiz. “While there have been a few logistical challenges and economic pressures, we’re also seeing a surge of new events and innovative concepts emerging. I would say the overall energy is very positive, with both organisers and attendees eager to have live music experiences.”
Ahead of the year’s 10-13 July festival, he reports, “Ticket sales for Mad Cool 2024 are performing well, on par with our expectations and previous years. We’ve seen robust demand, which reflects the anticipation and excitement surrounding this year’s lineup and the unique experiences we have planned.”
But Arnáiz notes that Spain is not immune from the pressures being experienced around the world by festival organisers.
“Rising costs across the board, coupled with the need to keep ticket prices accessible, have required us to be very strategic in our planning and resource allocation,” he says. “Our team is focused on finding efficiencies wherever possible without compromising the quality of the festival. To manage this, we are optimising our operations to maintain high standards without significantly raising ticket prices. This includes strategic partnerships and sponsorships that help offset costs, ensuring that we can continue to deliver a top-notch experience for our attendees.”
Although the 2024 European festival season is barely a month old, trends such as late ticket purchasing are being reported throughout the continent. However, while acknowledging the cost-of-living crisis, Thanscheidt believes such dilemmas can be market specific.
The Olympic Games (and Paralympics) in particular have impacted the summer calendar in France
“In Germany, the people who have decided they will go to the festival are spending like they always did,” he notes. “But if you go to Scandinavia, it’s different – they usually buy a lot later. So, it really depends on each market, but for Germany, the major part of our business, booking-wise and also selling the tickets, is done before Christmas for the following year. And then in springtime, you do your marketing and other creative activities to get the rest over the line.”
Playing games
While rising costs are crippling events across Europe, the situation has been complicated this year by two major sports gatherings requiring equipment that otherwise would be hired by festival organisers.
“Both the Olympics in Paris and the UEFA European Championships in Germany use a lot of infrastructure, meaning it’s been more difficult than usual to source everything that festivals need,” observes Holger Jan Schmidt, general secretary of Yourope, the European festivals association.
The Olympic Games (and Paralympics) in particular have impacted the summer calendar in France. Lollapalooza Paris will not happen this year after security restrictions rendered the event unfeasible: Lolla’s organisers had been restricted to a reduced capacity of 7,000 people. Live Nation France director Angelo Gopee comments, “We were advised to hold the festival on a single day to keep the Lollapalooza spirit alive in 2024 and not skip a year without a festival.” However, the promoter decided to shelve this year’s edition, with the festival set to return in July 2025.
And it’s not just Paris-based events that are affected, as nationally, many have had to reschedule their dates, such as Musilac in Aix-les-Bains, or even completely cancel their edition, like Montjoux Festival and Magnifique Society in Reims.
“The rise in production costs, audience attendance, and booking are the top concerns among our members”
Schmidt says that Yourope will discuss the season’s successes and failures at their next meeting in October – which coincidentally will be held in Paris – as well as the European Festival summit in Karlsruhe, Germany in November. But he says many of the trials facing him and his peers this year have been anticipated.
“If you look at the European Festival Report (EFR 2023) we published with IQ, when we asked our members about the challenges, they expected to face this year, they identified the rise in production costs, audience attendance, and booking as their top concerns,” says Schmidt.
Earth, wind & fire
One aspect of festival life organisers cannot count on is the weather, and with climate change seemingly setting new all-time records on a month-to-month basis, the 2024 season is proving problematic around the world.
The US festival, Lovers & Friends, was cancelled less than 15 hours before its gates were scheduled to open on 4 May, due to “dangerous weather.” Promoted by Live Nation, the one-day Las Vegas festival had a lineup including Usher, Backstreet Boys, Janet Jackson, and Alicia Keys. However, after advice from the National Weather Service, which warned of “gusts potentially more than 60mph,” the decision was taken to shelve the event.
Not so last minute but equally damaging, the team behind Sacramento’s Sol Blume cancelled the 3-5 May festival two weeks before it was set to take place because of the lasting effects from the torrential rain that drenched California in late February.
The grand finale of last year’s Burning Man had to be postponed twice after rainstorms
Also in May, the inaugural Gazebo Festival in Kentucky lost its second day of programming due to tornado warnings, while Sueños Music Festival in the neighbouring state of Illinois had to delay the start of its second day due to storms, later leading to an evacuation of the festival site.
