Silence wedge: After a show stopping year, can music festivals open their gates again?
Credit: Natalie Jurrjens
It was March 2020 and the lineup programmer of the Golden Plains music festival was reveling in the final moments of a role he had held since the event’s inception. As the sun rose over the Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre, Woody McDonald and thousands of others had stayed up all night to see DJ Sprinkles, also known as Terre Thaemlitz, play the closing set at the fourteenth annual event. At somewhere around 7am on this Monday morning, the much revered producer played their song ‘Sisters, I don’t know what the world is coming to’ as the final song of the festival.
In the outside world, the novel coronavirus was rapidly spreading around the world and on this morning, Australia had recorded six new Covid-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 80.
Hearing the closing song, Woody took the sentiment personally. As the programmer who had booked Thaemlitz, a bucket list booking, he wondered what new opportunities lay ahead for him in his new role as the inaugural music program director at RISING festival in Melbourne. “The fact it was my final festival as programmer was already a trip. But of course Terre Thaemlitz, being the prophetic artist they are, was in fact informing the entire Sup’ (Supernatural Amphitheatre) that the world would never be the same again,” he said.
Credit: Jess Sneddon
“Initially we were all so psyched that we had one of our best festivals ever and had a few extra weeks at home to recover and relax. As time went on it became clear just how fortunate we were to be able to hold the event at all.”
While Woody and the Golden Plains attendees had been recovering from the weekend, the organisers of the Inner Varnika music festival were desperately trying to wrap their heads around all the impending rules and restrictions. “We were talking very regularly and trying to make sense of what was a very confusing situation,” said Glyn Hill, one of the co-founders and directors of the festival.
Two weeks later, after all the international artists on the Golden Plains lineup – including Hot Chip and Pixies – had returned home, Australia closed its borders to all non-residents. The next day on March 21, with case numbers above 700, strict social distancing rules were imposed banning all non-essential services including events and social gatherings at pubs and clubs.
With their annual Easter long weekend event just weeks away, Glyn and the team were forced into a heartbreaking predicament. “In the early days, in the first week or two when things were really hitting the fan, I think we were optimistic that the event may be able to go ahead but in hindsight obviously there was just no way that that was going to happen.”
Cancelling a three day event just 20 days out – with ticket holders, employees, contractors, and international artists all locked-in – comes at a significant financial and psychological cost. “It put us in a really difficult position because we’d already spent a significant amount of money on the festival.”
As is typical with insurance cover for events, cover for cancellation in the event of an airborne disease was excluded which left the team with a hole in their balance sheets.
Credit: Natalie Jurrjens
“The unknown and uncertainty of the situation was quite stressful and in general, longer term as things have unfolded the sense of uncertainty is really difficult to get your head around, on a personal level and also on a work level.”
Recording: Mafalda live at Inner Varnika for SKylab's 'Inside Varnika' broadcast
Ultimately, the festival went ahead in peoples’ homes and hearts as they dressed up in suits in solidarity with Inner Varnika for their main event ‘Suit Sunday’. Archived sets from the previous years of the festival were broadcast on this radio station, marking the biggest weekend in audience numbers in Skylab Radio’s history.
Following the ‘Inside Varnika’ version of the festival, Inner Varnika posted on social media to point out the silver linings; “For one, it fine tuned the need and appreciation many of us have for our small festival, as well as the broader value of cultural events in helping define who we are in the World”.
Credit: Natalie Jurrjens
One year on from the whirlwind of cancellations, while some industries are returning to normality, many in the live music industry are still in a state of flux. The industry was the first to go and will likely be the last to return. But whether or not they can actually return at all, is a predicament many are now facing.
The live entertainment sector has seen an estimated $24 billion of lost economic output and 79,000 (65 percent) jobs lost, according to Live Performance Australia (LPA), the peak industry body representing arts and music festivals, as well as performing arts companies, venues, stadiums and arenas. According to them, only two percent of live entertainment companies expected to return to 80 - 100 percent pre-Covid business activity in 2021. Almost 50 percent of companies expected to operate at zero to 40 percent of pre-Covid activity.
