A recent report has found that festival ticket sales have increased compared to pre-COVID years, but only a small number have recorded profits, and many are being cancelled.
The report by an advisory body Creative Australia, found that festival ticket sales had increased by an average of 1500 tickets per festival. However, only 56 per cent of festivals held in the 2022-23 financial year made a profit.
Music festivals were once considered a great cultural event, but recently they’ve lost their appeal. This has resulted in the cancellation of major music festivals, such as Splendour in the Grass.
Festival organisers say the biggest challenge to running a festival is the rising operational cost.
However, young people are turning to more niche, underground DJ events to enjoy live music. These events are often cheaper and not as heavily policed as traditional music festivals.
From Festivals to EDM
To provide some insight into the turn to Electronic Dance Music (EDM) events we spoke with Indiana Sanders, social media manager of ‘Bondi Lines’ page and passionate EDM fan.
Bondi Lines is a social media page ran by young people across the country, which promotes local music events.
In the 2022-23 financial year almost one in four of the festivals held was an electronic music festival.
Ms Sanders thinks the move from traditional music festivals to EDM festivals is because of a change in appetite from music listeners.
“I think the taste is changing, and who people want to see is changing. More people are wanting to go to festivals for DJs, not for live bands or other performers,” she said.
Ms Sanders thinks EDM is so popular in Australia because of the influence of social media.
“[EDM] is so popular internationally, because social media artists can create music and share them online with fans. Allowing them to reach audiences all over the world,” she said.
“Which is why we are seeing a rise in more techno events, like Pitch Festival and Lost Paradise have got a lot bigger over the past few years, because people are wanting to go see DJs and that type of music instead.”
The rise of EDM and techno events has redefined live music, leaving traditional festivals to either adapt or risk being left behind.
As more music festivals are being cancelled, more people are turning to smaller events.
This trend towards smaller events does not appear to be going anywhere amongst the youth, as they increase in numbers, and participation.