On the same weekend, across the Atlantic, heavy rain at the Leeds leg of UK festival Slam Dunk forced organisers to warn fans with mobility issues to avoid attending.
Earlier in the year, the final night of Australia’s Pitch Music and Arts Festival was cancelled following an extreme fire danger warning. The Untitled Group-promoted camping event in Moyston, Victoria, was called off in advance of its scheduled 10 March finale.
And proving that not even desert-based gatherings can escape the ravages of climate change, the grand finale of last year’s Burning Man had to be postponed twice after rainstorms turned Nevada’s Black Rock location into a mud bath.
Strength in numbers
With his summer season well underway, Thanscheidt is enjoying a new collaboration with Dreamhouse that involves the Berlin-based business teaming up with Hamburg-based FKP in the Eventim Live network.
“We really need to be realistic on this, and we need to get production costs under control”
“We work together on all different levels. At the moment, the focus is on two areas: booking and production,” reveals Thanscheidt.
On the latter point, he states, “We all know how much the costs went up since the pandemic, but we need to get this under control because the main problem with festivals now is that the ticket prices for the first time are at their limit, but the costs are still going up. It’s a dead-end street if we do not find ways to create sustainable future models for festivals.
“Of course, you can always do better on food-and-beverage sales, merchandise, sponsorship deals, and up-sales like glamping and VIP packages. Those do bring in a lot of money, but it’s not a complete game changer – they’re not going to cover your costs. So, we really need to be realistic on this, and we need to get production costs under control.”
However, Thanscheidt dismisses notions that many festivals will simply die if the various challenges facing the sector are not addressed.
“If you are also a tour promoter, you need to serve your bands with festival slots, so being involved in festivals is crucial,” he says. “I can’t do what other events have done by reducing the number of stages at Hurricane and Southside. In fact, it’s the opposite: ideally, I would need one more stage, to be very honest, to put all the content of the acts we’re putting on tour. Ultimately, our festival platforms are one of the main tool to get new talent assigned to our company for different markets.”
“The time of the great growth of festivals is over. It has become a fight-and-survive market”
Taxing issues
In response to the developing crisis in the UK, the AIF has launched a campaign called Five Percent For Festivals, which encourages fans to lobby politicians for a VAT reduction on tickets from 20% to 5%.
“The CMS inquiry into grassroots music venues made a recommendation to look at the modelling of VAT in [grassroots venues], and the conversation has widened to say that should include festivals,” Rostron says. “I think there will be intervention. My concern is that by the time something does happen, how many [festivals] will have gone?”
Meanwhile, the Dutch industry is following a similar path, as industry professionals there are also campaigning for their government to reconsider plans for 2026 that will see VAT rise from 9% to 21% for concert and festival tickets.
Whatever the outcome of their lobbying, it comes too late for Mañana Mañana, which announced that its tenth edition would be the last because ticket sales were not good enough to make the event profitable. The festival bade farewell following its 13-16 June finale in Achterhoek.
And it appears that the Dutch indie scene is also enduring a tough year, as at least 60 festivals with over 3,000 attendees have been cancelled in 2024, according to event researcher Lex Kruijver of Respons Evenementen, who told newspaper Algemeen Dagblad that only 30 new festivals have been launched this year so far.
“The time of the great growth of festivals is over. It has become a fight-and-survive market,” says Kruijver.
“Stay strong, but especially stay creative, because you have to cope with a world full of problems at the moment”
Silver linings
Fortunately, it’s not all bad news everywhere in the festival world. Swiss new music showcase Radar recently announced that its sixth edition will see it expanding into new locations, while adding an extra day to the programme. The Gadget Entertainment-promoted event will return to Langstrasse Zurich in September, showcasing 25 acts across eight venues – Frame, Gonzo, Zukunft, Bar 3000, Alte Kaserne, Waxy Bar, Plaza, and Longstreet Bar.
On a larger scale, Madrid’s Mad Cool also has an additional day of programming this year, amongst a raft of changes aimed to improve the visitor experience.
“Adding an extra day and decreasing the number of stages has been particularly well-received,” says Arnáiz. “The new site layout has also been designed to enhance the overall experience, making navigation easier and improving accessibility.”
Emphasising the importance of maintaining a dialogue with the fans, Mad Cool colleague Cindy Castillo adds, “We have communicated these changes effectively through a multi-channel approach via our website, social media, and email newsletters. We also use video content. Additionally, our customer service team is always available to answer any questions, ensuring that fans feel informed and excited.”