A survey from the Australian Live Music Business Council, an association formed in July in response to the pandemic to advocate for music enterprises and employees, found 70 percent of members surveyed were predicting closure within the next six months.
These associations have been lobbying the government to provide increased support for the live music industry which many feel was overlooked by government support packages. Their lobbying, and from others within the sector, resulted in some form of relief when Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced $250 million in loans and grants in June. Recipients of the funding so far have been well established theatre, dance and music institutions. Today, the Federal Government has announced an additional $125 million for the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) fund, a boost to the $75 million which had been allocated in the June announcement. The government has said this additional funding will support 230 projects and up to 90,000 jobs. Improved funding guidelines will allow more support for smaller arts organisations such as independent music festivals. Beyond these two announcements the sector remains neglected comparatively to others. And it turns out that three-quarters of the original $250 million is yet to be spent.
“I think the jury is still out for where additional funding will go but it’s not been sufficient for the music world thus far,” said Woody.
When can we go to festivals again?
For an industry where the business model is based on selling out, running Covid-safe events with reduced capacity is often not financially viable. While we’ve seen the return of socially distanced one day events in the city, most festivals will be holding out until there’s a further easing of restrictions.
All across the country we’ve seen the devastating impacts of snap lockdowns and state border closures on the hospitality, arts and live music sectors. These ongoing threats and audience restrictions are preventing the industry from fully reactivating.
Golden Plains and Meredith music festivals said decisions relating to next season's festivals were yet to be made. Inner Varnika also confirmed they would be waiting for a further easing of restrictions before bringing back the festival. “In order to hold a safe event next month,” said Inner Varnika in a statement, “we would have to compromise on things we feel hold too much significance to what makes IV, IV.” It said the festival would return with a date earmarked for later in the year.
Credit: Natalie Jurrjens
For the meantime, underground park parties and reduced capacity club nights will have to do. However, in some positive news last week, Boogie Festival announced it would be going ahead this Easter weekend with a Covid safe plan and a promise to hold the festival on Cup Weekend in November should they have to postpone. Looking to winter, the much anticipated inaugural RISING festival is set to go ahead in May with a mixture of indoor and outdoor events utilising car parks, amphitheatres and other civic spaces. The festival, which is replacing the White Night festival, was meant to happen in August last year with 30-odd international acts on the line up.
“I was really excited for the program,” said Woody. “It was a pity to have to trash it. One of the goals of the program was to present artists and program pieces that had not been seen in Melbourne before. There were lots of leftfield and bucket list acts.” The new lineup is due to be announced at the end of the month and it will feature artists from Australia and New Zealand.
While most festivals remain in limbo, unable to return to normal capacity, many will be regretfully anticipating the end of JobKeeper on March 28. With 90 percent of live entertainment companies still receiving the government subsidy, it’s termination will have devastating consequences.
“While across the economy, the ATO reports that 90 percent of the 1.3 million jobs lost have been replaced, our industry is not in those figures,” said LPA in a statement. “Live entertainment remains largely at a standstill. We’re slowly getting shows back but under heavy restrictions and current business activity is not sustainable. The looming end of JobKeeper will see significant job losses and an unprecedented down-sizing of the industry. The impact of that on our cities and regional communities will be profound.”
Those working within the music industry and those who enjoy it’s output, understand not only the economic benefits festivals bring to this country, but also the intrinsic value they hold. Festivals provide an opportunity for social transactions, relationship building and self-expression.
While the economic impacts are devastating for individuals, businesses and regional communities, the fallout for community cohesion and mental health are intangible but equally upsetting.
The road to recovery remains unclear but what is certain is that more government support is needed otherwise more operators will go under. Today's announcement of the additional government support and improved funding guidelines for RISE recipients is a move designed to help the music industry who have been warning that without further support, the damage to Australia’s live music industry will be long lasting. For many in the live music industry, today's announcement is too little and too late.
Credit: Jess Sneddon