Aussie Festival Promoters Blame Agents

Overseas agents were in the crossfire when six promoters shared a panel on the future of festivals during the Electronic Music Conference in Sydney.

Photo: facebook.com/emcaustralia

The promoters blamed rising artist fees for continued volatility of the festival sector. These fees make up 80 percent of an event’s budget, Big Day Out CEO Adam Zammit revealed, as festivals compete for the same major acts.

Zammit said, “[Agents] know we’re a fervent, competitive bunch of assholes down here, and God knows they prey on that. Our industry can be fucking retarded when it comes to the way we coordinate.”

He claimed that “We’d all be better off” with a little price collusion.

The panel, which included SFX Totem co-CEOs Richie McNeill and Dror Erez, Future Music co-directors Brett Robinson and Jason Ayoubi, and Q-dance Australia director Simon Coffey, agreed targeting niche audiences was the future, that branded global festivals fail to study the Australian market before moving in, and that ticket pricing and safety were healthy.

“The U.S. is 10 years behind in safety standards,” opined McNeill. The promoters admitted a growing interest in the Asian market.

Erez declared, “This is going to be the next big battleground.”