Weathering the storm
With his remit including the oversight of more than 20 FKP Scorpio-owned festivals, Thanscheidt is urging his peers around Europe to keep the faith.
“Stay strong, but especially stay creative, because you have to cope with a world full of problems at the moment,” he says. “Also, think about your setup. Do you really need everything? Or is it better to cut something out to invest in something else?”
“Although Yourope is the biggest association for music festivals in Europe, it cannot master this challenge alone”
Schmidt highlights the need for more communication and sharing of information among the continent’s festival community, as a gateway to developing a healthier industry. He points to Yourope’s EU-funded Future-Fit Festivals (3F) as a resource for everyone looking for solutions to make the festival season sustainable long-term. The resource features numerous roadmaps, tool-kits, best practises, action plans, and reports.
“3F seeks to address three key questions: What does the responsible festival of the future look like, and how do we achieve that? What makes European festivals resilient to meet the challenges of the future? And how do tomorrow’s festivals ensure that they continue to play a relevant role in popular culture and the lives of millions of young people?” says Schmidt.
“Although Yourope is the biggest association for music festivals in Europe, it cannot master this challenge alone. So, to include the entire industry in the process, we are establishing systematic dialogue structures to encourage exchange between creative industry professionals, audiences, artists, as well as public and private decision makers.”
During the three years of the project, the association has conducted several pan-European surveys to gather information on the sector in general and on the 3F focus topics in particular. “We need as many events as possible to contribute to 3F. The outcome will hopefully provide everyone with information, tools, and structure that will ensure that the festival business will grow and thrive in the decades ahead of us,” says Schmidt.
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PennFest joins growing list of UK fest cancellations
Pennfest is the latest UK festival to be called off, with organisers citing a “challenging economic climate”.
The Buckinghamshire-based event joins a growing list of UK festivals that will not take place in 2024 that includes Connect Music Festival, 110 Above Festival, NASS Festival, Leopollooza, Long Division, Bluedot, Barn On The Farm and Splendour.
Meanwhile, organisers of Norfolk’s Wild Fields are battling to reconfigure the planned three-day camping event into a two-day city-based gathering. A collaboration between ATC Group and the team behind Norwich-based multi-venue festival Wild Paths, the 10,000-cap Wild Fields was set for Raynham Estate in North Norfolk from 15-18 August.
Festival director Ben Street told IQ that the team are trying to salvage the festival and are awaiting licensing approval to move to a city park.
Pennfest was due to take place in the village of Penn between 19 and 21 July, with performances from the likes of Jess Glynne, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Paul Weller, The Coral, Professor Green and Richard Ashcroft.
In a post on the festival’s official website, organisers explained that “challenging trading conditions coupled with significantly increasing costs in a very challenging economic climate has made it impossible to deliver the event to the standard our customers have become accustomed to”.
“It is impossible to deliver the event to the standard our customers have become accustomed to”
They continued: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly and the whole team is devastated by this after all their hard work over the past 12 years since the festival’s inception. It saddens us even further that unfortunately this situation does not only apply to us with a significant number of festivals like ours in the UK and internationally already cancelling or postponing their events for the same reasons.”
They ended by saying: “For us, it’s important to prioritise the wellbeing and the long-term sustainability of the festival and by regrouping in this way we can deliver on our commitment to further high-quality experiences in the future.”
Refunds will be available for ticketholders as well as the option to have tickets will roll over to the 2025 event. Plans for next year’s festival will be announced in the summer.
Last month, the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) revealed that 21 UK festivals have now been cancelled, postponed or scrapped – with 100 at permanent risk without action.
In response, the UK trade body is repeating calls for a three-year reduction in VAT on festival tickets from 20% to 5%.
“If the UK wants to be a world leader in music, then the UK government needs to do as other countries across the world have done, and support the festival sector for a few years to make its recovery,” said AIF CEO John Rostron. “Lower VAT on tickets to 5% for three years, and we’ll prevent more festivals having to say enough is enough and goodbye.”
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Australian festival scene ‘in crisis’ as cancellations rise
At least six Australian festivals have been called off since the beginning of this year, in what some executives are calling a crisis.
Groovin The Moo, an annual festival that has booked acts including Billie Eilish, alt-J and Wolf Alice during its 19-year history, became the sector’s latest casualty earlier today.
