Live music 'extinction event' as Bluesfest tunes out

The founder of one of Australia's longest-running music events is desperately pleading for festivals to stay afloat as he bows out after a 35-year run. Peter Noble says he's been forced to pull the plug on Bluesfest after its 2025 edition amid ongoing turmoil in the sector. "We're at a crossroads in the festival industry," he told AAP. "After having come out of COVID, the live-music industry is on its knees." Mr Noble, who set up Bluesfest in 1990, announced on Wednesday the April event would be the last outing for the blues and roots music festival, held annually outside northern NSW coastal town Byron Bay. His decision follows the shock cancellation of Splendour in the Grass that was due to be held in July, while other events such as the Falls Festival and Groovin the Moo have also been scrapped. Soaring costs have been cited as increasing the difficulty of live-music events, including high travel expenses and climbing overheads such as insurance. A series of extreme weather events and the rising cost of living have also driven declining ticket sales. Governments needed to support and value more highly the events "that show an incredible contribution to Australian arts," Mr Noble said. "We want our industry to exist (but) we're left to shoulder the burden," he said. "In four or five years' time, Australian artists will leave." It could be too late for younger people to experience the live-music scene in the same way their parents enjoyed the likes of Cold Chisel and Midnight Oil, the industry veteran said. "There is an extinction event occurring," he said. "We need the infrastructure and the venues to bring down the costs." Event organisers struggle to pay for policing costs and often-prohibitive security requirements, as well as finding the right infrastructure and venues for artists, Mr Noble said. "You just get to the point where you give up," he said. Federal Arts Minister Tony Burke said he had been attending Bluesfest for more than a decade. "Since the pandemic, ticket sales for festivals have been getting harder and harder," he said. NSW Arts Minister John Graham admitted the events industry was not in a good way, saying he was very concerned about the fate of festivals across the board. "There's no question here, the industry, the federal government, the state government need to do more here," he said. He plans to work to address industry concerns about viability and policing costs before the upcoming summer festival season. Bluesfest has not yet announced its 2025 line-up, although tickets for the event are on sale. The 2024 edition featured rock legend Jimmy Barnes' first performance since heart surgery.