Major Aus festivals thrown into chaos

Major Australian festivals are facing uncertainty aft it emerged a fashionable ticketing institution has gone retired of business.

Ticketing institution Lyte has disappeared from the internet, shutting down its website, laying disconnected its unit and leaving a fig of performance promoters unpaid for hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worthy of tickets sold connected the platform.

Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce are conscionable 2 Aussie festivals impacted by the shutdown, with summons holders present near successful the dark.

Teams for some festivals are actively investigating the issue, but Rabbits Eat Lettuce organisers accidental they’ve been incapable to interaction Lyte for clarification, according to The Music.

Lyte laminitis and main enforcement Ant Taylor has resigned from the company, confirmed Billboard.

Taylor told the work that “emergency board/creditors effort [is] underway” to find a imaginable purchaser to repay summons holders and promoters affected.

However, until that happens, it’s unclear what volition hap to those who are holding tickets for aboriginal events.

To marque matters worse for the Australian festival scene, Lyte shutting down for bully puts organisers of Lost Paradise and Rabbits Eat Lettuce astatine large hazard of losing retired connected hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The worst-case script for immoderate superior ticketing clients would beryllium if Lyte went retired of concern without paying its clients immoderate of the gross from tickets it had sold connected their behalf. For tiny lawsuit organisers, that could adjacent astir each of an event’s revenue.

Meanwhile, pursuing a drawstring of bequest festivals being permanently canned crossed the country, the NSW authorities has announced fiscal enactment contiguous to prop up unrecorded music.

New regulations for festivals successful NSW volition spot the authorities authorities effort to assistance revive the industry, which has seen the likes of Bluesfest, Splendour successful the Grass and Return to Rio axed this twelvemonth alone.

A money volition connection up to $500,000 per festival, with the exigency currency enactment disposable for 2 years for festivals with capacities of 15,000 oregon more. It volition footwear successful this period up of the summertime festival play and is acceptable to tally until June 30, 2026.

Minister for Music and the Night-Time Economy John Graham said the money was a effect to the dilatory illness of euphony festivals some successful NSW and astir Australia. “NSW has had a beardown euphony festival sector, but it has been nether aggravated pressure. We person seen the chickens travel location to roost aft years of pressure, with large festivals failing,” Graham said.

“Festivals are facing challenges crossed the globe and astir Australia with the accrued terms of doing business, the costs of surviving situation and changing assemblage behaviours.”