“Ticket sales have not been sufficient to deliver a regional festival of this kind,” reads a statement from Groovin The Moo organisers.
“All tickets will be refunded automatically. Thank you to everybody who has supported the festival. We hope to be able to bring Groovin The Moo back to regional communities in the future.”
The festival had tapped Mura Masa, The Kooks, Melanie C, Mallrat and more for this year’s festival. It was set to begin in late April and run through until mid-May, hitting venues in Canberra, Bendigo, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast and Bunbury.
“Costs are up 40% across the board, and we’re just not able to raise ticket prices to the same level”
The news comes days after Groovin The Moo programmer Rich Moffat announced that he is stepping away from the music industry after 30 years.
Other festivals that have cancelled 2024 editions include Coastal Jam, Summerground, Vintage Vibes, Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree and ValleyWays – all of which cited financial difficulties amid the cost-of-living crisis.
“Costs are up 40% across the board, and we’re just not able to raise ticket prices to the same level,” explains The Australian Festival Association’s (AFA) managing director Mitch Wilson. “So the economics of festivals are becoming more difficult in this environment. The margins were already so tight, and the substantial increase in costs has made them even tighter.
Gold Coast-based Apex Entertainment’s Andrew McManus asserted, “If we’re looking at five festivals closing within weeks of each other, and one just days out before gates opened, then obviously the festival scene is in a crisis.”
“At the end of the day, our government is not addressing the cost of living crisis. Until it does, the future is a little murky for the live sector except for recession-proof superstars.”
“The margins were already so tight, and the substantial increase in costs has made them even tighter”
Even promoters that are enjoying record-breaking attendances are concerned about how the festival cancellations will impact the market.
The Untitled Group, Australia’s biggest independent promoter, enjoyed its most successful New Year’s festival run with 150,000 tickets sold for Beyond The Valley, Wildlands and Sun Cycle.
However, Untitled co-founder and managing partner Michael Christidis admits to concerns over the “vulnerability” of smaller festivals.
“Seeing many of them cancel and postpone could impact market confidence in consumers tying up funds with new or smaller events,” he says.
“Particularly with the cost of living going up so much, it’s not as easy for patrons to continually make plans and invest in as many shows that are often several months out. This concern will simply see us introduce less new events and concepts, and focus on developing what is already working in market.”
“If we’re looking at five festivals closing within weeks of each other, obviously the festival scene is in a crisis”
This year’s cancellations follow a patchy 2023 season in which Bluesfest lost 30,000 punters, Splendour In The Grass failed to sell out, and Falls (multi-state), Dark Mofo (Tasmania) and Goomfest (Victoria) took a year off.
Several festivals last year called it quits for good, including Newtown Festival in Sydney after 40 years and Play On The Plains in Deniliquin. Victoria saw the end of Wangaratta Jazz & Blues, Music In The Vines and Goldfields Gothic.
In addition, the parent companies of Now & Again, Grass Is Greener and Lunar Electric, went into voluntary administration or put in liquidation.
Hoping to avoid the same level of catastrophe as last year, the AFA is urging the Commonwealth government to extend its Live Music Major Events Fund for another four years, for the Victorian government to open applications for its similar fund, and for NSW to provide more specifics about its $103 million commitment.
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Two major Polish festivals called off for 2023
Poland’s festival summer has rapidly diminished with the cancellations of two major events: Kraków Live and On Air.
“Festivalgoers, Kraków Live will have its beginning in a new formula and place next year. See you in summer 2024!” reads a statement posted on Kraków Live’s Facebook page, on 5 June.
Promoter Alter Art, which also organises Open’er and Orange Warsaw, last year announced that Kraków Live would move from its longtime home of the Polish Aviation Museum due to site changes, but added that the event would return in 2023. Ultimately, no details of the 2023 edition were given before it was pulled.
Kraków Live has taken place at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków since 2007 and was known as Coke Live Festival until 2013.
The two-day event has hosted stars such as Calvin Harris, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Lewis Capaldi and The Chemical Brothers, and typically attracts 60,000 people each year.
“Kraków Live will have its beginning in a new formula and place next year”
On Air, a new festival from Fest Festival promoter Follow the Step, was also cancelled this week on Wednesday (7 June).
“We made a decision to postpone our festival to next year,” reads a statement on On Air’s Facebook page. “The second edition will take place in September 2024,” the statement continues, adding that refunds or ticket exchanges will be offered to ticketholders.
On Air was due to return to the 70,000-capacity Bemowo airport in Warsaw between 8 and 9 September 2023, with the line-up yet to be announced.
Following last year’s debut, Follow the Step co-founder Maciej Korczak told IQ of the challenging but rewarding launch.
“Launching a new festival is never easy, especially in the post-pandemic times,” says Korczak. “The biggest challenge that we faced was that On Air took place at the very end of the festival season and a lot of fans already used their festival budget.
“Normally it wouldn’t be a problem as it’s actually a good time for organising a festival in the capital – people are coming back from holidays and students to the universities – but this year because of the high inflation and because of many festivals and events being moved to this summer due to the pandemic, it meant that tickets were harder to sell this year.”
IQ has contacted Follow the Step and Alter Art for comment on the cancellations.
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Chris Stapleton NY gig cancelled due to “hazardous” smog
A Chris Stapleton concert was called off due to “hazardous” air quality levels in New York caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Broadway performances, sports games, Pride events and flights were also cancelled in recent days due to the polluting haze spreading across the US east coast.
Stapleton was due to perform for 17,000 people at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse on Thursday (8 June) but late Wednesday, the American singer issued a statement postponing the outdoor concert.
“Due to the ongoing air conditions in the greater Syracuse area, tomorrow night’s show at @StJosephsAmp will be rescheduled. All previously purchased tickets for the original date will be honoured for the new date. We expect to have an update by mid-day June 9th.”
There had been a question mark over whether The Governors Ball NYC could take place this weekend in Flushing Meadows Corona Park but organisers assured ticketholders the outdoor event would go ahead.
There had been a question mark over whether The Governors Ball NYC could take place this weekend
“Skies are clearing in NYC and conditions are expected to be significantly improved by tomorrow,” reads a post on social media from The Governors Ball NYC. “Gates will be opening at 11:45 am as planned! See you there.”
Much of the smoke plaguing the region can be traced back to fires burning in Quebec, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Nearly 150 fires are active in that province alone – some burning for weeks – with hundreds more alight across Canada.
Hundreds of firefighters from the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have been deployed to Canada, and more are on the way.
Poor air quality peaked in some major metro areas along the East Coast by late Wednesday or early Thursday. The former was by far the worst day on record in the United States for wildfire smoke since 2006, according to new research from Stanford University scientists.
The Canadian government says nearly 100 million people in the US and Canada are currently experiencing very poor air quality. Millions across North America are being advised to wear high-grade masks outdoors due to dangerous air pollution.
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Roger Waters takes legal action over axed gigs
Roger Waters is taking legal action over moves to cancel his upcoming concerts in Frankfurt and Munich.
The Pink Floyd co-founder was scheduled to perform in Germany at Barclays Arena in Hamburg (7 May), Cologne’s Lanxess Arena (9 May), Mercedes Benz Arena in Berlin (17-18 May), Munich’s Olympiahalle (21 May) and Festhalle Frankfurt (28 May) as part of his This Is Not a Drill tour.
However, the dates have become shrouded in controversy, with the city of Frankfurt attempting to block Waters from performing over allegations of antisemitism. The site is also of historical significance as Jewish Telegraph Agency notes that the Festhalle was the site of the deportation of 3,000 Jews to their deaths during the Holocaust, just after Kristallnacht.
A statement issued by Frankfurt City Council says: “The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behaviour of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world.
“He repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa, and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel.”
Munich City Council is also looking to ban the 79-year-old from performing in the city, alleging that he “keeps stirring up antisemitic resentment”, as well as “spreading conspiracy ideologies that relativise and justify Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine”.
“Mr Waters has instructed his lawyers to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustifiable decision”
However, through a statement issued by his management, Waters has hit back at the “unconstitutional” course of action, which he says is “without justification, and based upon the false accusation that Roger Waters is antisemitic, which he is not”.
“As a result of this unilateral, politically motivated action, Mr Waters has instructed his lawyers to immediately take all necessary steps to overturn this unjustifiable decision to ensure that his fundamental human right of freedom of speech is protected and that all of those who wish to see him perform, are free to do so in Frankfurt, Munich and in any other city in any other country,” reads the statement.
“Mr Waters believes that if this blatant attempt to silence him is left unchallenged it could have serious, far-reaching consequences for artists and activists all over the world.”
Last month, a cross-party group of politicians in Germany joined forces to demand the cancellation of Waters’ Cologne date due to his comments on the war in Ukraine. Two scheduled concerts by Waters at Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland, were cancelled last year over the same issue.
Subsequently invited by Moscow to address the UN Security Council via video link last month, Waters used the platform to condemn Russia’s “illegal” invasion of Ukraine “in the strongest possible terms”, but repeated his claim that it “was not unprovoked, so I also condemn the provocateurs in the strongest possible terms”.
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Tamsin Embleton: ‘We need to reimagine the way we tour’
The last few months have seen an unprecedented number of artists pull the plug on tours, citing the detrimental impact of touring on mental health.
Santigold, Arlo Parks, Shawn Mendes, Sam Fender, Russ, Wet Leg and Disclosure are just a handful of artists who scrapped outings, with many referencing the gruelling reality of touring via public statements.
Tamsin Embleton, a psychotherapist and the director of Music Industry Therapists Collective (MITC), called the mental health crisis in the artist community “startlingly widespread” but says many mental health crises are preventable.
In advance of the publication of her new book, ‘Touring and Mental Health, The Music Industry Manual‘ (due 23 March 2023), Embleton shares tips for identifying and coping with the various psychological difficulties that can occur during or as a result of touring.
What’s leading the rise in the number of tour cancellations due to mental health?
As my fellow MITC therapist Jodi Milstein points out, burnouts, breakdowns and relapses have always happened on tour but we used to use euphemisms for it, like ‘exhaustion’. Researchers in the UK and the US have been waving the red flag about the vast number of artists who suffer psychological difficulties when working in the music business since the 1980s, but it’s taken the latest wave of research around six years ago headed up by a paper from Gross and Musgrave and Help Musicians to catalyse substantial change in the industry.
Attitudes have changed a lot since the 80s. We have a greater mental health literacy so there’s less need for euphemism. This is partly down to wider societal trends but also thanks to artists who have publicly disclosed their struggles in the press. This encourages others to reflect, identify problems and seek help. Teams need to be careful that they don’t view an artist’s mental health difficulties as their USP though. Discussing sensitive issues in the press can be distressing – if it happens too early in recovery it can set progress back. And, of course, once it’s out there, it’s out there, and might be probed for years to come. Artists need support in figuring out what they feel comfortable disclosing, what is just theirs and what should remain private.
Touring is intensively stressful from a biological, psychological and social perspective. Stress accumulates on the road – and as it does so it degrades mindset, morale, optimism, tolerance, immunity and every system in the body. It makes it hard to get restorative sleep, and so the cycle continues. Some artists are sent out on the road with schedules they aren’t physically and psychologically able to withstand. Chronic stress can create psychological and physical problems and can exacerbate pre-existing conditions.
For some touring professionals and artists who were grounded during the pandemic, their capacities have changed for better and worse. There might be more awareness of the hidden costs of touring in terms of mental, physical and relational health. The pandemic meant lost earnings and opportunities for many, and there are other issues (low streaming revenue, inflation, the weak pound etc), adding financial pressure and resulting in extra dates being added.
“Touring is a high-stress situation where environmental conditions expose you to rely on unhealthy coping strategies”
What kinds of mental health issues are touring artists prone to currently?
Depression, anxiety (general, performance, social, flight), addiction, dependency and substance misuse problems (alcohol and substance, sex, porn), stress and burnouts, mental health crises (psychosis, self-harm, etc), conflict and anger management difficulties, eating disorders… the list goes on. Touring is a high-stress situation where environmental conditions are changeable and challenging, and the touring lifestyle encourages you to rely on unhealthy coping strategies such as excessive alcohol drinking, indulgent food, smoking, illicit substances, sex etc.
What causes these issues – where are the pressure points?
Touring is stressful to mind, brain, body and relationships. Firstly it takes you away from the people and practices that usually keep you stable (maintaining relationships at home is hard when you are physically and psychologically in different places). You are constantly thrust into unfamiliar spaces like venues and hotels which can be a source of stress in itself. Then the pressure is ramped up – to meet the expectations of a wide number of people (audiences, teams, press, local crews etc). You’re always ‘on’ – expected to deliver to exceptionally high standards night after night, no matter what role you’re in – and that’s hard to maintain.
There are great soaring highs (when performances go well) swiftly followed by lows – a rollercoaster people are rarely adequately prepared for. It starts off as very exciting, but as Nile Rodgers said to me it can be gruelling. The stress levels make it hard to get good quality, restorative sleep and exhaustion add to the cumulative stress. It’s hard to switch off when you’re always gearing up for the next show, which makes it hard to be present and enjoy your surroundings. There’s very little privacy and solitude. Often people talk about loneliness on the road, which is about not feeling connected to people or understood.
“Record labels, managers, and promoters have a duty of care toward artist”
Who is responsible for an artist’s mental health?
The artist has personal responsibility towards their own health and their teams have a duty of care towards their health too. A duty of care is the legal duty of people in positions of trust, power or authority to exercise reasonable care toward those they manage or assume responsibility for. It protects the health, safety and welfare of clients and employees while they carry out their work duties. So, record labels, managers, and promoters have a duty of care toward artists (i.e. anyone who employs the artist to fulfil work, or those who are employed by the artist to make career decisions on their behalf). Artists also have a duty of care toward their touring parties and managers.
Are there more services that artists and crew can reach out to now?
Greater numbers of artists and music industry workers are recognising that they need support and reaching for help. We have many excellent services and charities in the UK serving the community – Help Musicians UK, Music Support, BAPAM, Music Industry Therapist Collective (MITC), Tonic Rider, and grants available from PRS for Music fund, Royal Society of Musicians, StageHand (run by PSA) and others. Majors like Sony, Warners and Universal are offering greater levels of support. There’s a huge number of passionate, highly skilled people working to change things for the better.
“I think all artists could benefit from mentorship and coaching”
How can touring be made sustainable for artists?
That’s a big question and not one that’s easy to answer succinctly! We do need to reimagine the way that people tour. It’s not one-size fits all – capacities vary. Some people are more vulnerable than others.
Some changes can be implemented for free with a little bit of effort like providing ‘dry’ (alcohol free) dressing rooms, signposting to specialist mental health services, local 12-step meetings, green spaces, sports facilities, and ring-fencing time so that they are able to meet with therapists, coaches or sponsors. Others, such as changing the schedule and having sensible routing, have cost implications and raise questions about who pays for the shortfall. There’s a chapter in [‘Touring and Mental Health, The Music Industry Manual’] that addresses this.
What kind of support should artists be provided with?
It depends on what they’re dealing with but it’s helpful to set off feeling prepared. Adequate rehearsal time helps people feel a sense of mastery over the repertoire (which in turn can reduce performance anxiety).
Depending on the individual they might need to visit their GP or psychiatrist for a medication review ahead of the tour. I think all artists could benefit from mentorship and coaching, whether that’s ADHD coaching, vocal or performance training or career coaching. Skills building through psychoeducation, developing an understanding of mind-body connections and finding healthy ways to relax such as self-hypnosis for performance anxiety, meditation and mindfulness etc is important too, which is why we have tried to cover as many bases as possible in the book with chapters on all of these topics.
Then there are a number of psychological therapies that can help people to intercept unhelpful thought patterns, or reflect on their self-perception, formative past experiences and relational dynamics. Artists need to understand the risks to mind and body (including RSI, vocal strain issues like nodules, hearing issues etc) and have the right equipment, such as custom-fitted ear plugs or noise-cancelling headphones for those who struggle with sensory overload.
“We have to be flexible and anticipate life transitions that might cause stress or mean people need to adjust their way of working”
What do artist teams need to remember about artists and their mental health?
Even with the very best of intentions, over-functioning fosters dependency and reduces resilience and tolerance (think: helicopter parents). Try not to dismiss protests or expressions of suffering (verbally or musically) – it means something, so take it seriously. Educate yourself on the warning signs of poor mental health and illness. Think: prevention rather than cure or crisis response.
The industry is highly stressful, and the artists you work with will need to find ways to vent, blow off steam and make sense of it all. Encourage healthy behaviours and model self-care. Put in boundaries around communication and when some time is blocked off in the diary, don’t tempt the artist into working during their time off. It’s important they (and you) have some semblance of a life, and relationships outside of work. Social support is a vital source of stress relief throughout life, so we should try to help people stay connected to loved ones whilst out on the road.
Pre-order ‘Touring and Mental Health, The Music Industry Manual’ here. Contact David Stock for bulk buys: [email protected]
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